Morning News with Lee Henderson
The last day to register to cast a ballot in the Presidential Preference Primary, is Monday February 1st. Also included in the options are the opportunities to vote in the Special Election to be held in March and the Runoff election. Voters can go to ga.gov to register on line. The Presidential Preference Primary balloting takes place on March 1st in Georgia; election day is November 8th. For more voting and candidate information contact the Lowndes County board of elections.
The Strategic Improvement Planning Draft Report contains several focus areas including enhancement of relationships with community stakeholders, helping in the creation of a quality workforce for the marketplace, student achievement and the provision of top level support services.
The area’s unemployment rate for the month of December remains unchanged from the month of November. Still, at 5.3 percent the unemployment rate remains at its lowest point in eight years. Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for December was 5.5 percent, down from 5.6 percent in November.
Bryan Dell of Colquitt County continues to withhold cooperation with law enforcement investigators probing the circumstances surrounding just why and how he came to be deposited at the Colquitt regional Medical Center suffering from a severe beating. According to the report three people were involved in the drop-off and one witness told police that Dell would provide no information regarding his circumstances. He was last listed in critical condition.
When employees of the Moultrie utility company went to a residence to check on power usage they found that the occupant had replaced the company’s meter had been replaced with one that was not authorized. Company officials sent the workers out to determine how power was supplied to a home where services had been discontinued. The occupant retrieved the Moultrie from his truck and turned it in. Soon law enforcement officials arrived at the house.
Shanekewa Wyche admitted to Thomas County officials that she had been smoking marijuana but denied drinking anything. However, the officer had noticed her driving on the wrong side of the roadway and pulled her over and the odor of alcohol was strong. Wyche told the police that she was trying to check her phone for a text message and that accounted for her erratic driving. However, the officer didn’t buy that explanation and she later admitted to smoking marijuana and drinking. Shanekewa Wyche was charged with DUI and other violations.
Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law is back in the news. Members of the Florida Senate passed legislation expanding the law and requiring prosecutors to prove that self-defense was not a contributing factor when a shooter is charged with the assault or the killing of another person. The current burden of proof is placed upon the defendant.
Armed robberies the north campus library at Georgia State University has students, administrators and staffers much concerned. Even though an arrest has been made the fear factor is high. At least four robberies have taken place since December. One person has been arrested; 38 year old Daniel Duplessy is alleged to have been involved in one of the crimes.
Members of the Georgia House of Representatives unanimously passed a $23 billion mid-year budget covering state spending through the end of June. The bulk of the $1.2 billion in additional spending – $758 million –will be used for road and bridge projects. The funding comes from the $900 million transportation funding bill passed last spring. The mid-year budget also includes $109 million to account for student enrollment growth in Georgia’s elementary and secondary schools since August, an increase of about $90 million for Georgia’s Medicaid program and $49 million for Move on When Ready, a new dual enrollment program that lets students earn college credit while still in high school. The mid-year budget measure now moves to the state Senate.
