(GA. NEWS NETWORK)
*The Dublin City School System is facing the risk of losing its accreditation after a report from an outside consulting firm downgraded the district’s status to “accredited under conditions” due to a financial crisis. 13 WMAZ reports the district must now prove its financial stability to the state board. Losing accreditation could impact students’ ability to transfer credits and attend colleges.
*The National Weather Service reports that many farmers in Georgia are delaying their planting because of the drought. Field preparation is on hold because the ground is so hard it’s damaging their equipment. Current conditions are the worst yet since the drought began last fall.
*A racketeering indictment in Bibb County has revealed a sophisticated criminal enterprise allegedly orchestrated by Keith Beddingfield Jr., known as “Gotti,” from inside a Georgia prison. 41NBC reports the network, spanning several state prisons, engaged in crimes such as murder, armed robbery, drug trafficking, and witness intimidation. Beddingfield allegedly used contraband cellphones to communicate with associates and manage operations in real time, with payments for drugs made through digital platforms. The indictment includes charges of RICO conspiracy, murder, armed robbery, drug trafficking, and more, with the investigation ongoing.
* Georgia Power is launching a new program called Customer-Identified Resource that allows companies to propose and fund their own clean energy projects. Athens-C-E-O reports that this initiative is designed help corporations meet their greenhouse gas reduction goals by giving them more control over where their energy comes from. The program received bipartisan support from Georgia’s public service commissioners and is expected to open this summer, offering a solution to the challenge of reducing emissions when energy sources are largely determined by electric companies and regulators.
