News from CommerceNewsTODAY

News from CommerceNewsTODAY - Topics from July, 2009

It's back to school for Commerce students Monday

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Friday, July 31. 2009

For approximately 1,550 Commerce students, it’s all over but the shouting. Summer vacation, that is. The 2009-10 school year starts Monday, Aug. 3, at Commerce Primary School, Commerce Elementary School, Commerce Middle School and Commerce High School. Teachers were due to start back today (Wednesday). Jackson County will crank up its school ... [Full Story »]

Furloughs, new budget cuts vex local school systems

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CommerceNewsTODAY

Friday, July 31. 2009

Local school systems are struggling to meet Gov. Sonny Perdue’s latest cost-cutting mandates, including three days of furloughs for teachers. Last week in a conference call, Perdue cited continued declines in state funds and ordered that all teachers take three days of furloughs by Dec. 31 — but without missing any teaching days. In ... [Full Story »]

Second visit yields second arrest

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CommerceNewsTODAY

Friday, July 31. 2009

A domestic dispute that resulted in burglary charges in May apparently didn’t deter a Commerce man from visiting the same location again. According to the Commerce Police Department, the results were similar the second go-round. Police charged Thomas Henry Gregg, 25, of 1780 Neese Commerce Road with burglary and battery under the family ... [Full Story »]

Hospital sale remains on track

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CommerceNewsTODAY

Wednesday, July 29. 2009

Negotiations between BJC Medical Center and a Tennessee company for the purchase of the medical center appear to be progressing. Reporting at Monday’s meeting of the BJC Medical Center Authority, chairman Charles Blair said the facility hopes to have “something fairly close to a final draft” of the agreement “by the middle of the ... [Full Story »]

Jobless rate hits 11.2% in Jackson

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CommerceNewsTODAY

Wednesday, July 29. 2009

The Jackson County unemployment rate jumped one full percent in June to 11.2 percent. That’s the highest rate in the county so far during the recession. According to the Georgia Department of Labor, 3,110 people are unemployed in Jackson County. That’s nearly twice the number from June 2008 when 1,658 were unemployed. The statewide ... [Full Story »]

'Bad day' got worse with DUI-drugs charge

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CommerceNewsTODAY

Wednesday, July 29. 2009

Telling an officer that you’re “having a bad day and don’t want to have to deal with police” doesn’t help things when the officer thinks you’re driving under the influence of drugs. So learned April Nicole Howington, 24, who was subsequently charged by the Commerce Police Department with DUI-drugs, driving with a suspended license, ... [Full Story »]

Bear Creek decision is an outrage

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CommerceNewsTODAY

Wednesday, July 29. 2009

Residents of Jackson, Barrow, Oconee and Clarke counties should be outraged at their public officials for voting last week to grant special privileges to some residents based on where they live. The Upper Oconee Basin Water Authority voted to limit use of the Bear Creek Reservoir by the public to three days a week, but grant seven-days-a-week ... [Full Story »]

Some people to get greater lake access than others

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CommerceNewsTODAY

Friday, July 24. 2009

The public will get more access to the Bear Creek Reservoir, but a small group of people will get special privileges. With almost 40 citizens present, the Upper Oconee Basin Water Authority voted last Wednesday to modify the rules it approved two months earlier for boat access to the 505-acre reservoir located off GA 330 in southwest Jackson ... [Full Story »]

Police stay busy responding to disputes

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CommerceNewsTODAY

Friday, July 24. 2009

Having an extended family can be a blessing, but that’s not always the case as two recent incidents reported by the Commerce Police Department demonstrate. Take the case of the Lathan Drive couple who co-signed loans for their daughter and son-in-law to help them get a car, get electric service and acquire furniture and cell phones. The ... [Full Story »]

DFACS often has limited choices

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CommerceNewsTODAY

Friday, July 24. 2009

When 6-year-old Michael Levigne was shot and killed recently by his grandfather, a lot of online readers appeared incensed that the Department of Family & Children Services left the child in the custody of his grandparents. In retrospective, that is appalling, knowing what we know now. Last week, this newspaper carried a story about how the ... [Full Story »]

Entries from July 2009