Fugitive Returned to Georgia Soil

Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Gregory Jones, FBI Atlanta, and Chief Ricky Boren, Columbus, Georgia Police Department, announced the return of FBI Top Ten Fugitive Michael Jason Registe to Columbus.

Registe, wanted for the July, 2007 double murders of Columbus State University students Bryan Kilgore and Randy Newton Jr. at Columbus, Georgia, was arrested by St. Maarten police officials in conjunction with the Antilles Director of Public Prosecution and through coordination with the FBI’s Legal Attaché, Bridgetown, Barbados.

Registe, accompanied by FBI agents as well as a Columbus, Georgia police officer, landed at Columbus, via government jet last week and, upon landing on U.S. soil, was turned over to local authorities for processing.

Registe has been indicted by a grand jury and will now await arraignment on those state charges.

Aflac Unveils New Info Technology Center

Gov. Sonny Perdue joined Aflac Chairman and CEO Dan Amos and Columbus Mayor Jim Wetherington, this week to dedicate the company’s newest facility on the Paul S. Amos (PSA) campus at Corporate Ridge in Columbus. The 161,000 square foot building will host the Columbus-based insurance giant’s Information Technology (IT) Center.

The new building will accommodate 850 workers with 550 IT employees who will begin moving in on April 20. The IT unit is responsible for maintaining a reliable infrastructure and ensuring that technology systems are available to support internal and external electronic communications and the more than 870 servers and 6,000 desktops and laptops used by Aflac employees and sales personnel.

Construction of the new IT Center began in 2007. The $41 million building brings the total work space at the PSA campus to 504,000 square feet, capable of accommodating 3,300 employees. It includes a fitness center for employee health and wellness, as well as a full-service cafeteria called the Mega-Bytes Cafe.

The expansion includes preferential parking for carpoolers and preserves more than 2,000 feet of green space. More than 70 video monitors throughout the IT Center will help facilitate communication for employees and visitors. Local architectural firm Hecht Burdeshaw Architects Inc. was responsible for the design of the new building. As the general contractor, Batson-Cook was responsible for the IT Center’s construction.

Clear Channel Radio Job Fair Set for Columbus

State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond said that the Georgia Department of Labor’s Columbus Career Center will assist Clear Channel Radio with its sixth annual job fair and career expo for employers and job seekers in the area. The event will be held Thursday, Feb. 5, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Columbus Trade Center, located at 801 Front Ave. in Columbus.

The event will feature about 40 employers who will be hiring to fill current job openings. In addition, other employers will be discussing possible future employment opportunities with the job seekers, while other organizations will be providing educational and other resources. Applicants should bring plenty of resumes and be prepared to fill out company applications and interview for available job openings.

Employers expected to participate in the job fair and career expo include: Accounting Principals, AFLAC Sales, American Home Shield, Avon, Caremaster Medical Services, Charlotte-Mcklenburg (N.C.) Police, Coldwell Banker/Kennon, Parker, Duncan and Key, Columbus Consolidated Government, Columbus Fire and Emergency Medical Services, Columbus Regional Healthcare, Columbus Police Department, Columbus Specialty Hospital, Columbus Water Works, Cubic Omega Training Group, Express Personnel, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Florida Highway Patrol, Global Diagnostic Services, Harris County School District, Hughston Clinic/Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital, LaGrange Police Department, Lear Siegler Services, Manpower, Marta Police Department, Militaryhire.com, New Phenix Travel, Opelika (Ala.) Police Department, Randstad USA, Rescare Homecare, St. Francis Hospital, Spherion Staffing, TIC Federal Credit Union, and TSYS.

Job seekers and employers who would like additional information about the job fair and career expo, may contact the Columbus Career Center at (706) 649-7423.