Today we celebrate the life of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.  King was a Baptist preacher who was an activist, and prominent leader in the African-American civil rights movement. King is known worldwide for use of nonviolence  which made him a national icon in the history of American progressivism. 

Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established on November 2, 1983 in the Rose Garden of the White House when President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating the federal holiday.  It was observed for the first time on January 20, 1986. After President George H. W. Bush's 1992 proclamation, the holiday is observed on the third Monday of January each year, near the time of King's birthday. On January 17, 2000, for the first time, Martin Luther King Jr. Day was officially observed in all fifty U.S. states. Arizona, New Hampshire and Utah were the last three states to recognize the holiday. 

The probe into the Friday death of a Hays State Prison inmate continues. The inmate is reported to have died in a nearby hospital on Friday after an altercation with fellow inmates, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections.

It is the third death at the Chattooga County facility in less than a month.

The inmate's identity was being withheld  pending family notification, according to Georgia Department of Corrections spokesperson Gwendolyn Hogan.

Exactly how many inmates were a part of the incident is unconfirmed, and Hogan said that is part of the investigation.

Because of injuries he sustained during the incident, the inmate was taken to a nearby hospital, the name of which Hogan said she could not disclose.

She said the inmate is believed to have died while at that hospital.

Hogan said both the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Georgia Department of Corrections are investigating the incident.

Authorities began probes into the separate deaths of two other Hays State Prison inmates in December.

Damien McCain killed in a fight in a prison cell on Dec. 26, while Derrick Stubbs was found dead while housed in protective custody on Dec. 22

Inmate Daniel Ferguson was charged with McClain’s murder.

Hays State Prison is a close security facility in Trion that houses male offenders with behavioral problems that cannot be addressed at other prisons and Mental Health Level II offenders

Lyerly School will host McTeacher Night at McDonald's on Tuesday, January 22nd from 5-7 pm. Stop

by and let the teachers serve you. A portion of the proceeds sold doing that time will serve as a fundraiser for the school.  

Trion High School Basketball has new Technology for its fans. The Bulldog Basketball teams have been keeping their stats on an iPad app for the past two years. The stat app being used is now able to use twitter to tweet the game live. The Bulldogs will be attempting to test this new technology at all games starting last night, January 19. Everyone, of course, is encouraged to  come out and support the Bulldogs, but with the new technology one can still enjoy the game while away by getting updates on a twitter compatible device or by text message with the proper settings on your twitter account. To follow the the Trion Bulldogs progress via your twitter account, follow @trionbasketball.

The readers of the Chattanooga Times Free Press have named Walker County Commissioner Bebe Heiskell the North Georgia Person of the Year in the newspaper's annual Best of the Best contest. Heiskell says she's "overwhelmed to learn" of the honor and expressed thanks to all who voted for her. She received the award Thursday night at the Colonnade.  

Schools and many government offices will be closed on Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. National Holiday.

The Town of Trion Business Office Recreation and Maintenance Department will be closed. Garbage normally picked up on Monday will be picked up on Tuesday. All others days will be on regular schedule. For any emergency calls for the Gas Department or Police Department, call 911 and they will contact the proper person.

Trion City Schools are closed on Monday.  

All other county offices and those of local municipalities are also expected to be closed for the federal holiday. 

The General Assembly will be formally in recess this week, but at least two committees will be busy looking over the draft $19 billion budget.

Traditionally, legislators take the week following Opening Day for the House and Senate appropriations committees to meet jointly to hear from the heads of the largest agencies about needs for the coming fiscal year. The parade of 28 witnesses begins Tuesday with Gov. Nathan Deal and his economist Kenneth Heaghney.

The first day focuses on students with testimony on the HOPE Scholarship, Pre-K Program, K-12 education, technical colleges and the University System of Georgia. Wednesday's lineup includes the courts, law enforcement, transportation, ports and natural resources agencies. Social services agencies wind up the hearings Thursday.

Deal's budget proposal includes a 3 percent reduction in every agency other than K-12 education. He's predicting just 4.6 percent growth in tax collections for the fiscal year that begins July 1, leading to another lean budget.

"House Appropriations Chairman Terry England, R-Auburn, predicts "there'll be some crying and gnashing of teeth."

England and his Senate counterpart, Sen. Jack Hill, R-Reidsville, will share the gavel in presiding over the week's hearings.

For the two-thirds of legislators who aren't on the two committees, some of the time will be spent moving into their offices. The 82 freshmen didn't even know where they would be, their phone numbers or mailing address when they recessed Thursday.

Freshman Rep. Regina Quick, R-Athens, joked, "I'm the true Lincoln representative for now, with no office." Lawmakers in Abraham Lincoln's day had no offices and usually worked out of the boarding-house rooms they lived in while away from home.

Two Chattooga Countians booked into the Floyd County Jail on Saturday.

Otis Ray Daniel, Jr. was picked up by Floyd County Sheriff's Office deputies at Calhoun State Prison in Morgan, Ga. 27-year-old Daniel's address is listed as Raymond Street, Summerville. According to the docket Daniel is being held for the Department of Corrections on a Failure To Appear Warrant.

Tracy Dewayne Barksdale also was booked into the Floyd County Jail on Saturday. 41-year-old Barksdale, of a Trion address,  was arrested by Chattooga County Sheriff's deputies and placed on a hold for Chattooga County. 

 The First Annual `Vision & Voice Family Engagement Conference` will be held on Saturday, February 2nd at West Rome Baptist Church. Workshops will include topics such as: Bullying, Mental Illness Awareness, Creating Quality Family time, Kids & Money, Safe Dating & the Influence of Social Media, Building Strong Families.