The Dodge County News

Age: 86

Died: Saturday, May 10, 2014

Arrangements: Rollins Funeral Home, Inc. of Eastman was in charge of arrangements.

Age: 100

Died: Thursday, May 15, 2014

Arrangements: Heritage Memorial Funeral Home and Crematory in Warner Robins was in charge of arrangements. Stokes-Southerland Funeral Home of Eastman assisted the family locally.

Age: 75

Died: Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Arrangements: Stokes-Southerland Funeral Home of Eastman has charge of arrangements.

Age: 83

Died: Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Arrangements: Stokes-Southerland Funeral Home of Eastman has charge of arrangements.

Liberals are now pushing for anti-hate speech legislation to be enforced by liberal politicians, of course. As soon as they can figure out how to read our minds, they will be able to punish us for thought crimes. When I was in law school in the early 1970s, no mention was made of “hate”crimes.
Of course Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling is a creepy guy, but if the same rules were applied to utterances by NBA players and ESPN commentators there would be many vacancies on team rosters and behind microphones. Many minorities found gainful employment and huge paychecks from the Clippers basketball team, usually not a very successful ballclub at that.
“One person’s hate speech is another person’s freedom to speak. The last thing any of us should ever want is to allow the State to define what they contend is proper speech and what isn’t.”
Gary DeMar on GodfatherPolitics.com
Astute writer Selwyn Duke on TheAbsurdReport.com wants to know - where is the rehabilitation for “racists”? Liberals claim muggers and murderers were victims of their environment, and didn’t know what they were doing, weren’t responsible for what they were doing, needed rehabilitation. Apparently thought crimes are a different category, as libertarian legend Murray Rothbard and others have pointed out for years.
As for Clippers owner Donald Sterling, he has hired a string of four different black coaches since he bought the Clippers team in 1981. Doc Rivers, the current black head coach says he wasn’t aware of Mr. Sterling’s past racial remarks.
[Full Story »] 

Dear editor,
We are excited to welcome you all to Dodge County High School’s graduation. Our school’s graduation is a time-honored tradition and we are very proud of the ceremony that our school holds. We, the Dodge County High School Seniors, would like to ask the community-including parents, visitors and any special guests-to please allow each graduate the opportunity to receive his or her diploma in a dignified manner. We respectfully request that there be no catcalls, outbursts or yells from the crowd. [Full Story »] 

The following arrests were reported by the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office for the dates April 22, 2014 through May 12, 2014.
Randall C. Carr – 4/23/14 – false report of a crime (one count).
Dannie Lee McLaughlin – 4/24/14 – public drunkenness (one count) and obstruction of officer (one count).
Jimmy B. Hayes – 4/25/14 – theft by taking (three counts).
Mary Fullwood – 4/25/14 – criminal trespass (one count).
Ronald McCullough – 4/25/14 – possession of a firearm by a convicted felon (one count).
John J. Lancaster – 4/25/14 – pedestrian under the influence (one count).
Ramy Othman – 4/27/14 – pedestrian under the influence (one count).
Jonathan N. Long – 4/27/14 – terroristic threats and acts (one count) and criminal trespass (one count).
[Full Story »] 

Dear Citizens of Dodge County,
I am humbled by the show of support and love during the past few days. I appreciate all of you who took the time to call, text, send a message, and come talk to me personally. My heart was heavy, but my spirit is stronger than before. This ordeal began more than three years ago and should have been over long before now. I know the timing of Friday’s event was unfortunate and well publicized weeks before it actually took place. I was prepared for what happened even though I kept the faith that I would be treated fairly in a highly politically heated election. The outcome of this ordeal will be determined after my appeal.
I want to express my regret to those who have been affected by my actions. I would not intentionally bring embarrassment to myself, my family, my friends, or my supporters. I have made many mistakes throughout my life and feel quite certain my training is not over yet. I have learned much the past three years and have been greatly blessed. I face each challenge in my life with honor and integrity, whether I win or lose. I always gain some strength, knowledge, and wisdom from each battle to carry into the next one. [Full Story »] 

By Cindy Eckles
According to current law, the Dodge County Board of Education will be forced to increase the millage rate from 12 mills to at least 12.5 before July 1, 2015, or equalization funds of more than 2.2 million dollars will be lost by the school system.
Rep. Jimmy Pruett was at the meeting and was asked if the possibility of upcoming legislation in January 2015 could change the current law. Rep. Pruett stated that he fought against the current law and praised the superintendents and board members in our area for presenting their case to the education committee to eliminate the mandate.
Rep. Pruett told board members that the only fair tax was raising the sales tax across the board. Forty percent or less of Dodge County’s citizens pay property taxes and the percent of sales tax that can be charged is limited by law, he added. Rep. Pruett stated that he was researching whether a sales tax could be added, that it would only be used to decrease property taxes.
According to Dodge County School Superintendent Dr. Melinda Dennis, the current law requires the school systems throughout the state to set a millage rate of at least 14.0 by 2017.
[Full Story »]