Candidate Launches 'Walk of Georgia'

State Rep. Austin Scott, a Republican candidate for governor in 2010 is embarking on a 1,000-mile "Walk of Georgia" tour. Scott, of Tifton, plans to start the tour Saturday at Chickamauga in northwest Georgia. The purpose of the walk is "to meet citizens, listen to their concerns, and ask for their support." According to a statement released Thursday by his campaign, the walking and listening tour will take Scott through 48 Georgia counties and dozens of cities and towns. The walk is set to conclude on the steps of the Capitol in Atlanta.

(Associated Press)

Tifton plant closing

Two hundred employees at the C.O.I. facility in Tifton are losing their jobs. C.O.I. manufactures and distributes food to restaurants in 29 states. The Nashville based company filed for bankruptcy in July. Company officials say a bankruptcy filing by restaurant chain, Roadhouse Grill left them 4-million dollars in debt. The Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce says it will work hard to help employees find new jobs. Some employees will be offered severance packages.

Tifton plant to close--200 jobs to be lost

Aluminum manufacturer Alcoa says it will close its plant in Tifton, and sell another two plants in Ohio and Florida. The Tifton plant, with about 200 employees, will close at the end of October. Severance pay and work assistance will be offered to the employees. The Alcoa plants make metals used in building and construction, and for the commercial transportation industry.

Georgia the biofuels breadbasket?

Bio-energy experts are wrapping up their meeting in South Georgia. They’re looking at ways to help the Southeast rival the Midwest as the nation’s biofuels breadbasket. On display … a newspaper delivery car that runs on corn, sedans that run on peach and watermelon juice and tractors fueled by peanuts, poultry fat, soy and cotton. Governor Sonny Perdue pitched a plan this week to create a corridor of alternative fuel pumps along Interstate 75 and recently announced a $225 million venture to build the first wood-based ethanol plant in the state.

Governor in Tifton for renewable energy conference

Governor Sonny Perdue is in Tifton today to attend a three-day conference on renewable energy. The Southeast Bioenergy Conference is targeting farmers, business people and others looking to jump into the growing renewable energy market. Conference organizers with the University of Georgia say nearly 80 bioenergy companies are considering opening in, or relocating to the state. Georgia is seen to have many untapped bioenergy sources, such as pine forests and byproducts from agriculture.