Gov. Nathan Deal on Monday appointed Gale Buckner as the new commissioner of the Georgie Department of Juvenile Justice. Buckner replaces Amy Howell, who will become general counsel for the state Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.

Buckner, former GBI agent, is in the waning months of a seven-year term on the State Board of Pardons and Paroles. Deal announced in September former state Rep. James Mills, R-Gainesville, would take her place on the board when her term expired Dec. 31. KRISTINA TORRES

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Georgia Radio Reading Service, a radio station for the blind and visually impaired, along with Georgia Institute of Technology, will participate in the first nationwide emergency alert system broadcast test on Wednesday at 2 p.m. The test will provide feedback on the effectiveness of the EAS signal for people with disabilities. Information: Georgia Radio Reading Service at 1-800-672-6173 or visit www.garrs.net or Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center at 404-367-1348 or visit their website at www.wirelessrerc.org. SANDRA MARSHALL MURRAY

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Senior citizens and home bound Georgia residents needing help paying heating bills can now apply for federal assistance funds through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. The program is administered through the state Department of Social Services and is designed to help reduce monthly heating costs by providing a one-time benefit to low- and fixed-income Georgians. For more information, residents should contact their county LIHEAP office by calling 2-1-1. VERONICA FIELDS JOHNSON