News
Georgia Power rate hike push to get public airing starting next month
Business interests and consumer watchdog organizations are keeping a wary eye on Georgia Power’s push to sharply increase its customers’ cost of electricity over the next three years. They can weigh in on the proposed three-year, $2.2 billion rate hike during this fall’s Georgia Public Service Commission hearings to consider the rate case that begins […]
Legislation aims to boost rural transit options for older Georgians
Shirley Brown was out three dollars when the public shuttle delivered her to the doctor’s office in Newnan too early for a recent appointment. Worried she’d get stuck there, Brown paid the bus fare to return to her house in Grantville and had a friend drive her back to the doctor later that day. “I […]
House rural development study panel considers school mental health needs
Jasper, GA – The state sent $69 million to Georgia’s public schools this year to beef up physical security after a string of school shootings in other states. Now, a north Georgia superintendent says educators need more state aid to address the less tangible side of the issue. “If a student came to school with […]
Fear of Trump rules could spur Ga. residents to drop health, housing aid
When the Trump administration first proposed a rule last year to prevent poor immigrants from staying in the United States, advocacy groups in Georgia excoriated the plan. An Atlanta-based education group warned that it would hinder children from getting access to quality medical care and nutritious food. A reproductive rights group cautioned that the rule […]
Report: Ga. makes progress on mental health services, more needed
State-administered mental health services in Georgia made good strides in recent years, but more needs to be done to help people avoid homelessness and to protect them from neglect before federal oversight can be lifted. That is the conclusion of a court report written by independent reviewer Elizabeth Jones. The U.S. Northern District Court appointed […]
South Ga. judge blocks Obama-era policy to curtail water pollution
A ruling from a federal judge in south Georgia will continue to thwart a proposal to pinpoint which waterways are subject to federal oversight, marking what may be the final round of the fight over President Barack Obama’s signature water initiative. The Obama administration’s proposal found rocky waters from the start in 2015, encountering immediate […]
Oxendine ethics hearing details lavish use of campaign money
A former state Insurance Commissioner and Republican candidate for governor has been accused of diverting $237,000 in campaign funds for personal use in a case that has exposed apparent weaknesses in the state’s campaign finance laws. A state ethics attorney, Robert Lane, has outlined the case against John Oxendine, including claims that the four-term insurance […]
Coal ash monitoring switch from feds to state could limit transparency
Jesup newspaper publisher Dink NeSmith has churned out 101 opinion columns and 103 editorial cartoons on the subject of coal ash in Georgia since January of 2016, when word first got out that a South Carolina subsidiary of the waste company Republic Services planned to haul up to 10,000 tons of the toxic substance daily […]
State education board considers modest cuts at Wednesday meeting
Members of Georgia’s Board of Education Wednesday mulled the governor’s recent order to cut fat in spending plans for this year and next. The department oversees public school funding and has a $10.6 billion budget, or more than a third of all state spending. Still, much of that is non-discretionary and Gov. Brian Kemp says […]
Secretary of State to audit voting machines in response to voter petition
Georgia’s Secretary of State will reexamine new ballot machines to ensure they work properly and do not have any security flaws after nearly 1,500 people petitioned the state for a new review. The request is required by law after the state receives such a request by voters. The roughly 30,000 new ballot-marking machines are the […]
Speaker Ralston vows new Ga. Hemp law won’t lead to recreational weed
Jasper, GA – Some local agencies created a buzz recently when they said they would dismiss misdemeanor cases or no longer charge people for small amounts of pot, citing their inability to distinguish the difference between marijuana and now-legal hemp. House Speaker David Ralston has a message for them: Not so fast. The Blue Ridge […]
State lawmaker says funeral industry oversight is too lax
Rep. Rick Williams is part of a small group of Georgia lawmakers who informally call themselves the funeral home caucus and are known for their macabre quips on the House floor. As Williams has told his colleagues, he’ll be the last one to let them down. But the middle Georgia funeral home director isn’t joking […]