Georgia News Roundup

Perdue focuses on economy, debt

WASHINGTON — In a pair of national news appearances Wednesday, U.S. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., said economic growth will come from setting right priorities and that rising interest rates make getting the national debt under control more critical.

In an appearance on CNBC, Perdue said the economy was “on the cusp of a real turnaround” as the markets anticipate that what President Trump is proposing “will actually work.”

“I believe health care and taxes are the two issues of the day that will get the economy going, in addition to pulling regulations back,” he said. “What we’ve got to do in the Senate is put self-interest aside and focus on the national interest.”

On Bloomberg, Perdue said he didn’t see the debt ceiling as a problem as much as the budgeting process and national debt. He noted that every quarter-point the Fed raises interest rates adds $50 billion in interest to the debt.

“This game is well past the tipping point of being a crisis,” he said. “We have got to get serious about dealing with our long-term debt.”

He also said he thought Trump was the “right guy” regarding job growth.

“The president has laid out a 100-day plan that starts with solving this long-term problem of debt,” Perdue said. “Job one is growing the economy. … President Donald Trump is the right guy at the right time to get us turned back in the right direction of innovation, capital formation, and the rule of law that will stimulate this economy.”

Bishop remembers congressional mentor

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, is a statement Wednesday on the death earlier in the week of former U.S. Rep. Eligio “Kika” de la Garza, who Bishop said was an “old friend and mentor.”

De la Garza, a texas Democrat who served in Congress 1968-97, died Monday at age 89.

“He was a champion for both his constituents in Texas and for rural communities all across America,” Bishop said. “Congressman de la Garza served as chairman of the House Agriculture Committee for 14 years, and when I first entered Congress in 1993, I served under his leadership and tutelage on the committee. He understood the importance of agriculture. He understood that agriculture was the backbone of rural communities across the country, and he understood that a safe and robust food supply also protects our national security. He had a keen sense of justice and served as a diligent leader for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

“Kika de la Garza was a true public servant during his time in the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Army, the Texas House of Representatives, and the U.S. Congress. May we never forget his commitment to his country and his contributions to social and economic justice for all.”

Centenarian twin dies last week

COLUMBUS (TNS) — Mary Shipp Harrow, a Columbus resident who turned 100 with her twin sister eight months ago, died last week at her home.

Harrow and her sister, Martha Shipp Averett, were both featured in a Ledger-Enquirer article on July 2, 2016, the day of their 100th birthday. About 300 relatives and friends had gathered at the Columbus Convention & Trade Center to celebrate the momentous occasion.

At the time, Harrow said she was glad she and her sister reached the milestone together.

“We were just one, not two,” she said of their relationship over the years. “There is no difference.”

Averett, who lived in Cusseta, died Aug. 13, 2016. The twins were born July 2, 1916, to the late Martha Walker Shipp and the late Quilbert Shipp, two public school teachers in Chattahoochee County. They were the oldest of eight children — seven girls and one boy.

Tifton man, 74, charged with burglary

MOULTRIE (TNS) — An elderly Tifton man told police that he lives a clean life and is religious — but deputies say he apparently forgot one of the Ten Commandments. They’ve charged him with one count of burglary and suspect him in another theft.

Eugen Lee, 74, was caught on camera last week at a residence where property valued at $300 was stolen from a garage, said Sgt. Timmy Barnes, an investigator with the Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office. Police did not recognize Lee since he lives out of town, but were able to recognize him and his car when he returned to the county.

“We had him on video conducting a burglary on Monday (March 6) on Friendship Trail,” Barnes said.

Sheriff’s deputies arrested Lee two days later after they received a call about an attempted break-in in the 400 block of Seminole Drive.

“Wednesday of last week he was attempting to steal items out of a storage unit on Seminole Drive,” Barnes said.

Deputies caught up with Lee in the 200 block of that road.

The car he was driving was hard to miss: It was a neon green Volkswagen Beetle, which also was caught on video on March 6. Lee has been charged with one count of burglary.

Professor looking for smartest dog

MILLEDGEVILLE (TNS) — You might have seen a bumper sticker claiming “My dog it smarter than your honor student.”

But is your furry friend really that intelligent?

Georgia College’s Newell Visiting Scholar Eduardo Mercado wants to put local dogs to the test in a public competition.

“People know a lot about how their pets act, but maybe not so much about what’s going on inside their heads,” Mercado stated in a news release from the college.

Mercado, who specializes in the brain’s ability to change through life, will put canine competitors through an intelligence test with a series of tasks in two rounds of competition.

“I want to see what happens when you give animals a chance to show what they know. This will be the first time ever that dogs will be tested in a public competition of this kind.”

The qualifying round will be Saturday 2 p.m.-4 p.m. at the Oconee River Greenway in Milledgeville.

The dog’s memory will be tested via a treat hiding game, a maze and a problem solving task.

Mercado said the tests are based on psychological testing of animal minds.

“How do they come up with solutions to problems? My research and residency is focused on figuring out how animals and humans use their brains to do new things,” he said.

The second round features an Olympic-style competition on April 28 at the Greenway where the contestants will compete in five tasks.