Thousands enroll in Ga. Pre-K Program

Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Tuesday, July 29th, 2014, 5:04am

(WXIA) -- More than 80,000 Georgia children are enrolled in the state's Pre-K Program for the 2014-15 school year.

Pre-K is open to all 4 year olds, regardless of household income. Assistant commissioner Susan Adams said that it is the first school experience for many children.

"For this reason, we take our roles very seriously, and we work really hard to provide Georgia's children with positive and meaningful experiences," Adams said in a release.

In Pre-K, students study language, literacy and math while making new friends and building foundations for lifelong learning. The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning recommends parents visit their children's classrooms in advance to familiarize them with their new surroundings, and dress them in comfortable clothes and shoes every day. If students have a tendency to feel lonely, parents can send them to school with family photos to cheer them up, and blankets or stuffed animals to snuggle at naptime.

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Atlanta-area unemployment jumps in June

Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Monday, July 28th, 2014, 8:18am

(WXIA) -- The unemployment rate in metro Atlanta climbed again last month.

June's rate was 7.6 percent, up from 7.2 percent in May, but much lower than last June's 8.6 percent.

Gwinnett County's unemployment rate was 6.8 percent in June.

Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said the increase is due to end-of-summer job loss among non-contract school workers, an influx of graduates and students entering the workforce, and temporary layoffs in manufacturing.

So far, metro Atlanta has gained slightly more than 58,000 jobs in 2014 -- a good sign for those who are looking for work.

Metro Athens had Georgia's lowest June unemployment rate, at 6.3 percent. The highest was 10.4 percent, in the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region.

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Submitted by Don Buckindail, Director of Digital Operations

Wednesday, July 23rd, 2014, 12:18pm

Shake the cobwebs off those magic wands and dust off your glass slippers for Suwanee Performing Arts' 2014 Broadway in the Park production. A cast of 70 young local performers and 30 backstage volunteers will bring Rogers & Hammerstein's Cinderella as well as an original one-act play, Spellbound – the Musical, to the Town Center stage July 25 and 26.

A classic fairy tale set to music, Cinderella is the story of a young woman forced into a life of servitude by her cruel stepmother and self-centered stepsisters; she dreams of a better life and a chance to attend the prince's ball. With the assistance of her fairy godmother, Cinderella's dreams come true.

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Submitted by Don Buckindail, Director of Digital Operations

Monday, July 21st, 2014, 10:25am

Annual reading program features veteran and his service dog

Gwinnett County Public Library is proud to announce New York Times bestselling author Luis Carlos Montalván, a 17-year veteran and former U.S. Army captain, as the featured author for the 2014 One Book, One Community countywide reading program.

Montalván will be joined by his beloved service dog, Tuesday, for events on September 20 and 21.

Montalván and Tuesday will kick off the 2014 Suwanee Fest on Saturday, September 20 at 9 am as grand marshals for the Suwanee Fest Parade.

At 11:30 am on the Town Center Stage, Montalván will read from his children’s book, “Tuesday Tucks Me In: The Loyal Bond between a Soldier and his Service Dog,” which details a day in the life of this service dog extraordinaire as narrated by Tuesday.

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Roadwork this week: Forsyth, Gwinnett, Hall

Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Monday, July 21st, 2014, 5:30am

Roadwork this week: Forsyth, Gwinnett, Hall

(WXIA) -- Be careful, drivers -- Georgia Department of Transportation crews will be mowing in several areas of metro Atlanta this week.

Mowing typically only requires shoulder and median closures. However, workers will also patch asphalt on certain streets; patching involves a flagman or pilot vehicle directing cars through the work zone.

All projects will take place Monday, July 21 through Friday, July 25 from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily, weather permitting.

These projects are scheduled to take place in Forsyth, Gwinnett and Hall counties:

Forsyth County
* Mowing alongside Keith Bridge and Browns Bridge roads
* Asphalt removal and repair on Buford and Browns Bridge roads

Gwinnett County
* Mowing alongside Buford Highway
* Roadside litter pickup throughout the county

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Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Friday, July 18th, 2014, 3:00pm

Rain could cancel road projects for the weekend

(WXIA) -- The threat of rain this weekend could provide some welcome relief for Atlanta-area drivers.

The Georgia Department of Transportation has already postponed a handful of road projects, thanks to the weather.

WEATHER | 11Alive meteorologist Tracy Humphrey has your weekend forecast

Resurfacing on Interstate 20 in Rockdale and Newton counties, and concrete replacement on the west side of I-285 have been canceled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

GDOT said it plans to move ahead with scheduled resurfacing on I-20 between Douglasville and Villa Rica, as it is very close to finishing the work -- well ahead of its projected November completion date. However, rain may briefly halt crews.

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Chick-fil-A makes 5,900 meals for kids who receive free, reduced school lunch

Submitted by Atlanta Busines... on Thursday, July 17th, 6:28 am

(ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE) -- The owners of 60 metro Atlanta Chick-fil-A restaurants provided 5,900 lunches Wednesday to children in seven counties who typically receive free and reduced lunches at school, reports Marietta Daily Journal.

The food made its way to children through MUST Ministries, whose summer lunch program has been around for 19 years. Program volunteers meet at churches in Bartow, Cherokee, Cobb, Forsyth, Gwinnett, north Fulton, Paulding and Pickens counties five days a week to make, pack and deliver lunches to nearly 6,000 children across eight counties for 10 weeks during the summer.

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