Raises are coming for state and university employees and public school teachers and Georgia will pay full college tuition for all HOPE Scholarship recipients under the budget signed Friday by Gov. Brian Kemp. Kemp also signed a bill continuing tax incentives for economic development projects.
The budget calls for spending $32.4 billion in state funds and $55.9 billion overall, including federal and other money, in the year beginning July 1. State troopers and many other law enforcement officers will get a $6,000 raise, while all state employees, public university employees, technical college employees and public-school teachers will get a $2,000 raise. State-funded public librarians and teachers in state-funded preschool programs will also get $2,000 raises, while K-12 school cafeteria workers, bus drivers and nurses will get 5% salary boosts. In all, Georgia will spend a record $13.1 billion on K-12 schools.
Two felony arrests were reported on Sunday. Michael Gage Malone, a 17-year-old was booked on possession of a schedule II, DUI, seat belt violation, violation of the hands-free law and failure to maintain lane. 68-year-old Christopher Speechley was charged with DU and two counts of felony aggravated assault on law enforcement. For a complete look at the bookings for the Walker County Detention Center, visit our website – DiscoverWalker.com
Gas prices in Georgia continue to drop. The average gallon of gas across the state is now $3.24 for a gallon of regular unleaded. That’s down seven cents from last week and 12 cents from last month. Locally, Walker, Dade and Catoosa counties continue to have among the lowest gas prices in the state. The three counties have an average of $3.12 per gallon. Savannah continues to have the highest gas prices in the state. You’ll pay $3.39 per gallon on average in Savannah.
This weeks restaurant health inspection shows The Station House in LaFayette scoring a 93. You can find the complete health scores for several area dining places on our website – visit DiscoverWalker.com
