Friday, May 24, 2013
Marietta's jobless rate fell to 7.7 percent in April.
Marietta's unemployment rate fell slightly in April to 7.7 percent. Other Cobb County cities had similar reductions. Marietta had 2,444 people out of work last month out of the 31,679 in the labor force. A year ago was a different story with a 9.2 percent jobless rate. If you’re looking for a job in Marietta, check out our jobs page. Smyrna's 7.5 percent jobelss rate also was two tenths of a percent lower in April. Out of 29,975 people in the labor pool, 2,244 were unemployed. In April 2012, the unemployment rate was 8.6 perent. Kennesaw had a slight drop of one tenth of a percent, with the April unemployment rate standing at 8.3 percent. There were 1,413 people unemployed in the northwest Cobb city. Kennesaw had a much worse problem in …
Thursday, May 23, 2013
More than 30 percent of Georgia high school students aren’t graduating in four years. What do you think is keeping these students from earning their diploma?
A diploma remained out of reach for more than 30 percent of Georgia students in the class of 2012. That’s according to numbers released this week by the Georgia Department of Education. It reported that across the state, 69.7 percent of students in the class of 2012 graduated within four years. Three area school districts were among those that surpassed the state average. Cobb County Schools saw an even 76 percent of its class of 2012 graduate on time. Paulding County Schools were just behind with 75.5 percent graduating, while Douglas County had 72.3 percent earning diplomas on schedule. Other districts in Georgia didn’t fare as well. Atlanta Public Schools had just over 51 percent of students graduate, according to the Atlanta Journal-…
Monday, May 20, 2013
In a unanimous opinion, the state's high court today ruled in WellStar Health System's favor and threw out a lower court’s decision in a medical malpractice lawsuit.
James Jordan, whose wife died more than three years ago from ovarian cancer, was dealt another blow today in a medical malpractice lawsuit filed against WellStar Health System and a physician. In a unanimous opinion, the state's high court determined that a Cobb County State Court judge "was wrong" to order WellStar’s attorneys to give Jordan's attorney the transcripts of interviews they conducted with his wife’s physicians outside the presence of Jordan’s attorney. Nearly two years after Dr. James A. Sutherland Jr. performed an elective vaginal hysterectomy on Marilyn Kay Adams Jordan due to a uterine prolapse, Marilyn Jordan was diagnosed with advanced stage ovarian cancer in June 2008. She died in January 2010, and her husband sued …
Friday, May 17, 2013
The free workshop is geared toward first-time homebuyers.
If you are considering purchasing your first home, the Cobb County Cooperative Extension is hosting a free homebuyer workshop this Saturday. The free workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Cobb County Extension Office, 678 South Cobb Dr. Participants will learn about budgeting, credit repair, down payment assistance, the loan process, insurance, inspecting the home, and the day of closing. To register, call 800-251-2227.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Gov. Nathan Deal on Wednesday overturned a decision from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to remove Bibles from the cabins and lodge rooms of state parks. Tell us what you think of the decision.
If you stay in a cabin or lodge room at a Georgia state park, you can take in the native flora and fauna outside. Inside, you shouldn’t have to look hard to find a Bible—at least for now. According to Fox 5 Atlanta, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources this week had been set to remove Bibles from such rooms across the state following a citizen’s complaint. "Recently, due to a citizen concern, Georgia Department of Natural Resources management directed Parks staff to remove Bibles from cabins and lodge rooms until management can fully investigate the issue and make an informed decision," a DNR spokeswoman told the news station. On Wednesday, Gov. Nathan Deal instructed DNR officials to return the Bibles to cabins and lodge rooms. His…
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Learn about the library system's digital offerings, including eBooks, audiobooks, digital magazines and more at these in-person classes and webinars.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Officials say the head of the government office knew his agency was targeting tea party groups in May 2012. Tell us what you think of the agency’s recent admissions.
It’s bound to be no party for Internal Revenue Officials in the coming days. The Associated Press reported Monday that IRS officials revealed that acting IRS Commissioner Steven T. Miller knew back in May 2012 that the agency had targeted tea party groups by unfairly investigating them to see if they were violating their tax-exempt status. Monday’s revelation came on the heels of last week’s acknowledgment by the agency that the groups had been targeted during the 2012 election season. Organizations that faced IRS scrutiny included those that had “Tea Party” or “Patriot” in their names. According to the AP’s report, about 300 groups were singled out for additional review; while about half of those cases had been closed and no group had …
Sunday, May 12, 2013
"It's not going to go away," says SB 101's sponsor, Sen. Frank Ginn.
The campus carry bill, HB 512, didn't pass in the last session of the Georgia General Assembly. The Board of Regents, the Chancellor of the University System and the Presidents of Georgia's public universities and colleges opposed it. As did many parents, faculty and community members. No matter. According to Senator Frank Ginn (R-Danielsville), "that bill is alive and well and in the Conference Committee right now. It could be passed on the first day of the session next year." Ginn told people who attended a Federation of Neighborhoods meeting Monday night that his pupose in introducing SB 101 was to address reciprocity between Georgia and South Carolina for licensed gun owners. His bill more or less got away from him, and other …
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Jerry Hayes is the founder of United Electric Co.
Gov. Nathan Deal has tapped a Marietta man to serve on a state board. Jerry Hayes was appointed Friday to the Electrical Contractors Division of the State Construction Industry Licensing Board. Hayes is the founder of United Electric Co., a full service electrical contracting firm that has managed projects at Cumberland Mall, CBS Atlanta, WSB-TV and the Mall of Georgia. A graduate of Kennesaw State University, he has served as president of the Atlanta Electrical Contractors Association; on the board of governors of the National Electrical Contractors Associations; as trustee to the Atlanta Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee; and as a member of the Academy of Electrical Contracting. He is married with two children.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The home city of one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects is asking a funeral home director not to request a burial there. Should cities be allowed to turn down burial requests?
It’s been nearly three weeks since his death, but it remains unclear where the body of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev will be buried. The Associated Press reports that while Tsarnaev's mother says she wants the body returned to Russia, the funeral director in charge of Tsarnaev’s body believes the country will not accept the body. The funeral home director, Peter Stefan, said he plans to ask for a burial in the city where Tsarnaev lived, but officials in Cambridge, Mass., are urging him not to do so. "The difficult and stressful efforts of the citizens of the City of Cambridge to return to a peaceful life would be adversely impacted by the turmoil, protests, and wide spread media presence at such an interment," Cambridge…
A.C.
3:00 pm on Friday, May 24, 2013
Kids need differing methods and amounts of time to learn things. Some kids are more hands on, others need a visual diagram. What takes one child an hour to learn might take another child a week to learn. I think taking a one size fits all approach is a major part of the problem. Teachers need to be allowed to be creative in their methods. More resources need to be available for children who learn… more ›