February 28--  Two Toombs County men are going to prison for the shooting death of a Vidalia man a year ago.

District Attorney Hayward Altman says 22-year-old Benjamin Johnson of 106 Sedie Page Road and 23-year-old Brian Stastny of 1540 Lyons-Center Road entered guilty pleas in Toombs County Superior Court.

Stastny pled to felony murder for the killing of 22-year-old Christopher Cartrette last February.  Cartrette was found on the ground by his car on Cadillac Drive with a fatal gunshot wound to the chest.  Stastny got life in prison and will be eligible for parole.

Authorities say Johnson cooperated with police in the investigation and entered a plea of voluntary manslaughter.  His sentence is 20 years with eligibility for parole in 15 years.

In other cases, six people were sentenced on drug related charges.  Calvin Maurice Sanford gets 20 years for cocaine and marijuana possession with intent to distribute; Trevian Lareese Edwards received 15 years for cocaine possession; Christopher Aaron Scott got ten years for marijuana possession; Marcus Emilio Davis, five years for sale of cocaine; Stephen Lee Enoch, five years for possession of methamphetamine; and Rachel Denise Chamblee, five years for possession of Butabital.

In armed robbery cases, Ricardo Gaffney and Derrick Wright were sentenced to ten years confinement.

Guilty pleas to burglary were entered by James Clements, Jr. who got 20 years; Clinton Walker who received 20 years; Glynn McLendon who was sentenced to 15 years; and Justin Del Harrell who received 10 years.

A 10-year sentence was imposed on Marquis Hall for theft by taking and Janis Renae Shumake got ten years for theft of services.

Jeffrey Phillips got six years probation and a $1,200 fine for failure to register as a sex offender.

February 28--  Twelfth District Congressman John Barrow is back in Washington after spending last week on what he calls a "listening tour" at meetings in nine of the 12th District's 22 counties.

He completed the meetings last Thursday afternoon at Jenning's Turf Farm in Soperton.  The Congress has to vote this week on extending funding of the government and Congressman Barrow says he's getting feedback on that from voters.

"They want us to get together and solve the problem.  They want us to focus on the parts of the federal budget which are out of control and not take a meat axe to those parts which are not a part of the problem at all.  They want us to solve the problems and not posture and try to score points off the other side.  That's what I hear," he said.

A conservative blog in Washington, Heritage Action, studied the votes on a bill which cut $69 billion out of the budget and said Congressman Barrow is one of 19 Democrats most willing to cut federal spending.

"I'm all for cuts, but not crazy cuts.  I'm for going to work on parts of the budget which are out of control.  For example, what we are doing for agriculture in this country is not out of control.  It's actually doing more with less year in and year out.    So, I'm trying to bring some balance to the picture and conserve our investments in agriculture and our agricultural communities," he said.

Congressman Barrow says he disagrees with President Obama's decision to cease using Department of Justice lawyers to defend the federal law which defines marriage as beween a man and woman.

"I think the Defense of Marriage Act is perfectly constitutional.  It's nothing more than codification of long-standing law that says to each state you can do what you want in your state with your laws.  We have territorial integrity of state laws in this country and that's what the Defense of Marriage Act is all about.  It says to states you can do whatever you want with marriage, but what you do in your state is not controlling in other states unless they say so.  It's both good law and good policy," Barrow believes.

February 25--  They followed the clues and found the second Relay for Life Star hidden in connection with this year's Toombs-Treutlen Relay for Life Scavenger Hunt. 

{mosimage}(L-R) Bradley, Baylee and Brantley Williamson discovered the Prize Star hidden in Partin Park in Lyons.  They win a free oil change for the family car from Georgia Tire and a Relay for Life Prize Pak plus they are qualified for a grand prize to be awarded the night of this year's Relay for Life at the Vidalia High School football field.

A new prize will be awarded next week and you can hear clue's each morning at about 7:45 a.m. following Sportstime on Your Favorite 98Q, NewsTalk 970 WVOP and Sweet Onion Country 1017FM.

February 24--  Oversight of the Lyons dog pound may shift from the city's public works department to its police department.

{mosimage}The Lyons pound currently has 21 dogs looking for homes.

A five-member committee formed in reaction to the mass killing of 77 dogs at the pound last month is including the shift in responsibility in a report being prepared for the city council's meeting Tuesday night.

The report recommends the pound be open to the public at least five days a week including Saturdays and seeks support from the Sweet Onion Animal Protection Society to help the city pay some of the staffing costs.

It also sets 90 days as the maximum time an animal can be held at the pound before being euthanized.

Other areas addressed include sanitation, record-keeping, equipment needs, medical care, training, cooperation with SOAPS and other animal rescue groups, and negotiation of an agreement with Toombs County to determine if operation of a joint facility is mutually agreeable.

The proposal includes appointment of an animal control officer for Lyons and mandates daily cleaning of the pound.

The committee's recommendations require the approval of the city council.

February 23--  We've received some emails from folks concerned about the plight of a Pit Bulldog who lives in the Five-Points area of north Toombs County.  Kathy Bradford at The Advance newspaper in Vidalia received some of the same messages which led to a frontpage article in the paper Wednesday. 

First, here's a copy of an email we received with accompanying photos of the dog's living conditions in late January.  Links on the email will lead you to some first-person accounts of what was found.

Then you'll see Kathy's account with a picture taken this week. It's obvious intervention by outside parties led the owner of the dog to improve her living conditions.  

EMAIL 

Animal Rescuers Gather National Support to Save "The Dog in the Box"

  February 22, 2011 - More than 18,000 people from all
> fifty states have called on Georgia officials to save a dog named
> "Alice," who was found imprisoned in a small box.
> Southern Comfort Animal Rescue, based in Wheeler County, Georgia,
> discovered a pit bull being kept in a box constructed of wood slats
> and tin. The group immediately began trying to gain custody of the
> dog. But the owner, Delois Hayward, refused, also turning down offers
> of free housing or veterinary care for the dog.
> Nina Ancharski, an independent animal activist, learned about the dog,
> and started a petition on Change.org, the world's fastest growing
> social change platform with more than three million monthly readers.
> The campaign, in support of Southern Comfort Animal Rescue's effort to
> save"the dog in the box," calls on Toombs County officials to grant
> the group custody of Alice and to charge the owner with animal
> cruelty.  "When I first saw the post on Facebook about a dog living in
> a box, it brought up every protective instinct I have about animals,"
> Ancharski said. "I couldn't stand by while Alice lived her life in a
> box. Those conditions were unacceptable, and I had to do something."
> She worked with Scott Bennett of Southern Comfort Animal Rescue to
> create the petition and network it through social media. "Keep the
> pressure on Toombs County and the City of Lyons," Bennett urged
> petition signers. "We won't back off until we get some kind of
> resolution." "The amount of support for Southern Comfort Animal Rescue
> and Alice is incredible," said Stephanie Feldstein, an Editor at
> Change.org. "This campaign has become larger than just one dog; it's about how we as a society treat animals. It's been an honor to support such an important campaign."
> The success of the petition is sure to shine a light on the nature and
> enforcement of the state's animal cruelty laws.  Toombs County Chief
> Magistrate, John "Chip" Matheson, has declined to bring animal cruelty
> charges against Hayward. According to Bennett, Judge Matheson claimed
> that there is no state law requiring the owner to take Alice to a vet
> or get her a rabies vaccination, and that she is a not a victim of
> neglect. 

{mosimage} But Bennett took photographs showing that the ground in the
> box was compacted with feces, and the dog's bucket of water was
> stagnant with a thick layer of algae.
> The rescuers were also told that the 6-year-old pit bull, who had no
> name before they found her, had spent most of her life in that box,
> and was fed a diet of white bread, with the occasional table scrap.
> Alice has never eaten dog food. Bennett contends that Ms. Hayward
> violated Georgia animal cruelty laws, which call for "humane care of
> animals," as well as rabies vaccination laws.
> Alice has recently been moved to a larger kennel and has visited a
> veterinarian, where she received her first rabies vaccination. While
> her situation has improved, activists want her relinquished to
> Southern Comfort Animal Rescue to get the care she needs. The rescue
> group is also calling for a full evaluation by an independent
> veterinarian to support their case in favor of animal cruelty charges being brought against Ms. Hayward.
> Alice lives where Vidalia onions are grown.  A boycott page has been
> started on Facebook.
> www.facebook.com/SaveAliceBoycottGeorgiaOnions
> In just a few days, we are nearly to 1500 members.  Pictures of Alice
> and her box can be viewed on the Boycott page.  Alice lives just a
> stone's throw away the same place where 77 healthy adoptable dogs were  killed in one day.
> What is happening in Toombs county?
> Petition: 
> http://www.change.org/petitions/save-alice-aka-the-dog-in-the-box
> CONTACT INFORMATION:
> Southern Comfort Rescue
> Glenwood, GA 30428
> (912) 373-5533
> www.socorescue.com/
> Boycott Page Contact:
> Tamara Barnes
> Eugene, OR
> The Cat's Pajamas Rescue
> www.thecatspjs.org
> 541-554-2837
> This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Authorities Find No Substance in Tales of

“Dog in the Box”

By Kathy D. Bradford,                         Associate Editor,            This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

            Last week, the tale of “Alice” went viral on the Internet and the pit bull from outside the city limits became known as “The Dog in the Box.”

            But, many of the details on the Worldwide Web aren’t as factual as they appear, according to Toombs County Magistrate Judge Chip Matheson and the official report filed by the Toombs County Deputy Wallace Thompson. Matheson said the deputy found no reason to file any charges against 77-year-old Bennie Ray Spikes, who was caring for the dog, or Spikes’ daughter Delois Hayward, who is the owner.

            Matheson said Scott Bennett came to his office on February 9 wanting him to execute a warrant for animal cruelty against Spikes. Bennett said the dog was being “mistreated” because of its living conditions. Matheson said there was no evidence of cruelty and told Bennett he would not issue a warrant in the case.

            Bennett is employed with Southern Comfort Rescue of Glenwood. Terry Wolf is listed on the Secretary of State’s website as the owner of the rescue.

            The story of “Alice” is not related to the 77 euthanizations that  happened in the city of Lyons on January 20, even though many callers to various parties have indicated it as such.

            Cara Blackburn, who lives in Stillmore and works closely with Southern Comfort Rescue, said that the rescue is working with entities for support, but those organizations do NOT include the local Sweet Onion Animal Protection Society (SOAPS) or PETA.

            “SOAPS’  mission is to improve the lives of animals through education, assistance with sterilization to prevent unwanted litters, and rescue and re-homing of dogs and cats,” said Therisa Ingley, CEO of SOAPS. “We are not a law enforcement agency and we do not investigate instances of animal mistreatment.  SOAPS has not been asked nor have we volunteered to assist with any part of the ‘dog in the box’ situation.  It is my understanding that the incident was reported to the appropriate authorities and it is now in their hands.”

            An incident report was filed in the Toombs County Sheriff’s Office on February 1. The narrative in the report states that Bennett told Deputy Wallace, who went to the home on Five Points Road with him, that he could tell the dog had medical issues.

            A report from a local veterinarian states that “Lil Mama,” the dog’s real name, was seen in their office on February 3, six days before Bennett approached Judge Matheson about a warrant. The pit bull received a wellness exam, had a yearly rabies vaccine and other required inoculations. Lil Mama was  also checked for worms. A heartworm test was positive, and the vet instructed the family about treatment.

            “She certainly didn’t look like she was malnourished,” the vet said. “She had muscle structure, and maybe she did need some exercise, but it is obvious she was fed more than what is being told.”

            On the Internet, the story says that the dogs was only fed “white bread and honey buns and occasionally scraps.” According to the licensed vet, the six-year-old dog weighed 68.2 pounds, and her diet was marked as “good.”

            In fact, all categories on the exam card were  “normal” except that the dog who lives out-of-doors was “dirty.”

           {mosimage} Matheson said Compliance Officer Skipper Smith visited the home on February 15 and reported to the judge that everything appeared to be all right, adding that the dog was allowed out of the chain link pen on a lead for exercise.

            If you Google Alice on the Internet, you will find untold numbers of websites to research her, including one where donations are requested for “Alice’s Legal Fund.” The donations are adding up to thousands of dollars.

            On one of the websites, a listing of numerous contacts in Toombs County were listed including city of Vidalia officials, Vidalia Recreation Department, Toombs-Montgomery Chamber of Commerce, County Manager Doug Eaves and the Vidalia Onion Committee and many, many more. Lyons City Administrator Rick Hartley said Wednesday afternoon that he was being flooded with calls and emails, and Eaves reported on that same day that he had received over 4,500 emails.

            Hayward told The Advance Thursday evening that she didn’t know the story was so widespread on the Internet because she didn’t have access to a computer. She was distraught at a printout that she was presented, disputing many of the claims of the online article.

            Eaves has posted a Letter to Editor regarding the county’s official stand on the issue.  He and Matheson have concurred that as far as they are concerned, the matter is closed.

February 23--  State Sen. Buddy Carter (R-Pooler) released the following statement Wednesday after the state Senate approved the Patient Safety Act of 2011 (Senate Bill 36).

  Carter authored SB36, a bill that aims to help doctors and pharmacists curtail the abuse of illegally prescribed drugs in Georgia.  The Act would create an electronic database of all controlled substance prescriptions dispensed in the state. 

 “Today we moved one step closer for Georgia having the right tools in place to crack down on controlled substance abuse in our state.  With no effective way to track signs of illegally prescribed drugs, Georgia is quickly becoming a haven for so-called “pill mills” and drug abusers from our state and from other states who already have this measure in place.  This Patient Safety Act would finally provide doctors and pharmacists around the state what they need to help prevent illegal activity and help save lives.  I want to thank my fellow senators for their support and I now look forward to working with the House to get this important legislation passed.”

February 23--  The first of 76 sirens to be installed within a ten-mile radius of Plant Hatch is now standing in southern Toombs County.

When completed, the siren system will cover portions of Toombs, Appling, Tattnall and Jeff Davis counties to alert residents if there is a nuclear emergency at Plant Hatch.

The Southern Company Project Manager for the $5 million dollar system, Elizabeth Kuhn, says the sirens will ultimately replace the tone alert radios now issued to residents who live near the plant.

"Plant Hatch is unique in the fact that it has historically had tone alert radios and not mass warning sirens.  We are enhancing that now so we will have the sirens and there will be a lot of communication coming out in the future about the way people should respond if they hear the sirens.  Until that occurs, if everyone stays in touch with their tone alert radios, that is the way we will notifiy if there is an emergency," she notes.

Kuhn says it will take a while before the system comes completely on line, "The installation period will last for several months.  After that, we'll have an additional communication with the residents to let them know we are going to be testing."

{mosimage}Kuhn and others were on hand Tuesday to see the first siren installed.  It's located on Lawson Road, a dirt road off U.S. One South just below Herndon Farms.

David Burke with McCord Communications, an Anniston, Alabama company, is overseeing the installation.

"These are omni-directional electronic sirens which allow us to use electronic tones instead of the old mechanical type.  There's a certain amount of new technology in that they are wireless and allow us to use radio and we've got many redundant systems built in," Burke says.

In the outyears, Kuhn says Plant Hatch will test the sirens annually.  "Every year we will test the sirens to make sure people in the area are hearing them.  Typically we have with the Federal Emergency Management Agency a period of time where we will test the sirens and then call people in the area to make sure they heard them," she says.

     An affidavit in support of the complaint alleged that Crosby knowingly disclosed to the target of a drug investigation the fact that a search warrant was to be executed at the target’s residence on January 20, 2011.  This disclosure was allegedly made in order to hinder the apprehension of the target.  Crosby’s initial appearance on the criminal complaint was held today in federal court in Brunswick, Georgia before United States Magistrate Judge James E. Graham.

        United States Attorney Edward J. Tarver stated, “at this time indications are that Crosby was motivated by a desire to sabotage another agency’s investigation and not monetary gain.  Whether motivated by greed or petty interagency rivalry, actions that jeopardize ongoing investigations and breech of the public’s trust in law enforcement will not be tolerated and offenders will be prosecuted.”       

        The charge against Crosby resulted from a joint investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.  The maximum penalty for the offense is 30 months in prison and a fine of up to $125,000.  United States Attorney Edward Tarver emphasized that a complaint is only an accusation and is not evidence of guilt. The burden in any criminal case is on the Government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

February 22--  Brewton-Parker College (BPC) welcomes Dr. Mike Simoneaux as its acting president beginning next week.

{mosimage}Dr. Simoneaux has served as the Vice President for Academic Services and is the current Vice President for Advancement Services at Truett-McConnell College (TMC) in Cleveland, Ga. His first day on the Mount Vernon campus is Wednesday, March 2.

The Brewton-Parker College Board of Trustees, along with Dr. J. Robert White, executive director of the Georgia Baptist Convention, approached Dr. Simoneaux to serve BPC as acting president, said Dr. Tony Romans, BPC Board Chairman.

             “Truett is gracious to loan him to us during this period of transition,” said Dr. Romans. “They will continue to pay his salary and benefits while he works with Brewton-Parker.”

Dr. Romans explains that this kind of response to Brewton-Parker’s request and need is a witness to Georgia Baptists’ commitment to BPC’s continued success in Christian higher education.

“We express our sincere gratitude in Truett-McConnell’s investment in us,” said Romans. “This is one of the most glorious examples I have ever witnessed of sister Baptist institutions, who some might think in competition, cooperating for the cause of Christ and Christian Education. Dr. Simoneaux brings a wealth of experience and unquestionable character to lead Brewton-Parker. We, the Trustees of Brewton-Parker, could not be more grateful to God for providing such able and tested leadership for such an historic time in the life of Brewton-Parker as this.”

            Dr. Simoneaux served as TMC’s interim president during its presidential transition prior to current president Dr. Emir Caner. GBC Executive Director Dr. White calls Dr. Simoneaux “exactly what Brewton-Parker needs”.

            “Dr. Mike Simoneaux did a tremendous job during the interim at Truett-McConnell. The college was at a low ebb financially and morale on the campus was low. Dr. Simoneaux stabilized the college's finances, strengthened the college’s standing in the community and increased morale on the campus. He is exactly what we need at Brewton-Parker at this time and I am extremely pleased that Dr. Caner has generously allowed Mike to serve as acting president and is paying his salary and benefits so Brewton-Parker can focus its finances on other pressing issues,” said Dr. White.

Dr. Simoneaux and his wife, Bonnie, will reside in the presidential home on the Mount Vernon campus.

February 22--  Officials associated with the Range Fuels plant in Soperton are responding to an editorial in the Wall Street Journal which called the project "a fiasco."  Last month the local plant manager told the Soperton News the plant was being closed temporarily due to a lack of financial support from investors.  Here's the response to the WSJ editorial from the California venture capitalist who spearheaded the investment and the CEO of Range Fuels in Colorado.

Range Fuels Is a Good Energy Investment for Taxpayers

Regarding your editorial "The Range Fuels Fiasco" (Feb. 10): I have never publicly uttered the word Cello, nor classified it as a "great cellulosic hope." In fact, I have never owned any shares or options on Cello Energy, or even evaluated the technology directly or indirectly. A fund I invested in paid Cello a small amount for a nonequity relationship to buy blind "insurance," a tiny amount compared to our biofuels portfolio. A paper company called P&W was the principal backer of Cello but the Journal failed to report that. And I have not invested in E3 BioFuels, as others have reported. These facts have been widely misreported in the press.

Also, Range did not receive $76 million from the Department of Energy. Only about half was used to build phase one of the project, roughly as projected in the original grant application. The company voluntarily chose not to take the rest of the money as phase two as originally defined was superseded by new technology developments. The goal was never 100 million gallons for a $150 million project—those numbers would make it less capital intensive than corn ethanol projects—and it was not a figure Range ever planned.

Phase one was completed mostly as planned with 60%-plus equity match by Range, in spite of the financial crisis of 2008-2009, which affected everyone. The DOE project was the only one of the six DOE grants that has been built and met most of its goals in my view. The biggest failure was a wood feed supplier Metso Corp., not the new technology.

The editorial chose to call it a fiasco, but Range is in active discussions with alternative biofuels companies to use their gasification facilities with biochemical syngas catalysis companies and other biofuels technology companies. These combinations pencil out to be economic with good internal rates of return but success is never assured in high-risk projects, contrary to journalistic expectations. The project did let us assess what was economic and what was not and how it compared to other technologies. I would not invest in less economic technologies if better combinations were available but it does not lessen the contribution the DOE program made.

Most of the investment was spent on the Range gasifier, the front end of the biofuels project. This gasifier is valuable and can be used with newer biofermentation-based backend processes, an advancing technology that has superseded the chemical catalysis backend originally planned by Range. We should applaud the continued progress, and that entrepreneurs iterate as superior technology becomes available. This is how innovation happens, but the Journal does not really understand innovation.

The editorial fails to critique the heavily subsidized fossil oil business on its access to sub-market-rate royalties and other direct and indirect subsidies, nor the over $7 trillion spent over 30 years on carrier groups in the Middle East to protect our oil lanes! This is a version of incumbency capitalism, where incumbents and their lobbyists have tilted the playing field away from innovation capitalism. Creating competition for fossil oil through biofuels or alternatives like electric cars should be treated as a vital strategic goal for the country, and in the case of biomass, a critical rural jobs engine.

I believe it is far more important than our efforts in Iraq and deserves resources. We've spent trillions protecting our oil interests, so it seems reasonable to spend a tiny fraction of that on technologies that help end our oil addiction. We cannot achieve that with a 100% guarantee of success, just as we cannot guarantee that our policies in Afghanistan will be successful. We must take risks: That means course corrections and even failures, and we have to be tolerant of that.

Government support aims to fill the commercialization gap in many nascent industries. About $100 billion was used to support the nuclear industry as it was getting started, support that continues through efforts like subsidized loan guarantees, decommissioning funds and subsidized insurance. Government support of nascent industries drives more innovation capitalism, creates competition and ensures global competitiveness. Though most legislation is imperfect, let's not throw the baby out with the bath water and throw out all government efforts. There are abuses, and as an example I have written against continuing corn ethanol, biodiesel and even wind subsidies. There is a balanced position between "support every green thing" and the bigotry of "government shouldn't do anything."

The editorial complains that "the result has not been another Google." Unfortunately, not every venture is a Google and as President Kennedy said, "only those who dare fail greatly can ever achieve greatly." Range's original formulation may not have been successful, but such risk-taking deserves applause, not derision. I invested more in Range than the DOE or anyone else, because I believed in the technology.

I may be wrong often, but over the last 25 years my efforts have generated about $14 billion in profits from under $1 billion from investors. In biofuels we have generated hundreds of millions in profits for our limited partners. I started in this country with less than $300 in my bank account and no other support. I would like to compare this record with your editor's accomplishments before he chooses to trash my efforts and classify me derisively as the superrich. I will keep taking large risks and shoot to solve large problems.

When we first invested in biofuels, I expected up a 70% to 90% chance of failure (and went on record saying so), and today I'm pretty confident that 50% to 60% of the technologies will succeed. Those are better odds than wildcatting for oil. Intelligent dialogue about when government support is for the social good and when it is a gravy train is necessary. But bigotry only shuts down intelligent dialogue.

Vinod Khosla, Palo Alto, Calif.

Solutions to the monumental U.S. energy, environmental and economic challenges will not be solved by small private companies alone. It will take broad private and public collaboration. It requires continuity of policy and strategy to provide a consistent business climate that will attract long-term investment to this capital-intensive industry. It will require a wide range of solutions and technologies across the energy and environmental spectrum.

Range Fuels employees have put heart and soul into trying to change the way America produces energy. Commercializing first of a kind technology is difficult work. Converting wood waste and on-purpose energy crops into high quality syngas on a commercial scale had not been done before Range did it. This syngas can be converted via a number of technologies into methanol, ethanol, other transportation fuels and chemical building blocks. This is a significant step in the advancement of numerous cellulosic biofuels technologies.

Cellulosic biofuels and chemical building blocks will ultimately be successful. As with many other industries, our early production begins at the peak of the cost curve. Economies of scale and operational excellence will dramatically drive down costs in the future. The financial crisis has slowed our industry progress but it continues to move forward. Innovation in energy solutions can either happen in the U.S. or we can wait and import the technology and associated products from China. China already invests more than double the amount of the U.S. each year in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

In the words of Teddy Roosevelt: "It is not the critic who counts . . . the credit belongs to the man in the arena . . . who spends himself for a worthy cause."

When gasoline hits $4.50 per gallon, let's chat again.

David C. Aldous.CEO

Range Fuels, Inc.

Broomfield, Colo

February 22--  Officials of Range Fuels are responding to an article in the Wall Street Journal which called their efforts to provide alternative fuel from pine trees at a plant north of Soperton "a fiasco."  The article was reprinted earlier here, and here are the responses from the California venture capitalist who invested in the project and the CEO of Range Fuels in Colorado.  FYI, the Trueutlen County plant is now closed due to what the local manager called lack of financial support by investors.  He said the closing was "temporary."

Range Fuels Is a Good Energy Investment for Taxpayers

Regarding your editorial "The Range Fuels Fiasco" (Feb. 10): I have never publicly uttered the word Cello, nor classified it as a "great cellulosic hope." In fact, I have never owned any shares or options on Cello Energy, or even evaluated the technology directly or indirectly. A fund I invested in paid Cello a small amount for a nonequity relationship to buy blind "insurance," a tiny amount compared to our biofuels portfolio. A paper company called P&W was the principal backer of Cello but the Journal failed to report that. And I have not invested in E3 BioFuels, as others have reported. These facts have been widely misreported in the press.

Also, Range did not receive $76 million from the Department of Energy. Only about half was used to build phase one of the project, roughly as projected in the original grant application. The company voluntarily chose not to take the rest of the money as phase two as originally defined was superseded by new technology developments. The goal was never 100 million gallons for a $150 million project—those numbers would make it less capital intensive than corn ethanol projects—and it was not a figure Range ever planned.

Phase one was completed mostly as planned with 60%-plus equity match by Range, in spite of the financial crisis of 2008-2009, which affected everyone. The DOE project was the only one of the six DOE grants that has been built and met most of its goals in my view. The biggest failure was a wood feed supplier Metso Corp., not the new technology.

The editorial chose to call it a fiasco, but Range is in active discussions with alternative biofuels companies to use their gasification facilities with biochemical syngas catalysis companies and other biofuels technology companies. These combinations pencil out to be economic with good internal rates of return but success is never assured in high-risk projects, contrary to journalistic expectations. The project did let us assess what was economic and what was not and how it compared to other technologies. I would not invest in less economic technologies if better combinations were available but it does not lessen the contribution the DOE program made.

Most of the investment was spent on the Range gasifier, the front end of the biofuels project. This gasifier is valuable and can be used with newer biofermentation-based backend processes, an advancing technology that has superseded the chemical catalysis backend originally planned by Range. We should applaud the continued progress, and that entrepreneurs iterate as superior technology becomes available. This is how innovation happens, but the Journal does not really understand innovation.

The editorial fails to critique the heavily subsidized fossil oil business on its access to sub-market-rate royalties and other direct and indirect subsidies, nor the over $7 trillion spent over 30 years on carrier groups in the Middle East to protect our oil lanes! This is a version of incumbency capitalism, where incumbents and their lobbyists have tilted the playing field away from innovation capitalism. Creating competition for fossil oil through biofuels or alternatives like electric cars should be treated as a vital strategic goal for the country, and in the case of biomass, a critical rural jobs engine.

I believe it is far more important than our efforts in Iraq and deserves resources. We've spent trillions protecting our oil interests, so it seems reasonable to spend a tiny fraction of that on technologies that help end our oil addiction. We cannot achieve that with a 100% guarantee of success, just as we cannot guarantee that our policies in Afghanistan will be successful. We must take risks: That means course corrections and even failures, and we have to be tolerant of that.

Government support aims to fill the commercialization gap in many nascent industries. About $100 billion was used to support the nuclear industry as it was getting started, support that continues through efforts like subsidized loan guarantees, decommissioning funds and subsidized insurance. Government support of nascent industries drives more innovation capitalism, creates competition and ensures global competitiveness. Though most legislation is imperfect, let's not throw the baby out with the bath water and throw out all government efforts. There are abuses, and as an example I have written against continuing corn ethanol, biodiesel and even wind subsidies. There is a balanced position between "support every green thing" and the bigotry of "government shouldn't do anything."

The editorial complains that "the result has not been another Google." Unfortunately, not every venture is a Google and as President Kennedy said, "only those who dare fail greatly can ever achieve greatly." Range's original formulation may not have been successful, but such risk-taking deserves applause, not derision. I invested more in Range than the DOE or anyone else, because I believed in the technology.

I may be wrong often, but over the last 25 years my efforts have generated about $14 billion in profits from under $1 billion from investors. In biofuels we have generated hundreds of millions in profits for our limited partners. I started in this country with less than $300 in my bank account and no other support. I would like to compare this record with your editor's accomplishments before he chooses to trash my efforts and classify me derisively as the superrich. I will keep taking large risks and shoot to solve large problems.

When we first invested in biofuels, I expected up a 70% to 90% chance of failure (and went on record saying so), and today I'm pretty confident that 50% to 60% of the technologies will succeed. Those are better odds than wildcatting for oil. Intelligent dialogue about when government support is for the social good and when it is a gravy train is necessary. But bigotry only shuts down intelligent dialogue.

Vinod Khosla, Palo Alto, Calif.

Solutions to the monumental U.S. energy, environmental and economic challenges will not be solved by small private companies alone. It will take broad private and public collaboration. It requires continuity of policy and strategy to provide a consistent business climate that will attract long-term investment to this capital-intensive industry. It will require a wide range of solutions and technologies across the energy and environmental spectrum.

Range Fuels employees have put heart and soul into trying to change the way America produces energy. Commercializing first of a kind technology is difficult work. Converting wood waste and on-purpose energy crops into high quality syngas on a commercial scale had not been done before Range did it. This syngas can be converted via a number of technologies into methanol, ethanol, other transportation fuels and chemical building blocks. This is a significant step in the advancement of numerous cellulosic biofuels technologies.

Cellulosic biofuels and chemical building blocks will ultimately be successful. As with many other industries, our early production begins at the peak of the cost curve. Economies of scale and operational excellence will dramatically drive down costs in the future. The financial crisis has slowed our industry progress but it continues to move forward. Innovation in energy solutions can either happen in the U.S. or we can wait and import the technology and associated products from China. China already invests more than double the amount of the U.S. each year in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

In the words of Teddy Roosevelt: "It is not the critic who counts . . . the credit belongs to the man in the arena . . . who spends himself for a worthy cause."

When gasoline hits $4.50 per gallon, let's chat again.

David C. Aldous,CEO

Range Fuels, Inc.

Broomfield, Colo

February 22--  Georgia Governor Nathan Deal is proposing changes to the state's lottery-funded HOPE education program due to falling lottery revenues.  Among other things, it will reduce the number of students who qualify for a full scholarship, eliminates funding for books and remedial courses, reduces the daily class time of the state's Pre-Kindergartern Program, limits the amount of bonuses paid to Lottery employees, and reduces the commissions paid to Lottery retailers.  The Governor's office released the following news release after a news conference today in Atlanta.

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Gov. Nathan Deal introduces legislation along with Senate President Pro Tempore Tommie Williams, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, Speaker David Ralston, and House Democratic Leader Stacey Abrams.

"Gov. Nathan Deal today will introduce bipartisan legislation that preserves Georgia’s cherished HOPE scholarship and Pre-K programs – among the most generous benefits in the nation -- even as it stabilizes lottery-funded programs for future generations. Deal, along with Republican and Democratic legislative leaders, unveiled the plan on the campus of Georgia State University.

“Facing bankruptcy of the lottery program in 2013, I worked closely with members of the General Assembly to save Georgia’s prized jewel, the HOPE scholarship, for the next generation of Georgians,” Deal said. “With this plan we are going to maintain one of the most generous scholarship programs the United States has ever seen or will ever see. Even in the tough economic times we are facing, HOPE is going to endure, it’s going to thrive.”

Deal revealed legislation that will create the Zell Miller Scholarship program; the program, named for the governor who created HOPE, will maintain full tuition coverage for Georgia’s highest-achieving students.

“Zell Miller’s HOPE scholarship is a distinctly Georgian program that serves as a point of pride for every resident of our great state,” he said. “This plan today is endorsed by Zell Miller, and I’m honored to announce the creation of the Zell Miller Scholarship, which will serve as a reward to Georgia’s best and brightest students and will encourage them to remain in Georgia.”

Under the new legislation, Zell Miller Scholars will include the top 10 percent of HOPE scholars under the present system based on both a 3.7 GPA and a 1200 SAT or 26 ACT score. These scholars attending any public college or university in the state will be awarded full tuition scholarships, while those attending private institutions will receive the full private HOPE award.

Deal assured all of Georgia’s HOPE partners that all three of the lottery-funded programs -- Pre-K, HOPE Scholarship and HOPE Grant -- have been protected and current funding ratios for these programs will remain the same.

Beginning this Fall, students with a 3.0 GPA attending Georgia public colleges and universities will receive 90 percent of the standard tuition rate. To ensure that limited resources are used to best honor the original intent of the HOPE program the legislation will: Eliminate funds for books, eliminate funding for remedial classes, cap eligible hours at 127 and ensure that HOPE scholars are prepared for college-level work by requiring these students to take a certain number of high school rigorous courses.

When discussing Georgia’s youngest scholars, Deal said Pre-K will continue to receive one-third of all lottery-funded expenditures and will remain a voluntary, universal, free program serving 4-year-olds across the state regardless of a family’s economic status.

In order to make several programmatic changes to Pre-K, Deal announced that the state will move from a six-and-a-half hour day to a four-hour day.

“By removing rest time and creating new efficiencies, we can minimize the decrease in instructional time and bring our program more in line with other states and many private preschools,” he said.

Deal closed by citing a verse from one of his favorite hymns: “Strength for today and bright HOPE for tomorrow.”

“We are taking the appropriate steps today to strengthen the HOPE balance sheet, ensuring that future Georgians are afforded the same great opportunities as today’s college and university students. Make no mistake, even after these needed reforms are implemented, Georgia’s invaluable HOPE will endure and continue to set Georgia apart.”

 Other changes to of note:

 Pre-K

-          Georgia remains one of only four states to provide a universal Pre-K program

-          Adds at least 5,000 slots to address the Pre-K waiting list in the state. Currently there are around 9,000 on the waiting list in Georgia.

-          Increase of transportation funds

-          Increases extended day funds by 4.5 million, tripling the amount currently paid for these slots for at-risk students

HOPE Grant

-          Eliminates the use of HOPE Grant funds for remedial classes. (estimated savings: $ 13.1 million)

-          Requires students to earn a 3.0 GPA by the first HOPE check point, once enrolled in technical college courses; currently, 68 percent of students have a GPA of 3.0 or higher at the 45-hour checkpoint. (estimated savings: $15 million)

-          Provides that students who already possess a postsecondary degree are ineligible to receive the HOPE Grant; currently, 2 percent of students using the HOPE grant already possess a bachelor’s degree or higher. (estimated savings: $2.8 million) 

-          Establishes a firm cap of 95 quarter hours or 63 semester hours for all students. (estimated savings: $250,000)

The Georgia Lottery Corporation

-      LLimits bonuses awarded to Georgia Lottery Corporation employees to no more than 25 percent of their base compensation.

-          Requires that bonuses be based on the amount of net proceeds transferred to the Lottery for Education Account, not simply on lottery revenue.

-          Lowers the commission paid to lottery retailers from an average of 7 percent to no more than 5 percent on all games and provides that retailers shall not receive more than 1 percent of payouts. (estimated savings: $69 million)

February 22--  Two new ambulances arrived at Toombs County EMS this week. On hand to accept them were (l-r) EMS Director Raymond Carroll, Toombs County Commission Chairman Buddy West, Commissioner Louie Powell and County Manager Doug Eaves.

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The County Manager reports the two ambulances cost $206,000 with $73,275 paid for by a grant from the Georgia Trauma Commission and the balance by Toombs County sales tax collections.  He says the county has an active fleet of six ambulances.  Of the two ambulances being retired by the new arrivals, one will be retained as a backup and the other will be disposed of as surplus property.

Februry 21--  The Toombs County Sheriff's Office is investigating a fatal hit-and-run accident.

Toombs County Sheriff Junior Kight reports 32-year-old Ramon Alvarado of 210 Apache Lane in Lyons was killed Sunday night shortly after nine o'clock as he was walking north on Highway 152, the Cobbtown Road, about two miles north of the Lyons city limits.

"We received a call from a truck driver who found the body laying in the roadway.  It appears he was hit from behind and carried the body about fifty yards down the road.  Whoever hit the subject fled the scene," the Sheriff reports.

If you have information about the accident, Sheriff Kight asks that you call his office at 526-6778.  His deputies and the Georgia State Patrol are investigating the accident.

"Right now we are looking for the person who hit him. We're checking with body shops and we've put a lookout with other counties trying to come up with something on it," he said.

February 21--  Only hours after moving into it's new building earlier this month, the first baby born in the new Vidalia hospital arrived.  The hospital provided the following info today.

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February 21--  Brewton-Parker College’s 2011 Alumni Weekend “Old Friends, Good Memories” is set to bring about 400 alumni and friends back to the campus April 8-9, according to Alumni Director Jessica James.

            “We have a large Reunion Alumni Choir under the direction of Prof. Hildegard Stanley scheduled to perform for us Saturday during the Tribute and Award Service in Saliba Chapel,” said James. “I’m expecting over 200 alumni singers, not to mention a large group of former athletes and their families. This should be one of our largest Alumni Weekends in a decade. We hope it will be a great time for the community to come out to campus to join us in our celebration.”

            The two day event opens with the Miss BPC Pageant Friday night at 6 p.m. in Gilder Recital Hall. Reigning Miss BPC, Crystal Adams of Uvalda, will pass on her crown to the next deserving young woman in this scholarship and poise competition. The community is invited to attend.

Prof. Stanley will hold a closed rehearsal with the Alumni Choir starting promptly at 7 p.m. Friday in Saliba Chapel. Registration Friday night is from 5-7 p.m. in Saliba. Prof. Stanley encourages the Alumni Choir and former alumni to keep up to date with the choir by contacting her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Babysitting services will be provided by the Baptist Collegiate Ministries both days. All funds raised will benefit BCM Summer Missions.

            Saturday’s events begin at 7:30 a.m. with Registration in the Snooks Student Activities Center, an 8 a.m. breakfast for members of the Half Century Club Breakfast in the President’s Conference Room. The Half Century Club will honor and induct the Class of 1961. The breakfast is $8 per person. The Class of 1961, as honorees, is welcome to join at no cost.

            The community is also invited to attend two special ceremonies recognizing past students and their achievements. The Hall of Fame Induction to honor student-athletes will begin at 9 a.m. in the Hall of Fame Room inside the Snooks Student Activities Center. The Alumni Tribute & Award Service begins at 10:30 a.m. and features the BPC Reunion Alumni Choir and the 2011 Alumni Award Recipients.

            “Friends and supporters of the Brewton-Parker Choir are specially invited to attend this program,” added Prof. Stanley.

The Alumni Society Luncheon follows the ceremony at 11:30 a.m. in the Gillis Gymnasium. The luncheon is $10 per adult if registered by April 1. After April 1, the cost is $20 per adult. To register, go online to www.bpc.edu/alumni and fill out the Registration Form and mail it to BPC Alumni Office, P.O. Box 197, Mount Vernon, GA 30445.

            The afternoon is loaded with more activities for both Alumni and Friends. Join alumnus Eric Parker in Concert from 1-2 p.m. in Gilder Recital Hall. The Barons Baseball team faces Lee University on Baron Field in a double header starting at 1 p.m., and the Kappa vs. Alumni Softball Game will throw out its first pitch at 2 p.m. on the Barons’ Softball Field. Contact Jim Beall at 912-583-3257 to participate in this game.

February 21--  Georgia's high schools are moving up nationally in the offering of advanced placement courses and two local high schools are among those offering such courses.

Becky Chambers with the Georgia Department of Education says the AP Courses offer a couple of advantages for qualified high school students.

"Advanced placement courses are college level courses taught by a trained teacher in the high school.  A great advantage is getting exposure to that college level rigor while you've still got a nurturing high school teacher.  Second, students who take AP exams and score well enough have a good chance of receiving college credit for those courses once they are admitted to college," she says.

Vidalia High School is one of 41 smaller high schools in the state offering Advanced Placement Courses.  The AP Challenge Schools have a population of less than 900 students.  

"It's generally more difficult to put some specialized classes like AP on a schedule when you have a smaller student population.  So we know we have principals and superintendents committed to make sure the kids have those opportunities so they can take four AP courses before they leave high school," Chambers notes.

And the state is recognizing Toombs County High School as one of 46 AP Access and Support Schools in Georgia where a diverse student body is showing improvement in AP classes and exams.

"Those schools are doing a really good job based on their school demographics making sure their AP classes have students from all walks of life, all racial and ethnic backgrounds, and that they are also getting outstanding scores," Chambers says.

Toombs County School Superintendent Dr. Kendall Brantley reports Toombs County High School currently has AP courses in five subjects and is getting a $2,800 grant to train another teacher to start an AP course in English/Language Arts. 

February 18--  A fire destroyed the interior of a Vidalia home Thursday night.

Fire Chief Buddy Coleman says the brick house at 801 Clyde Boulevard was destroyed on the inside by fire and smoke.  He believes the fire was started by a cigarette on a sofa in the den.

The house is rented by Troy and Amy Suits and is owned by Gary Hawes of Vidalia, according to Chief Coleman.  He said the woman, who was alone at the house when the fire started about 8:30 p.m., suffered a slight burn on a finger.

Firemen were at the house till nearly midnight and returned early Friday to douse some smoldering embers.

February 18--  Thursday the U.S House passed an amendment to H.R. 1 offered by Reps. Tom Graves (R-GA), Greg Walden (R-OR), and Mario Diaz Balart (R-FL), which prohibits the Federal Communications Commission from using any funding for the rest of fiscal year 2011 to implement so-called “net neutrality” regulations.  Rep. Graves gave the following remarks on the House floor prior to the vote:

VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIOf-Bp6-d0

PARTIAL TRANSCRIPT:

Rep. Tom Graves, “Let’s make it simple. Government control means uniformity, regulations, fees, inspections, and yes, compliance.  Think, just think, if those words had existed since the 1990s with the Internet.  We wouldn't know one thing about broadband, let alone a ‘tweet.’ 

“The internet's free marketplace is defined by fierce competition, and that competition has transformed this world with innovation, investment, and what we need most of all right now—jobs.  It's possible that the most intelligent and bipartisan policy that Washington has had thus far has been to leave the internet virtually untouched by the federal government and regulators.  And, the result?  Internet-based industries have flourished and employed a generation of Americans. So, let's be clear today: there is no ‘net neutrality’ crisis.

“The speed and depth of the internet as we know it today came from consumer choice and competition. Consumers have successfully picked those winners and losers, not government, and they've done it without the FCC's help. Imagine that. Consider the choice in rate plans, various points of access, and demand for openness and accessibility. A service provider that restricts access would do so at their own peril, and to the prosperity of their competitors.

“So after all the life-changing innovation, the ‘accidental billionaires,’ President Obama's revolutionary e-campaign, after all the ground breaking technology that has defined this age of the internet, we must ask that question: why? Why would unelected bureaucrats at the FCC want to take over and feel good about this internet takeover right now, with their new rules and policies—‘keeping things neutral’ being their claim?

“Let me tell you three words come to mind to me today and that is: ‘trojan horse virus.’  So Mr. Chairman, let's pass this amendment today and let's install some anti-virus protection for Americans and the Internet.”

Background:

Rep. Graves is a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services, which has jurisdiction over funding the Federal Communications Commission.

After Reps. Graves and Walden introduced identical amendments, they banded together, along with Rep. Diaz Balart, under the Walden amendment, which passed the House.

Rep. Walden said, in a separate statement, “I want to commend Reps. Graves and Diaz-Balart for their commitment to protecting the internet from excessive government regulation. I appreciate their efforts to work with me to ensure the Communications and Technology Subcommittee has time to fully and permanently address this issue.”

Amendment language:

“None of the funds made available by this Act may be used to implement or enforce the Report and Order of the Federal Communications Commission relating to the matter of preserving the open Internet and broadband industry practices (FCC 10-201, adopted by the Commission on December 21, 2010).”

February 17--  Fourteen area businesses and organizations took part in a five-week marketing course at the STC Economic Development Center in Vidalia.  The class wrapped up Thursday morning.

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Participates include Sign and Stamp Solutions, Brown-Eyed Susan's, Soothing Sensations, Vidalia Valley, BuySmart Pharmacy, Allcare Pharmacy, Oh Deco Where Art Thou, Mary's Interiors, Toombs-Montgomery Retail Committee, Candler County Industrial Authority, Metter Antiques, Flower Basket, Terry's Flooring and Style and Era Boutique.

February 17--  One of the newly elected members of the Toombs County school board is the new vice-chairman of the board.  Russ Benton was elected over veteran member and former vice-chair Duane Tomlin at the board's February meeting.  Benton said he welcomes the opportunity to learn the job.

In other action at its meeting, the school board voted to start a swimming program at Toombs County High School to accomodate two rising freshmen from the middle school who are swimmers.  The program will be at no cost to the school system and the kids' parents will act as coaches, according to school superintendent Dr. Kendall Brantley.

The school board passed a state-mandated code of ethics for school board members.

It also adopted a policy stating the valedictorian at Toombs County High School must be attending classes on the high school campus for at least three semesters prior to graduation starting with next year's freshman class.

It also heard an appeal from Johnny Jones asking the board to fund instruction of agricultural courses at the high school.  FFA Alumni and others have been funding the $20,000 cost, but Jones says it's more than they can do.

The school board also voted for the system to act as fiscal agent for a three-year grant to provide after-school care for at-risk kids at Lyons Upper Elementary School. 

February 17--  The Montgomery County Middle School Helen Ruffin Reading Quiz Bowl Team won first place at the Regional Competition held at Gray Station Middle School on Saturday, February 5^th.   MCMS students competed against 8 other teams from Houston, Bibb, Jones and Bulloch counties, both public and private school teams.  This win enables the team to advance to the Southern Divisional Bowl once again.    The Montgomery County High School team will also be competing once again at this advanced level.   The Southern Divisional Bowl will be held at Southeast Bulloch on Saturday, February 26^th.

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Pictured left to right, front to back: Jacey Thomas, Jessie Willhite, Lauren Braddy, Celeste Hernandez, Rebecca Hance, Karstin Poole, Joshua Horne, Chase Dowd and Storm Dixon

The Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl for Middle School Students is based upon the 20 Georgia Peach Award nominee books each year.  Students have to read each of these books and be able to answer a variety of questions from each one.  In the Southern Divisional Bowl Montgomery County Middle School will be competing against the following teams: Gray Station Middle (Jones County), Clarke County Middle School (Athens), Hilsman Middle School (Athens), Camden County Middle School (Kingsland), and Midway Middle School (Liberty County).

Montgomery County Middle School Team is made up of the following students:
8^th grade ~ Lauren Braddy, Karstin Poole, Rebecca Hance, Celeste Hernandez, Storm Dixon, and Chase Dowd

7^th grade ~ Joshua Horne

6^th grade ~ Jacey Thomas and Jessie Willhite

The team is coached by Janeth Coleman.

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Speaker David Ralston, Gov. Deal, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, and Ga. Supreme Court Chief Justice Carol Hunstein

Gov. Nathan Deal, along with Speaker David Ralston, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, Chief Justice Carol Hunstein, Rep. Jay Neal and many others, today unveiled Neal’s legislation to establish the 2011 Special Council on Criminal Justice Reform for Georgia.

“With this new commission in place, we hope to uncover new approaches to make Georgia communities safer while increasing offender accountability, improving rehabilitation efforts and lowering costs,” said Deal. “While this effort should ultimately uncover strategies that will save taxpayer dollars, we are first and foremost attacking the human costs of a society with too much crime, too many people behind bars, too many children growing up without a much-needed parent and too many wasted lives.”

Deal also noted the troubling numbers Georgia faces in terms of crime: Georgia has the fourth-largest prison system in the nation and that in the last two years alone the state’s overall prison population has grown 4.6 percent.

“That growth has taken us to a place where our budgets no longer reflect our priorities,” he said. “Between 1987 and 2008, national higher education spending increased 24 percent. In that same period corrections spending increased 137 percent. We now spend $3,800 a year for a K-12 student, $6,300 a year per university system college student and an overwhelming $18,000 a year to house an inmate in our state prisons.

“That math does not work for Georgia. Today costs are too high, recidivism rates are too high and rehabilitation is too rare.”

Deal thanked both the Pew Center on the States and the Georgia Public Policy Foundation for their leadership and guidance on the issue. The newly created council is to report its findings and recommendations to the legislature no later than Jan. 9, 2012.

“For violent and repeat offenders, we will make you pay for your crimes,” he said.  “As a state, we cannot afford to have so many of our citizens waste their lives because of addictions. It is draining our state Treasury and depleting our workforce.”

February 16--  A bill to help doctors and druggists curtail the abuse of illegally prescribed prescription drugs in Georgia is moving through the state Senate.

State Senator Buddy Carter of Pooler, who is a pharmacist, says the Patient Safety Act, is urgently needed in Georgia.

"Georgia is one of only ten states in the nation which has no modern laws to help fight prescription drug abuse.  To make matters worse, every state surrounding Georgia has an electronic system in place to track illegal activity.  That means many fly-by-night storefront pain clinics and drug abusers are moving to Georgia because they know they can get away with these actions much easier than in our neighboring states," Carter says.

In Vidalia, BuySmart pharmacist Edie Smith called the DEA after becoming suspicious when an out-of-town customer paid cash for a Hydrocodone prescription obtained from a pain clinic in Florida.  Within hours, the pharmacy got calls from out-of-state trying to fill similiar orders.  She says drug dealers are making thousands of dollars on a single prescription of pain killers.

Smith hopes Senator Carter's bill will pass so druggists can go online to track purchases of prescription drugs.

"It will stop those people who are on Medicare or other insurance, if they're addicted to Hydrcodone, their doctor may not even know they're getting double doses if they went to to another doctor and got a prescription and paid cash.  If I have a data base, I will know they just got a prescription on insurance and it will cut out a lot of abuse," she says.

Senator Carter says a 2009 study showed that more people died from prescription drug overdoes in Georgia than from illegal drugs.

February 16--  U.S. Reps. John Barrow, GA-12, and Mike Rogers, MI-08, have sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seeking a full investigation into Google’s unauthorized collection of private consumer Wi-Fi communications through its Street View mapping program.

“After almost nine months since Google first admitted to collecting this data,” the letter states, “we still don’t have answers as to how this security breach was allowed to take place and how many Americans were affected, let alone a credible assurance that it won’t happen again.”

Google announced last May that the vehicles used to collect visual data for its Street View mapping program had gathered private communications from unsecured consumer Wi-Fi networks over a three year period.

Since then, investigations by officials overseas have revealed that these captured communications included hundreds of thousands of emails, email addresses, instant messages, URLs, usernames and passwords, names, residential telephone numbers and addresses, and in one case a list of the names of people suffering from certain medical conditions, along with their telephone numbers and addresses.

“As more and more personal information winds up on the Internet, we need to make sure that private data is as safe and secure as possible,” said Congressman Barrow.  “That means ensuring that the companies handling this information are responsible and accountable, and Google owes the folks who use their service an explanation of how this security breach was allowed to take place and what steps they are taking to ensure something like this never happens again.”

“Google has played an enormous role in advancing the Internet as we know it today, but Americans have a right to know the relative facts of Google’s Wi-Fi data collection activity known to U.S. consumers, regardless of whether the FCC finds a technical violation of the law,” Congressman Rogers said. “Earlier letters and investigations have not resulted in any action, leaving American consumers with little information about Google’s conduct.”

February 15--  The city of Vidalia is working its way through a long list of abandoned houses which need to be restored or demolished to improve the appearance of city neighborhoods.

City Marshal Sean Oliver oversees the program and gave the city council a status report at Monday night's council meeting.

"Over the years we've had a lot of houses that have become vacant and dilapidated.  Many of the folks who own these houses don't have the money to demolish the houses so the city came up with a plan and money to get some of these houses down.  Over the past six years, we've demolished about 160 houses," Oliver says.

In 2003, the city council allocated $250,000 to remove the old buildings.  However, Oliver says owners have to repay the demolition charges.

"The owner is billed and must pay a quarter of the cost within 30 days and thereafter must pay 25 percent each year until it is paid for," he reports.

Oliver says the city currently has 29 active cases and is prepared to pursue others.

"We get a lot of phone calls and complaints about houses.  Also we make our own rounds looking for these kind of houses," he says.

In other actions, the council agreed to discuss a trade of property with Toombs County.  The newly formed North Toombs Volunteer Fire Department would like to move the former Vidalia fire department building on McIntosh Street to Old Normantown Road.  The city said it may be interested in trading the building for the county-owned voting precinct building on Morris Street.

The council also appointed Anthony Miller to the board of the Vidalia Housing Authority.

February 15--  The first-ever "Dancing for the Stars" raised an estimated $8,000 for the United Way of Toombs, Montgomery and Wheeler Counties, according to Executive Director Patricia Dixon.

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Julie and Jose Caraballo took top dance-floor honors.

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Six couples entertained over 200 people at the Vidalia Community Center. Dancing couples (l-r) are Richard Williams and Rose Anne Holman, Jason and Ingrid Varn, Kareem and Shandra Owens, Jose and Julie Caraballo, Bill (Tex) and Cathy Mitchell, and Dent and Marsha Temples.

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The "Power of the Purse" committee organized the event.  They are (l-r) Cindy Williams, Tonjai Woodard, Maria Gibase, Mae Jones, Patricia Dixon, Susan Bargeron, Lucy Whigham, Susan Taylor, Virginia Lyon, Joni Hamilton and Elaine Dixon.

February 14--  The Toombs County Commission is pledging to provide one mil of local property tax money each year through 2021 to the Toombs County Development Authority.

The Commission started making the investment in the early 1990's and it's paid off, according to Bill Mitchell of the Development Authority.

"Looking at the return on investment we've made in the last ten years, it's pretty obvious with regard to Trane, Dot Food, U.S. Energy and some of the other companies which have located here.  It's employment, it's economic development," he says.

County officials report the Development Authority will receive about $576,000 in tax dollars this year.  Mitchell says the money is an investment to make Toombs County competitive in the search for industry.

"The reason we've asked for it is to be able to fund projects that are looking to come to Georgia or the United States.  A good example of that is Chicken of the Sea and U.S. Pet.  If we didn't have the money to put up, we wouldn't get much help from the state.  Just as important, in order to do bonding and long-term financing, funding has to be available and this insures we'll have that funding available," Mitchell says.

The Authority told the commission Chicken of the Sea has been averaging a workforce of over 200 jobs, and Mitchell says our unemployment rate would be much higher if it weren't for the county's cash.

"I can't overemphasize the importance of the number of jobs which have been created over the past ten or 15 years as a result of that.  As bad as unemployment has been, can you imagine what it would have been had we not got those jobs," he points out.

February 14--  Vidalia Comprehensive High School students enrolled in Southeastern Early College and Career Academy (SECCA) classes performed well at the SkillsUSA Region Competition hosted at Ogeechee Technical College in Statesboro. Ten of the 13 students representing VCHS & SECCA placed in the competition.

{mosimage}(Kneeling) Mr. Travis Williams (Advisor)-(First Row L-R) Candler Cleveland, Brianna Davis, Derrick Screws, Thomas Collins, Nick Fussell, Victoria Moses, and Bobby Garcia-(Second Row L-R) Josh Brown, Josh Dowd, Kole Perkins, Jared Roosa, Casey Moses, and Justin Taylor. 

First place finishers Bobby Garcia and Kole Perkins in addition to Derrick Screws, Josh Dowd, and Thomas Collins, who placed second, will advance to the SkillsUSA State Competition in Atlanta on March 17, 18, & 19.

Advisor Travis Williams was very pleased with the team's level of competition.  "I am very proud of my team.  "They represented VCHS & SECCA like professionals.  We should all be very proud of them," said Williams.

Formerly known as VICA (Vocational Industrial Clubs of America), SkillsUSA is a student organization for students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations.

The finishers and their competition are as follows: 

First Place:  Bobby Garcia - Automotive Refinishin, Kole Perkins - Precision Machining Technology

Second Place:  Derrick Screws - Power Equipment Technology, Josh Dowd - Advertising Design, Thomas Collins - Preschool Teaching Assistant

Third Place: Justin Taylor - Residential Wiring, Casey Moses - Job Skills Demonstration (Open), Brianna Davis - Welding, Jared Roosa - Collision Repair Technology, Nick Fussell - Prepared Speech

Honorable Mention: Candler Cleveland - Automotive Technology, Victoria Moses - Job Interview, Josh Brown - CPR/First Aid

February 13--  Installation of a new emergency alert system for residents living within ten miles of Plant Hatch is getting underway.

Toombs County Emergency Management Agency Director Lynn Moore says the federal government is mandating installation of 76 sirens in Toombs, Appling, Jeff Davis and Tattnall Counties.

Thirty-eight sirens will be located in lower Toombs County to sound the alarm in case there is an emergency at the nuclear plant.

"Plant Hatch is the only nuclear facility in the United States which does not have sirens.  Once we get this installation done, sirens will be the number one warning device and Code Red will be the number two warning device.  We hope to do away with the weather alert radioes," Moore reports.

Moore estimates it could take nearly two years to get all the sirens installed, tested and approved for use by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The Southern Company has awarded a $5 million contract to McCord Communications of Anniston, Alabama to do the work.

February 9-- A new high school math curriculum imposed by the Georgia Department of Education is too rigorous for some students.  As a result, the state board of eduction is expected to make some changes at its meeting in March.

Lucy Claroni is the Vidalia school system's Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction and reports they are already planning for changes at Vidalia High School next school year.

"The Math Department at Vidalia High School is deciding whether they want to stay with Math 1, Math 2, Math 3 and Math 4, or go with the traditional math (algebra, geometry, etc), or both," she says.

Last year, 48 percent of the sophomores at VHS failed the tougher math courses and teachers are afraid it could lead to higher school dropout rates and fewer kids graduating from high school.

Claroni expects a combination of course offerings will be implemented next year to serve students who do well in math and those that don't.

"We do have some students who need the challenge of having the intergrated math like algebra, geometry and statistics included in one course.  The traditional math would be more finite courses and those students would just concentrate on each course and specific math standards," Claroni says.

February 9--  The burial site for 77 dogs killed January 20 at the Lyons dog pound poses no threat to the city's water well serving the Chicken of the Sea plant north of Lyons, according to an evaluation paid for by the city.

A geologist from a Savannah engineering firm visited the site a week after the killings at the request of city officials.  His job was to determine if the mass grave, which is six feet deep and measures 25' X 25', would have any environmental impact on the city's Water Well Number 5 located just over two miles from the pound.

The city of Lyons released a letter Wednesday from Terracon Consultants stating "there is no potential for water quality impact at the well" because of its distance from the burial site, the well's production zone is not effected by the shallow sediments found at the dog pound and Swift Creek provides a hydrologic divide between the well and the gravesite.

Lyons city administrator Rick Hartley says the city paid $1,000 for the study.

He also reports the State Environmental Protection Division has informed the city it has no jurisdiction over the burial of animals and is deferring to the Department of Agriculture for any followup regarding the burial site. Earlier, a pair of EPD inspectors from Brunswick had visited the location.

February 9--  Gov. Nathan Deal, along with 28 other governors, sent a letter today to President Obama urging him to direct the U.S. Department of Justice to expedite the appeals process in the multistate litigation against Obamacare. With billions of dollars at stake for Georgia alone, Deal says it’s critical that states get a definitive ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court as quickly as possible on the constitutionality of the law.

“On behalf of the people of Georgia, I respectfully ask the president to direct the Justice Department to move as quickly as possible so we can have the certainty we need to move forward,” Deal said. “Doing so will enable the states and their citizens to act according to the ruling in a timely fashion; not doing so will drag out these measures and do our citizens a great injustice. There’s a strong chance the Supreme Court will rule this law unconstitutional – as I hope it does. We need that decision before we spend untold millions implementing these onerous mandates.”

As the ranking Republican on the health care subcommittee in the U.S. House, Deal was the first member to declare the individual mandate unconstitutional.

 Text of the letter below:

February 09, 2011

President Barack Obama

The White House

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President: 

The undersigned governors hereby express our strong support for an expedited appeal of the Virginia and Florida health care lawsuits recently decided in favor of the states. We respectfully ask that you direct the United States Department of Justice to support an expedited appellate process for each case to reach the United States Supreme Court as soon as possible in order to resolve the significant constitutional issues presented, which we all agree are of national importance.

Regardless of our respective positions on the merits of the policies in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), every state faces significant challenges and expenses implementing PPACA over the next several years. Additionally, there is little doubt that the cases will ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court. This request for expedited review takes no position on PPACA, but seeks only to obtain the Supreme Court’s final determination as soon as possible. 

Given the daunting and costly financial and regulatory burdens that our states and the private sector will face in implementing PPACA over the coming years, particularly during this unprecedented budgetary time, public interest requires expediting a final resolution of the litigation to give certainty as soon as possible. We should not endure years of litigation in the circuit courts, when the Supreme Court can promptly provide finality. This resolution can help prevent the states and the private sector from undertaking potentially unnecessary measures and expenses. More importantly, our businesses, health care providers, and citizens of our great nation need to know as soon as possible whether all or part of the law will be upheld or stricken, so they know their options and obligations.

To that end, we respectfully ask that you promptly support an expedited appellate process for each of the pending cases to achieve quick resolution by the United States Supreme Court and to encourage the United States Department of Justice to join these efforts. 

Thank you for your consideration and prompt attention to this important national matter.

February 9--  High school students in this area have the chance to take Junior ROTC starting next year.

The instruction will be on the campus of Vidalia High School under the auspices of the Southeastern Early College and Career Academy (SECCA) at Southeastern Tech, according to Dr. Ryan Flowers, Director of High School Instruction at SECCA.

"Next year we will have an Army JROTC program open at Vidalia High School, but it's actually a Career Academy program and students will be bussed here from Montgomery County, Treutlen County and Toombs County High School to be a part of that here on the Vidalia High School campus," Flowers says.

Dr. Flowers says he is finding a lot of interest in the program among students.

"There's a lot of interest here.  Kids are excited about opportunities in the military.  It's not for everybody, but it's something kids are interested in and would like to explore.  A lot of our students choose the military directly out of high school and it just seems like a no-brainer to me to open it up," he notes.

School officials believe the JROTC is a good example of how school systems can pool resources to offer something special to students.

"The first year really focuses on leadership and building self-confidence, and it just kind of builds the student up from there.  That's really the focus of what we are doing with the charter school.  It's to bring real programs like this to our youth and prepare them for the opportunities which are out there," Dr. Flowers says.

February 8--  The state of Georgia’s revenues increased $117 million or 8.1 percent in January when compared to the same month’s 2010 figures, the office of Gov. Nathan Deal announced today.

The Department of Revenue figures continue the state’s upward trend in revenue growth. Through the first seven months of fiscal year 2010 (July 1, 2010, through June 30, 2011), net tax collections totaled $9.4 billion, an increase of $705 million or 8.1 percent over the same period last year.

The revenue growth was led by jumps in the individual income tax and the sales and use tax. January 2011 income tax figures were up $94 million or 12.2 percent compared to the year before. Sales and use increased $6 million or 1.2 percent over the same periods.

“Our state continues its recovery as many Georgians who have suffered during this downturn return to employment and begin paying taxes again,” Deal said Tuesday. “These increases over the past months have given our state critical resources to fund our educational priorities even as we face another shortfall due to the loss of stimulus funds.

“In these tough times, our state will pursue a prudent course that will downsize government, reduce our tax burden and allow our private sector to grow and prosper.” 

February 6--  The committee named to examine operations of the Lyons Animal Shelter after last month's mass killing of dogs held its second meeting in five days Monday night.

According to Therisa Ingley of the Sweet Onion Animal Protection Society, the committee is moving toward a consensus that something needs to be done soon to increase the size of the Lyons shelter and that more staff is needed to keep care of the animals.

It also is investigating compliance with state regulations requiring impounded animals be kept 30 days before euthunasia is performed.

There are currently 21 dogs in the Lyons shelter hoping for adoption.

The committee plans to give its report at the March meeting of the Lyons city council and has another committee meeting set for Tuesday, February 15. 

February 6--  The new school superintendent in Montgomery County is offering the school board some financial food for thought.

At his first meeting Monday night, Dr. Charles Warnock asked board members to think about some possibilities for saving money.

Dr. Warnock says the school system can save $46,000 by taking a furlough day instead of a make-up day for one of the two bad weather days the school system took in January.

He's also noting school system employees who are eligible for retirement can be offered incentive bonuses to retire in order to reduce payroll.

Also Monday night, accreditation certificates from the Georgia Accreditation Commission were presented to all the schools in Montgomery County and Mary Lou Lyons was named the system's Special Education Teacher of the Year. 

{mosimage} February 7--  Mr. Roderick M. "Rod" Clifton, age 91, died Sunday at his home in Lyons.  The World War II veteran graduated from Lyons High School in 1938 and retired after 38 years with Altamaha EMC.  He was the Lyons Citizen of the Year in 2007 at the age of 87.

February 7--  State Senator and President Pro Tempore Tommie Williams (R-Lyons) has Co-Sponsored Senate Resolution 20 - “Taxpayer Protection Act of 2011.” The proposed Constitutional Amendment would limit how many tax dollars the state of Georgia can spend in any given year.

“In recent years, one of the biggest problems facing our nation is government that spends too much. The Taxpayer Protection Act helps controls the size of government and spending from year to year and forces legislators to rebuild our rainy day fund. That is why I am pleased to support the Taxpayer Protection Act,” said Senator Tommie Williams.

{mosimage}“Senator Williams has proven time and again that he will protect the interests of taxpayers. I really appreciate his leadership on this important issue. The Taxpayer Protection Act will protect future generations of Georgians from government growing too large,” said Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers, the sponsor of the Resolution.

Senate Resolution 20 would restrict the state from spending any money in excess of the previous year budget adjusted for inflation and population. Any additional revenue beyond the spending limitations would be required to go into the Rainy Day fund until it reaches a point of 15% of the previous year spending. Once the rainy day fund is at 15% additional revenue would be used to slowly phase-out the state income tax.

The Amendment was approved Wednesday by the Senate Finance Committee in a unanimous bi-partisan vote.

February 6--  A Toombs County school teacher has died from injuries received in an auto accident.

Thirty-five-year old Amy Rush of Vidalia died Friday at a Savannah hospital following an accident Thursday in Emanuel County.

The Georgia State Patrol reports her car overturned early Thursday afternoon on Griffin Ferry Road, a county road north of Swainsboro.  No other details of the accident were available.

She was a fifth grade teacher at Toombs Central Elementary School.

February 4-- Fairy tales can come true, it can happen to you …especially if you’re in the audience at Columbia City Ballet’s full-length production of Cinderella. Choreographed by Executive and Artistic Director William Starrett, a performance is scheduled for March 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Southeastern Technical College.  Local dancers will also be a part of the production.  Tickets can be purchased at the Vidalia Onion City Museum or online at http://cinderella-orca.eventbrite.com.  Tickets are $20 for adults and $12 for students/children.

{mosimage}

Cinderella and Prince Charming –

                Ballerina Regina Willoughby and Principal Dancer Mark Krieger in Columbia City Ballet’s production of Cinderella

Cinderella, a French fairy tale by Charles Perrault, tells of a young girl’s triumphant journey  over the arrogance, greed and scorn of her stepsisters and stepmother.  Through her honesty, modesty and kindness she wins the love of a prince and discovers how one shoe can change a life. 

            The music for Cinderella was composed by Sergei Prokofiev during World War II and was first performed by the Bolshoi in 1945 with Galina Ulanova appearing as Cinderella.  Raisa Struchkova danced the role on stage for the Bolshoi in 1947, on film for the Bolshoi in 1960 and then in 1963 when the company appeared at the Royal Opera House.

            Cinderella has a long history with the Columbia City Ballet.  The company has presented Cinderella nine times over its 50-year history.  It was first performed in 1968 with Jenny Potts dancing the title role.  It was the first ballet Starrett choreographed 25 years ago after being named Artistic Director.   It was the first ballet Starrett danced after undergoing bilateral hip replacement in 1999- a story NBC chose to feature on Dateline NBC and viewed by 22 million people.  And, in the mid 1990’s Raisa Struchkova brought her talent and expertise from dancing the role for the Bolshoi to Columbia City Ballet as teacher and coach.

            “I am so thrilled to be producing Cinderella again,” said Starrett. “This ballet requires a very strong group of female dancers, and having so many strong women and such a large company, I realized that it was a perfect time to reprise this comic classic.

            Ballerina Regina Willoughby stars for the first time in the role of Cinderella, with Principal Dancer Mark Krieger in the role of the Prince. This production also features two local actors, Bobby Craft and Shane Mason, en travesti as the stepsisters, to lend to the comical side of the production. Craft, well known to Columbia audiences, performs frequently with Workshop Theatre and Trustus Theatre. Mason is featured in the TLC Reality Show Kings of Crowns that airs internationally to millions of viewers.  Company members Alexis Doktor and Maia Sosa will alternate the roles of the wicked stepmother. Soloists Claire Kallimanis and Katherine Smoak will alternate performances as the fairy godmother.

            After its last performance the “Savannah Morning News” reported, “Handsomely produced and marvelously danced, Cinderella made every fan’s wishes come true.  The sheer artistry of the dancing, the comic brilliance of the stepsisters and the magical, clearly-portrayed story make the production the perfect family event.”  This new production promises to live up to its past reputation of being an absolute favorite.

            For ticket information, visit the Vidalia Onion City Museum (behind the Toombs Montgomery Chamber of Commerce) or call Anna Bullard at 538-998.   Tickets can also be purchased online at http://cinderella-orca.eventbrite.com.

February 4--  Today was moving day for patients at Meadows Regional Medical Center in Vidalia.

{mosimage}Hospital officials started moving patients from the old hospital on Meadows Lane to the new medical center on Highway 280 before dawn this morning.  The first transfer patient arrived at the hospital at 5:04 a.m. (Photo by Elizabeth Harvill)

Shirley Hoskins, head of nursing, says it went like clockwork.  "Well, we moved 30 patients in three-and-a-half hours. We also had new patients come to the new emergency room, we had one emergency surgery and one person who had to go to the cardiac cath lab in the middle of all that, so we've have a very busy morning.  We've also got a mother in labor so we hope to have our first baby delivered today," she said.

Hoskins thanked SouthStar and Toombs County EMS for their help in making the morning go smoothly.  "SouthStar did the planned moving and we had EMS involved in bringing patients into the emergency room, so we were using both ambulance services during the move and they both did a fantastic job," she said.

Practice makes perfect and Hoskins reports they've been practicing moving patients on a large scale and that  paid off. "It went off without a glitch and we had it so orchestrated our patients were eating breakfast in their new rooms by eight o'clock," she said.

"It's an outstanding start.  We're all very excited and happy to be here and have this hospital open for the community," the chief nurse said.

February 3--  Sen. Jack Murphy (R-Cumming) today held a press conference to mark the filing of SB 40, an immigration reform bill to enhance the use of the federal E-Verify system and to allow local and state law enforcement officers to help federal authorities identify illegal immigrants in Georgia.

Specific portions of this bill include:

Sen. Murphy said the main portions of this bill are intended to help businesses and state agencies determine that people working for them are not in the country illegally. Many businesses perform drug tests or other verification procedures on their employees. E-Verify requires a simple computer check and is much less time consuming and invasive than many procedures businesses already use.

“I do not want to promote any law that would be a hindrance to businesses,” Sen. Murphy said. “The purpose of this bill is to restrict the massive influx of illegal immigrants into Georgia. This is about stopping illegal workers from taking Georgia jobs and stopping their financial drain on our education, health and public-safety systems.”

Sen. Murphy pointed out that the bill would not apply to any person or company that has filed an H-1 or H-2 application with the U.S. Department of Labor.

“Many industries in Georgia rely on temporary foreign workers,” Sen. Murphy said. “H-1 and H-2 applications allow businesses to hire temporary foreign workers, including restaurant workers, hotel workers, nurses, agricultural workers and various specialty employees. Although we want these businesses to stay within the law, we do not want to hinder their businesses by making them use E-Verify when they are already taking steps to ensure their employees are legal.”

February 2--  IPad's could replace textbooks in Georgia's middle schools. 

State Senate President Pro Temp Tommie Williams of Lyons says officials have met with Apple Computers to discuss a pilot project equipping middle school students with IPads.

"We're teaching kids like I was taught 40 years ago, but that's not how kids are learning today," Williams says.

"Some of the books are outdated.  Lots of books don't even have an event like 9-11 in them.  You could change the curriculum as soon as news is made, frankly," he believes.

With the cost of textbooks these days, Senator Williams believes the state could save money.

"They would furnish every kid, for $500, an IPad.  They'd also provide all the curriculum to go on the system, which means we wouldn't have to pay for books for those schools anymore.  We spend about $45 million a year on books.  On those we convert, there would be that savings," he said.

Senator Williams says lawmakers are searching for money in the state's beleaguered education budget to fund pilot programs across the state.

February 2--  More dogs are now being held at the Lyons Animal Shelter following the recent killing of 77 dogs there. 

{mosimage}If you can help by adopting one of the shelter dogs, you can help them find a forever home.  These two, Angel (L) and Albert, are waiting now.  Call Holly, 912-539-9840 for details.

February 2--  Nineteen area schools are getting some additional money from the federal government.

The schools serve significant numbers of economically disadvantaged students and are rewarded when they make adequate yearly progress at least four years in a row.

Dublin City School District was named the state's leading small district and receives $50,000.

Fourth District Elementary School in Appling County is a National Distinguished School and is receiving $16,113.  Other Appling County schools receiving funds are Appling County Primary, $1,484; Appling County Elementary, $742; and Appling Co Middle School, $742, and Altamaha Elementary, $742.

Lyons Primary School and Reidsville Elementary receive $7,384.

Swainsboro Primary gets $1,484.

Receiving $1,113 each are Treutlen Elementary, Montgomery County Elementary and Collins Elementary.

Awards of $742 are being made to J.R. Trippe Middle School in Vidalia, Collins, Glennville and Reidsville Middle Schools, Wheeler County and Jeff Davis County Elementary Schools, and the Adrian School of Performing Arts.

Nearly 900 schools in Georgia are sharing nearly $2 million in federal funds.

February 2--  Imagine you're driving down the road in the early evening and all of a sudden you come up on a woman sitting on the centerline.

It happened Monday evening near Soperton and the woman was hit and killed by an oncoming car.

Treutlen County Sheriff Tommy Corbin says 41-year-old Ada Louise Daniels was sitting cross-legged in the middle of Crooked Run Road just north of the Soperton city limits.

The sheriff said Daniels had a Soperton address at 1141 Robby Avenue but was staying with her boyfriend who lived about a half mile from where the accident occurred.

According to the sheriff, the boyfriend's father told him his son and Daniels had gone fishing Monday afternoon and had been drinking.  Sheriff Corbin said he could smell alcohol on the woman and he's waiting on results of a blood test as part of the investigation.

The driver of the car, Tammy Walraven, was on the way home from work  about 6:30 Monday night.  She told Sheriff Corbin she had just swerved to miss a dog on the side of the road when the accident happened.

February 1--  The Lyons city council apologized publicly Tuesday night for the mass killing of 77 dogs at the city pound on January 20th.

{mosimage}The largest crowd to attend a city council meeting in recent history heard city councilman Wayne Hartley admit the mistake. "In retrospect, there were other more preferable methods to handle the situation we were facing concerning the population of abandoned animals.  We regret these actions and lack of judgement on this date concerning the animals under our control," Hartley said. 

Hartley announced formation of a committee which will include at least one member from the Sweet Onion Animal Protection Society to help reform the city's animal control policies and procedures.

The head of SOAPS, Therisa Ingley, said the organization has saved some 500 animals from the Lyons pound in the last two years and expects action to allow more to be saved.{mosimage}

"Promises are easily made, but words meant very little to the 77 aniimals which were killed on January 20th.  SOAPS and those here tonight represent those 77 dogs and now expect action to insure the humane care of the animals which come into the care of the city of Lyons," she said.

One member of the audience claimed dogs have been shot at the pound because she said one employee told her, "A bullet is cheaper than a shot."

Others asked that city public works director Darel Corley be fired, but got no response from council members.  Corley was not present in the council chambers, but a reporter said he was in an adjoining conference room.  A member of the audience defended Corley and said he made a mistake by not euthanizing any animals since last July which led to overpopulation at the shelter.  City councilman Willis NeeSmith said a mistake was made, but no laws have been broken.

Therisa Ingley is not so sure.  "I am pleased to a certain degree that they were at least willing to admit there was very, very poor judgement that bordered on, in my opinion, animal cruelty.  I don't think there were a lot of answers to questions that people still have.  I think the people here, including members of SOAPS, are still angered and upset and concerned because we can't get those answers and the future still remains uncertain.  However, I hope all of us will pull together for the good of the animals and that the legal questions will be handled," she said.

{mosimage}SOAPS volunteer Holly Reynolds explains dogs identified for adoption Wednesday were killed Thursday at the Lyons pound.

The council received an online petition criticizing Lyons from a thousand people from all over the country and some from overseas.

Meanwhile, Ingley says she expects Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black to visit Toombs County next week.

As of Tuesday, the Lyons pound had 16 new dogs and officials say there are no plans for euthanization. 

February 1--  At a news conference Monday, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal and Attorney Gen. Sam Olens vowed to continue the state’s lawsuit against Obamacare to the Supreme Court after a federal district court judge ruled the law unconstitutional.

{mosimage}Gov. Deal, Atty Gen. Sam Olens, and Congressman Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA) held a news conference to discuss the Fla. federal court ruling striking down the health care law as unconstitutional.

“Today marks a major victory for Georgia taxpayers and for all Americans concerned about the unconstitutional mandates in the Obamacare legislation,” Deal said. “As the ranking Republican on the health care subcommittee in the U.S. House, I was the first to say on the House floor that the individual mandate is unconstitutional. The federal government doesn’t have the right to demand that Americans purchase a product. Today’s ruling backs up that assertion. In fact, it goes even further by saying that the individual mandate is so inextricably linked to the overall bill that the entire law falls short of constitutional muster.

“Along with the great leadership of Attorney General Olens, I will continue to fight against this law because it bears too great a burden on Georgia taxpayers. This is an unfunded mandate that will cripple our state budget by flooding our Medicaid system.”

Although pleased with today’s ruling, Olens knows there is a long road ahead. 

“I fully expect that this legal challenge by a majority of the states in our Union will go all the way to the United States Supreme Court,” Olens said. “But the issues at stake are too vital to do otherwise. This case is about protecting our Constitution, which limits the powers of the federal government, and protecting Georgia taxpayers from the overwhelming costs the law would impose.”

U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.), who voted to repeal Obamacare last week, joined the governor and attorney general at today’s news conference at the state Capitol.

“I hope today’s ruling encourages Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to do the right thing and bring up our repeal legislation in the Senate,” Westmoreland said. “There’s a growing consensus that this bill is unconstitutional. The Senate should do the right thing, scrap this law and start over with common sense reforms that will expand access to high-quality health care without violating the rights of every American and bankrupting states.”

Georgia is assisted in its efforts in this litigation by a team of pro-bono attorneys working at no cost to the state.  The team includes: Frank C. Jones, Michael C. Russ, Benton J. Mathis, Jr., Jason Alloy, John H. Parker, Jr., W. Pitts Carr, David G. Oedel and Joshua B. Belinfante.