Tag Archives: Georgia

CUEE turns shy?

Does CUEE have defectors?

On CUEE’s board web page there’s a link,

See a list of community supporters
which we cited back in August. It now gets 404 “No Such URL at This Domain”.

However, we know who they used to be, because that list got copied by Vote No for the Children to the two very interesting charts below, which show real estate and Valwood connections with CUEE.

So what’s going on? Did CUEE’s website get termites, and we should trust the public schools to a group that can’t keep track of its own supporters? Or have some of CUEE’s supporters defected Continue reading →

Update: The Grassroots Handbook Against School Consolidation —David Mullis

Received today. -jsq
Dear Media:

I am sure you are aware that the vote of whether or not to consolidate the Valdosta City Schools into the Lowndes County School System will be held November 8, 2011. The City only is being asked to vote on whether to dissolve the Valdosta City School charter. The proponents of the referendum had a choice between putting the referendum in front of the county and city or the city alone. The Lowndes County Board of Education asked

Continue reading →

Vote No March —Floyd E Rose

Seen yesterday. -jsq
Never before in the history of Valdosta have its citizens been met with a greater challenge. The most powerful business interests in our city have conspired to deceive us with a scheme to dilute the black vote, and thereby rob our community of the political and economic benefits to which we are rightly entitled.

We make up 55 percent of the city’s population. However, we are only 34 percent of the county’s population. If the city and county governments are consolidated, which is the real goal of the Committee for Educational Excellence (CUEE), we will lose forever the opportunity to have access to the millions of federal dollars that will come to Valdosta, with which we can rebuild our community; monies that we are now going to the North side.

This is, and never has been, about school unification. However, legally

Continue reading →

Airport Authority signs its own contracts

Here’s another local Authority; this one signs its own contracts.

Brittany D. McClure wrote for the VDT 13 October 2011, Airport Authority discusses improvements to airport,

The Valdosta Airport Authority Board met Wednesday at its office in the main terminal of the Valdosta Regional Airport.

Valdosta-Lowndes County Airport Authority

Valdosta Regional Airport is owned and operated by the Valdosta-Lowndes County Airport Authority. This six-member authority was established in 1987 and is comprised of three appointees from the city and three appointees from the county. The full-time staff of the Airport Authority is comprised of the executive director/airport manager and 5 additional staff members. The following personnel are members of the Airport Authority:
Steve Everett – Chairman
Wayne Edwards – Vice Chairman
Nathaniel Haugabrook
Dr. James Sinnott
Anthony Payton
Jane Shelton
Jim Galloway – executive director/airport manager
(229) 333-1833

The board reviewed several airport improvement projects in various stages of completion — including a remedy to the drainage problem, a proposal for a new Airport Rescue and Firefighting vehicle and new ARFF station and the anticipated opening of the new Subway restaurant.
Yet another Authority. This ones executive director, Jim Galloway, who was appointed January 1st, can sign contracts for it:
The proposal for a new ARFF vehicle and station, covered by AIP-28, is complete and Galloway brought the contracts that were ready for approval signatures.

“The way this contract is written is not where the mayor can sign it, it’s where we can actually sign it,” explained Galloway.

Good thing the VDT was there.

-jsq

Vote NO March & Rally

Text received Monday, poster received today. -jsq
From: JC Cunningham

Please read the message by Rev. Rose and then mark your calendar for Oct. 22, 2011. On that day we will have the largest March/Rally in the history of Valdosta. This will be the March that will show everyone in Georgia and America that we the Citizens of Lowndes-Valdosta, know how to come together and we will no longer stand for the Lies, Greed, and Disrespect from Cuee. We will for once and for all tell Cuee and the Chamber that “Our Children are not for Sale” This March will show Cuee and the Chamber that when we all stand together; Democrats, Republicans, NAACP, SCLC, White, Black, Hispanic, Rich, Poor, Young and Old we show what true democracy is all about. Cuee has tried everything to break our spirit with negative campaign ads and misleading information, but they did not. They cannot break the solidarity that has grown throughout this community over the past two months.

To watch Republicans and Democrats set aside their

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Calculate how much Vogtle is costing you —Mandy Hancock

Received yesterday, related to Georgia Power forges ahead with expensive nukes. -jsq
For those of you concerned about nuclear energy, here are some quick, meaningful actions you can take today. Maybe you aren’t concerned about nuclear energy. I bet you ARE concerned about $$$$.

Learn more about how Georgia Power is getting your money at the state and federal level. All US taxpayers all over the US are basically cosigning a loan for $8.3 B for the Vogtle reactors. Simultaneously, Georgia Power is raising your electric rates to fund the pre-construction costs by pulling the same advanced cost recovery scheme as SC and FL. You can learn more about the controversy surrounding the loan guarantees here

Calculate how much Vogtle is costing you on your monthly bill

(Look for “Nuclear Construction Cost Recovery Rider:”)

-Mandy Hancock

Vote No for School Consolidation March —Sam Allen

Seen on FVCS yesterday. -jsq
On Saturday, October 22, 2011, Friends of Valdosta City Schools are planning a “Vote No for School Consolidation March” at 9:00 am. The March will begin at 9:30 am at the Old Tommy Griner Parking lot (across the street from the Lowndes/Valdosta chamber of commerce – Ashley Street) and end at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Monument at the corner of MLK and Ashley. We will have several speakers to encourage our Community to band together for a Common Cause. Please plan to attend and invite everyone that you know to join us as we tell cuee and chamber that we will not fall for their untruths and misleading ads. Please join in the March for the Cause. Keep in mind that at the end there is no Runoff.

Keep in mind that the Ballot Question does have “Consolidation” on it now, but the answer remains the same. NO! NO! NO!

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Please send to your Friends

-Sam Allen

He is in the business of selling energy, not saving it. —Michael G. Noll

Received yesterday on Georgia Power forges ahead with expensive nukes. -jsq
Thanks for posting this John!

Mr. Bowers’ visit and his comments are almost comical, particularly his quote that “the government is stimulating for renewables to give them a running chance but, when you remove them, the question is can they run on their own two feet?”

A good question! Fact is that neither coal nor nuclear would be able to “run on their two own feet” if it wasn’t for the large subsidies both have received for decades. Now these are nicely hidden subsidies so that the average consumer thinks he is getting a bargain, without realizing that it is us, the consumers, who have actually paid for this “inexpensive rate”.

At the same time truly renewable and clean energies

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Industrial Authority Board meets Tuesday 5:30 PM

Sure, most of the interesting stuff like Project Excel (the CCA private prison) is hidden under
  • Project Report-Allan Ricketts
Also, aren’t they supposed to say what an executive session is for?

But at least they do post an agenda now!

So, when will they be posting minutes?

Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority
Agenda
Tuesday, October 18, 2011 5:30 p.m.
Industrial Authority Conference Room
2110 N. Patterson Street
Continue reading →

WCTV says Occupy Valdosta made No Consolidation impossible to ignore

WCTV gets it right in most of the story:
A familiar scene from the Big Apple reaches Southern Georgia. It’s called “Occupy Valdosta.” More than 100 protesters take to the streets to fight corporate greed and social injustice.

Greg Gullberg wrote Friday for WCTV, Occupy Wall Street Comes To Valdosta,

Chanting before banks, monuments and courthouses, the rally reached its summit at the Chamber of Commerce.

There the crowd cried two familiar words: ‘No Consolidation’.

In a demonstration designed to fight corporate greed and social inequality, the protest ultimately turned to the fate of the school systems and the children of Valdosta.

“My children go to city schools. I live in the county. I can’t vote. That’s not right,” said Susan Smith.

WCTV’s low estimate of 100 who chanted “no consolidation” on the Chamber’s doorstep is several times Continue reading →