Friday school closings

Southeast Georgia counties are preparing for bad weather from Tropical Storm Fay. Today McIntosh and Camden counties closed schools. Lowndes County Schools and Valdosta City Schools will be closed tomorrow due to weather conditions. The LHS football scrimmage scheduled for 7:00 Friday evening against Thomas County Central is rescheduled for Saturday at 6:00 pending weather. LHS Summer Graduation for Saturday morning has been canceled.

Escaped inmate caught

An escaped Georgia inmate is in custody in Florida. Lake City Police say they found 51-year-old David Lee Sweet today hiding in the woods. He escaped from custody in Valdosta on December 3rd.

Georgia new home to fighter jets

A-10 Thunderbolt. (Strategic Air Command)

Three A-10 Thunderbolt attack jets are now home in Georgia. The A-10s arrived Wednesday at Moody Air Force Base near Valdosta. It’s part of the relocation of the 23rd Fighter Group to Moody from Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina. Pope is set to become an Army air field run by an Air Force unit.

Chambliss proposes military housing bill

Today Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss introduce legislation that could impact a military housing project in Georgia. The bill enhances oversight of military housing privatization projects. Chambliss says because the U.S. Air Force failed to oversee a contractor building homes at Moody Air Force Base near Valdosta, only two of 400 homes are finished and millions of dollars have been wasted. Chambliss says bases around the county have similar problems.

Chambliss attacks Air Force over housing problems

Prompted by a military housing scandal in Georgia Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss is joining the fight to fix the problem. Chambliss is among eight U.S. Senators who have sent a letter to the Air Force.

The letter criticizes the Air Force’s oversight of housing privatization projects at bases in Arkansas, Florida, Massachusetts, and at Moody Air Force base near Valdosta. The letter says poor management has led the projects to be delayed or halted for moths at time, and that they are tens of millions of dollars over budget. The Senators say local communities are “traumatized” and that military families deserve better.

At Georgia’s Moody Air Force Base, 400 homes were supposed to be built for military families, but only two are completed. Chambliss is set to co-sponsor legislation this week to enhance oversight of how the military picks private contractors for housing projects.

Lowndes Wins Hard Fight

It wasn't a game if you like to see touchdowns, but the Lowndes Vikings took the AAAAA semifinal match against the Camden County Wildcats with a first half touchdown and a second half field goal. Final score on the rough-and-tumble game, 10-0. Lowndes will have the home field advantage next Saturday when they face the North Gwinnett Bulldogs for the 5A championship.

Aerospace company lands in South Georgia

Valdosta has netted an aviation company’s new corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility. True Flight Aerospace will bring in 150 jobs over three years and invest nearly $4-million dollars. The company has plans for a new plant next to the Valdosta Airport. The company builds airplanes.