Tag Archives: publicity

Valdosta PR about wastewater issues

The city of Valdosta responds. I have decorated this PR with a few
images with links, and a few comments after it. -jsq


Mayor and Council Address Recent Wastewater Issues,

The Valdosta Mayor and City Council are committed to providing quality
municipal services that meet the expectations of our citizens. In addition
to providing fire and police protection and other beneficial quality of
life services, the city leadership is equally committed to providing
adequate water and wastewater treatment services to its citizens,
maintaining a functioning sewer collection system and discharging treated
water in an environmentally responsible manner.



Recently, citizens have been inundated with information about
the current state of the city’s wastewater treatment plant and sewer
collection system, as well as the decisions made during the recent flood
event. The following information is provided to explain the recent event
and to help citizens better understand these important issues and the
dedicated work of their elected officials and municipal staff.

THE SITUATION

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VDT picks up private prison national article: the news is not good for CCA

The VDT, after following

the local private prison story,
picked up a national story about

CCA’s offer to 48 state governors to buy their prisons.
CCA is not getting any takers.

AP wrote 10 March 2012,

Firm offers states cash for prisons,

Despite a need for cash, several states immediately slammed the door
on the offer, a sign that privatizing prisons might not be as
popular as it once was.

Doesn’t seem very popular around here.
Most people still don’t seem to have heard about the proposed
local private prison,
but once they do, by far most say they are against it.

Prison departments in California, Texas and Georgia all dismissed the
idea. Florida’s prison system said it doesn’t have the authority to make
that kind of decision and officials in CCA’s home state of Tennessee
said they aren’t reviewing the proposal. The states refused to say why
they were rejecting the offer.

Good for Georgia and the other states!
Georgia, where
the prison population is already plummeting.

“Knowing the state government, it has to have something to do


with the potential political backlash,” said Jeanne
Stinchcomb, a criminal justice professor at Florida Atlantic
University who has written two books on the corrections industry.
“Privatization has reaped some negative publicity, so I can
only assume that despite the possible benefits, there would be a
price to pay for supporting it.”

Do tell….

-jsq

Who gets to serve on the Brooks County School Board —VDT

The VDT caught up with the TV stations today on the Quitman 10 story,
and provided updates and context they did not.

David Rodock wrote on the front page of the VDT today,

Gov. suspends `Quitman Ten’ officials,

On Tuesday, Deal issued his order prior to the Brooks County Board
of Education’s first meeting of 2012. Dr. Nancy Whitfield-Dennard,
Elizabeth Diane Thomas and Linda Faye Troutman were notified of this
suspension at approximately 4:30 p.m., according to sources.

That’s a bit more context than

the TV stations provided.

The VDT also says who gets to serve instead:

Following the governor’s suspension this week, Brooks County school
board member Brad Shealy, who is also an assistant Southern district
attorney, was appointed to serve as president of the board with
board member Larry Cunningham serving as vice president. Shealy
served many years as the school board president prior to
Whitfield-Dennard being named president last year.

That seems to be

the same Brad Shealy who used to be chairman
until the recent election.

The VDT adds this context:

Continue reading →

Gov. Deal suspended 3 Brooks Co. School Board members

The two local TV stations have an update on the Quitman 10:
the governor has suspended the three who were elected to the Brooks
County School Board.
If the VDT has covered this, I must have missed it.
(OK, I should look at
today’s paper….)
There’s also nothing about this on the

Brooks County School Board website.

Jade Bulecza wrote for WALB yesterday,

Governor orders Brooks Co. School Bd. suspensions



Superintendent Debra Folsom got the governor’s order Tuesday
suspending the three board members.

“This is all new territory for us,” said Folsom. “We’re consulting
our attorney to see what the next steps we will take to fill the
positions.”

December 20 a review commission made up of the attorney general and
two school board members from across Georgia were appointed by the
governor to review the case.

“They heard evidence from the prosecution and from the accused and
the conclusion of that they made a determination and forwarded that
to the governor’s office whether to suspend or not to suspend the
three school board members,” said South Georgia District Attorney
Joe Mulholland.

December 30, the review panel unanimously made their decision.

That would be the same Joe Mulholland

who’s been on TV saying things like

Continue reading →