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Page 6 - Friday, March 17, 2023
The Jenkins County Times
thejenkinscountytimes.com
State announces launch
of GARViS
Special
to
The Times
Secretary of State Brad
Raffensperger held a press
conference on Thursday, March
9th announcing the successful
launch of the new Georgia
Registered Voter Information
System. Election officials from
across Georgia joined Secretary
Raffensperger and partners in the project, MTX, Salesforce, and Transform, to highlight
the improvements to Georgia’s voter registration process using this one-of-a-kind
technology purpose-built for Georgia.
“GARViS is a tremendous step forward in the security and accuracy of Georgia’s voter
registration system,” said Secretary Raffensperger. “This voter registration system truly
reinforces Georgia’s status as the #1 state in America for election administration.”
GARViS is the product of over 150,000 hours of development, testing, and training
efforts culminating in the largest scale, fastest rollout of a top-down, statewide voter
registration system in American history. The new system will take Georgia’s voter
registration system to the highest standard of security on Federal Risk and Authorization
Management Program (FEDRAMP) servers.
“When people ask us, ‘How do we know who voted? How do we know it’s real? How
do we know it’s fair?’ Because we have the receipts we keep on this secure system. That’s
how we know,” said Gabriel Sterling, Chief Operating Officer. “Don’t let anybody believe
there are dead voters voting or double voting in any significant way, because it’s just not
true.”
GARViS will host over 12,000,000 voter records, including 7 million active voters,
and 833,000 inactive records. Over 100,000,000 voter history records will be stored in
the GARViS system. GARViS will replace the system known as ENet, using the highest
standards of technological innovation and security.
Secretary of State Raffensperger engaged Salesforce to provide the critical infrastructure,
MTX as implementation partner, and Transform to help guide the modernization initiative.
Transform's team of experienced executives and operating professionals has a deep
understanding of business and technology transformation - especially in the critical area of
change management cmcial to modernizing Georgia’s election infrastructure.
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How to Prevent Being a Victim
of Scams and Fraud
By Joe Brady,
Editor
for
The Times
Scams and fraud are more de
ceiving these days, reaching you in
more ways than ever before. The
FTC reported over 2.8 million fraud
reports from consumers in 2022
alone, with reported fraud losses
increasing 70% from 2020 to more
than $5.8 million.
Identity theft protection expert Carrie Kerskie says being aware of what new cyber and
phone fraud trends to look out for is your biggest defense against unwanted fraud.
“The more that we can get this information out there the better. Unfortunately when it
comes to technology, privacy and identity theft, the same advice that was given 10-15
years ago is still the gospel of what you’re supposed to do. But that is outdated and not
relevant anymore.”
Scammers have expanded from targeting consumers with only traditional email and
phone calls. The most recent trending scams are occurring using person-to-person payment
platforms or P2P, remote access software and even public Wi-Fi.
Kerskie says the most desirable accounts to criminals include bank accounts, mobile
phone accounts, credit card accounts and Amazon accounts. Now, with P2P payment plat
forms, criminals can get access to your bank account and use it to transfer money within
moments.
The latest tactic that concerns Kerskie is using remote access software to gain access to
everything on your computer without having to directly ask you for things like your social
security number, bank account or credit card number. While many workers use remote
access software safely from their companies’ IT departments, criminals are also using this
software in their scams.
Criminals also try to access your infomiation in settings like coffee shops or libraries
using public Wi-Fi. A laptop or smartphone using public Wi-Fi can easily fall victim to
scams. An easy fix is to use your smartphone’s wireless data and hotspot to help keep your
personal information secure.
Kerskie says there are ways to keep scammers and fraud at bay.
Prioritize Privacy: Kerskie says, if it’s easy for you, it’s easy for a criminal. Privacy
means having strong and unique passwords with a minimum of 12 characters, and for
pins using random numbers and taking advantage of extra security. Enabling multi-factor
authentication on your various apps and accounts will also protect yourself from potential
threats.
Use Available Resources: Take advantage of the free anti-fraud safeguards offered by
your mobile carrier. In the case of T-Mobile's Scam Shield, services include enhanced call
er ID, scam ID and blocking, which flags suspicious calls and gives customers the option
of blocking those numbers. Additionally, customers can get a free second number to keep
their personal number personal, or even change their primary number completely.
Validate or Eliminate: Whatever potential threat you come across via email, text mes
sage, letter or even a phone call, try to validate the information. If you cannot confirm the
information is true or confirm the senders’ validity, throw it away, block the phone number
or email address and report it as spam or junk mail.
As potential cyber threats and fraud evolve, it’s important to understand how they work.
Doing so will help you stay safeguarded and protected.
Fr. Larry’s Lent Part 3:
Service
-Fr. Larry Jesion, St. Michael’s
Episcopal Church
“Nobody escapes being wounded. We all are wounded people, whether physically, emo
tionally, mentally, or spiritually.” -Henri Nouwen; The Wounder Healer
Please accept my apologies for missing my submission last week. About the time that I
would have normally sat down at my computer to write, my wife and I received notice that
my sister in-law Janet had died. We traveled to Southwest Florida for the funeral of our
well-beloved sister.
There is truth to the saying, “Family reunions only happen at weddings and funerals.”
Many of the members of Janet’s extended family, I hadn’t seen since Janet married her
husband Lester nearly 20 years ago. Children had grown into middle-aged men and wom
en. Babes that I held in my arms at the wedding were now having children of their own.
Could it really have been that long?
It was during the 10+ hour drives down to Florida and back that I was able to process
some of my grief. In my initial emotional hurt, I was only able to see the brokenness and
pain others can inflict upon us and that we experience by merely living and loving them.
In the days since, praying and grieving have become a Lenten discipline that I had not
intended to take up this season.
Upon our return, I learned that one of our friends’ daughters was dying. Watching the
family grieve so deeply for their loss, reminded me of this quote regarding the pain associ
ated with grief:
"Grief is the last act of love we can give to those we loved. Where there is deep grief, there
was great love." - Anonymous
During subsequent visits with the family, we talked about the life of their daughter, about
how she had nearly died once already, and how she had suffered during so much of her
life. We remembered and shared stories of the many ways in which she had helped so
many others and how she gave freely of herself to those in need. It became so obvious as
we talked and shared that God must have had plans for her that we were not aware of or
perhaps we were unable to see.
It was at that moment that I remembered Henri Nouwen’s book. The Wounded Healer. In
the book Nouwen explains that our wounds, our hurts, and pains are a part of us, making
us who we are today. It is because of our wounds that we can develop strong senses of
empathy and compassion for and with others in their own woundedness. Embracing rather
than burying or ignoring our wounds allows us to become effective healers for others,
because we know that they too are carrying wounds of one kind or another; hopefully we
also have a meaningful idea of what the other person is going through.
Acknowledging that we are all wounded permits us to walk alongside others who are suf
fering and to show them they do not need to be alone while they heal from their wounds.
Perhaps this is what had happened with my friends’ child. She was a wounded healer for
others despite her own suffering.
One of the things that I am so very grateful for is being able to love and serve our in
carnate God, who is divine and was fully human. Jesus is the ultimate wounded healer.
While walking earth among us, he experienced what it was to be one of us. He experi
enced all the joys and the sorrows that we experience in our day-to-day living. Jesus knew
what it was like to grieve the death of someone he loved, as is told in the story of Lazarus.
Knowing and experiencing this life, Jesus understands what we are going through; he is
with us when the harshness of grief is upon us. We do not need to try to survive and heal
alone.
Friends, may we all acknowledge and embrace our woundedness; and, in doing so, may
we all become wounded healers ourselves.
Grand Jury hands
DOWN 15 INDICTMENTS
By Joe Brady, Editor
for
The Times
The Grand Jury of the March 2023 term handed
down the following indictments last week:
Jacvan Lee Hollings
Possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Possession of firearm during the com
mission of a felony. Obstruction of an officer. Possession of drug related objects. Driving
while license suspended. Speeding.
Tamani Dewayla Bryant
Terroristic threats
Floyd Oscar Vickery
Artson in the 1st degree; Criminal attempt to commit a felony; False imprisonment.
Jordan Daishun Cooper
Criminal damage to property 2nd degree 3 counts.
Everick Bernard Lewis
Criminal damage to property in the 2nd degree, 2 counts; Entering an automobile.
Barbara Keyaunta Watson
Aggravated battery; Aggravated assault.
Ronnie Lee Williams, JR.
Arson in the 3rd degree; Aggravated cruelty to animals; Obstruction of an officer.
Geremy Renardo Bynes
Criminal damage to property in 2nd degree, 2 counts; Theft by taking, 2 counts.
Aeisha Daniels
Exploitation and intimidation of disabled adult, elderly person or resident.
Kirsten Helen Hunter
Fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer; Speeding.
Geremy Renardo Bynes
Burglary in the 2nd degree.
Richard Williams Evans
Possession of methamphetamine; Possession of cocaine; Possession of a Schedule I
controlled substance; Possession of marijuana; Possession of drug related objects; Driving
while license suspended.
Dudley Boe Boynton
Terroristic Threats; Cruelty to children in the 3rd degree, 2 counts.
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