First Slice 5/3/12: What will happen to King Don Balfour?
Senate Ethics Committee meets behind closed doors over allegations that Rules chairman improperly billed taxpayers for gas mileage
1. The Georgia Senate Ethics Committee met yesterday for two hours behind closed doors — guarded, mind you, by Capitol Police — to discuss a Gwinnett County resident’s ethics complaints against state Sen. Don Balfour, R-Snellville, the all-powerful lawmaker who’s been accused of improperly billing mileage to taxpayers. Senators so far haven’t revealed whether they plan to — or even if they can — discipline Balfour, who chairs the Senate committee that decides whether legislation lives or dies.
2. This news story is like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and WarGames and in real life.
3. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport officials yesterday conducted a “test run” of the aviation hub’s new international terminal prior to its May 16 opening. We planned on attending the event with a very loud entourage and carts packed with luggage (filled with chainsaws) but other editorial duties made it a no-go. Curbed Atlanta’s Sarah Beth McKey was on hand, along with an estimated 1,600 people, and her dispatches are worth reading.
4. The Newton County father and son who mistook their new neighbors for burglars and held them at gunpoint apologized to the family. Hugs were shared. Awwwwww.