Senator David Perdue Meets Georgia Principal Of The Year
State & National October 2, 2017
Senator David Perdue Meets Georgia Principal Of The Year
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) met with 2018 Georgia Principal of the Year, Dr. Tommy Welch of Meadowcreek High School in Norcross, Georgia. Dr. Welch is one of three finalists for 2018 National Principal of the Year.
“Both of my parents were school teachers and education is something very dear to me,” said Senator Perdue.“Under Dr. Welch’s leadership, Meadowcreek High School’s graduation rates have skyrocketed and SAT scores are up over 40 percent. Most importantly, students are receiving the skills they need to succeed in the future through on-campus internships with local business partners, college and career academies, and more STEM courses. I’m extremely impressed by the great work Dr. Welch is doing for Meadowcreek High School and wish him all the best as he competes for National Principal of the Year.”
Update on Hurricane Irma Cleanup and Relief Efforts
State & National September 19, 2017
ATLANTA (September 18, 2017) | On Thursday, September 14, 2017, Senator Steve Gooch (R – Dahlonega) joined Governor Nathan Deal, local elected officials and first responders for a press conference in Habersham County to address Hurricane Irma cleanup and relief efforts.
“First and foremost, I would like to extend my gratitude to the first responders and volunteers who are helping the ongoing recovery efforts in our local communities and throughout the state,” said Sen. Gooch. “It is an honor to join Governor Deal, our local elected officials, first responders and citizens in any and all efforts to get our state back up and running. Our citizens are resilient and I am confident that by working together, we can help those in need and rebuilt each and every community that was impacted. It was very uplifting to witness the outpour of assistance from the hundreds of employees of utility companies from all over the United States.”
On Monday, September 11, 2017, Hurricane Irma made landfall in Georgia leaving around 1 million citizens without power. The impact from Irma was felt from the coastal plains to the north Georgia mountains. The state of Georgia saw unprecedented damage caused by the tropical storm force winds that reached more than 400 miles from the storm’s center. Relief efforts are ongoing and first responders, power companies, state agencies, volunteers and citizens are working around the clock to rebuild and restore power.
Governor Deal and the federal government responded quickly and declared a state of emergency in Georgia so that funds could be appropriated to help with the financial burden of the storm. Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA) is coordinating their efforts with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), state agencies and local authorities to ensure recovery, rebuilding and cleanup is completed in the most efficient and cost effective manner.
Additional information can be found on the GEMA and FEMA websites:
Deal Expands State of Emergency to Include ALL 159 Counties
News, State & National September 10, 2017
Acting on a recommendation from the state’s Emergency Operations Command and ahead of heavy rains, strong wind and potential flooding from Hurricane Irma, Gov. Nathan Deal today expanded the emergency declaration to include an additional 65 counties. The state of emergency now includes all 159 counties in Georgia. State government will be closed Monday and Tuesday for all employees except essential personnel.
Following a briefing from officials and visit with emergency responders, Deal will hold a media avail tonight at the State Operations Center at 6 p.m.
Follow this link to read the executive order.
For more information on hurricane preparedness, visit the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency website.
Senator David Perdue: Making U.S. Companies More Competitive Is A Top Priority
Politics, State & National September 7, 2017
Convenience Store Owners Sentenced for Food Stamp Fraud and Identity Theft
State & National August 7, 2017
ATLANTA – Jonathan and Stephanie Dupiton have been sentenced for using stolen identities to steal over $395,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The defendants illegally obtained SNAP benefits for themselves, and then cashed them at stores they owned in several Georgia communities.
“These defendants subverted the SNAP program to line their own pockets and also used hundreds of stolen identities to commit their crimes,” said U.S. Attorney John Horn. “They used the SNAP system as an ATM for their personal gain, diverting critical benefits that help those who need assistance in our communities.”
“The United States Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General- Investigations, actively investigates allegations of Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) fraud. These defendants stole unsuspecting people’s identities, used those identities to fraudulently acquire EBT cards, and misused thousands of dollars worth of SNAP benefits to enrich themselves at the expense of American taxpayers. Collectively, this type of fraudulent activity undermines this vital program by misdirecting millions of dollars of taxpayer funds from the purposes they were intended,” said Karen Citizen-Wilcox, Special Agent-in-Charge, USDA-OIG. “We would like to thank U.S. Attorney’s Office for aggressively prosecuting perpetrators of fraud and sending a strong message that illegally profiting by defrauding USDA programs will not be tolerated.”
“This investigation was a great example of partnership and cooperation between our Department and federal authorities,” said Georgia Department of Human Services Commissioner Robyn A. Crittenden. “DHS has zero tolerance for fraud, waste and abuse in the programs it administers. After internal efforts to detect fraud, DHS was able to work with the U.S. District Attorney’s Office in bringing these individuals to justice. Georgia’s most vulnerable citizens need these valuable resources, and we are committed to ensuring the integrity of SNAP in Georgia.”
According to U.S. Attorney Horn, the charges and other information presented in court: From July 2014 through October 2015, Jonathan and Stephanie Dupiton owned and operated two convenience stores in Cobb County, Georgia; J. Good Groceries in Mableton, and Stephanie’s Groceries in Austell. The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service manages and funds SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, with the purpose of alleviating hunger and malnutrition among low-income families. The Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) administers the SNAP program.
The defendants used stolen identities to apply for SNAP benefits instead of accepting SNAP benefits from qualified recipients to purchase food. These SNAP benefits were loaded on EBT cards, which are similar to debit cards. The defendants directed DHS to mail hundreds of EBT cards to addresses they controlled. The Dupitons then collected and swiped the fraudulent SNAP cards at their convenience stores. Over $800,000 in SNAP payments were deposited in the defendants’ bank accounts. DHS and USDA were able to link $395,000 of those funds to 321 fraudulent SNAP accounts.
Jonathan Dupiton, 28, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to three years, nine months in prison, and Stephanie Dupiton, 24, also of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to six months in prison. Both defendants were also sentenced to three years of supervised release, a special assessment of $100, and ordered to pay $395,388.01 in restitution. Both defendants were convicted of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud in April 2017, after pleading guilty to these charges. Jonathan Dupiton was also convicted of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory two-year consecutive sentence.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General and the Georgia Department of Human Services investigated this case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected]<m
Lt. Governor Cagle to Host Health Care Reform Task Force Meeting
State & National June 30, 2017
ATLANTA, June 30, 2017 – Lt. Governor Casey Cagle, along with Sens. Renee Unterman, Dean Burke, Chuck Hufstetler, Ben Watson, Kay Kirkpatrick, Jack Hill and Doc Rhett, will hold a meeting of Georgia’s Health Care Reform Task Force at Tift Regional Medical Center on MONDAY, July 10, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. Members will discuss innovative reforms to advance Georgia as a national leader in delivering patient-centered health care.
The Task Force will be hear presentations from representatives of Tift Regional Medical Center, Emory University, and Dr. Keith J. Mueller, Interim Dean of the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa.
Who: Lt. Governor Casey Cagle
What: Georgia’s Health Care Reform Task Force Meeting
When: Monday, July 10th at 10:00 a.m.
Where: Tift Regional Medical Center
901 18th St. Tifton, GA 31794
Republicans Never Learn – (D) Jon Ossoff Almost Flipped the GA 6th District
Politics April 19, 2017
Will (R) Karen Handel embrace or distance herself from President Donald Trump? Will Trump voters come out and vote for Karen Handel? How hard will Dan Moody, Judson Hill, and Bob Gray work to convince their voters to vote for Karen Handel? If Fulton County is the Republican stronghold of the district then why did Ossoff get 41,269 votes? Ossoff received almost as many votes in Fulton County as Gray, Handel and Moody combined. Donald Trump is President of the United States because he did not used the “Republican Playbook.” By using the playbook the Republicans almost lost the 6th district. When will Republicans learn to throw the playbook out the window – Trump style?
Georgia Speaker of The House David Ralston Talks About Rural Georgia Issues, Health Care…
Featured, Politics April 17, 2017
Our interview Friday with Speaker of The House David Ralston focused on rural Georgia. Ralston went into detail about the new Rural Georgia Economic Council. This council will be co-chaired by (R) Terry England from Auburn, (R) Jay Powell from Camilla and Vice Chair (R) Sam Watson from Moultry. The council will be holding meetings across Georgia to hear from elected officials, local businesses and citizens about how they feel rural Georgia economy can best be improved. Ralston said jokingly that he better not find out that one meeting took place in Atlanta.
Health care is a major concern in rural Georgia. Several hospitals have closed in rural Georgia areas including one in Ralston’s district in North Georgia. We spoke to Ralston abut one possible solution to meet rural Georgia health care needs. Ralston used the example of the first stand alone emergency room, opened by Piedmont Mountainside Hospital in Gilmer county. In this interview we asked Ralston if Gilmer county still had the possibility of having a full hospital.
Ralston told us that sometime within the next month Governor Nathan Deal would be visiting Gilmer county’s Fire Station 1 to sign the fire fighter’s workmen’s compensation bill. We asked Ralston the difference in this years campus carry bill opposed to last year’s bill which Governor Deal vetoed. Not being able to speak for the Governor, Ralston said he felt they made the changes necessary to get Deal to sign the bill. We also discussed the pay raises agreed upon in the 2017 legislative session for teachers, state law enforcement, and D.F.C.S workers.
Our final question in our interview friday: Speaker Ralston do you see the governor’s mansion in your future?
Cartecay Vineyard receives highest award for Chimney Blush
Featured, Lifestyle November 29, 2016
Cartecay Vineyards’ Chimney Blush recently received the highest award given for a Hybrid Grape Wine.
The award was received at the Georgia Wine Trustees Wine Challenge:The Thomas McCall Award for Best Hybrid Grape Wine 2016. This competition for Georgia wineries is Co-Directed by Jane Garvey and Douglas Mabry, with Parks Redwine presiding as Chief of Judges.
The Georgia Trustees Wine Challenge recognizes the excellence of Georgia-produced wines as well as other wines produced by Georgia wineries using grapes and fruits grown in other states. ALL ENTRIES MUST BE FERMENTED IN GEORGIA
The “NOT 100% Georgia grown” entries MAY list Georgia as an appellation on their label as Federal law allows 25% of the grapes or fruit to come from outside the state and still be labelled Georgia. Even wines with NO fruit grown in Georgia may be an eligible entry IF the wine is “produced” (i.e., fermented) in Georgia. It may also be “produced” by one Georgia winery and “vinted” by a different Georgia winery.
A wine whose label says “Made and Bottled” infers that at least 10% of the wine is made by the winery or company listed. If the label says “Vinted and Bottled,” the winery on the label may have had little to do with the making of the wine in that bottle.
Technically, a wine “vinted and bottled” by an out-of-state (non-Georgia) winery COULD be eligible for entry IF the wine was actually 100% fermented by a Georgia winery. A wine “Produced and Bottled” would have to be 100% fermented by a Georgia winery. Thus, if a wine so labeled is NOT from a Georgia winery, that wine may NOT be entered in the competition.
Cartecay Vineyards’ wines also received the following medals at the event: Chimney Blush, Gold; 2015 Vidal Blanc, Bronze; 2014 Traminette, Bronze.
Georgia State Patrol Making Final Preparations for the Thanksgiving Travel Period
Community, Featured November 23, 2016
State troopers urge safety for the Thanksgiving holiday. The holiday travel period is 102 hours and it begins at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, November 23, and ends at midnight Sunday, November 27.
“Troopers will be focusing on occupant protection violations, and keeping a close eye out for impaired drivers and other traffic violations that could potentially cause a crash,” said Colonel Mark W. McDonough, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety. “We want to make holiday travel as safe as possible,” he added.
Last year, during a similar 102-hour period, troopers investigated 788 traffic crashes across the state that resulted in 377 injuries and nine fatalities. In addition to the traffic crash investigations, troopers arrested 319 people for driving under the influence while issuing 9,620 citations and 15,729 warnings.
Troopers will not only be patrolling the interstates but the secondary roads as well. Make sure that everyone in your vehicle is wearing a seat belt and that small children are properly restrained in a child safety seat. Also, do not drive distracted and obey the posted speed. If you know that you will be consuming alcohol, designate a sober driver. “Sadly, each holiday period more than one-half of the people killed in motor vehicle crashes are impaired or not using safety belts,” Colonel McDonough said.
The Georgia State Patrol will also be teaming up with law enforcement officials from across the state for a concerted effort to encourage safe travel through Operation Click It or Ticket, Georgia’s high visibility seat belt enforcement program and Operation C.A.R.E., or Combined Accident Reduction Effort. Operation C.A.R.E. is a nationwide traffic safety initiative aimed at reducing the number of crashes, injuries and fatalities on the nation’s roads by balancing high visibility enforcement with educational outreach.
The holiday traffic count will be updated throughout the holiday travel period on the Georgia Department of Public Safety Twitter page: https://twitter.com/ga_dps.
Trump Campaign Insider Lee Snover 9/14/16
GMFTO September 14, 2016
Exclusive internal polling data on the Presidential Campaign in Pennsylvania. Did the Clinton Campaign Intentionally call Trump Supporters Deplorable to segregate? Lee Snover joins GMFTO from Pennsylvania to bring this and more to our Election Coverage.
Jones takes Board of Education seat, sales tax passes
Election 2018, News May 24, 2018
CHATSWORTH, Ga. – Heath Jones defeated Celeste Bargeron to win the Murray County Board of Education (BOE) District 6 seat and the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax passed in Tuesday’s primary election.
In the Republican primary Tuesday, incumbent Heath Jones took 1,385 votes and 67.46 percent to overcome Bargeron, who received 668 votes and 32.54 percent. No candidates Democratic candidates qualified to face Jones in the November general election; therefore, Jones will retain his seat on the board.
The BOE District 5 race saw Mitchell Wilson run uncontested in the Republican primary, receiving a total of 1,502 votes. Wilson is also unopposed in general election and will assume the District 5 seat on the board.
In BOE District 7, Republican incumbent Kelli Reed was also unopposed in the primary and will be unopposed in the general election. Reed took 1,553 total votes and will retain her seat on the board.
In the chief magistrate judge’s non-partisan race, Connie Reed was unopposed and garnered 2,019 total votes.
The county referendum to continue the 1 percent SPLOST for another six years was approved by voters. The referendum took in 1,689 yes votes (67.08 percent) and 829 no votes (32.92 percent). The new SPLOST will take effect Jan. 1, 2019.
In the state Senate District 54 race, Republican incumbent Chuck Payne edged out challenger J. Scott Tidwell with 5,012 total votes (52.87 percent) to Tidwell’s 4,467 (47.13 percent). Payne will move on to the November general election to face Democrat Michael S. Morgan, who was unopposed in the primary and received 1,565 total votes.
In the three state House of Representatives’ races, no candidate ran opposed in his respective party primary. In District 5, which encompasses portions of Murray and Gordon counties, Republican incumbent John Meadows received 2,596 district-wide votes while Brian Rosser took in 504 total votes in the Democratic primary. Meadows and Rosser will meet in November in the general election.
In state House District 6, which includes north Murray County and a portion of Whitfield County, Republican incumbent Jason Ridley ran unopposed in the primary and will run unopposed in the general election. Ridley received 2,090 total district votes.
The race for state House District 11, which includes portions of Murray, Gordon, and Pickens counties, Republican incumbent Rick Jasperse and Democrat Lee A. Shiver both ran unopposed in their parties’ respective primaries. Jasperse received a total of 4,865 votes across the district while Shiver took 673 total votes. Jasperse and Shiver will meet in the November general election.
In state-level races, runoff elections will be required to determine the Republican winners of the gubernatorial race, the race for lieutenant governor, and the race for secretary of state.
For governor, current Lt. Governor Casey Cagle will face current Secretary of State Brian Kemp in a runoff election July 24. Cagle took 39.01 percent of the statewide votes to Kemp’s 25.55 percent. The winner of this runoff will move on to face state Representative Stacey Abrams, who handily defeated fellow state Representative Stacey Evans in the Democratic primary. Abrams garnered 76.44 percent of the statewide Democratic votes to Evans’ 23.56 percent.
In the lieutenant governor’s election David Shafer will face Geoff Duncan in the July runoff for the Republican nomination. Shafer won 48.91 percent of the Republican votes statewide while Duncan received 26.65 percent. The winner of the runoff will face Democratic primary winner Sarah Riggs Amico in November.
The secretary of state’s race will also be decided in the July 24 runoff as Republicans Brad Raffensperger and David Belle Isle will meet for their’s party nod. Raffensperger took 34.98 percent of the Republican votes while Belle Isle took in 28.53 percent. The winner will face Democrat John Barrow in the fall general election.
In the county’s only federal election, the U.S. House of Representatives District 14 race featured Republican incumbent Tom Graves and Democrat Steven Lamar Foster both running unopposed in their parties’ respective primaries. Graves took a total of 38,235 Republican votes in the district while Foster received 10,611 votes in the Democratic primary. Graves and Foster will meet in the general election in November.
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Short Takes – Mueller vs. Trump vs.the American Public, or Pipe Dreams?
Opinion May 21, 2018I never cease to be amazed at the crap the media feeds us including the opinions of journalists just barely able to peel bananas with their hands.The otiose schemes the deranged Left keeps pushing is the political danger to Pres. Trump should he fires Mueller. Oh, the humanity of it!
Well, let’s get on with it; watch where the smoke comes from then put out the fire. This wasted, year long Mueller drama which all but indites Hillary Clinton and her coterie of conspirators in the DOJ, the FBI, the IRS and the State Dept. as the true criminals, needs to be resolved and soon. The patience of the American voters who put Trump in office is growing thin. They will not abandon Trump when the real problems are so clear. Heads must roll and then we can heal the wounds,and work to return to a true constitutional republic like the founders envisioned.
“Is their a constitutional confrontation in the offing?” asks one headline. The article posits the notion that Mueller is nearly omnipotent in fighting crime and or evil and has the power and authority like a Grand Wizard, to demand the President of the United States present himself before a Grand Jury, presumably to arrange his public execution by burning at the stake. Right!
The article allows that the President has some outs like any other citizen, such as invoking his 5th amendment rights; that he can simply remove the Deputy. AG, who hired Mueller after Jeff Sessions abdicated his responsibility, daring to face the slings and arrows, that will come or, he could simply swat the Mueller nuisance away, de-fund the investigation and move on, a proposal most Americans really want. It reminds us that the president is not “above the law” but fails to warn us that Hillary Clinton, the corrupt James Comey, Loretta Lynch, et. al., are above the law. “Oh, the harm it would do to the FBI’s reputation..& etc., etc.” Well, the top management has been exposed as a nest of vipers and does need to be cleaned out, the sooner the better.
We know that the Supreme Court ruled that Nixon, who did have tapes and records, had to produce them as physical evidence. What does Trump have to produce he hasn’t already freely given? Nothing, so the hunt goes on until they find something. They can forget any more Stormy Daniels stories. No body cares. Bill Clinton saw to that. That’s old news. The issue behind the issues here is that the Democrats have no issues they can convince Americans to embrace other than the Obama socialist disaster that Trump is now happily discarding. They can run on no other issue except “hate Trump” because he beat ‘em soundly, leaving them bereft of power and like Biblical Moses, wandering aimlessly in the Sinai. Listening to the morose former House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi is evidence enough of that.
It’s in their best interests to attack Trump, in fact it’s their only interest if they dream of ever recapturing the Congress again but, I suspect “dreams” are not policies. Democrat dreams cannot possibly move or replace Trumps successes like his tax cuts, killing the regulation state, his rising employment and GDP numbers and low unemployment rates, ripping America away from stupid trade deals that have hurt us, and ignoring the pseudo science environmental nonsense that the left believes will empower them to create their ‘dreamed’ one world order to save the planet. More importantly, he’s not afraid to face off Iran, which is facing its own internal problems, and the North Korean dingbat who pushed himself onto the world stage as a nuclear competitor and now can’t let go. Trump, the protagonist, has challenged them all and they react as he has expected them to. The Democrats are in disarray, Iran has squandered the billions Obama gave him and are almost broke and Kim is in fear of losing it all by his over extension.
Remember, freedom is the goal, the Constitution is the way. Now, go get ‘em!