Part 2: What Happened in the MONTH of AUGUST 2010
Posted By Kate on February 5, 2011
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Contaminated Trail Creek Clean-up Ordered. Authorities from EPD and J&J Company signed a consent order to remove contaminated chemicals that leaked into the Creek when the fire department tried to quench or water down the fire at the Company’s main building. The dark blue water will be sucked from the creek and passed through a carbon filter before being returned to the creek. J&J is also ordered to clean up the burned out building and haul away any chemicals and debris left on the site. Chemical testing will be used to monitor the flowing filtered water for several weeks after the “filtering and return” process. Chemical tests already performed confirm that the level of chemicals via dilution have already been decreased considerably.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Deal Announces His Plan For A Leaner State Government. Governor Nathan Deal unveiled a lean budget Wednesday in his State of the State address to trim the state budget by eliminating 14,000 state positions. The job cuts will essentially amount to a hiring freeze with fewer than 200 layoffs of current workers. He is calling for further budget cuts for the balance of this fiscal year and during the next. In the coming fiscal year, he is recommending cutting spending by an average of 3 percent for most agencies after covering the growth in schools and health care costs. He said he would end teacher furloughs and keep students in school for a full school year because he views education as our No. 1 economic-development tool, and there is no more forward-looking or strategic place to invest. But some educators still could end up on forced, unpaid vacations. Budget watchers around the Capitol noted that Gov. Sonny Perdue banned the word “furlough” in his budget last year even though it was so lean that many local school systems had to resort to them. Deal may be putting the local districts into the same situation. He wants a smaller state bond loan but with the bulk going to construction projects and major repairs to schools, universities and technical colleges. Part of it would go to helping local governments build reservoirs and $35 million for their sewage systems. Legislators were mainly positive about Deal’s short speech delivered to a joint session of the Georgia General Assembly. Paraphrased from ABH article by Walter C Jones.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Athens Medical School Opens for Classes. The official opening was earlier in a ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday when Governor Perdue spoke to a crowd of about 400. He was elated saying that this venture is surely good for Georgia and will, in years to come help to relieve the medical doctor shortage in Georgia. About 40 students who are living temporarily in a few renovated mill units, entered their first day of class yesterday. The 40 in Athens plus those in the Augusta location add to a total of 230 medical students and is ranked 9th for the most registrations of any medical college in the nation for this year. By the year 2020, more than 300 students are predicted to enroll making Georgia the 2nd largest freshman class in the nation. The medical school is a partnership between UGA in Athens and the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta.
Friday, August 13, 2010
New Athletic Director Named to Replace Damon Evans. Greg McGarity, a native of Athens and graduate of Clarke County High School and UGA and an employee in the athletic department at UGA for many years was named by UGA President Michael Adams at a press conference today to succeed Damon Evans who was fired after being charged with a DUI on June 30, 2010. McGarity’s tenure will begin on September 1, 2010.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Illegal Cuban Cost County Thousands. An unidentified and undocumented Cuban was arrested and jailed for drug trafficking in Douglas County recently and a few weeks later, he suffered a massive stroke causing total paralysis. He now requires constant care which has cost Douglas County $400,000 so far because the man does not have health insurance. County authorities thought they could export him back to Cuba for friends or family to look after him, but the State Department said that US policy is to never deport a Cuban back to Cuba. County prosecutors have dropped charges against the man which releases the county of any future medical bills.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Democrat Convention Held In Athens. Today was the Big Day for Democrats as they listened to all the leading candidates for office in Athens at the Classic Center for their State Convention. Democrat Candidate Roy Barnes for Governor, having won the nomination of his Party to challenge Republican Candidate Nathan Deal was in high spirits. Barns blamed all society and government ills on the Republicans as has the Republicans put the same blame on Democrats in the Mid-term election season. State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond, running against sitting US Republican Senator Johnny Isakson leveled the same blame for Georgia’s high unemployment rate. Lt Governor Democrat candidate Carol Porter spoke of the “do nothing “ incumbent Lt Governor Casey Cagle. State Democrat Chairperson Jane Kidd was in good form as she cheered the crowd to believe in victory for all the state seats. Others spoke to the crowd of about 400 before convening.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Governor’s Special Council for Georgia Tax Law Overhaul. The legislature approved the creation of a Special Council for Tax Reform in the last Session earlier this year. Will they come up with a simplified mass of laws and regulations that is fair and easy to understand? Many under the Dome believe so since the Gov-appointed Chair is A D Frazier, a Democrat, known for his convictions and his stance on taxation and his strong persuasion powers especially with lobbyists. The Council includes 10 businessmen and economists. The group is charged with coming up with recommendations for changing the structure of the Georgia code that will benefit citizens and business alike. The Council will travel around the state to hold meetings to find out what the regular “Joe” thinks about the tax structure. Whatever they recommend, it will be taken by the new legislature in 2011 for an up or down vote and will no doubt affect all Georgia citizens.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Oconee Connector Improvements Moving Along. No doubt you’ve noticed the road modifications at the Oconee Connector and Epps Bridge Parkway. Traffic engineers have been concerned about the log jam of traffic since the huge Kroger shopping center was built there several years ago. The solution was to bleed some of the traffic from the congested areas along the 4-lane running in front of Lowe’s Building Supplies so a connector running from behind Lowe’s over to SR 316. An overpass on Loop 10 was approved, this part to be completed at the end of 2011. However, to avoid the Shopping Center congestion altogether, the proposed road should cross Epps Bridge Parkway and continue around the curve to a spot adjacent to Home Depot and then lead into Loop 10 to really bleed off the excess traffic and give relief to drivers. The road behind Lowe’s under construction is about 1.3 miles long with another large shopping center planned for the future by Bishop Inc out of Atlanta. This is the one that promises to have a 5-screen movie complex as one of many businesses.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Perdue Makes Board Appointments. Sonny Perdue, in his last year as Governor is making his stamp on Georgia by appointments. Two Oconee County residents made the list: Richard McSpadden and Ed Perkins. McSpadden, retired as a member of the U S Air Force and the lead pilot of the renowned Thunderbirds was named to the Georgia Aviation Hall of Fame Board which honors aviation men who have made significant contributions to the aviation community. He is now employed by Hewlett Packard Enterprise Services. The Aviation Museum Board is located at Warner Robins. Perkins was named to serve on the Georgia Medical Center Authority which promotes research and development of life sciences for biomedical innovation in the life science industries. Presently, he is the director of the Athens Chamber and is the President of St Mary’s Health Care Systems.
Monday, August 16, 2010
OWT Makes Second Request For New Waste Station Location. The Oconee Planning Commission will hear representatives for Courtney Elder (owner of OWT – Oconee Waste Transport) argue for a rezone of 6.2 acres of Elder property on Hwy 15 (Greensboro Hwy) from A-1 to O-B-P (Office-Business-Professional) to build a new waste transfer station. The business is currently located on Experiment Station Road across from the US Post Office. The owners wish to build a large unit to house an office, trucks and repair shop. Residents of the neighborhood nearby the new location objected vehemently stating that the new OWT would be smelly, noisy and would reduce their property values. The Planning Department and the staff that prepares the documentation and presentation to the Planning Commission of 12 men and women also objected with conditions in case it passed. But the Planning Commission approved the request and it will now go to the BOC with that recommendation. Note: 5 years ago, the same request was made and the Planning Commission and the BOC denied it. This time there was very little change but it was approved.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Free Seminars For Your Business. Need to boost your business income? Free Seminars are being offered to all Oconee County business owners or those entrepreneurs who would like to start a small business by the Oconee County Economic Development Department on the 3rd Thursday of every month for the next 4 months. The schedule is as follows:
- August 16 – Taxation Issues (Ronda Holloway with Holloway & Smith CPS);
- September 20 – Starting a New Business (Anne Marie Johnson, Small Business Development Center, UGA);
- October 18 – Marketing & Social Media (Ashley Harp of Jackson & Spalding);
- November 15 – Impact of Health Care Legislation (Phaedra Corso, College of Public Health, UGA).
Monday, August 16, 2010
Fall Semester Classes Start Today. Gainesville State College (Watkinsville Campus) – 2300 students; UGA - 4700 freshman students; Piedmont College (Athens Campus) – 860 students ; and Georgia School of Nursing – 320 students all opened classes today. Most of the first day will be taken up with orientation and informing new students of what to expect.
Monday, August 16, 2010
School Lay-offs and Jobs Lost in the Area. However, the situation may be worse for next year – the 2011-12 school year.
Oconee – Layoffs 0, Jobs Lost ½
Oglethorpe – Layoffs 5, Jobs Lost 6
Jackson – Layoffs 35, Jobs Lost 41
Commerce – Layoffs 0 Jobs Lost 5
Clarke – Layoffs 11, Jobs Lost 120
Jefferson – Layoffs 5, Jobs Lost 13
Madison – Layoffs 0, Jobs Lost 6
Barrow – Layoffs 11, Jobs Lost 52
Total Layoffs – 67
Total Jobs Lost – 243 ½
Out of work – 311 in the school systems
Monday, August 16, 2011
Less Restrictive Law for Mobile Homes. The age of mobile homes has been used (local ordinances) as a restriction for moving a home into a county or moving from one neighborhood to another within the same county. A mobile home may have been kept up and be practically new at the age of 5 years but could not be moved to these counties because of a County Ordinance restriction. Most counties in the 10-county area of northeast Georgia have such ordinances. That has to change now since the new state law which prohibits a county from using the date of manufactured mobile home to determine its suitability for habitation, went into effect. Jackson County was the first to change their ordinance. Oconee, Oglethorpe, Madison and Barrow will change their ordinances next month.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Our Own Tammy Gilland Honored. Gilland was born and raised in neighboring Oglethorpe County, but moved to Oconee a few years ago. She has worked at UGA for about 20 years. Gilland was recently awarded the Jennie Award by the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, a national organization that promotes educational reform, desirable working conditions and improved health care. The club was started in 1856 by a female journalist under the pseudonym name of Jennie June who called it a Women’s Parliament, then it morphed into the Sorosis Club, then in 1890, it was given the current name – the General Federation of Women’s Club. Gilland rightly deserves the recognition for the many organizations in which she is and has participated, namely: President of the Oconee Rotary Club, President of her son’s PTO, Secretary of the local GOP, candidate for public service as a County Commissioner and President of the Athens Junior League. She has also served with the Red Cross, the YWCO, the United Way, Food 4 Kids Program and The Athens “Dancing With the Stars” fundraising project. Kudos for Tammy. Source: Athens Banner Herald.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Elder Mill Gets Birdhouse Replica. Mick Guffey and his wife construct birdhouses that are miniature replicas of a business, home or other entity. Recently, Russ Page and Melissa Steele who are in charge of scheduled Tours of the mill on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month, received a replica of the Millhouse. The attractive birdhouse will be used as a donation box for those who participate in the mill tour.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Watkinsville in 3-D. A start-up company working with Google Earth that photographs landscapes of cities chose Jefferson to be a pilot for a software program they are creating that will allow a user to explore the world or see any spot on the world map in 3-D with detailed features. The company had chosen large cities for their first run but wanted to include a rural smaller city so Jefferson was it. An Oconee County resident will do the same for the city of Watkinsville. Jonathan Veit believes he can create a software program that will allow a developer to sit at a computer and look over the landscape of the city and decide if he’d like to invest in, say a piece of land for a condominium in the city limits. The developer can study the spot of interest and decide if it’s worth his time and money to visit Watkinsville and approach the owner about his interest. Veit says that it will be a great business recruiting tool. He will be here and there in the city taking photos for the project and plans to do it at no cost to the city. It would be an asset to the county if he could digitize the business section of the Apps Bridge Shopping area and especially the empty units that need to be filled with new businesses. And perhaps include the 900-acre Orkin property.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Another Business Goes Under In Athens - Overhead Door Corp which has been making doors in the Athens Area for the past 45 years is closing its own doors and eliminating 111 positions. The Athens facility, a branch of the company headquartered in Dallas, TX will take its business to re-open in Pensacola, FL. The reason? The company had to downsize its operations and felt the Athens store was not self-supporting. Employees that were laid off will be given training and a choice to apply for work at any of the other branches of the company. Another business that closed its door about 2 years ago is After Six which supports tux rental shops. Power Partners laid off about 73 workers at the beginning of 2010. Some have been rehired. Southwire (manufactures copper wiring) in Watkinsville reduced its workforce by 18 earlier this year. That’s a total of 202.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Called Meeting Of City Council to Amend Ordinance. In the called meeting, council members learned that the many citizens that had contacted them were against the rezone request for the Photography Studio for fear that other businesses would populate that strip of residency and change its character. The Council decided to insert a conditional use permit (CUP) into the ordinance. McClure had told the Council that he and his daughter, Lauren Forrester, would open a cottage studio and that a family member would be living on the property. City attorney Joe Reitman advised the Council to make the CUP as restrictive as possible to remove any chance that this part of Simonton Bridge Road would ever be populated with businesses. One such restriction was that the number of hours of operation would be restricted to regular business hours and if the business was not active for 90 days, the permit would expire. Councilwoman Sam Purcell suggested that the size of the allowable sign for such a business be reduced to half for the Studio. After the McClure family agreed to make the home their residence with a family member living in the home and the agreement of the McClure family to the revised ordinance, the Photography Studio appears to be a GO. Bob Smith is now a happy realtor.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Oconee County Cell Tower Appraisal. A cell tower is owned by an entity which rents space (antenna and supporting cables) to wireless carriers like Verizon Wireless for a monthly fee. It is property and can be taxed. Very few tower companies actually build towers on speculation that a wireless carrier will actually use the tower in the future. Often times, these companies require a signed lease agreement from a wireless carrier before construction will begin. A landowner who has been approached by a wireless carrier to lease land for a cell tower may be in a position to build the tower themselves and lease space to the wireless carrier on the tower. More often than not, the landowner will just end up caring the wireless carrier away, and the cell tower will be built elsewhere. Oconee County has 19 cell towers and is negotiating with Albert Hale to erect another one on his dairy farm. Who is leasing tower capacity and how much is being paid? And is the lease paying the correct amount of taxes? The Georgia Center for Municipal Services has told the county that they could do an inventory of the users and assess the value of these properties. They have even hinted that the county may be losing taxes on these revenues if they don’t know what is being leased or who is doing the leasing. No decision has been made, but the county is looking at possible ways to increase the county’s revenues without raising taxes on property owners.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Three Seats Up for Watkinsville City Council. There are 5 members on the Watkinsville City Council, 3 of which must run for re-election in November (no one challenged any of the 3 in the Primary). It’s because the terms of Post 3, 4 and 5 will expire at the end of the calendar year. These seats are occupied by Toby Smith, Samantha Purcell and Mike Link respectively. All 3 will have to qualify again. Advanced voting is scheduled for October 25 to October 29, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm each day at the 191 VFW Drive address for City Hall. With no challengers, all 3 are expected to win their respective seats for another 4 years.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Oconee County School System Report. ACT SCORE IMPROVES. This week, the ACT results for the Oconee County Schools (OCS) graduating class of 2010 were received. The average composite score was 23.4, which is the highest score ever achieved according to school records. The ACT is used by colleges and university, along with other information, to determine whether students are prepared for college-level work. The highest possible score is 36. ACT scores tend to fluctuate from year-to-year; however, the OCS trend in recent years indicates steady improvement. The state average was 20.7 up from 20.6. The national average was 21.0 down from 21.1 last year.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Barrow County Budget in Trouble. After cutting each department’s budget by 15% to 20% including law enforcement office, laying off 7 employees and raising the millage rate by 1% over the last 2 years, the commissioners are now faced with what else to do to fill the budget gap. Before the meeting, the rumor had circulated that law enforcement and fire departments may have to be cut further. This caused an outpouring of opposition by citizens at this meeting of the BOC. Commission Chairman Danny Yearwood, announced that they were not going to cut those areas at the present time, but he said “we cannot be held hostage by sheriff deputies (public safety department) and firefighters (fire department)” at least during these discussions. “There will come a time when you can’t cut any more so some services will have to go,” he said. It is a rift between the commissioners and the public safety personnel that harms the image of the county.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
More Jobs Lost. The US Labor Department reported that the number of people out of work across America rose this week to 500,000 from 12,000 last week. Construction workers in the homebuilding industry are being laid off again after the first time home buyer tax credit expired. Consumers are buying less often and local and state governments are laying off workers to make up the gap in sales taxes and small businesses are letting employees go the way of the unemployment claims office. Athens recently lost 111 jobs (some from Oconee) when the Overhead Door Company closed its doors which almost altered Clarke County’s credit ranking. Although the number doesn’t appear that large, it is the accumulation of jobs lost in the county that will eventually affect a local government’s credit capability. Almost 500 jobs have been lost in the county in the last 3 years.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Chairman Yearwood’s Life Threatened? It has come to light that Barrow County Commission Chairman Danny Yearwood received a potential threat on he and his family’s lives through a Blog created by a citizen to discuss current issues. Yearwood called the sheriff’s office about the message who then called in the GBI to assist in an investigation. The Blog contributor wrote the following: “Mr Yearwood, I hope and pray that your home catches on fire or you have a heart attack, or even worse, someone breaks into your home and holds your family hostage at gunpoint. Then and only then will you value public safety.” Law enforcement determined that the language did not constitute a threat because it was not a direct action such as “I will burn your house down” therefore it is classified as idle speech. The Web site has been blocked on the computers of all Barrow County employees.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Teachers Forgiving Of Former Governor Barnes. Barnes was in the governor’s mansion 8 years ago for 4 years and when he tried to run again for the seat that Republican Sonny Perdue has occupied for the last 8 years, the teacher-voters sent the 1-term Governor home because he had taken so much money from education in a general overhaul of that department. Now, in this election, Barnes is running against Nathan Deal and the teachers may not forgive Barnes and give him another chance. However, the 43,000-member Georgia Teachers Union has just endorsed Barnes. Keep in mind, that all Georgia teachers do not belong to the unionized teacher’s union but rather to a Georgia non-union teacher retirement plan.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Stem Cell Research Reduced. Judge Royce Lambert from the District of Columbia ruled today to block a 2009 executive order from the Obama Administration that reduced the number of stem cell lines from 75 to 21 that are eligible for federal funding research. Now research must stop until the Federal Justice Department can interrupt the meaning of the ruling. The ruling was cheered by the Alliance Defense Fund and their Christian attorneys and criticized by the opposition. Victorious are the many taxpayers who do not wish their tax dollars to be used to destroy human embryos for the research. However, Democrats in Congress announced they may start proceedings to change the law so as to relieve pressure on scientists doing the research.
Monday, August 23, 2010
City of Jefferson Tree Ordinance Updated. The draft plan includes requirement by developers to plant a certain number of trees; require developers to create a maintenance bond to take care of the trees planted; a list of specific trees to be planted at certain locations; the hiring of a part-time arborist; and the most significant part of the updated ordinance is: make the Jefferson Heritage Tree Council an official Commission similar to the city’s Planning Commission with minimum pay for each member. The Council has been funded for the past several years by outside grants and some tax money, but will have to find their own funding for next year.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Thornwood Properties Bites the Dust. Mike Thornton, the owner of the Town Center Complex in Watkinsville and owner of Thornwood Properties has given up the planned Thornwood Subdivision off US 441 and the New High Shoals Road with a foreclosure at $15 million. Thornwood Properties in one of the 48 foreclosures listed in Oconee this month. Some of these will be auctioned on the steps of the Oconee Courthouse in the near future. Many of the surrounding counties are facing the same situation with peaks reached this month and has continued an upward trend since 2007. With no downward trending in sight in the state and the nation, next year looks to see more of the same. There has been no stimulus, as has been claimed, for a housing recovery and thus a jobs recovery.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
New K-9 for Law Enforcement. “Canine Deputy Orion”, the new drug dog for the Oconee force has been given to Deputy Sgt. Shane Partain as his new partner in crime since the death of Spike a few days ago on August 23. Orion is the same Belgian Malinois breed as Spite the former K-9 from 2006 until his retirement in 2009. Orion is certified for various drug discoveries in cars, buildings and clothes. He will accompany Sgt Partain in the apprehension of felons and searching clues for missing persons. He will ride with Partain in the same truck equipped with special accommodations that Spike enjoyed. Spike had to be put away at age 11 because of a condition that paralyzed his back legs. A ceremony will be held for him at the Sheriff’s Office on Friday, August 27 at 4 pm.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
19th Amendment Celebrated. Ninety (90) years ago on this day (August 26, 1920), the 19th Amendment was ratified giving women the right to vote. A celebration was held on the floor of the Georgia Senate by about 2 dozen women. Not only did women exercise that right, they began to actively enter politics and run for public office. Today there are 38 women in the State House (180 total) and 8 women legislators in the State Senate (56 total). In the beginning, women voted sporadically for both parties but the pattern changed during the 1950s when Republican Eisenhower was elected – more women voted for him than men. In the 1980s more men voted for Reagan than women (54% to 46%). Since that time, women have tended toward the Democrat candidate in national elections while more men tend to vote and stay with the Republican Party. In the 2008 election, 13% more women voted for Obama than voted for McCain.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Oconee County Rotary Club Builds Its 26th Ramp. Male members of the Oconee County Rotary Club are aggressive about their main service project. It seeks out citizens whose life could be improved with a ramp to their home for easy entrance. Bill Hardigree who lives on Colham Ferry Road in the county is confined to a wheelchair. Most of the members took part in building the ramp to his front door, some of whom were, Will Ross, Marion Butler, James Deaton, Chuck Williams, Joe Chaffin, J P Watson and Bill Ross, Art Zimmerman, Steve Miller and John Quackenbush.
Friday, August 27, 2010
OCAF Hosts Perspectives. The Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation will host the 8th annual Perspectives entitled Georgia Pottery Invitational 2010 beginning today and running through September 15, 2010. The reception today from 6 pm to 9 pm was well attended. The preview sale beginning at 6 pm (cost $5) allows attendees to get a “look over” of the pottery but no sales are allowed. Then the next day and each following day until the September closing date, the exhibit will begin at 10 am and run until 5 pm. More than 4,500 art pieces by 50 of Georgia’s top artist from all over the state are being displayed in the exhibit. Source: OCAF.
Friday, August 27, 2010
TAX Bill in Your Mailbox Today. You are one of about 20,000 property owners that pay for services performed by the county. The bill will be about the same as last year unless you are a special case which reduced some bills slightly. Total property values last year was about $1.8 BILLION (tax digest) and this year they were estimated at close to $1.7 BILLION – a $1 million decrease – not much when you look at the big picture. Deadline for paying is November 15.
Friday, August 27, 2010
K-9 Spike Laid to Rest Today. About 55 people – members of law enforcement from Oconee, Dawson and Jackson (Jefferson) Counties, friends and family of Spike’s handler and several K-9s - were present at the solemn occasion. Shane Partain, Spike’s handler said that he was more than just a dog. He was special in his profession and as a member of the Partain family. He served on the police force for Oconee County for 3 years after serving on the Greene County force for many years. He retired a few months before being “put down.” He saved many lives and helped officers find and deliver many pounds of drugs. He was replaced by another K-9 named Orion.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Foreclosures in Oconee County – Midyear Report. The number of foreclosures has been steadily increasing for the last 5 years:
2006 – 84
2007 – 137
2008 – 210
2009 – 383
2010 – 48 (month of August 2010 alone)
One foreclosure of particular interest is the Legends of Oconee, a 98-acre tract of land on the Oconee River which sold for $700 per acre in 1980. Sold again in 2005 for $20,000 per acre and named The Legends of Oconee. Several years later (2008) after a major improvement (streets, infrastructure and landscaping) it was purchased by John Burgess of Athens and is now in foreclosure and listed as being worth $3.5 million. The boon of land values reached a peak in 2005 and ‘06 and then began rapid foreclosures although land values have not decreased significantly. Will land values have to decrease to near 1980 levels to jump start the development surge again? Some have forecast that land and housing development will suffer another several years (2012) before recovering.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Kudzu Bugs Identified. Oconee Extension Agent Henry Hibbs warns us about these stinky critters recently discovered that have found plants other than kudzu on which to munch. They attach any plant in the legume family – soy beans, lima beans, peanuts, peas. He said the frost kills the kudzu plant and just before the frost hits, the bug will find a warmer place to park itself and where food will be available. If you live near a kudzu patch, watch for the fat round beetle-like insect around the house. One way to detect them is by the foul stinky odor that they exude. Researchers are doing their best to find an effective pesticide that will kill them on the spot before they have a chance to destroy our farming products and send us further down the spiral of recession. Please e-mail hhibbs@uga.edu if you find any bugs.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
“Restoring Honor” When Glenn Beck, the FOX NEWS TV conservative talk show host announced his rally to meet in Washington at the Lincoln Memorial on this day to symbolize the restoration of honor in America, few people were expected to attend, but today at the height of the gathering, the estimate of the crowd numbered more than 750,000; some said by their count from the air (Beck’s aerial photography team), 1 million may have gathered. Beck appeared on the stage to encourage each listener to look inward and repair damaged characteristics; to study history of America and learn to appreciate the honorable men and women in our past and present; to look out for each other; and to become honorable citizens of this great nation. He invited a representative from each major religion on stage and several spoke (Jew and gentile). Former VP candidate Sarah Palin spoke to a cheering crowd about the military and the men and women that have served and are serving. It was an awesome event as witnessed by this writer.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Parent College. The second Parent College is scheduled for today (Saturday), August 28th from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at the North Oconee High School Fine Arts Auditorium. The conference is being sponsored by Oconee County Middle School and Malcom Bridge Middle School. Helpful information to parents about successful strategies for raising healthy well-adjusted adolescents will be shared. Support of our parents and support of parents of their children is an area that the System believes makes for better well-adjusted high schoolers and a higher rate of graduation. Keynote speaker, Nicole Vagle with Lighthouse Learning Community presented “Motivating Your Adolescent” to about 100 parents of the 2 middle schools, Oconee and Malcom Bridge. Other seminars presented were “Performance Standards,” “Advanced and Accelerated Math,” “Dangers of Social Networking,” “Financial Literacy,” “Technology Resources Available to Students,” “Interrupting Tests Results” and “Preparing for High School.” School authorities plan to hold these “teacher colleges” twice a year as long as they prove to show expected results.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
The New “Structural Deficit” Georgia State University recently published a report on the status of the state budget and some suggestions of what must be done to balance the revenues against services the state provides. The new phrase “structural deficit” in the report is interrupted to mean that the state services must balance with the amount of revenue collected each year and if it doesn’t, then some services must go or new taxes imposed to pay for them or a combination of both. This could also mean that some state jobs that are “jobs in name only” must be eliminated. Many higher fees imposed in the last Legislative Session did not bring in the amount of revenue that was forecast. Legislators should probably realize that some services could be curtailed without damaging the overall quality of life. Lawmakers in the 2010 Session approved a Special Council on Tax Reform & Fairness who were charged with revamping the Georgia Tax Code and were told that the body would vote up or down on any recommendation coming from that Council. The new Legislative Session members must tackle a daunting task that includes that recommendation for the remaining 2010 budget plus the 2011 budget and the future budgets for several years to come when they meet in January 2011.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Gas Hike Could Cost $3 More Per Month. Atlanta Gas Light Co has requested a $54 million rate increase. The recommendation from the group hired by the Public Service Commission (the elected group that watches out for the consumer) was to REDUCE the rates. The transporting natural gas companies will pass any hike in rates on to the consumer which will result in about $3 more on your monthly bill. The company’s only reason for raising the rate was: to keep up with the rising cost to do business. All 5 of the PSC elected officials agree that in this state’s longest and worst recession no gas rates should even be considered. The PSC is holding hearings around the state to ascertain the situation and get a feel from the public. Their first meeting will be in Macon time and place to be announced.
Monday, August 30, 2010
School Choice Is Difficult to Achieve. To have the opportunity to choose the right school for a student is the trend among parents nowadays. But the state law requires that the choice must be in the same school district unless the choice is a private school which means a parent must furnish transportation. That can be difficult for some families and actually determines that their child must stay in a public school with school buses. A school usually assigns students based on where they live and what bus they will take and announces if space is available at the various schools for students to transfer. With schools already affected by the unusually bad economy and with fewer teachers because of teacher furloughs, classes have become bigger and fewer spaces are available. The Oconee County School System had only a few spaces this year as compared to last year which had 500 spaces at 7 of the 9 public schools. This year, only 6 applications could be accepted for only 24 spaces. The Clarke County School System accepted and placed 145 students in their choice. They will continue to try to accept 10 more students as the school year gets underway.
Monday, August 30, 2010
High School Drop-Outs To Increase Next Year. The prediction is not surprising. In past years and used as a ploy to increase the graduation rates of Georgia’s high school seniors, the State Department of Education used a formula that counted 5 years to finish a scheduled 4-year subject load. More students did graduate when they were given more time to correct low grades. For instance, in Atlanta schools, the graduation rate increased 30% for several years using the 5-year formula, a statistic that appears suspicious. However, now the Department is changing the formula back to use the 4-year schedule again. When the math is done, it stands to reason that fewer seniors will graduate in the 4-year period and thus the graduation rate will be less and the drop-out rate will increase. In years past, when the 2 time periods were compared for all of Georgia schools, the graduation rate was 73% using the 5-year formula and 58% when using the 4-year formula. How did it affect a single school? In 2007, using the 2 formulas as a comparison within 1 school (Clarke County School System), the graduation rate decreased from 59% to 45%. Since then, in 2 years, for the same school system, the graduation rate went from 63% to 68%. The 5-year time allotment was a general “dumbing down” of education for Georgia students. For the year 2010, the Department will publish for each school, a comparison of the 2 formulas. The Department is to be commended for returning to the more accepted high school 4-year schedule. It will be fairer to Georgia students and allow for better comparison with other states and with national averages.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Manufactured Home Ordinance Public Hearing. The County Commissioners will hear the second reading of the Manufactured Home Ordinance tonight at their 7:00 pm at the courthouse. The next reading of the proposed ordinance will be at their Regular meeting on Tuesday, September 7. The proposed ordinance can be read online at the County Web site: www.oconeecounty.net
Monday, August 30, 2010
“Refuse To Be A Victim.” The 5-hour crime prevention course is a program originated by the National Rifle Association and presented by the Sheriff’s Office to residents of Oconee County. They believe it will prepare citizens to know better what to do when confronted with a potential crime situation. The course will focus on how to avoid dangerous encounters: gas-up during the daylight hours; be aware of your surroundings; never fumble with personal contents in the open – find your item while still locked in your car; manually lock your vehicle door rather than using the remote; leave a light at home on during the night – it may help the burglar but it is more helpful to you if you have to have a confrontation; never leave car unlocked in garage; and hide valuables in the home to make it difficult for a thief to find them. The sheriff says you will feel more in control if you have thought of these things ahead of time. Class times will be announced.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Refusal of “Race To The Top” Federal Grant. Madison, Clarke and Oconee counties among others, refused to accept the grant based on its strict conditions. It could not be used to reduce number of teacher furloughs nor to lengthen the school year nor to decrease class size. But rather, directives were attached for ambitious and controversial design changes to increase graduation rates; nor to initiate a system to track students from kindergarten to graduation; nor to start a merit pay system for educators. Schools that passed up the funds wanted to take a “wait and see” approach and watch the success of new initiative implementation in the 26 districts that did accept funds before changing their own systems. Some $400 million was awarded to the state.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Ethics Ordinance Public Hearing . The County Commissioners will address the ordinance tonight at their 7:00 pm Agenda Setting meeting at the courthouse. A second reading will be heard on September 7 at their Regular meeting at the same time and place. The proposed ordinance can be read online at the County Web site: www.oconeecounty.net under Oconee BOC Ethics Ordinance.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Nation’s GDP Decreasing Further. For the 4th quarter months of April, May and June 2010, the Gross Domestic Product has shown a decrease from 2.4% (April) to 1.6% (June). Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said he would consider making another large scale purchase of securities if the economy continues on a downward trend. He said the “economy remains very vulnerable.”
The End.
Note: The “What Happened” for 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, 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.
Comments