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Superior Court Judge Joe Booth will decide whether Jackson County’s lawsuit against the Upper Oconee Basin Water Authority should proceed. The county is suing the authority — of which it is a member — to force it to recalculate the yield of the Bear Creek Reservoir, which the authority manages, under the belief that the lake’s actual ... [Full Story »] 

Don’t look for anything new out of Commerce’s government next fiscal year. Facing declining revenues related to plant closings and cutbacks, the 2009-10 city budget will be the leanest since 1990, reports city manager Clarence Bryant. “The budget we’ll do this year will be very similar to the one we did in 1990,” Bryant said. ... [Full Story »] 

In spite of near universal disdain for AIG’s presentation of $165 million in bonuses paid for by federal bailout funds, it’s almost comical to see members of Congress wrathful about wasteful spending. Most Americans are leery about bailouts, period. Even those who believe they may be necessary to rescue the economy have a hard time ... [Full Story »] 

Was it a burglary or just highly-medicated people using each others' drugs? Officers of the Commerce Police Department are not sure, but the Macarthur Street residence to which they were summoned is a frequent stop for police officers. The first response was to a domestic incident in which a 35-year-old white male complained that a 38-year-old ... [Full Story »] 

The situation surrounding Bob Sosebee’s resignation from the Commerce City Council showed the bad and the good about city government. Sosebee — perhaps pushed by personal financial difficulties — crossed the ethical boundaries by using his position to help a developer and builder with whom he has a business relationship. The scheme did ... [Full Story »] 

Commerce has tapped a Madison County man who works for the Athens-Clarke County Library as its new library director. City Manager Clarence Bryant announced Tuesday morning that Miguel Vicente, 45, director of the Athens-Clarke County Library’s Pinewoods branch, had accepted an offer sent Monday afternoon. “He will begin on or about April ... [Full Story »]