Author Archives: admin

Put energy into things that are right for all children —Annie Fisher @ FVCS 7 July 2011

Valdosta school board member Annie Fisher advocated saying no to school unification and instead finding out how to desegregate the schools and improve education for everyone. She already suggested some things to do.

Here’s the video:


Put energy into things that are right for all children —Annie Fisher @ FVCS 7 July 2011
No school consolidation,
Press Conference, Friends of Valdosta City Schools (FVCS),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 July 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

-jsq

Many of the veterinarians do not want anything to do with the shelter —Susan Leavens

Received yesterday as the most recent of many comments on Let the Humane Society train animal control officers. -jsq
I know many of the veterinarians do not want anything to do with the shelter; for whatever reason. Whoever with the number of feral cats that come to the shelter each day… the vet would have to come several times a day just for them; they have no way to house feral cats. And no place to hold them for long periods (not even hours at that rate), during puppy an kitten season, sometimes 30 or more cats a day are euthanized.

I know the Humane Society offered both sheriffs

Continue reading →

Solar Darien

Darien can also do solar panels at a wastewater treatment plant:

Pat Prokop reported for WTOC 4 August 2011, Darien water treatment plant gets solar panels:

A McIntosh County water treatment plant is going green and saving hundreds of dollars in utility bills.

The city of Darien’s wastewater treatment plant outfitted the facility with solar panels. The city was able to invest more than $1 million on renovations and upgrades to the wastewater collection system, lift stations and treatment plant.

Prokop put a bunch of pictures on facebook.

Where did Darien get the money? Continue reading →

I found an advantage of a unified school system!

Unified cheating in Albany:
The Herald learned that Murfree and Coleman had been invited by Bowers, who is heading an investigation to determine whether there had been cheating on the DCSS’s 2009 Criterion-Referenced Competency Test exams.
and Atlanta:
An investigative panel has recommended that 109 principals, assistant principals, school-based testing coordinators and teachers face further scrutiny or sanctions after it found evidence of suspected cheating at 58 Atlanta Public Schools.
Atlanta and Albany have unified school systems, and they have cheating scandals. Coincidence? I think not.

-jsq

Let the Humane Society train animal control officers —John Gates @ LCC 26 July 2011

John Gates, director at the Humane Society of Lowndes County, noted that county law enforcement doesn’t seem to know much about animal laws and regulations, in addition to the problems at the shelter.

This part caused Joe Pritchard’s head to jerk back:

I think our animals in the community deserves the same rights as my children, myself, or your animals. If your animal is in the shelter, it should receive the same courtesy that you would give it at home.
Chairman Paulk clarified:
If you did certify the ACOs, they’d still have to be attached to an agency, which means they’d have to be attached to the Sheriff’s office.
I think it’s interesting that he’s listening to the idea.

Here’s the video: Continue reading →

The members of the CUEE, they send their children to private schools —Annie Fisher

Valdosta school board member Annie Fisher pointed out CUEE members sent their chidren to private schools and now they’re meddling in public education. She listed some real issues, such as Valdosta city schools remain segregated, focussing on tests just to meet AYP, and we need to remove students from the prison to the classroom.
“How can we equally educate each child?”
Yes, let’s forget “unification” and focus on that.

Here’s the video:


The members of the CUEE, they send their children to private schools —Annie Fisher
No school consolidation,
Press Conference, Friends of Valdosta City Schools (FVCS),
Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 July 2011.
Videos by John S. Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

You thought maybe I made up the three points I proposed to improve education? Nope, unlike CUEE, I’ve been paying attention.

-jsq

Legal definition of animal cruelty in Georgia —Susan Leavens

Received 27 July on Shouldn’t the people running the facilities … be held accountable? -jsq
I guess this answered my question,

What is the legal definition of animal cruelty in Georgia?

-Susan Leavens

She quoted the whole thing, which is quite long. I found this passage particularly interesting. -jsq
Local law enforcement (municipal or county police department or county sheriff’s department) enforces the criminal provisions of Cruelty to Animals, O.C.G.A. §16-12-4.

The next comment contained the clarification below. -jsq Continue reading →

In accordance with the law —Susan Leavens

Received today on When officials act like they are hiding something, they usually are. -jsq
“You won’t receive an open-records request if you answer questions honestly and in accordance with the law.” What an honest statement; perhaps some of this too.
GEORGIA CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE IX. COUNTIES AND MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS
SECTION II. HOME RULE FOR COUNTIES AND MUNICIPALITIES
(c) The power granted to counties in subparagraphs (a) and (b) above shall not be construed to extend to the following matters or any other matters which the General Assembly by general law has preempted or may hereafter preempt, but such matters shall be the subject of general law or the subject of local acts of the General Assembly to the extent that the enactment of such local acts is otherwise permitted under this Constitution:

(1) Action affecting any elective county office, the salaries thereof, or the personnel thereof, except the personnel subject to the jurisdiction of the county governing authority.

(2) Action affecting the composition, form, procedure for election or appointment, compensation, and expenses and allowances in the nature of compensation of the county governing authority.

(3) Action defining any criminal offense or providing for criminal punishment.

Subjects such as CUEE don’t seem to elicit the same due diligence —Barbara Stratton

Received today on When officials act like they are hiding something, they usually are. -jsq
I commend the VDT for its persistence in pursuing requests for information on many subjects. However, as John mentioned some subjects such as CUEE don’t seem to elicit the same due diligence in pursuing true facts. The VDT continues to support CUEE agendas even though it has been well established that the CUEE committee did not follow true priority of law when it ignored the 1983 GA constitutional law requiring all involved systems in a consolidation action be allowed to vote. CUEE still persists in following a 1926 statute that says only city voters are allowed to vote & the VDT continues to support their efforts. It seems to me a failure to acurately report all facts exists for both the CUEE committee members & the VDT staff.

Since a costly voter referendum action has been activated & supported by both entities in spite of & in the face of priority of law objections it is my opinion a crime or crimes have been perpetuated upon the citizens of Lowndes Co. & a Grand Jury investigation should be convened to address these criminal actions.

-Barbara Stratton

Crossovers from the CUEE/Valwood donor list. —Alex Rowell

Received today. -jsq
Here’s the crossovers from the CUEE/Valwood donor list.

It seems like being on the board or even publicly supporting a group dedicated to combining two public school systems while being a trustee or donor of the community’s biggest private school might present a conflict of interest.

CUEE Board Member David Durland is a Valwood parent and donor.

Of the listed supporters on CUEE’s website, there are three Valwood trustees, one of whom is a spouse of another trustee: Ed Crane, Dutton Miller, and John Peeples (whose wife Jane is also a trustee).

Source on Valwood donors:
2010-2011 Annual Fund Donors As of June 30, 2011

Source on CUEE supporters/board:
CUEE, Inc. Board of Directors
Referendum Supporters

—Alex