The Spring Street Bridge in downtown Atlanta carries thousands of drivers to some of the biggest entertainment events in Georgia. It also has deteriorating concrete, “cracking,” “leaching,” a steel support post “loose and relatively free to move” and a sufficiency rating of three out of 100, according to inspection reports.

Officials assure the public the bridge is “absolutely safe” as it awaits reconstruction within the year, though heavier vehicles are prohibited.

The collapse of the I-5 bridge in Washington state Thursday has brought renewed attention to bridge safety nationwide, just as happened with the fatal 2007 collapse of an I-35 bridge in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Since then, Georgia has made progress in dealing with its neediest bridges, and officials say that no Georgia bridge would be open to traffic if it were unsafe.

But hundreds of Georgia bridges remain structurally deficient, meaning it may be safe to drive but something important is wrong, such as significant load-carrying parts in poor condition.

Out of Georgia’s 14,700 bridges, 878 were listed in 2012 as structurally deficient.

via Hundreds of Georgia bridges aging, deficient | www.myajc.com.

Georgia Pundit - Georgia Politics, Campaigns and Elections

As Memorial Day weekend approaches — perhaps the busiest day on Lake Lanier — seasoned boaters face a toughened law designed to make the lake safer. Last week it became illegal for anyone with a blood-alcohol content of .08 to operate a boat.

That’s the same legal threshold as for drunken driving in a car. Previously, the legal limit for boaters was .10. The difference amounts to about five beers instead of six in two hours for a man weighing 180 pounds.

The new law addresses more than drinking, and some boaters say even more steps are needed to train people on water safety and to enforce those regulations.

Starting next year, the state will require people born after July 1, 1998, to take a state-approved boating safety and education course to operate a vessel; and anyone who rents a watercraft with a 10-horsepower engine or larger will have to take an abbreviated course, although the law allows for rental businesses to give instruction the same day.

via Boaters face tougher law this Memorial Day weekend: Some… | www.myajc.com.

Georgia Pundit - Georgia Politics, Campaigns and Elections

The Atlanta Falcons reached a deal Friday with state and city officials on how to ensure at least 31 percent of its new billion-dollar stadium construction awards go to minority or women-owned firms.

The team’s “Equal Business Opportunity Plan” sets certification and reporting standards for contractors on the downtown retractable-roof stadium, one of the biggest economic development projects in recent Atlanta history.

“From the inception of this project, we’ve always stated that we had a commitment to equal opportunity,” said Falcons president Rich McKay. “And this lays out a thorough and transparent process not just for us, but for our contractors to follow.”

The participation of minority- and women-owned businesses in the design and construction of the stadium was a key sticking point in the Atlanta City Council’s decision to use bonds backed by $200 million in hotel/motel taxes to help finance the stadium’s construction.

via Falcons release details of minority-owned stadium contract plan | www.myajc.com.

Georgia Pundit - Georgia Politics, Campaigns and Elections

She messed with his car, so now Fulton County Tax Commissioner Arthur Ferdinand has messed with hers, a county commissioner alleged in court documents Friday.

It began when north Fulton Commissioner Liz Hausmann publicly questioned why taxpayers are funding a $39,000 Ford Explorer Limited for the state’s highest-paid elected official. Then Ferdinand sent a letter to the interim county attorney and county commissioners suggesting that she may live in Gwinnett County, which would make her ineligible for office.

Now Ferdinand has revoked the license plate on a 2004 Jeep in Hausmann’s name, which her daughter drives, and alerted law enforcement that the car has no valid tag, according to an interoffice memo. The tax commissioner said Hausmann still hasn’t given him valid proof that she lives in Fulton.

In court documents asking a Superior Court judge to put a stop to the action, Hausmann accused Ferdinand of retaliation, “tyrannical partiality” and violating her right to free speech. The Jeep is parked now because anyone who drives it could be arrested, her attorney said.

“I consider this escalation to be harassment to not only me, but also my family,” Hausmann said in a written statement.

via Fulton commissioner says tax chief revoked car tag in retaliation | www.myajc.com.

Georgia Pundit - Georgia Politics, Campaigns and Elections

Georgia’s refusal to participate in a federal survey questioning students as young as 12 about their sexual history is costing the state a chance at nearly $2 million in federal funds for disease prevention over the next five years.

The state has not included the questions from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey since the 1990s, but this is the first time the federal government has tied participation to $1.8 million in grants aimed at preventing HIV and sexually transmitted diseases. Georgia is one of four states that didn’t include the questions last year.

Gov. Nathan Deal’s office said he was uncomfortable about asking students in middle school and high school whether they use condoms and how many sexual partners they have — even if it means a loss of federal funds.

“Many Georgia parents would object to public schools asking their seventh-grade child these questions, and Governor Deal agrees with them,” Deal spokesman Brian Robinson said. “We don’t think that federal funds for programs should be cut based on the use of these questions, but Governor Deal will refuse federal funds if they come to policies that run contrary to Georgia values.”

via Stance on teen sex survey could cost Georgia nearly $2 million | www.myajc.com.

Georgia Pundit - Georgia Politics, Campaigns and Elections

A high-ranking Democratic official called Friday for his party’s chairman to step down after a spate of legal concerns came to light.

David Worley, a former chairman of the state party, said Mike Berlon’s legal woes tarnish the party’s image and hamper its abilities to raise funds. He said he’ll ask the Democratic Party of Georgia’s executive committee, a group of roughly 30, to recommend Berlon’s ouster at a June 6 meeting. A vote by the full panel of about 300 board members could follow.

Worley asked, “why would a donor give a dime to the Democratic Party?”

He added, “This cripples the ability of the party to do its job.”

via High-ranking Democrat calls for chairman’s ouster | www.myajc.com.

Georgia Pundit - Georgia Politics, Campaigns and Elections

An estimated three-fourths of the Texas fresh-market peach crop is lost to a severe freeze.

Temperatures in the low 20s in late March destroyed about 90% of peaches in the Fredericksburg, Texas, area, home to about half of Texas’ 3,000 fresh-market peach acres, said Dan Rohrer, president of Fredericksburg-based Rocky Hill Orchard and president of the Texas Fruit Growers Association.

Growers in east and southern Texas fared better than those in the central and western parts of the state, but overall losses still will total about 75% statewide, Rohrer said.

via Freeze knocks out 75% of Texas peaches – The Packer.

Georgia Pundit - Georgia Politics, Campaigns and Elections

Farmers Market Report: May 25-26, 2013

Peaches, Blackberries, and Lobster Rolls

Perfect, intense peaches from Markley Family Farm (Barton Creek Market)

There are going to be Hill Country peaches at the markets this weekend! The peach crop is going to be small this year, even tiny — but there are going to be some. The terribly dry conditions have concentrated the peach flavors; the ones I bought last weekend from Markley Family Farm had amazing, intense flavor and color.

via Farmers Market Report: May 25-26, 2013: Peaches, Blackberries, and Lobster Rolls – Food Blog – The Austin Chronicle.

Georgia Pundit - Georgia Politics, Campaigns and Elections

Ken Halverson from Larken Farms Orchard brought a few boxes of the season’s first peaches to the White Rock Local Market over the weekend. They were small, tart and firm, but they were peaches. And they’re only going to get better as the summer progresses.

Halverson says the spring weather has been tough on his peach crop. Unseasonably warm temperatures caused early bud growth, but then a few late frosts decimated many of the young tender blossoms that were destined to become fruit.

via Texas Peaches Had a Rough Spring, So If You See a Good One: Eat It – Dallas – Restaurants and Dining – City of Ate.

Georgia Pundit - Georgia Politics, Campaigns and Elections

Douglas County District Attorney David McDade has asked Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Vernon Keenan to conduct an independent probe of his office to remove any public doubt after allegations were raised in a television report.

McDade said he contacted Keenan Tuesday night and sent a written request Wednesday afternoon. He said he hopes this will end speculation that may have surfaced after a FOX 5 investigative report by Dale Russell that alleged mismanagement and nepotism in his office.

“It is important that the public have confidence in me and my office in everything that we do,” McDade said. “For this reason, I have personally requested that the GBI conduct a thorough examination of me and my office and report those findings. I am asking for this because I want the public to hear the facts from a trained, well respected law enforcement agency, independent from me, my office or anyone connected to Douglas County. The public deserves nothing less.”

To date, WAGA Fox 5 has aired two reports using information gleaned through open records requests spanning nearly six months and surveillance that suggests that there has been improper use of cars owned by McDade’s office, inappropriate spending on conferences and a questionable pattern of hiring that the report alleges favors members of one family.

McDade answered all the issues in a letter, saying that any improper use of vehicles had been dealt with and the employee reprimanded. He pointed out that the vehicles were paid for with drug money, not tax money.

via McDade asks GBI for ‘thorough examination of me and my office’ – Douglas County Sentinel: News.

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