Walker Sheriff’s Office is asking for help identifying the people in this video. They’re depicted stealing a generator from someone’s home in the Fort O./Rossville area last Friday afternoon.

Video is nearly 8 minutes long, at least five of those minutes are the truck backing up and pulling forward. The actual theft and near-mooning took less than a minute.

“If you have any information, please contact Det. Sgt. Jeff Herpst at 706-638-1909 ext. 263”

An inmate killed at Hays last Friday has been Id’d as 30-year-old Nathaniel Reynolds. Reynolds was serving a life sentence for killing someone during a Fulton County robbery in 1999.

A source at Hays describes him as a gang member with a habit of attacking officers and fellow inmates inside the prison. Another source said Reynolds had recently stabbed, but not killed, one of the men who killed him last week.

S’Ville news says his killers have also been identified: “Reynolds was attacked by 36-year-old Gonzales Richardo and Leonardo Ramos Rodriques, according to warrants.”

Rodriques was doing a ten year sentence for manslaughter in 2008 and is apparently an illegal alien. Gonzales was serving thirty years for cocaine trafficking. The two now also face charges of murder and aggravated assault against the late Mr. Reynolds.

During last Monday’s city council meeting, LaFayette’s insurance advisor suggested the city stop providing health insurance to employee spouses who have insurance through their own employers. According to him, 52 insured spouses cost the city more than the employees themselves do.

WQCH Radio, 01/16/13: “[LaFayette City] COUNCIL ALSO GOT AN UPDATE ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE CITY’S NEW EMPLOYEE HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM, FROM MICHAEL JACKSON OF GLEN DAVIS AND ASSOCIATES.

“HE GAVE A GLOWING REPORT ON THE CITY’S HEALTH PROGRAM, BUT ALSO GAVE THE COUNCIL THREE LONG-TERM SUGGESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

“1) DENY FAMILY COVERAGE TO AN EMPLOYEE’S SPOUSE, IF THAT PERSON IS ELIGIBLE FOR HEALTH COVERAGE THROUGH THEIR OWN EMPLOYER. THERE ARE CURRENTLY 52 SPOUSES ON THE CITY’S INSURANCE, AND JACKSON SAID THE SPOUSES ARE COSTING THE PLAN MORE MONEY THAN THE EMPLOYEES.
2) CONSIDER REQUIRING EMPLOYEES TO PAY THE DIFFERENCE IF THEY CHOOSE A NAME-BRAND DRUG, WHEN A GENERIC IS AVAILABLE.
3) HE SUGGESTED THE CITY START A ‘WELLNESS PROGRAM’ AS AN INCENTIVE TO PROMOTE ‘HEALTHY HABITS’ AND CUT CLAIMS.

“NO ACTION WAS TAKEN BY THE COUNCIL. JACKSON SUGGESTED THAT HIS PROPOSALS BE CONSIDERED FOR THE INSURANCE PLAN, STARTING NEXT YEAR.”

Note that LU was complaining three years ago about city health insurance being extended to councilors who had good jobs with insurance elsewhere. LU also called the city out for requiring employees to only use “non-chain” pharmacies (one of which belongs to the mayor) instead of occasionally cheaper options like Walmart or CVS. Not sure if they changed that or not.

Remember when the mayor threatened to “come after” the Chattanooga Times Free Press when one of their reporters asked him about the local pharmacy requirement brought up here? Fun times in the Queen City.

Some folks were disappointed over the weekend when they headed out to the shooting range on Shinbone Ridge Rd only to find a brand new fence and signage warning against trespassers. They’ve been asking why the city decided to close the site after years and years of it being open to the public.

Turns out it never was city property, this site is private land belonging to the Gi—-t family. A family member says the 70-acre tract of land is in the process of being sold, and new owners fenced off the old churt pit over concerns about legal liability.

Looks like the closest public shooting range is in Villanow at Cherokee National Forest. That one is open six days a week and charge $5 to park unless you have an annual permit.

This closure could be an opportunity for someone else closer to town with some large property to open up a range and charge two or three bucks a head.. Or petition DNR to open one at Crockford-Pigeon Mountain, maybe the old Vulcan mine site..?

WQCH Radio, 01/14/13: “REGIONAL LIBRARY DIRECTOR LECIA EUBANKS MET WITH WALKER COUNTY COMMISSIONER BEBE HEISKELL LAST WEEK, SEEKING MORE ‘SPLOST’ MONEY TO FINISH THE LIBRARY CONSTRUCTION PROJECT IN LAFAYETTE.

“EUBANKS SAID THE COUNTY HAD ORIGINALLY COMMITTED 1.5-MILLION DOLLARS FOR THE PROJECT FROM THE SPECIAL PURPOSE LOCAL SALES TAX, THEN CUT THAT FIGURE BY HALF-A-MILLION DOLLARS IN NOVEMBER OF 2010. IN IT’S PLACE, EUBANKS SAID, THE COUNTY OFFERED ‘IN-KIND’ SERVICES WITH A VALUE OF 300-THOUSAND DOLLARS.

“BUT, SHE SAID THE ‘IN-KIND’ WORK HAS NEVER REACHED THAT VALUE, AND THE PROJECT IS NEARING COMPLETION. NOW, THE NEW LIBRARY IS OVER-BUDGET EVEN THOUGH THE SYSTEM IS ‘PAYING AS THEY GO’ AND SAVING MONEY BY USING INMATE LABOR.

“EUBANKS ASKED COMMISSIONER HEISKELL TO ‘FIND’ ANOTHER 180-THOUSAND DOLLARS IN SPLOST REVENUE, TO HELP FINISH THE PROJECT. SHE SAID SHE’S HOPING THAT LIBRARY SUPPORTERS WILL ADD ANOTHER 20-THOUSAND IN DONATIONS TO THAT AMOUNT AND IN THE MEAN TIME, THEY ARE ‘CUTTING BACK’ ON SOME CONSTRUCTION FEATURES, TO SAVE MONEY. MS. EUBANKS SAID THE COMMISSIONER MADE NO PROMISES, BUT SAID SHE WOULD ‘TAKE A LOOK AT SPLOST REVENUES’ TO SEE WHAT CAN BE DONE.”

The library was allowed to fall into disrepair. Instead of doing simple upgrades like a new roof and new HVAC, the county proposed a full remodel and expansion using county and city SPLOST funds. The library campaigned for 2008 SPLOST, and once that measure passed the county (meaning the Commissioner) cut a half million out of the project and gave them labor instead.

Now the library has exceeded its remodeling budget and needs more funds, which nobody has (at least not in that amount) since SPLOST is nearly done and most remaining money is committed.

That’s why we need percentages or at least fixed amounts for specific projects in the SPLOST ballot measure. If the voters approved something that guaranteed a percentage or set amount of SPLOST revenue to the library then Bebe (or her successors, or city leaders) couldn’t do a thing about it. The measure as passed five years ago gave the cities a certain percentage of the money raised but beyond that it was wide open as to what they did with it, as long as it was for acquisition and construction of fixed assets.

The tax was passed with one thing promised, but afterwards it became another thing entirely. Remember that when SPLOST comes up again next year.

Alleged Chattooga County murderer, from the shooting Tuesday night, has been identified as Justin Long of Cedar Bluff, Alabama. He was hiding in Trion to avoid an Alabama warrant. Probably should have just stayed there and took the punishment for theft, now he’s facing murder charges.

This accident happened around 7:30 Friday morning on Long Hollow Rd. in Rock Spring. There were apparently no major injuries in the ice-related wreck.

Nice to have a much warmer day today, can put some of the last week’s crazy weather behind us.

Heavy rainfall and flooding continue to wreak havoc on the area. Schools in Walker County were delayed two hours Tuesday and Wednesday (nothing yet about today) and several roads in Walker, Catoosa, and Chattooga were temporarily closed due to flooding.

Monday night an elderly couple nearly drowned in Lyerly after their car left the road and landed in a flooded creek, but passersby managed to get them to safety.

Today forecasters say rain will change into snow, which is a whole different problem.

Walker Co School Board has decided on a principal for Saddle Ridge, the new K-8 school in Rock Spring. Wendy Ingram, assistant principal at Rossville Middle, will take over Saddle Ridge when construction ends sometime later this year.

Ingram has been a math teacher at LMS and also worked in Whitfield for a while before coming back to Rossville.

It seems that the entire school, Kindergarten through 8th, will be run as a sole unit instead of two schools side-by-side with separate administration. Lots of changes coming soon, school rezoning and staff moves will be decided before long.

Based on construction progress lately, it’ll be a real shock if they get the school done by this summer as promised. Looking more like winter at this point.

..Still no word on who’s going to be permanent principal at North LaFayette.

This Dodge Neon burned on North Highway 27 Tuesday afternoon after it was struck by another car leaving the Walmart parking lot. Eyewitnesses say the other vehicle, a silver Buick, ran the red light at Walmart by Jenkins Chrysler. The drivers of both vehicles sustained only minor injuries.

Georgia General Assembly will begin its 2013 session in Atlanta at 10:00. Hopefully, prayerfully, they’ll make wise decisions that better the state. Or, at the least, don’t make things much worse.

One of the first things that could come up is a rule (procedural rule for the State Senate, not a law) capping legislator gifts at $100 or less per item. The people showed a strong desire for this back in November but GA Senators might not be so willing to let go of their free perks.

Hopefully the rule will be put into place, and won’t be the only issue of ethics the legislature fixes before the session ends in April.

The whole legislature is also expected to make changes to sentencing laws revised just last year and address other issues related to criminal justice, criminal records, and corrections.

It’s not on their radar (yet) but we’d also like to see some work done to end or add accountability to sole commissioner county government, state-wide. That’s something the local delegation should be reminded of and pushed by voters to begin investigating.

Today’s also the day Jeff Mullis will formally get his powerful new committee assignment and new office.

Commissioner Heiskell favors changing the Hutcheson board to give Catoosa County an additional member, taking one away from Dade. That would bring the counties back in line with population figures (plus Dade doesn’t contribute much to HMC financially). This is one issue where Bebe’s right, but so far Dade has refused to cooperate.

Walker and Catoosa continually invest more into the hospital and back it financially, while Dade seems to do less and less each year. They admit most of their residents don’t use the hospital, and as noted a few days ago, they only want it to drop off indigent prisoners who get sick in the county jail. Tri-County should become Bi-County and let Catoosa and Walker hash out how to run it in the future.