Last night Walker Commissioner candidate Dr. Paul Shaw was on UCTV Night Talk. Shaw did well, pointing out problems with the current commissioner (poor planning, no transparency, growing county debt), discussed the broken sole-commissioner form of government, and challenged Bebe Heiskell to a debate.

The show aired live but may repeat today. UCTV live feed online.

Schedule changes and service cuts have begun this week at all four Cherokee Regional library branches.

“Services are being cut, too. For example, the genealogy and local history room at the LaFayette-Walker County Public Library only will be open on Fridays and Saturdays because Jill Trubey, the employee in charge of the room, had her hours cut from 40 to 13 hours a week, Library Director Lecia Eubanks said.

“Library youth education coordinators won’t visit schools to promote the youth summer reading program, which probably won’t be six weeks long next year, she said. The number of computers available to the public will be reduced by anywhere from one-quarter to one half, Eubanks said.”

According to library insiders, the computer cuts and genealogy room closure aren’t necessary due to the budget changes, they’re just being done so library customers feel the pain and demand money for the system… There really seems to be no reason why cutting back staff means cutting back computers, and staffers aren’t always in the Georgia Room when it’s open now.

Meanwhile, Dade County Schools aren’t cutting the amount of money they give the library system – they’re ending it all together. $0 funds available next year for the Trenton library from Dade Schools.

Pardon our conspiracy theory, but Dade County will have a question on their ballot this summer asking citizens to support a new property tax solely for the library system. What better way to get that approved (and thus no longer have to fund the libraries with county/school money in Dade) than gut their budget so people are desperate enough to support a new tax to keep the doors open?

In all these situations, instead of crying and going to vote for a new tax to support libraries, you should go to your county and school leaders and ask them what the hell happened to the tax money you already gave them that the libraries don’t get much of.

Freedom Festival today at 5 PM.

Today’s forecast high temperature? 111°. Too hot to even swim. If you go to the Freedom Festival, go prepared for the heat and don’t stay outside the entire time.

(That poster uses every single feature of Microsoft Publisher ’97.)

Unverified reports of a prowler or burglar Wednesday night resulted in a door-to-door search by LaFayette police.

The TSPLOST/TIA ballot question is worded in a questionable way. The measure is described as a job-creation congestion-reduction measure, but there’s no guarantee it will do any of those things. Thanks to the GA Sec of State, voters are told they’re voting for jobs with this tax increase.

This would be akin to having a particular candidate for office described as “Job-Creating Baby-Kissing Joe Smith” – and who wouldn’t vote for a nice guy like that?

More detail from the anti-TSPLOST bloggers.

After nearly two months in the hospital, flesh-eating-virus victim Aimee Copeland has been released to a rehab center – minus a leg, a foot, and both hands.

The KKK group in Northeast GA that was rejected for the “Adopt a Highway” program will be going to court – represented by the ACLU.

The ACLU takes a lot of heat for helping certain groups but we have to give them credit for consistency in their positions and what they stand for.

We could adopt a highway in Walker County as the Underground. Now that would be interesting.

Walker Co Animal Shelter is under quarantine for reasons not yet announced.

From the Shelter Facebook:

“WALKER COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER WILL BE CLOSED UNTIL JULY 9TH FOR QUARINTINE. wE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTING NEW ANIMALS OR ADOPTING ANY ANIMALS OUT. WE ARE SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.”

When asked for clarification, a shelter representative said “Its not rabies. Were not sure exactly what it is. If you have been here and your animals are up to date on their shots they should be ok.”

If they don’t know what it is, how do they know other animals will be OK? Hopefully they know what they’re doing..

Last fall the primary newspaper in Albany, GA was purchased by a blogger. They’re struggling to keep the paper going, and need help getting votes for a corporate grant that might help them get back on track. Take a minute and go vote to support this venture.

If state legislators were paid more, would they be less ethically compromised and tempted to take donations and gifts from lobbyists? Probably not, but it’s a nice thought.

Jeff Mullis gets $60,000+ a year from the NWGAJDA plus his Senator salary and per diem, it hasn’t made him any better as a legislator.. Don Balfour, the most corrupt member of the GA General Assembly, is a well-paid AWFFLE HOUSE executive, and he still lines his pockets. It might free up people who don’t have those kinds of jobs to run for office, but the ones already there wouldn’t be any different.

We understand you have to support people. We can’t expect them to give up three months a year and not be paid, to not eat – otherwise we’ll only have retirees and millionaires serving as legislators. However, the concept of public service has been turned on its head.

Here’s a little blog post from March about the railroads in Walker County. Someday we’ll finish the chapter-length LU post about the same topic. Dang politics keep getting in the way.

New state laws regulating metal recyclers start on Sunday.

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