Tag Archives: adoption

Videos: Budget Public Hearing #2, Lowndes County @ LCC Budget 2015-06-23

Only one citizen spoke at the second Budget Hearing 5PM 23 June 2015: Gretchen Quarterman asking for approval of the VLMPO request for funding for a public transportation study. The Chairman said they weren’t going to, and shortly afterwards at their Regular Session they didn’t, although they did approve more than that for a water main subsidy for private developers.

The 5PM meeting was billed on the county’s website as Budget Adoption Meeting and the previous morning by the Chairman as a presentation by the Finance Director. Is it a public hearing if it’s never advertised as a public hearing?

At least the proposed budget is on the county’s website, just not where Continue reading

Budget Adoption Meeting, Lowndes County @ LCC Budget 2015-06-23

A Budget Adoption Meeting 5PM before the 5:30 PM Regular Session, as alluded to at yesterday morning’s Work Session. Is this a second Budget Hearing? Does it count if it’s not advertised as a Hearing? And it turns out the proposed budget is on the county’s website, just not where they previously said it would be.

Budget Adoption Meeting,

[5:00-5:30PM] Tuesday, June 23 Continue reading

Rural broadband economics slides

Use of fast Internet access by as many people as possible improves local income and jobs, and fast Internet access is necessary for creative workers, according to a nationwide detailed study.

Courtesy of lead author Brian Whitacre (pictured), here are the slides from Broadband’s Contribution to Economic Health in Rural Areas: A Causal Analysis, presented at the Telecommunications Policy Research Conference and previously blogged here as General broadband adoption improves rural economic health. They’re a lot easier to see than my blurry pictures. You can see the Valdosta MSA on the maps of some of their underlying data.

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General broadband adoption improves rural economic health

Want more income, jobs, and creative workers? Get as many people as possible to use fast affordable Internet connections: that’s the result of a nationwide detailed study. Adoption matters more than availability, and speed matters for creative workers.

No Broadband Availability by Metro Status, 2010 Broadband’s Contribution to Economic Health in Rural Areas: A Causal Analysis Brian Whitacre, Oklahoma State University; Roberto Gallardo, Mississippi State University; Sharon Strover, University of Texas at Austin, presented at the Telecommunications Policy Research Conference, September 2013.

Conclusion and Policy Implications

Title slide with Brian Whitacre This research yields important findings on the effect of broadband on economic gains, namely on household income and employment levels. The ability to do matched county comparisons, specifically in non-metro counties, demonstrates the influence of adoption (as opposed to availability) in producing these positive outcomes, and constitutes another indication that development efforts should focus on mobilizing populations to subscribe to and use broadband capabilities. Again, cultivating local leadership, mobilizing the services of cooperative extension educators nationwide, and working more closely with each State Broadband Initiative could be fruitful avenues for targeting adoption.

We’re in a fertile field for economic improvement this way:

County-level Household Broadband Adoption Rates, 2010

Figure 1 displays Continue reading

Tres the special needs cat —Melissa K. Alderman

Received 26 July 2011. -jsq
This is Tres a special needs cat pictured above. Tres was abandoned and left to fend for herself. She has been living under the office of a local law firm where the employees have been feeding her and taking care of her. Because of her disability we were afraid that Tres would not be able to take care of herself or fend off other animals if left outside. It’s apparent that Tres once belonged to someone, she is a very sweet and affectionate cat once she gets to know you. It’s very sad to know that someone abandoned this sweet cat and left her outside to take care of herself with her disability.

Tres has been examined by a vet and the vet says

Continue reading