A trial scheduled to begin Thursday involving a lawsuit against the state public defender system has been taken off the court's calendar because a potential settlement has been reached, said plaintiffs' lawyer Gerry Weber of the Southern Center for Human Rights.
The suit was filed in 2009 on behalf of inmates who said they could not challenge their convictions on appeal because the state had not spent enough money to provide lawyers to represent them. A Fulton County judge had previously ordered the state to provide counsel to the indigent inmates. BILL RANKIN
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The Governor’s Water Supply Task Force Wednesday unanimously approved its plan on how to dole out $300 million in state money for new reservoirs and other local water projects.
The plan was panned by environmental groups for not including conservation projects – like repairing leaks to municipal water systems. Kevin Clark, executive director of the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority, said there already is ample funding for environmental projects.
The spending plan is the latest step in Gov. Nathan Deal’s plan to increase water supply with the construction of new regional reservoirs. He is expected to approve the document in the next week and local groups can start applying for the money in early 2012. CHRIS JOYNER
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Georgia caregivers will have access to free wellness workshops for themselves and loved ones -- as well as Alzheimer’s telephone support -- through a grant from the U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA), it was announced Wednesday. Only three other states received the grants -- New York, Minnesota and Ohio. Part of the grant will go to expand the face-to-face version of the popular Stanford University Chronic Disease Self Management Program, a six-week workshop led by trained volunteers and available on-line or in group class settings. Info: (866) 55-AGING (552-4464) or at http://www.aging.dhr.georgia.gov. NANCY BADERTSCHER
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County by county
Three of a Kind
Keeping warm with coffee roasting. B5
Restaurant Inspections
How did your favorite neighborhood nosh rate with the county health inspector. B4
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