Update: August 3, 2011

Good Morning MJ:

There’s a special event that just popped up today that I wanted to pass along to readers. At 3:30, in Charlie Daniels Park, a ribbon cutting ceremony will open “Squirrel’s Run” Tot Park to the rear of the Rec Center by Planet Playground. What make “Squirrel’s Run” special is its namesake, Sam Clark, AKA: “Squirrel”. Sam was the infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Herby Clark, who passed away with SIDS not too long ago. Mr. and Mrs. Clark have lead the charge to capture donations that helped build “Squirrel’s Run”. At last count, through their efforts, over $12k was dedicated in Sam’s memory. It’s a hot day, and there’s lots of things going on, but if you have a chance, stop by and show the Clark’s how much you appreciate their efforts.

Thanks to the hundreds of volunteers and members of the MJPD who turned out last night for National Night Out. Also, a special thanks to Providence Market Place for serving as our host and to Corporal Tyler Chandler of the MJPD for some great planning and coordination. Most people have no idea how much time and effort goes into pulling off a program like this, but it’s this kind of event that speaks to the tremendous close knit fabric that makes up our community.
Movie in the Park. Friday, 5 August, Charlie Daniels Park, Starts at Dusk. Great Family classic film, Aladdin. See you there.

This note goes out to the thousands of you on Nixle or who use the city’s web page. Mr. Taylor, our IT Director, recently shared some data from January to EOM July of this year that you may find fascinating:

We had over 118k hits from 86 countries . . . Wow!
Of the 118k hits, over 50k of them were absolute unique visitors . . . Bigger Wow!
The average time spent on site was 2 minutes and 39 seconds; viewers are not just flipping through.
Other than here in the U.S., in order of use our international visitors come from Canada; India; the United Kingdom; and our friends in Germany.
The top page visited is our “Online Services” followed by Parks.
Nearly 2k visits were made to the CM blog with over 1200 unique visitors.
There’s over 2k Nixle users.
Pretty powerful stuff. Thanks to all of you who follow MJ.

Good start to the school year. The MJPD reports no serious issues or major traffic concerns as school opened up on Monday. We do ask those of you who frequent Charlie Daniels Park most weekdays for football or cheerleading to please use caution and take it slow; the parking lot is full and there’s lots of children running around. Consider joining the Rec Center and come in out of the heat while you are waiting. We have a great exercise room!

On a final note, Mrs. Shirley Benjamin, one of the city’s followers, asked me to forward this timely advise about how to rescue pets locked in cars during these steamy days of summer. Thanks for the reminder Mrs. Benjamin.

Step 1: Try to Locate the Pet Parent
(You can ask most stores to do this.)
Step 2: Educate
Explain the dangers of leaving a pet in a hot car. Make sure the pet gets out of the car as soon as possible.
Step 3: Call 911
Fourteen states have enacted specific laws that protect dogs in hot cars, as have many municipalities—but even in places lacking such a law, leaving an animal in a hot car may constitute cruelty.
Step 4: Pat Yourself on the Back
Pets are counting on people like you to save their lives.

Until next time take care and God Bless.
R. Robertson