Across Georgia

Report: Ga. has highest probation rate

ATLANTA - Georgia had more people on probation in 2007 than any other state, according to a new report.

A Pew Center on the States report released on Monday found that 435,631 Georgians were on probation in 2007. Georgia is the nation's ninth most populous state.

The Georgia Department of Department of Corrections said the number might be inflated by double-counting of some offenders. But it has previously acknowledged that its probation population is the highest per capita in the country.

The department says that the large number of Georgians on probation means that the state's probation officers have had a caseload far higher than the national average.

Georgia corrections officials on Monday could not say what the current caseload is or whether it will be affected by state budget cuts.

Man, child killed after car drives into lake

MARIETTA, Ga. - Cobb County police are investigating the deaths of a man and a young girl who were found dead in a car that plunged into a lake in an office park.

The Cobb County Police Department says it responded on Sunday to a 911 call believed to have been made by the driver. The caller said he was in an accident and was in the lake before the call was disconnected. The 911 center tried to call back but did not get a response.

Both passengers died before a Cobb County Fire Department water rescue team could pull them from the 2005 Toyota Camry, which was underwater.

Police have not released the names or ages of the victims. The car bore consulate tags and the State Department is involved in the investigation.

Atlanta council approves video lottery

ATLANTA - Atlanta's city council has approved putting video lottery machines in Underground Atlanta.

Backers say the plan, which must be endorsed by the Georgia Lottery Board, could bring about $350 million to the region.

The video terminals OK'd by the council Monday resemble slot machines but operate like Georgia Lottery scratch-off tickets, such as "Slots of Luck" and "Hold'em Poker."

State law prohibits Las Vegas-style casinos, but an Underground Atlanta proposal released in January calls for a $450 million video lottery casino and 29-story hotel at the downtown entertainment district.

Dan O'Leary, who runs Underground, says the city could collect $3 million annually from hotel and motel guests, plus increased sales taxes and a share of casino profit.

Legislative tax delinquents targeted

ATLANTA - A state senator wants to change rules in his chamber to penalize senators who haven't paid their taxes.

Nineteen legislators - including three senators - are delinquent on their tax bills, according to a report from the state Department of Revenue. Some of the past due taxes date back to 2002.

Sen. Eric Johnson, a Savannah Republican, said he's pushing legislation that would require that lawmakers in the chamber be current on their tax bills. If they aren't, they could face disciplinary action, including removal from the Senate.

Johnson, chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee, said the change is designed to go after elected officials who think they are tax-exempt.

In the House, Rep. Joe Wilkinson said he's asked legal counsel to determine whether violators can be punished under existing law.

Ga. Senate pushes tax break transparency

ATLANTA - A bipartisan effort is underway to provide more transparency in the tax breaks handed out by the Georgia Legislature.

A bill being pushed in the state Senate would require the state to track the cost of tax breaks every year.

It's being sponsored by Sens. Greg Goggans, a Douglas Republican, and Tim Golden, a Valdosta Democrat.

It has the support of the nonpartisan Georgia Budget and Policy Institute. The group's executive director, Alan Essig, said Georgia is one of just 11 states that doesn't already have a way to monitor the results from the tax breaks it doles out.

Goggans said the measure would require an accounting of whether tax breaks deliver the jobs and other benefits they promise.