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
Parents and students are invited to share with the community senior class pictures, and high school or college graduation photos in the gallery below.
Post pictures by clicking on the "Upload Photos and Videos" button. Don't forget to include well wishes or special memories in the caption.
A church known for protesting at soldiers’ funerals held Saturday a demonstration to praise a tornado that caused devastation in a college town. Tell us if you think the church is deserving of its media attention or the efforts of counter-protesters.
Wherever this church goes, controversy and attention seem to follow. The Westboro Baptist Church has long been known for picketing the funerals of American soldiers as members believe those men and women died because of homosexuality “and other sins of America,” according to one of their latest press releases. One of the latest protests put on by members of the Topeka, Kansas-based church occurred Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on the University of Alabama campus. Church members were there, according to a report from The Tuscaloosa News, to proclaim that the April 27, 2011, tornado had been the wrath of God. “God in His infinite kindness, wisdom & mercy WARNED YOU! He sent His whirlwind to Tuscaloosa … killing 36 (including 3 students), …
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Flowers, vegetables, or a mix of both? Let's see photos of your garden sanctuary.
From a window flower bed to a backyard veggie patch to acres of fields - how does your garden grow? Share pictures by clicking on the "Upload photos and videos" button to add your images to our gallery.
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…
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 …
Monday, May 13, 2013
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ suffered a skull fracture during a game last week when a line drive hit him in the head. Tell us if you think Major League Baseball or any other leagues should implement helmets for pitchers.
"I don't remember seeing [the ball]. Just immediate loud ringing in my ear. Just pressure on my ear, and I was on the ground. That was kind of it.” That, according to an Associated Press report, was how Toronto Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ described the line drive that hit him in the head during his team’s May 7 game against Tampa Bay. The impact left him with a skull fracture and a knee that was tweaked as he fell to the ground. Happ’s injury has brought attention to other pitchers who have sustained similar injuries in the past. Major league pitcher Bryce Florie was struck in the right eye by a line drive more than a decade ago. According to Paul Newberry of the Associated Press, Florie would pitch only seven more games after that …
Sunday, May 12, 2013
A Kentucky boy accidentally shot his 2-year-old sister to death with a gun he got for his birthday.
Two-year-old Caroline Sparks loved playing outside, singing, and her 5-year-old brother, who accidentally shot her to death last week with the .22-caliber rifle he got for his birthday. CNN reports the children's mother had stepped outside for just a few minutes when the accident occurred. It was the third time in about a month that someone was shot to death by a child under 6. The boy's gun was a Crickett rifle marketed specifically for young children as "my first rifle," the CNN story said. The gun stocks come in colors such as pink and blue. Officials in Kentucky noted that gun ownership among young children is common in the area. “It’s a normal way of life, and it’s not just rural Kentucky, it’s rural America – hunting and shooting and…
How do you travel from point A to B? Show us your favorite mode of transportation.
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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…
Pam J
11:54 pm on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Okay. By the way, does everybody notice the "reply" button at the bottom of everybody's comments? If you are replying to a certain comment, please hit the "reply" so that I don't have to scroll back through all of the comments to find the comment you are replying to. Just a suggestion. more ›