Newspaper Page Text
Page 2 - Wednesday, December 27, 2023
The Millen News
themillennews.com
Get to know our school fecutty
Angeline Budget
TARA MCLEMORE
Meet Angeline Budgett. Ms.
Budgett has worked in sev
eral counties including Bryan,
Evans, Bulloch, and Candler.
She is currently teaching fifth-
grade ELA in Jenkins County.
Ms. Budgett was born and
raised in Millen and lives
here with her husband, Bryan
Budgett. After 25 years of
marriage, she and Bryan have
six children and eight grand
children who are the “loves of
her life” she says. Ms. Budgett
is the twin daughter of the late
Bishop Robert L Johnson, Sr.,
founder of the Millen New
Testament Church, and Mrs.
Mabell Lane Johnson.
After graduating high school
from ECI in 1994, Ms. Budget
received her Accounting de
gree from Ogeechee Technical
College. While working in the
accounting held, she furthered
her education by earning a
Bachelor of Science in Child
and Family Development de
gree and a Master’s degree in
Elementary Education, both
from Georgia Southern Uni
versity. Her latest achievement
was receiving her reading en
dorsement from RES A.
Mrs. Budgett has been an
educator for more than 15
years. Several people inspired
her to choose the education
held, including Mr. Alton West,
Mrs. Ivalyn Williams Cobb,
Mrs. Lois Robertson, and the
late Ms. Angeline Walker, to
name a few.
Ms .Budget said the biggest
challenge of her job is accept
ing inadequate support from
parents.
“While teachers work with
students at school, some have
no support at home to continue
learning and growing,” she
said.
Being able to touch the heart
of every child she encounters
is her motivation for what she
does as an educator. “Teaching
is what I have always wanted to
do,” says Ms. Budgett.
As a small child, she would
pretend to be teaching her
siblings. In addition to being
an educator, Angeline is a
singer and gospel is her genre
of music.
“Nothing can lift your spir
its more than the songs of the
gospel”.
A LITTLE
ABOUT HER.
If you could travel any
where, where would you go?
Dubai
How do you spend your
time off? Being with my fam
ily, especially my grandchil
dren is how I spend most of
my days off.
How do you show kindness
to others? I show kindness
to others in various ways, but
this is done by adhering to
the Golden Rule! Treat others
the way you would like to be
treated.
Who is your hero
and why? The late,
great Whitney Hous
ton, because of the
gift of singing that
she possessed!
What is your fa
vorite meal? Fried
chicken,rice and gra
vy, green beans, and
a roll. (I am a South
ern Girl). For snacks,
give me Tom’s salt
and vinegar potato
chips.
Do you have any
talents? Singing! I
sing with a gospel
group, Re surrec tion.
(/ will say as some
one who has spoken
to Mrs. Budgett, she
has the sweetest most
soul-touching voice. So, I can
only imagine how beautiful her
music must be. - Tara).
Do you have a quote or
something you would like
mm
Angeline Budgett
to share with people? Every
child deserves a champion -
an adult who will never give
up on them, who understands
the power of connection, and
who insists that they become
the best that they can possibly
be - Rita Pierson
Georgia PSC approves agreement on Plant Vogtle costs
DAVE WILLIAMS
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
Georgia energy regulators
unanimously approved a plan
Dec. 19 to let Georgia Power
pass on to customers almost
$7.6 billion of its costs in
building two additional nuclear
reactors at Plant Vogtle.
The Atlanta-based utility
agreed in August to reduce the
costs it was asking the state
Public Service Commission
(PSC) to declare "reasonable
and prudent" by about $2.6
billion after years of delays
and cost overruns that more
than doubled the price tag from
the $14 billion the commission
authorized back in 2009.
Allen
ing a new Farm Bill.
He reported that the number
one concern he has heard from
Georgia farmers is the declin
ing margins, which are lower
sale prices, higher costs, or
both.
“We are in uncharted waters.
They (farmers) are in a fight
for their lives to survive this
crisis It is crucial that we
increase reference prices for
Title 1 Commodities (corn,
wheat, soybeans) in the Farm
Bill,” he said.
Rep. Allen supports the
strengthening of risk manage
ment options such as Agricul
ture Risk Protection (ARC) and
Price Loss Coverage (PLC).
These programs are sources of
additional income for produc
ers to offset crop prices or rev
enue declines. He also asked
the committee to consider a
provision to ensure that farm
ers have coverage should the
supply chain create issues with
planting or harvesting such as
inability to secure agronomic
inputs - fertilizers, pesticides,
seeds, feed, and others.
He urged members to con
sider including in the new Farm
Bill language similar to that
of the American Seasonal and
Perishable Crop Support Act
that was introduced during the
117th Congress.
“This would protect our
growers against foreign mar
kets,” Rep. Allen said.
He also spotlighted the need
to address workforce issues.
The first of the new reactor
units at the plant south of Au
gusta went into service at the
end of July. The second is due
to follow by the end of March.
The project will increase the
average residential customer's
bill by $8.95 per month.
Commissioner Lauren "Bub-
ba" McDonald, the only mem
ber of the PSC who was on the
board in 2009, acknowledged
the difficulties the project has
faced during the last 14 years.
"It has been a journey," Mc
Donald said before Tuesday's
vote. "(But) for the first time in
34 years in America, a nuclear
plant has been built.... We suf
fered the pain, but we're also
going to enjoy the benefit."
"The Vogtle ... nuclear ex
pansion project represents
“Programs such as H-2A are
critical for many farmers in my
district, but they need reforms
to become more widely used by
American farmers,” he noted
The H-2 A program regulates
temporary labor certifications
and allows the employment
of foreign-born workers when
there are not enough sufficient
workers.
“A top issue I hear through
out my district is the need for
workers. We must discuss
a long-term investment for
our 2.7 million customers and
Georgia, providing clean, safe,
reliable, and emission-free
energy for decades to come,"
Georgia Power added in a
statement.
"We believe this decision by
the Georgia PSC acknowledges
the perspectives of all parties
involved and takes a balanced
approach the recognizes the
value of this long-term energy
asset for the state of Georgia
and affordability needs for
customers."
Representatives of environ
mental and consumer advocacy
groups that signed onto the
agreement with Georgia Power
pointed to the company's com
mitment to significantly expand
its energy efficiency programs
the income and employment
requirements under the SNAP
and get Americans back to
work,” Rep. Allen said.
He also advocated for a
“robust state lead pesticide
agency” in the next Farm Bill.
“This is an issue I have
continued to build support for
over the last two Congresses,
and I have seen first-hand how
well the Georgia Department
of Agriculture alongside key
Georgia industries keep our
and increase the number of
seniors who will qualify for its
bill-relief program.
"We are pleased the com
mission included programs
that will provide the most
vulnerable customers with
some bill relief," said Codi
Norred, executive director of
Georgia Interfaith Power and
Light. "That being said, Geor
gia Power customers have and
will continue to pay heavily for
Vogtle's budget overruns.
"After Vogtle, we hope the
commission will double down
on their support of cost-saving
renewable options like solar
and battery storage."
Bryan Jacob, representing
the Southern Alliance for Clean
Energy, complained during a
hearing last week that the Au
public safe,” Rep. Allen said.
The Congressman feels that
having multiple regulatory
bodies in a state does not work
and is not effective for pro
tecting public health and the
environment.
Rep. Allen is the son of a
farmer and has served eight
years on the House Agricul
ture Committee. To secure
input from Georgia farmers,
he has held several round-table
meetings in various locations
gust agreement fails to set forth
how the costs of the Vogtle
nuclear expansion will be al
located between residential
and small-business customers
and large industrial customers.
"Georgia Power has the
obligation to prove its rate
allocation is just and reason
able," he said.
Jacob also suggested the
commission should have re
quired Georgia Power to credit
residential and small-business
customers for what they've
already paid up front for the
project.
Nuclear Watch South, one
of the environmental organiza
tions opposed to the agreement,
said the rate increase for Plant
Vogtle is one of several Geor
gia Power has received during
across Georgia. Local farmers
who would like to participate
in these events should contact
Rep. Allen’s office at https://
allen.house.gov/contact/ to
have their names placed on
the notification list for these
the past year.
"The smart money knows
nuclear energy is a bad invest
ment," said Stephen Wing,
a member of Nuclear Watch
South's Board of Directors.
"Yet the profit on that invest
ments goes to Georgia Power
shareholders ... while we get
stuck with a 26% rate hike to
cover the project's construc
tion mistakes, on top of three
other rate hikes in the past year
alone."
Georgia Power is a 45%
partner in the Vogtle expan
sion, working with Oglethorpe
Power, the Municipal Electric
Authority of Georgia (MEAG),
and Dalton Utilities.
Continued from front
events.
Rep. Allen plans to work
closely with the House Agri
culture Committee on the is
sues he feels are vitally impor
tant to Georgia’s 12th District.
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