Happy Veterans’ Day.

City and county offices, along with most federal agencies (including mail) and banks will be closed today. Schools, however, will be open. LHS will host a Veterans’ Day program at 8:30 this morning in the auditorium. Keynote speaker will be Michael Rewis, an army recruiter fresh back from Afghanistan.   

Also today, despite city offices being closed for the federal holiday, LaFayette City Council will hold its monthly meeting at 7:30 PM in City Hall. Posted agenda looks thin – discussion of another event closing on Chattanooga Street, airport runway stripe painting, and a few other odds and ends.   

Friday night LHS finished the football season with a 35-34 win on the road against Johnson High in Gainesville. Ramblers finish the season 2-8, one win more than last year under coach Gable. Despite going five weeks without a single victory at the season’s start, the Ramblers won two of their last three games – including the team’s first win over Ridgeland in a decade.

LHS never played Johnson High’s Knights before, and likely never will again. The matchup was a result of end-of-season non-region scheduling.     

Villanow residents report multiple home break-ins during the last week.

Burglar(s) have broken out windows and kicked in doors on Shahan Ln, East Armuchee Rd, Dicks Creek Rd, and Pocket Rd. stealing items in the “thousand dollar range” – hitting at least one home twice. If you live in the area be on the lookout for anyone suspicious, and be sure to lock up.

Officers from the Sheriff’s Office have been investigating the burglaries but so far the department has released nothing about this possible epidemic to the press or public.   

Rock Spring resident Doug Woodruff formally announces plans to run for GA House District 2. Woodruff is a defense lawyer working out of Ringgold, he ran for District Attorney last summer but lost by only 40 votes.

So far Woodruff’s only 100% sure opponent for Jay Neal’s soon-empty seat is Mayor Neal Florence. Steve Tarvin is pretty likely to formally declare his own candidacy once the election date is set, and he’s expected to be joined by many others when that occurs.   

Mr. Woodruff and his opponent for the DA election both participated in an LU Q&A last summer. Some of the questions are specific to that race, but there’s a lot of biographical information for Woodruff too.

Late Friday night a significant gas leak in West LaFayette led to much activity from emergency vehicles and city crews; still no word exactly where the leak was or what caused it but many living on that side of town smelled it.   

Marcus Sutton, accused Rossville murderer, appeared in court for the first time on Thursday. He was assigned an attorney from the Public Defender’s office, but was not given bond because the judge present had no authority to do so.

Sheriff Wilson has asked why Sutton, based on his past of violent behavior, was released from jail to begin with. That’s the natural question most people are asking first.. In light of his past actions and prison sentence, why the hell was this guy out?     

Wake-Up Walker, an informal group of “progressive” activists, hope to restart the county’s defunct Democrat party in time for 2014 elections. Currently the only D-affiliated local leader serves on the county school board, and there’s no party structure to provide campaign support to candidates who run under the D banner in Walker County.

Activists and state party leaders will hold a public meeting, 7 PM this Thursday at Dari-Dip.   

Employees of Phillips Bros Machine, which moved into the old BlueBird facility last year, say the company has laid off many of its full time employees, keeping temp workers or part timers.

Company CEO Michael Phillips says the company has only laid off two employees in the last year, and rumors are coming from one (or both) of the ones whose jobs ended: “We still have 88 full time and 19 temp employees employed at PBMCO. There were only Two full time employees laid off this past week and it was in the best interest of both parties to part ways”     

In response to three different challengers for next year’s Governor election, Nathan Deal has begun buying ad time on Atlanta TV and cable news channels, highlighting his supposed economic success record.

As noted, Deal now faces challenge on the right from David Pennington, from the middle with John Barge, and from the left with Jason Carter.

Deal has not commented on any of his opponents specifically, saying he’s focused on the state’s business. Pennington made a statement about Carter’s entry into the race, saying it shows Deal is vulnerable because of his ethical failures.   

Interesting part is, the only image of Deal in the commercial is from his brief visit to LaFayette back in the summer, for a ribbon cutting at Roper:

That event celebrated an $88-million expansion at the GE-owned factory. New steel-forming machinery replaced an outside supplier, adding 90 jobs to the company’s workforce and allowing production of several new products priced around $1,000.

Gov. Deal (joined by the usual regional political entourage) credited the Roper/GE expansion to local workers and said LaFayette’s plant is a “bright spot” in Georgia’s economy.         

Headline says it all: Woman Wears Hamburger as Sandal After Sex in Waffle House Parking Lot

In Georgia, of course.   

State headlines last week focused on the number of children who died after DFCS agencies in GA failed to intervene in their families. Now specific stories are emerging, including this horrible case of a ten-year-old who was starved to death after years of reports and investigations went nowhere.

Some try to blame foster care for these deaths, but in this case the child SHOULD have been in foster care, years ago. Initial reports of abuse came in when she was an infant and kept popping up regularly through her life:

11 Alive, 11/08/13: “A case summary of her DFCS file, obtained by 11Alive Thursday under Georgia’s Open Records Act, shows DFCS checked out allegations of abuse on at least six occasions in her life, but only felt it was true on one occasion.”

Almost all these deaths are because DFCS agencies, the state, or judges refused to remove children from homes where they were being mistreated. Children very rarely die in foster care, even if people try to paint foster parents as evil.

And these are just the kids who have died due to inaction.. There’s no investigation into thousands who lived, but whose lives were ruined, due to growing up in situations of physical/mental/sexual abuse and/or neglect.   

Does this help? Maybe?   

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