Super-Speeder Fines On The Way

Governor Sonny Perdue today will sign the so-called 'super speeder' legislation. The bill will slap Georgia drivers who speed much higher than the speed limit with stiff new fines. Lawmakers who back the legislation say 23-million dollars would be generated, and would be directed toward Georgia’s cash-starved network of trauma hospitals. An extra $200 fine would be levied against drivers busted driving 85 miles-an-hour on four-lane roads or interstates, or 75 mph on two-lane roads. This has been legislation Perdue has been pushing for three years.

State Fines 30 Ga. Gas Stations for Price Gouging

More than 30 Georgia gas stations have paid fines to the state office of consumer affairs over alleged price gouging in the wake of gulf coast hurricanes last fall.

Some stations have to pay up to $10,000 in fines to the state, while others must refund money to customers who can prove they bought gas during the price spike.

The list includes a $20,000 fine against nine Tennessee-based Pilot travel center stations.

The stations are among 200 the state is investigating over complaints of unfairly raising gas prices when hurricanes shuttered several gulf coast oil refineries and left several southern states without enough gas.

Under state law, businesses have to prove they were making the same profit with their elevated prices as they were before the governor activated the anti-gouging statute.

(AP)

Realtors group faces record fine

The Georgia Association of Realtors might have to pay a record fine for breaking state ethics rules. The lobbying group failed to send in disclosure reports for more than 400-thousand dollars in campaign contributions to candidates in last year's election. It donated thousands of dollars to top state lawmakers, including Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle.

Bob Hamilton, the director of the Georgia Association of Realtors, says he found out only recently that his group violated state ethics laws.

"The person on the staff who was directly responsible for those reports came to me about a month ago. She had in her hand a letter from the ethics commission stating that an investigation had been opened because we had not filed the report".

Hamilton says the employee was fired. According to state law, the ethics commission could fine the group up to 100-thousand dollars for the violation. The realtors hope a hearing before a judge will reduce that amount.

State tightens faucet as drought worsens (Updated)

Officials ratcheted up watering restrictions from level 1 to level 2 Wednesday as dry conditions widened across the state.

Georgia residents are now allowed to water their lawns only between midnight and 10 a.m.

Violators in Jones County are subject to a graduated series of verbal and written warnings, and increasing fines in upwards of $500.

The state has been in a level 1 drought since last summer, and midday watering was already forbidden between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The state climatologist says the driest areas include Polk, Floyd, Chattooga, Walker, Dade and Catoosa counties in northwest Georgia. Also dry are the counties lining the most southeastern corner of the state.

Firefighters in southeast Georgia are struggling to contain two wildfires that are engulfing 45-sq. miles. The blazes forced over 1,000 people from their homes, and torched 14 houses.

Eric Mosley, spokesman for the Georgia Forestry Commission says the fires are threatening the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

Updated GPB reports on the fires are here.

Updated Georgia Forestry Commission Fire Weather information is here.

NASA satellite image of the area.
The original image is here.

(Rickey Bevington contributed to this report)