(GEORGIA NEWS NETWORK)
*Now that hurricane season is underway; the Red Cross is urging Georgians to donate blood and platelets to maintain a steady supply for medical needs in the state. Type O blood and platelet donors are especially needed in the summer.
*Fourteen people have been sentenced to a total of 343 months in prison for their involvement in a dog-fighting operation in Donalsonville. Police rescued 27 dogs during the event in 2022 and later another 78, along with meth and evidence of organized fights. The longest sentence was over eight years, while others ranged from months in prison to home confinement.
*Monroe County property owners are preparing for steep property tax increases. County commissioners say a recent reassessment has sent property values soaring by as much as 90 percent in some areas. The county figures the overall valuation of property will be about 18 percent, with homeowners sent to see their property taxes jump by hundreds of dollars in some areas.
*Grayson County, Texas Sheriff Tony Bennie recently left his gun unattended in a Wendy’s bathroom in Covington. The sheriff had removed his holstered firearm while in the restroom with his grandson and forgot to retrieve it before leaving. The weapon was then found and accidentally discharged by a 15-year-old. No one was injured. Neither Bennie nor the teen will face charges. The Newton County DA’s office decided that no criminal intent or criminal negligence took place.