transparency in government

Security footage refutes allegation BoE members, Election Supervisor violated Sunshine Law

January 10, 2021 by Sheila Mathews 1 Comment

SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: Security footage from inside the Spalding County Elections Office confirms that the allegation an illegal meeting involving three members of the Board of Elections and Election Supervisor Marcia Ridley are false. The allegation was made during the Dec. 28 Board of Elections meeting as several members of the audience complained that […]

Filed Under: Government, Top Stories Tagged With: false allegation, Griffin, Open Meetings, quorum, spalding county, Spalding County Board of Elections, Spalding County Election Supervisor Marcia Ridley, Spalding County Elections and Voter Registration Office, Sunshine Law, transparency in government

Board of Elections to hold special called meeting to discuss Election Supervisor Ridley

December 14, 2020 by Sheila Mathews 4 Comments

SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: The Spalding County Board of Elections has announced it will hold a special called meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15. According to its agenda, the meeting has been called for the purpose of discussing the “Spalding County Legislative delegation and Secretary of State Request for Resignation of Elections Supervisor,” which […]

Filed Under: Government, Top Stories Tagged With: BoE Member Vera McIntosh, Chairman Margaret Bentley, Election Supervisor Marcia Ridley, Griffin, Open Meetings, Rep. David Knight, Rep. Karen Mathiak, spalding county, Spalding County Board of Elections, Sunshine Laws, transparency in government

Sheriff: Election Office dumpster contained no ballots

November 6, 2020 by Sheila Mathews Leave a Comment

SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: Spalding County Sheriff Darrell Dix has confirmed what The GRIP report Thursday night – that no ballots were found among the documents and other paperwork located in a dumpster in the Spalding County Elections and Voter Registration parking lot. The Sheriff’s Office on Friday issued a press release in response to […]

Filed Under: Government, Top Stories Tagged With: ballots, Election Supervisor Marcia Ridley, Georgia Secretary of State, Griffin, observation, Sheriff Darrell Dix, spalding county, Spalding County Elections and Voter Registration Office, Spalding County Sheriff's Office, The GRIP, transparency in government, watchdog

GPD withholds records in case alleging judicial misconduct against local judge

January 31, 2020 by Sheila Mathews 2 Comments

SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: The city of Griffin is again refusing to release public records to The GRIP, this time withholding records associated with an investigation of alleged judicial misconduct involving Spalding County Magistrate Judge Don Taliaferro. The alleged misconduct was first reported to the Griffin Police Department on June 14, 2018, when Toni Presley […]

Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: #ingriffin, #thisisgriffin, allegation, Freedom of information, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Griffin, Griffin Police Department, Judge Don Taliaferro, judicial misconduct, Open Records Act, Police Chief Mike Yates, spalding county, Spalding County Magistrate Court, The GRIP, transparency in government

Investigative report leads to The GRIP’s removal from Griffin PD’s press lists

October 15, 2019 by Sheila Mathews 1 Comment

SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: The recent publication of an article reporting Griffin Police Department Chief Mike Yates, in his official capacity, fabricated and released a false document targeting a private citizen resulted in the removal of The GRIP from all GPD press lists. Those lists from which Mathews was removed are used to disseminate information […]

Filed Under: Government, Top Stories Tagged With: Chief Mike Yates, fabricated records, First Amendment, Griffin, Griffin Board of Commissioners, Griffin City Manager Kenny Smith, Griffin Police Department, investigative reporting, journalism, Matthew Boynton, retaliation, Sheila Mathews, spalding county, The GRIP, transparency in government, viewpoint discrimination, Will Holloway Sanders

City of Griffin non-compliant with Open Records Act

October 12, 2018 by Sheila Mathews 1 Comment

SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: Despite complying with demands from the city of Griffin requiring prepayment of estimated charges for Open Records requests, public records are still not being produced within the parameters of the law. The GRIP Publisher Sheila Mathews on Wednesday, Oct. 3, paid $107.33 in estimated charges for four such requests. Responsive records […]

Filed Under: Government, Top Stories Tagged With: Griffin, Open Records Act, spalding county, transparency in government

GPD releases citizens’ personal Facebook records

August 24, 2018 by Sheila Mathews 2 Comments

SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: The Griffin Police Department has released personal messages from the Facebook account of Will Holloway Sanders and three other individuals. This followed a public statement directed solely to Sanders that was allegedly made by GPD Chief Mike Yates. “Mr. Sanders, The police department and myself have been the subject of numerous […]

Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: " Facebook, Chief Mike Yates, Griffin, Griffin Police Department, Jessica Lester, Judge Brennan McDowell, Lt. Karen Yancy, Matthew Boynton, Michelle Gregory, Open Records Act, search warrants, Shelby Willey, spalding county, transparency in government, Will Holloway Sanders

City of Griffin refusing to release public records to The GRIP

August 23, 2018 by Sheila Mathews 1 Comment

SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: The city of Griffin is refusing to release public records to The GRIP. After filing formal complaints with the Georgia Attorney General’s Office alleging the city of Griffin has violated numerous provisions of the Open Records Act, The GRIP received notification from Griffin Chief of Staff Jessica Whatley-O’Connor stating access to […]

Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Colangelo, Attorney General Chris Carr, Attorney General's Office, Griffin, Griffin Chief of Staff Jessica Whatley-O'Connor, Griffin City Attorney Drew Whalen, Griffin City Manager Kenny Smith, Open Records Act, spalding county, transparency in government

Former GPD officer’s pre-hire tests raised concerns

October 13, 2017 by Sheila Mathews Leave a Comment

SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: Pre-employment testing records for former GPD Officer Tyler Cooper indicate some portions raised questions regarding whether he should have been hired to police the city of Griffin. As part of the hiring process, the GPD administers an examination called the Personnel Evaluation Profile (PEP), which is commonly referred to as a […]

Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: Chief Mike Yates, Griffin, Griffin Police Department, Open Records Act, PEP, Personnel Evaluation Profile, psychological evaluation, spalding county, transparency in government, Tyler Cooper

GPD confirms second officer under investigation

August 4, 2017 by Sheila Mathews Leave a Comment

SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: The GRIP has confirmed that Sgt. Dwayne Hancock, of the Griffin Police Department, is the subject of an Internal Affairs investigation. This follows a report two days ago that Lt. Curtis Keys is under formal investigation. Upon receiving information pertaining to this investigation, an Open Records request was submitted to the […]

Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: Griffin, Griffin Police Department, Internal Affairs, investigation, Open Records Act, Sgt. Dwayne Hancock, spalding county, transparency in government

City manager responds to Open Records stand off

June 29, 2017 by Sheila Mathews 3 Comments

Publisher’s note: In response to an article that appeared in the June 8, 2017, print edition of The GRIP – City of Griffin, GPD Chief Yates refuse release of records; Records denied on officer who resigned in lieu of termination – Griffin City Manager Kenny Smith wrote the following letter to the editor, which was […]

Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: Chief Mike Yates, City Manger Kenny Smith, Griffin, Griffin Police Department, Open Records Act, Sheila Mathews, spalding county, The GRIP, transparency in government

Law enforcement videos now more expensive to obtain

October 5, 2016 by Sheila Mathews Leave a Comment

SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: At a time when increasing numbers of law enforcement agencies – including the Griffin Police Department – are implementing the use of body worn cameras (BWCs), Georgia lawmakers have enacted new legislation making it more costly to obtain the interactions the video recordings these and others devices document. The legislation – […]

Filed Under: Top Stories Tagged With: city of Griffin, Georgia Attorney General, Griffin, Jennifer Colangelo, Johnnie Caldwell, Open Records Act, Sam Olens, spalding county, transparency in government

County Commissioners Meeting April 3, 2023 at 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Courthouse Annex, Solomon Street, Griffin
DDA Meeting April 4, 2023 at 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM Griffin Welcome Center DDA meeting
Saturday Morning Storyteller April 8, 2023 at 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM A Novel Experience in Downtown Zebulon Bring the little ones for a story every Saturday morning at 11 a.m. to hear Sam's favorite tales.
City Commissioners Meeting April 11, 2023 at 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM One Griffin Center, Corner of Hill and Solomon Downtown Griffin
New Writers' Group April 11, 2023 at 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM A Novel Experience in Downtown Zebulon Led by writer Mary Drew. She invites all comers who want to invest in getting the work out of your heads and on to paper to join the group every second Tuesday. Mary will assist aspiring writers to stretch creative muscles and allow imaginations to roam. $10 per class.