Portland, Tennessee Blog

Tanya, I think you shouldn't expect re-zoning for your property to allow for livestock or any animals. I don't think livestock belong in the city limits. If you had intentions of having farm animals when you moved here, I think you should have moved out into the county where you could have whatever you wanted. Honestly, I don't think it fair to your neighbors to ask for re-zoning.

Hi all. I was wondering if you could possibly start a thread regarding zoning issues in the city limits. I moved out here from California almost two years ago, and one of my big draws to this area was the land. So I bought a house and 5 acres, with the intention of allowing my children to raise a couple of animals for livestock shows, and for my family to have a handful of chickens for eggs. We had asked our Realtor to check the zoning, and she claimed she did (my fault completely for not checking myself.) ~ To make a long story short, I have asked our City Council to take into consideration changing the zoning to allow for livestock with limitations (like the zoning for horses that just went into effect) ~ I am just trying to get a feel for what all of you think. Thanks for listening.

The Dixie Leagues play on the Richland fields which cost more to play.
They have good games and everyone behaves. The city owns the park and it is kept up nicely.

The Little League park is a joke. I don't know who the people are that just took it over from the Edison's. I read in the paper that they were going to make much needed improvements at the park and make it more family friendly. They must be behind schedule. The times I have been there the games didn't start on time, coaches were arguing, etc. And yes there have been fights. Just read the police reports.

The Little League District Administrators need to investigate what is going on there.

There are I believe 2 Baseball leagues in Portland, one is run by the city and the other is not. As for the fields, yes they are pathetic, don't know who gets to play on the nice fields at Richland park. Anyway there has been problems before with one of the ball leagues, as we pulled my grandson from one a few years back for the same thing.

Hey DeeAnna...yea unfortantely it is..my husband warned me before going up there, but i was so determined to let our son play, and I didnt know what I was getting myself into. My husband thinks I shouldnt try to start a stink over it and keep quit, BUT if no one steps up things will never change. If my son is going to grow up in this town, its time for a few changes! Does the city control little league or is it run by a private division, and as for the field, does parks and rec. control that..because if we do, the field needs some work! I would be ashamed to ask my family from out of town to come watch my son play...
Kinda off the subject, but does anyone have any word on the city soccer league? We are starting that this fall, but I wanted to make sure that it was much better than what I stepped into Saturday! Thanks for the comments..good to know that Im not the only one who feels this way!

I don't have any children in Little League, and I don't go to the games...but I am shocked to hear the Little League park games are known for fighting and drinking??? This is the Porltand that fights so hard against alcohol ??? LOL

Why is bad behavior allowed to continue there ?

Does the city govt. not have any say about this???

Shouldn't all the activities within the city limits be controlled or overseen better that that?

Little League doesen't sound like a very good place for children. Is that really how it is ??

Sorry to say but the Little League Park is known for it's fights, drinking, etc. I thought when the new people took it over it would improve but guess not.

Okay..so after thinking long and hard I figured this is the best way to get some help! Totally way off the subject..but maybe ill get some comments! We went to sign our 3 year old up for tee ball Saturday. First, let me comment on the field at the little league park. The only way to describe it is awful!! After pulling in their, I was ready to turn around and go the other way. I am not from here, and my husband had already warned me, but never would I have thought it was that bad!!! Next, my husband gets out of the car to sign him up, and lets just say they were not the nicest people around..not someone I would want caching my son. My husband first asked if he could coach, and they told him no..which is understandable, if they didn't need any. When my husband walked up all he heard was people cussing in the concession stand..again which is not a good example for my 3 year old. Also, my husband walked into the concession stand to get some information and immediately smelled strong liquor on a few of the men's breath. I just believe that now my son has missed out on what should be a fun sport because some cannot act profesional. Can the city not do something about this? I really wanted him to play, and this is something he has talked about for a while, but I refuse to let him play in that type of environment! Does anyone know who you contact about that league..is that the city? Thanks!!

ME --- oh, my gosh...ok. Well, this office sounds really dysfucntional....I, too, would be furious....that's incredible. Well, be glad you're out of there...it would have only gotten worse.
You did everything you were supposed to do. It does make you wonder how professional people stay in business or have any business at all. There's really a lot of incompetence out there..having letters after one's name does not always ensure professional behavior, as you had to find out unfortunately.

Thanks Debra so much for those links. I'm definitely going to check them out.I appreciate it.
And yes folks, it was indeed a Portland dentist.

DeeAnna, I didn't take a smoke break at all. I had an hour lunch and sat in the office to eat, I never left the office until time to go home. I was at my desk all day doing what I was instructed to do. I'm really bewildered by the whole thing, and wonder how they've managed to do business for so long with such poor people skills. Every few months they advertise for help. Now I know why.

ME...just be glad you're not working for this dentist. If he was this much of a jerk on the first day....imagine how far downhill it would have gone from there !

When he asked about your attitude as to how it relates to your family and your weight...well, that was just not professional and I'm sure illegal. About the smoking, even though you only came in contact with him for one minute during the day .....did you take too many "smoke breaks" ? Were you away from your desk too much?
I know from my own experience, that co-workers who take too many "smoke breaks" cause problems for the other workers sometimes by being gone too much and putting more work on the rest who don't smoke.
Other than that, I think he was off-base and I would be as upset as your are. Or worse. I wouldn't have been as gracious as you and said they were nice people. They don't sound very nice to me..they sound like they have a lot to learn about dealing with people.

ME go to the sites that DebraP graciously provided. It is always better to go on any kind of interview armed with all the knowledge you can garner -- information about the company you are interviewing with and information in regard to the laws in place to protect us from prejudice --"knowledge is armor." This dentist and his staff were waay out of line...

Was this a Portland dentist? I understand if you don't want to name names. They were way out of line in that situation.

ME, This employer stepped way over the line. It's illegal to ask any personal questions. Here are some web sites to check out.

http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/10things/?p=229

http://interactive.wsj.com/public/current/articles/SB868475537387961000.htm

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/these-improper-interview-questions-put/story.aspx?guid=%7B27D41EB3-5CA4-4165-BC4C-1AE11C8CD0FA%7D

All questions must relate to the job you are interviewing for.

This is probably out of place... but I've just got to ask. Am I overreacting? I went to work last week as a receptionist for a dentist. Before I was hired, I was asked several personal questions (which were odd, but I so needed the job). One of them concerned the fact that I smoked. I was told a decision had to be made and they'd get back to me. I figured I'd never hear from them again and wrote it off. Well, I was hired. KNOWING that my employer did not like smoke, I did not do it all day. I came in contact with my employer once that day for approximately 1 minute. During that day I witnessed at least three patients putting out cigarettes before they came in for their appointments. The next day I receive a phone call informing me that I did a great job, there were no complaints, but he had to let me go. Apparently the smell of smoke on me bothered him. I was blown away. Does this sound right to anyone? It's not like he didn't know beforehand. It's really burning me up- especially since now I'm wondering if he smelled it on the patients and blamed me, or was he just being too picky? One question I was asked before I was hired was concerning whether or not I had the attitude of a certain family member of mine (whom they knew), the other was about my weight (because I'm a big girl). The whole thing was just very unprofessional, and while I think they are nice people, I'm very disappointed in their behavior. How would you feel and what would you have done in that situation? Has anyone had something similar to this happen to them before?

The Chamber of Commerce now has a web site:

http://www.portlandcofc.com/

Is it just me or does anyone else wish L. Collin's would build another building in town like the VOLUNTEER BANK. I know the old building's on mainstreet are nice but my favorite Building in town is the Vol Bank. Wish I lived on the third floor of the bank. I could sit on that balcony at night and be entertained by the traffic while playing on my Computer.

I know the housing market is down right now but maybe one day we could get a 5 to 10 story Condo that looks nice like the bank. Would be nice to have some nice Condo's in town for those of us that don't want the upkeep of a home.

Just wondered if anyone else ever thought about this or if I'm alone.

I was born here in Portland, moved away and came back, been back about 20 years now, not to much has changed around here, except for some new homes, more then we need, and talks of another school being built, again more then we need.
My concern is the side-walks in Portland, a few years ago there was talk around town that money for side-walks was given so that we could have them, well were are they?I live almost to the end of south Russell st and would like nothing more to have a side walk that I could walk all the way into town on. I am disabled, (walk with a cane) and walking is my only for of exercise I can get. Yes we have two parks to walk at, but I would like to get to know my neighbors as I do walk, get to know the neighborhood better and save on gas traveling back and for to the parks. I bet I could get way over a thousand signatures to support having side walk put in, if that is what it would take then I will do it!
Also on my mind...does anyone know what is going to be built on south Russell, some say it is another school, some say more houses, does anyone know for sure?
Thanks for letting me vent,
Denitta

The walking trail at the park is really nice to have....you're right, though, some sprucing up would be nice with some landscaping, some plants, or something. Walking alone is boring to me, too....taking a Walkman to have something to listen to makes the walk go faster. Of course, it's more fun to have a walking buddy. I would walk more if I had a walking buddy, I'm sure.

the water dept. in this town simply sux.the weomen that work there act like they're collecting their own rent like rude landlords.
especially the short woman with the pumpkin-pie haircut whos been there for years. has anybody noticed how bitchy-nice she is?? it seems like it makes her day to cut off a family's water.

It would be nice if you had something to look at while on the walking trail at Meadowbrook.
The whole park could use some sprucing up.

I hate the walking trail at Richland. It is so boring!!

Meadow Brook Park

Why don't the Parks dept clean all those big grey rocks out of the stream at Meadowbrook park. They make the stream look so trashy. I like to see streams as mother nature intended them. I never could understand why they put them in it. They also need more trees and native bushes along the stream. Maybe they could just stop mowing a few areas and let nature take over. It wouldn't cost anything and would save a little money on mowing. It would also be a area for wildlife to hide and live.

What do other people think about this.

I also think there use to be a pond in this park and it would be nice to have another one.

You can pay your cemc bill online and it doesn't cost anything. I never have to worry about going thru the drive thru anymore. But, anytime I do call and speak to someone, I have to say that they have always been very nice.

Same with the water dept. I have had more dealings with them than I care to count. I have emailed and emailed the mayor. As you can imagine nothing.I cut my gas off and went with another source because I refuse to pay any more than what I have to.You are right Sam they do act as though they are in a postion of power. Dont count on our great mayor to do a thing about it.

I've had several problems with CEMC. Not billing me, not tuning power off at previous residences when requested etc... There's no way to pay with a check/debit card unless it's over phone and you get charged a 2.50 fee for giving them money.
They can treat you any way they want too. Who else are you going to go to? It's the kind of service you get with a monopoly. I mean "oligopoly", but there's really not much difference when theres only one power company.

Speaking of rude clerks, what is with the lady at CEMC? I have paid my bill at the drive-thru every month for almost 10 years, and she has NEVER said "hello" or smiled at me, or said "thank you." She just ignores me for a good 1-2 minutes, glares at me like I'm a bother, then puts the little drawer out. Not even a "thank you" when I hand over hundreds of dollars, which provides her with a paycheck. What's with that?

Here's another traffic light problem If you are coming out of Fountain Head Rd and turning Left onto 109 or going straight you have to wait for someone to come down SR76 and trigger the light to change. I guess the poeple who installed the redlights there thought everyone turned right.

I hope when the road expansion comes through they fix this problem and put turning lanes on all four sides. There is a lot of traffic at that intersection and it is only going to get worse.

It would also be nice if someone would build another Gas station in this area. We all miss the Jr Foods store. A Thortons station would be nice since they generally try to have the lowest gas prices and drive the other stores to lower their price's.

I have only lived here for 6 months and just found them rude and as though the people who work there are in postion of power. I have had to adjust to different billing ways and wow they not helpful at all. Just wondered if anyone else or just me. Thanks.

Thanks David..I couldn't see anything other than all of the emergency vehicles and a helicopter circling. I am sorry to hear someone's life was taken :( Very sad.

Regarding the Water Dept.
Not sure what problems you are refering to, but with the water dept as a whole, I haven't had any problems, I just won't drink Portlands water because of the taste.

Can anyone please tell me if they have had any problems with the water dept. here in Portland? I have had the worst time and trying to find out if it is just me. Any help would be great

Jessica, It was not a wreck last nite on N Russell. There was a house a fire that killed Dr Simonton. Very unfortunate for all those who knew him and his family. Our thoughts and pray go out to the family.

Did anyone see the story on Channel 4 News last night about casinos might be coming to Franklin Ky? It will not just be locals that will visit the casinos. Portland needs to get their ducks in a row and finally agree on a plan. They need to start trying to get resturants and hotels out by the interstate or they will miss out big time. Portland needs to stop stalling and get busy.

Does anyone know any information about the wreck last night on N. Russell, it was right in front of DelRose..they had the road shut down for a good 2 hours...I couldn't tell what was going on..Hope everyone was okay!

Sorry to hear of the death of Dr. Simonton last night. My thoughts go out to the family

Jessica,

Glad to hear about you son's success at Wiseman.
My son also has aspergers syndrome. He attends Watt Hardison and I have to say the first couple of years they did a very good job with him.

This year has been another story, he has an older teacher, who has no clue how to deal with kids with this problem and he has actually regressed this year as compared to his last 4 years at this school. This teacher this year has been much less capable of dealing with him which has actually caused him to really struggle. We work with him at home very hard, every day.

My advise to you is to be very selective with which teachers he gets. Make sure they are qualified to deal with kids with this issue, because if they are not, this will really hinder any progress that has been made prior.

While we're on the topic of traffic lights; If you stop at the light next to the Pawn Shop, going East on Market, there is NO WAY to see if traffic is coming from the North, because of the curves in the street. Please put a "No Right on Red" sign at this intersection. I have often looked to see if the coast is clear, then had a semi appear from the curve in the road. It is very dangerous to pull out onto 109 there when the light is red. The best solution seems to be to always wait for your light to turn green.

these old redlights are very frustrating. we will soon have new "led" lights being installed.
another problem we have had is timely maintainance; getting the company up here to fix problems has not always been easy.
i will check on the progress of these problems.

I think a turning signal at 109 and College street is much needed as well, especially before and after school.

Thanks, Councilman Callis--glad to hear such a positive response so quickly. We'll look forward to seeing an improvement soon!

Thanks Councilman Callis! It is nice to know you are on the job. I'm sorry to ask or mention yet another problem. But what about the red light at Subway & the big First Baptist Church. There is not turning signal on Hwy 109 & is much needed and also the light doesn't stay green long enough to safely get across the road. Red light #7 I think it is. Is there something the city can do about this problem. I also understand the other red light byt the Pawn & jewelry store is the same way. It really makes it hard to turn to get to city hall. Please help!

I have a positive note to add, as I have stated before, my son attends the preschool program here in Portland at J.W Wiseman and over the past 3 months of his attendance I have been pleasantly surprise at this school. My son has had some speech delays to what the doctors were saying was because of ear infections, but it seemed much deeper along with some other behavior issues and thanks to the loving support of his teachers, we have found that my son has a form of autism called Asperger's Syndrome. I just wanted to say how wonderful all of the staff at J.W Wiseman has treated our family and how much they have helped impact my son's future. I could never repay them for all they have done. Let's be thankful to have such wonderful teachers right here Portland that are making such big difference in our children's lives.

mg,
this problem is being addressed, I have already asked that we get some signs indicating that semi trucks are not to go past a certain point.
I live on westland and understand the problem completely.
thanks
mike

I live on North Russell and yes this is a problem. Quite often it ends up in the truck driver trying to back up or trying to turn around completely. It's easy for them to get lost too because where you would think you could just go down the street and make enough lefts or enough rights you could come right back to where you were but headed the right direction isn't also possible. I think some simple signs saying "end of industrial park" or something similar would be enough.

speaking of signs just throwing this in there. Has anyone noticed the welcome to Portland sign when you are coming into town from I-65 is damaged. I think it was from the storm this past week.

Open comments to city council members who read the blog: it would surely be nice if there could be a MUCH larger, more noticeable sign (maybe with big yellow and black stripes or a flashing light) on the Kirby Drive extension to North Russell/Westland Street that warns truck drivers that they are LEAVING the industrial park and should NOT enter the residential area.

At least a half dozen times a week (likely many more times that we don't see), trucks enter the residential area and are completely bewildered about how to return to the industrial park. This problem has become significantly more prevalent over the past several months, it seems.

Besides the noise, the danger of semis trying to negotiate 3-point turns in the middle of busy intersections and impatient car drivers swerving out into the oncoming lane to pass obviously lost truckers, in the last few months three of our neighbors have had their mailboxes dessimated, not just knocked over, but destroyed (including one lovely brick mailbox that will be more costly to replace).

Perhaps I'm oversimplifying this, but this seems like a public safety issue where the danger might at least be reduced by different signage. I would be happy to talk with whomever could help with this.

I think someone did finally listen.
Good thing we have this BLOG on portlandtn.com !!!

I am glad to see the updates also on the city website. I am glad someone is paying attention to the citizens. I hope they keep it updated like this.

Wow...Judy was right....cityofportland.gov made some HUGE changes...that's what I was talking about...information about our community...that is what a city website should be about, not just basic info. Congrats and kudos to whoever paid attention to us and updated the site....I'll be visiting it more often if it keeps up...

FYI:
Appears somebody is listening!!

www.cityofportlandtn.gov

has made a GREAT update on the site.

I agree gw. I know the city council & mayor read this blog or I am sure that someone tells them subjects talked about here. This is still a small town & people talk. It would be nice if they would take care of some of these concerns. Do we need to elect new leaders?

I just went to the city website to check it out and once again I found it to be boring! Surely there is info about Portland that could be posted...things like "when is the Walgreens expected to open?; how is our current water level and how much do we still need, if any, to get through another long, hot, dry summer; how many Portland citizens were effected by the storms last night?; what damage was done to the city?, How was the voter turnout yesterday? What's the status on the Main Street issue -- is anyone doing anything yet? I could just go on and on. Seems that some of that space could be used to let us know what is actually going on in town. The site could also use an interactive section for questions and answers. It would also give a realistic view of the city for visitors to the site. As awesome as the annual Strawberry Festival is, surely there is more to this city than that! Anyway, I'll continue to get my info from here!

Sorry, I didn't make that clear. I understand it that the city paid nothing when they used this website (www.portlandtn.com)
but they do have to pay for the other website (www.cityofportlandtn.gov)
The portlandtn.com website could have done the same thing but the city would not have to pay for it. The web master Charlie Myers offered it free of charge for the city & they used it for quite a few years (at no charge)

Cheryl, I'm confused. In back to back sentences, you say you understand the website costs the city nothing; then you say they are "wasting mine and your tax dollars". I don't get it.

Glad to see the city website:
www.cityofportlandtn.gov
put the Strawberry festival info but i thought that the Chamber did the festival not the city?
I too would like to see more & the public events such as the festival should be on this website. That's where I used to find it. What happen to that?

http://www.cityofportlandtn.gov/

Is the actual City Web Site, however I don't see any updated agendas or minutes since Jan. This site was just put in place about 5-6 months ago but haven't seen much changes until I visited it this morning and they did put something on the home page about strawberry fest.

Thanks gw ! This is a great website and it is very informative. I used to could find city news and agendas on this website. You used to sign up for yard sales and have them listed here. It seems the city is again wasting mine and your tax dollars. I understand that this website cost the city nothing. Why would they not use it?

YES.....it was the most important thing I did today.....now watching the returns !

Did anyone go vote today?

I too would like to see the Portland City website become more pro-active with its agenda to keep the citizens of the city informed. I have been there several times and felt like it was just a waste of time...it is stagnant. This site gives more info about what goes on in Portland than any media I have seen in town, including both newspapers. The city website should be the first place Portland citizens and visitors can go to find current information about what is going on in town. Looks like whoever started the site didn't realize that it needs to be an ongoing source of information with current news and bulletins.

Thanks Tim! I:m glad someone else sees this problem. I thought ALL AGENDAS for every meeting had to be put up at city hall a week before the meeting. I hope someone looks into this & gets it right. It would be nice to have some notice on these meetings to do research (even citizens like to research) We can't really get a good idea if we don't have time to think about it. That is a problem also, you have to speak on the subject before researching it. I wonder if the council gets their agenda in time to study it before making a decision for the citizens of this town. THere is a protocal to follow & I feel the city needs to keep that in mind. These are serious decisions for our town.
I do have another question. In the CIty Council meeting the other night on cable, the council adds things to the agenda but they only give a number. Why can;t they tell us what the item being added is? It would be nice to know ahead of time. I don't really know what all these numbers are but it doesn't tell the regular citizen like me anything. I hope they will change a few things so that people will know what they are talking about. We did elect these people to let us know things & we do pay them a salary & as I recall they even voted themselves a raise in a year or so. I just wish they would inform the citizens a little more. Thanks.

Speaking of the Council agendas, I can tell you that you are not the only one that is frustrated about it. In four years on the City Council, I asked three different City Recorders if the Councilmen could get the agendas a little ealier that the Friday afternoon before the meeting. It rarely happened. It did not leave a whole lot of time for research, especially if you work a day job.

They are supposed to post the agendas for each of the meeetings. They usually have them on the bulletin board at City Hall; I don't remember whether they are at the Parks Department or not.

This web site is still in its infancy, I hope that in an effort to help keep the public informed, it might be given a little more attention in the future. It is a wonderful tool if used properly and kept up to date.

I was suprised to see that the high school is expanding. Well, not really suprised. But, anyways, does anyone know much about it?

Where do you think Portland would be like if all the factories decided to close up shop and move elsewhere? How many of our citizens would move also? Would we still have a Walgreens, Arby's, Pizza Hut, etc. Would we still be getting 2 new schools??
What Would Portland be without these factories.........

Very well said MG.

While I understand that no one wants to live in an industrial wasteland, it's good to remember that the more industry in Portland, the larger percentage of the tax base they provide--at least that's the way it's supposed to work--keeping our property taxes at a more reasonable level.

To the poster regarding unfair treatment of employees at Portland industries...my husband has been at the same industry here for more than 15 years. They work him hard, no doubt, sometimes 12 or 13 days in a row, but they pay him fairly and provide good benefits. Do we like everything they do? Can we understand why they expect people to make their weekend plans after 2 p.m. on Friday, and be ready to cancel their vacation or holiday plans at the drop of a hat? Truly, do they even get the quality work they require to be competitive out of exhausted (and disgruntled) employees who have worked 12 days in a row? Nope, not by a long shot, but things could be far worse. We've learned to count our blessings--this is a good stable job when some people have no job at all or their companies have moved operations to Mexico AND we truly appreciate the huge benefit of him being able to work here in Portland, rather than driving to Nashville, as so many of our neighbors must do.

The marketplace is competitive--U.S. companies are competing with foreign companies who pay their employees a fraction of our minimum wage and may work those employees just as hard, so they can produce the same product at a much lower price. That's an unfortunate consequence of the global marketplace and it is true that U.S. companies are trying to achieve more work with fewer employees to try to be competitive. It is not a worker's paradise here, but right now, we still believe we have it good, probably better than most.

There are two Cub Scout packs in Portland.

Pack 1124 Green-Tech Plant Protection Inc
Pack 470 McKendree Memorial United Methodist Church

For more information you can contact:

Middle Tennessee Council
3414 Hillsboro Rd.
Nashville, TN 37215-0409
Phone: (615) 463-6315
Web site: http://www.mtcbsa.org

Can anyone tell me who to contact about the Cub Scouts here in Portland? I have a 6 year old grandson that is interested. Thanks

Again I am watching the City Council Meeting & I can't find the agenda online on the Portland City Website. I think it is good that it is on TV but it would help if there were an agenda to look at before hand.Some of us may not be able to get out of the house & depend on website information but it's never there.
What is the Portland City Website for? It doesn't give any updated information. Is this another thing the city has spent money on to go to waste? At least when they were using the Portlandtn.com we could find more information on the city of portland. The city should be using the website they created or quit wasting our money on things like this. The citizens pay taxes for waste like this!! Please let your concerns known on this issue. I also never see any other agendas on the city website, why? I called city hall & ask for a parks dept agenda & the girl said that it wasn't even posted on the board. I thought cities had to post agendas for public view before the meetings. What's up with this?

I have noticed an increase in blog topics over the last few days.

I noticed something strange this morning. As I was driving down 109 I noticed that there was something wrong at the Farm Bureau Ins. In their yard they have always had this concrete cow. This morning this Cow was MISSING ITS HEAD. I thought to myself how could anyone take off the cows and steal it. The cows head was not laying anywhere around it. I wasjust wanting to see if anyone had any idea about what has happened to it?

About the Club - up until this past weekend I had only heard about it, all good. My granddaughter (15)and a friend went Friday night, costs $5 to get in, they have a DJ and the girls danced all night long, came home aching all over (most exercise they've had in awhile) They enjoyed it so much they wanted to go again Sat night which they did, again they had a BLAST! Now they are really aching all over!!! LOL You drop off to adults that stamp their hands and show them the way inside, you have a scheduled pick up time with your kids, pull up at the drop off point, if they are not in the covered waiting area they will go in and get them, our wait was less than 5 min both times. THUMBS UP to these folks doing this, now they can't wait for more sore muscles!!

Does anyone know anything about the "club" that seems to be the newest attraction? It's located at Cheyenne Limo. Everytime I go by, all I see are a few kids and music?! Sadly this looks like the best Portland has to offer our teenagers.

One more thing. Does anyone else have trouble pulling out of Victor Reiter onto Russell St on Sunday morning? They have cars parked there, and you have to really pull up pretty far to look around them to see if you can pull out. Just wondering if I was the only one that has a problem with that.

ME- I seen a few months back a company that was hiring for management for their new upcoming Portland location they are an industrial business that makes Auto parts I wanna say moving from Canada or canadian based co (not sure). I understand they will be moving to a location in the current industrial park. That's about all I know.

I agree with you on industrial businesses, Portland is runover with them, my only hope is once they fill every nook and cranny in the Industrial park that they won't start expanding it further to accomodate more!! Hopefully some of these factories will offer higher paying jobs!

What new factory is coming to Portland now? Are we trying to turn the Portland area into the horrible industrial trash heap that is New Jersey? Just wondering.

I would like to hear any stories from people like myself who have worked at any of the factories here in Portland and have been treated unfavorably or unfairly. There are at least two or three (one in particular) plants here in Portland that work their employees 7 days a week and pay them well-below poverty level wages. Why do we keep luring in these places when they do nothing to improve the local overall landscape of Portland?

Curious - I have to agree, don't quite know what the purpose was, long winded at best.

I can't figure out the purpose of "Portland Scribe's" post. Seems a bit retarded to me. Sounds like the Progressive may be trying to do some damage control by, once again, attacking the Portland Leader. Reminds me of old fashioned politics...attacking the other guy instead of promoting your own agenda.

OH Boy, OH Boy! we're taking score, thanks for info though, now I know not to waste my money on either paper.

Following is the local Portland news coverage for Jan. 30, 2008

Advantage to the Leader in crime coverage. Advantage to the Progressive in the number of news articles (17 - 6), sports articles (10 - 8), government coverage and business coverage. Good sports coverage in both papers.

Original Leader news articles (6)
• City begins planning of "Gateway" to Portland
• Drinking, driving, and guns don't mix
• Relay for Life 2008 kicks off campaign
• Key names PHS Student of the Month
• Portland woman adds jail time for escape
• Keith Douglas named interim EMS director

Original Progressive news articles (17)
• Windstorm rips through Portland
• New plant coming to Portland
• Public meeting on Hwy. 52 corridor to be held
• Early voting for Feb. 5 primary ends Thursday
• Gastite surpasses 200,000 hours without work loss injury
• Legislative committee considers changes to retirement system
• Financial reporting standard would require Portland to place money for post-retirement benefits into trust
• Picnic shelters included in proposed fee structure for Portland's parks
• Relay for Life campaign holds annual kick-off
• Mother of cancer survivor signs on as team captain
• EMS director to remain on paid suspension for 90 more days
• Items slated for deletion from Portland Elementary School put back into building plans
• Small business spotlight
-All About Fencing
-Todd's Locksmith
-D & M Discount Flooring
-Garden Gate Realty
• Winterizing your Pets

Original Leader sports articles (8)
• Panthers find glory at Homecoming game
• Lady Panthers shine at Homecoming
• Middle school girls finish second in county tourney
• Panthers defeated by Wildcats
• Junior Panthers drop tourney opener
• Freshman teams defeated by Bisons
• Highland Academy Acrofest spread
• Portland High School Homecoming spread

Original Progressive news articles (10)
• Portland teams earn sweep of Greenbrier
• 'Team effort' gives PHS girls big victory
• Portland girls, boys lose at Station Camp
• New strategy helps Portland roll past Greenbrier, 54-43
• Lady Panthers finish second in tournament
• Middle school Panthers end season with loss in county tournament
• Lady Panther freshmen roll past John Paul II
• Portland frosh boys lose to talented Knight team
• Highland Academy Acrofest photo spread
• Portland High School Homecoming photo spread