The Georgia Pecan Commodity Board will meet all day Thursday for its annual budget meeting at the Georgia Farm Bureau in Macon. One of the many topics that will be discussed at the meeting is pecan theft, which some farmers say has increased over the past few years.

Pecans have...more become a rising cash crop because of an increase in demand from around the world.

"The demand from global markets, particularly China, has got us in a situation where we're seeing more of a demand than we're seeing a supply," said Duke Lane, Jr., President of Lane Southern Orchards in Fort Valley, where pecans are one of the foods that they grow.

Lane said they have seen the price per pound for pecans increase to upwards of $3 per pound.

"We're seeing prices here in last two or three years in excess of a dollar, a dollar and a half more than what we saw, you know five or six years ago," Lane said.

Lane said because of the increased demand for pecans,

FORT VALLEY, GA. — The Peach County Chamber hosts an educational seminar Tuesday, May 22 at noon.

The state Senate's senior member won't seek a 17th term. 

George Hooks, an Americus Democrat, says he's stepping down, according to a news release from the state Senate. 

He represents all or parts of 12 counties, including Dooly, Macon, Peach, Taylor and Crawford...more counties. 

The news release says Hooks will explore "other areas of public service" but does not explain. 

According to his news release, Hooks served as an administration floor leader in the Senate and was chairman of the Rules and Appropriations committees. 

Hooks also was the chief designer of the current state flag and led the campaign to win approval by the Georgia House and Senate.

He will serve until his term expires in January 2013.

Qualifying for seats in the General Assembly runs from May 23 to 25, and both parties hold primaries on July 31.
Hooks' replacement will be elected in November.

Two I-75 North lanes will be closed May 14-18 on a nightly basis for road work, a Georgia Department of Transportation news release says.
The two lanes will be closed from 8:30 p.m. until 5 a.m. between mile markers 142 and 145.

 
 Fort Valley State University students walking to classes through the quad or leaving the Henry A. Hunt Memorial Library after a late night study session will have an extra pair of eyes watching to ensure they arrive at their destinations safely. The university is installing a brand new,...more high-tech Panasonic IP Video Surveillance System to help guard the campus.
Inside FVSU’s new 24-hour Communication and Dispatch Center, officers will monitor the campus on three, 50-inch monitors, using joystick controllers to pan, tilt and zoom for any potential problems.
"I’m ecstatic, to say the least, about the addition of these security cameras,” said Chief Ken Morgan, director of Campus Police and Safety. “It adds a level of accountability and is perfect for security and or risk management.”
The campus police chief says that the cameras are serving dual purposes: to watch out for potential criminal activity and to reduce the university’s liability by spotting potential

Plan to reduce your speed along State Route 96 Thursday and Friday this week.
A Georgia Department of Transportation news release says there will be mowing along SR 96 between Fountain St. and Smyrna Church Rd. in Peach County.
The work is slated for 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

The Byron Area Historical Society is considering sponsoring a historic marker for the Byron Pop Festival of 1970, but they want input from the public.

The 1970's festival happened over Fourth of July weekend and featured a line up of music legends including Jimi Hendrix, the Allman...more Brothers and B.B. King.

Tim Thornton now owns the property where the concert was held. He says at 18 years old, he spent the festival weekend selling popsicles to the crowd. 

"The people looked unlike anything we had ever seen, we never seen hippies with hair halfway down their back," says Thornton. "It was totally different, it was really almost a cultural invasion."

Thornton calls the festival surprisingly peaceful, considering the huge crowds.

Thornton says at 18, he saw things he'd never seen before.

"For one thing quite honestly, the air reeked with marijuana which I had never smelled before," he says.

But he had many wonderful

The owner-operator of a Byron company cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration says all the violations have been addressed.

OSHA cited Southern Perfection Fabrication Holdings, Inc. with 15 serious violations, involving exposing workers to fire hazards.

OSHA...more began investigating the company in November 2011 based on a complaint.  

Gordon Hale, owner-operator of the family-owned business, says the complaint was actually filed by an employee he terminated for stealing.

The metal fabrication shop faces more than $54,000 in penalties, OSHA says.

The specific violations include failing to train workers to properly use fire extinguishers and failure to inspect extinguishers.

The company was also cited for not testing air quality in the powder coating area and for not providing protective gear for workers.  

Mr. Hale says he will meet with OSHA officials May 16th to try to get the fines

Crawford and Taylor counties raised $35,505 for Relay for Life.
That's according to the Relay for Life website.
Crawford County's Relay for Life takes place May 4 at David Bailey City Park in Roberta. The opening ceremony starts at 6 p.m.
Relay For Life is a life-changing event...more that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease.

The Byron Area Historical Society holds a town hall meeting Thursday to discuss the request for a Byron Pop Festival of 1970 historic marker.
The meeting is to 'discuss ideas, thoughts, suggestions and input' for the historic marker request.
The meeting takes place Thursday, May 10 at 7 p.m. in the Byron Municipal Auditorium.
See other historical markers in Peach County.

A new, locally-owned thrift store opened its doors in Byron Tuesday.
The store, called 'New 2 U,' specializes in women and baby items, furniture and household items. They're located at 7645 Houston Rd. in Byron. That's next door to Macon Ford Tractor Company.
Are you spring cleaning?...more You can bring gently used items in exchange for cash.
Store hours: Tuesday-Friday 10-5 and Saturdays they're open from noon-5.

Call the Department of Labor Career Center at (478) 751-6164 and give them the job number of the position that interests you. 
You can see more jobs available in Central Georgia on 13WMAZ's Job Market Thursday page.
 
Job Title:    Welder/Shop Laborer
Location:    Fort Valley...more GA
Pay:          $9.00 per Hour
Education:  12 Years
Job Number:GA8021827
Must have 6 (six) months welding experience; must have stick and mig welding experience; must be able to read blue prints and measure (including fractions).

At Lane Southern Orchards in Fort Valley, they're picking their peaches a few weeks earlier this year, and that's due to unseasonably warm weather during the winter and spring.

"This is one of the, the earliest years that we have ever picked peaches," said Duke Lane, Jr. of Lane...more Southern Orchards. "It's 20 degrees actually above normal. You talking about 70 degree nights and 90 degree days, peaches are really growing 24 hours."
On Tuesday, they already put some of their peaches in the hydrocooler, which uses water to cool the fruit.

"A peach will be 95, 100 degrees in the bins," said Lane. "In order to slow down the ripening process for purposes of shipping all up and down the East Coast or Midwest, we stop the ripening process by running them through the hydrocooler at 34, 35, degrees."
Lane Southern Orchards also started to sell some of these first peaches Tuesday, they put out a few dozen boxes, so folks can get a taste of these first peaches.

A Crawford County man is accused of murdering another man, then hiding his body.

A GBI news release says 48-year-old Jeffrey Averett is accused of killing another man, whose body was recently found at a Boy Scout camp in Crawford County.

Investigators say Averett killed...more 39-year-old Daryl Oxford last month after a fight at Averett's home.

Oxford was last seen alive on April 9 on Averett's home.

His body was found wrapped in a sheet at Camp Benjamin Hawkins on April 21.

An autopsy said he died from a single gunshot wound to the chest.

According to the GBI, Averett has been in the Crawford County jail since April 13, charged with kidnapping.

The murder charge was added Monday, according to the GBI. No bond has been set.

Anyone with information on the case can contact the GBI at 478-987-4545 or 1-800-597-TIPS (1-800-597-8477).

 

 
After the 2012 National Football League Draft concluded, there was a mad dash to begin signing undrafted free agents.  No sooner had the draft ended than the Oakland Raiders put pen to paper to sign Fort Valley State University (FVSU) punter Marquette King.  King, a First Team All-SIAC...more member and recently voted the 2011 FVSU Wildcats Most Valuable Player signed a three-year deal with Raiders.
Damond Talbot of SB Nation “Mocking the Draft” site had this to say about King:
“The reason they were so impressed was because he was constantly booming 70 and 80 yard punts on the sidelines of the practice, which were recorded at over 5.6 seconds hang time. That is a pretty amazing statistic..."