Newspaper Page Text
The True Citizen, Wednesday, July 6, 2022 — Page 3
I TODAY |
I THURSDAY I
1 FRIDAY 1
j SATURDAY |§
I SUNDAY
BURKE
COUNTY'S
FIVE-DAY
Mostly Sunny
Mostly Sunny
Mostly Sunny
Mostly Sunny
Partly Sunny
30% chance of Showers &
50% chance of Showers &
50% chance of Shower &
60% chance of Shower &
60% chance of Shower &
FORECAST
T-storms
T-storms
T-storm
T-storm
T-storm
95° 175°
93° 174°
94°
75°
93°
72°
87171°
Forecast of the National Weather Service
Lost pet scams, are you
KELVIN COLLINS
A lost pet is a devastating
experience, but the BBB warns
pet owners to be wary of scam
mers that defraud heartbroken
pet owners who have publicly
advertised the loss of a pet. The
advertisement can help you get
your pet returned but it can also
open you up to potential scams.
Below are some of the more
common scams that target pet
owners.
The Pay-Me-First Scam:
In this scam the pet owner
receives a phone call from
a person claiming that they
have the lost pet in their pos
session. This person asks that
the reward money be sent to
them before they return the
pet. If the pet owner refuses,
they will often threaten to hurt
the pet in order to pressure the
pet owner into sending money.
Once the scammer receives the
money, they are never heard
from again.
The Truck Driver Scam:
Someone claiming to be a
long-haul truck driver tells
you that he came across your
pet while on his route. He then
asks you to send him money so
that he can send your pet back
to you, or he may ask you to
wire him money to board your
pet until he can send your pet
back with another truck driver
who's heading your way.
The Tag Team Scam: You
receive a call from someone
who says that they think they
have your pet. After talking to
you for a while and getting in
formation about your pet, they
apologize and say that they're
sorry, but it turns out that it's
not your pet after all. They then
give all the information about
your pet to a partner. This is
a set-up — in a short time, the
scammer uses the information
received about your pet only to
have a second person call and
claim to have found your pet
who will try collect any reward
money in advance.
The Airline Ticket Scam: In
this scam, someone calls and
claims that your pet somehow
ended up in another state. They
ask you to send money for a
kennel and an airline ticket and
they'll ship your pet back. Once
the pet owner sends the money,
the scammer walks away with
it, leaving the owner without
their pet and less money in
their bank account.
Pet Flipping Scams: This
scam works by the scammer
stealing pets or claiming lost
pets for the sole purpose of
selling them to unsuspecting
buyers. Flyers and classified
ads looking for a pet’s owner
can have the unintended con
sequence of alerting a scammer
to a money-making opportu
nity. Buyers of these pets may
never know that they were
duped.
BBB provides the following
tips to prevent falling victim to
a pet loss scam:
• If you must place an ad,
include only essential infor
mation. Refrain from provid
ing information about unique
markings or physical attributes.
• If you get a call from some
one who claims to be out-of-
state, ask them for a phone
number where you can call
them back. Scammers typically
do not want you to know any
of their personal information.
• If a caller claims to have
your pet in their possession,
ask them to describe something
about the pet that wouldn’t be
visible in pictures, which may
have been posted. You can
also ask them to send a cur
rent picture of the pet for you
to review.
• Ask to do a video call so
you can confirm that the pet
actually belongs to you.
• Never wire money or use
a prepaid debit card to pay
anyone you don’t know. This
Kemp extends gas tax break
REBECCA GRAPEVINE
Capitol beat News Service
Gov. Brian Kemp on Friday
extended Georgia’s gas tax
holiday through August 13.
The General Assembly sus
pended the fuel tax in March
as inflation began raising pump
prices above $4 a gallon. Kemp
extended that break in May and
again on Friday.
The state gas tax is around
29 cents per gallon.
Kemp also suspended the
state sales tax on locomotive
fuel, which he said would help
right rising consumer costs.
“I am committed to righting
to ease the economic burden
hardworking Georgians are
facing due to disastrous poli
cies from Washington politi
cians,” Kemp said.
Kemp said President Joe
Biden’s administration had not
done enough to combat infla
tion and rising fuel prices.
In June, Biden called on
Congress to suspend the fed-
Debate
allowed traditional churches
to take their personal property
with them when disaffiliating.
However, due to the pandemic,
a vote on the Protocol was re
scheduled for 2024. If passed,
the Protocol would allow for
the transfer to the Global Meth
odist Church, a Protestant de
nomination based in the United
States founded on conservative
Methodist precepts.
As traditional churches leave
the UMC, the balance of tra
ditional versus progressive is
shifting. It is widely hypoth
esized that the existing book
of discipline will be changed
to include LGBTQ+ clergy and
marriage as a rule.
Approximately 60 people
met June 29 during FUMC’s
first townhall meeting. Lay
Leader Jim White presented
attendees with the congrega
tion’s three options; disaffiliate
from the UMC and form an in
dependent church, disaffiliate
and join a known denomina
eral gas tax (18 cents per gal
lon) until the end of September.
Biden has also ordered re
leases of oil from the Strategic
Petroleum Reserve, the na
tion’s emergency oil stockpile.
Georgia’s gas prices are
about 50 cents below the na
tional average, according to
AAA.
On Friday, Kemp also ex
tended an April executive order
declaring a state of emergency
in Georgia due related to sup-
tion, or remain affiliated with
UMC.
“The progressive people see
this as discrimination of social
life issues,” White said. “Tra
ditional members feel that the
LGBTQ+ community cannot
be clergy or be married due to
the theology of the scriptures.”
Should the church disaf
filiate, according to the South
Georgia Conferences policy,
FUMC’s financial obliga
tion could amount to roughly
$127,000 in pension liability.
However, if the church disaf
filiates under the current policy
and pays the required amounts,
they could walk away with the
building. That policy could
change, if FUMC hesitates to
make a decision based on a
recent Board of Trustee deci
sion to extend the disaffiliation
date to December 2024. Pastor
Isaac Salgado said to wait to
disaffiliate will require that
the church pay an extra year
of apportionments.
ply chain disruptions. The
order prohibits price gouging
by gas station operators and
relaxes some rules on com
mercial trucking in Georgia.
Kemp extended that execu
tive order until August 13.
This story is available
through a news partnership
with Capitol Beat News Ser
vice, a project of the Georgia
Press Educational Foundation.
Continued from front
“The thing is this deal is go
ing away, and we don’t know
what the next deal will be,”
White said. “It is hard to make
decisions on things that are
changing constantly, but we
know what is happening right
now.”
Retired Methodist minister
Rev. Tom Oliver spoke to the
attendees about the establish
ment of the Protocol. He said
after 65 years of preaching, he
did not want to see the church
transform to a liberal institu
tion. He warned the congrega
tion that the church would be
obligated to perform same sex
marriages. He said disaffilia
tion was the only way to keep
the church as an enforcer of the
standards set in the Bible.
Whether FUMC disaffiliates
will be decided by no later than
August 28, by a 2/3 vote of pro
fessing members, physically in
attendance.
at risk?
MIDVILLE LIBRARY NEWS
Discover an ocean of fun events this summer at Midville Library!
Friday, July 8 - Make an octopus
Friday, July 15 - Finding Nemo
Friday, July 22 - Make an ocean wreath
Friday, July 29 - Kinetic sand fun-day
Continued from front
Splost V
is a common thread in many
types of scams.
• Always ask for registration
paperwork and a bill of sale
when purchasing a new pet.
• Consider having your vet
erinarian implant an identi
fication microchip into your
pet to increase your recovery
chances.
For more tips you can trust,
visit bbb.org.
Kelvin Collins is president
& CEO of the Be tter Business
Bureau serving the Fall Line
Corridor, serving 77 coun
ties in East Alabama, West
Georgia, Southwest Georgia,
Central Georgia, East Georgia
and Western South Carolina.
This tips column is provided
through the local BBB and
the International Association
of Better Business Bureaus
(IABBB). The Better Busi
ness Bureau sets standards
for ethical business behavior,
monitors compliance and helps
consumers identify trustwor
thy businesses. Questions or
complaints about a specific
company or charity should be
referred directly to the BBB at
Phone: 1-800-763-4222, Web
site: BBB.org or E-mail: info@
centralgeorgia. bbb.org
(law enforcement) training
center, do we have anything
left to go toward that?” Com
missioner Lucious Abrams
asked. The county has funds
in the general fund budget for
that project and a gun range,
Waldrop answered.
The outlying cities also pro
vided the county with their
budgets for the SPLOST V
money. Each body will now
have to approve an official
resolution and sign an inter
governmental agreement.
“This will be the budget that
will go on the referendum,”
Waldrop said and stated that
a resolution will be on July’s
agenda. “If we have everything
approved in July, we can make
the ballot.”
PUBLIC HEARING
CITY OF SARDIS
The City of Sardis will hold a public hearing on
July 19th, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. to discuss the Budget
for calendar year 2022. Public comment will be
entertained at this hearing.
■ ■■■
CROSSWORD
ACROSS
l) They go together
42) Carroll character
5) Turkey, on Broadway
43) Makes it work
9) Campbell of "Scream"
45) Whipped cream unit
films
47) Periods of history
13) University of Nevada city
48) Food preservative
14) Awful reporter
50) Clumsy goof
15) Piece of cave art
52) Tailless night creature
16) Popular cookie
54) l'oeil
17) "What's more..."
59) Parsley unit
18) Doesn't include
62) Second to none
19) Of the highest quality
64) Feudal subject
21) Pounded to the max?
65) Keep the car running
22) Upholstered piece
66) Herr partner
23) Sign of friendliness
67) Beijing baby-minders
25) Itty-bitty pencil
68) Word for Abby
27) In a clever way
69) Battery liquid
31) Censor's target
70) Actor's goal
35) Good friend
71) Food morsels
37) Shrink's topic
72) Silver source
38) English pounds?
40) Hoover, e.g.
DOWN
1) Univ. teachers
2) Nest high aboveground
3) Inactive, chemically
4) Bird perch
5) Erupt
6) Country singer McCann
7) Drying ovens
8) Introductions
9) "We're _!"
10) "Great" lake for sailing
11) Large holders of wine
12) "Ifall fails..."
15) Bread, dinero and cabbage
20) Yards for a first down
24) Poor-behaving little boy
26) Like 24-Down
28) Alpine lift
29) Old Italian money
30) Asian oxen
31) Card game with sevens through aces
32) Long skirt
33) Bator, Mongolia
34) Like an ace pilot?
36) Straggle
39) Larry, Moe and Curly
41) Sound on a farm
44) Title for John Gielgud
46) They swing for the fences
49) Drive of a kind
51) To return?
53) Commemorative meal
55) Butcher's leavings
56) Call with a "Polo" response
57) Like some jackets
58) Cleverly avoid
59) High-five sound
60) High-quality cotton
61) Breed, as animals
63) Thin piece of wood
ANSWERS ON 8