What has 156 wheels, weighs 729,000lb, and stretches 290 foot long?

The trucks used to haul components of a new metal press bound for Roper.

Two mega wide-load shipments of equipment crept across the state from Savannah to LaFayette during the last week, arriving Friday evening with much disruption of traffic.

The GDOT-approved delivery route, Calhoun through Villanow, over Taylor’s Ridge on 136 then to 151, through Naomi to 27 and Shattuck Industrial, had cars backed up into the late hours on Friday.

The package finally arrived at Roper’s back gate about 11 Friday night, with another huge load expected into town on Monday.

(Thank goodness they didn’t try to navigate the downtown square.)     

A police pursuit through Chickamauga Battlefield started about 4:30 Tuesday afternoon with a hit and run at the Fort O Krystal.

It ended a few minutes later when a park ranger blocked the fleeing suspect’s Dodge Challenger with a Park Service pickup truck.

The female suspect is thought to have been under the influence, suffering from low blood sugar, or perhaps both. (Family members suggest sugar.)     

Major construction began Friday at City Hall.

LaFayette’s civic building is getting a new roof and some cosmetic upgrades, which required it to close all day on March 17th.

Most of the roof was on by Saturday, and the building will be open normally during the next week as work continues outside.   

Walker County Development Authority, the county’s unelected shadow government, will meet today at the convenient time of 10 AM.

On their agenda: discussing bidss (if any) to lease out Mountain Cove Farms, a proposed “rendering plant” at the old Barwick mill in Kensington, and a smattering of other business.

The meeting will be held at the Civic Center.   

Last Tuesday Georgia’s Senate approved a bill that would allow the state to expand toll roads, and keep charging tolls on roads forever even after their construction costs are paid off.

The bill, SB 183, also allows private companies to get a piece of the toll road action, essentially paving the way for Georgia to make interstates into for-profit businesses and make our highway system resemble the toll-cursed hellscapes of New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Senator Jeff Mullis backed the proposal in a 50-1 vote. Now it goes on to the GA House, and if supported there will go before Governor Deal.

Before that happens, it must be approved by the House Transportation Committee. Rep John Deffenbaugh, who “represents” half of Walker and all of Dade sits on that committee, and his NO vote could still kill it dead.

Call John Deffenbaugh today, right now if you can, at 404 656-0202 (Atlanta office) and ask him to oppose SB 183.

Deffenbaugh’s district covers all of Dade, plus western Walker – which includes Center Post, Rossville, Lookout, a sliver of Chickamauga, and part of Fort Oglethorpe. (But not LaFayette.)

If you live in those areas, especially, take time and call him. If you don’t live in those areas, and care about this, call him anyway – and then call your own Representative in case it still passes the Transportation Committee.

LaFayette and the rest of Walker are under Rep. Steve Tarvin.     

What are the odds of finding drug evidence on the ground in Linwood?

Pretty good actually.

WQCH Radio, 03/11/17: “A PEDESTRIAN WAS CHARGED WITH POSSESSION OF METH AFTER AN EARLY MORNING POLICE STOP IN LINWOOD, [last] TUESDAY.

“31 YEAR OLD JENNY LYNN MCCAMISH APPEARED NERVOUS WHEN STOPPED ON FORTUNE STREET AT 1:30 IN THE MORNING, ACCORDING TO THE POLICE REPORT.

“SHE ADMITTED HAVING BEEN ARRESTED FOR METH POSSESSION IN THE ATLANTA AREA RECENTLY, BUT DENIED HAVING ANYTHING ILLEGAL ON HER PERSON.

“OFFICER RYAN WILSON DIDN’T FIND ANYTHING ON HER, BUT NOTICED A CELLO WRAPPER ABOUT FIVE FEET FROM HIS PATROL CAR ON THE GROUND. IT CONTAINED METH, AND MCCAMISH WAS ARRESTED FOR POSSESSION.”

This one seems like a reach…

Was the meth likely hers? Yes.

Would we feel comfortable passing judgment on somebody in court saying that they absolutely were responsible for a random packet of drugs found on the side of Fortune Street? No.

Unless they find her fingerprints on the drugs or something, it seems like a hard sell.   

Walker County sheriff detectives and GBI agents are investigating a bizarre shooting in Rossville.

Wednesday afternoon Jeremy Little, 33, was standing in the yard of his State Line Rd home when 44-year-old Robert W. Ellis allegedly shot him in the head. Little was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Ellis turned himself in a few hours later and faces charges of murder, assault, property damage, and gun possession by a felon.

Little and Ellis were friends, and initial reports stated the disagreement leading to the shooting originated with a post or discussion on Facebook. A later article say the murder resulted from mistaken identity involving a woman, escalating to property damage and ending with a man dead.         

Last week LPD performed a drug bust… in the cemetery.

WQCH Radio, 03/06/17: “A NARCOTICS ARREST WAS MADE IN THE CITY CEMETERY WEDNESDAY, ACCORDING TO LAFAYETTE POLICE.

“THEY GOT A ‘SUSPICIOUS VEHICLE’ CALL AND FOUND 28 YEAR OLD CHRISTOPHER LEE SILVERS NEAR HIS BLACK INFINITI. HE TOLD THEM HE WAS ‘LOOKING FOR ARROWHEADS’.

“HIS LICENSE CAME BACK ‘SUSPENDED’ AND THE CAR HAD NO INSURANCE. A CONSENT SEARCH TURNED UP HYDROCODONE AND ALPRAZOLAM PILLS INSIDE.

“SILVERS WAS CHARGED WITH POSSESSION OF SCHEDULE 2 AND 4 CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES.”

Plus: Walker County arrests, February 27-March 5.     

A few months before Hutcheson collapsed, it paid Dr. Mike Aiken of Lookout Mountain an $85,000 “consulting fee.”

Aiken was a close friend of Bebe Heiskell, Don Oliver, and Hutcheson CEO Farrell Hayes – and his payment was apparently required for Hutcheson to get another $1 million bailout deal from Heiskell and Walker County.

Now Hutcheson’s bankruptcy trustee wants that money to come back to pay some of the dead company’s debts – but for some reason Dr. Aiken isn’t responding to inquiries about it.   

Colin Shropshire, missing since Friday, has been found deceased.

The 26-year-old LaFayette man’s remains were located Sunday near the Home Depot on Shugart Rd. in Dalton. His body was partially in a creek running adjacent to the shopping center.

He was last seen walking away from an apartment complex on the same road early Friday morning and was reported missing Friday night.

Dalton PD seeks information about the case. Investigators expect to find out how (and hopefully why) Shropshire died with an autopsy.   

Rome teens who murdered a convenience store clerk last year for a handful of cash, snacks, and smokes will likely spend the rest of their lives behind bars.

Zaykives Banard McCray and Dylon Dave Allen shot Chiragkumar Patel in the abdomen last January during a convenience store robbery. He survived nearly two months before dying of his injuries.

Last week they were found guilty on twelve charges each, including murder. Monday both were sentenced to life plus 35 years in prison.   

Saturday night Charles Garrett was killed in a tree cutting accident.

Garrett and two friends were cutting trees on Foster Mill Drive inside the city when one fell on him. He died en route to the hospital.

Services for Mr. Garrett are being held today at Wallis-Wilbanks.   

Friday was “crossover day” in the state capitol, the deadline for bills to be approved by at least one chamber of the legislature in order to become law this year.

Here’s a look at some of the higher profile proposals that passed and a few that did not.

What have Walker County’s three legislators been up to during their time in Atlanta?

John Deffenbaugh has done almost nothing, putting his name on six proposals that have little to no impact on his constituents

Jeff Mullis has been busy, endorsing or authoring dozens of bills and resolutions. Many of them are just resolutions to recognize various people by renaming highways or having days in their honor and things of that nature.

He’s also been involved in bills that would further remove accountability for police, keep new pain clinics from opening in most of the state, allow driverless cars on Georgia roads, and let counties make certain elected positions non-partisan.

Senator Mullis also voted against measures that would have expanded transparency in state government.

Rep. Steve Tarvin has (as this is written) been involved with eight proposals, about half of them meaningless to his district.

He worked to create an “industrial hemp commission,” endorsed a proposal recognizing pornography as a public health issue, pushed to have “non-citizen” printed on drivers licenses and ID cards of immigrants, and co-sponsored a (dead) bill that would end the state income tax.

A highlight of his time in Atlanta this year is HB 505, which would curtail law enforcement civil forfeiture. If it had passed by Friday (which it sadly did not), cops would be prohibited from taking property of a criminal suspect until after they go to trial instead of before.

Lots going on, but little of it meaningful.   

Friday night at 6:00, Walker County School Board was scheduled to meet and decide who will finish the uncompleted term of board member Charles Wilson.

Wilson, who was elected in 2014 with no opponent, stepped down in mid-February for health reasons.

Wilson’s replacement will be picked by the other four board members, two of whom are related by marriage. Under current state law, this appointee can run for reelection in 2018 and be marked on the ballot as an incumbent despite never being elected.

As this is published, no announcement for the board member has been made, and it’s possible that no decision was reached during the meeting.   

Rome teens Zaykives McCray and Dylon Allen have been found guilty of murder.

In January of last year, the two 18-year-olds shot Summerville convenience store clerk Chiragkumar Patel in the abdomen during a robbery. Patel initially survived the attack but died after nearly two months in the hospital.

McCray and Allen were eventually handed twelve sets of identical charges, including murder, felony murder (committing murder during another crime), armed robbery, and assault.

The boys’ trial for those crimes began Tuesday, and ended with twelve guilty verdicts for each on Friday.

They’ll be sentenced in the same Summerville courtroom next Monday.     

In June 2014, Haley Lloyd – then 18 – ran over and killed a 4-year-old child on Orchard Hill Road in Summerville. She did not stop immediately after the accident.

Prosecutors argued that Lloyd was on her phone and distracted when the child ran in front of her, and a witness claimed the child went onto the car’s hood and windshield. Lloyd ad her defense team said she thought she hit an animal.

Thursday a jury rejected the district attorney’s argument, acquitting the young woman of vehicular homicide and five other charges.