On Thursday of this last week, the Georgia General Assembly sent a bill to Governor Brian Kemp that would overhaul the certificate of need – or CON – law in the state.  The new bill is aimed at allowing hospitals to be built in rural areas without having to apply for a certificate of need, so long as the new facility has a full-time emergency room and accepts psychiatric and Medicaid and Medicare patients.  Georgia joins a list of other states that have repealed their CON laws over the past two decades.  The legislation also includes provisions aimed at specific hospital projects. It would allow rural hospitals that have been closed to reopen without a CON. The overhaul had broad bipartisan support, but Democrats had hoped that the overhaul would also include an Medicaid expansion in the state.

Two teens are facing charges in connection with vandalism that happened Sunday March 17th at the African-American museum in Trion. 

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The City of Menlo is without a city clerk.  The former clerk, Jill Neal of Cloudland, resigned along with the city’s water department head.  Also, the city is facing fines because there is no one at the helm of the city’s water treatment facility.

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Registrations opened on March 1st for vendors, sponsors and participants for the 2024 Chattooga River Fest.  The event will be held in Summerville this year on June 8th.  The event will feature a kayak fishing tournament, kayak paddle, kid’s fishing rodeo, a water fun zone, cornhole tournament.  Plus, there will be plenty of vendors – including food and snack vendors.  This will be third year for the event.  Each year, the event is held in a different location on the Chattooga River and rotates between Lyerly, Trion and Summerville.

Here is the latest arrest report from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office for Sunday, March 24, 2024:

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Georgia Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson announced this past week that Georgia’s February unemployment rate was 3.1, unchanged from a revised 3.1 percent in January. The unemployment rate was eight-tenths lower than the national unemployment rate.

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Nestlé USA is initiating a recall of ceramic mugs with metallic coating and Starbucks branding due to an identified safety issue that if microwaved or filled with extremely hot liquid, the mugs can overheat posing burn and laceration hazards.

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A Rome couple has been arrested on charges of 1^st-degree cruelty to children, battery, and aggravated battery.

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The Barna Group surveyed pastors about tasks appropriate for the use of artificial intelligence.

BARNA GROUP

From the Christian Index of the Georgia Baptist Convention:

Pastors are comfortable with artificial intelligence for graphic design and marketing but not for preparing sermons, the Barna Group found in a survey done earlier this year.

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