In Case You Missed It
Friday seems like a good day to do a bit of news round-up, so here goes.
:: Earlier this week, Gov. Perdue called for opening the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in order to help alleviate gas shortages across the state (which I questioned in a previous blog post). Surprisingly enough, however, the U.S. Department of Energy says it will release some 900,000 barrels of oil to two refineries who had requested the move. But the DOE made of point of noting that Perdue’s own request did not weigh on the decision to open the reserve. Whatever the case, metro Atlanta should be back to full capacity by, say, the end of the hurricane season. That’s only a few weeks off!
:: Wachovia has apparently rejected Citigroup’s buy-out proposal in favor of a $15 billion offer by Wells Fargo. Industry experts say the change is not likely to impact those who currently bank with Wachovia, as business operations will transfer with only cosmetic makeovers.
:: Despite a severely dry September, metro Atlanta is less on edge about the ongoing drought than a short year ago when it was front page news for weeks on end. One of the biggest reasons lies with the Corps of Engineers, who is now releasing nearly 40 percent less water from Lake Lanier than at this very time last fall.
:: A new high school is set to open next fall in north Fulton at the corner of State Bridge Road and Medlock Bridge Road. The $56.5 million, 300-acre site is expected to have an initial enrollment of nearly 1,800 students. Where do these kids keep coming from? Remember when it was just Roswell and Milton in these parts?
:: Eleven of thirteen Georgia congressman helped defeat the bailout bill in the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday. Only Democrats Jim Marshall (8th district) and Sanford Bishop (2nd district) supported the bill. Others, however, have said they will support a revised bill.