Voters in Fulton County will decide the fate of the largest and costliest library construction program in state history when they visit the ballot box on Nov. 4. If approved, the plan would add eight new libraries, including another Roswell branch. In addition, two libraries will be expanded and 23 others will receive renovations. Funding for the $275 million program will come from increases in property taxes.
Do you live in Fulton? How will you be voting? Is this an appropriate time, given the economic downturn, to approve this library expansion? Is the need for quality libraries so paramount as to exclude concerns about the cost?
Nichols’ defense team is pulling out all the stops in an attempt to certify their client insane and criminally not responsible for the murder spree that left four dead in March 2005.
The recent blame for his actions has been placed on the conditions of the jail where Nichols was housed for seven months before the day of his rampage. But this is only one tactic in a larger strategy to paint Nichols as mentally ill. (more…)
Gov. Perdue has announced a 6 percent cut in funding for state agencies and a 2 percent cut to the Quality Basic Education program that aids public schools. The state Board of Regents has also moved to slash funding for the University System of Georgia, with Georgia Tech and UGA losing some $14 million and $24 million each. (more…)
Death row inmate Troy Davis has seen his last and final petition for a new trial rejected by the nation’s High Court on Tuesday. The State Board of Pardons and Paroles (in Georgia, the governor does not have the authority to grant clemency) had previously denied clemency.
Davis was convicted in 1991 for the murder of Savannah police officer Mark Allen MacPhail. Seven of the nine witnesses who testified against him have now recanted their stories.
Davis was only hours from death when the High Court granted a stay of execution on Sept. 23. A new death warrant is likely to be signed in the coming days, and an execution date may come before the end of the month.
Georgia officials have apparently asked the U.S. Justice Department to review two million Social Security numbers of newly registered voters. The Justice Department has said the request may represent a substantial change in Georgia’s voting laws, which, because of the state’s history of discriminating against minority voters, are more stringent than other states.
The strange thing about the request is that the two million figure is substantially higher than the state’s tally of newly registered voters, which totals approximately 400,000 in the last year.
Could this be another example of potential voter purging? Questions about the legitimacy of registered voters have intensified all week. You can read more in other blog posts below.
Civil rights groups have filed a lawsuit against Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel, accusing her office of illegally purging voter registration rolls based on false challenges to the citizenship status of some residents.
The suit is the latest example in a recent string of allegations concerning voter fraud, voter intimidation and the effectiveness of electronic voting machines. It seems a contentious election is becoming all the more so as we count down the days to Nov. 4.
It is a fear that pokes its ugly but warranted head every election cycle, and calls for reform dissipate in intermittent years. Democrats accuse Republicans of voter intimidation, and Republicans accuse Democrats of stuffing the ballot. Perhaps both are right, to a point, but this does nothing to alleviate that great scandal of democracy: voter fraud.
Several stories hitting the news wires today have refocused attention on this glaring problem. (more…)
From Oct. 2-5, Georgians can take advantage of local and state sales tax exemptions on energy and water efficient products for their home. The exemptions are limited to product purchases of $1,500 or less. Eligible items include Energy Star appliances such as refrigerators and dishwashers, and other efficient products that meet EPA requirements. For more details and a full list of eligible products, go here.
The gas shortage in metro Atlanta has us all driving less and screaming for an answer. But conspicuously absent from the outcry is Gov. Perdue.
He did recently call for opening the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, but that most certainly will not happen. Help, instead, is coming from the U.S. Department of Transportation, which has stepped in to extend the hours-of-service requirements for fuel carriers delivering in the Southeast. Also helping ease the strain is the fact that two refineries, shut down due to hurricanes Gustav and Ike, were restarted over the weekend. And the Colonial Pipeline, which services Atlanta, is working its way up to full capacity. (more…)
The U.S. Supreme Court, under the auspices of Justice Clarence Thomas, has issued a stay of execution for Troy Davis, convicted in the 1989 killing of police officer Mark Allen MacPhail.
The high court will meet on Monday to review the case and determine if an appeal will be heard. No date has been set for a decision. The stay will remain in effect until the high court has made a decision. The execution may be carried out as soon as next week.
