GNB Update

It's Monday. The first day of a new work week is in the books...Time for the news...

A southwest Georgia fire department is seeing the dividends from a new training facility starting to pay off. A report in Monday's Albany Herald talks about the city of Albany making the most of a new training facility built on the campus of Albany Technical College. Fire chief James Carswell says the new facility is one that will cater to the public safety needs of Albany and Dougherty for at least the next two to three decades.

A private company will soon manage a Georgia prison. Georgia Public Broadcasting reports that the Corrections Corporation of America won the right to manage detainees at the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement in northeast Georgia. That will take place at the North Georgia Detention Center in Hall County. The facility has more than 500 beds, and will also house up to 500 detainees. The financial terms were not disclosed.

Driving too fast could cost you $200 extra. That's just one of the consequences of new legislation passed by the Georgia House of Representatives Monday. It voted 113-53 to crack down on drivers who ignore the state's traffic laws, while improving its trauma care system at the same time. The new law imposes a fine of $200 on drivers who drive more than 85 mph on interstate and four-lane highways, and 75 mph on two-lane roads.

Here's a clarification from Thursday's GNB Update. In its entry that day, SWGA Politics wanted state senators based in southwest Georgia to explain to the blog's readers how and why they voted the way they did, not an actual challenge. GNB regrets the error.

That's the news for Monday. Remember to visit GNB at georgianewsbeat.blogspot.com 24/7. Have a good evening.