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This week on The Weekly Dive is the story of my visit to what was supposedly the worst bar Minneapolis had to offer. It was pretty bad, but I had built it up much worse in my mind. Still, the visit did include a very minor scuffle and a brief encounter with some drug dealers. Click the link below to see the full story.
Ever since I filed my taxes back on April 14, I have been waiting for the "economic stimulus" check President Bush promised me. I even got a nifty letter in the mail telling me exactly what the amount of my check would be. But I waited and waited and my slot in the initial wave of payments came and went with no check. Few people I know managed to get a check in that wave.
Then the second wave of checks came, and most people I know got their money. I, however, did not. I'd get letters telling me it was still coming, I'd check the status online and it would say it was still coming, but nuthin' ever came.
This weekend I got a letter in the mail from the IRS. It informed me that I had accidentaly overpaid my tax bill by $XXX.XX and that a refund would be coming "in 4 to 6 weeks". (It's always 4 to 6 weeks, isn't it?)
The amount that I supposedly overpaid by?
The exact amount of the promised George Bush money that never arrived.
D'oh!
Beardsley Road, a favorite short-cut connector between the River Market and the West Side (and Crossroads), reopened this past week to no fanfare, but to great joy to those who enjoyed taking advantage of it's speedy bypass of downtown KC's traffic and traffic lights.
There's still a few finishing touches left so there are plenty of cones to be dodged, but quick travel from the north to the southwest parts of the downtown area is finally restored after far too long of a wait.
It's no wonder there has been no fanfare, as it would require an admission that the project was completed more than a year late. During that time it was one of the most frequently requested Watchdog topics.
Beardsley Road closed nearly 3 years ago for a project to shore up the retaining wall and rebuild the road bed. It was scheduled for completion in June 2007 but that came and went. Then it was rescheduled for completion in September 2007 and that came and went. Apparently the new road started sliding down the bluff, something that had never happened with the old retaining wall. So they had to start over. A March 2008 completion date was promised, then June 2008. Finally, in mid to late July 2008, it's back!
The new section of roadway between 17th St and 12th Street is wider and features a pedestrian/bike lane separated from traffic. The section from 12th Street to St. Louis Avenue remains unimproved, begging the question of why they didn't upgrade this portion while the road was closed for 3 years anyway.
Oh well, it's great having this road open again! I'll keep my fingers crossed that they leave it open for a while, and that when they finally upgrade the last segment they can do it without a 3-year closure.
Of course not!
But an unfortunate pairing of two unrelated headlines on the Kansas City Star's web site might make you wonder for a moment or two. :)
This week I'm highlighting another KC area bar on The Weekly Dive. It's The Jockey Club in Riverside, MO. This was the 39th bar I visited and the first that B and I went on as part of a planned barhopping expedition. When we arrived it was so desolate we assumed it was out of business and almost didn't go in. It seems to be doing better now. Enjoy the read!
This popped up on a web site I was on this morning (July 12)...
Though I suppose there's a chance that maybe I actually won a phone that won't be on the market for another 364 days. :)