Friday, May 24, 2013
More county residents found jobs in April.
The unemployment rate in Cobb County dropped below 7 percent in April, a fall of three tenths of a percent. Almost 1,000 more county residents were working than in the previous month. Of the 377,630 people in the Cobb County labor force, 25,896 were unemployed in April. A year ago the unemployment rate went up to 8 percent. Find a job with the help of CareerBuilder. Just to the north, Cherokee County's jobless rate dipped closer to 6 percent, falling four tenths of a percent in a month. The 6.2 percent unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the state, especially when comparing counties with at least 25,000 people in the labor force. Cherokee County's labor force lost approximately 300 workers while another 300 found jobs to lower the …
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 Monday 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 …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
The agency's challenge coincides with National Hepatitis Awareness Month, which is held every May.
Cobb Public Health officials are encouraging parents and caregivers to get Hepatitis A and B vaccines for their children. The agency's challenge coincides with National Hepatitis Awareness Month, which is held every May. "The most effective way to prevent either virus is to receive the Hepatitis A and B vaccines," said Karen Thomas, the agency's district immunization director. Vaccines for Hepatitis A and B are available at all Cobb & Douglas Public Health locations. In Cobb, there are locations in Acworth, East Cobb, Marietta and South Cobb. For more information on Hepatitis, visit http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/.
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…
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
And the jackpot is $170 million for tonight’s Mega Millions drawing.
Georgia Lottery officials announced Tuesday that Wednesday’s Powerball jackpot has grown from $350 million to $360 million. The amount increased as a result of brisk ticket sales, Georgia Lottery spokeswoman Kimberly M. Starks said. Since April 3, the Powerball jackpot has rolled 12 times. The winner can opt to receive 30 graduated payments over 29 years or collect about $229 million.
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 Drive. 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.
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 …
Monday, May 13, 2013
District 3 Cobb Commissioner JoAnn Birrell will meet with constituents Tuesday at the Mountain View Community Center.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
During three-day nature adventures at Red Top Mountain State Park in Cartersville, kids will discover live animals, go hiking, make crafts and play games.
Looking for the kids something to do this summer? Red Top Mountain State Park in Cartersville is offering three-day nature adventures for kids ages 6 to 8 and 9 to 12, according to Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites. For $45 each, "Junior Rangers will discover live animals, go hiking, make crafts, play games, and meet new friends," according to Naturalist Marcus Toft. "All of the activities are geared toward helping campers earn one of three Junior Ranger badges." Activities for the two camps will vary and be age appropriate. The first, for children 6 to 8, is set for June 4 to 6, and the second, for kids 9 to 12, is June 11 to 13. Both camps are Tuesday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call the park office at 770-975-0055 to …
Bill sparks
9:59 am on Friday, May 24, 2013
BStein, with all due respect, are you saying that a stay at home parent can't model hard work? My degreed wife models hard work every day. I see many parents working in order to drive that $50,000.00 SUV, Live in that $500,000.00 house thay still can't afford, and give their children material possessions to make up for the fact the parents are not around. In my opinion, both parents modeling hard… more ›