Counties to celebrate return of submarine
Thirteen area counties will take part in a flag presentation to celebrate the return of a U.S. Navy submarine.
The USS Georgia will return to the state of its namesake at the naval submarine base in Kings Bay, Ga.
The CSRA Regional Development Center and the USS Georgia Return to Service Committee recently launched an effort to have a Georgia flag presented in all 159 counties and to note the presentation into the ship's official log. Presentations begin in Taliaferro County at 1:30 p.m. today at the Crawfordville courthouse.
Other presentations will be held at the following county commission offices:
Thursday: Burke County (noon); Wilkes County (3 p.m.)
Friday: McDuffie County (11 a.m.); Warren County (1 p.m.); and Glascock County (2:30 p.m.)
Monday: Jefferson County (11 a.m.); Washington County (2 p.m.)
Feb. 13: Hancock County (10 a.m.); Lincoln County (1 p.m.) ; and Richmond County (4 p.m.)
Feb. 14: Columbia County (9 a.m.) ; Jenkins County (noon).
Bill would crack down on prison cell phones
ATLANTA --- Cell phones and other mobile communication devices are becoming security threats and tools for mischief in the state's prisons, and Sen. Johnny Grant, R-Milledgeville, wants to address the problem.
Under Mr. Grant's Senate Bill 366, cell phones and any other kind of telecommunications device would be defined as contraband, and it would become a felony to smuggle them to inmates.
"The real issue with this is that it's more than just a method of keeping in touch with your family," Mr. Grant said. Inmates can engage in "a myriad of activities" with smuggled cell phones, including intimidating witnesses, coordinating escape attempts and conducting illegal activities beyond prison walls, he said.
In 2007, department employees confiscated 64 cell phones during 16 "shakedowns" -- intensive, unannounced searches, said Brian Owens, the assistant commissioner of the Georgia Department of Corrections, which requested the legislation.
-- From staff and wire reports
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