(GA. NEWS NETWORK)
*A North Augusta man is heading to prison for setting fire to a middle Georgia church. A judge sentenced Luke Westefeld yesterday to five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to malicious use of fire a few months ago. The 35-year-old was accused of setting fire to two flags in the sanctuary, an office and the church van at Byron United Methodist Church in Byron close to two years ago.
*A third-party organization is under scrutiny for mailing problematic voter registration forms in Georgia. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said yesterday that Ready to Register sent forms to a dead dog from one family, while a separate woman received a form for her deceased husband. Raffensperger added the groups are likely using out-of-date information from commercial databases. He says Georgia has the cleanest voter rolls in the U.S.
*Over 300 Marietta residents packed a city council meeting this this week to voice their concerns about data centers being built near their home. In the end, the council voted to place a hold on future data center proposals but will allow the one planned for Bells Ferry Road/Powers Ferry Road to move forward.
*The state Department of Agriculture Law Enforcement Division is warning Georgia’s farmers to be vigilant after receiving several reports of sophisticated online scams targeting farmers searching for farm equipment. Investigators have identified fraudulent schemes in which scammers create highly convincing websites and online advertisements that appear to represent legitimate farm equipment dealerships.
*Georgia ranks among the states with the highest bills when it comes to staying cool. Data compiled by Consumer Affairs finds that the Peach State ranks eighth in the country for the highest cooling costs. The report says we spend about 3.4% of our monthly income on electric bills. The national average is 2.9%. Energy experts say the high costs are due to long, humid summers, especially this year’s exceptionally hot summer. All of which causes people to use their A/C for longer periods.