Nick Olivari is reporting in the Register-Star on the dispute that has arisen over the sudden appearance of a U.S. flag atop a 20-plus-foot-high flagpole, 200 feet from the Columbia County Airport runway in Ghent. The pole suddenly materialized around noon Sun., Apr. 23, said Mahlon W. Richards, chief executive officer for Richmor Aviation. “It’s distracting and we think it is a safety issue,” Richards said. Richmor has operated the airport for the last 50 years. The pole sits on the property of the neighboring Meadowgreens Restaurant and Golf Course. “It was Earth Day and I put up a flag and planted some flowers,” said Carmen Nero, lead investor in the company that owns and operates the nine-hole course. “A person can put an American flag up. I pay property taxes,” he said. The county is seeking advice and consulting with the Federal Aviation Administration on the matter, said Michael Benvenuto, chairman of Columbia County Board of Supervisors Airport Sub-committee. The FAA confirmed it was working with the county airport authority to determine if the flagpole, placed dead center to the runway, posed a hazard to aircraft using the airport. Read the full story in the Register-Star.