County considers shorter school week

Another Georgia county is considering going to a four-day school week. Middle Georgia's Jones County is in the exploratory phase of the idea. The cutback would target high fuel prices and offset state funding cuts. The county estimates having school on four days a week would save the system $250,000 a year on fuel for gas and heating and electricity for buildings. Muscogee County has also said it's considering a shorter school week.

Local tax measures approved

A number of local tax measures were approved by voters yesterday.

Clayton County voted for a penny sales tax increase to help pay for new county facilities, including a juvenile justice center, police stations and libraries.

In Gwinnett County, voters approved a $750 million bond referendum to build more schools.

Metro Atlanta voters favored extending an existing sales tax to fund repairs to the city’s sewer system.

Forsyth County, voters approved a one percent sales tax for road improvements and property tax increase for more county parks.

Colquitt, Madison, Jones and Polk Counties all approved local sales tax measures for school funding and other projects.

Newton County voters granted senior citizens an additional exemption from school property taxes.

A Lumpkin County referendum to allow liquor-by-the-drink sales passed, while an effort to allow Sunday alcohol sales in Jackson County was rebuffed.

'To Catch a Predator' trial begins

The trial of an Albany man, arrested for attempted child molestation in the "To Catch A Predator,' television program, begins today in Jones County.

Jury selection in Gray, the County Seat, is the first step in the trial of 25-year-old Raymundo Anguiano. Police arrested him during the week-long operation in July of 2006.

Several Georgia residents are among the 20 men Harris County Sheriffs arrested at a decoy house in Fortson. They were caught on camera, allegedly expecting to meet with an underage woman whom they sought for sex, but who was, in fact, an online decoy.

The operation was filmed for NBC Television's Dateline program, and produced in cooperation with an online watchdog group, Perverted-Justice.

A Harris County judge ordered the venue changed to Jones County, citing pre-trail publicity about the case affecting jurors' judgment.

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Water crisis in Jones County

Residents in Gray, Georgia are being asked to boil drinking water. The city says two water main breaks, a large fire, and the holiday weekend has spawned a crisis. Tanks that supply water to residents are nearly empty, and not expected to be re-filled until the coming weekend. Gray joins a growing list of Georgia towns under a ban on all outdoor water use.