Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY. MARCH 31.2022 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 9A
Help these citizens raise bail
to support FERST Readers
By Sue Appleton
FERST Readers of
Pickens County Chair
Nine Pickens County citi
zens' “lives of crime” have fi
nally caught up to them and
they are going to be arrested
for a good cause. Each one
must raise their bail by April
26th!
The FERST Readers of
Pickens County is having
their annual Jail n’ Bail event
Tuesday, April 26 from 11-1
p.m. on the steps of the Old
Jail in downtown Jasper, and
the MOST WANTED de
tainees have been selected to
raise money. This money
stays here in Pickens County,
to provide free books to Pick
ens County children under
the age of five. Each month
the child receives in the mail
an age-appropriate book with
a child’s activity sheet, a par
ent’s reading guide and
newsletter at no cost to the
parent.
The actual cost of the pro
gram is $3.00 per month per
child. In Pickens County we
have approximately 775 chil
dren receiving books each
month. All children under
the age of five in our county
are eligible for this program.
Angela “Angel” Reinhardt
Pickens County Progress
CHARGED WITH
Biased Reporting
Hannah “Eagle Eye”Jones
Renasant Bank
CHARGED WITH
Fixing Problems
Michelle “The Mouth” Tidwell
iThink Financial
CHARGED WITH
Talking Too Much
To learn more about the pro
gram or to register a child for
this free program, go to
www.ferstreaders.org
Ben “Big Ben” Smith
Parish Lowrie State Farm
CHARGED WITH
Losing Track of Time
Jason “Papa Bear” Reece
United Community Bank
CHARGED WITH
Being Sleep Deprived
Phillip “Aquaman” Dean
Co. Gov. Water Dept.
CHARGED WITH
Leaking Secrets
Can you help one or more
of the detainees?
If so, you can donate on
line at http://bit.ly/Pickens-
FerstJailNBail and designate
Dr. Janet “The Swaddler” Goodman
Pickens Board of Education
CHARGED WITH
Kidding Around
Kim “Goldilocks” Goldener
City of Jasper
CHARGED WITH
Being Leader of the Pack
Terry “Sarge” Bishop
Community Thrift Store
CHARGED WITH
Wearing Heavy Medals
which detainee(s) you wish
to support. You can also mail
a check made out to Ferst
Readers and in the memo line
put “Pickens Co.” and the de
tainee’s name. Mail it to
<SptaiA/0
ls> Hiere
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too much?
G
Health care professionals
indicate that caffeine appears
to be safe for the majority of
healthy adults when it's con
sumed in moderation. The
Mayo Clinic notes that up to
400 milligrams of caffeine
per day, which is roughly
equivalent to the amount
found in four cups of coffee,
is considered safe for most
healthy adults. However, in
dividuals should be careful of
certain forms of caffeine.
According to the U.S.
Food and Drug Administra
tion, caffeine in powder or
liquid form can provide toxic
levels of the stimulant. And it
doesn't take much to reach
such levels, as the Mayo
Clinic reports that a single
teaspoon of powdered caf
feine can contain as much of
the stimulant as 28 cups cof
fee. That much caffeine can
contribute to serious health
problems and possibly death.
Coin-operated Amusement Machines
lobbyists balk at state tax hike
Pickens FERST, POB 2062,
Jasper, Ga. 30143 or give di
rectly to the detainee.
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
Lobbyists representing
Georgia's coin-operated
amusement machines
(COAM) businesses objected
Thursday to raising the state
tax on the industry.
A Georgia Senate bill call
ing for increasing the share of
CO AM income that goes to
the state from the current
10% to 30% did not survive
last week's Crossover Day
deadline for bills to pass at
least one legislative chamber.
But an alternative COAM
measure that cleared the state
House of Representatives on
Crossover Day is now before
the Senate, and the tax hike
could be amended onto it.
Sen. Bill Cowsert, R-
Athens, chairman of the Sen
ate Regulated Industries and
Utilities Committee, pre
sented charts Thursday show
ing that $120 million in
COAM revenue went to the
state last year to support the
HOPE Scholarships and pre
kindergarten programs, far
less than the tax revenue for
education generated by the
Georgia Lottery.
Raising the tax on
How much
caffeine is
CO AMs to 30% would have
produced $360 million for
education, the charts showed.
HOPE has suffered from a
funding shortfall since 2011,
when the General Assembly
voted in a cost-cutting move
to stop covering the full cost
of tuition for most students.
The percentage of coverage
HOPE provides has fallen as
low as 76%, Cowsert said.
While Gov. Brian Kemp's
fiscal 2023 budget proposal
would increase HOPE cover
age to 90% of tuition, the
program still would be left
with a $100 million shortfall,
Cowsert said.
Other states tax their gam
ing machines at much higher
rates than Georgia. Pennsyl
vania's tax is at 52%, South
Dakota's is 50%, Illinois' is
34% and Louisiana's is
32.5%, according to one of
the charts.
"If we were to get closer
in line with other states, we
might be able to close the
[HOPE] shortfall," Cowsert
said.
But Les Schneider, a lob
byist representing the Geor
gia Amusement & Music
Operators Association, said
the figures on the charts did
not account for the fees Geor
gia charges the licensees who
own the machines and own
ers of the retail businesses
where the machines are lo
cated.
"We pay more than any
other COAM operation in the
United States of America," he
said. "Any attempt to raise
the tax would be very detri
mental, particularly to the
small operators," added Ed
ward Lindsey, representing
Norcross-based COAM sup
plier Lucky Bucks. "You will
diminish capital investment
in this state."
The lobbyists supported
the alternative bill that passed
the House, which would
leave the tax at 10% and offer
COAM game winners non
cash redeemable gift cards.
Rep. Alan Powell, R-
Hartwell, the House bill's
chief sponsor, said gift cards
would discourage store own
ers from paying cash to prize
winners, which is illegal in
Georgia.
"This takes away any ra
tionale for a merchant to pay
out cash money," he said.
Sheila Humberstone, rep
resenting the Georgia Associ
ation of Convenience Stores,
called gift cards "the great
equalizer" between store
owners who cheat and those
who are honest.
"Our members are at a
competitive disadvantage
when the convenience store
across the street pays out
cash," she said.
The Senate committee is
expected to vote on the
House bill next week.
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