Paul Wolff at his house on Tybee Island
said air practically whistles through open electrical plugs,
so stopping those up saves a lot on heat and air conditioning.
Electric outlet plugs —Paul Wolff @ Tybee Island 2012 02 17
renewable energy,
Paul Wolff, The Volta Collaborative (TVC),
Tybee Island, Chatham County, Georgia, 17 February 2012.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Video: Drive Away CCA radio (John S. Quarterman interviewed by Chris Beckham)
No private prison in Lowndes County,
Radio WVGA 105.9 FM with Chris Beckham, Drive Away CCA (DAC),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 6 March 2012.
Video by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.
Audio from WVGA 105.9
Also,
audio from WVGA 105.9 is available.
There are plently of things you can still do to help Drive Away CCA:
5PM today,
Drive Away CCA, from the prison site at East US 84 and Inner Perimeter Road,
honk at Valdosta City Hall, and march at the Industrial Authority office.
John Quarterman, who is with a group informally called “Drive
Away CCA” visited The Morning Drive to discuss the group’s
displeasure with a possible private prison that is being discussed
in Lowndes County. A possible extension for the company to continue
its plans here is up for renewal and the group feels its location
here would be bad for area businesses and citizens alike.
Foot-dragging utilities have stalled SB 401, which would facilitate
generating and selling of solar power in Georgia.
Here’s why and how you can help fix that.
Times are changing. More and more of us are discovering choices for
managing our power costs. Beyond the time-honored practice of
turning off the lights leaving the room, we can find light bulbs
that pay for themselves in a year or so; and we can find appliances,
water heaters, and air conditioners that pay for themselves in a few
years. After that, the savings are like getting part of your power
free.
Now, on-site solar power has become an economical option for many.
Deals for rooftop solar panels can be done in Georgia today that
will provide power for 25 years for as little as 10 cents per
kilowatt-hour. Many Georgians can save money from day one. Since
rates in Georgia have gone up 49 percent in seven years, they can
also protect themselves against increases.
More and more Georgians are choosing on-site solar, but
The approved minutes of all city or town council meetings must be
posted on the city’s website within two working days of their
approval, A.R.S. § 38-431.01(E)(2) . In no event should minutes be
withheld from the public pending approval. Minutes must be reduced
to a form that is readily accessible to the public. See A.R.S. §
38-431.01(D). A public body of a city or a town with a population
exceeding 2,500 people shall, within three working days after any
meeting, post on their website a statement showing legal actions
taken by the public body or any recordings made during the meeting.
A.R.S. § 38-431.01(E)(1). Posted statements and recordings shall
remain accessible on the website for at least one year after the
meeting. Id.§ (J). In addition, any recordings and minutes are
public records subject to record retention requirements.
No barn door exception for “if” the municipality has a website.
Cities over 2,500 population also have to post recordings
if they made them.
Expand all that to counties and appointed boards and authorities,
add it to Georgia’s sunshine laws, and then we’ll be solar cooking!
Today at 5PM, help Drive Away CCA!
Join the motorcade from the private prison site to honk at Valdosta City Hall
and march at the Industrial Authority office.
Today the Georgia Senate Rules Committee votes on
Sen. Tim Golden’s SB 284 “Georgia Land Bank Act; governing
creation/operation of land banks; provision”.
Received 24 February 2012. -jsq
A citizen’s committee needs to be formed to keep an eye on the Land
Bank Authority because they seem to think they are exempt from state
Sunshine Law rules. In addition Sen. Golden has a bill SB 284
introduced into the state senate that will allow the establishment
of regional land bank authorities. We citizens never consented to
all this regional government that is being forced on us. If we can’t
keep up with what the local land bank authority is doing just
imagine what a regional land bank authority will be able to
accomplish with zero public knowledge and input. This is one of the
most dangerous pseudo-government entities ever and it needs to be
addressed from the citizen level immediately. I applied for a
citizen vacancy on the Land Bank Authority, but of course those
positions are reserved for politically supportive individuals. Per
the sunshine laws, which Sam Olens has sworn allegiance to, a
citizen review committee would have to be advised of the meetings
that are currently never publicized.
“The legislature has given the Attorney General’s office the
jurisdiction to enforce the Open Records law and this bill will give
us the tools to do so.”
Olens said the AG’s office receives an average of 400 complaints
each year of Open Records violations by governmental entities in the
state. The bill strengthens penalties and gives the AG more tools to
use to prosecute violators.
Subsection 50-14-6 changes the fine for knowingly violating the law
from $100 to $1,000 and allows the court to impose a civil penalty
as well.
The bill also strengthens the guidelines for posting notices on
websites and clarifies the rules for social events that may attract
a quorum of officials. Also, destroying public records can be
prosecuted as a felony.
Somebody else is trying to
drive away CCA.
Near Ft. Lauderdale, CCA wants to put a detention center
in Southwest Ranches, Florida, and
CCA Go Away (facebook)
is organizing against that.