Your morning jolt: Sonny Perdue sounding more amenable to special session

Gov. Sonny Perdue (right) and Deputy U.S. Transportation Secretary John Porcari announce first stimulus-funded road construction project in Hapeville. Vino Wong /vwong@ajc.com

Happy new fiscal year.

And with the state of Georgia’s balance sheets showing more and more red ink, chances are growing that we’ll celebrate with a party that includes 236 members of the Legislature.

On its drive-time broadcast Tuesday evening, WABE (90.1FM) had Gov. Sonny Perdue sounding much more amenable to a special session.

Earlier in June, Perdue was decidedly cool toward the topic. But on Tuesday, Perdue said he would meet soon with House Speaker Glenn Richardson and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle.

If there’s a “consensus” that a special session is needed, the governor said, he’ll call the General Assembly to order.

WABE also snared an interview with Vance Smith, the new commissioner (somewhat) in charge of the state Department of Transportation.

Smith has already sent packing the DOT’s general counsel, Chris Tomlinson, who was involved in negotiations with the governor’s office over implementation of this spring’s bill to curb the power of the DOT and its board.

But Smith’s conversation with WABE’s Denis O’Hayer was more about transportation theory. Listen to it here.

On whether transportation in Georgia now means something other than asphalt, Smith said:

”It has to be all modes of transportation. It has to be rail, our small airports around Georgia — yes, roads and bridges, but it’s got to be the whole gamut.

“Rail is going to be huge. We’ve got to look at rail locally to move people from the high-density areas north of Atlanta — light-rail systems, commuter rail systems.”

In the Legislature this spring, as chairman of the House Transportation Committee, Smith pushed a statewide, one-cent sales tax for transportation. He said he still believes in it:

”When the stimulus is finishing out and fading away, we have to step up as Georgians to keep the momentum going to deliver the needs for the people of Georgia. We’ve got a little breathing room to work on that.

“We’ve got young people moving here that don’t want to own a car. That want to live in Atlanta, work in Atlanta, take a bus, and when they go out of town on a vacation, they’ll rent a car.

“We have to look generations out to see what those young people are going to need. Myself and my pickup truck, I’m happy.”

This may be the most underappreciated story at ajc.com today:

The DeKalb County Recorder’s Court is under a magnifying glass following last week’s criminal indictments over an alleged ticket-fixing scheme.

A Superior Court judge on Tuesday signed subpoenas issued Monday by the grand jury to Joyce Head, the clerk of Recorder’s Court, and to the court’s chief judge, R. Joy Walker. The grand jury, which indicted three low-level court employees, is seeking financial documents from January 2007 through June 2009 as part of a civil investigation.

You don’t subpoena a chief judge every day, and not unless you’re looking for something very, very specific.

While you ponder that, consider these items also found while perusing this morning’s ajc.com:

CNN drops to third in weeknight prime-time.

Take one down, pass it around: 89 laws take effect July 1.

Perdue could nominate next high court justice today.

City of Atlanta continues rapid growth, at 3.4 percent.

Atlantans will pay 12.5 percent more for water, sewer.

State kicks off first stimulus-funded road project.

Cynthia McKinney aboard boat seized in Gaza.

Some opinion:

Your Luckovich fix.

Cynthia Tucker says racial diversity can be promoted fairly.

Brian Leary says elections, mayoral and statewide, are first steps in clearing the air in metro Atlanta.

NyQuil survives the nanny state police — for now, says Bob Barr.

And from beyond:

WP: The key to making sure Afghanistan doesn’t become another Iraq is to focus on the economy, not military.

NYT: Roberts shifts the Supreme Court to the right, with help from Kennedy.

WSJ: Professional baseball faces the loaded issue of mental health.

For instant updates, follow me on Twitter.