Newspaper Page Text
12A
♦ SATURDAY, JULY2B, 2007
Warner Robins MSA Employment
(In Thousands)
May to June
+ 300 jobs
5 , 0 jj 56 , pi pi jS 588 589 11 1 1
J 1 1 ®"T“* *t‘ i ■ l, r J ■-
Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
il i— | | HHHHIBift MMi 111 111 11 Hi
Note: Warner Robins MSA comprises Houston county.
Source: Georgia Department of Labor • Michael L. Thurmond, Commissioner
Unemployment
Middle Georgia Region Compared to Georgia
~~|y 1 o%
a Middle GA □GA I Middle Georgia: 4.9% go/ 0
I Georgia: 4.7% I Q%
-7%
"* l4
Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
2006 2007
Note: Middle Georgia Region Includes Baldwin, Bibb, Crawford, Houston, Jones,
Monroe, Pulaski, Peach, Putnam, Twiggs and Wilkinson counties.
Source: Georgia Department of Labor ■ Michael L. Thurmond, Commissioner
Jobs, unemployment rate
increase in month of June
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
Both jobs and the unem
ployment rate are up in
Houston County.
For the month of June,
the Georgia Department
of Labor reported that the
unemployment rate in the
metro Warner Robins area
rose to 4.1 percent, up one
half of one percent from 3.6
percent in May. While up, the
rate for the Warner Robins
Metro Service Area, which
includes all of Houston
County, it remains below
metro Macon, the Middle
Georgia Region, the state
and national rates.
The unemployment rate
in the metro Macon area
rose to 5.2 percent in June,
up six-tenths of one percent
from 4.6 percent in May.
Metro Macon includes Bibb,
Crawford, Jones Monroe and
Twiggs counties.
The Middle Georgia region
unemployment rate rose to
Development
Special to the Journal
Commissioner Ken Stewart
of the Georgia Department
of Economic Development
and Dr. Bruce Allen, chair
man of the Annual Georgia
European Union Summit
organization, announced this
past week the launch of the
inaugural Georgia Featured
Export Product Award.
The program, according to
a release, will be the state’s
first-ever awards program
for excellence in exporting.
“Georgia’s international
trade topped S2O billion last
year,” said Stewart. “Trade
is a critical component of
Georgia’s economy and helps
our small- and medium-sized
businesses participate in the
world market.”
“The Georgia Featured
Export Award was developed
to encourage and reward
businesses as they develop
innovative products that
will find success not only in
the U.S., but also in export
markets around the world,”
said Allen.
Companies with 150
employees or less, or with
annual sales of SSO million
or less, will qualify for this
award.
Companies, according to
4.9 percent, up six-tenths of
one percent from 4.3 percent
in May. The Middle Georgia
region includes both metro
Macon and Metro Warner
Robins as well as Baldwin,
Peach, Pulaski, Putnam and
Wilkinson counties.
The state s unemployment
rate increased to 4.7 percent
in June, up six-tenths of one
percent from 4.1 percent in
May. The state s rate also
matched the U.S. unadjusted
rate of 4.7 percent in June.
The Georgia Department
of Labor explained that
unemployment typically
increases in June as stu
dents enter the workforce
looking for temporary sum
mer jobs, and recent high
school and college graduates
seek permanent employ
ment. Unemployment rose
in Georgia by 27,295 in
June.
While the local unem
ployment rate was up, the
number of initial claims for
group launches export award
the release, will be evaluated
on the basis of their product
innovation, iharket poten
tial and international export
efforts.
Those companies who are
not yet exporting but antici
pate doing so with their suc
cessful products need only
show a viable international
export business plan.
Nominations are now
being accepted, with nomi
nations limited to the first
150 companies. The dead
line is Aug. 1.
The 2008 Georgia Featured
Export Product Award will
be presented to the winner
Nov. 8 at the annual Georgia
European Union Summit
dinner and reception hosted
in Macon. Finalists will also
be recognized at the cer
emony.
This annual event, accord
ing to the release, attracts
some 200 business leaders,
consular and trade dignitar
ies and others in a celebra
tion of the growing busi
ness and commercial rela
tionships between Georgia,
the European Union and
other nations represented
in Georgia by consular and
trade offices.
The Georgia Department
of Economic Development
unemployment in metro
Warner robins for June, at
2<?2, was down 6.8 percent
from May’s 281. It was also
down 16 percent from the
312 claims in June 2006.
Of the 14 metro service
areas, only metro Brunswick
with 246 initial claims and
metro Hinesville, with 156
claims, were lower than
metro Warner Robins for the
month of June.
From May to June of 2007,
according to the Department
of Labor, Georgia lost 3,100
payroll jobs, primarily
among seasonal workers in
public schools and private
education, along with health
care, and social services. In
metro Macon, the number of
jobs was down 700, or seven
tenths of one percent, from
102,300 to 101,600.
However, in metro Warner
Robins, the number of jobs
was up 300, or one-half of
one percent, from 57,700 to
58,000.
is the state agency respon
sible for marketing Georgia
around the world.
A 2007 winner of the
Presidential E-Star Award
for export excellence, the
highly-recognized GDEcD
Trade Division actively
promotes export trade to
Georgia companies. A net
work of 10 international
offices provides support for
Georgia exporters.
The Annual Georgia
European Union Summit
organization was estab
lished in 2001 and is now a
subsidiary of the successful
Macon International Cherry
Blossom Festival, one of the
most successful internation
al festivals held annually in
the U.S. AGEUS has devel
oped strong ties between the
consular and international
trade community outside
the metro Atlanta area, thus
opening a wider business and
economic view of Georgia for
these dignitaries.
For more information
on the Georgia Featured
Export Product Award
Program and for nomina
tion forms, contact Alicja
Drojet at 404-962-4122, or
e-mail adrolet(o)georgia.org.
The form is also available at
www.georgia.org.
LOCAL
Tax-free holidays set
for Aug. 2-5 weekend
By SHARON OMAHEN
University of Georgia
Georgia’s tax free holi
days are Aug. 2-5, and
thousands of parents will
no doubt take advantage of
the tax savings. University
of Georgia financial experts
say you can save a lot more
than the 6-percent state
sales tax by taking advan
tage of the sales tax holi
days.
Retailers that sell clothes,
computers and other back
to-school items now say the
tax-free holiday weekend is
as big or bigger than the
after-Thanksgiving sales,
said Michael Rupured, a
UGACooperative Extension
consumer economics spe
cialist. Competition for your
shopping dollars on the tax
free days means that many
retailers will offer special
sales during the week.
“The only reason not to
buy your needed items dur
ing the tax-free days would
be your personal finances,”
Rupured said. “If you have
to pay with a credit card
instead of cash, the interest
on your credit card balance
can be enough to offset any
savings.”
Rupured offers some tips
to help you to save time,
MGTC receives Stay-in-School grant
From staff reports
For the third year in a row,
Middle Georgia Technical
College in partnership with
the Houston County School
system - and specifically
Northside High School, and
Northside and Thomson
middle schools - has been
awarded a Stay-In-School
Grant.
The grant, according to
a release, comes from the
Technical College System
of Georgia and its main
purpose is to help improve
high school graduation
rates and increase the per
centage of students transi
tioning to post-secondary
education.
“During the past two
years, we’ve been able to
do a tremendous amount
of outreach through the
Stay-In-School Initiative
with both teachers and stu
dents,” said Alicia Long,
Education and Career
State offers senior resource center
Special to the Journal
More aging parents of
children with developmen
tal disabilities are finding
it easier to access servic
es, according to a release,
because “one-stop shop
ping” resource centers are
established in one-third of
the state.
Now, 55 of Georgia’s 159
counties have resource cen
ters to integrate long-term
care options for seniors
and people of all ages with
developmental disabilities
into a single coordinated
system.
The Georgia Department
of Human Resources
Division of Aging Services
now has five centers, which
are operated by the Area
Agencies on Aging. They,
according to the release,
provide information, refer
rals, screening, assess
ment, crisis intervention,
short-term case manage
ment until people are con
nected with services, and
help with planning to meet
people’s needs so they can
continue living in their
communities. The resource
centers help consum
ers and family caregivers
who need either public or
private services, regard
less of their ability to pay.
In addition to the Atlanta
and Augusta centers,
there are qow sites in
the Northeast Georgia
AAA in Athens, Southern
Crescent AAA in Franklin,
and Coastal Georgia AAA
in Brunswick. The centers
are a part of the Aging
and Disability Resource
Connection pilot proj
ect, which is made avail
money and frustration:
Know what is and isn’t
exempt. During the tax-free
holiday Aug. 2-5, school
supplies are tax exempt if
they cost S2O or less per
item. So are clothing and
footwear at SIOO or less
per item. But accessories
such as purses, jewelry or
watches aren’t.
A single purchase of
$1,500 or less of person
al computers and related
items is tax exempt. But
if it’s more than $1,500,
it isn’t tax exempt. Get
more details at the Georgia
Department of Revenue
Web site (www.etax.dor.
ga.gov/salestax/holiday).
Do a little research.
Besides knowing what
items are tax exempt,
check advertisements and
flyers for sales. Look for
manufacturers’ coupons for
items you plan to buy.
If you want to buy a com
puter, find out which fea
tures and options best meet
your needs. Compare prices
from different stores, too.
Shop with a list. Write
down what clothing and
school supplies each child
needs. If computer needs
are on your list, you may
want to buy hardware at
Partnership manager for
MGTC.
“Our efforts with teach
ers have mainly focused
on understanding the high
school drop-out problem
and developing methods
and techniques that they
can use to help increase
high school graduation rates
as well as help students
understand the importance
of continuing their educa
tion beyond high school,”
said Long. “Our work with
students has focused on
eighth-, ninth-, and 10th
graders and career devel
opment activities includ
ing a Summer Enrichment
Camp, Career Scavenger
Hunt, and an Open House
at MGTC.”
Long said that she believes
focusing on eighth-, ninth
, and lOth-grade students
has enabled educators and
parents to get a head start
on tackling the drop-out
able through cooperative
agreements by the U.S.
Administration on Aging
and the Centers for Medicare
and Medicaid Services.
“We are excited about
what the ADRC has accom
plished in helping con
sumers, family caregivers
and people w’ith develop
mental disabilities who
need either public or pri
vate services,” said Maria
Greene, Director of DAS.
“Our Gateway, program
was already referring older
people to services that help
them remain in their
instead of entering nursing'
homes prematurely. ADRC
and the Aging Network
are helping us adapt
these services to include
all people with develop
mental disabilities and
assist them, their families
and caregivers to achieve
safe, healthy, independent
and self-reliant lives.”
Since 2004, the ADRC
pilot sites have received
26,525 new contacts from
older individuals, caregiv
ers and professionals look
ing for home and commu
nity based services; more
than 50 percent (13,803) of
them, according to Greene,
used ARDC again. Geor
gian aging population is
one of the most significant
trends affecting our state
today. By 2011, the first
baby boomers, the genera
tion born between 1946 and
1964, will celebrate their
65th birthdays. Georgia’s
population aged 60 and
older is expected to increase
81.6 percent between
1990 and 2010. Those
85 and older are by far
the fastest growing age
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
one place and software and
other accessories at anoth
er to avoid going over the
$1,500 limit.
With gas prices as high as
they are, it may also make
sense to plan the route you
will take.
Leave the kids at home.
Most of the time, you’ll
spend less if they’re not
around.
If you need to bring a
child along to try on cloth
ing, consider making two
trips. Go by yourself to buy
school supplies, computers
and accessories. And while
you’re out, note the best
clothing sales and return
to those stores later with
the kids.
Bring plenty of patience
and a positive attitude.
The stores, parking lots
and roads around shop
ping centers will be crowd
ed. Checkout lines will be
long.
If you don’t enjoy shop
ping, the sales tax holiday
weekend might be a good
time to stay hom^.
Sharon Omahen is
a news editor with the
University of Georgia
College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences.
problem. In Georgia, statis
tics show that only not all
ninth-graders are likely to
graduate from high school
in four years or enroll in
a postsecondary institution
within a year of completing
high school.
This year, the Stay-In-
School grant will continue
to focus on eighth-graders
completing career surveys
and career plans that will
help them set goals and
investigate their options
for study after high school.
The grant will help pay
for professional develop
ment for teachers includ
ing a series of “teacher
to teacher” meetings.
Teachers involved with the
program will also have the
opportunity to experience
an “Education In Industry”
program in which they will
examine local industries
and careers that their stu
dents may pursue.
group; they will increase
by 264.9 percent by 2010.
DAS is working with the
Division of Mental Health,
Developmental Disabilities
and Addictive Diseases
to support ARDC staff
in MHDDAD Region 1,
Cartersville; Region 2,
Augusta; and Region 5,
Savannah. Last year, the
MHDDAD served approxi
mately 16,000 people with
developmental disabilities.
Over the last couple of
years, people with devel
opmental disabilities have
benefited from the largest
fundingincreases in Georgia
history " moving Georgia,s
ranking from 44 to 30 in
terms of community-based
services, according to the
2007 United Cerebral Palsy
Report. Since 2005, SIOO
million in Medicaid waiv
ers has been given to indi
viduals with disabilities so
that they can live success
fully in their communities.
In addition, DAS has
partnered with the
Division of Family and
Children Services and the
Department of Community
Health to develop an online
Medicaid form that provides
easy access for aged, blind
and disabled consumers of
Medicaid. This consumer
focused online Medicaid
application form is free
and accessible 24 hours a
day, seven days a week. It
stores past applications and
data, and processes appli
cations faster. Visit the
website and apply at www.
GAOnlineApplications.
com.