I wish I could hug doctors, nurses, caretakers in nursing homes, paramedics, grocery store workers — or at least shake their hand. But that would deserve a proper punch to my nose today, wouldn’t it? That’s exactly the wrong thing to do now.

Many Americans, except those with young children, like my daughter Miranda, are experiencing a quiet and stillness in a normally loud and busy life.

Dear Editor: (An open letter to Georgia Renewable Power President Steve Dailey.) Because of the threat of COVID-19, residents in Colbert are staying at home. We feel that we are being tortured because of the constant noise from your power plant. We are acutely aware of your operations, becau…

While the COVID-19 outbreak started as an international story that felt distant to many of us, this global pandemic has clearly become an issue impacting Georgians in every corner of our state.

Dear Editor: As I sit here in my home in Colbert, sheltering in place as deemed necessary by Governor Kemp, I have come to recognize a crossroads with respect to my safety.

Man, what to say?

Your Legislature reconvened for its the ninth week of the session on March 9. Crossover week, as it’s called, has certainly been unprecedented with the national threat of COVID-19 (coronavirus). Your House worked on Thursday - Crossover Day, from 8 a.m. until after midnight to move legislati…

The Georgia General Assembly convened Monday, March 16 for an unprecedented special legislative session.

Dear Editor: The Georgia legislature is considering doing away with Daylight Saving Time. I have despised this twice-a-year disruption since day one. No time is saved. No energy is saved. Nothing is saved.

Dear Editor: As president of Georgia Renewable Power (GRP), I would like to let the residents of Madison County know that the company appreciates the concerns that have been raised about our biomass operation in Colbert. I believe strongly in the importance of transparency, and being a good …

When it comes to the coronavirus, we just don’t know.

Despite the wishful thinking of some there will be plenty of choices for voters when it comes to the November special election to fill the remaining term of Johnny Isakson.

Week eight of the session has officially passed and we are less than one week away from Crossover Day. I look forward to what my colleagues and I will accomplish as we approach our busiest days, and I will continue to keep you informed on legislation. We passed many important bills and resol…

The eighth week of the Georgia House of Representatives 2020 Legislative Session culminated on Friday, March 6, resulting in the passage of more than 40 bills and resolutions in the House. With “Cross Over Day” approaching, time was also devoted to preparing for this important deadline by vo…

Dear Editor: (This is an open letter to District 47 Sen. Frank Ginn.) I read with interest your opinion piece in the Feb. 20 issue of The Madison County Journal. Senate Bill 280 is definitely one that I would encourage you to support. The environment is of great concern to my family and me a…

Dear Editor: We have endured unusual “monsoons” of late, including one drenching that washed out the big dip in unpaved Lake Deerfield Road where maybe a bridge would have been a better, if not very costly, solution. Twelve families were unable to get out except by a long, muddy trek by foot…

I can’t listen to gun talk without getting sidetracked in my own mental maze where the Second Amendment is secondary to a deeper confrontation with mortality.

We prognosticated way back in November that we thought our greatest chance for active winter weather would occur in February.

Dear Editor: This letter is to express disappointment and disapproval concerning the board of commissioners move to declare Madison County a “Second Amendment Sanctuary.”

Dear Editor: I read with considerable glee the proposed and preposterous “gun sanctuary” resolution that somehow found a place on the Madison County Board of Commissioners agenda.

We convened the seventh week of the 2020 legislative session with a joint assembly of the House and Senate to hear Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold D. Melton deliver the annual State of the Judiciary address. The end of the week marked Legislative Day 21, roughly the midway point o…

With the end of week seven, we are officially less than two weeks away from Crossover Day. This is the last chance for bills originating in the Senate to pass out and be eligible in the House. We’re moving at a quick pace with multiple bills and resolutions for consideration. I am proud to a…

The House reconvened Feb. 24 for the start of the seventh week of the 2020 legislative session, and my colleagues and I met on the House floor all five days to vote on important legislation. We also convened with the Senate for a joint session to hear Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Haro…

Tuesday, February 18, marked the start of the sixth week of the 2020 legislative session, a busy one from start to finish. We passed House Bill 792 on Wednesday, amending the state’s Fiscal Year 2020 (AFY 2020), and spent the remainder of the week moving various other key pieces of legislati…

Dear Editor: We all need a friend, which is where the mentors in the Madison County Mentor Program begin their relationships with their student mentees.

It remains to be seen whether a bill to ban creosote as a fuel source for electricity producers will be approved by the Georgia General Assembly.

Dear Editor: Superficially, Sen. Frank Ginn's Feb. 20 op-ed article asking whether we should ban plastic bags seems even-handed. However, like most information coming from the plastics industry, it only considers the environmental cost of manufacture. Compared with paper or cloth bags, the m…

Dear Editor: After reading the article in the Feb 13 issue about the new Department of Family and Children Services (DFACS) office planned, I was first glad to see the county get the money to build a new DFACs office in Danielsville.

The Georgia General Assembly returned to the Gold Dome on Tuesday, Feb. 18 for the sixth week of the 2020 legislative session. With one-third of the legislative session already under our belts, the week was busy from start to finish. My colleagues and I met for four days in the House chamber…

Dear Editor: All of the technical information we have about operations at Georgia Renewable Power (GRP) has been provided by GRP through EPD permit applications. This information was required by the state Environmental Protection Division (EPD) permitting process. The information was reviewe…

The upcoming special election for a Georgia U.S. Senate seat continues to make headlines, both here and across the country.

The 2020 General Session is again underway, ending eight days of deliberation in appropriations meetings to determine how to effectively tackle the enormous task of balancing the 2020 supplemental budget, while also protecting the vital programs and services they provide to Georgia citizens.…

Don’t take any electronics with you. Just go alone without anything and walk out into the woods, then try to find your own face.

The Senate Economic Development and Tourism Committee met recently to discuss Senate Bill 280, which would prohibit the distribution of certain plastic bags. Plastic shopping bags have become the standard in many U.S. grocery stores. As such, they have also become a major pollutant in our se…

The march toward the presidential election now has moved through two states.

Dear Editor: A donor gave the local sheriff’s office a “motto flag” that displays “In God We Trust” in oversize script. The donor’s presentation cites dates of the national motto’s adoption by Congress. Those dates touch historic periods long past, including the Civil War and the Cold War.

Dear Editor: Since the Georgia Renewable Resources (GRP) plant in Colbert operations began we have made great strides towards making the plant the “good neighbor,” they promised to be.

(It’s time for Valentines — and skunks. They’re out these days. You smell them on the road. If you have lived in Madison County for any length of time, you probably have a skunk story. I certainly do — unfortunately. Here’s a rehash from 14 years ago, the day “love” visited our home.)

Week four at the Capitol was short, but productive. We met for three legislative days with plenty of committee work in between. I am proud of the work my colleagues and I are doing in the Senate to ensure that the citizens of Georgia have the best opportunities for success.

Monday, Feb. 3, was Legislative Day 10 and marked the start of the fourth week of the 2020 legislative session.

Your legislature has completed the twelfth of 40 days established to pass law and, most importantly, to pass the state’s balanced budget, as required by the Georgia Constitution. And it is typical that the first half of the session is devoted to introducing, hearing and perfecting legislatio…

Certainly any political process has its flaws.

Dear Editor: Jimmy Terrell’s Jan. 30 column fired a full load of pellets that struck all the targets, hit all the hot buttons, poked at the sore spots and picked off the scabs. It was a typical Republican rant of the day, repeated by ever so many “Ever-Trumpers,” the ones that line up to lic…

There has been a lot of discussion on this year’s elections. HB757 would end “free for all” special elections commonly called “jungle primaries.”

Donald Trump continues to win politically to the delight of millions of his fans. But the latest victory on Jan. 31 comes with quite a cost for all of us.

Dear Editor: In his letter in the Jan. 30 issue of the Journal, Georgia Renewable Power CEO Steve Daily demonstrates why businessmen should be careful when they write about science and engineering.

Dear Editor: (An open letter to Steve Dailey Chief propagandist for Georgia Renewable Power).

The General Assembly returned to the Capitol Jan. 27 for the third week of the 2020 legislative session. We spent more time in our committees and subcommittees to carefully review proposed legislation and hear testimonies from area experts.