Leave it to the Cobb County School Board (remember them?) to boot The Walker School off the front page of the paper. A Cobb County grand jury report says the system's transportation problems are as bad as the MDJ's intrepid columnist Laura Armstrong said they were. Of course, we all know those darned ol' grand juries are just a nuisance. As board member David Banks said after their criticism of the board in January, "The grand jury ... just doesn't mean anything. I don't put any credibility into it." ...

Meanwhile, Dr. John Crooks was grilled in Cobb Superior Court about tip-toeing approval of the T-Mobile Tower of Babble at Eastvalley Elementary School through the board last July without advertising the proposal to the public - another of those darned nuisances that don't seem to mean anything to the board - and whether or not a recall petition should go forward against him. When asked by plaintiff's lawyers whether misleading the public was conduct unbecoming of a public official, Crooks said, "If you're trying to get me to backhandedly admit that I did that, I'm not going to agree to that. But in general, if you're asking me in principle, I think, intellectually, anybody would agree to that statement." Boy, am I glad to get that cleared up. ...

The Walker School Headmaster Don Robertson has invited me to visit the school and give him the opportunity to show me that the events of Dec. 22 involving underage drinking by a group of Walker students at the home of Municipal Court Judge and baseball aficionado Diane Busch was an anomaly. I plan to do just that. He reminded me that in another life I helped develop a marketing plan for the school. In retrospect, I should have provided them with a crisis plan and suggestions on how to communicate with their key audiences. I spoke to one prominent board trustee recently who didn't even know about the party and the subsequent backlash. Robertson's invitation is a good step in the right direction. ...

Former Cobb County State Rep. Roger Hines is running for state school superintendent, challenging incumbent Kathy Cox in the upcoming Republican primary. Hines is a former school teacher with four decades of experience. His recent op-ed piece in the MDJ on the problems with "Pay for Performance" for teachers was excellent. Among his gems: "Only two groups of people could ever favor such an idea: (1) those who have never taught school and (2) those who have taught school, left teaching and have forgotten how teaching and learning work." Amen. ...

A recent item in the Atlanta newspapers revealed that Democratic Rep. David Scott doesn't even live in the 13th congressional district he represents, which includes portions of Cobb County. According to the report, he resides in Inman Park in the City of Atlanta. I have heard of taxation without representation, but this is ridiculous. ...

As previously noted, Smyrna-based Tech Savers regularly rescues me from computer malfunctions that are generally self-inflicted. ("Hmm. I wonder what would happen if I hit this little button?") Thanks to grandson Brian, who specializes in talking his grandfather into spending money for things he doesn't need, I now own an I-Phone. I have been told that at the touch of a couple of little doo-hickeys on the screen, I can check the weather in Moraga, California, the time in Vladivostok, the best way to get to Cleveland (although I have no plans to go there) - all while listening to Ray Charles sing, "Georgia on my Mind" and answering e-mails from inquisitive readers who wonder if I was dropped on my head as a baby. In truth, the I-Phone and I are a technological disaster waiting to happen. Don't be surprised if I short-circuit the entire Internet. Tech Savers is on high alert. ...

I am late getting around to this but I lost a dear friend with the passing of Marietta's James Colquitt last month at the age of 91. I enjoyed his regular telephone critiques of my columns. Our only disagreement was that he insisted I call him "Jimmy" and I insisted on calling him "Mr. Colquitt." He was a true Southern gentleman and a Georgia Bulldog through and through. I particularly enjoyed hearing his experiences as an aide to President Truman during World War II. I will miss Mr. - excuse me - Jimmy Colquitt.

You can reach Dick Yarbrough at yarb2400@bellsouth.net or P.O. Box 725373, Atlanta, Georgia 31139.