Commissioner of Agriculture Gary W. Black joined other agricultural leaders spoke out in Washington on labor problems affecting Georgia farmers. At issue is the H-2A program which is critically important to farmers and ranchers seeking to hire legal workers to harvest valuable seasonal crops. The Department of Labor is required to approve H-2A applications 30 days prior to when farmers need workers in the field, but officials say that the deadline is routinely missed.
The Associated Press reports that five former police officers pleaded guilty to a reduced number of charges in the deadly shootings on the Danziger Bridge in the days following Hurricane Katrina and received lesser prison sentences for their pleas. Four of the former officers have been locked up for nearly six years while the fifth has been out on bond. Their original convictions called for them to serve anywhere from 65 years to six years in prison. The plea deal calls for them to serve a range of 12 to three years. According to the report police gunned down 17-year-old James Brissette and 40-year-old Ronald Madison, who were both unarmed, and wounded four others on the Danziger Bridge. Under the new plea agreement, they will get credit for time served and most of them could be released from prison anywhere from the next one to six years.
Georgia Power customers will see a reduction in their power bills beginning June 1st. A plan has been filed with the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) to reduce its rates by 15 percent and with the reduction that went into effect in January customers will pay on average $10 less for power. The new figure is based on an average residential use of 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month.
