Jay GreesonMorning. Buckle up.
In the wake of Matt Lauer and Bill Cosby and other men who have left us dumbfounded and outraged upon learning about all of their deviances, this much we now know: Skeletons don't stay in the closet forever, and no matter your star power or salary, sexually assaulting women will no longer be tolerated.
That reaction is great.
This overreaction is not. Apparently, the powers that be at Tennessee State University have ruled that "suggestive" whistling falls under the sexual harassment umbrella and could be grounds for expulsion.
Seriously.
So there's that.
Lanes and gutters
They announced the meeting.
They got together.
There were several bigwigs there in their bigwig attire. But the attendance and feedback were sparse.
Could be about anything, right? Well, this was the city of Chattanooga looking for feedback on converting several of the one-way streets downtown to two-way roads.
If you missed the meeting - and it's almost certain you did - you can still give your view on one-way streets to Tommy Trotter at trotter@chattanooga.gov.
Those opinions will be welcomed, but do not expect any of the $70,000 the city is spending on the "study" of this.
And as long as the city is not looking to add more bike lanes, I'm good with what comes next.
Change for the better and worse
We all understand the decision. From safety and cost to convenience and maintenance, replacing the glass panels with steel ones on downtown's Holmberg Walking Bridge makes sense.
It also is sad.
No, this is not a tradition of 50-plus years or some area institution closing down. But our family has walked that bridge thousands of times.
And the uniqueness of the glass panels - and our little ones wanting to walk in the middle - was always special.
Please know this is not a rant; the decision-making toward the change is sound.
This is more a lament, and a thank you for the time we had.
Now we're talkin'
It's clear to regulars around this space that texting and driving is abhorred. Heck, we even tossed out the acronym CATCHER - Columnist Against Texting Cell Handlers Endangering Roadways - and threatened to call out drivers we saw texting and driving.
Upon advice of counsel, that idea was shelved.
But, truth be told, stats and studies show texting and driving is worse than drinking and driving in terms of distraction.
Let that sink in.
That fact appears to be spurring action in Florida, where legislation is proposed that would make texting and driving a primary offense and put more teeth into the punishment.
Good. And let's hope the rest of the country follows.
Drinking and driving has greatly subsided in my lifetime because of the advocates who championed stricter enforcement and penalties.
Here's hoping this serves as the next step against texting and driving.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6343.