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Buzz about a broom standing upright and unsupported at a downtown Prattville business is sweeping the town. Several hundred people have stopped by Vintage Blu, a yet-to-be-opened consignment shop, since the phenomenon was discovered Thursday. Dozens of theories to explain what's going on have been thrown out. There must be glue on the bristles of the broom, or there are magnets in the floor working in concert with the buildings electrical system, or maybe ... just maybe ... it's something from beyond at work. "I think it's more strange than spooky," said Christy Burdett, the shop's owner, who has been working for several weeks to get the business open. "But it's been fun." No, there isn't any glue, and there are no magnets in the floor. As to something otherworldly going on, people will have to use their own judgment. It all started out innocently enough. The broom was leaning against a set of mobile shelves when Della Benton, Burdett's sister, moved the shelves Thursday afternoon. When Benton looked back, she was surprised to see the broom standing on the floor. "Christy was behind the counter and I told her to get her camera quick and take a picture. I thought the broom would fall over in just a few seconds," Benton said. "We had people walk past it the rest of the day. It stayed there. Spence (Williamson) from the fire department shoved the handle to the side; it went over a few inches and swung back into place." Some 25 hours later a friend stopping by the store touched the broom's handle and it toppled. "We told her she had the Holy Spirit, and she drove the ghosts away," Christy Burdett said with a laugh. The broom is a run-of-the-mill item, purchased from Dollar General. "It's just your average $2.99 broom," said Phillip Burdett, Christy's husband and a Prattville firefighter. "I don't know how to explain it. We've had people just walk in since it happened every day we've been down here. They want to see the broom." It seems that the broom likes one spot on the store floor. People have moved it to other areas, and it hasn't stayed upright. Tuesday during an interview with the Montgomery Advertiser, a photographer moved the broom and was able to make it stand several feet away. It was quickly returned to its favorite spot, where Christy Burdett plopped it down and there it stuck.

Suspect Shocked Repeatedly With Tasers Police Department Stands Behind Effectiveness Of Devices Reported by Alan Frio POSTED: 8:06 pm CDT August 4, 2009 NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- There has been no shortage of controversy in Nashville when it comes to police using Tasers. Officers contend that it is a last resort to prevent a hands-on confrontation. However, in July a man in Nashville was shoc More..ked with a Taser multiple times and was not stopped by police. The suspect, Ronnie Irby, was an employee of a Krystal fast food restaurant until he was caught on camera allegedly stealing money from his employer on Murfreesboro Pike. Police were called, watched the surveillance video and approached the man. Police asked Irby, who was in the parking lot of the restaurant, to fall to the ground a number of times. However, he refused the officers' demands, police said. With Tasers drawn, police activated the camera on the Tasers, and an officer fired a Taser probe at Irby, who is 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs 300 pounds, said police. The Taser temporarily stunned him, but then Irby got up as if nothing had happened, police said. A second Taser was fired by another officer, but Irby removed the probes and continued to evade police, police said. After a third Taser shock, police said, there was still no effect. Three shots may seem like a lot, but Metro police say how often an noncomplying suspect is shocked with a Taser is up to an officer. "You want to use the minimum number of Taser bursts necessary to affect an arrest," said police spokesman Don Aaron. Irby eventually walked inside the restaurant and the situation was quelled. "Thankfully, talking and diplomacy worked, and the officers did not have to go hands-on. They did not want to have to fight Mr. Irby," said Aaron. Metro police and other police departments across the country believe in the effectiveness of Tasers. But after seeing the video, some are questioning if it is as effective as some believe and if a Taser keeps an officer safe. "Forty-four times this year, the mere sight of the Taser by a suspect has resulted in the suspects' compliance with police officer commands," said Aaron. The Taser has been controversial in the past. The police department took them away from officers a few years ago because a man died from excited delirium after being shocked with a Taser. But last year, Metro started using them again because the department believes the benefits outweigh the risks