News Feed: The Latest from Langstaff

Friends for Education urges support for STEPIII

2011-10-13T10:39:00.003-04:00

ALBANY -- Deidra Langstaff minced no words when asked what would happen if the STEPIII (Sales Tax for Educational Progress) measure on next month's ballot is not approved by voters.

"Not approving STEPIII would be a complete and utter disaster for our community," Langstaff, co-chair of Friends for Education, said. "It would make us less attractive to companies thinking about locating here because we'd appear to be apathetic toward education."

Friends for Education is a new political action committee that has been formed to push for passage of the ballot measure. The group's goal is to raise public awareness of what STEPIII is -- a penny sales tax devoted to educational purposes.

STEP is also known as E-SPLOST: educational special-purpose local-option sales tax. If approved, it is expected to pump more than $100 million into the Dougherty County School System coffers over its five-year life span.

"What many people don't realize is that more than 40 percent of sales tax money generated in Dougherty County comes from outside of the county," Langstaff said. "The Phase II renovation projects that are ongoing at all four local high schools total just over $40 million. That means that those renovations will be paid for by people who live outside of our community. That's huge for us."

Langstaff noted there are other tangible benefits of the STEP collections.

"The penny sales tax has really helped push us forward," she said. "Our graduation rate has improved by 25 percent in the 10 years the other STEP taxes have been in place. We think STEP is a factor in those improved rates."

Langstaff added that the group will begin a media campaign to tout STEPIII to the public. The push will also include a direct-mail piece, and pitches to civic clubs and churches.

The $100 million provisional STEPIII project list includes:

-- $73,600,000 STEP priority Phase II renovations for instructional improvements, including $14,300,000 for Dougherty High, $13,500,000 for Monroe High and $11,500,000 for Albany High;

-- $10,000,000 for technology in the classroom;

-- $10,200,000 for safety and security equipment and miscellaneous projects;

-- $6,200,000 for vehicle/equipment replacement, including $5,000,000 for buses, departmental trucks, vans and sedans.

Walk on The Wild Side returns to party with the animals

2011-10-13T10:23:00.002-04:00

ALBANY -- Chehaw Park is putting the finishing touches on its annual volunteer event, Walk on the Wild Side, at the animal park tonight. The event is presented by Friends of Chehaw and takes place from 6 p.m-9 p.m.

According to Doug Porter, executive director of the park, this year's adventure offers some exciting opportunities to view park animals and experience great music and food.

"Our primary goal is to get people out into the park at night," Porter said. "It's kind of cool to be there in the evening. As the light starts to fade and you hear the animals, you do find yourself looking over your shoulder."

Porter said the first stage of the party will be "people meandering through the pathways." After dark, the action will shift to the main plaza inside the zoo, where the music will begin. Brad Hallford, one of the original members of the Kinchafoonee Cowboys, is scheduled to perform.

Justin Garny, kitchen and event manager for Outback Steakhouse, said, "From corporate on down, Outback is happy to be joining with Friends of Chehaw" for the annual event.

"Chehaw came to Outback because they know we care about the event and because of their plans to open their new Australian outback wing. From what we've been told, you can find us there next to the kangaroos."

Garny described the planned Walk on the Wild Side entree as "woodfire-grilled prime rib, served with seasoned au jus."

Friends of Chehaw member Tom Seegmueller said there have been changes in the planned auctions this year, as well, and the nature of what participants could win.

Some of the prizes are more in the nature of 'packages' this time," Seegmuller said. "We have an 'early bird' auction, a silent auction and, later on, we have a live auction."

Among the more interesting packages to be auctioned, according to Seegmueller, are a behind-the-scenes tour of MillerCoors Brewing Company, followed by a relaxing break at the brewery's company pub; a wheelbarrow filled with a case of wine; a canoe trip with noted historical re-enactor Ben Kirkland; and a half-day of home repair or improvements performed by Chehaw engineer Don Meeks.

One of Seegmueller's favorite packages, he said, is a full night of "hog hunting" with representatives of Jager Pro, a company specializing in hog-hunting techniques and equipment.

The Walk on the Wild Side event will be held "rain or shine," Seegmueller said, with special arrangements available in the case of rain. For ticket information, call (229) 430-5274.

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Langstaff Marketing Hires New Employee

2011-09-14T11:54:00.001-04:00

Langstaff Marketing welcomes Jamie Ouzts to its team of marketing experts this week. Jamie is a graduate of Georgia Tech with a degree in Management and certificates in marketing and finance. She was previously employed at Radius Online in Atlanta, Ga. as a project manager and SEO (search engine optimization) specialist.

Deidra Langstaff, owner of Langstaff Marketing, says, “We are thrilled to finally have Jamie on our staff! With her back ground in SEO and project management, she is going to be a great asset to our team and reputation.”

Originally from Dalton, Ga., Jamie has made the move to Albany to expand her marketing skill base and marry in the fall to Albany native Jake Reese of LRA Constructors.

Landmark Verdict Handed Down in Retaliation Suit Against “City Hall”

2009-04-28T18:03:00.000-04:00

Senior Partner of Albany Law Firm Wins $750,000 Lawsuit in Favor of Three Firefighters

ALBANY, Ga. – Louis Hatcher, partner at Watson Spence LLP, Attorneys at Law, and his clients, three firefighters with the Decatur County Fire and Rescue Department were awarded the groundbreaking verdict today in an Albany federal courtroom in a case based on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

After hearing six days of testimony, the jury unanimously sided with the plaintiffs Guy Yates of Donalsonville, Steve Enfinger of Brinson and Veda Bellflower of Bainbridge on behalf of her husband, the late Captain Jimmy Bellflower. The jury awarded $250,000 to each plaintiff.

Plaintiffs argued they were wrongfully retaliated against for revealing discrimination by the county against an immensely qualified female fire department applicant. They claimed that the retaliation taken against them took the form of their being wrongfully labeled racists, troublemakers and liars. The retaliation culminated in their wrongful suspensions from the county.

“This verdict sends a strong message that citizens who are punished for having the moral courage to step forward and expose government corruption will have the opportunity to seek justice in our courts,” said Hatcher. “We showed that you really can ‘fight City Hall’ and win.”

The jury reached their verdict in approximately 4 hours after a 6 day trial.
About Watson Spence, LLP
Watson Spence Attorneys at Law has been firmly rooted in the Albany community for 60 years. The firm provides a broad range of specialized legal services to large corporations, small businesses, individuals, professional associations, agribusinesses and healthcare providers.

From WALB-TV: Are you on Facebook? Do you Tweet?

2009-03-26T15:07:00.002-04:00

By Karen Cohilas

ALBANY, GA (WALB) - Are you on Facebook? Do you Tweet? If you're a business owner and don't recognize those terms... you may be getting left in the dust.

Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter aren't just a fad, they're here to stay. Internet Savvy business owners are taking advantage of those networks and using them to bring in clients.

It was shaping up to be a slow week at Mint Julep Day Spa. Appointments weren't booked up, so manager Brandy Hickox took a new approach to bringing in clients, she reached out on Facebook. She said, "We were trying to think of something we could do that would increase business just for a specific week and it hit me, we were doing it anyway, might as well throw it out there."

She offered a 25% discount to anyone who is a member of Mint Julep's Facebook group and called to book an appointment for this week. "We introduced it on Monday, sent it out to our group members and we've had about 12 appointments booked from it."

Deidra Langstaff owns Langstaff Marketing and she says social networking is a must do for businesses these days. "You have more Facebook communications than you do emails right now, in the world," said Langstaff. "That's how huge it is and it's not going anywhere. If you're not involved in some sort of social media, you will be forced to being involved within the next maybe year, but definitely two-three years."

While many people think of Social media as a fad for college and high school students to use, people of all ages are networking. "You're going to miss not only the up-and-coming audience that are the Millennials or the Gen Y, you're really going to miss them, but even more so, the baby boomers are getting involved in Facebook and you're going to lose them."

It worked for Mint Julep, and Hickox thinks it can work for other businesses too. "If you're not on some type of social network on the computer, you're really missing out on a huge group and a huge niche of people that you could be servicing in your business."

Business that could take on a whole new Face... when you decide to Twitter your way online.

©2009 WALB News. All rights reserved.

Live Music. Caffeine. Great Cause.

2009-01-13T14:05:00.004-05:00

Albany Attractions Make Atlanta Headlines

2008-12-15T15:20:00.007-05:00

FROM ATLANTA TO ... ALBANY
One-tank trip: Albany, Ga.
Wildlife, water and a past with personality
By WILLIAM SCHEMMEL
Courtesy of Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Seventy-eight years after his birth in Albany, a life-size likeness of Ray Charles slowly revolves in the city’s Riverfront Park. Forty-seven years after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was jailed here, the new Albany Civil Rights Institute Museum commemorates the movement he helped inspire.

Meanwhile, a gopher tortoise named Malcolm X and a 50-pound alligator snapping turtle named Big Al swim through the Flint RiverQuarium, and cheetahs, lemurs, zebras and black bears roam the natural habitats of the Parks at Chehaw. The Albany Museum of Art boasts a large African art collection, and Thronateeska Heritage Center’s new Wetherbee Planetarium projects faraway galaxies onto a giant dome “sky.”

All this, in a friendly, easygoing style, makes “All-benny” — as some “Albanians” call it — a memorable one-tank trip just 185 miles southwest of Atlanta.

In 1994, the downpour from Tropical Storm Alberto overwhelmed the Flint River and flooded much of Albany. In the deadly disaster’s wake, the Downtown Riverfront Master Plan was created to resuscitate the devastated downtown area. The Flint RiverQuarium is the centerpiece of the rebirth. It includes a big-screen theater, play areas, colorfully decorated Ninja Turtle sculptures, the Ray Charles Plaza and downtown’s first new hotel in more than a half-century.

The Flint RiverQuarium’s 75,000-gallon, 24-foot deep Blue Hole, which re-creates a natural river spring, teems with life. Sliders, cooters and other turtles swim through the clear water and sun themselves on rocks and logs that jut above the open-air spring. Largemouth bass, 5-foot-long gar, 50-pound catfish and other freshwater fish and amphibians drift through underwater caves and partially submerged cypresses and live oaks. Native birds, herons and egrets nest in the branches. Visitors view it from topside and below through a 25-foot window.

Separate galleries house juvenile gators; Malcolm X, a lumbering gopher tortoise named for a red nail polish “X” painted on his head by a woman who found him burrowing in her garden; and Big Al, the Flint RiverQuarium’s lovably homely big-beaked alligator snapping turtle. Another gallery traces the sometimes-cantankerous Flint River from its headwaters near Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, more than 250 miles across Middle and southwest Georgia, through Albany, to its junction with the Chattahoochee River to form the Apalachicola River, which flows through the Florida Panhandle into the Gulf of Mexico.

In Flint RiverQuarium’s Discovery Caverns, kids play interactive games, make their own weather, change a river’s flow and crawl through a cave to find creatures that live underground. A new outdoor aviary is home to injured egrets, cranes, cormorants and other birds.

Imagination Theater, across from the aquarium, is a large-format movie theater, with a changing schedule of marine science films.

Hometown hero
Although he lived in Albany for less than a year after his birth on Sept. 23, 1930, Ray Charles is rightfully hailed as Albany’s most famous native son. The crown jewel in Riverfront Park is Ray Charles Plaza, featuring an illuminated bronze statue of the singer/songwriter, who died in 2004. The sculpture by Andy Davis of McDonough depicts Charles playing a baby grand piano, wearing his signature dark glasses. The sculpture sits on a rotating black pedestal above a fountain and reflecting pool. Recordings of “Georgia on My Mind,” “What’d I Say,” “I Can’t Stop Loving You” and other hits drift across the plaza.

Civil rights history
The Albany Civil Rights Institute keeps the spirit of the 1960s crusade alive. Every second Saturday of the month, at 1 p.m., the Freedom Singers gather in Old Mount Zion Church to sing the freedom songs and shout the protest slogans that inspired the Albany Movement, which began in 1961, when Albany State University students marched on City Hall to demand the right to vote and the end to segregated facilities. The troupe is led by Rutha Mae Harris, who was jailed three times. Now 67, her rich, alto voice is just as compelling as it was when she was a 21-year-old student. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was jailed here twice for his part in the movement, and he left thinking it a failure. He might change his mind if he walked through City Hall today and saw the offices of mayor, city manager and police chief, once held by white segregationists, filled with African-Americans, reflective of the city and Dougherty County’s two-thirds majority black population.

Century-old Mount Zion Church, which hosted mass meetings in the ’60s, has been preserved as a landmark, attached to a new $4 million civil rights museum, financed through a voter-approved sales tax increase.

Holiday festivities
From the day after Thanksgiving to Jan. 4, the Parks at Chehaw will be transformed into the Festival of Lights, with drive-through light displays, a Christmas train, Santa’s workshop and an ice-skating rink. Visitors have the opportunity to “walk though the woods” and view Chehaw’s natural habitats, home to black rhinos, black bears, red wolves, gators, zebras, bison, African cranes, reptiles and birds of prey. Visitor favorites are ring-tailed lemurs that scamper through a grove of trees, three cheetah sisters that zoom after a lure with blinding speed, and a cypress swamp where more than two dozen gators float through the dark water like ironclads with eyes. A companion recreational park has RV and tent campsites, play areas, hiking trails, a stocked fishing pond, BMX bike track, boat dock and picnic areas.

IF YOU GO:
GETTING THERE
Albany is about 185 miles southwest of Atlanta. Take 1-85/185 to Columbus and U.S. 280/82 to Albany.

ATTRACTIONS
Flint RiverQuarium. 117 Pine Ave., 229-639-2650, www.flintriverquarium.com. Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday 1-5 p.m. RiverQuarium $9-$6.50, Imagination Theater $6-$4.50, combo $14-$10. Free for ages 3 and younger.

Parks at Chehaw. Ga. 91, 2.5 miles northeast of the city, 229-430-5276, www.parksatchehaw.org. Daily 9 a.m-5 p.m. Adults’ park and zoo admission, $7.75-$4; campgrounds $17 daily; Festival of Lights $12 per car; $20 per passenger van; $30 per bus. Ice skating $5-$7, skate rental $3.

Albany Civil Rights Institute Museum. 329 Whitney Ave., 229-432-1698, www.albanycivilrightsinstitute.org. Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m-4 p.m., Sunday 2-4 p.m. $6-$3.

WHERE TO EAT
Pearly’s Famous Country Cookin’. Owner Pearly Gates’ diner is Albanians’ favorite place for a Southern breakfast or meat-and-three lunch. The lines are usually long but worth the wait. 814 N. Slappey Blvd., 229-432-0141.

The Catch. Grouper, flounder, snapper, salmon, oysters, shrimp, crab, clams and other fresh seafood, beef and chicken and a full bar draw big crowds of Albanians and visitors to this casual fish house about 10 minutes from downtown. 1332 Whispering Pines Road, 229-446-2235.

Riverfront BBQ. Across from Riverfront Park, the spacious former warehouse is where ‘cue fans come for pork sandwiches and platters, ribs, chicken, Brunswick stew and other staples of the barbecuing arts. 105 W. Broad Ave., 229-888-4647.

INFORMATION
Albany Convention & Visitors Bureau. 112 N. Front St., 229-317-4760, www.visitalbanyga.com. Through Dec. 31, the Wet and Wild Getaway Package, starting at $90, includes family of four admission to Flint RiverQuarium, Imagination Theater and Parks at Chehaw, and overnight accommodations.

Langstaff and Hobby Undergo Makeover for Locks of Love (courtesy: The Albany Herald)

2008-10-16T15:18:00.003-04:00

Deidra Langstaff and Mary Beth Hobby Before their Locks for Love Makeovers (courtesy: The Albany Journal)

2008-10-01T17:22:00.005-04:00

Albany's Deidra Langstaff Named One of Georgia Trend's 40 Under 40

2008-10-01T11:39:00.003-04:00

Georgia Trend, The Magazine of Georgia Business & Politics Since 1985, is pleased to announce its 2008 40 Under 40. Finalists will be profiled in the magazine’s October issue cover story and online at www.georgiatrend.com. A list of finalists is enclosed.

The magazine seeks individuals from around the state who are making an impact in fields such as business, politics, nonprofits, academia, healthcare and the arts. “Each year, the 40 Under 40 finalists represent the ‘best and brightest’ among the rising young leaders in our state,” says Georgia Trend Publisher Neely Young. “It’s good to know the future of Georgia is in their hands.”

Finalists were selected from some 180 individual nominations made by more than 300 readers.

This is the 12th year the magazine has presented this honor. Past recipients include:

Sarah Blakely, Founder, Spanx

Charles Brewer, Founder, Mindspring

Deke Copenhaver, Mayor, Augusta

Brian O. Jordan, Founder, BOJ Enterprises, JW Technologies; Former Outfielder, Atlanta Braves

Royal Marshall, Radio Host/Co-Host, WSB-Atlanta

Harold Melton, Justice, Georgia Supreme Court

Jovita Moore, Anchor, Channel 2 Action News, WSB-TV Atlanta

Steven Stice, Co-Founder/CEO, Aruna Biomedical, Inc., Athens

Natasha Trethewey, Phillis Wheatley Distinguished Chair in Poetry, Emory University; 2007 Nobel Prize Winner

2008 Georgia Trend 40 Under 40

Charlie Bethel, 32
Dalton
Director of HR
J&J Industries

Chadwick Boyd, 36
Atlanta
President & CEO
Lovely & Delicious Enterprises

Chuck R. Butler, Jr., 33
Chatsworth
Founder
Combat Brothers

Esther Campi, 35
Atlanta
Senior Vice President of Communications
Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce

David Cannon Jr., 37
Canton
Solicitor General
Cherokee County

Carla Case-McCorvey, 35
Savannah
Owner/Veterinarian
Case Veterinary Hospital

Ron Clark, 36
Atlanta
Founder
Ron Clark Academy

La’Keitha Daniels, 28
Decatur
Corporate Counsel
Harland Clarke

John Daviston, 33
Newnan
President
McKoon Funeral Home

Heidi Green, 32
Marietta
Deputy Commissioner
Georgia Department of Economic Development

Kwanza Hall, 37
Atlanta
Atlanta City Council member, District 2
Director of Business Development, MACTEC

Bennett Hollberg, 30
Atlanta
Chef de Cuisine
Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta

Mark Immelman, 37
Columbus
Head Men’s Golf Coach
Columbus State University

Shonah P. Jefferson, 37
Savannah
Associate
HunterMaclean

Tony Jordan, 34
Savannah
CEO/Founder
All Walks of Life Inc. (AWOL)

Gena Knox, 31
Athens
CEO & Founder
Fire & Flavor

Kent Landers, 32
Atlanta
Director of External Communications
Delta Air Lines

Deidra Langstaff, 38
Albany
Langstaff Marketing

Tommy Linstroth, 30
Savannah
Head of Sustainable Initiatives
Melaver, Inc.

Jeff Mango, 36
Alpharetta
President for Georgia and Alabama Region
Verizon Wireless

Dr. Charles B. May Jr., 36
Rome
Physician
Rome Orthopedic Clinic

Leonardo McClarty, 35
Tucker
President & CEO
DeKalb Chamber of Commerce

Allison Bracewell McCullick, 34
Athens
Coordinator of Health Initiatives
UGA

Bob McNeil, 38
Atlanta
Founder/President
IMAGES USA

David Meredith, 37
Savannah
CEO
Music Intelligence Solutions, Inc.

John Moeller Jr., 38
Marietta
Executive Director
MUST Ministries

Greg Mullis, 39
Gray
Vice President Energy Services
Tri-County EMC

Tyler Perry, 39
Atlanta
Founder
Tyler Perry Studios

Trey Ragsdale, 34
Sandy Springs
Government & Community Relations Officer
Kaiser Permanente

Ginny Rainey, 34
Smyrna
Director of Business Development
R.F. Knox Co., Inc.

Marlene Ramsey, 35
Albany
Criminal Justice Chair and Program Coordinator
Darton College

Todd Rhinehart, 37
Atlanta
Executive Director
THE TOUR Championship

Edward D. Smith, 35
LaGrange
Principal
Hutchinson Traylor Insurance

Terrance Smith, 33
Fort Valley
Dean of Students
Vice President, Student Affairs and Enrollment Management
Fort Valley State University

Nathan Sparks, 32
Brunswick
Executive Director
Brunswick and Glynn County Development Authority

Sherri Stone, 38
Albany
Kindergarten Teacher
Alice Coachman Elementary School

Emily A. Thomas, 33
Atlanta
President/Chief Operating Officer
Arrow Exterminators

Judson Turner, 34
Griffin
Partner
Georgia360 Public Affairs

Patrice Williams, 31
Morrow
Program Coordinator
Georgia Department of Community Affairs

Stacey Winfield, 31
Albany
Assistant Brewing Manager, MillerCoors Brewing Company

2008-09-29T10:32:00.019-04:00

Southwest Georgia Doctor Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

ALBANY, Ga. – The Emory University School of Medicine presented the 2008 Arnall Patz Lifetime Achievement Award, Friday night, to Albany native Dr. John Inman, Jr. The local obstetrician/gynecologist was selected for the honor based on nearly five decades of displaying extraordinary leadership and accomplishments in the field of medicine.

“I’ve delivered enough children in my career to populate a South Georgia town,” laughs Inman. “My commitment to women’s health care has certainly been one of a lifetime, but I never expected such recognition for a job I consider an honor and a privilege in the first place.”

A 1945 graduate of Emory’s medical school, Inman returned to his hometown of Albany to establish his own practice in the early 1950s, a time when fathers-to-be were not even permitted in the delivery room. Since then, Inman has been recognized as a Diplomat of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, is a past chairman of the Georgia Section of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, past president of the Georgia Obstetricians and Gynecologists Society and past vice president of the South Atlantic Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He is also a founding member of the National Council of Emory University School of Medicine.

In his Southwest Georgia community, Inman serves on the Board of Trustees of the Albany YMCA and is Emeritus director of Security Bank & Trust Company. The father of two and grandfather of four, Inman is also a former vice president and director of the Dougherty County Kiwanis Club.

ABOUT THE ARNALL PATZ LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Presented annually to three outstanding alumni, a committee of the Emory University School of Medicine Alumni Board selects each recipient of this prestigious award based on their accomplishments in the field of medicine. The award is named for Dr. Arnall Patz, a Georgia native and Emory graduate who became one of the leading ophthalmologist in the world. For more information on the Award or the School, visit http://www.med.emory.edu/.

ABOUT OB-GYN ASSOCIATES AT THE VERANDA With six board-certified physicians, four midwives and two nurse practitioners the Albany-based practice offers a depth and range of experience in obstetrics and gynecology beyond any other clinic in Southwest Georgia. Areas of specialty include infertility, gynecologic oncology, osteoporosis, endometriosis, menopause and urogynecology. For more information on OB-GYN Associates at the Veranda, visit http://www.theveranda.org/.

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