Jim Wilcox Archive

Rarely a week goes by that we don’t hear about a dog attacking a human or another animal.

While occasionally the aggressive dogs are strays, more often, they are someone’s pet.

In one of the more recent attacks, a chow mauled a tiny Yorkie mix, while its owner stood nearby.

Now, the owner of the dog that was attacked is left with more than a thousand dollars worth of vet bills.

Not only should the Chow owner pay those vet bills, the owner of any aggressive dog that causes harm to people or other animals should be held responsible for damage they cause.

It’s time for dog owners to assume control of and responsibility for their dogs, especially if the dog is a breed that’s known to have aggressive tendencies.

If you own a dog that can be aggressive, take precautions to protect people and other animals.

Keep your animals in your control, don’t let them roam free.

Know if there is a leash law in your county. If you have an invisible fence, make sure the shock collar is on, and in working order.

Make sure their shots are up to date, and be prepared to assume the cost of damage they cause.

College Mergers

In an unprecedented move, the state Board of Regents recently approved the merger of eight colleges to reduce costs.

The result….the university system of Georgia  will shrink from 35 to 31 institutions.

Not far from Albany, the colleges in Waycross and Douglas will merge, as will others in near Augusta.

The immediate Albany area got no such merger order.  That means Albany State University and Darton College will remain independent institutions.

It would appear the Albany State and Darton continue to show their independent value in the University system of Georgia.

But both ASU and Darton should not assume they may not be reviewed for merger in the future.

We call on the leaders of both schools and the community to look for new and better ways to educate.  Consider new programs.  Streamline where necessary. Make sure you show that these two institutions are so valuable to this area, that there is no need to even consider consolidation of the two schools.

Written by Jim Wilcox, general manager of WALB.

Written by Jim Wilcox, general manager of WALB.

Governor Nathan Deal announced an idea to do something that we think is long overdue in state and federal government:  consolidate and streamline government agencies.

When times were good, and everybody who wanted a job had one, we could carry the inefficiency that government creates, but those days are long gone.

The governor wants to privatize Georgia’s civilian aviation wing and sell some airplanes.

He wants to streamline Georgia’s human resources area, and eliminate 40 jobs.

And did you know we have more than 1,900 state workers assigned to the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute? That budget is $185 million….

The group that came up with these proposals estimates, they would save the state $3 billion.

We say, just as Georgia families tighten their belts and do with less, the government, which doesn’t have a dollar, that it doesn’t first TAKE from taxpayers, should do the same.

TEACHERS SUSPENDED ON THE JOB

We’ve been critical of the Dougherty County School Board and Superintendent Joshua Murfree the last couple of years for poor decisions and poor leadership.  But we want to be the first to praise the administration when they do things right.

School system leaders are handling the fallout from the state investigation into CRCT cheating well.  13 teachers and three principals admitted to some form of cheating.  The board did the right thing by quickly removing them from their schools.

Those employees can’t be fired before individual hearings, which could be months away.  And the system must continue to pay them.  Instead of suspending them, and essentially giving the accused cheaters a free vacation, the superintendent and board members are forcing them to show up to work every day.  They’re essentially in detention at the system’s administrative and storage complex.  We can only hope they’re forced to write “I will not cheat on the CRCT” on a chalkboard.

The system could have hired substitute teachers to take the place of those educators, but they made a better decision.  They’ll fill the vacancies with Early Intervention Program teachers who are already in the schools working one-on-one with struggling students.  They’re better qualified than substitutes and won’t cost any extra tax money.

The Dougherty County School System will feel the effects of the cheating scandal for a long time to come.  But so far, leaders are making smart decisions to minimize the cost of the scandal and the disruption to students.

New Year: Get involved!

It’s a new year. It’s time to get involved to make our community a better place.

We recognize the Albany community has its share of issues, as do many other communities.

If you want a better community… take stock in what we have and do your  part to improve the place we call home.

We have some exciting projects to look forward to as we kick off our new year.

These major construction projects will create jobs and improve Albany’s appearance.

Demolition of the old Broad Avenue Bridge should begin in a few months to make way for a new bridge.

Later this year, …Construction should begin on a  Downtown Albany Transportation Center .

Also, work soon begins on a new terminal at Southwest Georgia Regional Airport.

A better look and more jobs.   Let’s not sit back and complain about what could be,  Rather celebrate this new year by supporting improvements in our community .

GROCERY TAX

A year ago, state lawmakers promised a major overhaul of Georgia’s tax system.  They ended up not having the guts to tackle the controversial issue, so nothing happened.

It could come up again in the General Assembly session that’s about to begin, and some leaders have suggested re-implementing a state sales tax on groceries.  We think that’s a bad idea.

Food isn’t a luxury item you can choose not to buy when money is tight.  It’s a necessity that’s becoming more difficult for many Georgians to afford.  A regressive grocery tax would hurt those who can least afford it the most.

Georgia leaders do need to take a serious look at reforming the tax code to make it more equitable and to increase revenue.  But they should not put an extra burden on struggling and hard-working Georgians.