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Georgia will top 12 million people by 2030, government says
By KRISTEN WYATT
Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA (AP) - Geor
gia will add another 3.8
million people in the next
25 years, putting the state’s
population over 12 million
and launching Georgia past
Ohio and New Jersey in
population, according to
the latest estimate from the
Census Bureau.
Georgia will be the
nation’s eighth most popu
lous state by 2030, accord
ing to the estimate released
Thursday. Georgia ranked
10th in 2000. The growth
will be enough to give
Georgia one more seat in
Congress, to 14.
Demographers said they
weren't surprised by the
City hosts army communication conference
By JESSICA BAPTISTE
Augusta Focus Staff Writer
Members from the Contfer
ence of American Armies
(CAA) will be meeting at the
Radisson Riverfront Hotel to
discuss communication tech
niques used by the armed
forces.
The CAA has been conven
ing since 1960, supporting
the Detense and Security in
South America and Latin
America. Military officials
from the Caribbean, Central,
South and North America
will be sharing interests in
protocol and communication
support from Apr. 26-29.
Commander Nathaniel
Smith of the 93rd Brigade
stresses that this conference is
vital because it will allow he
A powerless job but no
push to do away with
lieutenant governor
By DICK PETTYS
Af’ Political Writer
ATLANTA (AP) - He’s a
heartbeat away from the
governor’s office if some
thing happens to the state’s
chief executive, but other
than that, Georgia's lieu
tenant governor fills a post
that has more prestige than
power and comes with nice
perks but few duties.
Technically, he's the pre
siding officer of the state
Senate, but in the new
Georgia run by Republi
cans, Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor,
a Democrat, has been
stripped of virtually all the
power that once made the
lieutenant governor’s bark
feared in legislative halls.
There have been calls over
the years to abolish the
office but they never gained
much steam. There’s
unlikely to be any fresh
groundswell now that can
didates are lining up for the
race to succeed Taylor next
year. Taylor plans to seek his
party’s nomination to be
projected 47 percent
growth over the next quar
ter-century, but they cau
tioned that long-term pop
ulation guesses are famously
inaccurate. Changes in the
economy or new immigra
tion laws can have dramat
ic, and unpredictable,
effects on population, they
said.
“There’s a lot of ‘ifs’ in
these statements,” said
Georgia State University
sociology professor Charles
Gallagher. “If you were to
go back to the 1950 s and
look at what demographers
were projecting for 2000,
theyd all be wrong.”
But the general trend -
that Georgia will add mil
lions over the next few
decades — is a good guess,
and his colleagues the oppor
tunity to discuss communica
tion protocol.
“Communication provides
a commander to move within
his command. We need not
wait until we get into a situa
von.” he said.
Because communication is
such an important factor in
any operation the Army deals
with, it is important that there
is some kind of common
ground between its officials.
Colonel Ernesto Salvador
Canaves from Argentina feels
that this is a great opportuni
ty for him and his colleagues
to make networking connec
tions.
“This allows us the chance
to establish relationships and a
great opportunity to exchange
ideas,” he said, “I am verv
governor.
Is the lieutenant gover
nor’s office still needed, rel
egated as it is to just bang
ing a gavel to open and
close Senate sessions, pos
ing for pictures with pages,
and presiding over Senate
debate but always subject to
having controversial calls
on points of procedure
overturned by the majority
party?
Taylor insists it is, as do
those who want to succeed
him and several political
scientists who closely watch
Georgia government.
Taylor says he’s used the
position to raise the profile
of issues ranging from pro
tecting the state’s HOPE
scholarship program to
restoring cuts to education.
“The political dynamic
may have changed, but
everything he was elected to
do and what he was work
ing for, all those things
remain the same,” said Tay
lor spokeswoman Kristi
Huller,
Gallagher said. He said
most of the growth would
come from minorities.
“We've got two big trends
here: the shift of blacks
coming back to the South
... and the growth of the
Latino population,” Gal
lagher said.
According to the last cen
sus, Georgia's Hispanic
population grew about 300
percent in the 19905. That
was likely a huge underesti
mate, said University of
Georgia demographer
Doug Bachtel.
Bachtel said the official
Hispanic population of
Georgia is 6 percent, but
said he suspects the actual
percentage is more like 11
perceit or 12 percent.
Because new immigrants
thankful for the work of the
U.S. Army.”
Some of the ideas and goals
the officials would like to
achieve by Friday with the
help and input of subject
matter-experts that represent
the 93rd Signal Brigade are
communication platforms,
technical and organizational
skills and communication
support to the United States
Army in United Nations
Peacekeeping Operations in
the region.
Ennque Labrador, a avil
army liaison, believes that
Augusta was chosen to host
the conference because of Fort
Gordon and its role in the
United States Army.
“Fort Gordon 1s the center
for communication for the
U.S. Army, so it is only logical
Among those who want
the office, which includes
some media attention and
the use of the state car and
bodyguard that comes with
the job, none is better
known than Ralph Reed.
“I am confident we can
restore this office to effec
tiveness and be a strong
advocate for the people of
the state,"said Reed, a
Republican political con
sultant who once ran the
Christian Coalition and
was President Bush’s south
east regional campaign
chairman last year.
To get there, however,
hed have to beat Republi
can Sen. Casey Cagle of
Gainesville in the primary,
and Cagle is counting on
11 years of Senate experi
ence to help him win,
“I believe I have a unique
opportunity to bring the
state Senate back together,”
Cagle said.
Greg Hecht, a former
See post, page 10A
AUGUSTA FOCUS
are generally in their child
bearing years, Bachtel
guessed Hispanic popula
tion growth would contin
ue for years to come.
Even if the projections
prove wrong, the demogra
phers said, Georgia officials
need to pay attention to
them.
“Basically what projec
tions are is food for
thought,” Bachtel said.
“The important thing is to
get decision-makers to
think about the impact of
new growth. What are we
going to do with all that
traffic? There’s going to be
some very interesting public
policy debates.”
In ()(hcr data rclc.lwd
Thursday, the census also
projected the percentage of
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Photo by Jessica Baptiste
Officials for the Conference of American Armies (CAA) are meeting this week in Augusta to discuss
communication protocol among the armed forces. The officials are from various countries such as
the Caribbean, Latin, North and South America.
Rowdy city council
meeting ends in arrests
VAL DOSTA. Ga, (ADP)
— A heated city council
mecting ended with a
local minister’s arrest for
being disruptive.
The Rev. Floyd Rose
went to the meeting
Thursday to watch debate
over renaming a local
park.
Rose, who wanted Bar
ber Park renamed because
Alamance-Burlington schools
begins to drug-test students
BURLINGTON, N.C.
(AP) — Alamance-Burlington
high school students who are
involved in sports, music or
school clubs will be required
to pass random drug tests.
The district’s school board
voted unanimously Monday
night to require the tests for
high school students who par
ticipate in extracurricular
activities.
“This is not going to solve
all our drug problems, but 1
think it’s a piece to the puz
zle,” board member Jackie
Cole said.
Schools superintendent Jim
young and old citizens in
cach state. Georgia will like
ly stay a relatively young
state, according to the pro
jections.
In 2000, more than a
quarter of Georgia’s popula
tion was under age 18. That
will remain the case in
2030, according to the pro
jection. Georgia will get
slightly older _ from 9.6
percent over age 65 in 2000
to 15.9 percent over age 65
by 2030. But all 50 states
were projected to have more
older people by that time.
The numbers were also
broken down by gender,
with Georgia expected to
become slightly more male,
from 49.2 percent male in
2000 to 49.8 percent male
in 2030,
it was once off-limits to
blacks, walked to the
front of the meeting after
commissioners voted 3-2
not to appoint a renam
ing committee.
Rose objected to the
vote, but because the
meeting was not a public
hearing, Mayor John
Fretti told him to call
him the next day. Rose
Merrill said the proposal grew
out of the systemwide drug
bust in February 2004 thar
led to the arrests of dozens of
high school students.
The school system esti
mates the drug tests at six
high schools will cost $25,000
a year because about 70 per
cent of students take part in
extracurricular activities.
Students who test positive
for drugs will be suspended
for three months for the first
offense. Students who under
go drug treatment and then
have a negative drug test
result can be reinstated after
April 28, 2005
The projections don't
show Georgia growing at a
steady pace over the whole
25-year period. Census
rescarchers guessed that
growth would slow over
five-year increments. For
example, they thought
Georgia would add
739,343 people between
2000 and 2005, but only
577,216 new people
between 2025 and 2030.
The Census Bureau cre
ates the projections based
on birth rates, mortality
rates and migration trends,
both from other states and
from other countries.
Bachtel stressed that the
projections are just educat
ed guesses. “It’s really diffi
cult to project a popula
tion,” he said.
and about 10 supporters
wouldn't sit down.
“We're not going to
move,” Rose said.
Rose was arrested and
charged with disruption
of a lawful meeting. Also
charged* was supporter
Willie M. Head.
Capt. Brian Childress
said they were released on
their own recognizance.
the suspension, but will be
required to submit to unan
nounced drug testing for the
next year.
A second offense will mean
suspension from extracurricu
lars for a year, and the third
offense will ban the student
for the rest of high school.
The local chapter of the
NAACP opposed the propos
al.
“At best, it is heavy-hand
ed,” NAACP member Helen
Evans said. “In order to realize
your desires, you have to give
up your constitutional
rights.
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