A Trion woman is afraid that her ex-boyfriend may be violating a restraining order and reported an incident to the Chattooga County Sheriff's Department last Thursday.   In a report released yesterday, the forty-one year old woman said that she had obtained a temporary protective order against her fifty-eight year old ex-boyfriend and that she had noticed some of his items missing from around her home.   The ex-boyfriend is not allowed on the woman's property unless he is being escorted by a law enforcement officer.  According to the report the deputy that responded went and looked for the ex-boyfriend but was not able to locate him.

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The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports the practice in Chattooga County State Court of charging court costs on unprosecuted cases occurred before the current judge was on the bench.

According to a report compiled by a clerk of court employee, people paid a total of $19,070 on 109 nolle-prossed — or unprosecuted — cases in 2007-08 under three other judges.

All but four of the 152 cases occurred under current State Court Judge Sam Finster.

The other four happened in front of Judge Jerry Westbrook, who normally oversees juvenile cases but has at times stepped in as a replacement in State Court.

Westbrook also was the judge who handled many of the cases from 2007 until 2008, though not as many as Carlton Vines, who held the position until the Georgia Judicial Qualifications Committee suspended him for unrelated violations. Vines declined to comment Friday.

Between Westbrook and Vines, Judge Kristina Cook Graham was on the bench for a pair of cases in which people paid the court for nolle-prossed cases. Graham, who normally works in Superior Court, did not return multiple calls seeking comment.

See Complete Story in the Chattanooga Times Free Press

On Tuesday (October 29th) Pioneer Green Energy issued an “Official Statement” in regard to the recent filing of two lawsuits, one in Cherokee County and one in Etowah County against Pioneer – in an effort to bring a proposed windmill farm project in each county, to a halt.

The Cherokee County suit, which was filed on October 29th claims that the construction of those windmills will harm property values and will cause damage to the area’s natural beauty.  The suit also contends that a disturbance of natural water sources, and potential harm to wildlife, could be considered possible negative consequences of the development.

Those named as plaintiffs’ in the suit include Geneva “Ginny” Shaver, J. Dwight Jones, Newman E. Mackey, Lathan Lancaster and James David Estes and they’re represented by the local firm of Buttram, Hawkins & Hopper – while Pioneer Green has obtained the services of Centre Attorney Al Shumaker; that suit names Pioneer Green, as well as the landowners who are allowing the use of their land for construction – as defendants.

The suit says that Pioneer Green’s plan to erect eight turbines in the county, projected at 570 feet in height, won’t result in any substantial power, due to a lack of potential wind energy in the area – claiming that this will result in the turbines eventually being abandoned.

A portion of that statement reads as follows (quote) “Our only desire is to conduct business and produce projects that create economic benefits and clean, homegrown energy – for Cherokee and Etowah counties – and the state of Alabama.” (end-quote)

That statement goes on to say (quote) “While our two projects are far from finished – we remain committed to their satisfactory completion.  We are dedicated to cooperating, and doing what is right by the state, the counties, our projects, our team members and our investors.  It is our hope that all information that becomes available through the legal process will allow an understanding of our vision and better inform the opinions of those who oppose us.  At all times we will remain forthright and honest with ourselves and the communities in which we work.” (end-quote) – that statement concludes by saying that Pioneer Green Energy out of respect for the lawsuit – will not speculate about any issue or party at this time.

Pioneer Green Energy also issued a news release announcing their partnership with the Cherokee County Board of Education in which they plan to provide scholarships and in-class learning tools for local students in the future.

WEIS Radio 

Kangaroo Express donated $53,977 to the Georgia National Guard Family Support Foundation at a private ceremony in Marietta, Ga late last week. The donated funds were raised during Kangaroo Express` third annual `Salute Our Troops` campaign, which raised nearly $2.7 million total for military support organizations.

Donations to the Georgia National Guard Family Support Foundation will build on those collected during the first two years of the Salute Our Troops campaign to provide assistance on an emergency relief basis to soldiers and airmen serving in the Georgia National Guard and other qualified military members living in Georgia.

Cattlemen in Georgia are working to organize a state commodity commission for beef, a step that other states are considering as well. Around 15,000 people in the Peach State can request a ballot through the end of the year to establish the commission and tack on a $1 fee for every head of cattle sold.

“I think this is a time for cattle producers to invest their own money in something that benefits the overall industry through beef promotion, research or education,” said John Callaway, who chairs the Georgia Farm Bureau’s Beef Commodity Board and served as president of the Georgia Cattlemen’s Association in the past. “I think you only have to look at what has happened with the national beef check off and the success we’ve had with that to see we could do even more with just a little more money.”

The 1985 Farm Bill allowed producers across the country to vote to assess a $1 per animal surcharge in order to promote beef – a decision that 78 percent of cattle owners agreed with. Today, half of the assessment goes to the national organization and half to statewide associations, but the money comes with some strings attached.

The fund can not  pay for production research, for instance. A statewide check-off could pay to fight invasive pests, like the Bermuda grass stem maggot, which has grown worse and worse over the past three years.

“Last year, we lost our whole last cutting; everybody in our area lost a cutting,” Callaway said. “We just don’t have a good handle on that one (pest) yet.”

 Other states like Alabama, North Carolina and Tennessee already have commodity commissions for beef, while Florida, Mississippi and Kentucky are working toward a vote.

Cattlemen in those states face the same challenges as Georgia’s producers, said Josh White, the executive vice president of the Georgia Cattlemen’s Association. A dollar is worth less now that it was when the national assessment started in the 1980s, cattle producers are trying to reach a larger audience of consumers, and the national check-off doesn’t fund production research.

“We are trying to promote beef to more people with less money,” said White. Over the next few months, the cattlemen’s association and others will repeat the message at sales and other events.

The last ag census counted around 16,000 cattle owners in Georgia, but White assumes that number has declined as cattlemen age, high commodity prices lure some farmers to grow row crops instead and some parts of the state have high property values despite the downturn in real estate.

Producers can request a ballot by going to the Department of Agriculture’s beef commission site. Ballots will be mailed out in late January/early February. At least 25 percent of the requested ballots must be returned for the vote to count and two-thirds of the ballots must favor the commission. Like the other 12 commodity commission in Georgia, the beef commission will require a referendum every three years.

Not many cattlemen have requested a ballot, Callaway said, but he’s not concerned.

“I haven’t even requested a ballot … but I fully intend to,” he said.