Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The 2013 legislation lowers Georgia's BUI limit and adds safety regulations.
- GOVERNMENT
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Wednesday, May 15
It's official: As of Wednesday (May 15), a new Georgia law regarding the Boating Under the Influence legal limit and other boating safety regulations is in effect. According to a Lake Lanier website, state officials will attend information sessions at local marinas around the state Wednesday. The visits will culminate at Laurel Park in Hall County, where Gov. Nathan Deal will give an address at 2 p.m. The new regulations are contained in Senate Bill 136, which Deal signed into law in April. Portions of the bill are named for late Buford youths Griffin and Jake Prince, and late Atlanta youth Kile Glover. The youths were killed in boating or watercraft-related accidents on Lake Lanier in 2012. The legislation lowers the legal blood-alcohol …
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Prior to Tuesday's signing, Georgia was one of only eight states that had a higher blood-alcohol content limit for boating than for driving. The new law also increases penalties for those caught boating while intoxicated.
- GOVERNMENT
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Wednesday, April 24
Gov. Nathan Deal signed SB 136, a bill to strengthen public safety on Georgia's waterways, on Tuesday, April 22, at the Holiday Marina at Lake Lanier. The legislation, a portion of which is known as the Jake and Griffin Prince BUI Law, lowers the legal blood-alcohol content for boaters from a .10 to .08. The new law also increases penalties for those found to be boating while intoxicated. “Far too many tragedies have occurred as a result of boating under the influence and inadequate boater education,” Deal said in a released statement. “Last June, I vowed to work with the General Assembly to pass legislation in honor of Jake and Griffin Prince, who lost their lives last summer in a tragic accident. As I have said, if you are too drunk to …
Friday, March 22, 2013
The House passes the boater-safety bill named for children killed on Lake Lanier in 2012. The governor's signature is expected.
- GOVERNMENT
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Friday, March 22
For Peachtree Corners boaters and others who use Georgia's lakes and waterways take note, a bill that would lower the state's Boating Under the Influence legal limit and institute boating safety regulations now has cleared both houses of the Georgia General Assembly. On Thursday (March 20), the House passed Senate Bill 136 by a 146-17 vote. The Gainesville Times reported that the "nay" votes are believed to be related to hunter-safety provisions of the bill. The Senate unanimously passed the bill earlier in March. Gov. Nathan Deal is expected to sign the bill, which carries the names of Griffin and Jake Prince of Buford, and Kile Glover of Atlanta. They were all killed in water-safety related incidents last year on Lake Lanier. -- Does …
Thursday, March 14, 2013
The Georgia Senate Bill would also require boater training and changes to the life jacket requirements for children.
Several changes may be in store for Peachtree Corners boaters who use the state's lakes and waterways. A Georgia bill drafted in response to recent boating fatalities on Lake Lanier would lower the state's BUI limit to that of the limit for motorists. Other boating safety changes also would become law. Senate Bill 136, which was co-sponsored by a Gwinnett legislator, specifically has some acts titled the "Jake and Griffin Prince BUI Law" and the "Kile Glover Boat Education Law." The bill passed the state Senate on March 1 by a 50-0 vote and now is in the House. The 2013 legislative session ends March 22. The bill would lower the legal blood-alcohol limit for boat operators to 0.08 grams, the same as that for motorists. Gov. Nathan Deal …
Monday, August 27, 2012
A number of boating fatalities occurred on the popular lake this summer; the Georgia Department of Natural Resources offers important boating safety tips for the upcoming three-day weekend.
Labor Day weekend is typically the last big hurrah for recreational boaters, water and jet ski enthusiasts to enjoy Lake Lanier once more before cooler weather sets in. But this this summer has been a particularly deadline season for boating accident fatalities on Lake Lanier. According to the Department of Natural Resources, there have been 96 boating incidents, 9 boating-incident-related fatalities and 33 drownings on Georgia Waters. Conservation rangers have also issued 167 boating-under-the-influence citations. This year a number of the fatalities involved nearby residents: "Holiday weekends create a need for increased safety awareness from all boaters," said Lt. Col. Jeff Weaver in a Georgia DNR press release. "As always, conservation…
Sunday, August 19, 2012
A girl is cut by a boat's propeller. In another case, a man is missing after jumping from a sailboat.
- POLICE & FIRE
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Sunday, August 19, 2012
A man is still missing Sunday after jumping from a sailboat, and a teen girl was cut by a boat propeller in separate Lake Lanier incidents Saturday (Aug. 18). MAN MISSING AFTER JUMPING FROM BOAT: WSB-TV reported that Atlanta resident Jeffrey Nause, 44, jumped from a sailboat into the lake waters about 12:30 a.m. Saturday. He was with a woman and another couple near Lake Lanier Islands. Georgia Department of Natural Resources officials (DNR) officials said they had to suspend the search Saturday due to the high volume of traffic on the lake, and the search was expected to resume Sunday. DNR spokesperson Mike Burgamy said alcohol may have been a factor in this case, which is being investigated by the DNR and the Hall County Sheriff’s Office…
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Paul Bennett, the Cumming man involved in a deadly boat accident that resulted in the deaths of two young boys, has been formerly charged.
Paul J. Bennett, 44, of Cumming, the operator of a fishing boat that struck a pontoon boat earlier this summer, killing two siblings, 9-year-old Jake Prince and his brother Griffin, 13, has been indicted by a Hall County Grand Jury. Hall County District Attorney Lee Darragh spoke with Cumming Patch and said Bennett was arraigned Thursday afternoon for: As for what happens next to Bennett, Darragh said, "Obviously he is scheduled for later hearings, but beyond that I don't have any other information for you." The tragic incident happened Monday night, June 18, in the Shoal Creek area of Lake Lanier [near Lake Lanier Islands]. Four families -- 13 people in all, with nine children -- were on the vessel, owned by the Prince family, when the …
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Several recent tragedies prompt resort officials to act with boating aids the Sunset Cove area.
- AWARENESS
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Saturday, July 28, 2012
Boating accidents that have claimed the lives of three youths in the past two months on Lake Lanier have prompted resort officials to install a new safety feature -- channel markers. Currently bobbing off the shore of the Sunset Cove area of Lake Lanier Islands are red and green channel markers, designed to aid in navigation through the busy harbor, according to a news release. -- What do you think of this safety measure at Lake Lanier? Tell us in the comments below. “The markers are an effort to assist the boating public in accessing the cove in a more organized fashion, while providing improved entry to the cove by first responders in case of an emergency,” said Bill Donohue, Lake Lanier Island Development Authority's executive …
Thursday, July 26, 2012
The funeral for the youngster who died from injuries suffered in an accident on Lake Lanier earlier in July will be held in an Atlanta church.
- NEWS
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Thursday, July 26, 2012
The funeral for Kile Glover, the Atlanta youth who died from injuries suffered on Lake Lanier in July, will be Friday (July 27), according to media reports. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reported that the services for the son of Usher's ex-wife will be Friday at 11 a.m. at the Weiuca Road Baptist Church on Peachtree Road in Buckhead. Glover, 11, and a teenage friend were in an inner tube being pulled on a boat when they were hit by a personal watercraft. Glover suffered severe head injuries, was subsequently declared brain dead and was on life support for two weeks. He died July 21 after reportedly being removed from life support. The Georgia DNR has identified Jeffrey S. Hubbard, a family friend, as the driver of the personal …
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Son of Usher's ex-wife reportedly was removed from life support.
- NEWS
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Saturday, July 21, 2012
Kile Glover, the son of entertainment superstar Usher's ex-wife, reportedly has died after being removed from life support. According to the entertainment website TMZ reported that Glover's mother, Tameka Foster, allegedly made the tough decision after being told that a full recovery was not likely. She is also said to have been unable to pay the medical bills required to keep her son on life support, after the family's insurance company coverage expired. Glover, 11, was critically injured earlier in July after being hit by a jet ski driven by a family friend. A 15-year-old girl with Glover also was injured. Both were life flighted to Children's Hospital in Atlanta. A family friend, Jeffrey S. Hubbard, reportedly was driving the jet ski …
Ms Cynae
4:33 pm on Saturday, July 21, 2012
My prayers are with the family... more ›