Bus Crash Injures More Than 20 From Lexington

By Ashlee Clark
aclark@herald-leader.com

More than 20 children and adults from Centenary United Methodist Church on Tates Creek Road in Lexington were sent to the hospital Sunday after a pick-up crashed into their bus in Dothan, Ala.

The truck apparently had been speeding and was cutting in and out of traffic in the northbound lane of Ross Clark Circle, said Sgt. Tim Ward of the Dothan Police Department's traffic safety division.

The truck driver lost control, possibly from hydroplaning, Ward said. The truck crossed the median and hit one of the three buses taking the 83-member church group to a youth camp in Panama City, Fla., said Gina Evans, senior administrator at Centenary.

There was nothing the bus driver could have done to avoid the truck, Ward said.
Roughly 24 youths and counselors were taken to two Dothan-area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries that were mostly bumps and bruises, Ward said.

“We're just very grateful that all the kids and adults are OK and that God took care of them,” Evans said.

Two people in the truck were in critical condition, Ward said. Two or three adults from the church group were to stay in the hospital overnight for injuries that included a concussion and a fractured hip.

Twelve adults and 71 children were headed to BigStuf Camps, part of a non-denominational, non-profit ministry based in Alpharetta, Ga. The group was about 45 minutes away from the camp when the accident happened.

Centenary officials will decide soon whether the youth group will go forward with the trip.

Bryan Adams & Pals Coming To Alpharetta

Jun 30, 2008 3:06AM

Canadian rocker Bryan Adams will spend his summer on the road in North America with a series of co-headlining dates with Foreigner and then Rod Stewart. The singer will also hit select cities during the run with his acoustic show, "A Very Special Solo Performance." Stops with Foreigner include Augusta, Maine (July 15), Norfolk, Va. (July 18), Alpharetta, Ga.(July 20), Houston and Dallas. Dates with Stewart kick off July 30 in Paso Robles, Calif. and run through August 9 in Cleveland, Ohio, with additional stops including Las Vegas, Chicago, Detroit and Cincinnati. Adams' acoustic sets will take place in Wilmington, Del. (July 17), Charleston, S.C. (July 21), New Orleans (July 23), Milwaukee (August 3), St. Louis (August 4) and Pittsburgh (August 7). Tickets for all three lineups are available at Ticketmaster.com. Adams' latest release, 11, is available exclusively at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club.

Textron Financial Vendor Fiance Names William Carney Sales Manager For Southeastern Region.

Alpharetta, GA, USA – June 30, 2008 -

Textron Financial Corporation, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, announced today that its Vendor Finance Division has added William Carney as a regional sales manager. In this role, Carney will assume responsibility for building vendor relationships within the construction industry throughout the Southeastern United States.

“Bill is a well-respected industry veteran who brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our growing team of professionals,” said Troy Murray, vice president and national sales manager, Vendor Finance. “Our goal is to place top sales talent in strategic regions across the country in order to better serve our customers.”

“Bill is a leader in the construction equipment finance market,” said Vincent Faino, president, Vendor Finance. “He is known for successfully identifying and satisfying the needs of large multi-line dealers and distributors. He places the customer first in all that he does, making him an excellent fit for Textron Financial.”

Carney joins Textron Financial from GE Capital where he grew the Southeast territory into one of the company’s largest volume-producing regions, originating over $50 million in new business. He has also worked for CitiCapital, where he originated loans and leases to the construction industry.

The Vendor Finance Division develops and manages vendor-based equipment leasing relationships across multiple industries, oversees Textron Financial’s golf equipment financing business, and pursues construction and agricultural equipment financing opportunities in the United States and Canada.

The division is based in Alpharetta, Georgia, USA. About Textron Financial Textron Financial is a diversified commercial finance company with more than $11 billion in managed receivables. It has core businesses in Aviation Finance, Asset-Based Lending, Distribution Finance, Golf Finance, Resort Finance, and Structured Capital. Textron Financial also provides financing programs for products manufactured by its parent company, Textron Inc. Additional information about the company is available at www.textronfinancial.com. About Textron Textron Inc. is a $13.2 billion multi-industry company operating in 34 countries with approximately 44,000 employees.

The company leverages its global network of aircraft, defense and intelligence, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, Fluid & Power, Textron Systems and Textron Financial Corporation. More information is available at www.textron.com.

New Law Protects Pipeline Infrastructure From Underground Blasting

Tennessee Lawmakers, Governor Praised for New Safety Measure

ALPHARETTA, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The president of Colonial Pipeline Company today praised the Tennessee Legislature and Gov. Phil Bredesen for adopting a new law that protects petroleum pipelines from underground blasting.

During the 2008 session, legislators tightened blasting laws to add new limits that protect Colonial Pipeline as well as other underground petroleum pipelines.

“Developing a state’s infrastructure is an important job for any government official,” said Norm Szydlowski, the president and CEO of Colonial, which has its headquarters in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta.

“But it’s just as important to safeguard the infrastructure that you have, and for that the Governor and Legislature deserve our deep appreciation,” Szydlowski said.

The pipeline safety bill was sponsored by Sen. Tim Burchett, a Knoxville Republican and Deputy Speaker of the Senate, and by Rep. Curt Cobb, a Democrat from Shelbyville. The bipartisan support resulted in unanimous passage, 32-0 in the Senate and 93-0 in the House. Gov. Bredesen signed the new law on March 10 and it becomes effective July 1.

Without this new legislation, Colonial was forced to negotiate with construction crews and others doing blasting to ensure their work did not threaten the pipeline.

“While there has been a spirit of cooperation in these negotiations, the proper thing to do was ensure the safety of these pipeline operations. They are too vital to our citizens and our state’s economy to leave anything at risk,” said Rep. Cobb.

Tennessee receives a significant portion of its gasoline and other liquid fuels via Colonial’s network of underground pipelines. Colonial’s 5,500 miles of pipe stretch from the refineries of the Gulf Coast to the New York harbor, serving Tennesseans along the way. Products carried on the Colonial Pipeline include diesel fuel, home heating oil, jet fuel and fuels for the U.S. military as well as gasoline.

Despite Lower Rate, Alpharetta Officially Raising Taxes

By DOUG NURSE www.ajc.com

Only in the "Alice in Wonderland" world of government and law could a city cut taxes and still be said to be raising taxes.
The city of Alpharetta is cutting its property tax rate, but it legally has to advertise that it's increasing taxes.

Because of rising property reassessments and growth, the city will take in more money than it did last year even if it doesn't touch its property tax rates. In fact, if the city takes in $1 more than it did the previous year from reassessments, it has to advertise that it's raising taxes.
Alpharetta is cutting its millage from $6.24 to $5.75 per $1,000 in taxable property value, or a cut of .498 cents. But that's not enough to be revenue-neutral, so it's raising taxes.

Property reassessments for 2009 are generating about 7.06 percent more in tax revenue to the city than it collected in 2008.
To be revenue-neutral, the city would have to cut the rate to $5.47 per $1,000 in taxable values.
The city is concerned that many people are challenging the new reassessments, which could reduce the value of the property being taxed. The city must adopt the 2009 millage by June 30, well before the challenges are settled.

If the City Council were to roll back the millage to be revenue-neutral and if the amount of taxable property shrinks, the city could suddenly find itself with less money than it had last year.

Public hearings on the property tax rate will be conducted at Alpharetta City Hall, 2 S. Main St., at 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. June 12, and again at 7:30 p.m. June 19.