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The ADVANCE, July 14, 2021/Page 3A
Georgia jobless claims not involving
layoffs slowing benefits processing
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
The processing of first
time unemployment claims
in Georgia is being slowed
down because the vast ma
jority do not involve layoffs,
the state Department of La
bor reported Thursday.
Only 10% of May’s
74,783 initial jobless claims
resulted from Georgians be
ing laid off from their jobs,
according to labor depart
ment data. Layoffs account
ed for 49% of claims at the
height of the coronavirus
pandemic in April of last
year.
“Claims filed due to lay
offs are determined quickly
and payments can be re
leased without delay,” Geor
gia Commissioner of Labor
Mark Butler said. “However,
we are not seeing many sim
ple layoff claims at this time,
and we must review each
claim thoroughly to ensure
a claimant is eligible.”
Delays in processing
first-time unemployment
claims have been a frequent
complaint since COVID-19
struck Georgia in March of
last year, forcing businesses
to close and lay off workers.
Such delays are among the
allegations in a class-action
lawsuit filed against the la
bor department last month.
Last week was the first
full week since Georgia end
ed its participation in sev
eral federal unemployment
insurance programs begun
during the pandemic. How
ever, 19,761 jobless Geor
gians still filed initial unem
ployment claims during the
week, down 988 from the
week before.
With the federal pro
grams discontinued, claim
ants for state unemploy
ment are required to be able
and available to work and be
actively seeking a job during
each week they’re asking for
benefits.
Information on the
best way to conduct work
searches can be found on the
agency’s website at doLgeor-
gia.gov.
The labor department
has processed more than 4.9
million first-time unemploy
ment claims since March of
last year, more than during
the last 10 years before the
pandemic. The agency has
paid out more than $22.8
billion in state and federal
jobless benefits.
More than 203,000 jobs
are listed on EmployGeor-
gia. Claimants receive access
to job listings, support to up
load up to five searchable re
sumes, job search assistance,
career counseling, skills test
ing, job fair information and
job training services.
MoCo
continued from page 1A
Some of the activi
ties Faircloth listed include
drama, drones, STEM ac
tivities, Quiz Bowl, school
newspaper, and Spanish as
well as other engaging ac
tivities.
“Students who are cu
rious, who desire to know
more, who do more, who
are original thinkers and
open to discovering their
gifts will excel in the pro
gram,” Faircloth said.
Assistant Principal
Keen explained that the
school’s instructors have
spent many days collaborat
ing and sharing ideas, which
has led to the creation of
curriculum maps and pacing
guides. She explained that
this is a large feat because it
means most of the prepara
tion for the school has been
completed. The program
has four teachers: Amber
Street and Karen Walker
for the elementary grades
(K-5) and Leslie Thomas
and Amanda McCoy for the
middle grades. Currently,
73 students are enrolled, but
the Academy has the capac
ity for 80 students.
Dr. Faircloth empha
sized that the Academy is in
tended to be a program that
allows students to grow aca
demically without removing
them completely from their
peers. She noted a main
concern parents shared fol
lowing the announcement
about the creation of the
Academy was that students
would be separated from
their peers for most of the
school day.
“Based on that feed
back, a great deal of care
went into planning and
schedules were rearranged
so that the students would
be able to be in their home
schools and interact with
their friends on a daily ba
sis,” Dr. Faircloth clarified.
“The elementary students
will be bused to the elemen
tary school daily where they
will be able to have lunch
and go to rotations and re
cess with their grade band
(K-2, and 3-5) peers. Stu
dents in grades 6-8 will also
be able to walk over to the
middle school for breaks
and connections with their
grade band peers. Students
at both schools will also join
their peers for picture days,
assemblies, and programs.”
In preparation for the
new school year, Academy
teachers and administra
tors have prepared “back
to school backpacks” with
school supplies for students
which they will receive the
first day of school.
Proud to put people first
with the Second Draw PPP
Our lenders issued over 165 loans
to local businesses that have helped
save thousands of jobs in our community.
Peoples
Bank
2301 E 1st St., Vidalia, GA 30474 • 912-537-9900
299 West Liberty Ave., Lyons, GA 30436 • 912-526-8171
912-524-2000
www. ourpeoplesbank. com
Hometown People, Hometown Spirit
tvseTecxdkable MorweKf:
Why are there no mosquitoes at Disney World?
Disney World in Florida is built fully selected so that no water will
on land that was swampland filled puddle in them or around them,
with stagnant water notorious for And bodies of water are filled with
growing mosquitoes. However, by fish, such as minnows, koi and gold
combining different methods of fish that eat mosquito larvae.
pest control, Disney
technicians have
created a mostly
pest-free park in the
middle of swamp
country.
The park’s pest
control methods
were introduced by
one man hired by
Walt Disney in the
1960s, Major Gen
eral William “Joe”
Potter, an MIT
graduate, engineer
ing expert, and the
previous governor of the Panama
Canal Zone.
First, Potter eliminated stag
nant water by constructing clev
erly disguised drainage ditches all
through the Park with fountains
and constantly flowing water. All
the architecture around the park
has buildings that are curved,
sloped, arched, and angled so there
Disney keeps
chickens in coops all
around the park, be
cause chickens are
natural mosquito
predators. Since the
viruses that mosqui
toes carry don’t hurt
the chickens but
do still show up in
chicken blood, sci
entists can monitor
the mosquito popu
lations.
Carbon dioxide
mosquito traps are
all over the property, and trapped
mosquitoes are frozen and studied
to discover where they congregate
most to guide the use of mosquito
control methods. An extract of liq
uid garlic is used as a nonchemical
spray, and miles of park are sprayed
each dawn and dusk, when mosqui
toes come out. Because of these
constantly monitored methods that
is no standing water for mosquitoes the park uses on a daily basis, the
to lay eggs. All the plants are care- mosquitoes are minimized.
Wheeler County Receives Almost
$13,000 from USDA Grant
Wheeler County has
received almost $13,000
through a U.S. Department
of Agriculture grant for im
proving community facili
ties and essential services
in rural Georgia.
In Wheeler County,
the funding from USDA’s
Community Facilities Di
rect Loan and Grant Pro
gram will be used for pub
lic safety and upgrading
emergency response ser
vices. The matching grant
will fund an EMS radio
system upgrade and pur
chase police cameras and
computers.
USDA is investing
$185 million to equip,
rebuild, and modernize
essential services in ru
ral areas of 32 states. The
investments will benefit
3 million rural residents.
Of this total, $2.6 million
is being invested in rural
Georgia.
More than 100 types
of projects are eligible
for Community Facili
ties funding. Eligible ap
plicants include munici
palities, public bodies,
nonprofit organizations
and federally recognized
Native American tribes.
Projects must be in rural
areas with a population of
20,000 or less.
Under the Biden-Har-
ris Administration, Rural
Development provides
loans and grants to help ex
pand economic opportu
nities, create jobs and im
prove the quality of life for
millions of Americans in
rural areas. This assistance
supports infrastructure
improvements; business
development; housing;
community facilities such
as schools, public safety
and health care; and high
speed internet access in ru
ral, tribal and high-poverty
areas.
SUDOKU So,oHon ■ page ,0A
Fun By The
Numbers
Like puzzles?
Then you’ll love
sudoku. This
mind-bending
puzzle will have
you hooked from
the moment you
square off, so
sharpen your
pencil and put
your sudoku
savvy to the test!
Level: intermediate
Here’s How It Works:
Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine
3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each
row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row,
column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will
appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The
more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!
6
1
5
2
3
4
8
4
1
2
6
4
5
9
3
8
4
9
2
3
6
7
1
8
9
7
Oliver Jenkins, MD
Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist
Dr. Jenkins is a board certified
otolaryngologist and head and neck
surgeon specializing in the diagnosis
and treatment of general ear and sinus
conditions, sleep apnea, and allergies.
Treating pediatric and adult patients.
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TWO LOCATIONS:
Jesup
125 Memorial Drive
Blackshear
Pierce County
Health Center
333 W. Carter Avenue
* Wayne Memorial
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