Adelman, a member of Georgia’s state Senate since 2002 served as a member of Obama’s national finance campaign during the 2008 campaign. His wife, Caroline, served on the advance team  for Obama’s Georgia primary campaign and spokeswoman for the general election here.

Adelman is a partner at the Atlanta law firm of Sutherland Asbill and Brennan and is a graduate of the University of Georgia, Georgia State and the Emory University School of Law.

Baker, a 2010 Democratic candidate for governor, under went the procedure Tuesday evening, his campaign spokesman Jeff DiSantis said Wednesday.

“Attorney General Baker is expected to return to his normal work schedule after the Thanksgiving holiday,” DiSantis said.

Baker is expected to remain at St. Joseph’s for another day or two.

Rep. Harry Geisinger (R-Roswell), the chairman of the Special Equine Study Committee, said at the panel’s meeting that they would propose a public referendum to legalize a new form of gambling in the state.

The appetite in the state for pari-mutuel gambling is unknown, but this not the first time the idea has come up. Proposals to amend the constitution to allow pari-mutuel betting are introduced every few years, most recently in 2005. None have found the backing necessary to reach voters.

But with lawmakers having already cut more than $3 billion from what is now an $18.5 billion state budget, and an additional $300 million in cuts on the horizon, a new form of revenue that does not include tax increases could be attractive. It’s important to note, too, that three of the four members of Geisinger’s committee who attended Wednesday’s hearing are Republicans, while …

Richardson’s mother, Merty, called 911 on Nov. 8 and said her son was conscious and breathing but said he purposely took the pills. According to a police report issued late Monday, Richardson was found in his bathroom with a “silver revolver sitting on the counter in front of him.” Richardson was semi-conscious and did not respond to verbal commands.

There was also a suicide note on yellow paper and another note “related to the suicide,” although details were not included in the report released by the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office.

Richardson issued a news release late Friday in which he acknowledged he had tried to kill himself. He said he  has suffered from depression for more than two years since becoming estranged and then divorced from his wife, Susan, was …

Georgia House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram)

Georgia House Speaker Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram) suffers from depression and recently tried to take his own life.

Richardson, in a statement to the media, said Friday that he has been suffering from depression for the past 2 1/2 years since the separation from his wife and subsequent divorce.

“While depression often seems to be resolved on occasion, when personal trials or tribulations arise, it flares back up,” Richardson said in the statement. “That is what occurred with me. My depression became so severe that I took substantial steps to do harm to myself and to take my own life. I am thankful that because of medical intervention I have instead been able to now receive help and support.”

Richardson said he regularly sees a physician and takes prescription medications for his condition.

No details regarding the suicide attempt were provided, and Richardson’s spokesman declined to make further comment. WSB-TV reported at 6 p.m. …

While in Baghdad’s Green Zone, Perdue spoke by telephone with reporters in Georgia about his trip.

“All in all the spirit and morale of our troops is palpable,” Perdue said. “They feel there is light at the end of the tunnel and they feel like they’ve made a difference. I feel like they have, too.”

It is the second time Perdue has visited Georgia National Guard troops in the war zone. During a six-day swing through the Middle East and Afghanistan in 2005, he helped serve Thanksgiving dinner to members of Georgia’s 48th Brigade in Baghdad.

The Department of Defense regularly organizes small groups of governors to visit Iraq and Afghanistan to meet with officials from those countries and to greet troops for their home states.

Perdue traveled this week with the governors of Mississippi, Oregon and Wyoming. All,  he said, met with U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill and Gen. Raymond Odierno, the top …

This marks the 11th consecutive month of declining revenues. Here is a look at the figures released Monday and how they compare to previous months and years.

Individual income tax collections

October 2009: $610.57 million

October 2008: $722.50 million

Difference: -15.5 percent

Corporate income tax collections

October 2009: $-4.9 million

October 2008: $23.55 million

Difference: -120.8 percent

Sales and use tax collections

October 2009: $397.96 million

October 2008: $486.74 million

Difference: -18.2 percent

Fiscal year to date (July 1-Oct. 31)

Overall tax collections: $4.65 billion

Same period a year ago: $5.49 billion

Difference: -14.8 percent

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Corrections Commissioner Brian Owens told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Monday that the agency will begin a phase-out of tobacco use beginning Jan. 1.

“It’s 2010 in a few days and it’s time to do the right thing,” Owens said.

Corrections’ decision follows a similar one announced this week by the Department of Mental Health. But Mental Health has said it will implement a total smoking ban in all seven state mental hospitals on Jan. 5. The Department of Corrections is taking a staggered approach, Owens said.

Beginning Jan. 1, smoking and tobacco use will be banned at two diagnostic facilities where inmates are evaluated after being transferred from county jails. Then, on July 1, 2010, the Augusta State Medical Prison — where the system’s sickest inmates are housed — will go tobacco …

Oxendine said the firms were slow to pay about $20 million in health care claims.

The commissioner, a Republican candidate for governor, has fined several health insurance companies over the years, including United Healthcare,  for the same offense. State law  requires insurance companies to pay claims within 15 working days of receiving them, or to notify the provider or policyholder as to why a claim can’t be paid within that time.

United and its sister companies were fined $2.8 million for delaying payments on health claims in 2005. They were fined $150,00o in 2002

Insurance companies make money off the delays because they earn income from  investing premiums.

Oxendine said of United, “We’re going to keep fighting them until they get religion. We’re here to enforce the law. We will not …

Moody’s, Fitch and Standard & Poor’s review every state’s financial health and awards a grade. Those grades are used by banks to set an interest rate for the state when it goes to sell revenue bonds for capital projects and other uses. The higher the bond-rating, the lower the interest. Tens of millions of dollars in interest and debt service are at stake.

All three rating agencies gave Georgia their highest – the coveted triple-A – rating, making it only one of seven states to maintain that status.

But, in its analysis of the state’s financial situation, Moody’s said Georgia state revenues are expected to drop by $1.26 billion in the current fiscal year. In August, Gov. Sonny Perdue lowered his revenue estimate by $900 million – or $360 million less than what Moody’s said is …