State EPD Says Four Mid-sized Cities May Face Ozone Pollution Status

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division has made its official recommendation on which cities in Georgia need to clean up their air. This year, in addition to metro Atlanta, four mid-sized cities were recommended to be non-attainment areas. That means they'll have to work harder to curb ground level ozone pollution.

The cities: Augusta, Athens, Macon and Columbus.

The EPD's recommendations are not final. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will ultimately have the final say.

In the meantime, the cities will study how to clean up their air. One big contributor to ozone pollution is automobile traffic. Cities will look at how to reduce those emissions.

Non-attainment would also put tighter controls on industry.

The cities are likely failing now because they're having to meet tougher federal air quality standards. The EPA will make its final decision on the cities' non-attainment status by March 2010. The state would then have three years to come up with a plan to deal with the ozone.

Ozone is a component of smog, which causes respiratory illnesses.

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Floridians sue over Georgia water

As Governor Sonny Perdue vowed to keep as much water in the state as needed, a lawsuit was filed in Florida that take more water out of Georgia. The Florida city of Apalachicola is suing the US Army corp of engineers over current and future water restrictions. Previous suits out of Florida have focused on the environmental impact of the draw down. The city’s attorney says what makes this case unique is that it shows Florida residents are harmed by the decrease in river volume. Meanwhile, the Georgia municipalities of Columbus and Gainesville have filed suits challenging the Army Corps management of the Chattahoochee Flint Apalachicola river system.

Plane lands on road

Police say there are no injuries after a pilot made an emergency landing on a Columbus road today. Dublin resident Dawson Lampp set his plane down on Warm Springs Road around 10 this morning. He was trying to land in Columbus after fog prevented him from landing in Dublin and Eastman. He ran out of fuel two miles short of the runway.

$1M boost for Infantry Museum

Georgia’s new National Infantry Museum has a $1 million-dollar boost. The Columbus-Ledger Enquirer reports At&T stepped in with the donation to the future Columbus museum. The museum is slated to be built next to Fort Benning, where the nation’s infantry is based. Organizers have raised $77 million dollars.

Fort Benning soldier pleads guilty to murder

A soldier who pleaded guilty to killing a Columbus cab driver has been sentenced to 60 years in prison and will be dishonorably discharged. Samuel Perry was court-martialed at Fort Benning.

Perry says he and two other men robbed and shot 55-year-old Jack Horne last August. In Horne’s last radio report to Goldstar Taxi Services, he told dispatchers he was on his way downtown. His cab was found the following day at an apartment complex in nearby Phenix City, Alabama.

The other two defendants, 25-year-old Mastermichael Ramsey and 24-year-old Travis Jahcorick Livingston, face charges in civilian court.

Thieves take $25K worth copper

Police say someone has stolen $25,000 dollars worth of copper from a Columbus synagogue. The Columbus Ledger-Inquirer reports an official at Shearith Isreal Synagogue noticed the copper gutters were missing Monday when the roof began leaking from heavy rains. A few weeks ago a nearby church reported someone for trying to steal copper gutters and downspouts. Thefts are on the rise across Georgia because the price of copper is rising.