Georgia News Briefly

UGA students killed in crash

ATLANTA (TNS) — They were five friends together in one car, heading toward the University of Georgia on a two-lane highway when everything changed in an instant.

Just days before the end of the school year, a two-vehicle crash Wednesday night killed four students, left a fifth in critical condition and shocked the entire UGA community. During the overnight hours, students gathered to pray and hold hands, both at the hospital and a sorority house. The grieving continued Thursday when the names of those involved in the wreck were released.

Some were members of sororities and one was very involved with a campus ministry. All five were UGA students who grew up in metro Atlanta.

Investigators believe the five women were traveling northbound on Ga. 15 when the white Toyota Camry crossed the center line, according to the Georgia State Patrol. A southbound Chevrolet Cobalt struck the side of the Toyota on the two-lane road in Watkinsville shortly before 9 p.m. The State Patrol said alcohol was not a factor in the crash.

Kayla Canedo, 19, of Alpharetta; Brittany Feldman, 20, of Alpharetta; Christina Semeria, 19, of Milton; and Halle Scott, 19, of Dunwoody all died. The driver of the Camry, Agnes Kim, 21, of Snellville, was in critical condition late Thursday morning. The driver of the Cobalt, Abby Short, 27, of Demorest, was also injured and in the hospital.

The wreck shut down Ga. 15, also known as Greensboro Highway, for several hours Wednesday night. The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office said one car involved, the Toyota, had a Gwinnett County tag. But word spread quickly to the Athens campus that the wreck involved five of the more than 35,000 students at UGA.

Three students died at the scene of the crash and two others were taken to Athens Regional Medical Center. A fourth student died at the hospital, where a fifth remained late Thursday morning.

Perdue: Sentencing reform bill ‘dangerous’

WASHINGTON (Herald) — U.S. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Thursday that a revised version of the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act would still let dangerous felons out of prison early.

“Responsible changes to the federal criminal justice system should not allow dangerous felons, many of whom have multiple prior convictions for violent crimes, out of prison early,” Perdue said. “Under the revised Senate bill announced (Thursday), violent criminals like Wendell Callahan, who brutally murdered his ex-girlfriend and her two young daughters, would still be eligible for early release.

“Ironically, the hundreds of truly low-level drug offenders currently serving time in federal custody would not qualify for leniency under the revised bill because their offenses aren’t serious enough. Instead, the bill still allows for the release of serious traffickers, even if they have previously committed violent felonies, like Callahan.”

Perdue said he supports responsible criminal justice reform and has been working to improve the Senate bill since last October. None of Perdue’s amendments were adopted.

“Keep in mind that these offenders will join the more than 46,000 drug traffickers already slated for early release by the U.S. Sentencing Commission – 23 percent of the total federal prison population,” the senator said. “The result will be tens of thousands of serious drug traffickers back on the streets. I am also troubled by new language added to the bill that some media reports are calling the ‘Scarface’ provision, which cuts sentences for international traffickers who smuggle large quantities of drugs into our nation by boat or submarine.”

He accused proponents of the bill of waging a “disinformation campaign because they simply want to reduce the number of people in federal prison. The idea that we are only allowing low-level criminals out of jail is a smoke screen.”

Georgia coastal area earns B-plus

BRUNSWICK (TNS) — The ecological conditions in the coastal portion of the state have held steady during the past 12 months, according to new data released by an area environmental protection partnership.

An ecological report card recently released by the Coastal Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, in association with the department’s Wildlife Resources Division and the Environmental Protection Division, ranks in a spot consistent to its grade on the 2015 version of the analysis.

The 2015 Report Card ranked the coastal region at a B-plus on the scale, with data collected through coast-wide surveys and inventories in the past year. The 2015 report is an update of the department’s inaugural 2014 launch of report cards, which are prepared with assistance of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Integration and Application Network, said Coastal Resources Division Director Spud Woodward.

The report card scores are based on a 20-point scale, starting with a zero to 20 percent report earning an F grade, and grades continually increasing in points as ecosystems show signs of being healthier. The scale, Woodward said, is generally accepted for ecosystem health report cards worldwide as it is able to provide a clearer picture of environmental health.