Looks like everyone survived the weekend’s bad weather.

Here’s a look at other recent news from LaFayette, Walker County, and the region:

After years of complaints, Walker County is taking the “Pallet Man” of Wallaceville (on hwy. 341) to court over his business. Neighbors say it’s dangerous and an eyesore, the county says he’s violating zoning laws by operating a landfill. The owner, WIlburn Fields, says he’s being racially targeted and the business should be grandfathered in since it existed before the county’s zoning laws.

The county and neighbors are right in this case, it is a mess and needs to stop. Someday the whole place will catch fire and it’ll take every fire department in Northwest Georgia to put it out.

But there are plenty of other businesses in the county that violate zoning without anything said. The rules are enforced arbitrarily. If Mr. Fields was a little more considerate of neighbors (and a little less obvious) there wouldn’t be anything said.   

Engineered Floors, a new flooring business owned by Bob Shaw, will build two new carpet mills in Whitfield and Murray counties during the next few years. The mills are expected to hire some 2,400 people when they open.

One of the new plants announced last Wednesday is expected to open in the Carbondale industrial park off I-75. That’s good for Walker County: that site is only about 15 miles from the Walker/Whitfield line and could provide jobs for hundreds who live (or will live) in the Villanow area.     

This project in Whitfield will do more for Walker County’s economy than ANYTHING Bebe’s doing at Mountain Cove Farms.

If the county had wise leaders we’d be advertising the low cost of living and relatively lower home prices in Walker to the people who will be coming in to work at this new facility. But it’s not going to be within sight of Chickamauga so the opportunity won’t be taken advantage of.

Meanwhile in Chattooga County, leaders are happy to find a lower official unemployment rate but can’t figure out what caused it.

Hint: expired unemployment benefits.

LaFayette city leaders and DDA expect to have the new railroad park on Patton St. done by June 1st. Plans to have a railroad baggage car on site have fallen through, but the old caboose museum LU found for them will be set up on display.

The abandoned Rotary walking trail between West Main and Villanow St. will also be redone, eventually. The original proposed site for the park was unworkable (as pointed out on LU) and was shifted to this lot behind closed Alpine 2 on Patton Street.

Maybe this fall we’ll actually have something for railroad tourists to see when they ride through.

Summerville is also doing a similar project, building a walking trail between their restored train depot and a small park. Both projects will be done with grant money.   

State leaders who visited Hays Prison in Trion last week said renovations on the facility are making progress, but wouldn’t comment as to how it got into such dangerous shape to begin with. Reporters were not allowed inside during the visit.

“‘I don’t know if there is a perfect system,’ said state Sen. Chuck Hufstetler. ‘But so far they’ve put their worst prisoners in the newly renovated facility and had no damage to the locks or the beds to the heating system.'”

In the last two weeks no prisoners have gotten out or torn anything up, so everything’s good now. Hays will obviously never have any problems again, so stop paying attention or asking questions.   

Mapco says “hackers” recently accessed some customer credit/debit card info from several days in March and April. Mapco runs Mapco, Favorite Market, and Discount Food Market in our immediate area. If you swiped plastic at Mapco on the dates mentioned in the article, take a close look at your accounts.

Both gas stations at 27/136 at Walmart and the Villanow Favorite Market belong to Mapco.   

According to two different people who applied for an open position at Mountain Cove Farms, Walker Emergency Services Coordinator David Ashburn declared applicants must “kiss my ass to prove to me you want the job.”

When the boss says that before you’re hired, run.

No word yet on why Ashburn, who’s supposed to be in charge of 911 and emergency services, has any role at the county’s multi-million-dollar wannabe resort, or what exactly he meant by the inappropriate comment.

So far no sexual harassment or civil rights violation lawsuits have been filed, but with this attitude it’s probably just a matter of time.   

Who makes the biggest profit from illegal drugs? Not growers, manufacturers, or dealers. In Georgia it’s actually police and sheriff’s departments. State law allows law enforcement to seize assets involved in SUSPECTED drug activity, even if suspects are later cleared. In most cases the cash or property confiscated is never returned, and state law allows departments to use it for padding their budgets with almost no accountability.

Lax Forfeiture Law Loaded With Potential for Abuse:

“State law is supposed to open the forfeiture process to public scrutiny. Police and sheriffs departments must compile yearly reports on their forfeitures, which lawmakers say should be posted on a state website. But there’s no penalty for those who fail to follow it, and the site contains so little information that oversight can be next to impossible.

“Of the state’s 159 counties, only 29 have posted reports. About half of them are confusing, vague or include the wrong information.”

(Needless to say, Walker isn’t one of those 29.)

“Gwinnett District Attorney Danny Porter said he avoids conflicts by refusing the proceeds that state law allows his office to keep. ‘My opinion is that it’s my job to eradicate the drug trade, not live off of it,’ Porter said.”

An attempt to change the law to add transparency and raise standards for seizure was defeated in March when police chiefs and sheriffs (including Steve Wilson) who “live off it” threw a hissy fit down in Atlanta.

If the assets ARE involved with drug production or distribution, that’s one thing. But the way the law is written now, they can accuse you of drugs, take your stuff, and then you’re screwed even if you’ve never taken or touched anything stronger than a Tylenol.   

During the Civil War, photography was in its infancy and color photos were decades away – but Civil War photos are now available, meticulously colorized, in a 256 page book. “The Civil War in Color: A Photographic Reenactment of the War Between the States” by John C. Guntzelman.

Very interesting book. It certainly makes the depicted scenes seem more realistic and closer to modern life. Available for $24.22 on Amazon.com.   

During a visit to NWGA last week, Governor Deal stopped in Dade County to sign a bill requiring every public high schools in the state show students a half-hour video on CPR and AED machines. The bill was pushed through by a Dade resident via Senator Mullis.

Some Walker County students already get basic CPR training but this will make the CPR video mandatory for every Georgia high school student.   

LaFayette is looking for a new Airport Manager.   

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