DawsonTimes.com

[ In Schools ]
TCSG State Board Approves New Fee Structure for GED® Test-takers
Georgia’s adult learners who want to improve their education have easy access to free programs that offer adult education and GED preparation through the Technical College System of Georgia’s (TCSG) Office of Adult Education...
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[ In Government & Politics ]
Georgia Senate Passes Landmark Criminal Justice Reform Bill
 In a great show of bipartisan support today, the Georgia Senate passed HB 1176 by a vote of 51 to 0. The comprehensive sentencing and corrections reform bill promises to save Georgia taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, move low-level offenders permanently out of the system, and improve overall public safety. Sen. Bill Hamrick (R-Carrollton), a long-time supporter of criminal justice reform in Georgia, carried the bill...
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[ In Government & Politics ]
Rep. Graves Announces Spring/Summer 2012 County Connection Days
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA-9) has announced the 2012 spring/summer dates for his 9th Congressional District County Connection Program. A Constituent Services Representative from Congressman Graves’ office will be available to meet with constituents on the following dates and locations...
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[ In Government & Politics ]
Sen. Gooch: Weekly Legislative Update
Bidding will start next Friday on the new Cleveland Connector project, which is scheduled to break ground in June 2012.White County, which is in the heart of Georgia’s mountain country, is home to several of North Georgia’s most popular tourist destinations. On any given weekend, travelers come from all over to visit the cities of Helen and Blairsville. The Cleveland Connector, which will run from U.S. highway 129 south to state route 115 near the intersection of Tesnatee Gap Valley Rd., will help ease congestion during peak tourism months...
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Lauri Jo’s Southern Style Canning Takes Home First Place at the2012 Flavor of Georgia Food Product Contest
This year’s 2012 winner of the Flavor of Georgia food product contest in the jam, jelly and sauce category is Muscadine Pepper Jelly from the kitchen of Lauri Jo’s Southern Style Canning. Final judging was held on March 13 at the Georgia Freight Depot in Atlanta during the Governor's annual agricultural awareness week...
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Regents Approve 17 General Education Courses for Transfer to Support Complete College Goals
Today, the Board of Regents voted to accept an additional 17 general education courses in the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) as transferable to the University System of Georgia (USG) for credit in the core curriculum, the basic courses all students must take to earn a degree...
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[ In Opinion ]
The County Commissioner
I been thinkin a lot about all the political shenanigans we been watchin lately, and it reminded me of old Dub Johnston when he ran for County Commissioner down here in Nankipooh. Now Dub had moved into Nankipooh about fifteen years before, when he bought old man Robertson's Feed and Grain. Dub was a likable man mainly cause he was the one always buyin the drinks, or pickin up the tab down at the cafe. In fact his favorite sayin was "I got money I ain't even spent yet"...
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[ In Government & Politics ]
Georgia Senate Passes School Grading Bill
The legislation requires a numerical score rating for individual schools and school systems based on student achievement, achievement gap closure and student progress. It also requires that a letter grade be assigned to each school and school system and included on each school and school system’s annual report card. The grade is derived from the numerical score, with a majority of the grade based on student achievement...
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[ In Government & Politics ]
Sen. Gooch: Under the Gold Dome Update
Each year, the General Assembly is constitutionally mandated to pass a balanced state budget. On Thursday, we were one step closer toward fulfilling this goal with the passage of the Senate’s FY 2012 amended budget...
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[ In Government & Politics ]
Georgia Ports Authority Showcases Regional Impact
For the Georgia Mountains Regional Commission area, the profile focused on major exports such as poultry, farm machinery and electric power equipment. The 13-county region did $71.4 million in export trade and $115.9 million in import trade, for a total of $187.3 million in port business in FY2011...
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[ In Opinion ]
The Nankipooh Enquirer - "The Shell Game"
When I was a young man a small carnival passed through Nankipooh, and we was all excited about things like havin a Gypsy tell our fortune, and getin to see an elephant. One of the things I remember most was a man with three walnut shells and a green pea, and for a quarter, you got to guess which shell the pea was under. Of course that's hard to do even if the game is honest, but if it ain't, then you got no chance at all...
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[ In Schools ]
$50,000 Donation From AT&T Will Help Low-Income Students Pay GED® Test Fees
Georgia’s adult learners who can’t afford the cost of a GED test are getting some big help from AT&T. The telecommunications giant has donated $50,000 to the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) to create GED testing scholarships for qualified, low-income students. The fund will be administered through the TCSG Office of Adult Education, which manages the state’s GED instruction and testing programs...
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[ In Government & Politics ]
Secretary of State Kemp Announces Release of Elections Advisory Council Final Report and Recommendations
The EAC, comprised of experienced election officials and leaders from across Georgia, looked particularly at improvements that will create cost savings and increase efficiencies for state, county and local governments...
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[ In Schools ]
Sue Ferguson is Chosen as Lanier Technical College’s GOAL Winner
Sue Ferguson, a Business Administrative Technology student at the Dawson Campus in Dawsonville, has been named as the college’s winner of the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL). The announcement was made at the Gainesville Lions Club luncheon on January 31st. The Lions Club is a sponsor of the GOAL program along with the college’s Student Government Association....
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[ In Government & Politics ]
Sen. Gooch: Week 2 Legislative Update
The 2012 Legislative session is off to a fast start as lawmakers have already passed several pieces of legislation and met to discuss the Governor’s budget recommendations.  In addition to my duties at the Capitol, I spent time this week meeting with several key leaders from throughout the 51^st District as well as my constituents...
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[ In Opinion ]
Professional Fools: The Nankipooh Enquirer
It sure has been fun sittin around down here in Nankipooh watchin the professional politicians make fools of themselves. This Presidential election has got to be just about the most confusin one this country, and Old Bascomb have ever seen. The Skunks and Polecats parties couldn't put on a better show, if they was P.T. Barnum and Mr. Baily themselves, with a whole tent full of clowns, which is of course is just another name for fools...
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[ In Government & Politics ]
Sen. Gooch: Future Looks Bright for Georgia
In what is normally a traditionally ceremonial first day of session, members of the Georgia General Assembly passed two significant bills aimed at setting a positive course for Georgia’s future. On the opening day of session, Senators worked to advance student achievement in the classroom and ensure the right people are in place to lead our students...
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[ In Breaking News ]
Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office Launches Sex Offender Operation
On January 10, 2012 the Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with other agencies including the United States Marshals Service, United States Secret Service, Georgia Department of Corrections, Georgia State Bureau of Pardons and Paroles, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Appalachian Drug Task Force, and the Enotah Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office conducted a sex offender registry compliance operation in Lumpkin County... 
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[ In Government & Politics ]
Clint Smith to Run for State House of Representatives District 9 Seat
Clint Smith of Dawson County has announced his candidacy for the State House District 9 legislative seat. The new district includes all of Lumpkin County, the majority of Dawson County and a portion of Hall County. A long time Republican activist, Clint Smith served in the Georgia House of Representatives for eight years...
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[ In Schools ]
Regents to Consider Merger of North Georgia College & State University and Gainesville State College
If approved, the consolidation would combine the strengths of the two institutions to create a regional university of nearly 15,000 students that is steeped in tradition and poised for the future. The blending of North Georgia and Gainesville State will create new opportunities for students – including a broad range of academic programming from associate degrees through graduate-level education – and enhance economic development for the entire northeast Georgia region...
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[ In Schools ]
Congressional Art Competition Open to High School Students in 9th Congressional District
U.S. Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA-9) is sponsoring the annual 9th District Congressional Art Competition.  The competition showcases the artistic talent of high school students in the district.  Work submitted to the competition will be on display from February 13th through March 14th...
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[ In Opinion ]
Will Rogers and Politics
Back durin the Great Depression, when we was in really hard times, and the country was hurtin real bad, there was a man named Will Rogers who kept us all on balance by makin fun of some of the things that was hurtin us the most. One of his favorite subjects was the government, and if he was alive today, he sure would have a lot of ammunition to fire off at these rascals we got runnin things today...
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[ In Schools ]
Pinecrest Academy Implements Latest in Classroom Interactive Technologies
Pinecrest Academy has launched a technology system which provides the latest in classroom interactive technologies. After testing many different interactive solutions for the classroom, the school’s IT team took the best features from several different products and combined them to provide the greatest possible experience for both students and teachers...
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[ In Government & Politics ]
Georgia Republicans Oppose Irresponsible Tax Policy
Today, the House of Representatives rejected the Senate amendment to H.R. 3630, the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act, and requested a meeting with the Senate to work out a compromise. The Senate’s amendment to the legislation only extended the tax relief through February, setting up yet another showdown on this issue in the coming months...
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[ In Government & Politics ]
Ribbon Cutting for the Dawson County Government Center
The citizens of Dawson County are invited to attend the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting for the Dawson County Government Center. Tuesday, January 3, 2012...
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[ In Government & Politics ]
Dawson County Government Offices Moving to New Facility in January
On Wednesday, January 4, 2012, Dawson County government and judicial offices and services will begin moving into the new government center located at 25 Justice Way, Dawsonville, GA 30534. The move will be conducted in several phases and is expected to conclude by early February...
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[ In Government & Politics ]
Graves Statement on Bob Barr Decision not to Run for Congress in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District

U.S. Rep. Tom Graves released the following statement after former Congressman Bob Barr announced today he would not be challenging Rep. Graves in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District:

"Julie and I appreciate Bob and Jeri’s continued commitment to serving our nation.  During his tenure in Congress, I closely followed Bob’s work, learning much from his principled positions for less government and more personal freedom...

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[ In Opinion ]
The Nankipooh Enquirer - "Preachin"
...Now her daddy being an educated man and all, fancied himself to know a bit about public speakin, him bein the school principal and all. It seems that the old preacher at the church they went to had a bad habit of not lookin at the congregation while he preached. Instead he usually stared at a patch of ceiling back behind them while he gave his sermon. Now after a few years of this, Pa, as I called my wife's daddy, got just about fed up with this, since the man's sermons were kinda borin anyhow. Now Pa was a man of action, so he decided that he would take that old preacher aside and teach him a little bit about talkin in public...
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[ In Schools ]
Lanier Technical College Earns COC Accreditation
On December 6, 2011, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC) voted to accredit Lanier Technical College. “This is the culmination of a five-year effort by Lanier Technical College,” said President Russell Vandiver. “Regional accreditation by a body such as SACS-COC is the gold standard for academic quality"....
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[ In Opinion ]
"The Christmas Tree"
When I was a boy growin up on the old Biggers' farm in Nankipooh, we always cut a tree off of our land to use as a Christmas tree. Now we had lots of different trees to choose from, but we always had a cedar tree for our Christmas tree. One year when I was about fifteen, I had spotted a perfect tree up by the main road that was just the right shape and size, so I asked my Grandpa about cuttin it. He said no, since that he could see it from the house, he wanted it to stay there, and I should go further back in the woods behind the house and get one from back there...
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