Right now my vote for the annual honor the N-D&L bestows on some outstanding, public-minded, doer-of-good-deeds would go to Fred Higgins.
Higgins is the founder of the Minit Mart chain who is riding in on a white horse to save his abandoned creations which were about to be closed down, including the older one in Russellville and the modern, thriving location in Auburn.
While the East First Street location in Russellville is important to that area, it can't compare with how devastating it would have been to Auburn to lose its Minit Mart. It's the only grocery store and gas station inside the city limits in addition to being one of the leading restaurants.
All roads lead to Minit Mart in Auburn. Most everybody in the area checks in at Minit Mart several times a week, usually several times a day. It's also one of the city's leading employers, especially of young people.
Auburn has done a remarkable job keeping downtown alive and well despite the four-laned highway basically bypassing the city. Losing Minit Mart would have been devastating.
It's also important to the economic well-being of Logan County not to lose these two thriving convenience stores. I've gotten to write precious few good news business stories lately. A year ago last week I wrote about the first industry to announce plans to locate here in 10 years. That aluminum scrap processing plant has never arrived and is making no move in that direction, as far as we can tell.
Last Tuesday morning, I listened to prolonged arguments at the Logan Fiscal Court meeting for so long I was literally in pain.
That evening, my wife and daughter came home disgusted by the spectacle they had witnessed in that same courthouse where an overflow crowd had turned a city council meeting into a scene from Gladiator or Christians being thrown into the lions' den, except it was difficult to tell who was acting Christ-like.
The next evening I watched with embarrassment as Channel 13 televised portions of that Russellville City Council meeting on its newscast. Logan Countians were so rude to each other-- both those in government and those in the audience-- that it made me wonder why anyone would ever want to come here.
(This week, a woman told me that she and her husband have looked forward to retirement and returning to Russellville to live. "Now we're wondering what we're getting into, the way people are acting," she said, voicing the sentiments of many.)
Last Wednesday evening at the Auburn Minit Mart employees said they had been informed that day that their jobs would be ending this week when the store closes as part of the owner's bankruptcy problems.
What's happened to a city and county I used to be so proud of, I wondered.
Then Thursday Shirlee Yassney gave me the phone number of her old boss, Fred Higgins, who reassured me that our Minit Marts are not closing. "The employees don't know it yet. If you go back to Auburn tonight, tell them they're not closing," he said.
A few minutes later, Auburn Mayor Dewey Roche called to say no one was telling him anything about the future of Auburn Minit Mart. I was thrilled to be able to share the good news I had just learned.
It was close to the feeling I experienced when I was the first one who knew there were three votes for consolidating the county schools a quarter of a century ago. It was exhilarating to be able to report exclusively good economic news for Logan County.
An area newspaper this week had a story saying Higgins might try to reopen the Minit Marts, but he told me it was definite, and I believe him.
It also made me long for more good news and less embarrassment.
We need a few more Fred Higginses and a lot fewer gladiators.
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