Hutcheson has officially abandoned its idiotic lawsuit against Erlanger for allegedly failing to make the hospital profitable.

Judge Harold Murphy recently ruled, in part, that Hutcheson’s own paperwork shows its claim to be false and the now-bankrupt hospital WAS making more money than before (and obviously after) under Erlanger management.

With the core of its civil case hollowed out, the hospital authority – independent from Walker County’s ongoing case – wisely decided to throw in the towel.

Meanwhile, anyone who set foot inside Hutcheson during the last few years it was open is at risk of being called by a collections agency known as Nationwide Recovery Services, demanding payment for bills already paid, covered by insurance, or never billed by the hospital initially.

The Times Free Press says they’ve heard from many about this, and LU has heard from at least ten more.

Most of the people commenting to LU say they asked Nationwide Recovery for a bill in the mail and never got anything. If they call you, demand they send it that way – by registered letter so they can’t claim it was sent when it wasn’t – and see if they follow through.

Nationwide Recovery has a bad reputation and a bad rating from the BBB. They’re not good people to deal with.   

Someone’s stabbing horses in Trion – with a spear?

One animal involved in the incident on Old Airport Rd. died, the other was injured.

Someone in the neighborhood reported that the animals were being abused/neglected by their owner for some time before the tragic stabbing. Per this concerned observer, the animals were underfed and often wandering loose.

If that’s the case, there may be more to this situation than just a random act of animal abuse – hopefully GA Department of Agriculture will be involved and get to the bottom of what’s going on.     

Are you a FirstBank customer?

You might want to keep an eye on your accounts.

Dozens of customers of the Tennessee-based bank (which recently bought out Northwest Georgia Bank) say they’ve found suspicious charges made in their names during the last week.   

Area youth charity seeks help buying a new van.

Mountain Top Boys Home in Villanow, a group home for at-risk boys, has received some funding to buy a new van for its residents – but doesn’t have sufficient money to get a van that meets their requirements.

If half the people who read this on LU Facebook and here on the blog send them $5, they can get what they need and then some.   

In August 2012, Commissioner Heiskell took out a $2-million loan to cover the county’s expenses for the rest of the year, paying back the money from the next year’s tax revenue.

She did the same thing in 2013 ($3 million), 2014 ($7.7 million), and last year ($10 million). Last September she repaid 2016’s loan by selling bonds, which will be paid back for the next thirty years.

Last week she took out another $5 million loan for this year, which will be paid back from next year’s tax revenue – money coming out of the NEXT commissioner’s budget.

WQCH Radio, 06/11/16: “AT THE WEEKLY WALKER COUNTY COMMISSIONER’S MEETING, BEBE HEISKELL APPROVED A 5-MILLION DOLLAR ‘LINE OF CREDIT’ IN A TAX ANTICIPATION NOTE, TO COVER GENERAL EXPENSES. SHE NOTED THAT THIS YEAR’S LOAN IS HALF THE AMOUNT BORROWED LAST YEAR.

“THE COUNTY FREQUENTLY BORROWS MONEY DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS, IN ANTICIPATION OF PAYING IT BACK WHEN PROPERTY TAXES BEGIN ROLLING-IN. THE NOTE MUST BE REPAID BY DECEMBER 31st OF THIS YEAR. THE INTEREST RATE IS 4.25 PERCENT.

“COUNTIES ARE ALLOWED TO BORROW TEMPORARY FUNDING FOR OPERATIONS UP TO 75-PERCENT OF ANTICIPATED TAX COLLECTIONS. HEISKELL SAID ‘WE WILL DRAW THIS DOWN AS NEEDED’. “

Bebe’s legacy of destruction continues unchecked, thanks to the sole commissioner system.

Even after you vote somebody out (which ain’t that easy), you can’t just undo the damage they’ve done.. The only way to fix the potential for this happening again is to put an end to the system that enables abuse.   

Details of a major wreck in front of the Post Office on Wednesday have begun to emerge.

Per reports, a work van (maybe a city vehicle) was pulling out into the bypass from Foster Blvd, blocking the view of a Ford truck coming off Grant St and a Volvo heading south on the bypass.

The Volvo t-boned the truck and broke it apart; two occupants of the truck and the driver of the Volvo were all hospitalized (names and conditions not currently known), and the road was closed for a while as debris was removed.

[All photos courtesy Tyler Bishop]   

A massive corruption prove into theft from Floyd County’s school system has led to the arrests of ten people, charged under state anti-racketeering laws. More arrests (or additional charges for those already arrested) are expected to follow.

Most suspects are in the Richardson family, and many live in Chattooga County.

Police say ex school maintenance director Derry Richardson stole millions of dollars from Floyd County students; other arrests appear related to how that stolen money was spent.

Richardson and several relatives were charged in civil court a year ago for allegedly stealing about $600,000 from the school system; now he and his alleged co-conspirators face felony charges for allegedly swiping millions.

Most of the group is now out on bond.   

Another article about the sole commissioner vote makes it appear that Steve Tarvin’s position on changing county government is softening and he’s now willing to listen to constituents. Hopefully his actions will match his words here.

Representative Deffenbaugh, who would also have to vote on a bill to change county government, is however digging in and saying he won’t support bringing in a board unless the commissioner – whoever it ends up being – asks him to. (Just another reminder why we need a commissioner who will demand this be done.)

Rep. Deffendum is an empty suit attached to an empty head – and now there’s talk of a recall vote if he doesn’t give a better response to the voters’ wishes.   

Walker County’s latest legal approach to avoid paying $8.7 million in Hutcheson debt owed to Erlanger seems to be hiding from it.

According to Walker County Attorney Don Oliver, the county won’t have to pay what it owes if the Authority never calls in the debt:

WQCH Radio, 06/11/16: “[Don] OLIVER BELIEVES THAT THE COUNTY REMAINS EXEMPT FROM ERLANGER’S LEGAL ATTEMPTS TO EXACT PAYMENT OF A LOAN GUARANTEE, DUE TO SOVEREIGN IMMUNITY.

“‘THE ONLY WAY THAT WALKER COUNTY CAN BE FORCED TO PAY THAT DEBT IS IF THE HOSPITAL AUTHORITY DEMANDS PAYMENT’, OLIVER SAID – ‘AND THE HOSPITAL AUTHORITY IS NOT DEMANDING PAYMENT'”

How will the county keep the authority from demanding payment? By keeping the authority board from meeting.

Two Hospital Authority meetings were scheduled in the last week to discuss a settlement proposal, and both were canceled because a majority of board members – Bebe’s hand-picked friends on the Hospital Authority, Walker County’s half of the board – didn’t show up.

Board members said they don’t want to have an illegal meeting, because there’s some line in the board rules that says they have to get a mailed notice of meetings or something and they were contacted by e-mail. (But they sure didn’t mind being outside the law when the hospital was taking insurance premiums out of employee checks and not paying for employee insurance.. Or when they agreed to take a loan from Erlanger they had seemingly no intention of ever repaying.)

Every week they don’t meet to discuss the inevitable close of the unwinnable legal battle against Erlanger, every day the legal fight continues, will ultimately cost Walker County more in legal fees and in interest on the debts owed.

It seems that long-time Bebe ally John “Damn Fine Job” Culpepper is the board member pushing the others to skip meetings. He broke the law to campaign for her when he was Chickamauga’s city manager – something he freely admitted to when questioned in 2012 – and now he’s going to “die” on this hill, politically, for her benefit.

Is Bebe trying to push this problem off on a future commissioner, or just kicking it down the road long enough to get herself reelected before she makes us pay for her mistakes?     

Sunday night fire crews from Walker County, Walker State Prison, and Whitfield County were called to a structure fire on Hall Drive, off Highway 201 near the county line.

There have been no reports of exactly what happened, but neighbors say a long-empty home in the old Reo subdivision burned to the ground. They suggest it may have been a meth lab explosion, but that tends to be the first conclusion in any unexplainable fire.   

Gabe Howell of Trion was drafted Saturday by the Atlanta Braves.

The Trion HS graduate is considered one of the country’s best high school level players; back in the winter he signed with Chipola College but may put college on hold as he joins the struggling Atlanta team’s farm system.

The way the Braves are doing lately (at risk of setting records as the worst team in modern baseball history), they might as well skip minor league ball with him and just add him to the team.   

Wednesday afternoon a man visiting the area died in a tragic crash on Corinth Rd.

According to State Patrol investigators, a yet-unidentified 42-year-old man “new to the area” driving an older Jeep rolled it over after driving onto the shoulder and overcorrecting. He wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.

Accident occurred about 4 PM, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

[Photo courtesy Tyler Bishop.]     

Haier executives from China visited Kentucky on Monday to make official the Asian manufacturer’s buyout of GE Appliances.

Final sale price for the now-former General Electric division, which includes subsidiary Roper Corp in LaFayette, was $5.6 billion – $200 million more than initially proposed. Signage and Web sites have already been changed to reflect the company’s new ownership.

Company leaders and union officials both say no layoffs are expected, and most of the conglomerate’s 6,000+ US workers won’t notice any big changes – at least not in the immediate future.     

Walker County’s countersuit against Erlanger in the Hutcheson case has been dismissed by a federal judge.

Judge Harold Murphy said, in part, the claim contained “few, if any, factual allegations” and suggested the high-price lawyer who prepared the claim – Stuart James – could be held personally responsible for some costs of the ridiculous case.

He also denied a request to add Dade, Catoosa, or the Hospital Authority into a lawsuit filed by Erlanger against Walker – the only party in the case continually refusing to cooperate.

In another area of the continuing case, Walker County last week offered Erlanger $1.3 million (which we don’t have) to repay the county’s $8.7 million Hutcheson debt.

Erlanger of course rejected the lowball offer.

The insultingly low settlement suggestion almost seems like it was meant to be rejected so the endless legal fight could continue. Not surprising, since the county’s attorney is getting a kickback from James James & Joyner – Stuart James’ lawfirm, recipient of legal fees associated with the Hutcheson battle.

Every day this case continues makes Walker County’s debts, for a hospital company that no longer exists, even bigger – not to mention the increasing pile of legal bills.

The Hospital Authority is owned by Dade, Walker, and Catoosa – but if you had any doubt which county (and which county Commissioner) pulls the strings and calls the shots, here’s a reminder:

The Authority was going to meet this week and discuss settlement options, but since Walker is opposed to settling, the meeting didn’t happen because the board suddenly got worried about the legality of e-mail communications.

In related Hutcheson news, the defunct company now owes over $3.75 million in unpaid employee medical bills due to the insurance plan it collected payments for and then never covered [PDF link].

THAT debt isn’t backed by the counties, and most of it will never be paid.     

On May 24th, Walker County voters overwhelmingly approved, with 75% support, a ballot question about changing county government into a multi-commissioner board.

But as feared, strong support for changing the county’s form of governance means little to the people who can actually make that change happen: local legislators Jeff Mullis, Steve Tarvin, and John Deffenbaugh.

Last week they confirmed to the Messenger they might not do anything in response to the non-binding vote in support of changing the county’s government, using the excuse of low voter turnout and lack of demand from the commissioner’s office.

“So far [Rep. John] Deffenbaugh, along with state Rep. Steve Tarvin and state Sen. Jeff Mullis, both of Chickamauga, aren’t convinced — even after a recent straw poll showed 3-1 support for a board of commissioners.

“…for the three lawmakers, who have the final say on whether to hold a binding vote on the issue, poll results aren’t enough.”

(Mullis specifically mentioned low voter turnout as a reason not to embrace the vote. However during that same election, more Walker County citizens voted to change the county’s form of government than voted to keep Jeff Mullis in his job. We want a board of commissioners more than we want him – and he needs to keep that in mind.)

The three local delegates also openly admit they personally prefer the current system, which has destroyed Walker County.

Deffenbaugh confirmed what Senator Mullis has said before: they won’t make a change or even put it on the ballot in a legally binding way until the elected commissioner herself/himself demands it, regardless of how the majority of their constituents feel.

“‘The single commissioner would have to make a request to myself and Steve Tarvin, and then it would go to Jeff as far as local legislation goes,’ Deffenbaugh said.”

Unfortunately, the leading candidate to be the next sole commissioner has already gone on record saying he feels there’s no advantage between the two systems, and he’ll leave it up to the legislators to make the change – something they say here they won’t do.

The Times Free Press couldn’t get comments from the legislators, but did speak with candidate Shannon Whitfield and incumbent Commissioner Heiskell about the vote:

Times Free Press, 05/29/16: “If legislators do choose to follow through on the move starting next year, that would mean the next sole commissioner could be the last, something incumbent Bebe Heiskell and Republican challenger Shannon Whitfield say they are completely fine with.”

They both have the same position on it, but it’s NOT the position given here. Bebe has always said she’s fine with a change while working to block change, and Whitfield’s indicating he’ll be on the same track. (And they can both be “fine” with it IF legislators take a move, which they will not unless the commissioner pushes it – something neither of them will do.) Both are all for the “will of the people” while personally opposing the change and working behind the scenes to block or delay that very change.

Fortunately, the Commissioner race isn’t over. Voters have a third option besides board opponents Whitfield and Heiskell.

Perry Lamb’s campaign to run for Commissioner needs only a few hundred more signatures – about 400 more – to qualify him as as an independent candidate for November. If he reaches that goal by the end of July, his name on the ballot will give the county another choice, one that isn’t part of the Chickamauga clique fighting to preserve the broken status quo.       

Michael James Gobert, who shot and killed JJ Montgomery last October, has been found guilty of murder.

Gobert opened fire at Montgomery and two friends as they were leaving his daughter’s home off Straight Gut Road last fall.

Gobert’s lawyer said he felt threatened by the men who had just gotten into a fight with his adult daughter after an orgy came up short.

A jury rejected the self defense argument in favor of the prosecution’s position: Montgomery was no risk to him since he and his friends were inside a vehicle trying to flee. He opened fire on men who were no risk to himself or anyone else, and in the dark shot one of them in the head.

The jury decided Gobert’s actions constitute felony murder – a conviction that will likely put the 52-year-old in jail for at least thirty years.   

Haier is expected to finalize its $5.4 billion buyout of GE Appliances today.

Once the deal closes, the biggest employer in Walker County – Roper – will be a fully-owned subsidiary of a Chinese company, itself owned in part by the government of China.   

Even with an election five months out, Commissioner Heiskell’s spending priorities are out of whack with the needs of her constituents.

Bebe has cut back Walker Transit service for the county’s poor, disabled, and elderly by limiting non-medical trips (shopping, socialization, and going to work) to two days a week.

Did she cut anything else out before making this decision?

Heiskell tried to shut down Transit completely in 2013 when she refused to renew a contract with the state to fund it. LU found out, posted it here, and readers blew up her phone.

She backtracked then, but fired the Transit director and put in place some temporary restrictions like the ones just announced again.

The county budget was too tight to offer this service in 2013, but she continued to spend hundreds of thousands on her (now closed) restaurant, walking trails to nowhere, a new tax office, etc.

This year she’s gotten a pay raise herself, but she can’t keep letting old folks pay $4 for a one-way trip to the Senior Center or library three days a week.