Trion Elementary is currently accepting student applications for both Pre K and Kindergarten for the 2015-16 school year.
Applications will be available at the elementary office until May 8th, 2015
The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that the state’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for March was 6.3 percent, unchanged from February, matching its lowest level since July 2008. The rate was 7.3 percent a year ago.
“While the rate held steady in March, we have seen considerable improvement since it began a steady decline from November 2010, when it was 10.5 percent,” said State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler. “In fact, the jobless rate has either declined or remained steady every month since then.”
As the rate remained unchanged, the number of seasonally-adjusted jobs declined by 6,600, or 0.2 percent, to 4,239,500 in March, down from 4,246,100 in February. Most of the job losses came in accommodations and food services, 4,000; construction, 3,500; and non-durable manufacturing, including textiles, 2,300. Those losses were offset somewhat by gains in health care and social assistance, 2,600; retail trade, 2,200; and finance and insurance, 1,800.
“Despite a small job loss in March, our over-the-year numbers still look very good,” Butler continued. “Our employers added 127,100 jobs, which is the strongest March–to-March growth we've seen since 2000. That’s a growth rate of 3.1 percent, which is much stronger than the 2.3 percent national growth rate.”
Most of the growth came in trade, transportation and warehousing, 33,700; leisure and hospitality, 24,200; education and health services, 20,500; professional and business services, 18,000; manufacturing and government, 7,800 each; financial activities, 7,400; other services, including repair, maintenance and personal services, 3,000; and construction, 2,200.
The number of initial claims for unemployment insurance rose by 605, or 2.1 percent, to 29,896 in March, which is up from 29,291 in February. Almost one-third of the claims were from temporary layoffs, primarily in manufacturing and construction. Most of the increase in claims came in health care and social assistance, accommodations and food services, professional, scientific and technical services, and retail trade. However, claims were down by 918, or 3.0 percent, from 30,814 in March 2014. The over-the-year decline came in several industries, including trade, transportation and warehousing, accommodations and food services, health care and social assistance, and manufacturing.
Mr. William “Bill” Franklin Gibson, Jr., age 67, of Menlo, GA, died Saturday, April 18, 2015, at Redmond Regional Medical Center.
Mr. Gibson was born August 29, 1947, in Cohutta, GA, son of the late William “Bill” Franklin and Bertha Howell Gibson, Sr. He was a member of the Christian Home Baptist Church, and was employed as a Truck Driver with Textile Rubber. He was also a member of the National Guard for 21 years. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his granddaughters, Ciera Nicole Key and Taylor Sipes.
Mr. Gibson is survived by his wife, Nora Croy; sons and daughters-in-law, Shane and Elaine Gibson, Gary and Shannon Gibson, and Chris and Jill Gibson; a daughter and son-in-law, Janie and Anthony Herndon; a brother, Steven Gibson; sisters and brothers-in-law, Joyce and Kenneth Combs, Sylvia and Melvin Sane, Beverly and Earl Burnette, and Carolyn and Henry Beaty.
Funeral services for Mr. Gibson will be held at 2:00 P.M. Tuesday, April 21, 2015, from the Mason Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Shane Gibson and Rev. Eric Greeson officiating. Interment will follow in the West Hill Cemetery. Active pallbearers will be Eric Gibson, Noah Gibson, Christopher Gibson, Patrick Strawn, Ricky Phillips, and Henry Ingle. Honorary pallbearers will be all personal friends.
Mr. Gibson will be in state at Mason Funeral Home and the family will receive friends from 6:00 until 8:00 P.M. Monday, April 20, 2015. Mason Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements for Mr. William “Bill” Franklin Gibson, Jr. who passed away on Saturday.
Scientists classify armadillos with anteaters and sloths. This tells us that they have poorly developed teeth and limited mobility. In fact, armadillos have small, peg-like teeth that are useful for grinding their food but of little value for capturing prey. No other mammal in Georgia has bony skin plates or a “shell”, which makes the armadillo easy to identify. Just like a turtle, the shell is called a carapace. Armadillos are common in central and southern Georgia and are moving northward. Only one species of armadillo lives in Georgia and the southeastern U.S.
They are considered both an exotic species and a pest. However, Georgia law prohibits keeping armadillos in captivity. Because they are not protected in Georgia they can be hunted or trapped throughout the year. There are no specific threats to their survival. Armadillos have few natural predators. Many are killed while trying to cross roads or highways or when feeding along roadsides. Because they do not tolerate cold temperatures (below about 36o), several studies suggest that further northward migration into the Appalachian Mountains will be limited. Armadillos dig their own burrows or use the burrow of another armadillo, tortoises or natural holes. They do not hibernate but neither can they tolerate high temperature (above about 85o). Armadillos rely on a good sense of smell to locate food but have poor eyesight. They eat insects and surrounding soil and plant litter while foraging so their droppings consist of undigested insect parts, soil, and litter fragments.
Armadillos are found to consume earthworms, crabs, crayfish, butterfly and moth larvae, fruits and vertebrates. Feeding activity, such as digging, is often considered a nuisance, although consumption of ants, including fire ants and white grubs may be beneficial in other ways. They seem undeterred by the bite of the fire ant. Foraging pits are up to 5 inches deep and are often found in moist soil. Soil type is important due to their burrowing. They prefer sandy or clay soils. Armadillo can be found in pine forests, hardwood woodlands, grass prairies, salt marsh and coastal dunes. Human created habitats such as pasture, cemeteries, parks, golf courses, plant nurseries and croplands also provide suitable habitat. They also forage along roadsides.
Armadillo may carry diseases transmissible to humans, but reports are rare. Armadillo can acquire leprosy and are used in medical research to study this disease. Armadillos are used in medical research to study leprosy in humans. Only two cases are known in which a human contracted leprosy from wild armadillos. Both cases are from Texas and the transmission occurred by consuming raw or undercooked armadillo meat. There are no reported positive cases in Georgia, Alabama, or Florida.
Armadillo can be controlled by trapping. No bait, lure or attractant has been shown to be effective in increasing capture success although there are numerous report of baits used with varying success. No repellents are registered for use with armadillo. No toxicants (poisons) are registered for use. Pesticide use to reduce insect populations in landscape settings may be effective. No fumigants are registered for use to control armadillo. Shooting is an effective control technique. Use a .22 caliber rifle in a safe and legal manner. Check city and county ordinances before discharging weapons. Always practice safe gun handling procedures.
Hays State Prison has a part-time Storekeeper position available. The position pays $8.92 an hour for a 29 hour a week. For more information on this job opening or other jobs with Hays State Prison contact Patty Bishop at 706-857-0402. This job opening will close on April 24th.
Seven Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) students won gold and silver medals at the annual SkillsUSA State Championships held recently in Atlanta.
The GNTC students competed against students from other technical colleges in Georgia. The competition allowed students to take the skills, knowledge, and experience that they have gained in their program of study and apply it to a real-world project based on industry standards.
“We are very proud of our students,” said Michael Myers, lead advisor for the SkillsUSA organization at GNTC. “They did a great job of recruiting for SkillsUSA and they did a lot of community service around the college and community.”
Listed are the SkillsUSA Georgia gold medal winners from GNTC (student’s name, program of study, campus, and hometown)
Austin Hill, Automotive Service Technology, Walker County Campus, Crandall
Ashtin Pope, Technical Drafting, Walker County Campus, Chickamauga
Dillon Worley, Welding, Floyd County Campus, Summerville
Listed are the SkillsUSA Georgia silver medal winners from GNTC:
Patrick Hayes, Chapter Display, Walker County Campus, Chickamauga
Logan Hendricks, Chapter Display, Walker County Campus, Rossville
Serra Hendricks, Chapter Display, Walker County Campus, Rossville
Patrick Keith, Technical Drafting, Walker County Campus, Ringgold
The three gold medal winners will compete at the national level, June 22-27, in Louisville, Ky.
“They will not only represent GNTC at nationals; they will represent the State of Georgia,” said Myers.
SkillsUSA is a national, nonprofit student organization that has developed more than 10 million workers through active partnerships between employers, educators, and industry leaders. SkillsUSA programs include local, state and national competitions in which students demonstrate occupational and leadership skills. At the annual national-level SkillsUSA Championships, nearly 6,000 students compete in 99 occupational and leadership skill areas.
Since 1962, Georgia Northwestern Technical College has been instrumental in providing quality workforce education to the citizens of Northwest Georgia. The mission of Georgia Northwestern Technical College is to provide accessible, high quality technical education and workforce development opportunities. Serving the nine counties of Catoosa; Chattooga; Dade; Floyd; Gordon; Murray; Polk; Walker; and Whitfield, GNTC has five convenient campus locations in Floyd, Gordon, Polk, Walker, and Whitfield counties. With programs of study in business, health, industrial, and public service available, students have the opportunity to earn an associate’s degree, diploma, or a certificate from GNTC. This past year, 14,562 people benefited from GNTC’s credit and noncredit programs. With an annual credit enrollment of 8,249 students, GNTC is the largest college in Northwest Georgia and the fifth largest technical college in the state of Georgia. GNTC has an additional enrollment of 6,313 people through adult education, continuing education, business and industry training, and Georgia Quick Start.
Mr. Alex Fowler, age 68, of Trion, GA, died Thursday, April 16, 2015, at Kennestone Hospital.
Mr. Fowler was born March 10, 1947, in Summerville, GA, son of the late J. D. and Roxie Jane Hunter Fowler. He was employed with Mohawk. Mr. Fowler is survived by his wife, Penny Comer Fowler; a son, Jimmy Dale Fowler; daughters, Beverly Sumner and Selena Wester; brothers, William Fowler and Donnie Fowler; 6 grandchildren; and 2 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services for Mr. Fowler will be held at 2:00 P.M. Sunday, April 19, 2015, from the Mason Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. David Dutton officiating. Interment will follow in the Summerville Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Tim Wester, J. T. Wester, Buck Leath, Danny Parrish, Chris Fowler, and Dalton Colbert.
Mr. Fowler will be in state at Mason Funeral Home and the family will receive friends from 6:00 until 8:00 P.M. Saturday, April 18, 2015. Mason Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements for Mr. Alex Fowler who died on Thursday.
Mrs. Robbie Yarbrough Daido, age 85, of Summerville, GA died Friday, April 17, 2015
at Oakview Nursing & Rehabilitation Center .
Mrs. Daido was born September 5, 1929 in Chattooga County, GA, the daughter of the
late Nathaniel Ethridge Yarbrough and Beedie Lois Dempsey Yarbrough. She was
a homemaker and a Kennedy Center Hostess. Mrs. Daido was a member of Oak Hill
Methodist Church. Other than her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband,
Don Daido; son, Paul Daido; sisters, Drucilla Wilson, Hazel Moseley; brothers, Glenn
Yarbrough and Raymond Yarbrough.
Survivors include her son and daughter-in-law, David and Lisa Daido; brothers and
sister-in-law, Joe and Laverne Yarbrough, and Harvey Yarbrough; sisters and brother-
in-law, Judy and Earl Callan, and Lillian Green; granddaughters, Hannah Daido and
Corinne Daido; and grandson, Jonathan Daido.
Funeral services will be held at 4:00 p. m. Sunday, April 19, 2015 at Mason Funeral Home with Rev. Jack Gillespie and Rev. Bill Adams officiating. Burial will
be in King David Memorial Gardens.
Mrs. Daido will be in state at Mason Funeral Home and the family will receive friends
from 2:00 p. m. until the service hour on Sunday. In lieu of flowers the family respectfully request memorials be made to Oak Hill United Methodist Church Cemetery
Fund.
Mason Funeral Home is directing.
Mrs. Carolyn Rebecca Clark Gideon, age 66 of Rome, Georgia, passed away Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at a Rome Hospital.
Mrs. Gideon was born in Trion, Georgia on September 14, 1948, daughter of Mrs. Doris Grogan Clark Morgan and the late William Roy Clark, Sr. She was a childhood member of the Trion First Baptist Church and prior to her retirement was employed by the State of Georgia Technology Services. Mrs. Gideon loved to read, bake, work in her flower garden, and do anything that pertained to computers. She loved music and was an avid animal lover and was a supporter of animal rights. In addition to her father, Mrs. Gideon was preceded in death by a son Larry Robert Gideon.
Mrs. Gideon is survived by her mother, Doris Clark Morgan of Rome, Ga; a brother, William Roy Clark, Jr. and his wife, Toni of Cumming, GA; a sister, Jane Clark Blackman and her husband, Tom of Trion; special friends, Mike and Betty Free and her furry children, Peanut and Clyde.
Funeral Services for Mrs. Gideon will be held Sunday, April 19, 2015 at 3:00 P.M. in the Petitt Chapel of the Coffman Funeral Home with Rev. Ken Johnson officiating. Interment will follow in the West Hill Cemetery.
Pallbearers will be Michael Heath, Terry Money, Randy Gayler, Barry Bullard and Chris Carter.
Mrs. Gideon will be in state at the Coffman Funeral Home and the family will receive friends Sunday afternoon from 2:00 P.M. until the funeral hour.
Coffman Funeral Home, Petitt Chapel is honored to be serving the family of Mrs. Carolyn Rebecca Clark Gideon.
Scientists at the University of Georgia are seeking the public's help in tracking stink bugs.
Sharon Dowdy – University of Georgia entomologists are asking Georgians to help track an insect that loves to stow away in homes and has the potential to hurt the state’s cotton and blueberry crops.
The brown marmorated stink bug, a native of Asia, was first spotted in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 1998 and has since been found in 42 states and two Canadian provinces, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. To date, it is classified as a nuisance pest in Georgia, but could quickly become an agricultural pest, too. Paul Guillebeau, an entomologist with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, decided to find out how many Georgians are unwillingly hosting the pest.
Click here to participate in Gullibeau’s tracking survey. The three-question survey will remain open until responses begin to dwindle, and the state has been represented.
Guillebeau likens the pest to lady beetles and kudzu bugs that also torment homeowners by slipping through the tiniest crack to find a warm spot indoors. The stink bugs are first attracted to light and then to the warmer temperatures indoors.
UGA research professional Brian Little began tracking the brown marmorated stink bug’s movement in January as part of a collaborative project with scientist Jim Walgenbach at North Carolina State University. Little set up stink bug stations at Gullibeau’s house, where he monitors the temperature at which the bugs come out of their diapause, or physiological state of dormancy. Little recently completed his master’s degree from the college on the UGA campus in Tifton where he studied how southern green and brown stink bugs affect cotton crops.
“These stink bugs target the quarter-sized cotton bolls, and pesticide applications are applied when the plants are loading bolls at that stage,” he said. “When the bolls become larger and harder, the southern green and brown stink bugs stop attacking the cotton plants.” Unfortunately, this is when the brown marmorated stink bug takes over. It attacks the larger sized, hardened cotton bolls. “They are more of an issue in apples, tomatoes and other fruit in the North and they have just recently moved into Georgia. We do not want them to become an issue in Georgia cotton production or get into our blueberries,” Little said.