My God, that's supposed to be scaled down? It looks monstrous, which of course means it will be immediately approved. Such is government in this state.

That's the Southeast for you. I've lived here most all my life, and unhealthiness always ruled the day in these parts. You would thinking being warm weather states that it would be different, but of course not. We're too worried about everyone eating terribly and drinking our big gulps, right into an early grave (and calling it freedom). Well, freedom comes responsibility and the people of the Southeast have shown ourselves to be pretty irresponsible. It's our own fault.

It's sad that it has come to this. Even sadder when out-of-state addicts are raiding these clinics. It's ironic that you did not even need a license to build a home until several years ago, and now we've gone on this licensing craze to control illegal activities. Sometimes, regulations work and are necessary.

I gave up on t.v. years ago when the reality shows killed it (I cannot even begin to express the bitterness of what happened to the History Channel). I watch some shows on Netflix and Hulu through an entertainment box, and I rent or go to the library to checkout DVDs for the rest. A much cheaper option than paying a cable company $120 a month for 250 channels of nonsense, filled with Benny Hinn, the home shopping network, and the botoxed wives of whatever, just to watch maybe a half dozen shows (at most).

Welcome to the 21st century, my fellow Southerners. Don't forget to leave your hypocrisy at the door when telling us why it's Communist to have healthcare but perfectly acceptable for the state to dictate who can get married.

@The Oracle of the Athens Banner Herald: With no insult intended to his father's profession, this kid's dad is an elementary school administrator, not the governor of Georgia. I had a fellow once, many years ago, who broke into my place of business, stole quite a bit of stuff, and who came from a more prominent and wealthier family than Mr. Heaton. Because he had two prior arrests, he didn't make bond, and that was in the Athens area (granted, many years ago). We'll see.

This young man has prior arrests, so there should be a good chance that he will be denied bail. Hit and run is a major offense, and this fellow is lucky beyond lucky that he didn't kill her. I have little to no mercy, even in youth, for a person who hit someone and run away like that. It says a lot about this young man's character or the lack thereof.

I hate to see these stories. There are so many young people involved in accidents in Athens. I hope for a speedy recovery for this young lady.

I guess I'm going to have to get one of those smartphones.

The kids are still doing marijuana brownies!? Many a bag of chips were wolfed down that afternoon. Unfortunately for these youngins', it's not going to end well for them.

I'm an old man now, but it was a wonderful school in my youth, and it still is. Our flagship college of this state. I only wish more folks had the chance to experience game day on Saturday afternoon in the fall.

jebunny: "MLK was a republican."

@jebunny: That line might work with young people who do not remember Talmadge or Maddox, or maybe with folks up north you want to fool into thinking this place is some kind racial paradise now, but it doesn't play with someone who has lived this culture all his life. I remember MLK because I too was a Republican in my youth (back when you and your friends used called us the "party of Lincoln," and not as a compliment [the older white posters on this board will know exactly what I mean]). I remember those years very well. And tell me, all of your fellow whites in this state who back then hated MLK, opposed civil rights (which was the vast majority in this state), how do they vote now? You know good and well the answer. And for those who say I am being harsh in my judgments, go to any county Republican Party meeting today, especially in Northeast Georgia, and advocate getting rid of the Confederate battle flag and encourage the attendees to show a greater appreciation of Black History Month, and watch the response. Better yet, go to any of those counties that are 95-plus percent white, walk up to the first white person in my age bracket, and ask them their view of the city of Atlanta or (even better) the Mayor of Atlanta, and listen to the response. That, jebunny, whether you like to confront it or not, is the base and mindset of your party in this state today, and it is why I left it.

Notice, they do not have any exculpatory evidence to offer (which is what you really look for when appealing for a new trial post-conviction). The lawyer and his convicted client are simply scoping for more time. This is a ridiculous appeal and waste of taxpayer's and the court's time. He's right where he belongs, in prison.

What idiots, but then these are the same people who just a few decades ago were declaring that Martin Luther King Jr. was a communist. Nothing ever changes with my fellow white Southerners. The mentality is the same now as it was when they were electing Talmadge and Maddox.

Wow, she remembers so much. Look her up in the local news. She is a remarkable woman. Just imagine, she remembers the beginning and the end of World War Two. When Marguerite graduated from high school, the Great Depression had not even started yet. Amazing.

@hack: If I had never gone to college later in life (for me, in my 30s), I would not have the knowledge that I have obtained to let me run my own business. I was fortunate to go back when it was affordable for someone from a working family like mine. That is coming to an end. Maybe that is of no consequence for those who think kids with high school diplomas (that we are devaluing to the point of uselessness) should magically conjure the ability to become engineers, doctors, and businessmen by candlelight. However, the reality is we are setting up a system in which only a select few will even have access to those degrees (never mind if they can competently obtain them) based on accident of birth, not merit and ability. And you better believe the Fortune 500 companies who might want to invest in this state will not take kindly to being told we no longer have the adequate workforce pool to meet their employment needs.

And what will end up happening to those businesses who want to invest in this state (the ones with jobs that pay), knowing we purposely under-educated our population to avoid having a workforce ready for the age we live in? For the companies that even bother to invest, they will be importing those workers from out-of-state and outside of the US. So, from the execs, down to middle management, even the lowly new hires (such is the point we are getting to), the ones making the higher salaries will be out-of-state, while our beloved native Georgians we told to take a hike will be compelled into redundant labor (hoping against hope that they beat the statistical odds). But hey, young people of Georgia--from the folks in this state who don't want to have anything paid for (except their future Medicare and Social Security payments beyond their own FICA contributions), congratulations. You'll be connected!

Just horrible. This lady is so young and full of life. It makes me feel guilty for living so long to think of what that poor woman's parents and family must be going through. No one deserves this. I truly hope she recovers and this young man gets the worst our system has to offer him.

A criminal banker. Surprise, surprise.

Well, Mr. Adams, complain all you want, but it's your people doing it. Whatever else you can say about our wonderful General Assembly, they've made it loud and clear what they think of getting a college degree in this state (at least for those whose families are not wealthy enough to completely subsidize it). The saddest part is we are taking an entire generation of young people in this state, our own people, and throwing them to the ash heap because the folks in our state government (and the entities sponsoring their campaigns) do not want to pay the bills for the society they live in. For that, we have Mr. Adams to thank for guiding us through the process of destruction of higher ed in Athens, least he rock the boat or offend anyone.

In other words, the good legislator is only upset that we are not bureaucratically strangling schools at the state level, instead of the federal level, when it is the entire assessment culture that is destroying education to begin with. I went to public schools over four decades ago in this area. You will never convince me the education the kids have received since we decided to turn them into test-taking machines (down to elementary school) is any better today than it was in my time. Just the opposite. They only want to churn out children who are just competent enough to work the most basic jobs (the only ones the politicians apparently like for our population), while guaranteeing the rest of the school experience will fail (by design), thereby allowing lawmakers like Sen. Ligon to blame the schools they want to choke off funds to, not the regulations that are really killing them. It's funny. If you ask any member of the legislature about imposing these kinds of regs on any business, they would not only be opposed, but they would compare you to the worst kind of socialist-liberal, and yet that is exactly what our legislature wants to do to our public education system. But hey, that's OK. At least now, we'll only be guaranteeing their failure through the state.

Renee, what planet are you living on? This is like someone telling the Democratic Party of Georgia in 1872 that they need more representation from the black community. It isn't going to happen. You're a member of a party that sees women's bodies as the personal property of Scripture, decided on by men. Just two years ago, the late Rep. Franklin proposed having women prosecuted and potentially executed for still births. Until the mindset of your party changes, or until your party can convince women that they shouldn't mind having trans-vaginal ultrasounds to get an abortion (on the assumption the fetus was the product of a "legitimate" rape), you can kiss goodbye your proposal of more women in leadership positions in the Georgia Republican Party.

You're 42 and dead. What a sad waste of a life.

This is so tragic, especially at such a young age. RIP.

With every passing day, it seems like the SEC is becoming a penitentiary conference.

Condoms for industry. Say what you will, it is the most honest transaction you will see in this state, right next to the drug dealers and prostitutes. Actually, I take that back. The drug dealers and prostitutes are more honest.