Does this sound odd to anyone? There’s a new Austin Community Education class scheduled 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 28. It’s called “Want To Be An Austin School Board Member?”

The entire Austin Board of Education only learned about the class when they met April 13. Some members knew before that time.

Does anyone remember when after all the turmoil in the district’s administration a Minnesota School Board Association advisor got involved? The advisor worked with the sitting board members on the importance of unity. One of the recommendations was the directors avoid “surprises.”

Nothing like hearing about something at a school board meeting being broadcast live on local cable television.

Board members Kathy Green and Mary Kleis will teach the class.

Green? Kleis? Dave Simonson? Do those names ring a bell or three?

Da bloc, da bloc. Does anybody remember da bloc?

There was fear and loathing among the seven member school board directors.

Four school board members thinking one way and three thinking another was not unity and the three wanting to wrestle control from the four spilled over in public.

The whole mess was pitched as a surreality show on cable television, but couldn’t get a sponsor.

That MSBA advisor must be scratching his head.

And speaking of lingering frustrations … When is Curt Rude going to have his day in court?

When will citizens learn the truth about Austin Police Department evidence storage? Will the Police Department be allowed to unlock the former police captain’s office door and hire a replacement?

Does anybody even remember Curt Rude?

The man with one of the highest profiles in law enforcement and the entire Austin community lives in permanent limbo today.

Mr. Rude won election to the Austin Board of Education in November 2007.

That same day he was charged with felony drug possession and gross misdemeanor interfering with property in official custody.

He entered a plea of not guilty to the charges and the case was transferred to Olmsted County District Court.

After a January 26 hearing in court, District Judge Kevin Lund announced Rude’s trial would be held in May or July.

Let’s do the numbers, readers: Man arrested Nov. 2007 and charged with crime. Man scheduled for trial on charges July 2009 a year and eight months later.

In between, man’s life disrupted forever.

Let’s get this over with.

Rude, his family, the Austin Police Department, everyone deserves to learn the truth.

A certain discount store, whose name cannot be mentioned for fear they will cancel their advertising and I will be fired and forced to run for County Commissioner wrote a letter to a female shopper:

Dear Mrs. (Name Withheld),

Over the past six months, your husband has been causing quite a commotion in our store.

We cannot tolerate this behavior and have been forced to ban both of you from the store.

Our complaints against your husband are listed below and are documented by our video surveillance cameras:

1. Sept. 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people’s carts when they weren’t looking.

2. Oct. 2: Set all the alarm clocks in housewares to go off at five-minute intervals.

4. Nov. 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official voice, “Code 3 in housewares. Get on it right away.”

4. Dec. 4: Went to the Service Desk and tried to put a bag of 20 M&Ms on layaway.

5. Jan. 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told other shoppers he’d invite them in if they would bring pillows and blankets from the bedding department.

6. February 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed through, yelled “PICK ME! PICK ME!”

7. March 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited awhile, then yelled very loudly, “Hey! There’s no toilet paper in here!”