POLITICAL NOTEBOOK: Erickson taking over the airways

Don’t forget: Next week is Erick Erickson week on your TV.

The Macon city councilman, professional blogger and possibly ubiquitous conservative commentator will make his first appearance on “The Colbert Report” on Monday evening at 11:30 on Comedy Central.

He’ll also be on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360,” which starts at 10 p.m.

On Tuesday, Erickson will take his relatively routine spot on Sean Hannity’s FOX News show “Hannity.” The segment should run about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.

He was going to be on CNN’s “The Situation Room” on Wednesday, but that interview was moved to last week, when Erickson engaged in a spirited debate with Democratic strategist James Carville.

Erickson’s role at www.redstate.com, a popular conservative site, has put him in demand for television and radio shows. But this appearance on “The Colbert Report” has left him a little nervous. Host Stephen Colbert is known for skewering conservatives on his faux news show.

Group names Brown “friend of the consumer”

State Sen. Robert Brown, a Macon Democrat and the senate’s top ranking Democrat, was named a “friend of the consumer” this week by Georgia Watch, a consumer watchdog group.

Brown’s stance against Senate Bill 31, which passed last year and allows Georgia Power to up its rates to help pay for a nuclear plant expansion before the expansion goes online, won the recognition. Brown argued passionately, but unsuccessfully, against the bill during the 2009 legislative session, saying the state Legislature shouldn’t have gotten involved in the issue. Instead, the Public Service Commission, which generally deals with utility rates, should have had oversight, he said at the time.

In a news release this week, Georgia Watch praised “Sen. Brown for his impassioned efforts in speaking up for the average consumer and in educating his fellow legislators on the negative aspects of Georgia Power’s accelerated rate increase.”

Grant: “Public health hero”

State Sen. Johnny Grant, R-Milledgeville, also won an award last month, being named a “Public Health Hero” by the Georgia Public Health Association.

Grant, whose district includes Central State Hospital, the state’s largest facility for the treatment of mentally ill patients, devotes “a great deal of time and effort to understanding the implications of maintaining a healthy state population,” outgoing GPHA President Russ Toal said in a news release.

“His thoughtful and pragmatic approach balances the long-term consequences of the public’s overall health with the difficult budgetary constraints our state faces,” Toal said in the release. “We are pleased to recognize his outstanding leadership on public health issues at the Capitol.”

Telegraph staff writer Travis Fain compiled this report.