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Posted By Kate on February 24, 2010

September Produce - Oconee Farmers Market

What Happened in the MONTH of SEPTEMBER – 2009

A long article, but a memory refresher of some of the major events that occurred in September.

MONTH  of  SEPTEMBER  2009

Tuesday, September 1, 2009
New Credit Card Rules. Last week was the beginning of the new important rights for using most credit cards. Companies must now give credit card holders 45 days notice that their interest rates or annual fees will change. And consumers will have 21 days to pay the bill before it is counted as late with a fee charged. The most significant change is
the restrictions on rate increases on existing card debt, on how the company applies credit card payments to college students and credit limits may be lowered, all of which will not take affect until February 2010. Also, all loans made by Credit Unions will have a due date at the end of the month whereas, the existing rule lets the borrower choose when the due date will be.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009
School Lockdown.  A Watkinsville policeman stopped 2 men in a landscaping truck/trailer near Colham Ferry Elementary School for running a red light at the intersection of Barnett Shoals Road in town. While stopped, they ran from their vehicle and were chased. Not knowing exactly where they went, school authorities were alerted and no one was allowed outside the doors. One man fled and the other was apprehended. The truck/trailer with landscaping equipment was later found to have been stolen from Greene County.  

Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Limited Solicitation Ordinance.    Last week at the BOC meeting, Commissioners heard an ordinance to curb solicitation for funds in the streets. For years now, the Oconee Volunteer Fire Department makes a chuck of their operating money by conducting a fundraiser (Give Burns the Boot – charity for fire fighter burn victims) at busy intersections asking drivers in stopped traffic to throw their donation in big black boots. The 2 intersections involved are the intersections at Butlers Crossing and the Oconee Connector/SR 316. Many complains have been registered with the Sheriff’s office from citizens who say the practice is dangerous, causes delays in moving traffic and is just an accident waiting to happen. The ordinance will move are solicitation (school projects) to the sidewalks, but will allow the fire fighters to remain in the middle of the street, but with strict condition (apply and pay for a permit 1 month before the event each time, wear the orange vests, conduct only on certain weekends (football days) and go through a training course for safety. All fundraisers along sidewalks or shopping centers must also obtain a permit but with less restrictions. The ordinance will be tweaked and heard 3 times before a vote is taken.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Phase I Action on Mars Hill Widening.   Tonight, the Oconee BOC voted to hire Moreland Altobelli Associates in Norcross to design the modification of the Road from Butler’s Crossing all the way to the Oconee Connector, a stretch of 3 miles for a cost of $143,000. Soon a contract will be let for negotiating the rights-of-way with the owners of 96 parcels of land along the road. DOT has committed to reimburse the county for the $9.8 million needed to acquire the land once all rights have been purchased which will take about 2 years. The total cost of the project is about $20 million. The new road will be a 4-lane divided highway with bicycle paths. Some residents are worried that the widening of Mars Hill will invite commercial development all along the road and destroy the residential theme now in place.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Bear Creek Boat Ramp Almost Complete.    Commissioner Jim Luke, Chairman of the Recreation Committee for Bear Creek Reservoir, said that the construction for the ramp and park for boaters is finished except for a few last minute touches. But authorities may postpone the opening because the lake is so low now. The water level has been dropping about 10 feet each week for the past 2 weeks and rain is needed before boats can launch. Authorities intended to allow fishing when the lake was initially built about 10 years ago and the Department of Natural Resources even stocked it with fast growing bass, but the terrorists attack in 2001 (Twin Towers) caused safety concerns.  Only about 40 boats can be on the lake at any one time because of limited parking space in the park for trailers. Since tax dollars built the ramp, residents with off-shore property are unhappy with the rules that allow only owners of shoreline property to launch fishing boats. The 4 counties will split the $310,000 cost of the ramp which is scheduled to open sometime in 2010.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Neighboring Barrow County in the Red.   Newly elected Commission Chairman Danny Yearwood said that a $2 million shortfall would make necessary the move to cut back on services because he gave a pledge to not raise taxes to cover the smaller county revenues. The Barrow County budge is about $34 million but only $32 million is available to continue county services. In the previous year, about $4 million was cut to match revenues (from $38 down to the current $34) and any future cuts from each department (now facing 8% cuts) will reduce services more than residents have seen so far.  Yearwood is contemplating laying off a number of people although he knows he will surely face several law suits for doing so. Cuts expected:
 * contract county’s Park & Rec Department Programs and employees – save $270K
* mandate that Barrow County Airport pay their 2 employees – save $202K
* cut number of paid holidays from 10 to 5 – save $250K
* county’s use of gasoline and diesel fuel – save $21K
* contribution to the Regional Library – save $37K
* cut services from EM department – save $20K
* cut fees paid to county attorney – save $50K
* cut the sheriff office budget – save $$103K
* cut county animal control – save $25K. A total of about $658 – a little over ¼ of what is needed to make up the shortfall.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009
U S Rep Paul Broun Speaks at Town Hall Meeting.    The event took place in the Oconee Civic Center with about 200 in attendance. He looked out over a crowd of signs – some friendly and some not so pleasing. One that was very visible, in simple green lettering “not true” was held by most of the opponents to Broun. They were put in motion by holder after just about every comment made by Broun – annoying gesture. He gave the downside to the Democratic healthcare plan and the positives for his own plan. He said that the American people would not tolerate a health plan that would bankrupt the nation. Broun has held 4 other Town Hall meetings in the 10^th District during the Congressional August Recess. The next one is scheduled for September 25 at the Veterans Foreign Post # 2872 in Athens.

 Wednesday, September 2, 2009
 Swine Flu Preparation.   A few points to remember:
* realize that the this flu is probably not anymore threatening than seasonal flu
* realize results won’t show up immediately – immunity takes time
* stay away from public group gatherings unless absolutely necessary
* wash hands frequently and more than just a few seconds
* make appointments to get vaccine early
* continue to eat pork if that is preference
* realize the risk-group that you are in

Friday, September 4, 2009
Half Million New Jobless Claims This Week. Today, the Department of Labor reported that 570,000 Americans filed initial claims for jobless benefits last week. This follows news from ADP Employer Services on Wednesday that private employers cut 298,000 jobs last month. As bad as these numbers sound (and they are bad) the real threat facing our nation’s economy is that job creation in August is just not taking place in the U.S. economy. Why is job creation more important than job loss numbers?  Unemployment has risen sharply since the economy entered a recession in early 2008, rising from its low during the previous expansion of 4.4 percent in March 2007 to 9.4 percent in July 2009. Obama promised that the stimulus package he signed would “create or save” 3.5 million jobs. His economic advisers predicted that unemployment would rise to 9 percent by 2010 if Congress did not pass the stimulus bill, and that with the stimulus unemployment would stay below 8 percent. That has not happened. Furthermore, the $787 billion economic stimulus package that Obama championed has not stemmed the unemployment rate, which has risen sharply since the recession began. Sharply reduced creation of new jobs has driven this rise in unemployment. Businesses and entrepreneurs have cut back on investment, so they create fewer jobs. Had job creation remained at the same level throughout the recession as during the last quarter of 2007 the private sector would have created three million net jobs despite increased layoffs. A third stimulus bill with yet more government spending, as some in Congress propose, will do just as little to reduce unemployment because, once again, it will not encourage the entrepreneurship and risk-taking that create jobs. By the President’s own measures, the stimulus has failed.

Friday, September 4, 2009
U S Rep Paul Broun Sounds Warning. Broun has made the claim 3 times, once in August and November (both in 2009), to the Associated Press and now at a meeting in Morgan County (Madison, GA).  He states that Obama has the only 3 authorities needed to become a dictator: a national police force (Obama announced a civilian national police force), media control (efforts to revive the balance on talk radio) and gun control (registration and talk of renewal of the assault ban). He warns us to be ever vigilant, to watch and listen to Obama’s words in the coming days. Over 1000 people from around Clarksville, GA attended the meeting.

Saturday, September 5, 2009
Greene County Lost Their Fight. The Sheriff of Greene County, Chris Houston once worked as a Deputy for Oconee County. In May of this year (2009), the Greene County Board of Commissioners (BOC) voted to create a separate millage rate to fund the Greene County Sheriff’s office. Under the plan, the BOC would still control the size of the sheriff’s budget, but it would be designated on a taxpayer’s tax bill as a separate assessment – this as a way to control the spending of law enforcement in Greene County and a somewhat affront to Sheriff Houston’s ability to manage its budget. As for Houston, he stated that the action by the BOC was a “power play” and crossed the line of constitutionality. Georgia law separates the sheriff’s office from county business essentially to keep politics out of law enforcement. Houston agreed that the tax bill could be printed to indicate how much goes to his office, but that the BOC would not determine his budget. He says he is already accountable to tax payers and that shoots down the reasoning of the BOC action. Interestingly, Barrow County played with the same idea earlier this year, but took no action – awaiting the outcome of the Greene County case. In the meantime, lower courts have decided with Sheriff Houston and the Greene County BOC appealed. The case is now awaiting a decision in the Georgia Superior Court – if they decide to take the case. Greene County, Chris Houston once worked as a Deputy for Oconee County. In May of this year (2009), the Greene County Board of Commissioners (BOC) voted to create a separate millage rate to fund the Greene County Sheriff’s office. Under the plan, the BOC would still control the size of the sheriff’s budget, but it would be designated on a taxpayer’s tax bill as a separate assessment – this as a way to control the spending of law enforcement in Greene County and a somewhat affront to Sheriff Houston’s ability to manage its budget. As for Houston, he stated that the action by the BOC was a “power play” and crossed the line of constitutionality. Georgia law separates the sheriff’s office from county business essentially to keep politics out of law enforcement. Houston agreed that the tax bill could be printed to indicate how much goes to his office, but that the BOC would not determine his budget. He says he is already accountable to tax payers and that shoots down the reasoning of the BOC action. Interestingly, Barrow County played with the same idea earlier this year, but took no action – awaiting the outcome of the Greene County case. In the meantime, lower courts have decided with Sheriff Houston and the Greene County BOC appealed. The case is now awaiting a decision in the Georgia Superior Court – if they decide to take the case.

Saturday, September 5, 2009
Fundraiser For Watkinsville ESP. It was a huge success. It made over $6,000. It will be used to continue the summer camp for Extra Special People in the Oconee Area. ESP is an organization started by Martha Wiley who moved to Oconee County in the 1980s who gave her all to help the mentally challenged children in the area even using her savings to keep it afloat. For a few years, an air show sponsored by area businesses brought in the enough funds to keep the camp going, but after a couple of years, sponsorship waned. Mrs Martha turned to other fundraisers, but at the time of her death (cancer), the organization was broke. New Directors came on the Board and the revival began. A couple of years ago, a Big Hearts extravaganza was held at the North Oconee High School Auditorium with the special people showing off their “Sunday best” on stage. That event netted about $4,000. Last year, a golf tournament brought in enough funds to complete the amount needed to keep the camp open, but this year in a stinging recession, that didn’t happen. Instead, parents of the clients served by the organization pitched in especially Mark Barber and his wife Cheri who stayed up all night last night cooking 300 Boston butts wrapped and sold that resulted in $6,000 proceeds. The camp means so much to them – they have a Down Syndrome son, Richie who help in the cooking. Many more of the special people helped learning that they can do what others do in spite of their handicap. Richie works at Oconee Outdoor Specialty. The camp will continue as Mrs Martha would have wanted – making it happen by whatever means. Others in the community helping ESP are: the Oconee Pilot Club and the Oconee Chapter of the Civitan Club.

Monday, September 7, 2009
Today is Labor Day. “Labor Day 2009 arrives at a critical juncture in the economic history of the U S,” states Georgia’s Commissioner of Labor, Michael Thurmond. “This recession has already claimed the jobs of 6.5 million American workers. The reality of the current economic crisis is sobering. Tens of thousands of manufacturing and construction jobs that were the mainstay of America’s middle class have been lost. Economists predict that unemployment will rise throughout next year (2010). If you have a job, celebrate this day; if you don’t, celebrate that there are many places to seek help in finding work and don’t give up looking. This cycle will have to turn around someday. It won’t last forever.”

Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Rep Broun Holds Town Hall Meeting in Oconee. The crowd of 160 was mixed with about the same number of supporters and opponents for Obamacare. It was civil and it was informative, but the liberals tended not to pay attention by holding up signs that said “Not True” and shouting the same for almost every factual issue mentioned. He was criticized heavily for holding the meeting in Oconee rather than Athens where there is a strong segment of the population opposed to anything that he says. Their major complaint was the inconvenience of going to Oconee County when he could have held the meeting in their backyard. Athens residents must not forget that numerous Oconee citizens living in a bedroom community commute everyday to Clarke County for a job or services, so why is it inconvenient for Athens’ citizens to travel all the way out to Oconee Civic Center for one trip to attend one event? Rep Broun presented a slide show of his proposal for health care that was less confrontational and would be a good start for both sides to compromise.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Mandate Health Care. A part of the healthcare plan going through debate in the Senate now is odd: If you choose not to have a health care plan, you will be fined by the Federal Government as much as $3,800 per year per individual and still be without coverage. What kind of logic is that? It doesn’t compute. 

Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Principal Osborne Not Fired. John Osborne will remain principal of North Oconee High School for the time being, according to statements posted to the Oconee County school district’s Web site. Osborne and Superintendent John Jackson each posted statements to the Web site this afternoon, apologizing for the two-week controversy that erupted after the principal publicly complained about funding for his school and the superintendent threatened to fire him. The Oconee County Board of Education was to decide Friday whether to follow through on Jackson’s recommendation to fire Osborne for “insubordination, willful neglect of duties and other good and sufficient cause.” The recommendation came four days after a story appeared in the Athens Banner-Herald in which Osborne complained that the county’s two high schools have unequal athletics equipment and facilities. In a deal reached Tuesday, Osborne instead will take a leave of absence that will last no longer than the end of the year, then return as principal of the high school, according to Jackson. “I always knew he was passionate about North Oconee High School; I have come to realize just how passionate he is about his job,” Jackson wrote. “In addition, I was genuinely moved by the personal testimonies of so many students and parents, recounting the special interest he took in them or their children. Now we must find a path to move forward in a positive manner, one which serves to unify the community and garner support for both of our high schools. I have come to the conclusion that a recommendation for termination is not the proper course of action and John Osborne should continue as an administrator in the school system. In the final analysis the more appropriate response was a lesser form of discipline.” Osborne also expressed regret for his behavior. “I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to my students, my community and to Dr. Jackson, as well as the Board of Education, for my decision to issue a public statement to the Athens Banner-Herald Monday, August 24,” Osborne wrote. “While the intent of my actions was solely to assume blame for starting the Oconee County High School versus North Oconee High School rivalry before it should have started, my actions actually set off a firestorm of emotions within both communities that was neither warranted nor healthy. While I truly felt justified, I put Dr. Jackson in a difficult situation.” End of Story.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Obama Broadcasts to Schools Across the Nation.  Principals of Northeast Georgia schools which includes Oconee County have been told to use their own judgment about allowing their student body to gather and hear a broadcast of Obama’s speech today. Most of the principals have chosen to leave it up to the teachers and most teachers have decided not to air the speech. What in his speech could be useful to young students (as young as 1^st grade)? And if it does include some kind of inspirational talking points, should limited classroom time be spent to hear him? It’s good for U S Presidents to inspire the young in our nation, but not during class time. That speaks to much of setting the mechanism for a more political brainwashing speech at a later time during his presidency. Stay out of our schools, Mr President.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Joe Wilson’s Comment “You Lie” . U S Rep Joe Wilson (R- South Carolina) called it like he saw it when Obama was speaking of what the Health Care bill included. He shouted to the President, “You Lie” in response to a few comments made during a joint session of Congress. He was corect, of course, but later his peers advised him to apologize for the outburst.   During Obama’s Health Care Address to the nation last night, Rep Joe Wilson (R-SC) shouted “You lie!” from his seat in the Congressional Hall. He was immediately criticized by the opposition and was asked to apologized which he did today. But there were thousands of citizens who agreed with him that his contributions rose to millions from people all over the nation. The Democrats called on the Congress to reprimand or punish Wilson in some way, but they faced even greater outbursts from the conservatives if that happened. Even V President Biden weighed in with his demeaning remark. When a conservative states up front what is obviously the truth, he is stoned, but let a liberal in a similar situation shout an outburst and he is praised by both parties. Now everytime Obama makes a shady comment in his many appearances before the cameras, it’s coined “a Wilson moment.” 

Wednesday, September 9, 2009
U S Supreme Court Returns to the Bench Today. In the return to work today, the justices are ready to consider 2 cases – decide to override 2 earlier decisions that put restrictions on how and when corporations and unions can take part in federal campaigns (the McCain-Feingold Law) and if they should be treated differently than individuals when free speech is used in campaigns. Attorney Ted Olson argued that the M-F Law is strangling corporations and unions. This is first court case that includes the newly confirmed Jurist, Soniw Sotomayor. The High Court’s liberals tend to uphold the M-F Campaign law and the conservative jurists tend to go with the reversing that law especially conservative groups like the large Family Focus organization.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Hands Off Simonton Bridge Road. MACORTS (the group that makes road improvement plans for Oconee and Clarke Counties) has included the widening of Simonton Bridge Road and the residents along the road and the Watkinsville City council members have voiced strong objection. Why widen a road that becomes narrow again at both ends – the county line at Whitehall and the traffic light at Ashford Memorial Church on Main Street in Watkinsville? The Watkinsville Mayor announced that they will use SPLOST funds to design and build a bypass that begins at the City Cemetery and swing around to the traffic light on Main Street at Chicken Express to connect with Experiment Station Road thus relieving the pile up of traffic at the intersection of Simonton and Main Street (Traffic light at Ashford Memorial Church). The plan is on the 2026 map and gives opposition plenty of time to devise another plan. City Council is hoping that federal money will help build the bypass dubbed “Simon Bypass.”

 Thursday, September 10, 2009
ACORN Pretense. So far, ACORN officials have fired only 2 employees for the debacle video taping of a session of employees engaged in consultation with a potential client to avoid taxes and to sign a “fixed” application to borrow money from ACORN  to start a prostitution business all set up by an undercover couple to expose ACORN’s dubious use of tax payer funds. The employee was heard on tape as advising the couple to list “performance artists” as their profession. ACORN continued to encourage the couple even after they told ACORN that they planned to export teenage girls from Central America to be trained in the U S as prostitutes. The video was shown on FOX TV News Channel to all the world. Congress is outraged but will they do anything? A Maryland ACORN Board Member said the whole set up was an attempt to smear ACORN. Well, one should hope so if that’s the way they hand out hard earned tax dollars.

Friday, September 11, 2009
“9/11” Tragedy. Today is the 8^th Anniversary of the falling of the Twin Towers by the hands of crazed al-Qaeda terrorists using hijacked planes that killed nearly 3000 Americans. It happened about 9 am on September 11, 2001 – 9 months after George W Bush was inaugurated as the 43 President of the U S.

Friday, September 11, 2009
Loading Bus for Trip to D C. About 45 citizens met at noon on Friday in Loganville, GA to board a passenger bus to start a long trip to Washington DC to demonstrate for Freedom – from high taxes, out-of-control spending, socialism and big government. Passengers came from as far away as AL and all parts of Georgia – Atlanta, Marietta, Stone Mountain, Forest Park, Monroe, Watkinsville and many from Loganville. Each with their particular sign, a small tote bag with one change of clothes and some snacks and a few wheelchairs. They took seats and noted that some 200 buses left Georgia at about the same time -  to all meet with tens of thousands of others from across America. On this bus, they started out kinda quite, everybody in their seats, getting a little nap before the long trip into the night. Before reaching the hotel in Virginia way past midnight, the group showed a lot of anticipation, but settled down a bit to grab a few winks. Awakened early, they reloaded the bus to ride 15 minutes to Freedom Square at the end of Pennsylvania Ave to unload and await instructions to start the march to the Capitol. It was a beautiful day, beautiful sight and proud display of signs and flags and everybody in high spirits.

Friday, September 11, 2009
Principal Osborne Case Still Uncertain.  Osborne was supposed to meet with the Oconee Board of Education today to hear the outcome from them. It didn’t happen. He was put on leave with pay after he expressed his opinion about the inequality of necessary equipment and space for his Titans sports teams compared to the other Oconee High School thus inferring that the county was biased toward the older school which upset the Superintendent John Jackson who stated that he was guilty of insubordination. In Osborne’s defense and in a show of support, a blog was posted with over 1000 comments: tea shirts were printed and worn by many; and numerous letters to the editor have been written. A decision to keep him at North Oconee High or terminate his contract will happen before December 31, promised Superintendent Jackson.

Saturday, September 12, 2009 
Income Level Study During the Recession. The level of income of Americans took a spin downward last year, the largest drop since 1947 as reported by the Census Bureau. Median household income dropped 3.6% to $50,300 and could drop further before the end of the year. The poverty rate rose to 13.2% in 2008 from 12.5% in 2007. Of the groups studied that faired best, incomes of seniors over 65 increased by 1.2%. However, the study did not report the savings lost by seniors.

Saturday, September 12, 2009
TEA Party Gathering at the Capitol. On Saturday, there were so many people coming into Freedom Square that the DC police told the crowd that they would have to start the march at 10 am rather 11 am so the crowd could move on down the street to make room for those yet to depart their buses and get in line. Everyone in the march (about 1-mile to the Capitol) were respectful of each other, helping the slow ones (these were your average Americans from every walk of life) and making way for the many wheelchairs. The crowd was about 15 people wide and only a few inches ahead of each other – children, veterans, grandmothers, businessmen and women, from every state in the US. At the Capitol, the crowd split and some went to the right, some to the middle and some to the left and spread their blankets, stools and tote bags on the lawn for a good 5 hours of listening to the speakers atop a trailer bed directly in from of the Capitol steps. A display of some 20 speakers were mounted high into the air so that everyone could be heard at least a mile away. By noon, so many citizens had arrived that the slow movement of the lines just stopped as spillover to the Capitol. The streets were lined with folks all the way back to the Freedom Square. During the speeches and responses, many groups mingled and started new friendships making plans for future political activity back home. The mantra of the group was “Can you hear us now?” after each speech when the crowd would repeat with a roar. Many had communication devises so that they called to check on reports from the media about the gathering. First reported was about 5,000 by CNN. The next report came in at “thousands” and the next at “tens of thousands” and on until ABC-TV reported a possible 1 million had gathered. Of course, no legislator was in town, Obama was no where to be seen –  rumored to be at some rally in Ohio with a few hundred in appearance. About 3 pm, the crowd began to disperse before “leaving” became a nightmare of tens of thousands of humans trying to get back to their buses all at once. Buses left in all directions going back home to share the enthusiasm with all those folks who were not able to make the trip. It was an awesome (“I actually stood before my government and expressed my discontent.”) experience and most planned to do it again – next year before the Midterm Election in November to make sure they would “hear us now!”

Sunday, September 13, 2009
Bear Creek Fishing – Finally, after waiting nearly 10 years, bass fishing commenced at the Bear Creek Reservoir Lake today and for the weekend. The park was opened on yesterday at 6 am (Friday) and a line of fishermen launched their fishing boats to make the big catch. About 15 boats were on the lake. Fishing fees are $5 for adults and $3 for children. The ramp will be open for the remainder of September but hours will be shortened for October. Check with the Jackson County Commissioners’ office for precise times the park will be open during the fall.

Monday, September 14, 2009
“After Prom” Death Goes on Trial. The Oconee parent was not home but she was sentenced to 30 days in jail, a $4,000 fine and 4 years probation. A party of about 40 youngsters was in progress at her home when an 18 year old was found dead on the couch apparently from too much alcohol. The 21 year old step-son of the parent was not present either, but he is being charged with reckless conduct and disorderly house. He goes on trial today. After prom parties are being discouraged, and some school systems are arranging a closed, highly secured all-night party at the school for all junior and seniors with activities planned to keep youngsters entertained and happy. It keeps the students out of vehicles and away from alcohol and drugs. These events are usually sponsored by businesses in the community, with parents and teachers involved. It has been successful in Oconee County for about 4 years.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Flooding in Northeast Georgia. It has rained off and on for 3 days and 6 inches of rain fell in some locations. Reports are coming in of power outage, injuries, flooded homes, highways, accidents due to the water accumulation and deaths. Governor Perdue has asked for Federal help.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Deaths From Flood in NE Georgia. 10 people have died in the region since the torrential rains dropped 20 inches of water in some areas and at least 8.5 inches in Athens and Oconee. Deaths were recorded in:
* Carrollton, GA – a 2-year old
* Chattooga, GA – 14 year-old boy
* Villa Rica, GA – 50 year-old man
* Douglasville, GA – 29 year-old man
* Winston, GA – 28 year-old woman
* Carrollton, GA – 26 year-old woman
* Douglasville, GA – age unknown
* Douglasville, GA – 29 year-old man
* Lawrenceville, GA – 39 year-old man
* Sand Valley, AL – 22 year-old man
No deaths were recorded in Oconee County.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Remove Cap on Medical Malpractice Suits. Under state law, a person can file a lawsuit for personal damages by the medical community and receive as much as $350,000 and no more as an award. But a case has arisen in which the injured 71 year old woman (purple face from botched facial surgery) was awarded $1.265 million. Opponents of the law say that the state constitution clearly gives the authority of award amounts to a jury which does not have to honor the cap of $350,000. Supporters of the cap say that the cap helps to keep health care cost down because doctors don’t have the large premiums to pay. The case has reached the State Supreme Court level through appeals and Judges will make their decision later next month.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Jobs Role For Georgia Secretary of State Office. Brian Kemp, former State Senator and candidate for Secretary of State announced today that if elected, he would make that office a major player in economic development and job creation which would make the state an easy place to start a business especially, a  small. Business. The office is best known for its oversight of state elections but has authority over licensing of businesses.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Obama’s Czars Must Be Approved. U S Rep Jack Kingston (R-Savannah) introduced a bill today requiring Obama to provide information on the qualifications and responsibilities of anyone named as a czar (presidential advisors) so that Congress can hear and confirm or reject. Other presidents have appointed czars but less than a dozen during an 8-year term and all have appeared before Congress for confirmation. 36 czars have been appointed by Obama so far with no congressional oversight. U S Rep Paul Broun (R-10^th GA District) is co-sponsor.

Thursday, September 17, 2009
Georgia Cuts ACORN Funding. Today, Governor Perdue signed an executive order to ban any funding that comes from the organization (supported by tax dollars) called ACORN that was discovered to be advising citizens on how to avoid paying taxes and how to create a brothel business that uses underage South American girls for prostitution. The Georgia representatives to the US Congress today called on the State of Georgia and all local governments in Georgia to cease immediately using or applying for ACORN funding. The State did have a contract with the Human Services Department that hands out food stamps. ACORN pays, with tax dollars, employees to do community organizing to elect liberal candidates. They played an important role in electing Obama to the presidency. Earlier this year, after the expose of its illegal activities, the US Congress cut off funding for the national organization. There is no ACORN office or ACORN money received or spent in Athens or Oconee County.

Thursday, September 17, 2009
Constitution Week Celebrated. The bells are ringing from the UGA Chapel celebrating our greatest document in history – the U S Constitution. The DAR was in charge coordinating the ringing on campus with all the other ringing of bells throughout the nation. They are pushing for every citizen to read and re-read the document to understand the founding of our nation. Over 100 people attended the event and sang “God Bless America” for the freedom they all share. Men dressed in period clothes from the 1700s while waving US flags made for a spectacular event. The 4 pm timing was to represent the supposedly exact time that the Constitution was signed 222 years ago.

Thursday, September 17, 2009
UGA President Trashes Trashers. He does not like it and plans to do something about it. But for now he is mostly appealing to the fans for help and using the media (radio, poster, R&B Athens paper, etc.) to get the word out. The trashing begins on Friday and by Sunday morning, it is a disgrace, he said. Fans swoop down on the stadium for every game hours before on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for tailgating and all during the game – trash is thrown everywhere. UGA employees picked up 70 tons of the mess at the last game. It is not only costly to clean up but is unworthy of Bulldog fans and is an unsightly mess which is probably a safety issue. Officials will meet again to explore their options for a solution. Fans could be hit with an ordinance or ticket price increase.

Friday, September 18, 2009
Ammunition Becoming Scarce. A run on bullets especially for hand guns has manufacturers scrambling to keep up with demand. The reason: talk of the Obama Administration and Congress passing a gun restriction law. Gun sales soared last summer when it became a sure bet that Obama was going to be elected President. 6.1 background checks were made in a 5-month time frame for first time gun ownership since then. Purchases rose again after he was elected, then the run on ammunition followed. The North Carolina Remington Arms Company, which is working overtime to keep up with demand added  a 4^th shift to keep the plant open 24/7, supplied the data for a report.

Sunday, September 20, 2009
New TV Station Purchased by UGA Journalism School. Last summer, Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications purchased Toccoa’s WNEG TV station. UGA Officials wanted to get everything set ready to go and start broadcasting by the end of this year (December 2009), but the culprit that broke the economy hit at the wrong time and many of the ambitious projects have gone by the wayside. WNEG is a commercial station and depends on advertisements to pay for itself, but they have been very scarce of late – down by 30% in the last 6 months. During this time, it has lost its affiliation with CBS and lost about $500,000 funds through CBS programming that no longer exists. The shows that replace the CBS programs don’t demand that kind of advertising dollars. The size of the market that WNEG’s signal can reach is remarkable – 1.2 million listeners – about the same as the stations in Augusta and Macon and Columbus. The station cost the UGA Research Foundation $1.4 million.

Monday, September 21, 2009
Funding for Hard Labor Creek Reservoir. Today, Oconee and Walton County representatives met to plan a meeting next week to meet with officials of the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA Director Phil Foil) in Atlanta to convince the entity to help with the financing of our newest regional reservoir, Hard Labor Creek in Walton County. The first Phase of the reservoir funded at $170 million includes the construction of the dam for which funding is needed. Oconee Chairman Melvin Davis thinks that if other surrounding counties could be future users of the reservoir, there’s a chance that money will be forthcoming. It will provide 14 mgd once it comes on line in 2014 – more than needed by the 2 county-owners so the possibility exists that some could be sold to neighboring counties. However, money is tight and it just may not be there to borrow. Everything is in order to start construction in this December if the funding comes through.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Down Pour Covered the Athens Area. The measured rain that has been falling for a week off and on in some areas in Oconee County amounted to about 10.5 inches. And rain is predicted for this weekend as well.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009
U S Senate Continued Debate On Universal Health Care. The Senate seemed to be stalled on creating legislation for a health care bill, so Sen Baukus (D-Mont.) opened debate for a $50 BILLION package. Baukus hopes to get some Republicans to vote with the Democrats on his bill, but so far, Sen Olympia Snow (R-Maine) is the only Republican who might vote with the majority, but she is hesitate about a bill that includes a public option. So far, the Senate has spent about 9 months haggling over a bill under the leadership or lack thereof of Sen Harry Reid (D-Nev) that the voters will not accept. The TEA Party (9/12 folks), consisting of over a million marched on the Capitol – Washington on 9/12 earlier this month and displayed a definite “NO” for the public option. But they don’t seem to be listening to the people.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Uninsured in the Athens Area. The Census Bureau released a report today with interesting data. The % of uninsured in several counties surrounding Athens – Clarke, Oconee, Madison, Barrow and Oglethorpe is 23% between the ages of 18 and 64. That equates to about 17,000 working age citizens and 4,000 children in Clarke. Also, in Clarke County, 17% of the children are not insured. The rest of the data lumped Oconee with the other counties. Statewide, 62% of workers receive coverage through their employer. For no coverage for the State, the average is 24.6%. This survey was taken 9 months ago and does not take into account the worsening recession and the increase in job loss since that time. The numbers for this year may be a further increase in percentages.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Weather Most Unusual This Year. The low-pressure system with it’s center near LA has just sat there for days moving slowly this way, but Athens and the  surrounding area has escaped real heavy damage, mostly just a lot of flooding, some power outages but not so many. Power company employees have been able to keep up with most of the damage. But the rest of Georgia, especially around Atlanta and Northwest up to Stephens County has a myriad of weather related incidents. The soil is extremely soggy; top soil runs off as sediment quickly and easily say the climatologists.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Car Safety Award to an Oconee County 13-year Old. Today’s issue of the ABH  published an article about a young Girl Scout teenager who won the Silver Award (the highest in Girl Scouting) for her illustrated pamphlet (20 pages) about buckling up for car safety with “Bee A Buckler” the message that has been around for nearly 40 years. She said she first wanted to have a tea party and invite “Bee” to appear, but she changed her mind and decided to make the project, not just for one local event but for the whole nation, thus the booklet “Safety With Bee A Buckler”. She was overjoyed when 75 booklets were published and distributed to net $1,000. Learning of the popularity of her booklet at a conference this summer, she may be in for another press run, this next time, maybe 150 of them.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Georgia-Florida Games Stay In Jacksonville. After much sole searching, Director Damon Evans could not find a good enough reason to move the GA-FL games to Athens. He recommended to the Board of Directors in the GA Athletic Association his decision and they all agreed. Florida has won 16 of the last 19 games played there and fans were beginning to complain that Georgia would have a better chance to win if played on home turf. The games will remain in FL until 2016 when the issue will again be up for discussion.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Teenage Jobs Stimulus Package Failed. Government data reported by the Associated Press revealed today that the money did not put teenagers on the payroll. It is called the Workforce Investment Act and was designed to put 279,000 teenagers to work and out of trouble and cost taxpayers $1.2 BILLION.  The national youth unemployment rate in the 16 to 24 age group is at 18.5 %, the highest on record since 1948. So one is compelled to ask, where did the money go?

Wednesday, September 23, 2009
IRS Sever Ties With ACORN. The IRS maintains a volunteer tax assistance program in which ACORN is included but as of today, the IRS broke off  contracts with ACORN to provide that service. It is becoming the way of other governmental entities to break with the scandal-ridden ACORN.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Streaks on Face of Veterans Memorial

Veteran Memorial Stained.  At the Veterans Memorial meeting tonight, members discussed the “streaking” on the face of the memorial coming from the top and draining down the black granite leaving unsightly white streaks. The Committee felt that the problem was too much to try to tackle – that a professional must be hired to remove the streaks and find the source of the problem. They hired Tom Jackson, a master mason to investigate and give the committee an estimate of the cost. He will attend the next meeting to inform the committee. Members of the Committee are: Larry Davison (Chair), Bill Gilmer (V Chair), David Kilpatrick (Treasurer), Kate McDaniel (Secretary), Don Walter, Jim Alexander, Ed McConnell, Ed Kennedy, Jeff Benko and Vinnie Williams.

Thursday, September 24, 2009
System-Wide Teacher of the Year.    Among the 10 schools in the county, Oconee County Middle School’s Shelynn Scott was chosen as the system-wide Teacher of the Year at their annual banquet. Her mother attended the gala and wore a proud smile. It was unique: 13 years ago, her mother, Georgia was honored with a similar prize in Clarke County. Mother and daughter were elated, but happy in a special way. Both are educators and both are smart excellent teachers. She received $1,000 supplement to her salary and a framed certificate. The banquet was held at the Civic Center and sponsored by the Oconee County High School Alumni Association. Superintendent John Jackson said of Ms Scott, “Shelynn represents the best of the best in the eyes of her peers.” The other winners were:
* Angela Harris – Rocky Branch Elementary
* Meredith Lokey – Oconee County Elementary
* Jaqueline Shoemaker – Oconee County Primary
* Laura Toney – Malcom Bridge Elementary
* Tony McCullers – North Oconee High
* Tom Drewry – Oconee County High
* Ellen Jones – Malcom Bridge Middle
* Barbara Sims – High Shoals Elementary
* Sandy Jungman – Colham Ferry Elementary
Congratulations to all.

Friday, September 25, 2009
Saturday Stroll Around Watkinsville. The tour guide for this coming Saturday, September 26 will be Commissioner Chuck Horton. Participants (anybody) meet in front of the courthouse and stroll around the city with the guide speaking on various subjects (historical homes, famous Oconee Families, retail stores on MainStreet, History of the Eagle Tavern, The Oconee Farmers Market, etc.).  The cost is $5 per person and the proceeds have been designated to OARC (Oconee Area Resource Council education for a higher quality of life in the community).

Friday, September 25, 2009
Rep Broun Holds Town Hall Meeting In Commerce. U S Rep Paul Broun met at the Commerce Civic Center at 10 am today. In total, he has held Town Hall Meetings in Evans, Clarksville, Greensboro, Madison, Augusta and now Oconee and Jackson counties.

Friday, September 25, 2009
Dam Inspection For Flooding. Conservation Engineers are inspecting all dams in a total of 17 counties in Northeast Georgia that were declared disaster areas by Governor Perdue when as much as 20 inches of rain fell in a matter of days (from September 15 to September 21). Several of the dams had water to go over the spillways and some had water to go over the dam itself, but none failed. 120 dams are yet to be inspected, but all were designed and built to hold back strong flows as seen during this rain storm. There are over 350 dams in Georgia and a few are located in Oconee County.

Friday, September 25, 2009
Jobless Rate Holding. For the Athens Area that includes Clarke, Oconee, Oglethorpe and Madison Counties, the jobless rates for July was 7.8%. The rate for August was slightly lower at 7.3%.  The number of people out of jobs was 7876 in August in Athens. The jobless rate for the 12-county area in NE Georgia was 9.8% in August. No stabilizing sign of recovery yet.

Monday, September 28, 2009
Touch Screen Voting Machines Wins Appeal. As the result of a lawsuit, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled today that the state’s voting machines do not disenfranchise the voter – they do not violate a voter’s constitutional rights as the suit claimed. In 2006, a suit was filed against the Governor, the Secretary of State and election officials claiming that the electronic machines were vulnerable to voter fraud. The suit also claimed that there was no way to audit the machine and could be seen as a way for politicians to alter the results. Electronic voting was put into place in 2002 after the voting confusion in FL for the 2000 presidential election between Bush and Gore. Georgia then became the first state in the nation to install electronic voting in all of its 159 counties. There have been no mishaps since in the results of many elections since 2002. All machines are locked in vaults when not in use between elections.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Safe Campuses Now Defunct. This group on the UGA campus has had money problems for a long time and the director, Keith Sims, has closed the doors today to move to Piedmont Rape Crisis Center to become its Director which serves sexual assault victims in 3 counties – Banks, Jackson and Barrow.  The “Now” educational presentations, a part of the freshman’s orientation and given by the NOW staff will be discontinued. The organization was best known on campus for classes for self defense held throughout the year. Director Sims says they will try to duplicate the educational and awareness programs at the new Crisis Center.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Community Service Assigned to Probationers Banned. County probation officers can no longer allow convicted felons on probation work in county offices where social security numbers are visible. The information could be used by the felons to commit ID theft. The change has come about as a result of a women accused of shoplifting and assigned to do community service in a county office in Clarke County stole a pile of documents with personal information. The documents included social security numbers, arrest warrants, court calendars, traffic citations, e-mails of attorneys which could all be used to open bank accounts leading to ID theft. Other counties might wish to take notice of this incident.

 The End.

 NOTE: The “What Happened” in the Month is a collection of short descriptions for the events that took place within the most recent month, but may not be inclusive. Information listed is from various sources: personal attendance at events, paraphrasing of news casts, Washington Post, Associated Press, various Web sites, Fox News TV, George Will and other writers, the Atlanta Constitution, Association of County Commissioners of Georgia, the Oconee Enterprise, the Athens Banner Herald,  the Augusta Chronicle, the Bainbridge Searchlight News, NewsMax, USA Today, the Patriot and Talk Radio (1340).  For details on any item, go to the long write-up under the heading ARTICLE. However, some items on this page may not have a corresponding longer Article.

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