The Chatter Box
By Deborah Bennett

Spurred by rising prices, I have heard several reports in recent weeks of gasoline being stolen from residents' vehicles during the night or while they were away from their homes.

I am not surprised. At almost $4 per gallon for regular, gas may soon become our new "gold." If you have not invested in a locking gas cap, it might be a wise purchase now. And even that may not discourage some enterprising gas thieves.

We might as well laugh about the situation since we can't change it, so here are a few "gasoline jokes" to make you smile.

"My wife wanted to go somewhere expensive for our anniversary, so I took her down the street to the Sunoco station; I have my car towed to work because it's cheaper than buying gas; All in favor of conserving gasoline, please raise your right foot; I saw a guy on the street corner, holding up a hat and a sign that said, "Wife and 2 Cars to Feed"; and For our vacation this summer, we're thinking it will be cheaper to just mail the car."

Speaking of vacations, news broadcasters have coined a new word in recent weeks to describe those who are spending their vacations at home due to the price of gas - "stay"cationers. Of course, the journalists are only joking, but if things don't change, "staycation" may become the newest addition to Webster's dictionary.

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Last week's poll question on our website was, "Do you support the proposed Lake Clarke project to construct a dam and reservoir on Buckhead Creek utilizing water from the natural springs at Magnolia Springs State Park?"

The responses, as of Monday noon, were as follows: Yes - 16; No - 10; and undecided - 3.

Check out the website at www.themillennews.com for this week's poll.

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Happy birthday this week to: Zac Becton, Zann Becton, Joy Clifton, Zadell Wilson, Seth Linder, Ansley Burke, Jackie Glisson, Chris Adams, Sandy Marie Reid, Rick McNeely, Melodye Williams, Ronnie Fleming, Myrt Wilson, Daphne Wiggins and Logan Marie Reid.

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Celebrating wedding anniversaries this week are: Mr. and Mrs. Buford Williams, Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Dickey, Mr. and Mrs. Ron Washburn, Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Thomas, Mr. and Mrs. Ray Landing and Mr. and Mrs. Henry Boynton.

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Military Active Duty List: Lance Cpl. Patrick Barnette, U.S. Marines, Twenty Nine Palms, CA; Sgt. Adam Demshar, 44th Signal Battalion, Baghdad, Iraq; Lance Cpl. Lee Ogden, U.S. Marines, Radio and Communications, Bahria, Iraq; Petty Officer 3rd Class Eric B. Kelsey, U.S. Navy, NSA Bahrain; PV2 Ashley Clifton, U.S. Army, Yongsan, Korea; Airman First Class Charles F. Woods, Moody Air Force Base, Valdosta, GA; Capt. Andrew P. Thomas, U.S. Marines, F.A.S.T. Company, Yorktown, VA; Stuart Burrus, U.S. Air Force, Bossier AFB, Bossier, LA; SPC 4 Travis D. Motes, 1st Calvary Division, T. Hood, Texas; Capt. Donald Slade Burke, Travis Air Force Base, Fairfield, Calif.; Staff Sgt. Gilbert C. Sheppard III, 48th Brigade, 118th Field Artillery, Iraq; Petty Officer 3rd Class Jamie A. Yager, U.S. Navy, Marine Corps Base Hawaii; Petty Chief Officer Andy D. Crosby, U.S. Navy, Elroy Destroyer, Norfolk, Va.; Stephanie Crosby, R.N., U.S. Navy, Lafayette Destroyer; Jimmy Cooper, U.S. Army National Guard, 878th Engineering Battalion Augusta, Persian Gulf ; 1st Lt. J.R. Taylor, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Iraq; SPC. Daniel Stuart, 18th MEDCOM, 121 General Hospital, Seoul, Korea; Jeffrey Sweat, U.S. Navy, USS Kauffman, MM3 59/EDivision, A-Gang, Norfolk, Va.; Cpl. Larry Lamont Clark, U.S. Marine Corp, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Bagdad, Iraq; Khan Young, U.S. Navy, U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, Persian Gulf; Robert Milton Jr., E-3, U.S. Army, Ft. Stewart, Hinesville, Ga., Mission Kuwait; Arnold R. Mosley, 2nd Lt., U.S. Air Force, Randolph AFB, Texas; and Debra A. Mosley, Tech. Sgt., U.S. Air Force, Randolph AFB, Texas.