Ga-FL At a Glance

Stretch of I-75 from Dalton to Calhoun to be repaved

DALTON, Ga. — Work could begin soon on resurfacing I-75 between Calhoun and Dalton. The Georgia Department of Transportation recently awarded a contract to C.W. Matthews Contracting Co. of Marietta valued at close to $38 million for a construction project to resurface a 19-mile portion of the freeway. The project includes 19.272 miles of milling and plant mix resurfacing on I-75 beginning north of State Route 156/Redbud Road in Gordon County and extending to just north of Tibbs Road in Whitfield County. “This project and others like it in northwest Georgia add up to these two things — better mobility and a better quality of life for all the area’s residents,” said Dewayne Comer, district engineer at the state DOT office in Cartersville. The resurfacing project is scheduled to be completed by the end of March 2019, at a construction cost of $37.62 million. Information on construction and lane closure schedules on this project will be released before work begins.

Hospice of Tift Area to host 25th annual National Living with Grief program

TIFTON, Ga. — Hospice of Tift Area will host and broadcast the Hospice Foundation of America’s 25th annual Living with Grief educational program on May 29, noon to 2:00 p.m., at the Tift Regional Community Events Center in Tifton.  This national program will be hosted and moderated by Frank Sesno, former CNN anchor and Director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University. The program this year focuses on “Transforming Loss: Finding Potential for Growth,” exploring the most current theoretical perspectives on loss and grief. For full program details, see the Hospice Foundation of America’s website at www.hospicefoundation.org. The Tift Regional Community Events Center is located in Tifton at 1657 S. Carpenter Road, adjoining the Tiftarea YMCA. Call Hospice of Tift Area at 229-353-6330 for more information on this event. 

BHS Interact Club contributes ShelterBox

BRANFORD, Fla. — The Branford High School Interact Club were guests of the Rotary Club of Branford at its weekly meeting held May 15 at Our Place Pizzeria & Ristorante. 

Through various activities of the Interact Club throughout the school year, approximately $500 was raised towards the funding of a ShelterBox. 

ShelterBox is an international disaster relief charity that provides temporary shelter and life saving supplies to displaced families. Each ShelterBox typically contains a tent designed to withstand extreme weather conditions, water purification kit, blankets, tools, and other necessities to help a family survive after a disaster. The contents of a ShelterBox are tailored to the nature and location of the disaster.

ShelterBox Response Teams distribute boxes on the ground, working closely with local organizations, international aid agencies and Rotary Clubs worldwide.

 Branford Rotary Club President Dr. Mel Kemmerer presented a matching $500 check from the Club to the Interact Club, which makes possible the funding of a second ShelterBox by the Branford High School group in two years. 

Misty Ward, a BHS teacher, is the Interact Club sponsor. 

Anybody interested in helping the Interact Club fund its International Project, please contact Ward at BHS or contact a Branford Rotarian.

Another Georgia county moves forward with opioid lawsuit 

VALDOSTA, Ga. — The Studstill Firm will represent Lowndes County in a class-action lawsuit to recoup funds from opioid manufacturers. Lowndes County Board of Commissioners approved an agreement for legal services from the Studstill Firm this week. In April, Haynes Studstill, an attorney with the Studtill Firm, spoke to the commission about representing the county against opioid manufacturers. Studstill said joining the suit would be at no cost to the county. If the class action is successful, the law firm would be paid from the settlement, but if it loses, there would be no charge, she said. She said she is confident the case will not make it to court and the county would receive settlement money for damages caused by harmful advertising to doctors from opioid manufactures. Lowndes joins a long list of Georgia cities and counties seeking to recoup damages caused by the opioid epidemic that has been ravaging the state. Cook County filed a lawsuit in March against two dozen pharmaceutical companies, holding them responsible for the opioid epidemic spreading through the U.S. The lawsuit, filed in federal court, claims the manufacturers of opioids used aggressive advertising and persuasion tactics to convince doctors to prescribe the drugs as painkillers. “The manufacturers aggressively pushed highly addictive, dangerous opioids, falsely representing to doctors that patients would only rarely succumb to drug addiction,” the lawsuit states. The lawsuit also targets opioid distribution companies, claiming they failed in their duty to report suspicious purchases to the authorities. Three of the defendants — AmerisourceBergen Drug Corporation, Cardinal Health, Inc., and McKesson Corporation — control about 85 percent of the market for prescription opioids, according to the lawsuit.