EAST METRO Top Stories for Jan 25th
Publish Date: Jan 24th
Commercial: Henssler :15
From the Ingles Studio, Welcome to The Community Podcast. This Podcast brings you the top stories from the Rockdale-Newton Citizen and the Morgan Citizen.
Today is Thursday, January 25th and Happy 68th birthday to Fine Young Cannibals guitarist Andy Cox.
***01.25.24 – BIRTHDAY – ANDY COX***
I’m KEITH IPPOLITO and here are your top stories presented by Drake Realty
Plus, Bruce Jenkins’ conversation with Leah McGrath from Ingles Markets on economical snacks for kids.
These stories and more are coming up in today’s edition of the Community Podcast for Rockdale, Newton, and Morgan Counties! Please like, follow, and subscribe.
BREAK: DRAKE
STORY 1: Georgia lawmakers want smaller pre-k classes, more teacher pay
An ad hoc committee of Georgia House lawmakers is recommending improvements to the state's pre-kindergarten program. The committee suggests smaller class sizes, higher teacher pay, and increased funding for operating and capital costs. The decline in pre-kindergarten enrollment is attributed to challenges in hiring teachers at state-funded salaries and insufficient funding for classrooms. The report proposes reducing the average class size from 22 to 20, raising assistant teachers' salaries, aligning them with K-12 paraprofessionals, and updating the pre-k formula for operations. The recommendations, costing just over $100 million annually, would be funded from the Georgia Lottery Corp.'s reserves. The goal is to offer pre-k to every eligible child in the state.
STORY 2: Conyers Police Department Partners with Nonprofits to Hold Food Pantries
The Conyers Police Department has successfully concluded a community initiative to provide food to thousands of Rockdale County residents in need. Collaborating with two metro-Atlanta nonprofit organizations, officers organized five community food pantries that served over 1,000 households and had more than 334 attendees since the launch on Nov. 26. The Community Outreach Unit, partnering with 1Powerhouse Inc. and Angeles Unidos Inc., organized dates, times, and locations for the pantries. The initiative goes beyond providing food and household items, aiming to address community concerns, recruit local members, and promote future events. The Community Outreach Unit plans to continue hosting these events at least twice a month with the same organizations to establish a strong connection between the police agency and the community.
STORY 3: Madison's Director of Planning Monica Callahan honored with federal preservation award
Monica Callahan, Director of Planning in Madison, received the U.S. Department of the Interior's Historic Preservation Award, one of four awarded annually. Callahan, a city employee for 25 years, transformed the planning and zoning department. She received the Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland’s award for a certified local government historic preservation officer. Callahan is the first Georgian to receive this award. The award recognizes her outstanding contributions in historic preservation, and under her leadership, Madison's Planning Department has led the country in innovation. The award comes with a $1,000 prize, which Callahan plans to donate for preservation-based purposes.
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We’ll be right back
Break: ESOG – CARDINAL CLEANERS
STORY 4: Retention Bonus Extended to All Employees in Newton County School System
The Newton County School System has extended the $1,000 retention bonus initially intended for teachers to include all employees. The Board of Education unanimously voted to extend the bonus to all staff at a cost of approximately $531,500. The bonuses are expected to be paid this month, following the recommendation of Superintendent Dr. Duke Bradley III. Full-time benefit eligible employees will receive $1,000, while all other employees will receive $500. The move aims to ensure fairness and recognizes the contributions of all school system employees. The midyear budget included $330 million for one-time pay supplements, with $1,000 for teachers and school support staff.
STORY 5: Tax credit to help kids aging out of foster care raises nearly $10 million
The nonprofit Fostering Success Act Inc. (FSA) raised nearly $10 million during its first year to support foster children aging out of the system. Legislation passed by the General Assembly authorized $20 million for the tax credit, and FSA received $9.7 million in contributions from over 180 businesses and individuals. The funds helped over 100 young people enroll at 37 universities and technical colleges in Georgia. The tax credit aims to change the trajectory of the lives of young individuals aging out of foster care, addressing issues such as homelessness, chronic poverty, incarceration, and human trafficking. Individual taxpayers and married couples can receive state income tax credits for contributions, with corporate donations limited to 10% of the company's annual tax liability. More information can be found on FSA's [website](https://fosteringsuccessact.org/).
We’ll be back in a moment.
Break: GCPS – INGLES 6
STORY 6: Interview
And now here is Bruce Jenkins’ conversation with Leah McGrath from Ingles Markets to discuss economical snacks for kids.
STORY 7: LEAH INTERVIEW
We’ll have closing comments after this.
Break: Henssler :60
Signoff-
Thanks again for hanging out with us on today’s Community Podcast. If you enjoy these shows, we encourage you to check out our other offerings, like the Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast, the Gwinnett Daily Post, the Community Podcast for Rockdale Newton and Morgan Counties, or the Paulding County News Podcast.
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