|
|
|
|
| USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map |
1/25/2012 |
|
| The 2012 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most likely to thrive at a location. The map is based on the average annual minimum winter temperature, divided into 10-degree F zones.
For the first time, the map is available as an interactive GIS-based map, for which a broadband Internet connection is recommended, and as static images for those with slower Internet access. Users may also simply type in a ZIP Code and find the hardiness zone for that area.
|
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Georgia Dept of Labor Agribusiness Info Guide |
1/10/2012 |
|
| The Georgia Agribusiness Information Guide
provides Georgia’s agricultural employers
with information about the Georgia
Department of Labor’s (Georgia DOL)
agricultural policies, and contacts for state
and national agricultural resources. This
guide is also available on the Georgia DOL
web site at www.dol.state.ga.us. |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| US Department of Labor- H2A Guide |
1/10/2012 |
|
| The H-2A temporary agricultural program allows agricultural employers who anticipate a shortage of domestic workers to bring nonimmigrant foreign workers to the U.S. to perform agricultural labor or services of a temporary or seasonal nature. |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Appeals court refuses to rehear tri-state water case |
9/20/2011 |
|
| A federal appeals court handed Georgia another victory in the decades-long tri-state water wars, refusing a request by Alabama and Florida for a new hearing on the use of Lake Lanier as a drinking water source for metro Atlanta.
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley on Monday vowed to press the issue with the Supreme Court.
“We are disappointed with the decision of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and will immediately seek review of the ruling in the United States Supreme Court,” Bentley said in a statement Monday. “Allowing Atlanta to tap water from Lake Lanier significantly limits the flow of water downstream to Alabama.”
Lawyers for Alabama and Florida had hoped to persuade the full 11th Circuit Court to review the decision in June by a three-judge panel overturning a 2009 order of U.S..... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Georgia immigration law enforced with help of new panel |
9/6/2011 |
|
| Georgia's top political leaders on Friday named the members of a powerful new investigative panel aimed at cracking down on government officials who fail to enforce the state's immigration-related laws.
Called the Immigration Enforcement Review Board, the seven-member panel will have the power to investigate complaints filed against city, county and state officials, hold hearings, subpoena documents, adopt regulations and hand out punishment.
The board stems from Georgia's new immigration enforcement law -- formerly known as House Bill 87 -- much of which went into effect July 1. The newly appointed members include an anti-illegal immigration activist, a sheriff, some attorneys and several local government officials. A spokesman for Gov. Nathan Deal said the board plans to hold its f.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Georgia's new immigration law requirements confuse businesses |
9/6/2011 |
|
| A provision in the law requires many businesses to use the federal E-Verify program to ensure their newly hired employees are eligible to work in the United States. Proponents say it will help block one of the main things that attracts illegal immigrants to Georgia: jobs.
On the other side, critics say that while the online program is free it will cost them time and money to use it. They also see holes in the law, which could block companies from getting business licenses if they don’t comply. And they question how the law will be enforced.
While some parts of Georgia’s law are tied up in federal court, other parts have been left untouched and took effect July 1. The E-Verify requirement, however, is being phased in, starting on Jan. 1 for the state’s largest employers. Smaller busin.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Federal judge puts Alabama immigration law on hold |
8/29/2011 |
|
| A federal judge has temporarily put on hold Alabama’s tough new law targeting illegal immigration amid a legal battle challenging the measure’s constitutionality.
Much of the law was scheduled to take effect Thursday. But Chief U.S. District Judge Sharon Blackburn issued an order Monday halting the law until Sept. 29.
In issuing her order Monday, Blackburn did not rule on the merits of the legal challenges. She said she will do that by Sept. 28.
The Justice Department filed suit this month to block Alabama’s law, arguing it would intrude on the federal government’s authority to regulate immigration. Last year, the Justice Department used the same legal argument to block parts of Arizona's law.
.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Houston, Monroe to check inmates’ immigration status |
8/22/2011 |
|
| At least two Middle Georgia counties are participating in a federal immigration program that helps local law enforcement identify whether inmates are in the country legally.
The program, known as Secure Communities, allows law enforcement to check the fingerprints of inmates against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement records to determine inmates’ immigration status. The program is expected to be nationwide by 2013.
|
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| EPA Issues Stop Sale Order to DuPont on Sale and Distribution of Imprelis Herbicide |
8/19/2011 |
|
| WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today issued an order to E.I. DuPont de Nemours (DuPont) directing the company to immediately halt the sale, use or distribution of Imprelis, an herbicide marketed to control weeds that has been reported to be harming a large number of trees, including Norway spruce and white pine. The order, issued under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), requires DuPont to stop the sale and distribution of Imprelis in the U.S. and outlines specific conditions to ensure that the removal of Imprelis from the market meets legal requirements.
This action follows EPA’s investigation into why a large number of evergreens and other trees have been harmed following the use of the herbicide. In its evaluation, EPA is inve.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| DOT clarifies inaccurate statement regarding CDLs and farm tractors |
8/19/2011 |
|
| S. Department of Transportation officials are disputing Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s statement at the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 8 that federal administrators plan to require a farmer driving a tractor across a public road to obtain a commercial driver’s license, according to the Des Moines Register.
DOT Secretary Ray LaHood released a statement Aug. 10 declaring no new regulations for America's ag community.
"No regulations will be proposed for any new safety requirements or changes to the rules governing the transport of agricultural products, farm machinery, or farm supplies to or from a farm," LaHood said. "We have no intention of instituting onerous regulations on the hardworking farmers who feed our country and fuel our economy.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Georgia puts probationers to work harvesting crops |
6/22/2011 |
|
| LESLIE, Ga. — It's 3:25 p.m. in a dusty cucumber field in south Georgia. A knot of criminal offenders who spent seven hours in the sun harvesting buckets of vegetables by hand have decided they're calling it quits — exactly as crew leader Benito Mendez predicted in the morning.
Unless the cucumbers come off the vine soon, they will become engorged with seeds, making them unsellable. Mendez's crew of Mexican and Guatemalan workers will keep harvesting until 6 p.m., maybe longer. Not so for the men participating in a new state-run program aimed at replacing the Latino migrants Georgia farmers say they've lost to a new immigration crackdown with unemployed probationers.
"Tired. The heat," said 33-year-old Tavares Jones, who left early and was walking down a dirt road toward a ride home..... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Atlanta-area police haven't trained to enforce new anti-illegal immigration law |
6/22/2011 |
|
| Many major Atlanta area police departments have not started training officers to enforce Georgia’s tough new anti-illegal immigration law, which is supposed to take effect July 1.
Among them are the DeKalb and Fulton county police departments and the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office, as well as the state police. Cherokee County will start training Wednesday; the Atlanta Police Department refused to discuss the question.
Part of the problem is uncertainty over the fate of the law, which is being challenged in federal court. Some law enforcement agencies say they won’t train their officers until after the judge rules on whether it can take effect. Meanwhile, some local police call the law vague and various agencies are divided on the powers it would give them.
.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Demography expert: Hispanics will double in Georgia over the next eight years |
6/7/2011 |
|
| ALBANY, Ga. — One of the nation’s top demographic experts said Monday that Georgia’s Hispanic population is expected to double in just over eight years, based on growth trends developed from census data.
The state’s fastest growing ethnicity, the Hispanic populace in Georgia grew by more than 96 percent between 2000 and 2010, Warren Brown, director of Applied Demography at the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government, said.
|
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| No relief in sight for sweltering heat |
6/7/2011 |
|
| Temperatures in metro Atlanta climbed into the 90s for the ninth consecutive day on Monday, and Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Karen Minton said that string will likely continue throughout this week, with only a slight chance of any storms to cool things down.
|
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Judges’ decision on water use from lake has put all other action on hold |
5/25/2011 |
|
| Waiting.
That's where state and local governments are left concerning the future of water intake from Lake Lanier.
The decision on if and when a moratorium on the reservoir's water use may take effect is up to the courts, and such rulings often tend to move at glacial speed.
It's been nearly two years since U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson issued his ruling that Georgia must reach an agreement to equitably share water in the Chattahoochee River basin by 2012 or metro Atlanta's water intakes would be scaled back to draconian mid-70s levels.
|
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Feds: Don't screen students for immigration status |
5/11/2011 |
|
| Federal authorities are warning public school officials across the country not to inquire about the immigration status of their students.
In Georgia, state lawmakers considered legislation this year that could have run counter to the warning.
House Bill 296 would have required the state Board of Education to tally the expenditures, by school district, for illegal immigrants in kindergarten through 12th grade. That information would have been published on the state board's website. But in accordance with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Plyler v. Doe, the state Board of Education's rules prohibit school officials from inquiring about the legal status of students.
Supporters of tougher immigration legislation in Georgia have argued that the state needs to take action because ill.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Immigration Law Could Change Crops |
5/11/2011 |
|
| Governor Nathan Deal says he will soon sign stricter immigration rules into law. Farmers say they won’t know the whole impact of the bill until the state fully implements it two years from now. But some agriculture experts say it may change what crops the state produces.
That's because the immigration bill would require businesses with more than 10 employees to use e-verify, a federal citizenship verification system, to determine if a prospective worker can work legally.
Charles Hall, head of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, says if farmers can’t employ large numbers of migrant workers they may stop growing |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Population growth stirs worries about stress on region's water supply |
5/10/2011 |
|
| Simply put: The metro's area's supply is limited, and he didn't want to make matters worse.
So Cavill -- who says his company, Capital 33, wanted to "help reduce our footprint" -- developed the complex as a green project. Toilets and faucets are low-flow, shower heads are water-efficient, and a cistern collects water for the landscaping.
Cavill's efforts may need to be become the norm as the state struggles with its limited water supply, experts say.
Metro Atlanta grew by 1 million people over the past decade, according to the U.S. census, and water -- or lack thereof -- could decide its continued strength as a region, the experts said.
|
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| initial draft recommended regional water plans available for review and comment Public notice and comment begins: May 9, 2011 |
5/10/2011 |
|
| initial draft recommended regional water plans available for review and comment Public notice and comment begins: May 9, 2011
Submit your comments through the comment collection website, via mail, e-mail or fax until: June 23, 2011
To connect to the comment collection website, click here
To review the Regional Water Plans, click here
As provided in the State Water Plan, the characteristics of water resources and water users vary significantly in differing regions across Georgia. Protecting the ability of the State's water resources to meet needs for water supply and assimilation of wastewater requires regional, resource-based plans that identify the management practices appropriate to the resources and users in each region.
.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Whirlpool of solutions to region’s water woes |
5/9/2011 |
|
| Throughout Northwest Georgia’s water crises and droughts, several proposed solutions have been competing for political, commercial and popular support. Driving this competition is metro Atlanta’s large and growing demand for water, paired with the harsh reality that Atlanta has no natural supply of water.
Many governmental and environmental groups have made suggestions, but it is the governors of Alabama, Georgia and Florida that must reach an agreement and put a plan into action
Read more: RN-T.com - Whirlpool of solutions to region’s water woes |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Napolitano: Congress must act on immigration, not states |
5/9/2011 |
|
| While U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano wouldn't comment on Georgia's Arizona-like immigration bill, she said Saturday that state legislative initiatives are not the way to address the issue.
"This is what [President Barack Obama] has said and I’ve been saying, state by state won’t cut it," Napolitano said in a speech to the Atlanta Press Club. "It’s got to be a federal reform of immigration laws."
The secretary was also in town to assess storm damage in Ringgold on Sunday and to address graduation at Emory University on Monday
|
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Gov. Deal Signs New Agriculture Bill |
5/9/2011 |
|
| Governor Nathan Deal signed a bill Friday that makes sustainable agriculture promotion the policy in Georgia.
Described as using ‘science-based agricultural practices,’ the bill calls for an integrated system that would expand output, but also protect natural resources and preserve the land for future generations.
In addition to this measure, the governor has signed a bill to amend rules on baiting deer and feral hogs.
In the past it was illegal to entice game animals with feed or salts, but this bill would permit the practice on private land.
Baiting for game birds or other animals remains prohibited by the state |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Ariz. taking immigration law to US Supreme Court |
5/9/2011 |
|
| PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer announced Monday she will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a ruling that put the most controversial parts of the state's immigration enforcement law on hold.
The planned appeal to the high court comes after Brewer lost an initial appeal April 11, when a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals refused to reverse a lower court's order that prevented key parts of the law from being enforced.
|
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| AZ Governor to take case to Supreme Court |
5/9/2011 |
|
|
Gov. Jan Brewer and Attorney General Tom Horne announced Monday that they will ask the nation's highest court to lift the injunction that has kept parts of Senate Bill 1070, the state's tough immigration law, from going into effect.
In appealing directly to the U.S. Supreme Court, Brewer and Horne are bypassing a full review by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
On April 11, a three-judge panel from the 9th Circuit refused to reverse a federal judge's order that blocked major parts of the law from taking effect, including a requirement that police enforcing other laws question people about their immigration status, if they have reason to suspect that they are in the country illegally.
.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Az.-style immigration bill picking up steam in Ga |
1/25/2011 |
|
| ATLANTA - The push for an Arizona-style anti-illegal immigrant law is picking up steam in the Georgia General Assembly and those opposed to it are not letting up either.
Such a controversial law would allow police to stop someone they suspect might be in the country illegally. But Jerry Gonzalez with the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials says such a bill is a "fool's errand."
"If we are trying to attract and retain foreign investing (in) Georgia as a main driver of economic growth in Georgia," Gonzalez tells Georgia News Network, "that's going to hurt our efforts. It has hurt Arizona's efforts."
He says Georgia lawmakers ought to be focused instead on job creation and economic development. Gonzalez says it's a myth that immigrants, even illegal immigrants, take jobs.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Georgia's agriculture industry predicted to stay stable |
1/25/2011 |
|
| Georgia’s agriculture industry should remain stable this year, especially as the “buying local” trend continues, agriculture experts said Monday morning during the 2011 Georgia Ag Forecast.
“Local foods may be the best path toward economic recovery. We spend $1 trillion buying food in this country, which is more than it took to bail out the banks,” said Ken Meter, president of Crossroads Resource Center in Minneapolis. “It’s the No. 2 expense after housing, so we’re forced to be inclusive in the economy.”
Meter, who has studied 58 regions in 25 states in the last decade, presented several innovative ideas for growing and selling food locally through collaborative groups, farmers markets and new farming practices.
“What I’m trying to determine is what happens to communities where p.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| “Water the World” |
1/25/2011 |
|
| The purpose of Camp H.A.I.T.I. is to raise awareness and money for irrigation projects in Haiti.
The land is available, viable water sources in place and the local man power ready. All we need is the funding to purchase the materials. - So consider joining us and help spread the word.
How do we plan to raise awareness? Our Co-Founder, David Youssi is committed to camping every evening; dusk until dawn whether it is snowing, sleeting, icing, hailing, raining, or other and does not plan to get back into his warm bed until the money is raised for at least one of our three projects can become a reality. If we can reach enough people who can give at least $1 we can pay for all three proposed projects.
Why Camping? David will be camping to represent the 1 million people in Haiti wh.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Bill Would Put Teeth In Immigration Law |
1/24/2011 |
|
|
EAST COBB - State Sen. Judson Hill (R-east Cobb) wants to put teeth in an existing law designed to keep public employers from hiring illegal immigrants.
"The bill's intent is to help employ Georgians by ensuring that only American citizens are hired on any public works projects, such as constructing roads and government buildings," Hill said. "When taxpayers' money is used to develop government projects, then I believe that the contractors we hire must be required to show that they only employ people who are here lawfully."
Immigration reform activist D.A. King of Marietta, a supporter of the bill, said it was blocked last year by the lobbying firms that represent the city and county governments of Georgia, known as the Georgia Municipal Association and Association of County Commi.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Water plan asks Georgia 'evaluate' Tennessee River |
11/18/2010 |
|
| BLUE RIDGE, Ga. -- The very first suggestion on a North Georgia group's draft plan to solve the region's water supply issues is to look at the Tennessee River.
With a January deadline looming to start collecting public comment, the Coosa-North Georgia Water Planning Council reviewed the first draft of a plan its members have been working on for more than a year.
The plan lists 45 best-management action items, including one that says the state should "evaluate potential partnerships in meeting future water supply needs, including sources such as the Tennessee River."
Georgia officials periodically have mentioned tapping the Tennessee as a source of water for Atlanta, which came frighteningly close to running out of water in a drought during 2006, 2007 and 2008.
To a man, Tenness.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Lawmakers scramble over mistake involving non-compete law |
11/18/2010 |
|
| discrepancy in legislation leading up to the constitutional amendment adopted by voters on Nov. 2 leaves the new rules vulnerable to legal challenges and has supporters planning a fix when lawmakers return to session in January. Meanwhile, legal experts are warning clients not to enter into agreements under the new rules until the situation is resolved.
"It's just unfortunate that we didn't have some better insight about that language," House Judiciary Committee Chairman Wendell Willard, R-Sandy Springs, said.
Amendment 1, overwhelmingly approved by voters in the Nov. 2 election, allows Georgia businesses better control of former employees who might get job offers from competitors. But, because of a discrepancy over the start date for the new rules as authorized by the new law, Will.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| UGA to offer new agribusiness degree in Tifton |
11/17/2010 |
|
| By Jessica Michelle Green
The University System of Georgia Board of Regents recently gave the University of Georgia approval to offer a new program at its Tifton location. The new agribusiness major focuses on the “money side” of agriculture, giving students a head start on the diverse management, marketing and financial strategies associated with agriculture, the state’s No. 1 industry.
And the industry is looking for business-savvy students, said Octavio Ramirez, head of the UGA department of agricultural and applied economics, from which the degree will be offered.
“A recent study concluded that there is a great demand for such a program in south Georgia, and we want to be responsive to the needs of the citizens of our state. In addition, the demand for agribusiness profession.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Warnings Abound In Enforcing Immigration Job Rules |
11/3/2010 |
|
| They cost clothing chain Abercrombie & Fitch $1 million in fines, tripped up Meg Whitman's campaign for California governor, prompted mass layoffs across the country and have been at the center of countless other workplace immigration disputes.
An obscure federal document called the I-9 form has emerged as a contentious element in the national immigration debate since the Obama administration vowed to go after employers who hire undocumented workers. Employers must fill out and sign the form, which requires them to acknowledge, under penalty of perjury, that they examined documents that allow an employee to work.
The Obama administration a year ago announced plans to ramp up I-9 audits — a shift from the notorious work site raids common under the Bush administration.
But most empl.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| 4 Things Small Businesses Should Know About Facebook’s New Groups |
11/3/2010 |
|
| When Facebook() overhauled its Groups this month, users responded with a healthy dose of skepticism and a little bit of confusion. Would these new Groups be powerful new social tools, or just another social media distraction to keep track of? Business owners can wonder the same.
First off, you need to know that unlike Pages(), Facebook’s new Groups are not made strictly for brand promotion. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get some value out of them, either by using them to reach out to would-be clients or customers or to facilitate communication and community inside your company.
Here’s what you need to know about how Groups can be used by your business.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Tax Reform Council Gets an Earful |
10/7/2010 |
|
|
Those representing agriculture and business made their concerns known Wednesday when the Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness for Georgians held a forum at Columbus State University.
The council, created by an act of the General Assembly, is examining the state’s tax code and revenue sources.
It must complete its work by Jan. 10 and report back to the Georgia House. The General Assembly, using information gathered by the commission, will prepare legislation to assess issues with the state’s tax structure.
Five local legislators — Rep. Debbie Buckner, D-Junction City; Rep. Richard Smith, R-Columbus; Rep. Kip Smith, R-Columbus; Rep. Carolyn Hugley, D-Columbus; and Sen. Ed Harbison, D-Columbus attended the forum.
“These are our clients,” Commission Chairman A.D. Frazi.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Regional water planning councils meet in Macon |
10/7/2010 |
|
|
Members of Georgia’s 11 regional water planning councils met Wednesday at Macon State College to compare their sometimes conflicting ideas about how to improve water quality and quantity in the state.
Some councils were considering recommendations such as statewide guidelines for septic systems, or restoring swamps drained for tree planting half a century ago, or “nutrient trading.” (This would essentially allow sewage treatment plants to release more treated waste into streams in exchange for eliminating “non-point” waste sources such as polluted runoff from farms, dirt roads and asphalt.)
Read more: http://www.macon.com/2010/10/07/1293218/water-councils-meet-in-macon.html#ixzz11h3qHKyu.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Differences between Deal and Barnes on water are by degree |
9/26/2010 |
|
| By Walter Jones
Morris News Service
ATLANTA -- Gubernatorial candidates Nathan Deal and Roy Barnes both rank solving the state's water crisis as a top priority, and they mention many of the same solutions, such as building more reservoirs and negotiating with neighboring states. The biggest differences come in how far they are proposing to go toward those goals.
However, one step they both vow not to take is laying a cross-country pipeline to withdraw water from the Savannah River to supply Atlanta.
"Taking water from the Savannah River Basin is not an option," Deal says.
Barnes frequently uses the line, "Ours is a storage problem. Ours is not a supply problem."
Deal, the Republican nominee, tells audiences he is the candidate most familiar with the water battle between Alab.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Dawson County eyes new reservoir |
9/26/2010 |
|
| By Melissa Weinman
mweinman@gainesvilletimes.com
POSTED: September 25, 2010 11:17 p.m.
While Hall County is working to get Glades Reservoir off the ground, another large reservoir may be in the works just down the road.
There are many obstacles to overcome, but talks are under way to build a reservoir on Dawson Forest property - a 10,000 acre-tract in neighboring Dawson County.
The Etowah Water and Sewer Authority, the purveyor of water and sewer services for Dawson County, is hoping to obtain the land now owned by the city of Atlanta and build a reservoir on part of the property; that reservoir could supply as much as 100 million gallons per day.
.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Have we forgotten about water? |
9/26/2010 |
|
| Water issues may be far from most voters' minds in Georgia, but in less than two years, Lake Lanier's uses will be drastically changed. And the next governor will be the one leading efforts to secure the state's water rights.
After decades of arguments between Georgia, Alabama and Florida over who has rights to the water along the Chattahoochee River, U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson said in July 2009 he will severely restrict metro Atlanta's use of Lake Lanier in 2012 unless political leaders in the three states reach a deal.
Trying to wrap up talks before all three governors leave office in December, Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue sent letters to Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Alabama Gov. Bob Riley earlier this month to set up a meeting.
"He's always found that the most progress ha.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Agriculture commissioner race has new faces this time |
9/26/2010 |
|
| ATLANTA --- The three men running for agriculture commissioner this year are concentrating their proposals on strengthening the farm economy.
All consumers depend on products regulated by the agriculture commissioner, from grocery stores and pet shops to the quality of gasoline. The commissioner deals with so many issues, including foreign affairs as they relate to food exports and homeland security as it relates to food safety, that the job is written into the state constitution.
The same man, Tommy Irvin, has held the job for 41 years. That means whoever wins in November will likely reshape the Department of Agriculture in significant ways.
Running this year are Republican Gary Black; Democrat J.B. Powell, a former Augusta Commission member; and Libertarian Kevin Cherry. The two.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Hot season stirs worry of returning drought |
9/13/2010 |
|
| of the warmest summers in Georgia history, coupled with unusually dry weather this fall, could herald the return of drought conditions in 2011, according to state climatologist David Stooksbury.
Photos
Michael Holahan/Staff
The lower water level in the Savannah River leaves a sandbar more exposed near the New Savannah Bluff Dam. Releases from Thurmond Lake are being limited to sustain the lake level. "It wasn't that the daytime high temperatures were that unusual," he said. "It was the warm nighttime temperatures that set records."
Augusta was among many locations with at least 60 years of climate data that yielded record warm average daily minimum temperatures, which indicate unusually high nighttime temperatures, he said.
Records were also set in Waynesboro, Louisville, Atlant.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Precipitation low heading into fall |
9/13/2010 |
|
|
The relatively dry conditions in Brunswick and the Golden Isles the past few months will likely continue throughout the fall and winter seasons.
Pam Knox, assistant state climatologist, says that is often the driest part of the year, and she sees no indication now that it will change.
"The hurricane season is almost over," she said. "Things will soon be dying down. So now, it's hit or miss if Georgia will get any tropical activity."
September and October can be active periods for tropical storms. Hurricane season officially ends Nov. 1.
"We usually get rain from these tropical systems, but we haven't this year," Knox said. "That will leave us a little drier than normal going into fall, winter and even early spring."
Knox points to an existing La Niña system in the P.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| State Master Gardeners to get ‘in tune with nature’ |
9/12/2010 |
|
| The number of green thumbs in LaGrange will jump significantly early next month, as more than 240 Master Gardeners come to town for the Georgia Master Gardener Association fall conference.
The Oct. 1-2 event marks the first - and likely only - time for Troup County Master Gardeners to host the statewide gathering, which opens with Friday afternoon tours, workshops and a reception at historic Hills and Dales Estate, the Fuller E. Callaway Jr. family home and gardens off Vernon Street.
“Hosting this state meeting of Georgia Master Gardeners is an ideal way to continue the legacy of gardening at Hills and Dales,” said executive director Carleton Woods. “Alice Callaway loved gardening, and to have a large number of dedicated gardeners come to her garden seemed like the right thing to do..... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Drought conditions spreading |
9/12/2010 |
|
| Dry conditions officially crept back into the tri-state area this week as more areas of Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama were classified as “abnormally dry.”
Parts of Bradley, McMinn and Polk counties in Tennessee were classified as dry on the U.S. Drought Mitigation Center’s Drought Monitor report Thursday.
Portions of Georgia’s Whitfield, Murray, Gordon, Fannin, Gilmer and Pickens counties, as well as Alabama’s Jackson, DeKalb and Cherokee counties, also were listed in the category, which is the lowest of five levels of severity.
Pam Knox, Georgia’s assistant state climatologist, said the classification is “no cause for alarm” yet but an indication that the area needs some rain.
“Over the course of the summer, we’ve seen dry conditions edging into Georgia from the east and the .... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Corps to officially remove ‘water usage' from Lanier manual |
9/12/2010 |
|
| The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has rejected a request by Georgia to include water usage in its updated manual for operations of Lake Lanier. The decision means the corps intends to officially go back to operating Buford Dam at Lake Lanier for its original purpose: flood control, navigation and hydropower.
The corps last wrote an operating manual for the reservoir about 50 years ago. And while it did not include water supply among its “major uses,” the corps later entered into contracts with surrounding counties and municipalities for drinking water.
In 1989, it adopted a draft manual -- never formalized -- which for the first time cited water usage as part of its operational plan. That draft plan remains in effect, according to attorney Todd Silliman of McKenna, Long & Aldridge, wh.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Official: Lake at ‘ground zero’ of water fight |
9/12/2010 |
|
| By Jennifer Shrader
Staff writer
Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper Sally Bethea said Thursday that West Point Lake is “at ground zero” in the decades-long water wars between Alabama, Georgia and Florida and is often the odd man out when it comes to Georgia’s statewide considerations.
“It is almost like this area doesn’t exist” when the battle heats up between metro Atlanta’s water needs and environmental and other interests in Florida, Bethea told LaGrange College Leadership Council members at their annual meeting.
The lake, at one time the admitted “workhorse” of the Chattahoochee River basin, is often used as the primary supply for water for downstream needs, especially because the Flint River has no dams and is used for agriculture irrigation. This especially was true in the 2.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Tri-state water battle: Please, governors, get back to the table |
9/12/2010 |
|
| Georgia has less than two years to resolve the matter before a federal judge throttles back the Atlanta region’s primary water supply to levels not seen in more than a generation, when our population was smaller by millions. And that’s the long-term, in a sense.
Short-term, we’ve got only until about New Year’s Eve for the sitting governors of Alabama, Florida and Georgia to reach a peace treaty in the water wars. For the good of these states and the South in general, they should hop to that task without further delay. Their work plan and goal should be simple — buckle down with the intent of inking a deal before they clean out their respective offices in January.
Gov. Sonny Perdue made an excellent point in an Aug. 2 letter inviting Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Alabama Gov. Bob .... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Atlanta Forward / Another View: Leaders’ legacies at stake in water dispute |
9/12/2010 |
|
| The governors of Georgia, Florida and Alabama have had plenty of issues to deal with in recent years: recession, unemployment, declining revenue, budget cuts and, in Alabama’s case, state raids on electronic bingo operations.
Nevertheless, the need to settle the decade-long dispute over how much water the metro Atlanta area can take from Lake Lanier and the Chattahoochee River continues to hover over their administrations.
By now, readers of this page know that a federal judge’s ruling made it clear that metro Atlanta’s water supply will be drastically cut if an agreement between the states is not reached by 2012. If so, one of Georgia’s major economic regions will be severely affected, putting its immense growth at risk.
However, it should be noted that Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| More cuts may come to campus: Regents OK budget plans |
8/20/2010 |
|
| On top of previous budget cuts and tuition increases, Gov. Sonny Perdue issued a directive requiring state agencies to submit 4, 6 and 8 percent reduction plans for fiscal year 2011.
The Board of Regents approved the University’s reduction plan proposals, and the Regents will submit them to Perdue’s office by Sept. 1.
The state has already begun withholding 4 percent from the University. At the 4 percent level, the total amount cut from the University System of Georgia is $77 million. At the 6 percent level, the budget will be reduced by a cumulative amount of $115 million, and at the 8 percent level, the budget will be reduced by a cumulative $154 million.
For the University, this means a $16 million dollar reduction at the 4 percent level. It could also mean buildings without
.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Ag jobs at risk after UGA told to cut |
8/5/2010 |
|
| The University of Georgia plans to delay replacing 35 faculty members, and more than a dozen workers in UGA's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences may lose their jobs to meet budget-cutting orders issued last month by Gov. Sonny Perdue.
University administrators also will delay replacing 25 teaching assistants and eliminate nearly two dozen agricultural researchers, Cooperative Extension and other jobs under plans submitted to the University System Board of Regents.
Also on the chopping block are about $2 million in electrical, plumbing, mechanical and other forms of maintenance, $1.8 million for computers and other supplies and $1 million for purchasing scholarly journals and other library materials.
Administrators expect the regents next week to approve a 4 percent.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Landscape Improvements Increase Home Value and Resale Odds |
8/4/2010 |
|
| In a crowded and depressed real-estate market, homeowners may be best served to undertake exterior home improvements like landscaping in order to increase the value of their homes and to help their property stand out to prospective buyers, according to the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (ALCC).
A study in Lubbock, Texas, published in the Journal of Environmental Horticulture, evaluated 75 homes and concluded that every dollar invested in landscaping returns $1.35 – or a 35 percent return on investment. The same study found that having high-quality landscape compared to an average home increases the sales price of the home by 5.7 percent. This number jumped to a 10.8 percent increase in the value of a home when comparing an excellent quality landscape to an average landsca.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| No Pesticides on School Playfields |
8/4/2010 |
|
| In 2005, Connecticut became the first state to ban the applications of synthetic weed killers around schools and daycare centers in grades K-8. The new Connecticut law extends the ban to include pesticides on grass or playing fields on the grounds of any public or private preschool or public or private school with students in grade K-8.
Public and private schools in Connecticut that have children in eighth grade or lower will no longer be able to use pesticides on their grass or playing fields, so says the new state law that took effect July 1, 2010.
The law, which the Conn. General Assembly passed this winter, expanded the prohibition of pesticides on school grounds to the playing fields. The law, however, does allow pesticide use to eliminate “an immediate threat to human .... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Month had plenty of triple-digit days |
8/3/2010 |
|
| But according to the National Weather Service, the two record setting temperatures observed in Augusta during the month were lows, not highs.
Despite those record lows -- 59 degrees set July 3 and again the morning of July 4 -- the month also included seven days of triple-digit temperatures, the most in at least a half-decade.
Temperatures of 100 or higher were recorded at the Augusta Regional Airport monitoring station July 8, 9, 20, 21, 22, 25 and 26, according to records. The highest temperature was 103 degrees, recorded July 9.
By comparison, July included only one triple-digit day in 2009, one in 2008, none in 2007 and three in 2006.
What will August be like?
There were no triple-digit temperatures in August 2009 and just two in 2008.
August 2007, however, was an exc.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| HOPE's dwindling finances worry lawmakers |
8/3/2010 |
|
| Georgia’s popular HOPE scholarship is at the tipping point as demand outstrips its funding.
"This is not a train wreck about to happen," said Rep. Len Walker (R-Loganville), chairman of the House higher education committee. "The train wreck has happened."
Lawmakers agreed Monday that changes are needed to keep the merit program used by more than 200,000 students annually financially viable. That legislation isn't expected until this winter. Instead a joint meeting between the House and Senate higher education committees served to shock lawmakers into understanding the severity of the situation.
The Georgia Lottery, which supports the scholarship and prekindergarten programs, is one of the most successful in the country but it can’t keep up as more people attend college and tuition.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| New council could make big changes in taxes |
7/28/2010 |
|
| And that means everything -- from eliminating loopholes and restoring a 4 percent sales tax on all groceries to adding new levies on services from haircuts to auto repairs and giving businesses incentives to hire.
While political leaders say they want the committee to modernize -- not raise -- taxes, the Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness will be the most heavily lobbied group around. Every business and industry in the state will want to either make sure its current exemptions are kept on the books or try to get new tax breaks.
The group’s final recommendations will go to the General Assembly, which will vote them up or down when they return for the 2011 legislative session in January.
In addition to discussing what taxes people pay and how they pay them, the committee als.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| UGA research team unlocks secret to producing lucky four-leaf clovers |
7/12/2010 |
|
| Researchers led by a University of Georgia plant scientist have figured out the genetic secret of the four-leaf clover.
But Wayne Parrott didn't find the gene for the rare four-leaf trait through a lucky stroke or help from leprechauns.
It took 18 years of research and modern DNA analytical techniques to find the gene, said Parrott.
Parrott, who came to UGA in 1988, worked with UGA graduate student Rebecca Tashiro and other researchers at UGA and Oklahoma's Noble Foundation to find the four-leaf gene.
Looking for the lucky four-leaf clover gene has been a sort of sideline from Parrott's more traditional research projects, such as trying to improve switchgrass to be a better raw material for biofuel production. He's also developing soybeans that can resist insect pests and nematod.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Just about all ?to feel financial reform changes |
7/12/2010 |
|
| Hovaness Kabbenjian dreads when a customer whips out a credit or debit card just to buy a soda at his cafe in Perimeter Mall.
So the owner of Hovan Mediterranean Gourmet said he sometimes tells regular customers to just pay him on the next visit so he can avoid the charge for processing a debit card transaction.
“I hate to pay somebody 25 cents for a sale of $1.35,” he said.
But soon, retailers like Kabbenjian could get relief from what they consider onerous fees. The requirement to charge “reasonable” debit or credit card fees is just one small part of what has been called the most sweeping financial reform in a generation.
The proposed law, which lawmakers are hoping to soon send to President Barack Obama for his signature, aims to avoid a repeat of the financial meltdown of.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Soil moisture monitor draws raves at Field Day |
7/9/2010 |
|
| Alan Mauldin
The Moultrie Observer
MOULTRIE — A soil moisture monitoring system new to Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition can help conserve water and allow farmers to irrigate before plants become stressed from lack of water.
In one instance this year in Mitchell County, a farmer using the system saved an estimated three inches of irrigation.
Over an 8,000-acre field, that amounts to 6.5 million fewer gallons of water pumped on the field, said Rad Yager, a Dougherty County cooperative extension agent who also does research at the C.M. Stripling Irrigation Research Park outside Camilla.
For the farmer, that means 1,120 fewer gallons of diesel used to pump that water, which at $3 a gallon means $3,360 in fuel savings, Yager said.
Probes measure soil moisture at five different .... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Perdue signs water stewardship bill |
6/2/2010 |
|
| Governor Sonny Perdue's bill signing pen has been busy the past two weeks.
Perdue has been signing dozens of bills passed during the 2010 legislative session. He has until June 8 to veto any bills. Anything not signed or vetoed by June 8 becomes law without Perdue's signature.
On Tuesday, Perdue signed Senate Bill 370, the Water Stewardship Act of 2010. The bill signing was held at Lake Lanier's Buford Dam Park, and Perdue was joined by State Rep. Lynn Smith, R-Newnan.
Smith, chairwoman of the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee, and her Senate counterpart, Russ Tolleson, crafted the bill.
Georgia has required the use of low-flow toilets, shower heads, urinals and faucets in new construction since 1992. The 2010 act tightens the flow requirements for everythin.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Properly fertilized turf grass has environmental benefits |
6/2/2010 |
|
| The Star's recent article and editorial comments regarding the negative effects of phosphate fertilizer should not be taken at face value.
Most studies of the contribution of phosphates to algae build-up are inconclusive. One of the most respected, a study by the U.S. Geological Survey on lakes in Wisconsin, simply could not determine one way or the other whether phosphate fertilizer applications to lawns had any effect on adjoining bodies of water. However, there are some things we do know about the results of proper fertilizer use on turf grass.
Properly maintained grass purifies water as it leaches through it. One of the best ways to prevent erosion and runoff is with a thick and deeply rooted lawn. Properly maintained lawns remove smoke, dust and other pollutants fr.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Tri-state water talks bog down |
6/1/2010 |
|
| WASHINGTON - After starting with a rush, negotiations in the water wars between Georgia, Alabama and Florida have apparently slowed to a trickle, leaving the future of metro Atlanta's water supply still in limbo.
In accordance with a federal judge's ruling last year, Georgia's two senators recently took formal steps in Congress to try and keep the water flowing from Lake Lanier to metro Atlanta after 2012.
But their proposed legislation may not make any difference until negotiators and governors of the three states come to an agreement on allocation rates from Lake Lanier and the Chattahoochee River -- something that's taking much longer than anybody wanted.
Negotiators originally said they wanted to have a tri-state pact in place within a few months after their first meeting l.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Perdue to sign water act at Lanier |
6/1/2010 |
|
| Gov. Sonny Perdue is set to sign the Georgia
Water Stewardship Act of 2010 today at Lake Lanier’s Buford Dam.
Authored in the wake of a federal court ruling against Atlanta-region withdrawals from the lake, the legislation’s conservation initiatives will affect the en-tire state —
including water-rich Rome and Floyd County.
Permanent outdoor watering restrictions, low-flow plumbing fixtures, individual water meters in new apartments and water-loss standards for public systems are among the mandates.
Also, farmers sitting on an old permit to withdraw water from a well or stream will have three years to either “use it or lose it.”
Provisions were drawn from recommendations made by the
Governor’s Water Contingency Task Force.
Rome City Manager John Bennett, who serv.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Sen. Isakson questions Kagan on water wars, other issues |
5/26/2010 |
|
| WASHINGTON -- Sen. Johnny Isakson quizzed Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan on everything from gun rights to her opinions on Georgia's water wars with neighboring states during a private meeting Tuesday.
Georgia's junior senator said he has concerns about Kagan's lack of judicial experience and her previous stance on military recruiting on college campuses, but he isn't saying publicly whether he plans to vote to confirm her.
"This was a meeting just to get to know the person a little better," Isakson, a Republican, said after his 15-minute meeting on Capitol Hill with President Barack Obama's newest nominee to the nation's highest court.
"Her responses were thoughtful, and I look forward to doing what I do in these cases," he said. "I'm going to watch [her testimony] before the [.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Senate Dems to give federal commission say over legal immigrant workers |
5/26/2010 |
|
| By Laura Litvan
Monday, May 24, 2010
Democrats crafting an overhaul of U.S. immigration laws are bringing a new approach to a long-stalled debate: giving a federal commission some power over the future flow of legal foreign workers.
Senate Democratic leaders are drafting a measure to authorize a commission to recommend levels of employment-based visas and green cards that let immigrants work legally in the United States. The plan would require Congress, in certain cases, to vote when immigrant labor is deemed out of line with demand. Although the commission would have limited influence over the skilled-immigrant market for technology and other industries, it would have a major role in regulating low-skilled foreign labor.
The idea is another example of lawmakers showing a will.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Round 2 of tri-state water hearings nears court |
5/10/2010 |
|
| By Jeff Gill
jgill@gainesvilletimes.com
POSTED May 9, 2010 11:30 p.m.
Memories of the two-year drought that drained Lake Lanier to a historic low are about to be revived in the courtroom.
Oral arguments could take place in June or July over the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ operation of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin — another thorny issue in Georgia’s ongoing water battle with Alabama and Florida.
Florida invoked the Endangered Species Act to force the corps to maintain higher flows during the 2007-09 drought to protect several threatened and endangered species in the Apalachicola River, which winds through the Panhandle to the Gulf of Mexico.
That set off a political barrage from Georgia, including Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, who said he found it “u.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| With new rules, water system repairs on tap |
5/10/2010 |
|
| By Merritt Melancon - merritt.melancon@onlineathens.com
Published Monday, May 10, 2010
Buzz up!WINDER - Water departments have long encouraged customers to fix leaky pipes and running toilets in order to conserve water, but some older water systems have not been taking their own advice.
Even during drought conditions, some systems lose almost a one-fifth of the water they purify through leaky water mains, but many are starting to take the leakage more seriously.
"There comes a time for every water system where you have to start paying more attention to your existing infrastructure," said Roger Wilhelm, director of the Winder Utility Department. "You've got to switch gears: Stop focusing on expansion and start focusing on rehabilitation."
Ignoring the city's old pipes unless th.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Gwinnett opens gates on water reclamation effort to Lanier |
5/6/2010 |
|
| By Patrick Fox
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gwinnett County opened the valves Wednesday on a $72 million pipeline that will send some 40 million gallons of treated water a day back into Lake Lanier -- and return it cleaner than when it left.
The opening of the pipeline, 10 years in the making, comes as the county is fighting to keep its access to the lake, its sole source of water for its nearly 800,000 residents. It gives Gwinnett bragging rights for reducing its impact on a coveted resource embroiled in a three-state feud.
"Getting ready to put as much as 40 million gallons a day of treated water back into Lake Lanier will be a huge plus in the water wars," said County Commission Chairman Charles Bannister.
Gwinnett County has joined the state in asking an appeals .... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| EPA Takes a Second Look at Popular Pesticide Atrazine |
5/5/2010 |
|
| By By Jack Weingart, CBS News Investigative Unit
The Environmental Protection Agency is rethinking its regulatory position on atrazine, one of the most commonly-used weed killers in America, as new scientific studies find the pesticide more hazardous than previously believed.
The EPA's independent scientific advisory panel is set to review the EPA's most recent evaluation of the popular pesticide atrazine and its non-cancer effects in a four-day public meeting starting next Monday, April 26.
Atrazine has been on the market and deemed safe by the U.S. government since 1958. The EPA estimates 76.5 million pounds of active ingredient are applied across the country every year, primarily on corn crops in the Midwest.
Even though the EPA concluded in 2003 that atrazine was "not likely.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Retail Group Dumps Fertilizer Ban |
5/5/2010 |
|
| EDITOR'S NOTE: This story updates, expands and clarifies our first report posted April 20.
As Pinellas County goes, so goes Florida -- so environmentalists hope.
But the Florida Retail Federation says Pinellas' ban on the sale of certain fertilizers in the summer months would sow chaos for business if that prohibition were to randomly spread city by city, county by county.
Attempting to nip local bans in the bud, the Retail Federation supported an amended version of House Bill 1445 to authorize the state's agriculture commissioner to regulate fertilizer sales.
"We understand there are federal water quality guidelines and that each area of the state has unique issues. We also believe this is best handled at the state level," said Sally West, director of government affairs for th.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Huge electric rate hike request on horizon |
4/30/2010 |
|
| Georgia Power will be asking for a “significant” rate increase this summer, possibly topping $800 million per year, utility regulators said on Thursday.
The figure dwarfs the company’s past two rate increase requests.
Georgia Power received $515 million per year total in new revenues from the rate cases decided in 2004 and 2007. Those combined hikes raised the typical residential customer's bill by about $9 per month.
It's not yet clear how much the upcoming increase request would raise customers' bills, how much of it regulators would actually approve, or how much of it will be borne by businesses as opposed to residential customers.
The company won't file its rate increase request until July, and typically keeps details under wraps until the filing.
In a conference with Wa.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| For Georgia businesses, 2010 state legislative session a winner |
4/29/2010 |
|
| For business interests, this year's state legislative session was a smashing success, delivering on three high-profile issues targeted by leaders: Transportation, water and education.
But there were other gains, too, including the creation of a special council to study tax reform, and tax credits for investors in startup companies. Big and small business groups both hailed the session, which concludes Thursday.
Suzanne Sitherwood, chairwoman of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, cited better communication among business groups, including the Metro Atlanta Chamber, the Atlanta Regional Commission and the Council for Quality Growth.
"It all came together," said Sitherwood, president of Atlanta Gas Light. "We spoke with one voice."
Renay Blumenthal, senior vice president of the .... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| In time of cuts, state still pays for roadside beauty |
4/19/2010 |
|
| The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
At the same time it is scraping for every penny, the state continues to spend more than $3 million a year planting roadside flowers and landscaping, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.
In fact, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has learned, the DOT has $1.3 million in flower-planting reserves that it won’t spend on anything else.
Because, according to state officials, that would be illegal.
Even if DOT wanted to bend to the brutal economy and spend the flower-planting money on roads rather than roadsides, it couldn’t. That money comes from the sale of special car license plates with wildflower themes, and state law mandates that the revenues from those tags be spent on beautification, no matter what. It’s in a state statute, a.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Panel OKs authority to limit Atlanta water |
4/16/2010 |
|
| ATLANTA --- Communities wanting to block Atlanta from taking water out of local rivers won a victory Thursday in a legislative committee but might get set back again next week.
An amendment to restrict the transfer of water from one river basin to another won passage Thursday in the House Natural Resources Committee.
The amendment, sought by legislators from outside of Atlanta, would put into law guidelines that were drafted last year for the state's water-use plan but which don't currently have the force of law.
The director of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division would have to weigh various scientific, engineering and economic considerations before granting new permits for withdrawal from rivers when the water would be used in a different river basin.
It was added to.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Moment of Silence Harry Joseph Baldwin, FASLA |
4/8/2010 |
|
| Harry Joseph Baldwin, 86, of Doraville, Ga. passed away March 12, 2010 at St. Joseph’s Hospital of heart failure.
Mr. Baldwin left his mark on Atlanta-area landscapes. His nearly 60 years of landscape architecture work included numerous apartment complexes, office parks and subdivisions in Atlanta. His favorite work was designing parks to let people connect with nature. He also did master plans for the campuses of Morehouse College and West Georgia University, Gwinnett Technology Park, Ebenezer Baptist, Wesley Woods Seniors Center, a wheelchair-accessible garden at the Shepherd Center and a number of marinas at
Lake Lanier.
The ASLA honored Mr. Baldwin’s designs with two awards: in 1984 for his plan for Emmie Smith Park in Lithonia, and in 1985 for his renovation of DeKalb Memoria.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| State ends 15-month slide with positive revenue news |
4/8/2010 |
|
| Though overall tax collections in March rose by just 1 percent over 2009, it's the first positive signal on revenue collections since November 2008.
However, the numbers, reported by Gov. Sonny Perdue's office, aren't nearly enough to make a dent in the state's budget woes.
"While we are always cautious about reading too much into a single month's revenue report, the March numbers are certainly encouraging," Perdue said in a statement. "Springtime in Georgia always brings us the Masters and the Braves' opening day, and I am hopeful we are also seeing the first buds of economic recovery."
Revenue collections were boosted by a surge in corporate income tax payments and a modest bump in gross sales tax collections. Businesses paid 9.8 percent more in income taxes in March than a year.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| White House starts $21 million program to aid small businesses |
4/8/2010 |
|
| By David Cho
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, April 5, 2010
In March 2009, President Obama vowed to address the drought of bank lending to small companies and announced an initiative to use $15 billion from the federal bailout to unfreeze the markets that finance Small Business Administration loans.
More than a year later, the program was finally launched -- as a $21 million effort.
The program is one of several small-business lending initiatives developed by the administration that have struggled to get off the ground. Meanwhile, lending to these companies has fallen. Federal data show that lending to small businesses by community banks declined by about $8 billion, or 2 percent, between September 2008 and September 2009.
Administration officials say helping small b.... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Harvesting rainwater to ease Atlanta’s water woes |
4/8/2010 |
|
| Metro Atlanta’s water challenges have rolled through the region like a giant thunderclap in the night, waking its residents from their dream that Georgia’s water resources are unlimited and well-managed.
.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson’s order threatening a dramatic rollback in the amount of water the region can withdraw from Lake Lanier, last year’s drought and staggering property damage from storm-inundated water channels have made indisputably clear the need for new ways to think about how we gather, use and manage our water resources.
The fastest, easiest and most effective technique for increasing our available water resources, coping with drought conditions and controlling storm runoff has been overlooked so far in efforts to change the state’s water management systems, .... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Groups lobby against English-only driver's license test |
4/8/2010 |
|
| By Ernie Suggs
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Now that a controversial bill designed to prevent anyone from taking the Georgia driver’s license test in any language other than English has moved out of the Senate, opponents rallied at the Capitol on Wednesday to prevent it from becoming a law.
Calling the bill anti-immigration, racist and xenophobic, as well as an economic development killer, opponents are calling on the Georgia House to block the bill.
“This demonstrates the strong growing opposition to this bad public policy bill,” said Jerry Gonzalez, executive director for the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials. “This bill goes after legal immigrants for not being proficient in English.”
Currently, a Georgia driver’s license test can be administered in .... |
| Click here to view entire article. |
| |
| |
|
|
| Heavy winter rains didn't wash away watering schedule |
4/1/2010 |
|
| You may not know it, but if your house has an even-numbered address and you are watering your lawn on Tuesday, you are violating Georgia law.
"It hasn't really been an issue yet because historically, in the past few months, it's been pretty wet. But many residents probably don't realize there are any regulations on outdoor watering right now, and would probably be surprised to know they are on a three-day only regulation," Kathy Nguyen, senior project manager for the Cobb County Water System, said.
Nguye
|