Voting officals warn against 'Video Your Vote'

Sign forbidding cellphone use, at the entrance to a polling station at the West Park Government Center in Cobb Co., Monday, Oct 13, 2008. (Dave Bender)

PBS, YouTube and other web sites want voters to use their video-equipped cellphones and PDA's to film the process on November 4th, and then upload the clips to the internet.

But there's a problem: it's illegal.

Georgia, Florida, Michigan and several other states outlaw photography or recording devices at polling stations, to one degree or another.

Nancy Boren is head of Elections and Registrations in Muscogee County.

She says polling workers and volunteers are aware of the issue, and will try to thwart it:

“We do have prohibition notices posted at our advanced and absentee voting sites; they are in clear view of the voters; they have the opportunity to review them before they enter the enclosed space for voting.”

But organizers of "Video Your Vote," and similar sites say the initiative is meant to protect voting rights by monitoring the electoral process, and fight vote fraud.

Voters in the 2000 and 2004 complained of irregularities at polling stations, including malfunctioning voting machines, vote fraud and intimidation.

Numerous signs forbidding any campaigning within 150 feet of the outer edge of the polling station were posted at at the West Park Government Center in Cobb Co., Monday, Oct 13, 2008. (Dave Bender)

Opponents call the video idea an invasion of privacy, and that the very act of filming is disruptive and would affect the outcome of voting.

Boren says that in any case, the law will be enforced:

“If that became necessary, the sheriff’s department would be called, and a deputy would come here to talk with the voter, hopefully to get them to comply and then if they don’t, they would be removed from the voting precinct.”

Poll worker distributing sample ballots to voters at the polling station at West Park Government Center in Cobb Co., Monday, Oct 13, 2008. (Dave Bender)

Punishments vary in the states where it’s forbidden, and some states have buffer zones for campaigning and photography.

But, Boren says - so far - voters in her county have been very cooperative, and officials haven’t had to confiscate any communications devices.

Click here for more GPB election coverage, and here for our exclusive elections page.

Grand jury indicts 63-year-old on murder and assult charges

A man police say shot and killed three people at a Columbus hospital in March because of a grudge has been indicted on murder and assault charges.

A Muscogee County grand jury indicted 63-year-old Charles Johnston on Tuesday.

Police say Johnston went on a shooting spree March 27 at Doctors Hospital because he was upset over the medical treatment his mother received there before her 2004 death.

(Associated Press)

Voters to be offered flu shots

Officials in western Georgia say they have a novel way to boost voter turnout on Election Day.

Muscogee County’s Board of Elections and Registrations, together with the local Health Department are taking part in a nationwide “Vote and Vax” campaign. The program was launched in the summer of 2006 and voting officials hope it will draw more voters to the polls by offering flu vaccinations.

Nancy Boren is Muscogee County’s voter registrar:

"The Health Department and the Board of Elections decided to team together to have the elderly and those in need of a flu shot to get their flu shot at the same time that they vote."

And, Boren says, four early-voting stations in Columbus will be the first to administer those shots, from October twenty-seventh to the thirtieth.

A West Central Health District spokesperson says their sole intention "is to offer convenient influenza vaccinations at select early polling sites for our community members."
Professional nurses from two Columbus colleges will give the injections. They’ll costs $23 dollars apiece, and won’t require a prescription.

Boren says that while voting and vaccinations will be held at the same locations, one doesn’t depend on the other:

"You do not have to vote to get a shot, nor do you have to get a shot to vote, so, while they will be in the same area, there will be a separation between the two."

Health officials add that only people of voting age will be eligible to receive the immunization, but that age-appropriate shots are available at local health departments.

While only Muscogee and Cherokee counties have signed up so far, officials hope more of the 15 counties that make up the West Central Health District will take part.

A West Central Health District spokesperson says their sole intention "is to offer convenient influenza vaccinations at select early polling sites for our community members."

Click here for more GPB News coverage of health issues.

Boost for ailing minority health care

Minority health care in several southwest Georgia counties gets failing marks according to a new report. The 2008 Health Disparities Report (.pdf download) says that while racial and ethnic minorities make up about a third of Georgia's population, they are much more likely to have health problems.

The Office of Minority Health, which put out the report is working to equalize health care access for minority and non-minority populations in Georgia.

Kristal Ammons of the Department of Community Health says Muscogee County's grade was among the lowest statewide:

“...particularly in the overall report card -- they received a grade of 'F' for prenatal care and maternal health outcomes.”

Representatives met with local officials in Columbus on Thursday to discuss ways of improving minority health care.

Ammons says a matrix of poor education, poverty and economic hardship are a big part of the problem, but adds that many other counties received higher ratings.

The group plans to distribute $1.5 million in improvement grants statewide. The funds will also cover other health issues including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and HIV/AIDS.

The group plans to set up coalitions with local officials and health care providers in Fort Valley, Valdosta and Brunswick, among others statewide.

Click here for more GPB coverage of health issues in Georgia.

GOP convention comes to Columbus

Georgia's Republican Party convention meets this weekend in Columbus. Some 5,000 GOP faithful from across the state are expected to pack the Columbus Civic Center.

They'll pick half the state's delegates to the national convention, to be held this fall in St. Paul, Minnesota. And, convention-goers will choose two representatives to the Republican National committee.

Josh McKoon, who chairs the party's Muscogee County branch expects over 1,100 delegates to attend. And, he says, factional politics could provide some surprises:

"I think there will certainly be a move by those that support Ron Paul to get some of their supporters on the delegate list representing Georgia. I know that's happened on the local level at earlier stages of this process, so that potentially could be something that could cause a little bit of a stir."

But McKoon predicts a straightforward event, rallying behind presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Arizona Senator John McCain.

There is one stumbling block however.

McKoon says the elected delegates are pledged to former Arkansas governor and former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee:

"...and unless he releases them from that, when they go to the convention, they'll be bound to vote for Huckabee on the first two ballots. Huckabee will have the lion's share of delegates coming out of Georgia..."

This is the second time in four years the event has been held in Columbus, and is expected to boost the local economy.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the presidential elections.

Columbus mulls steep watering fines

Sign of the times: "Danger - Overflowing Dam," at the Eagle Phenix Dam,
Chattahoochee River, Columbus. (Dave Bender)

The Columbus City Council will today consider enacting ordinances levying stiff fines on residents watering or washing cars outdoors.

Fines and punitive measures will reportedly run from $100 to $1,000, with a water shutoff, after the third, or subsequent infraction.

This would be the first time local offenders would receive more than a written warning, as has been the case since statewide restrictions on water use went into effect in late September. If enacted, this ordinance would be the first of it's kind in Muscogee Co.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the drought.

Kindergarten cop: child brings loaded pistol to school

A para-professional at Wadell Elementary School found a loaded 38-caliber pistol in a kindergarten student's book bag Monday afternoon.

A Muscogee County School District spokesperson told reporters the school official discovered the weapon while packing homework in the child's bag near the end of the school day.

Columbus police later arrested the child's grandfather, 58-year old Roger Anderson, charging him with misdemeanor reckless conduct. A police official described the incident as an accident. Anderson is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

CSU plans 9/11 memorial events

Columbus State University’s Cunningham Center will be the site for a day-long “September 11 Remembrance Day.”

Opening at 9 a.m., on Tuesday, Sept. 11, the event will feature educational displays; community public safety exhibits and demonstrations; videos, artifacts and stories from “Ground Zero” in New York; musical performances; and a closing vigil at 8 p.m. and military fly-over at 8:15 p.m, according to a university statement. Remembrance events will include:

• Ground Zero artifacts including a 1,700-pound piece of World Trade Center steel, rescue equipment, personalized notes and messages and flags
• Personalized items memorializing 9-11 Pentagon victim Marjorie Champion Salamone, provided by her mother, Lillian Champion of Pine Mountain
• Simultaneous and continuous large-screen video presentations of the “Inside 9-11” documentary; live news feeds from remembrance events in New York City, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania; and a compilation of local news interviews from 2001 with local officials and ground zero rescue workers.
• Hazardous device response demonstrations utilizing both a robot and explosives-sniffing canine
• Musical performances, from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., by high school ensembles.

Columbus Consolidated Government, In conjunction with the activities at the Cunningham Center, CSU students will stage a brief, “CSU Remembers” vigil at the clock tower, starting at 11:55 a.m. and including a tolling of the tower bell at noon.

Groups expected to take part in the event include Columbus Consolidated Government, the Muscogee County School District, the Muscogee County sheriff’s and fire departments, Homeland Security, God Bless Fort Benning, the Columbus Museum, the Salvation Army, the Community Emergency Response Team, CSU’s Cunningham Center for Leadership Development, and the university’s Student Government Association and Student Activities Council.

Muskogee Co officials say area bridges sound

Donna Newman, director of engineering for Columbus told reporters this week that the city's bridges and similar structures are generally sound:

"For the most part, most of them are in good shape," Newman said on Thursday:

"Seven years ago, one of the lowest rated bridges in Georgia was in downtown Columbus. The 14th Street bridge, which was closed to vehicles in 2000 after the opening of the 13th Street bridge, scored a 2 out of a 100 in its final inspection. The bridge had structural issues as well as a heavy traffic load. It has since been converted into a pedestrian bridge."

Local officials reassure the public, saying that "structurally deficient" did not mean the bridge was unsafe for use, but only that repairs were needed. They add, though, that funds to fully carry out repairs are lacking.

Federal Highway Administration statistics from '06 rated eight percent of the state's bridges as "structurally deficient, below the 12% national average.

More on the state of Georgia's bridges is here.

Suspected police killer arrested

A man accused of killing a Muscogee County sheriff’s deputy has been caught. The U.S Marshals Service says officers arrested Tremaine Pyatt yesterday. They say they tracked him down at an apartment complex in Atlanta. Pyatt allegedly shot and killed Sheriff’s Deputy Meredith Rhodes Sunday as Rhodes drove along a road in Columbus.

Muscogee County drug bust nets suspected dealers, dope and guns

State and Muscogee County law enforcement officials arrested some 60 suspected drug dealers in an ongoing sting operation on Tuesday and Wednesday. Law enforcement officials from numerous local and state agencies took part in the sweeps, which netted 59 arrests on the street in the last two days. Another 17 suspects were already in jail on other charges.

Officials seized thousands of dollars in drugs and weapons, and expect to make further arrests soon.

Muscogee County Sheriff Major Joe McCrea is calling the roundup the largest in the last 15 to 20 years, adding that warrants were issued for 120 suspects:

"The GBI has been here in Columbus for approximately the last ten months, with an undercover group of officers that have been making purchases from various areas throughout the city... The charges primarily deal with the selling of narcotics, be it marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, and other associated, drug-related charges.”

The suspects are scheduled to appear in court on Friday and Saturday.

Muscogee County School Board votes on version of Bible for schools

Muscogee County School Board (Dave Bender)

Muscogee County's School Board voted Monday to use the King James version of the Bible in two elective course teaching the Bible as history and literature for high school students in the fall.

Muscogee's eleventh and twelfth-graders will also use "The Bible and Its Influence" as a secondary text in the courses, covering the Old Testament and New Testament eras. The courses will only be taught if 15 or more students request them.

Board member Dr. Peggy Connell, chief academic officer for Muscogee County says the issue of whether or not to teach the sacred texts wasn't the controversy, but rather which version of them: “There's not any controversy about that. This was passed by Georgia legislators last year, and the state board has approved the curriculum.”

But there were dissenting voices. Rabbi Tom Friedman of Temple Israel in Columbus told the board that teaching the Bible as history was liable to be a minefield of contesting interpretations of even basis concepts. He called for proper oversight of the curriculum.

Friedmann addressing the board.
(Dave Bender)

"The teaching of the Old and the New Testament periods objectively is very difficult and an requires an extensive amount of training, and a great deal of an academic background. Both courses can be taught objectively – with the proper input,” Friedmann told the board.

Muscogee County is one of the first major school districts statewide to adopt the plan, voted in, in the 2006 legislature to allow state-funded courses on the Bible in public schools.