America's Promise Alliance and ING Release National List of 100 Best Communities for Young People

The Georgia cities of Cumming and Macon, along with Troup County, are tops in our great state for young people.

/PRNewswire/ -- In a celebration of America's young people and the communities most dedicated to helping local youth graduate from high school, America's Promise Alliance (the Alliance) today announced its 2010 list of 100 Best Communities for Young People presented by ING. An interactive showcase of the 100 Best and their accomplishments can be found at www.americaspromise.org/100Best.

"The 100 Best Communities for Young People are taking bold and effective steps to help their youth graduate and lead healthy, productive lives," said Alma J. Powell, Chair, America's Promise Alliance. "Each community has proven that they are developing programs and implementing initiatives to provide young people with the essential resources they need to graduate from high school and succeed in college and a 21st century career."

The 100 Best competition is part of the Alliance's Grad Nation campaign, a 10-year initiative to mobilize all Americans to end the dropout crisis. This year, more than 350 communities in all 50 states and Washington, DC, were nominated for the 100 Best competition. The winners come from 37 states and 30 are first-time recipients of the honor. They were chosen by a distinguished panel of judges that included some of the nation's most well-known civic, business and nonprofit leaders such as: William Bell, president and CEO of Casey Family Programs; Fr. Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA; Javier Palomarez, president and CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Larry Naake, executive director, National Association of Counties; Jane Beshear, first lady of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and Dominique Dawes, Olympic gold medalist and youth advocate.

The 2010 winners will be highlighted at a ceremony in front of the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington, DC, with Alma Powell, Alliance President and CEO Marguerite Kondracke, and ING Foundation President Rhonda Mims. Winning communities will be pinpointed on an expansive ceremonial U.S. map.

Twilight star Kellan Lutz will make a special appearance at the event, assisting the Alliance and ING executives in revealing the list of 100 Best Communities and connecting with young people about the importance of staying in school.

"ING is committed to children's education and to the advancement of education initiatives that prepare our young people to graduate and have successful futures," said Mims. "Our support for 100 Best demonstrates our goal of honoring communities that produce real, measurable results for improving the lives of young people."

"100 Best is an essential building block of Grad Nation, an inspiring national movement that seeks to ensure every young person graduates," said Kondracke. "These winning communities are helping to build a generation of assertive, successful and dynamic young people that are the future of this country. Our ultimate hope is that 100 Best will inspire all communities across America to make a commitment to children, keep them in school and help them overcome the challenges that could otherwise determine their future."

First held in 2005, the 100 Best competition is open to all communities that make children and youth a priority, including small towns, large cities, counties and school districts. In addition to enhancing local educational opportunities, most winning communities help facilitate greater access to quality health care for young people, encourage youth civic engagement and supply developmental resources that create better places for young people to live and grow.

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Fewer Than 170 Offices Remain Candidates for Consolidation

Five post offices in Georgia remain on the list- three in Atlanta, one in Port Wentworth and one in Macon.

/PRNewswire/ -- Fewer than 170 offices remain under review for possible consolidation under the U.S. Postal Service station and branch consolidation initiative.

Today's announcement updates a review process begun earlier this summer that initially examined about 3,300 stations and branches in urban and suburban areas across the country, focusing on facilities in relatively close proximity to one another. The initiative looks to determine where consolidations might be feasible without compromising customer access to postal services.

The Postal Service receives no tax subsidy to operate the nation's mail service. Revenues from the sale of postage, products and services fund its operations. At the conclusion of its 2009 fiscal year in October, the Postal Service reported a loss of $3.8 billion.

"To shore up its finances, the Postal Service is looking at every aspect of its business to economize. Reducing over-capacity in retail and delivery operations is a smart business move. Every effort is being made to maintain and improve customer access to postal services," said Steven J. Forte, senior vice president, Operations.

With over 36,000 Post Offices, stations, branches, contract and community post offices, the Postal Service has the largest retail network in the United States. An additional 56,000 locations such as supermarkets, drug stores, and other retailers sell postage and selected postal services. Nearly 18,000 ATMs dispense sheets of stamps. In addition postage can be purchased online at usps.com and printed on personal computers.

As part of the consolidation process, the Postal Service has filed periodic updates with the Postal Regulatory Commission identifying the retail stations and branches that remain under consideration. The filing does not represent a final decision on consolidation. At this point no facility-specific final decisions have been made as a result of this initiative.

New initiatives also are being undertaken to build revenue, including Flat Rate Priority Mail pricing and the introduction of greeting cards to 500 select Post Offices.

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Postal Service Updates Station and Branch Consolidation Initiative

17 Georgia branches are still on the list including 1 in Athens, 13 in Atlanta, 2 in Macon and 1 in Port Wentworth.


PRNewswire -- The U.S. Postal Service today updated the list of retail stations and branches that remain under review for possible consolidation, with only 241 offices still under review.

Unlike most federal agencies, America's national mail system receives no tax subsidy for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. The Postal Service reported a loss of $3.8 billion at the end of its 2009 fiscal year in October.

"To shore up its finances, the Postal Service is looking at every aspect of its business to economize. Reducing over-capacity in retail and delivery operations is a smart business move. Every effort is being made to maintain and improve customer access to postal services," said Steven J. Forte, senior vice president, Operations.

Today's announcement updates a review process begun earlier this summer that initially examined about 3,300 stations and branches in urban and suburban areas across the country, focusing on facilities in relatively close proximity to one another. The process is to determine where consolidations might be feasible without compromising customer access to postal services.

With over 36,000 Post Offices, stations, branches, contract and community post offices, the Postal Service has the largest retail network in the United States. An additional 56,000 locations such as supermarkets, drug stores, and other retailers sell postage and selected postal services. Nearly 18,000 ATMs dispense sheets of stamps. But customers do not have to visit a physical building to purchase products and services; postage can be bought at usps.com and printed on personal computers.

As part of this process, the Postal Service has filed periodic updates with the Postal Regulatory Commission, identifying the retail stations and branches that remain under consideration. The filing does not represent a final decision on consolidation. To date, no facility-specific final decisions have been made as a result of this initiative.

New initiatives also are being undertaken to build revenue, including Flat Rate Priority Mail pricing. If it fits in the box, it ships for one low price regardless of U.S. destination or weight. Another recent revenue building initiative introduced greeting cards to 500 select Post Offices.

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Families meet children in-person or by videoconference at adoption event August 22

Prospective adoptive families will have an opportunity to meet approximately 20 children, each with the hope of finding a permanent family, at an adoption gathering on Saturday, August 22, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at Macon State College in Macon.

Sponsored by the Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS), this event will give prospective adoptive parents a unique opportunity to meet the children in a comfortable, fun-filled environment. Families who are unable to attend the gathering in Macon may still interact with this same group of children via video on Saturday, August 22, from 10 a.m. to noon. Videoconference sites will be set up at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Esquire Solutions in Atlanta and Augusta and Valdosta State University.

“This is the time of year when kids are getting geared up to go back to school, make some new friends and see some old ones. But, for children who need a permanent family it just marks more time without a family of their own as having passed,” said Mark Washington, assistant commissioner of DHS. “We want these kids to start the next school year knowing they have a permanent family to come home to everyday.”

There are approximately 2,200 children in Georgia who need adoptive families. They are typically 8 years old and older, African American and/or a member of a sibling group being placed together.

Families interested in adopting older children or learning more about the program are encouraged to attend either the event in Macon or one of the videoconference sites. To avoid confusion, only children in need of adoptive families should attend the adoption gathering. Families who plan to attend one of the videoconference sites are more than welcome to bring their children.

For more information, call toll-free 877- 242-5774 or visit the DHS website at www.dfcs.dhs.georgia.gov/adoptions.

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Knight Foundation Gives $5 Million Grant to Help Revitalize College Hill Corridor

Macon will take a major step toward revitalizing College Hill with a new $5 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The grant includes $3 million to the Community Foundation of Central Georgia to fund residents’ best ideas for transforming the neighborhood, and $2 million to Mercer University to form the College Hill Alliance. Both programs are designed to reshape the city’s first neighborhoods into a vibrant college town connected by leafy roads and bike paths to the city’s downtown.

Mercer President William D. Underwood made the announcement Monday at Mercer Village, the first retail district to be restored in the College Hill Corridor. Underwood spoke nearly a year to the day after the Miami-based foundation awarded the university a planning grant for College Hill, which produced a community-driven master plan for the neighborhoods.

“For many years Knight Foundation has been a strong partner in efforts to revitalize some of Macon’s first neighborhoods,” President Underwood said. “This substantial grant – the foundation’s largest single grant to date in Macon – will be a major catalyst for implementing the master plan, for funding creative, transformational ideas from residents and organizations in the Corridor and for attracting private and public financing that will allow realization of the College Hill vision. Knight Foundation’s investment will leverage additional capital and will advance a physical and social resurgence in the historic and cultural heart of one of the South’s great cities.”

“Knight Foundation partners with our communities to create lasting transformational change,” said Beverly Blake, Knight program director for Macon, Columbus and Milledgeville. “We believe the College Hill initiative will serve as the catalyst for Macon’s renaissance.”

The Knight Neighborhood Challenge will invest in residents’ own ideas on ways to restore College Hill. A broad-based, competitive grant program, the challenge will fund the best ideas – small and large – that give College Hill a sense of place, spruce up its parks and public spaces or enhance the arts and entertainment scene, among several other priorities residents identified in town hall meetings. The effort also aims to get residents involved in College Hill through an array of civic and cultural projects.

Individuals or organizations can apply to the challenge, which will be administered by the Community Foundation of Central Georgia in cooperation with the College Hill Corridor Commission.

“With these grants Knight Foundation has once again proven its commitment to our community,” said Kathryn Dennis, president of the Community Foundation of Central Georgia. “We are appreciative of Knight Foundation’s generosity and look forward to working with Mercer and the College Hill Corridor Commission to ensure that this grant identifies and funds visionary ideas from the grassroots level.”

The College Hill Alliance, with offices in Mercer Village, will focus on accelerating neighborhood revitalization. Specifically, the alliance will implement the master plan that will beautify the area, create a business case to attract private investment to College Hill and seek additional funding for the neighborhood.

The alliance also will fund a new round of grants for the highly successful Mercer-Knight Foundation Down Payment Assistance Program, which helps Mercer faculty and staff purchase homes in the Beall’s Hill, Huguenin Heights, Tattnall Place and Intown Macon historic districts.

“I’m delighted that Knight Foundation has provided this extremely generous grant to the College Hill Corridor initiative,” said Macon Mayor Robert A.B. Reichert. “The size of the grant is matched only by the enthusiasm of the College Hill Corridor Commission, and I’m confident that this will prompt additional investments of time, energy, and money that will transform this area.”

“Since we began our work two years ago, we’ve been so fortunate in our collaborations with all our neighbors — from longtime residents who saved these historic homes to the students who volunteer in the community and are just discovering its beauty,” said Sarah Gerwig-Moore, co-chair of the College Hill Corridor Commission and associate professor at Mercer’s Walter F. George School of Law. “Our public meetings were lively and engaged and it was truly remarkable to participate in such a collaborative and open process. But of course it is even more exciting to take this step toward implementing the plans we’ve been dreaming about, and none of this would have been possible without Knight Foundation’s support.”

The basic elements of the College Hill Corridor initiative were conceived in a Mercer Senior Capstone class taught by Dr. Peter Brown, senior vice provost and professor of philosophy and interdisciplinary studies, in the fall of 2006. A Community Foundation of Central Georgia grant, from its Knight Fund, allowed the students to travel to Washington, D.C., to meet with Richard Florida of the Creative Class Group to learn how they could help spur economic development in the College Hill area. Florida’s work focuses on diversity and creativity as basic drivers of innovation and regional and national growth. The students concluded that Macon was well positioned to recruit and grow creative service industries, such as graphic design, marketing and the arts, by retaining talented young people graduating from the city’s academic institutions.

Inspired by this visit, the Mercer students proposed a plan to make Macon more attractive to young professionals by connecting Mercer and the downtown area to create a “college town” atmosphere. In response, President Underwood and then Macon Mayor C. Jack Ellis formed the College Hill Corridor Commission in the spring of 2007 to make the idea a reality.

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The Tubman Museum Creates State-of-the-Art Classroom with $150,000 Grant from AT&T

The AT&T Foundation, the philanthropy arm of AT&T*, has awarded a $150,000 grant to the Tubman African American Museum to create a new classroom which will utilize the latest technology to extend the Museum’s educational outreach both inside and outside of the facility. When the new 49,000 square-foot museum on Cherry Street is completed, all of the equipment and technology featured in the AT&T classroom will be transferred to the new classrooms.

The Tubman African American Museum is an internationally recognized institution and an important cultural and educational resource for the area. Educating people about African American art, history, culture and the promotion of harmony among all races is the mission of the Museum. In pursuit of this mission, the Tubman Museum offers a diverse spectrum of educational programs, including Children in the Arts after-school and weekend classes; student workshops for third and fifth graders in language and math; and the state’s only African American Heritage Summer Camps for youth, ages 7 to 12.

The grant will be used to join and convert two upstairs exhibit galleries into one large Art, History, and Technology Classroom where students, teachers, and museum educators can utilize on-site laptop computers, wireless internet access, multi-media projectors and screens, digital video cameras and video editing equipment and software to create a fully-immersive exploration of the importance and impact of African American art, history, and culture.

The Tubman Museum is working closely with the IT professionals and educators of the Bibb County school system, along with the school systems of Monroe and Houston, to ensure that the most appropriate software and hardware is being selected for this high technology classroom. Formed by the Tubman Museum, this Technology Committee is made up of six IT Professionals representing over 90 years of combined experience in the field of computer technology and communications. Members of this committee include Josh Epps, Director of Information Technology with Fickling & Company and Chair of the committee, Rob Betzel, President of Infinity Network Solutions, Thane Good, Director of Field Services with Cox Communications, Julie Christopher, Chief Information Officer with the Bibb County Board of Education, Wally Reeves, Technology Director with the Houston County Board of Education, and Neil Rigole, Director of Instructional Technology with the Monroe County Board of Education.

The new technology will not only enable Tubman to enhance current educational offerings within the museum setting, but will also allow the Museum to introduce a critical new element to its educational programming-distance learning. Distance learning will enable the Museum to expand its audience, bringing the museum culture and the benefits of an arts education to students and teachers throughout Middle Georgia and the state of Georgia.

“This announcement is the perfect example of our community coming together to make education the top priority. The funding that AT&T is putting into this high technology classroom is wonderful news! Bibb County School District became involved in this project by helping the Tubman to identify the best educational tools that will compliment those that students use in the school classroom and at the museum. This new classroom is a wonderful learning environment that will benefit our community,” stated Sharon Patterson, Superintendent for the Bibb County School System.

“We’re respectful and supportive of our own diverse workforce, and we’ve invested to create programs to support diversity in our customers and partners. We will continue to invest time, talent and resources to strengthen our communities by supporting underserved populations and promoting education programs that create economic opportunity”, said Terry Smith, AT&T Regional Manager-Regulatory and External Affairs –Georgia.

“This generous gift from the AT&T Foundation will not only help us create a much needed, state-of-the art classroom space in our current facility where students both onsite and through distance learning can learn more about African American art, history, and culture, but it will also help us transition this high-tech educational equipment and capabilities to even larger classrooms when we open our new, 49,000 square-foot museum. This grant is a gift that will keep on giving, helping us to dramatically expand the impact, outreach, and unique educational offerings of the Tubman African American Museum”, shared Dr. Andy Ambrose, Executive Director for the Tubman Museum.

“This announcement is great news for the Tubman African American Museum,” said Chambliss. “This facility serves the community as an educational and cultural resource, not only for Macon, but the entire state. I’m pleased to offer my support for the Tubman Museum as it continues to provide additional opportunities to study and explore African American art, history and culture,” shared Senator Saxby Chambliss.

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National Conference at Mercer on March 19-20 to Call for End to 21st Century Slavery

Mercer University will host a national conference on human trafficking, titled “STOP Sex Trafficking: A Call to End 21st Century Slavery,” on March 19-20 in Willingham Auditorium on Mercer’s Macon campus. The conference is organized by Mercer students in STOP, the Sex Trafficking Opposition Project, to counter the growing worldwide crisis. According to the U.S. State Department, more than a million women and children are trafficked into sex slavery each year. Nearly 20,000 are trafficked annually into the United States and many of these victims are trafficked into the Southeast.

The conference will feature rescued trafficking victims Kika Cerpa and Joana Santos, who will share their stories. In addition the conference will include presentations from prominent national figures in the anti-trafficking movement, including rock musician and filmmaker Justin Dillon, who will also screen his anti-sex trafficking film, Call+Response, at the conference; Patricia McCormick, the best-selling author of Sold, the story of a Nepalese child trafficked into sex slavery; and Lauran Bethell, founder of a Thailand trafficking refuge center and recipient of the Baptist World Alliance Human Rights Award.

“The students’ aspiration is, first, to make sure Macon is not a home for trafficking and, second, to combat sex trafficking wherever it is occurring,” said Dr. Mary Alice Morgan, senior vice provost for service-learning and an adviser to the conference. “The students are fired by idealism but they also have a very informed, practical sense of how to carry that idealism into effective activism.”

The goals of the conference include: raising awareness about sex trafficking, encouraging faith-based mission work overseas and support groups to help survivors here at home, aiding service providers, law enforcement and local government in fighting sex trafficking and supplying care for survivors, and providing a forum for student groups to join together to end sex slavery.

The STOP organization was founded by Mercer students to take on the issue of prostitution-related trafficking in the Middle Georgia area. The conference will build on STOP’s efforts, student organizers say.

“We’re all passionate about the issue of sex trafficking,” said Hannah Vann, a senior and conference organizer. “The idea that there are sex slaves within miles of where we live is sickening, and we won’t stand for it anymore. We've been working hard to raise awareness about the issue, but the conference will take awareness and activism in Macon, in Georgia and in the region to another level. We want to see Mercerians, Maconites, Georgians and all Americans stand up and call to end slavery, and we hope this conference will help to make that happen.”

The conference has been designed to be welcoming to all: faith leaders, students, scholars, service providers, the legal community and anyone interested in learning how communities can join together to rescue women and children and protect thousands more from sex slavery.

The Sex Trafficking Opposition Project began in a First Year Seminar course called “Engaging the World,” in the spring of 2008. While writing their research essays on contemporary ethics and justice, students started asking questions about the many spas and spa billboards dotting Macon’s landscape. They soon joined ranks with members of Baptist Collegiate Ministries and Women’s and Gender Studies students enrolled in a course devoted to violence against women. At the end of spring semester 2008, this diverse coalition of students formed STOP: Middle Georgia’s first anti-trafficking group.

This conference is being organized under the direction of Dr. Morgan, who also directs the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, and Dr. Andrew Silver, the Paige Morton Hunter Associate Professor of English. Co-sponsors for the event include: Mercer University, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia, Baptist Collegiate Ministries, Evangelicals for Human Rights, and the Mercer Women’s and Gender Studies Program.

“Every year, the traffickers rob millions of innocent victims of their normal lives,” Dr. Silver said. “We’re asking people to spend a few hours with us to help stop them.”

For more information or to register for the conference, visit www.mercer.edu/stop.

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American Idol David Cook to Perform at The Grand in Macon

2008 American Idol winner and platinum-selling recording artist David Cook will make his Macon debut Wednesday, April 8, when the record-breaking, chart-topping rocker performs at The Grand Opera House, a performing arts center of Mercer University, during his first headline tour “The Declaration Tour – 2009.” It is his first scheduled tour date in Georgia.

The concert begins at 8 p.m., and the $25 tickets go on sale to the public Wednesday, March 18, at 10 a.m. Tickets are available through Mercer Ticket Sales at (478) 301-5470 or online at TheGrandMacon.com. Tickets may also be purchased at one of two Mercer Ticket Sales locations in downtown Macon: The Grand Opera House, 651 Mulberry St., or The Grand’s Administrative Offices, 400 Poplar St.

Just one week after being named the winner of the seventh season of “American Idol,” 25-year-old Cook rewrote chart history, with a record-breaking 14 debuts on Billboard’s Hot Digital Songs survey. He also had 11 songs jump onto the Hot 100, the highest number of new entries ever, and the second-highest amount of simultaneous hits since the Beatles in 1964. All that, and his single, “The Time of My Life,” instantly became the highest debuting title of 2008, entering the Hot 100 at No. 3.

When this most recent season of “American Idol” began, Cook wasn’t on anyone’s radar to win the whole thing – including his own. “I like that I ‘snuck up’ on people,” he says. “During those early shows, when there were 24 people, I knew I didn’t have to be one of the best, but I didn’t want to be one of the worst. So it was fun for me because there wasn’t a lot of pressure and I could find my own footing.”

Cook won fans with his unique renditions of songs like Lionel Richie’s “Hello,” Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby.” He explains, “When I began, I told vocal coach Debra Byrd I wanted the season to be like a set list, so people would feel like they were at one of my concerts.”

Cook’s musical journey began early. He grew up watching his father play guitar. But David’s first instrument of choice was the violin. “I tried that first because there was a girl in the school orchestra I thought was pretty.” When he was in seventh grade, his dad bought him a Fender Stratocaster. “I was bad at it because I never took a lesson. Gradually I got better.”

He was exposed to many different genres of music. “My parents had eclectic record collections. My mom liked Kenny Rogers and my dad was more into Boston, Kansas and Dire Straits. The first cassette tape I ever bought was by Kris Kross. I was into Boyz II Men for a while. When I was 13, someone played me the song ‘Closer’ by Nine Inch Nails and once I got past the audacity of the lyrics, I really enjoyed the song. So I backtracked through rock, which got me to where I am now.”

Cook formed a band in high school with a friend and appeared in three musicals: “West Side Story,” “Singin’ in the Rain” and “The Music Man.” He also loved sports and played baseball throughout high school. Ultimately his love for music brought his attention back to his band. Cook enrolled at Central Missouri State, changed the name of the band from Redeye to Axiom to Axium and had some local success.

As he was completing his studies, Cook had to choose between working as a graphic designer in Kansas City or moving to Tulsa to play rhythm guitar and sing backing vocals for a band called the Midwest Kings. “Of course, I moved to Tulsa,” he says. That’s where he lives today, although home is officially Blue Springs, Missouri. The Cook family relocated there after he was born in Houston on Dec. 20, 1982.

With his friends chipping in financially, Cook recorded “Analog Heart.” The album sold well regionally and won an URBY award from Urban Tulsa Weekly for Best Independent Album. He was in the early stages of recording a second album when his younger brother Andrew asked him to accompany him to Omaha and lend moral support while he tried out for “American Idol.” Cook was reluctant, but his brother and mother did their best to persuade him.

Next, Simon, Randy and Paula sent Cook to Hollywood, where he made it into the top 24. Then he was in the top 12, the top 10, the top five and the top two, all without ever being in the dreaded “bottom three.” Then, on May 21 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, Ryan Seacrest pronounced David Cook the winner of this season of “American Idol.”

It’s all come with lessons learned, according to Cook. “The whole process has given me a brand-new lease on life in that I am more sure of who I am now that ever before. I’ve learned that when I’m singing live on stage to embrace that moment and if doesn’t work, it’s OK, move on.”

Cook’s self-titled debut for 19 Recordings/RCA Records was released on Nov. 18, 2008, and entered the Billboard charts at No. 3 and the digital album charts at No. 1, marking the best debut from an American Idol winner since 2006.

Anyone interested in tickets or information about the April 8 concert, should contact Mercer Ticket Sales at (478) 301-5470 or visit TheGrandMacon.com.

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Former U.S. Solicitor General to Deliver 2009 Mercer Law Day address

Paul D. Clement, former United States Solicitor General and current partner in the Washington, D.C., office of King & Spalding law firm, is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the annual Law Day luncheon at Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law on March 6. During the visit, Clement will also give a lecture during a class of first-year Mercer law students.

A graduate of Harvard Law School, Clement was nominated as solicitor general by President George W. Bush on March 14, 2005. He served as the 43rd U.S. Solicitor General from June 2005 until June 2008. Prior to his confirmation as solicitor general, he served as acting solicitor general for nearly a year and as principal deputy solicitor general for over three years. He has argued 49 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, including McConnell v. FEC, Tennessee v. Lane, Rumsfield v. Padilla, and the United States v. Booker.

Clement received a bachelor’s degree summa cum laude from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and a master’s degree in economics from Cambridge University. Following graduation from Harvard Law School, where he was the Supreme Court editor of the Harvard Law Review, Clement clerked for Associate Justice Antonin Scalia of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Clement will deliver the keynote address during the Friday Law Day luncheon at 12:30 p.m. in the Mercer University Center, during which time Mercer Law School alumni Gerald Edenfield (1970) and Judge W. Louis Sands (1974) and will receive the Outstanding Alumnus Award and Meritorious Service Award, respectively. His class lecture begins at 9:40 a.m. during a “Constitutional Law” class.

“We are very excited to have Paul Clement as our Law Day speaker,” Mercer Law School Dean Daisy Hurst Floyd said. “His extraordinary career as a lawyer at the highest levels of government gives him a unique insight from which we all can learn. Our students, in particular, will benefit tremendously from his breadth of knowledge.”

Established in 1958 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Law Day is designed to strengthen the public’s understanding of the American justice system. Though the national observance of Law Day is generally May 1, many law schools, including Mercer Law School, publicly recognize it earlier in the Spring semester due to the heavy academic demands in May. In recognition of the bicentennial of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, the Law Day 2009 theme is “A Legacy of Liberty.”

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TracFone Wireless Launches SafeLink Wireless® to Aid Nearly 500,000 Low-Income Households in Georgia

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, TracFone Wireless, Inc., America’s leading prepaid cell phone provider announced its launch of SafeLink Wireless® in most of Georgia. SafeLink Wireless will serve as the company’s distribution of Lifeline - a U.S. government supported program for income eligible households that ensures telephone service is available and affordable for eligible low-income households.

The SafeLink Wireless service will provide eligible low-income households a free cell phone, mobile access to emergency services and free 68 minutes of air time, monthly, for one year. The cell phone offers in-demand features: voicemail, text, call waiting, international calling to over 60 destinations and caller ID.

“Nearly half a million households in Georgia qualify for the Lifeline services – offering these participants the opportunity to have the same access and privileges many individuals take for granted when it comes to using cell phones,” said Jose Fuentes, Director of Government Relations for TracFone. “The SafeLink Wireless service is truly unique because we are providing a service that no other company has made available before – a free cell phone and free monthly minutes to qualifying low-income families,” added Fuentes. SafeLink Wireless offers low-income families accessibility, freedom and the security in knowing that should an emergency occur – wherever they are, they will stay safe and stay connected.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) created the Lifeline program in 1984 and worked to update the service after the crises of Hurricanes Katrina and Ike, as well as the tragedy of September 11th. At the dawn of the 21st century, modern universal telephone service is necessary not only to ensure that the U.S. maintains a rapid, efficient, nationwide communications network, it is important for the purpose of national defense and to promote safety of life and property. By approving the SafeLink Wireless program, the FCC took action to enhance its Lifeline program and keep the right to communicate in pace with technology.

The Funding of Lifeline

Lifeline is part of the Low Income Program of the Universal Service Fund (USF), which is administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) and is designed to ensure that quality telecommunications services are available to low-income customers at just, reasonable, and affordable rates. 1700 carriers are eligible to provide the program but TracFone is the first pre-paid company to have elevated the program to modern day communications.

The Lifeline program is not funded from federal taxpayer dollars, but rather from contributions to the USF by telecommunications carriers collected in part from the Universal Service Charge billed to cell phone users. Instead of a discount on the user's monthly bill, SafeLink applies the USF subsidy to free wireless minutes. Although a common misconception, TracFone provides the free wireless cell phone to the SafeLink program at the company’s expense, in order to make the program viable and attractive.

13 Georgia counties will not immediately benefit

As a condition to participate in the offering of Lifeline, the FCC mandated that SafeLink be certified E9-1-1 compliant by each 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) within the state of Georgia. Of the 164 PSAPs in Georgia, PSAPs in the following 13 counties have not responded to repeated requests for certification: Bacon, Baker, Bleckley, Camden, Charlton, Echols, Emanuel, Hancock, Lowndes, McIntosh, Talbot, Terrell, and Twiggs counties.

Due to the lack of certification, 27,781 qualified households in the 13 Georgia counties will not immediately benefit until their corresponding PSAPs certify. To date, SafeLink efforts to secure statewide certification has included reaching out to Governor Sonny Purdue and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA), the agency that oversees emergency communications throughout the state. Both offices declined to assist stating that PSAP certifications were a local issue.

“The citizens of the 13 Georgia counties where SafeLink Wireless is not yet present is an unacceptable situation, as it is denying hard working, struggling families the basic right to communicate,” said Fuentes. “The Lifeline program at its core was created to benefit the very rural families that are being denied that service, which makes the refusal to provide E911 certification fundamentally wrong and irresponsible from an entity that is truly supposed to be a lifeline for all people in times of emergency and crisis.”

SAFELINK WIRELESS® SERVICE ELIGIBILITY OVERVIEW BY CITY

Top 9 Georgia state counties with the most eligible Lifeline participants:
CITY LOW-INCOME POPULATION
Atlanta Metro Area 449,983
Macon 70,323
Savannah 68,037
Albany 48,796
Augusta 44,912
Columbus 37,221
Chattooga 25,166
Jacksonville/Brunswick 19,740
Greenville/Spartan./Ashville 10,494

Program Eligibility

Lifeline program eligibility in the state of Georgia consists of the following:

* Medicaid
* Food Stamps
* Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
* Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
* Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
* Federal Public Housing/Section 8
* Senior Citizen Energy Low Income Discount Plan offered by the local gas or power company

The SafeLink Wireless service will be provided to low-income families for up to one year. Participants may renew service and will be required to re-submit eligibility documentation upon their year completion. If the participant no longer qualifies for this free service, they will be notified and will be able to keep the cell phone to continue enjoying the benefits as a regular TracFone customer. Unused minutes will never expire and will automatically rollover. When recipients surpass their allocated 68 airtime minutes, they will be able to purchase prepaid SafeLink Wireless airtime cards or TracFone airtime cards, including double minute cards. Existing TracFone customers qualifying for the SafeLink Wireless service may keep their current cell phone, and receive bonus minutes (one-time bonus only) for choosing to keep their current cell phone.

To learn more about the SafeLink Wireless service, including eligibility requirements, please call 1-800-977-3768, or visit www.safelinkwireless.com.

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Alumna Miller Makes History in State of Georgia as Appeals Court Chief

In the chamber of the Georgia House of Representatives on January 6 – amid a sea of state dignitaries, family, friends and media – Mercer University undergraduate and law school alumna, M. Yvette Miller, was sworn in as the state’s first African-American woman chief judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals.

As chief judge of one of the busiest appellate courts in the United States, Judge Miller will be responsible for the administration on the court and will act as the head of the court for ceremonial purposes and for all communications. She will serve a two-year term.

“Yvette, your way has been made easier by those who came before you,” said former Gov. Roy Barnes, who first appointed Judge Miller to the state Court of Appeals in 1999. “It’s been a long journey, but you, Madam Chief Judge, are up to the task.”

In accepting the oath as chief judge, Judge Miller said she will focus her efforts on three areas: strengthening relationships between the three branches of state government and within the appellate court itself; maintaining the functional viability of the court amid tough economic times; and establishing an electric filing system for the state Court of Appeals.

“These are challenging times, and I plan to rise to the occasion,” Judge Miller said.

The state Court of Appeals has statewide appellate jurisdiction of all cases except those involving constitutional questions, land title disputes, the construction of wills, murder, election contests, habeas corpus, extraordinary remedies, divorce and alimony, and cases where original appellate jurisdiction lies with the superior courts. The state Court of Appeals may certify legal questions to the state Supreme Court.

“This is an absolutely wonderful day,” Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker said during his remarks. “This is a historical moment.”

Judge Miller has been re-elected statewide, without opposition, for two six-year terms. Before her appointment to the state court, Gov. Zell Miller appointed her to the state court of Fulton County, and she was re-elected as a trial judge on the state court without opposition. Previously, Judge Miller served as director and judge of the Appellate Division of the State Board of Workers’ Compensation, where she was the first woman, first African American, and youngest person ever to hold that position.

Judge Miller was born and raised in Macon. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from Mercer University in 1977 and her law degree from Mercer’s Walter F. George School of Law in 1980. Judge Miller also earned an LL.M. degree in litigation from Emory University School of Law and an LL.M. degree in judicial process from the University of Virginia School of Law.

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Alumna to Become First African-American Woman to Head Georgia Court of Appeals

Mercer University undergraduate and law school alumna, Judge M. Yvette Miller, will become the first African-American woman to hold the position of chief judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals when she is officially sworn in Jan. 6, 2009, at the Georgia State Capitol.

In October, Judge Gary Blaylock Andrews, senior judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals, made the motion that unanimously selected Judge Miller, by acclamation, as chief judge of one of the busiest appellate courts in the United States. Elected by her peers to serve a two-year term, Judge Miller will be responsible for the administration on the court and will act as the head of the court for ceremonial purposes and for all communications.

“Judge Miller stands in a long line of Mercer graduates who have distinguished themselves and their alma mater through dedicated public service to our state and nation,” said Mercer President William D. Underwood. “We are very proud of Judge Yvette Miller and her accomplishments and wish her the very best as she leads the Georgia Court of Appeals.”

First appointed to the state Court of Appeals in 1999 by Gov. Roy Barnes, Judge Miller has been re-elected statewide, without opposition, for two six-year terms. Before that appointment, Gov. Zell Miller appointed her to the state court of Fulton County, and she was re-elected as a trial judge on the state court without opposition. Previously, she served as director and judge of the Appellate Division of the State Board of Workers’ Compensation, where she was the first woman, first African American, and youngest person ever to hold that position.

“Judge Miller personifies the Mercer Lawyer in her skills as a lawyer and judge, her commitment to justice and the public good, and her dedication to her alma maters,” said Mercer Law School Dean Daisy Hurst Floyd.

“She continues to shatter glass ceilings for women and African Americans across the country. The entire Mercer University School of Law family salutes her and this extraordinary historical feat in becoming the first African-America woman chief justice of the George Court of Appeals.”

Judge Miller was born and raised in Macon. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from Mercer University in 1977 and her law degree from Mercer’s Walter F. George School of Law in 1980. Judge Miller also earned an LL.M. degree in litigation from Emory University School of Law and an LL.M. degree in judicial process from the University of Virginia School of Law.

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Mercer Men's Basketball Ranked No. 1 Nationally in RPI

After downing Southeastern Conference opponents Alabama and Auburn in a four-day span and starting the 2008-09 campaign with an unblemished 3-0 record for the first time since 1984, the Mercer men’s basketball team has been rewarded with the top spot in CollegeRPI.com’s rankings.

The College RPI takes into account a team's winning percentage (25%), its opponents' winning percentage (50%), and the winning percentage of those opponents' opponents (25%) when ranking every team in the nation. The Bears check in ahead of every traditional Division I roundball powerhouse in the country for the first time since the inception of the Ratings Percentage Index in 1981.

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Neal Boortz to Address Executive Forum in Macon, Atlanta on Nov. 3

Nationally syndicated radio host Neal Boortz will be the featured speaker at Mercer University's Executive Forum Presented by BB&T on Monday, Nov. 3. Boortz will give a lunch presentation at noon in Atlanta at the Four Seasons Hotel, 75 Fourteenth Street, and a dinner presentation at 6:30 p.m. at The University Center on Mercer’s Macon campus.

A 39-year veteran of talk radio and a confirmed Libertarian, Boortz is also an accomplished writer whose books include: The Fair Tax Book, The Terrible Truth About Liberals and The Commencement Speech You Need to Hear. He is currently working on a new book, Somebody Has to Say It.

For the third consecutive year, Boortz has been nominated “NewsTalk Personality of the Year” by the readers of Radio and Records magazine. Boortz was also a finalist for a 2002 Marconi Award as “network syndicated personality of the year.”

Boortz attended Texas A&M University from 1963 to 1967 before moving to Atlanta and making it his permanent home. Boortz graduated from John Marshall Law School in Atlanta in 1977. He passed the bar before graduation and started a practice immediately afterwards. Boortz continued to practice law and work in talk radio until he signed a contract with WSB in Atlanta in 1992.

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Historian and Author to Speak at China Research Center Event in Atlanta

The China Research Center at Mercer’s Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics will inaugurate a new event series with a lecture by noted historian and author Kenneth Pomeranz, Ph.D., at 7 p.m., Oct. 15, in the Rich Auditorium at the High Museum in downtown Atlanta. He will discuss his recent work on China’s state, society and economy in a presentation titled “Chinese Development and World History: Putting the East Asian Model in Perspective.”

The High Museum of Art is hosting the event in conjunction with its fall exhibition, The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army. No registration is required for this event. The lecture is free and open to the public.

In his lecture, Dr. Pomeranz will examine how the levels of economic performance in core regions of Europe and East Asia were surprisingly similar until almost 1800. Despite the enormous setbacks and turmoil of the 19th and 20th centuries, certain basic elements of the high Qing (i.e., China’s last dynasty) political economy remained intact and ultimately proved quite compatible with new waves of growth, at least for coastal China; those patterns resemble some aspects of a distinctive pattern of industrialization previously seen in Japan and Taiwan. In the Chinese case, however, the “East Asian” features of development along the coast must be seen in the context of relations between the coast and the Chinese interior. Today, the government’s “develop the West” program — set against a backdrop both of looming resource shortages in East China industries, unusually large regional differences in living standards, unprecedented rates of migration directed towards the coast and urbanization — may represent both the outcome and the end of social, economic and environmental patterns that have characterized China’s political economy for centuries.

Dr. Pomeranz has been recognized as a leading historian of China who moves beyond the study of a self-contained "China" or “East Asia” by attempting to understand the origins of a world economy as the outcome of mutual influences among various regions, rather than the simple imposition by a more "advanced" Europe on the rest of the world.

His book, “The Great Divergence: China, Europe, and the Making of the Modern World Economy” (Princeton University Press, 2000), makes groundbreaking arguments on issues concerning global history and challenges the conventional notion of China’s backwardness in the modern era. It won the 2000 John K. Fairbank prize, making Dr. Pomeranz the only historian who has won this prestigious prize twice. “Great Divergence” also won the 2001 World History Association Book Prize and was chosen as one of Choice’s Outstanding Academic Books of 2000.

He is also the author of “The World that Trade Created” (with Steven Topik). He is currently working on a variety of projects, including a general history of Chinese political economy, from the 17th century to the present for Cambridge University Press, two edited volumes that will come out in 2009. Dr. Pomeranz was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2006.

Dr. Pomeranz is Chancellor's Professor of History at the University of California, Irvine, and founding director of the University of California’s Multi-Campus Research Program in World History.

The event is co-sponsored by the School of History, Technology and Science and The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology; The Program in World History and Cultures, Department of History, Georgia State University; The Stetson School of Business and Economics, Mercer University; and The Confucius Institute of Atlanta.

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Emory Heart & Vascular Center Opens Location in Middle Georgia

Emory Heart & Vascular Center is expanding its statewide cardiology services with the addition of the Emory Heart & Vascular Center of Middle Georgia, just opened in Dublin, Ga.

The new Center will offer comprehensive cardiovascular treatments and in-office cardiac and vascular diagnostic testing. Martha Smith, MD, assistant professor of cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine, will be the chief cardiologist at the Emory Heart & Vascular Center of Middle Georgia.

“The services we’ll provide will allow us to assist with the many healthcare needs of the people of this region,” Smith says. “We will be offering a diverse menu of cardiology services and excellent patient care.”

In addition to the Emory Heart & Vascular Center of Middle Georgia, Emory HealthConnection of Middle Georgia will offer a central location for patients and physicians to work directly with an Emory nurse (LPN) to schedule appointments, receive referrals and provide or request patient charts and medical histories. Patients will also be able to sign up for Emory Healthcare educational seminars and learn about clinical trials.

The Emory Heart & Vascular Center is committed to providing clinically excellent cardiovascular patient care, promoting overall heart health, pioneering innovative clinical research, and training the best heart specialists in the world.

Emory's Heart & Vascular Center is consistently recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top centers in the United States. In addition, many of Emory's cardiologists and surgeons consistently are recognized as Atlanta's Top Doctors by Atlanta Magazine and as America's Top Doctors.

To schedule an appointment with a physician at the Emory Heat & Vascular Center of Middle Georgia, please call 478-275-1522 or 800-75-EMORY or for more information visit: http://www.emoryhealthcare.org/departments/heart/about_us/overview.html
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Bolton to Speak at Executive Forum in Macon and Atlanta on Oct. 7

Former U. S. Ambassador to United Nations John Bolton will be the featured speaker at Mercer University's Executive Forum, presented by BB&T, on Tuesday, Oct. 7. Bolton will give a lunch presentation in Atlanta at The Capital City Club, 7 Harris Street, and a dinner presentation at 6:30 p.m. at The University Center on Mercer’s Macon campus.

Bolton served as United States permanent representative to the United Nations from August 2005 to December 2006. At the U.N., Bolton was an outspoken advocate of U.S. efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, push Syria out of Lebanon and bring African peacekeepers into Somalia. Bolton helped shepherd a major sanction resolution against North Korea through the U.N. Security Council within days of Pyongyang's Oct. 9, 2006, nuclear test. Bolton and France's ambassador led the Security Council to approve a unanimous resolution to end the summer 2006 Hezbollah war on Israel. During his tenure at the United Nations, Bolton was an advocate for human rights. He arranged the Security Council's first deliberations on Burma's human rights abuses. Bolton invited actor George Clooney and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel to brief the Security Council in September 2006 on Arab mass-murder of non-Arabs in Darfur, Sudan. He engineered the Security Council's approval of 22,500 U.N. peacekeepers in Darfur. Bolton pressured Sudan's government to accept these personnel atop the 7,000 African Union soldiers already on site.

Bolton is the author of “Surrender is Not an Option: Defending America at the U.N. and Abroad,” published in 2007.

Prior to his appointment at the U.N., Bolton served as under secretary of state for Arms Control and International Security from May 2001 to May 2005. Previously, Bolton was senior vice president of the American Enterprise Institute, a nonprofit public policy center. Bolton has spent many years of his career in public service. His previous positions in government include: assistant secretary for International Organization Affairs at the Department of State; assistant attorney general, Department of Justice; assistant administrator for Program and Policy Coordination, U.S. Agency for International Development; and general counsel, U.S. Agency for International Development. Bolton is also an attorney. Currently, he is a senior advisor for Kirkland & Ellis LLC with a focus on counseling clients on domestic and international issues in complex corporate litigation.

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Seminars Offered to Low Income Women During Breast Cancer Awareness Month

• Oct. 3, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., English, Mercer University Life Religious Center, 1550 College St., Macon
• Oct. 10, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., English, Middle Georgia Technical College, 80 Cohen Walker Dr., Warner Robins
• Oct. 17, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., English, Southside Community Church, 4162 Roy Ave., Macon
• Oct. 24, 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m., English, Middle Georgia Technical Institute Adult Education Center, 700 Spruce St., Fort Valley
• Oct. 31, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., English, Mercer University, Religious Life Center, 1550 College St., Macon

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and in order to help women become aware and find breast cancer in its early stages, the Mercer University School of Medicine’s will provide several breast health awareness seminars to women living in Central Georgia. Breast cancer has been increasing at an alarming rate with current estimates indicating that 1-in-8 women will develop breast cancer during their lifetimes. It is the leading cause of death of American women between the ages of 40 and 55.

The seminars, sponsored by the School’s Department of Community Medicine, will teach women why and how to perform breast self-exam, and what should prompt them to make an appointment with their personal physician for confirmation.

A free luncheon will be provided to women participants, and a door prize will be offered. Moreover, some of the women participants will be offered a coupon for a free mammogram examination.

“Getting diagnosed at an early stage is very important because early detection is crucial not only to the ‘survivorship’ of a patient, but to her quality of life while treating the cancer, and thereafter,” according to Fan Chen, M.D., in the Department of Community Medicine. “For many patients, early detection could mean not having to lose a breast through mastectomy or not having to experience aggressive chemotherapy.”

Earlier this year, Mercer offered two seminars for Spanish speaking women. All the seminars are sponsored by Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.

The schedule of the seminars is listed below, with the language offered and location. More seminars in Chinese may be given in October to December. For more information about the seminars, call Mercer University Department of Community Medicine at (478) 301-4053.

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175 Alleged Gulf Cartel Members and Associates Arrested in Massive International Law Enforcement Operation

Today Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey announced that 175 individuals were arrested today and on September 16, 2008, on charges related to an international drug trafficking cartel in a coordinated enforcement action by hundreds of international, federal, state and local law enforcement officials throughout the United States and Italy. Including the operations announced today, a long-term investigation of one of Mexico’s largest drug trafficking cartels and its U.S. and international distribution networks has resulted in the arrest of more than 500 individuals in the United States, Mexico and Italy to date.

“Project Reckoning,” a multi-agency law enforcement effort led by the DEA, targeted the Mexican drug trafficking cartel known as the Gulf Cartel. Among those indicted are the three alleged leaders of the Gulf Cartel: Ezequiel Cardenas-Guillen, Heriberto Lazcano-Lazcano, and Jorge Eduardo Costilla-Sanchez. These individuals, each designated as Consolidated Priority Organization Targets (CPOTs) by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), have been indicted in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia on charges that they conspired to import drugs into the United States from Mexico. A CPOT designation is reserved for significant narcotics traffickers who are believed to be the leaders of drug trafficking organizations responsible for the importation of large quantities of narcotics into the United States.

The Gulf Cartel is responsible for the transportation of multi-ton quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana from Colombia, Guatemala, Panama, and Mexico to the United States, as well as the distribution of those narcotics within the United States. The Gulf Cartel is also believed to be responsible for laundering multiple millions of dollars in criminal proceeds. Individuals indicted in the cases are charged with a variety of crimes, including: drug trafficking charges related to cocaine and marijuana; solicitation and conspiracy to kidnap; attempted murder; conspiracy to use a firearm in a violent crime; conspiracy to kill and kidnap in a foreign country; interstate and foreign travel in aid of racketeering; money laundering; and other related crimes.

To date, Project Reckoning has resulted in the arrest of 507 individuals and the seizure of approximately $60.1 million in U.S. currency, 16,711 kilograms of cocaine, 1,039 pounds of methamphetamine, 19 pounds of heroin, 51,258 pounds of marijuana, 176 vehicles, and 167 weapons. Project Reckoning, a 15-month investigation, combined into one centrally coordinated effort several multi-district enforcement operations that all involved individuals with close ties to the Gulf Cartel. Operation Dos Equis, Operation Vertigo, Operation Stinger, and Operation The Family, as well as numerous local operations combined to form Project Reckoning.

“By spreading dangerous drugs and resorting to brutal violence, international drug cartels pose an extraordinary threat both here and abroad,” said Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey. “The scope of the threat demands a deliberate and sustained response and the success we have had, such as the takedowns announced today, is due to the combined efforts of federal, state, local, and international law enforcement. Although I am pleased with the efforts so far, we cannot and will not rest on these successes. The threat posed by international drug cartels is too great. It will take all of us working together to prevail.”

“We successfully completed a hard-hitting, coordinated, and massive assault on the powerful and extremely violent Gulf Cartel,” said DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart. “We have arrested U.S. cell heads, stripped the cartel of $60 million in cash, imprisoned their brutal assassins, and significantly disrupted their U.S. infrastructure. DEA will continue our relentless attack against this cartel, aiming to dismantle them and stop the violence they inflict on Southwest Border communities.”

“Metro Atlanta unfortunately continues to be a major drug distribution center for the Southeast and beyond. The DEA and our many other law enforcement partners continue to aggressively investigate all aspects of the drug trade,” said U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia David E. Nahmias. “This major case is another example of their effective, coordinated efforts. The two cartel cells indicted in Atlanta acted like many shipping businesses, coordinating the transportation of truckloads of hidden drugs and millions of dollars in currency across the country and to and from Mexico. Through our sophisticated investigation and prosecutions, we have disrupted these organizations, seized large amounts of their poisons and proceeds, and now will work hard to lock up their members for many years to come.”

“This operation exemplifies the European vision of the international fight against drug trafficking,” said Dr. Nicola Gratteri, Italian Public Prosecutor for the Anti-mafia District Attorney's Office of Reggio Calabria, Italy.

These cases are being handled by attorneys in the Northern District of Georgia; Southern District of Texas; Northern District of Texas; Western District of Texas; District of New Jersey; Eastern District of Louisiana; District of New Mexico; Southern District of Florida; Eastern District of North Carolina; Southern District of New York; and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section and Office of International Affairs. In addition, local prosecutions in this case will occur in the states of California, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina and Missouri.

The investigative efforts in Project Reckoning were coordinated by the Justice Department’s Special Operations Division, the DEA, FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Marshals Service, and attorneys from the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section. More than 200 federal, state, local, and foreign law enforcement agencies contributed investigative and prosecutorial resources to Project Reckoning through the OCDETF. Significant assistance was also provided by a coalition of international investigative agencies spearheaded by DEA offices located in Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, and Italy, with assistance from foreign counterparts in each of those countries.

An indictment is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Macon Launches Georgia's Largest Community-Wide Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Initiative

PRNewswire/ -- Macon launched its community-wide child sexual abuse prevention initiative on Saturday with huge success. Hosted by the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy, "Macon A Difference" held at the Macon Train Terminal kicked off the state's most comprehensive community-wide Darkness to Light training initiative to date. More than 200 people turned out to take a stand against child sexual abuse, and nearly 100 people signed up for Darkness to Light training.

"We were thrilled to see such a large turnout from the Macon community on Saturday," said Nancy Chandler, CEO of the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy. "With such an initial strong show of support, we are confident we will reach our goal of training 6,000 adults in Macon by the end of 2009, and one million Georgians by 2020."

Frank Malloy of WMAZ-13 opened the event with facts about child sexual abuse and introduced Bibb County Schools Superintendent Sharon Patterson who discussed the importance of the Darkness to Light training initiative to the faculty and staff of Macon schools. Georgia Center for Child Advocacy CEO Nancy Chandler spoke to attendees about the importance of getting adults trained on preventing child sexual abuse, and presented a proclamation signed by Mayor Robert Reichert declaring Sept. 13 Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Day in Macon. Attendees not only participated in the free Darkness to Light training and signed up for future trainings, but also pledged their support to protect children by signing a banner which will remain on display in Macon at The Medical Center of Central Georgia.

The Darkness to Light training curriculum educates adults to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. The Georgia Center hopes to motivate more and more adults throughout the state to sign-up for the training in order to recognize and prevent instances of child sexual abuse.

"The Macon community has proven its commitment to protecting its children from sexual abuse," said Chandler. "The next step in stopping child sexual abuse in Georgia is for every city to follow Macon's lead and implement comprehensive community-wide Darkness to Light training initiatives in their own town."

The Georgia Center for Child Advocacy is working with other local child sexual abuse organizations throughout the state to institute similar community-wide Darkness to Light training initiatives. The Macon event was successful thanks to numerous Macon community partners and volunteers including Crescent House, Bibb County DFCS, Bibb County School System, Georgia Children's Museum, Peyton Anderson Foundation, Macon Police Department, Bibb County Sheriff's Department, Exchange Club of Macon, WMAZ-13, and Food Lion.

For more information on Darkness to Light training in your community please visit www.georgiacenterforchildadvocacy.org or call 678-904-2880 x205.

About The Georgia Center for Child Advocacy

The Georgia Center for Child Advocacy, a nationally certified child advocacy center is the preeminent authority on the treatment of childhood sexual abuse, providing evaluation and treatment for children's long-term recovery, and leading a statewide prevention and education program to end the sexual abuse on children.

About Darkness to Light

Darkness to Light is a nonprofit organization that seeks to protect children from sexual abuse by placing responsibility on adult shoulders. They educate adults to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse.

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