In a move aimed at cutting costs, Georgia’s Department of Corrections officials are rolling out new, more efficient prison units in hopes of shaving millions from their budget. The new housing units, called "Fast Track units", will serve as home to 256 inmates. They’re larger than current units, but they can operate with fewer supervising officers – 25…versus more than 40 required for traditional prison units. Officials intend to open seven of them — with a total capacity of 1,800 inmates — over the next six months. They include units all around the state, including right here at Hayes State Prison in Pennville. The Hayes’ Units are scheduled to open in February of 2009. Overall, the state expects to see a savings of over $41 million from the new design. (Rome News-Tribune)

Listed as cited or arrested in the past 24 hours according to reports from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office:

• 43 year-old Wilton Eugene Snipes of Summerville – picked up on a Hold for Floyd County
• 36 year-old Susan Marie Johnson of Lafayette – charged with Deposit Account Fraud
• 25 year-old Douglas Wayne Payne of Summerville – charged with a SPD City Court Probation Violation
• 24 year-old Brandon Lee Love of Summerville – charged with a SPD Probation Violation
• 23 year-old Brandy Danielle Chamlee of Summerville – charged with Theft by Taking
• 23 year-old Lewis Eugene Adams of Summerville – charged with Theft by Taking, Disorderly Conduct, and Contempt of Court
• 20 year-old Laura Paige Everett of Summerville – charged with a SPD City Court Probation Violation

Owners of the Entice Superstore in Shannon and the Floyd County Commission have finally agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by the store’s owners which sought to overturn Floyd County’s adult entertainment ordinance. The store, a sexually-oriented adult business located off Highway 53, had drawn criticism from some county residents. As a result, the Floyd County Commission had enacted an ordinance banning such establishments. The store operators have agreed to remove the words “adult superstore” from their signage, have agreed not to operate a sexually-oriented business, and have agreed to drop the appeal of the lawsuit they lost in US District Court. The settlement ends long and expensive legal challenges to the county’s ordinance.  (RomeNewswire.com)

State Senator Jeff Mullis was in Washington, D.C. recently to sign a letter to U.S. transportation officials, urging them to quickly disburse $90 million in federal maglev funds and to give the Atlanta-Chattanooga commuter rail project its equitable share. Mullis, a state senator since 2000 and chair of the Senate’s Transportation Committee, is also director of the Northwest Georgia Joint Development Authority. Its main task is to help bring economic development to Walker, Catoosa, Chattooga and Dade counties. Mullis said that about $15 million of the federal funds would go to a proposed Atlanta-Chattanooga high-speed commuter rail line. “This is to continue moving the ball forward,” Mullis said. “Most of this money will pay for all the environmental and historical studies done along the route.” Mullis said the project would cost approximately $3 billion to complete, with most of the money coming from federal sources. “This money goes from federal highway dollars,” Mullis said. The federal government collects 18 cents of tax of every gallon of gas purchased by Americans.  (Walker County Messenger)

Many residents in Trion went to their faucets yesterday morning expecting to find no water service, yet there was plenty of the cool clear liquid to be found. That’s because of confusion here at AM1180 concerning the date of the water outage. The actual water outage for the town of Trion is scheduled for next Wednesday, August 20^th. Remember that the service will be off beginning around 7 AM and will include all areas except those on 9^th Street, 10^th Street, 11^th Street & Club Drive. The city will be tying in a new water main next Wednesday, and it is unclear just how long water service will be interrupted.

For the eighth straight month, the amount of miles driven in the U.S. has fallen. The result is that gasoline consumption has fallen over 2%. U.S. consumption is now about the same as it was back in 2003. Falling demand has reduced the amount of oil used for gasoline production by about 800,000 barrels a day. Partially as a result, U.S. refineries are cutting back production. Reduced demand, both in the U.S. and abroad, has resulted in oil dropping in price about $30 from its peak of $147 in mid-July. Gas prices have also dropped about 10% during the same period. Currently, the price of a gallon of regular unleaded is hovering around $3.50 here in Chattooga County.  (WEIS Radio)

Listed as cited or arrested in the past 24 hours according to reports from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office:

• 43 year-old Cynthia Mack Kitchens of Mentone, AL – 1^st Degree Forgery & Financial Transaction Card Fraud
• 43 year-old Terry Wayne Gentry of Summerville – SPD Probation Violation
• 34 year-old David Delane Edgeman of Summerville – Having No Insurance & Child Restraint Violation
• 30 year-old Robert Joseph Naillon of Menlo – Hold for Gilmer County
• 27 year-old Clayton Ray Frazier of Ft. Payne, AL – Deposit Account Fraud, Failure to Appear in State Court & Jumping Bail

Late last week, it was announced that the Medical Examiner’s office here in Northwest Georgia would be closed due to budget cuts ordered by Governor Sonny Perdue. AM 1180 Chattooga County Radio News spoke with Representative Barbara Massey Reece about the closure and the cuts which brought it about. Reese clarified that the crime lab itself will not be closed but that the current plan calls for autopsy services to be moved to Atlanta. Area coroners are concerned about the autopsy services being moved due to the increased cost of transportation of bodies as well as a possible backlog causing delays in the issuance of death certificates. This delay could prevent a family from receiving closure concerning the loss of a loved one. The crime lab serves a 15 county area here in the Northwest Georgia area. Reese pointed out that this closure should not affect support services provided by the lab. There are a variety of services which will continue to be provided to local law enforcement.

Overall, the Northwest Georgia Crime Lab was fairly lucky because two crime labs were completely closed down – one in Moultrie and one in Columbus. The current $1.6 billion budget shortfall caused the governor to call for all agencies to perform a 6% cut in expenditures, and that cut translated into a reduction of approximately $4.1 million for the GBI.

Reese expressed concern that the cuts could create a hardship in the area of public safety, and she mentioned that so far, the governor has not consulted the legislature at all concerning the financial cuts which have taken place. She said that she would much prefer that Gov. Perdue call a special session and get the appropriations committees working on developing plans to best deal with Georgia’s current financial woes.

The Miss Starlight Pageant will be held Saturday, August 23rd, at 7 PM at the Dandee Denson Shrine Auditorium. Age groups include 4 months through 16 years. Participants may wear Sunday or Pageant Dresses. Awards categories will include Winner, 1st Runner Up, 2nd Runner Up, People’s Choice, and Miss Photogenic.

Forms are available at the Summerville Recreation Department, or by calling 706-859-1555 or 706-857-5249. Participants must be registered by Monday, August 18th. Registration fee is $20 per child or $15 each for two or more children. Photos for Miss Photogenic are an additional $5.

All proceeds go to the 2008 Summerville Recreation Department Cheerleaders.