A Trion woman reported that when she left her home there was $200 cash and two individuals there, but when she returned from work the cash and people were gone. According to the report, filed on December 23, the Rose Circle woman said she went to work and got home at about 11 p.m. The incident was turned over to investigators.

A rifle was reported stolen from a truck on Christmas Eve. According to the Sheriff's Office report, the unlocked truck was parked at a Reed Street, Trion address, when the rifle reportedly was stolen. A Sheriff's Department investigator was notified, the report indicated.The rifle is valued at $400.

A Watertown, New York man reported on Christmas Day that he had lost and found his wallet but the money inside and an Outback Steak House gift card was missing. According to the Sheriff's Department report, Jeremy Rogers, of a Watertown, New York address, told sheriff's deputies that he had lost and recovered his wallet in the area of Mountain View Road and Davis Road. The report, doesn't state where or how the wallet was lost, or where it was found. Rogers said when he recovered the wallet, missing from it was $620 cash and a $25 Outback gift card. A man with Rogers said he saw a white male with dark hair picking up money from the roadway. The man reportedly was driving an older model tan car, possibly a Toyota Camry. 

Walker County government has been struggling with the decision to levy a half-cent excise tax on energy used by manufacturers. The legislature passed the roll back on the energy sales tax as an incentive to draw more businesses into the state. The tax will allow counties and cities to make up some of the revenue lost on the energy tax.

Commissioner Bebe Heiskell signed that agreement Thursday for three reasons, she said. First, the loss of sales tax revenue could hinder the county's ability to pay back funds borrowed on, and paid back by, SPLOST revenue. Second, no one can know, she said, how much the state-imposed reprieve will affect the total amount of sales tax collected, without an audit. And three, the only way to get an audit if for the county to participate in the excise tax plan.

Heiskell said Walker County and the cities will impose the half-cent tax during 2012, and during the year, will run a cost analysis to find out exactly how much is being lost. She said she would evaluate the excise tax at the end. The new law allows the county to continue adding a half cent per year , up to a maximum of two percent in four years. 

The Commissioner says, "we want to bring out industrial partners all the benefits possible, but we cannot shift such a a potential loss of tax revenue to the backs of local residents.  .

Police tried to stop an Alabama woman going 95 miles per hour in a 55 mile per hour zone but she fled, running a stop sign and weaving, according to a report at the Floyd County Jail.

According to the report, 47 -year-old Melissa Jeannette Causey, of Highway 9 North, Cedar Bluff, Ala., was caught at the intersection of U.S. 27 and Primrose Road.

She was arrested and charged with a license plate violation, failure to maintain lane, obstruction, running a stop sign, DUI, speeding and reckless driving — all misdemeanors. She was also charged with felony fleeing and attempting to elude.

Floyd County police are still investigating a wreck that happened on Hwy. 53 Friday morning.

According to Sgt. Gary Conway of the Floyd County Police Department:

The driver of the Nissan Altima was 64-year-old Arthur Lamar Wilson, of Rome. He sustained serious injuries, according to police.

The driver of the 2002 GMC Yukon was 71-year-oldRobert Griffith , also of Rome.

Charges are pending against Wilson for DUI, failure to maintain lane, no seat belt and driving with a suspended license.

Conway said Wilson was driving a Nissan Altima headed south on Hwy. 53 which came up on the west shoulder and flipped over the guard rail.

That forced the car into the northbound lane, where it collided with a GMC Yukon.

The Georgia Tax Tribunal will convenes for the first time Jan. 2.

Created last year by the Legislature, the specialized court is intended to resolve tax disputes in a more efficient and predictable manner.

The court will consider complex and weighty tax disputes between large businesses and the state. It will also have a small claims division where individual taxpayers can bring their accountants into court to assist them with appeals involving any state tax issue.

The new court is intended to provide taxpayers the opportunity to bring their cases before a judge with an expertise on tax law, Brian Robinson, the governor's spokesman, said.

Tax disputes often take months, even years, to resolve and can run up costly attorneys' fees.

Now, aggrieved parties can take their tax appeals directly to the new court.

As it now stands, taxpayers who go to court to challenge their assessments face great uncertainty as to how long it will take to get a final resolution.

Some taxpayers choose to file their cases in local Superior Courts. But tax disputes rarely get top priority before these judges, who oversee serious felony cases, which bring speedy trial demands, and contentious divorce and child custody proceedings.

Parties also can bring challenges before a state administrative law judge. But this judge's decision can be either accepted or reversed by the state revenue commissioner. An unsatisfied party can then take the dispute to a Superior Court judge, who must consider the tax dispute anew.

Beginning in January, taxpayers can no longer bring their challenges before an administrative law judge. The court's creation was recommended two years ago by a special tax reform council created by the Legislature. It was enacted this past legislative session in House Bill 100, which sets up the new court as a 10-year-long pilot project. Beaudrot's initial appointment, for four years, can be renewed.

The new court could help attract businesses thinking about moving to Georgia, said Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, the bill's sponsor.

Members of the Chattooga County Republican Party who would  like new membership cards must pay for them by January 17. Cards are $25 and can be paid with check or cash to John Agnew, Brad Hayes, Derrick Eckroat, or Betty Brady.

The group also has changed the date and place of their monthly meetings to the third  Thursday of the month at New China Restaurant at 7 p.m. New cards will be distributed to members at the January meeting. 

The Chattooga County Republican Party announces a change in their regular monthly meeting date and location for 2013. The  first meeting of the new year will be held at the Chine Restaurant on Thursday, January 17, at 7 p.m. New Chattooga County Republican Party membership cards will be distributed to members for $25 at the meeting. Fore more information check out the Chattooga County Republican Party Facebook page.

A Summerville man reported on Thursday, Dec. 27, that a laptop computer and other items were stolen out of his camper on Mustang Drive. Jackie Jarrells said he law saw the items on December 26. Taken was a black Compaq laptop computer Jarrells had gotten from Aaron Rentals. Also stolen was a pink and gray MP3 player with a gray cord and pink earbuds. Jarrels told officers the items are worth $1850.