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THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2011
‘Commuter Dude:’ Hang-up cell phones while driving
BY MARK BEARDSLEY
ATTENDEES OF the
Jackson County Area
Chamber of Commerce heard
a plea from “the Commuter
Dude” last Wednesday to
support an Atlanta TV sta
tion's campaign to reduce
“distracted driving.”
John Gerard. WXIA’s
Commuter Dude, is the
point person for the station’s
“Great Hang-Up” program to
eliminate use of cell phones
or other electronic devices
while driving.
Gerard’s primary role as
Commuter Dude, however, is
to help viewers get action on
traffic-related issues, from
potholes that persist to signal
devices that don’t work.
His presentation for the
chamber, however, was all
about distracted driving.
“It is so tempting, espe
cially in the business world,
to be conducting business in
the car,” he noted. “It’s like a
second office.”
In fact, said Gerard, that’s
exactly how he used his car
until his boss made him the
spokesperson for The Great
Hang-Up.
“I said, ‘This is a bad idea.
This is a really bad idea,’
because I was one of the
people who used a vehicle as
an office.”
Although he “fought the
proposal tooth and nail.”
Gerard said he came around,
slowly weaning himself from
texting, e-mailing or even
talking on a cell phone while
driving.
“Right now I’m 95 percent
cell phone free while driv
ing,” he said. “I don’t text and
I don’t e-mail. Occasionally,
I still take a call.”
As a result, said Gerard, “I
can honestly say I’m a better
driver.... I challenge you to
cut back on your cell phone
use while driving.”
To illustrate the issue,
Gerard showed two videos.
The first was taken from 66
hours of video shot on a driv
ing course set up by the TV
station in which eight driv
ers of various ages and skill
levels were invited to drive
the course while using their
phones.
The results were funny —
drivers knocking over cones
representing obstacles and
children and running lights
that represented head-on col
lisions — but drove home
the point. Even drivers talk
ing on a Bluetooth device
with both hands on the wheel
could not safely navigate the
course while carrying on a
phone conversation.
According to the video,
driving while using a phone,
even a Bluetooth, results in
reduced reaction times “like
driving drunk.”
In fact, added Gerard,
“Distracted driving has over
taken the use of alcohol for
the most number of crashes
in the United States. More
people are hurt and killed
from distracted driving than
from driving under the influ
ence. and that’s a shame.”
Gerard also pointed out
that drivers under age 20
account for most of the
crashes caused by distracted
driving.
The second video recount
ed the story of a high school
senior whose parents bought
her a cell phone as a safety
precaution, only to have the
child die when she ran off
the road and crashed while
texting with that phone.
The last message she got
before crashing, the video
said, was “Victoria, we prob
ably shouldn’t be doing this
(texting while she was driv
ing) ... it’s dangerous.”
Her father noted the irony.
They bought their daughter
a cell phone so they’d know
where she was. He called it
“a death instrument.”
Gerard met the family
about two months ago at a
conference. The mother, he
said, “two years after the
accident is still so emotion
ally devastated she can’t
have a conversation about it
without breaking down.”
Gerard asked his audience
to go to the WXIA web
site and download the Great
Hang-Up pledge, have their
kids sign it and sign it them
selves.
“Please,” he concluded,
“consider not using the phone
while driving for the people
who love you, because if
something happened to you,
they would be devastated.”
Prior to his presentation
on distracted driving, Gerard
plugged WXIA as an alter
native to other TV stations
where news comprises “a
constant parade of crime
scene tape and body bags.”
Jefferson woman pleads guilty to Social Security fraud
A JEFFERSON woman who fraudu
lently collected almost $200,000 from the
Social Security Administration has pled
guilty for making false statements to the
federal agency.
Tedra Ditmore, 38, could receive a maxi
mum sentence of five years in prison and a
fine of up to $250,000. A federal judge in
Gainesville hasn’t set a date for sentencing.
In an application for survivor’s ben
efits, Ditmore told the Social Security
Administration (SSA) that her children were
using the funds, according to U.S. Attorney
Sally Quillian Yates.
“Her fraudulent statements not only could
send her to federal prison, it took money
away from truly needy Social Security
recipients who really would have used those
funds for their children,” Yates said in a
statement issued on Wednesday, Feb. 2.
Ditmore initially filed a claim for chil
dren’s insurance survivor’s benefits in
November 2005 under the record of her
deceased husband, according to Yates.
Ditmore claimed that her two children were
living with her and her deceased husband at
the time of his death and that her husband
provided at least 50 percent care and support
to the children prior to his death.
But, the Social Security Administration
later received information that Ditmore
wasn’t the custodial parent of her two chil
dren.
An investigation by the SSA also revealed
that her children lived with their biological
father and had lived with him since 2001,
according to the charges and evidence pre
sented in court.
Investigators further learned that Ditmore’s
deceased husband didn’t provide 50 percent
care and support for her children prior to
his death.
Ditmore’s misrepresentation and false
statements caused the SSA to improperly
issue benefit payments to Ditmore from
2005 to 2009 totaling $189,180. according
to Yates. Ditmore had completed annual
reports saying her children lived with her
and that she used all of the Social Security
benefit funds for their care.
Ditmore was indicted in October.
Millage rates remain the same for Maysville residents
BY SHARON HOGAN
MILLAGE RATES for Maysville for
this year will remain the same as the cur
rent rate.
In a called meeting on Monday, the
Maysville City Council unanimously
approved the 2010 millage rates resolution.
The millage rate for Maysville city resi
dents on the Banks County side is 0.810
mills and the millage rate for Maysville
city residents on the Jackson County side
is 1.764 mills.
The council also approved May 10 as
the due date for city taxes.
Council member Stephan Lewis ques
tioned the difference in the two millage
rates. Banks County residents pay a lower
millage rate because the City of Maysville
received more local option sales tax rev
enue from Banks County and this offsets
part of the millage rate.
Talmo council adopts update to waste management plan
BY KATIE HUSTON
THE TALMO City Council approved a
waste management plan update that other
communities in the area are also adopting.
The Northeast Georgia Regional Solid
Waste Management Plan 2009 Short Term
Work Program Update was adopted as
approved by the Georgia Department of
Community Affairs.
The Georgia General Assembly adopted
the Solid Waste Management Act in 1990
which required all local governments to
prepare a 10-year Comprehensive Solid
Waste Management Plan.
The plans were required to outline a
minimum of 10 years of solid waste dis
posal capacity, identify an environmentally
sound solid waste collection system and set
forth a strategy to help the state achieve its
goal of a 20 percent per capita reduction in
municipal solid waste disposal.
The council adopted the plan updates
unanimously.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at the Talmo Town
Council meeting:
•it was decided that Kathy Elrod will
be Talmo’s representative on the Citizen
Review Committee for SPLOST 5.
•it was announced that the Talmo Library
had 130 patrons, 85 books were checked
out, 137 were returned and there were two
new patrons.
Miller named chairperson of transportation subcommittee
STATE SEN. Butch Miller
(R-Gainesville) has been
selected as chairman of the
senate transportation subcom
mittee on airports and sea
ports.
The subcommittee will be
tasked with vetting specific
transportation bills and reso
lutions assigned by the full
transportation committee that
focus on their particular policy
area.
Miller will be joined on the
subcommittee by State Sen.
Valencia Seay (D-Riverdale)
and State Sen. Ross Tolleson
(R-Perry).
State Sen. Jeff Mullis
(R-Chickamauga), who
appointed Miller, will serve on
the committee as an ex-officio
member, where he will have
voting privileges when the
subcommittee needs to reach
a quorum.
Sen. Butch Miller serves as
the chairman of the state and
local governmental operations
committee. He represents the
49th Senate District, which
includes Hall County and por
tions of Jackson County. He
may be reached at 404-656-
6578 or via e-mail at butch.
miller@ senate.ga.gov.
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1681 Old Pendergrass Rd„ Suite 170, Jefferson, GA 30549
706-387-0111
Rep. Benton favors
vote on horse racing
BY MARK BEARDSLEY
REP. TOMMY Benton
is gambling that Jackson
County voters will appreci
ate the opportunity to vote on
whether Georgia should allow
betting on horse races.
“I signed on the bill,” said
Benton, whose District 31
comprises most of Jackson
County and a portion of Hall.
House Resolution 186 is
similar to HR 1177 from the
last legislative session. Both
were introduced by Rep. Harry
Geisinger (R-Roswell).
“I just think we should give
people a chance to vote on it,”
Benton said.
Benton’s is one of 65 signa
tures on the bill: it needs 120
to become a proposed amend
ment to the state constitu
tion under which local juris
dictions could vote to allow
horse racing and parimutuel
wagering.
Benton sees advantages in
the creation of jobs and the
use of the revenue.
“One argument is that it
creates jobs,” he said. “For
every horse, there are seven
jobs, from stable muckers to
trainers.”
The other plus, he said,
is that the proceeds would
be earmarked to supplement
education grants, scholar
ships or loans, voluntary pre
kindergarten programs and
trauma care services.
“It could very well pass,”
Benton predicted. “We’ve got
some people totally opposed
to gambling, but turn that
right around and their kids
have gone to college on the
HOPE Scholarship (funded
by proceeds from the state-
sponsored Georgia Lottery).
I just think it would be good
for Georgia. We’ve got a good
many horse farms in Georgia
that are interested in this. In
Jackson County and Barrow
County, there were probably
two dozen owners of farms
who came up (to the capitol
last session) and were inter
ested in the legislation.”
Benton said he will also
support Senate Bill 10, which
would authorize local juris
dictions to hold referendums
to allow the Sunday sale of
beer, wine and spirits by the
package.
“I don’t have any problem
with Sunday sales.” he said.
“I don’t drink, so it doesn’t
make any difference to me.
We’ll send it out there to
the folks and let them decide
locally what they want to
do.”
Benton said there have been
a couple of hearings on the
proposed immigration legis
lation, which he says he’ll
read once it’s in final form.
“It’s based on the Arizona
law, and they say they put
stuff in there to keep it from
falling afoul of the feder
al government, but I don’t
know,” he said.
Meanwhile, the House
committee looking at rec
ommendations for changing
the state’s tax structure had
a hearing Tuesday morning,
while Benton was at another
hearing.
“It’s going to be coming up.
but it might be that we won’t
even vote on it this year,” he
said.
Meanwhile, Benton’s bill
to require manufacturers of
antifreeze was due a Judiciary
Committee hearing. Once it
clears that, it would go to
Rules Committee, hopefully
to be cleared for a full vote
of the House, after which it
would go to the Senate.
The House will also vote
on the supplemental appro
priations bill Thursday, but
Benton won’t get his first look
at the bill until Wednesday
evening. He said he’ll look
closely at how the bill treats
education before casting his
vote.
Training session topic for
Nicholson planning meeting
BY SHARON HOGAN
A RECENT TRAINING session was the only topic of dis
cussion at the Nicholson Planning and Zoning Board meet
ing Thursday night.
The planning commission members attended a training
session held in Braselton.
“The class was very informative,” board member John
Ring said.
In other business at Thursday’s monthly meeting, plan
ning board chairman Mike Stowers said he wants people
to understand that the planning and zoning board does not
have enforcement power.
“We have no enforcement powers, that is up to our code
enforcement officer,” Stowers said. “The board can make
the code enforcement officer aware of issues. But it is up to
the code enforcement officer to enforce the city’s codes.”
City codes, such as excessive trash, sign violations and
building and zoning violations, are enforceable by the
city’s code enforcement officer. Ring asked if the code
enforcement officer is also responsible for enforcing fire
regulations.
“Commercial buildings are inspected by the state fire
marshal’s office,” Stowers said.
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