Tag Archives: Georgia

America’s largest college mutual fund VA529 owns Spectra Energy, a stranded investment

Parents and grandparents buy 529 college savings plans as safe investments,
so VA529 chose poorly in Spectra Energy,


the very risky company behind the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline now plowing through the Floridan Aquifer drinking water of south Alabama, Georgia, and all of Florida and under the Withlacoochee and Suwannee Rivers against growing opposition.
Maybe you’d like to mention that to

Mary G. Morris, the Chief Executive Officer of Virginia529 College Savings Plan,
the biggest mutual fund investor in both Spectra Energy and in Enbridge, which is buying Spectra.
There’s a handy

VA529 contact form or you can call or write:

1-804-371-0766

Toll-Free: 1-888-567-0540

9001 Arboretum Parkway

North Chesterfield, VA 23236

Spectra is so risky it just sold itself so Enbridge would
take on about $22 billion of Spectra debt.
Debt especially racked up since Continue reading →

Service Delivery mismatch between cities and Lowndes County @ LCC 2016-11-29


photo: WALB TV
Back in 1999, Lowndes County made AP news for being
the only Georgia county to miss the deadline to file a service delivery plan and also not to file an extension.
They finally came to
an agreement in 2008 after a lot of wrangling,
The tradition of local government disagreement about
the 1997
HB 489 law requiring lack of duplication of tax-paid services
continued tonight, with a Special Called Meeting.
Caitlyn Chastain, WALBNews10, 11 November 2016,

Valdosta and Lowndes Co. leaders miss deadline for SDS agreement,

Lowndes County leaders are holding a special meeting for citizens to
talk about their newest proposal for the city on November 29th.

If I’m not mistaken, they only posted

the agenda
yesterday.
But Gretchen is there with the LAKE video camera.
Until they straigten this out, none of them can apply for federal or state grants.
Last I heard, Continue reading →

7 county cases, 2 city rezonings, an LDR and a CUP @ GLPC 2016-11-28

Eleven cases on the busiest

the agenda for the Planning Commission in a long time,
with a packed house, plus

election of Chair and Vice Chair.


Panorama

Continue reading →

Videos: 3 Hospital Authority appointments, 3 road abandonments @ LCC 2016-11-08



They

appointed Ben Copeland to the Hospital Authority.
More later on why they seem to be doing it backwards.
Nobody spoke in the

Public Hearing for abandonment of Excession RoW off Payton Place,
so they abandoned it and

quit-claimed it to the adjoining landowner.
Then they determined to hold a Public Hearing to

abandon unopened RoW of Avenue I,
although there was an ownership question from Commissioner Clay Griner,
which County Engineer Mike Fletcher answered.
They approved in this public meeting

a list of three elected officals using county-issued credit cards,
but they did not reveal to the public who was on the list.
The County Manager had

no report
and there were

no citizens wishing to be heard
so they adjourned.

Here are links to each LAKE video of the Tuesday 8 November 2016 Regular Session, with a few notes, followed by
a video playlist.
See also Continue reading →

First Brooks County Comprehensive Plan Workshop 2016-11-17

Received 15 November 2016:


Brooks County Future Development Map
From: “Ariel Godwin” <agodwin@sgrc.us>

Subject: Reminder: Brooks County Comprehensive Plan: First Workshop

Date: Tue, 15 Nov 2016 14:51:27 +0000

Reminder:

The first workshop for the Brooks County Comprehensive Plan will be:

Thursday, November 17, 2016

10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Brooks County Commission Offices

610 South Highland Street, Quitman

We are inviting you to participate to ensure that this plan update will
be developed with as much local input as possible. Please also forward
this email to anybody you feel would have an interest and Continue reading →

Nature Nates parking and mailbox @ VLCIA 2016-11-15



5:30PM today,
Nature Nate’s parking lot expansion and the never-ending mailbox controversy are back
on the agenda for the Development Authority.

Valdosta-Lowndes Development Authority

Tuesday, November 15, 2016, 5:30 pm

Development Authority Conference Room/103 Roosevelt Drive

Monthly Meeting Agenda

Continue reading →

Videos: 3 Hospital Authority appointments, 3 road abandonments @ LCC 2016-11-07



Discussion at Monday morning’s Work Session of the

Hospital Authority appointment clarified that it’s just for one opening,
but didn’t explain why they seem to be doing it
backwards to what Georgia law says.
Commissioner Demarcus Marshall asked for resumes for the applicants.
The Commissioners vote tonight at 5:30 PM.

New intern,

Hampton Rawlinson(sp?), working with Finance and Clerk.
Finance reported on

credit cards for elected officials.
Commissioner Mark Wisenbaker

stumped County Engineer Mike Fletcher.
County Manager Joe Pritchard

had no report.

Here are links to each LAKE video, with a few notes, followed by
a video playlist. Continue reading →

3 Hospital Authority appointments, 3 road abandonments @ LCC 2016-11-07

On this morning’s

Work Session agenda,
Lowndes County is replacing 3 of its 4 Hospital Authority board members.
Of those, 2 of 3 are on the Hospital Foundation board, so how much change is this?
And why does the Lowndes County Commission seem to be doing this appointment backward to the way Georgia law requires?



These appointments are especially interesting after the
Valdosta City Council’s call for Hospital Authority resignations
back in September.
The city’s list of Authority board members
is out of date, still listing Continue reading →

Voted, along with many others on last day of early voting 2016-11-04

I voted early at the Lowndes County Board of Elections.
Tuesday November 8th precincts will be open for Election Day 2016.


Lots of voters

The County Commission staff didn’t manage to get its referendum in on time
about Continue reading →

Videos: South Georgia Alliance and BRAT @ VLCIA 2016-10-18



The Development Authority is

twice as under budget as it is under revenue,
and they expect tax collections to catch up in January.

National Manufacturing Day had great local and national media coverage.
Fussell Tire

wants to build a warehouse with a non-coforming face towards St. Augustine Road;
the board sent back a look askance.
They’re also

still feuding with the Post Office about mail delivery to Nature Nate, the only tenant in Miller Business Park.

Prospective businesses
want to see communities that

“have their arms wrapped around millenials”,
including bike trails.
Hm, what about

water trails, asked WWALS president John S. Quarterman?

They

lacked a quorum
with Continue reading →