Q: When I moved here a number of years ago, I was told that the official Georgia license plate required by law has the county listed on the plate to show which county issued the plate. However, very recently, I’ve begun to notice in lieu of the county name on the plate, there’s an inscription that reads, “In God We Trust.” I was wondering if the law has changed, and if so, how does it read?
—John Watkins, Cartersville
A: The county name signifies the county of residence of the registered owner, according to the Georgia Department of Revenue. By law, all standard issue Georgia license plates must have the county label name affixed to them, unless the car owner purchases a $1 "In God We Trust" label, which can be placed over the county label. That option will still be in effect once the new plates begin production, department spokeswoman Karen Lashley-Lucas told Q&A on the News in an e-mail.
Q: When walking around Stone Mountain, I notice that the carving side seems to have a “greenish” tint, and on the opposite side, it appears to have a “beige” tint. Why the difference?
—Rob Caldwell, Lilburn
A: It could be because the south-facing side gets intensely baked by the sun year round, leading to what could appear to be a "beige" tint, Stone Mountain Park officials told Q&A on the News in an e-mail. Even though the same amount of water would run off this area, the sun dries more of the moisture on that side. As a result, mosses and lichens would be able to grow better on the cooler, north-facing side, which has the carvings and appears to have the "greenish" tint.
Lori Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or e-mail q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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