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People in the community were asked what skills or characteristics the next Muscogee County School District superintendent should possess to be successful here.

One response was "to have a strong and recent classroom background, to be a good administrator, to be someone who can identify with the local area, in other words, Superman or Superwoman."

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Soldiers from the 75th Ranger Regiment and the Ranger Communications Company at Fort Benning will be honored Sunday at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.

The event is part of NASCAR's "Troops to the Track" program which invites active duty, wounded warriors, veterans and military families to races throughout the year for NASCAR-style experiences.

Soldiers from Maxwell Air Force Base also will be honored during the event at Talladega, Ala.

Sunday's event marks the third year NASCAR and the Armed Forces Foundation have teamed up for "Troops to the Track". The program is expected to reach more than 300 military men and women this season.

Last year, almost 200 service men and women and their families took part in 12 races.

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If you see a curious-looking vehicle moving through the streets of Columbus with a five-foot tripod of sorts atop it, including a small sphere that looks like a blue and white soccer ball -- say cheese!

It's a Google Maps vehicle, one of which was spotted around lunchtime Wednesday on Front Avenue. The white vehicle trimmed in green on the side clearly identifies itself as "Google Maps," with the words "Street View" underneath that.

For those out of the loop, Google has been motoring around the U.S. since May 2007, taking pictures of various structures, businesses, streets and, more than likely, your home. It then puts those photos on its web site, allowing anyone with a computer or access to the Internet to check out a particular street address or aerial view.

The technology creeps some people out, including a community in England that not long ago registered a formal protest with Google that they were invading people's privacy.

Nonetheless, it isn't going away. Thus, if you happen to run across a Google Maps car negotiating our local streets, give it the fingers -- the peace sign, that is.

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Talk about timing.

Only hours before the presidential debate between Democratic incumbent Barack Obama and challenger Mitt Romney, the National Federation of Federal Employees shot out an email with a unanimous endorsement -- re-elect Obama for a second term.

The union representing 110,000 federal employees in 40 departments and agencies made the declaration at its convention Wednesday in Portland, Ore. It said Obama has "consistently demonstrated a deep respect and admiration" for federal workers. As examples, it cited his authorizing health insurance benefits for those fighting wildfires, improving labor-management relations with forums, extending a retirement credit for unused sick leave, and signing a law granting flags to federal workers killed on the job.

"President Obama is a friend of the federal employee, no question," said NFFE National President William R. Dougan in the email. "At a fundamental level, the president understands the contributions federal employees make to our nation's greatness. He and his administration have opened doors to federal employees that were previously closed under the last administration, and federal employees are better off because of it."