Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2021
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
PAGE 3A
Auburn Public Library holds ribbon-cutting for renovation, expansion
By Morgan Ervin
For the Barrow News-Journal
The City of Auburn cel
ebrated the renovation and
expansion of the Auburn
Public Library on Saturday,
Oct. 23, prior to the city's
annual AubumFest celebra
tion.
The ribbon was cut by
Mayor Linda Blechinger
and state Rep. Terry En
gland, followed by break
fast and an international
puppet presentation from
the Center for Puppetry Arts
in its new meeting room,
named the “The Terry En
gland Meeting Room,” to
honor his years of service to
the city and Georgia.
The updated library re
opened to the public in April
after going under construc
tion in July 2020.
The building fund started
in 2015 along with plans for
the expansion.
“So, it was five years in
the making,” said library di
rector Bel Outwater.
Before the expansion,
“when we would do read
ings for kids, we would get
so many kids that they were
having to sit into the book
stacks on the floor,” said
Outwater. “So, with the new
space we can have a couple
hundred children come in
and take advantage of our
programs without feeling
like they’re sitting on top of
each other.”
With the larger space,
Outwater and her team of
library associates plan to
hold bigger programs, host
events and sponsor presen
tations as a gathering place
for Auburn residents to take
advantage of.
Currently on the library's
calendar of events are sto
ry times on Monday and
Wednesdays at 11 a.m. for
pre-K children, various teen
nights, four book clubs for
adults, a weekly knitting
club and many special sea
sonal events. Coming up:
the “EEK! A Night to Make
You Shriek” Halloween par
ty Oct. 29 at 5 p.m. for ages
12 and under.
A homeschool hangout
Photo by Morgan Ervin/For the Barrow News-Journal/
State Rep. Terry England of Auburn speaks Saturday, Oct. 23, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new
ly-renovated and expanded Auburn Public Library that reopened to the public earlier this year after construc
tion began last summer.
is also in the works to help
homeschool students and
their families share resourc
es, socialize and meet with
like-minded individuals
within Auburn’s growing
community.
“We’ve always got some
thing to do with parents who
have kids and don’t know
what to do with them,” said
Outwater.
Many individuals and
groups came together to
support Auburn's library
expansion which started on
“$1,000 and a dream,” said
Outwater. Funds came from
a wide array of individual
donors, Friends of the Au
burn Public Library and a
citizen-funded donation jar.
“Through the support of
many people, we were able
to grow into what our city
needed, matching exponen
tial population growth with
expanded space and re
sources to continue to serve
this amazing community for
years to come,” Outwater
said.
Georgia sets all-time low
unemployment record
despite pandemic
By Dave Williams
Capitol Beat News Service
Georgia posted the strongest employ
ment numbers last month since the coro-
navirus pandemic began more than a year
and a half ago, the state Department of
Labor reported Oct. 21.
Unemployment fell to a record low of
3.2% in September, dipping below the
3.3% jobless rate posted in January of
last year, shortly before COVID-19 struck
Georgia.
The number of employed Georgians
rose above 5 million for the first time since
the pandemic began, and the 161,786 list
ed as unemployed was at its lowest level
since June 2001.
“This is excellent progress for Georgia.”
state Commissioner of Labor Mark Butler
said Thursday. “It shows that the state's
economy is rapidly recovering, and [the
labor department’s] programs, along with
other state policies, are working to get
people back to work.”
The number of jobs statewide rose
14,300 last month compared to August.
As a result, the state has regained 521,000
of the 609,500 jobs lost during the early
stages of the pandemic in March and April
of last year.
The job sector posting the most over-
the-month job gains were retail trade,
which gained 5,900 jobs in September.
The number of wholesale trade jobs in
Georgia was up by 2,100, and jobs in the
transportation and warehousing sector in
creased by 1,800.
At the same time, accommodation and
food services - the job sector hardest hit
by the pandemic - is still down by 52.000
jobs.
“Our teams are proactively reaching
out to unemployed jobseekers around the
state to offer support services with finding
a job, along with staff doing specialized
recruitments,” Butler said.
First-time unemployment claims
dropped substantially last month by
19.037 to 28,835. For the year, initial job
less claims are down 172,955, or 86%.
The labor department has 193,739 job
openings posted on the Employ Georgia
website, with a minimum of 308,106 un
filled positions.
“This is almost twice the number of
available jobs than we have people cur
rently looking for employment,” Butler
said. “This is the main factor affecting job
growth as employers across the state con
tinue to struggle to fill vacant positions.”
Submitted photo
LOCAL ‘NATIONAL LIFE CHAIN’EVENT HELD
The Winder-based Come Alive Ministries Pregnancy Care Center participated in
the “National Life Chain” 2021 event on Oct. 3. Approximately 50 adults and youth
stood along East May Street with “pro-life” signs during the event, described as
“one hour of silent prayer on behalf of all unborn children and our nation.”
Grad
contimied from 1A
Winder-Barrow High
School was at 89.9%.
“I am very proud of all
our teachers, staff mem
bers, students and parents
for the dedication and
hard work that goes into
supporting our students in
crossing the finish line of
high school graduation.”
Barrow County superin
tendent Chris McMichael
said in a district news re
lease that noted the dis
trict’s graduation rate has
increased from 72.1% in
2013. “This is an amazing
accomplishment. We set
this as a goal in our stra
tegic plan, and we are ex
cited to have reached this
milestone.”
The statewide graduation
rate has now increased 14
points since 2002, accord
ing to a DOE news release.
Barrow County was one of
102 school districts in the
state and Apalachee was
one of 223 high schools
to record graduation rates
at or above 90% in 2021.
Thirty-seven districts and
98 schools hit or topped
95%.
Apalachee saw a 6.3%
jump in its rate from 2020,
while Winder-Barrow's
October 20, 2021
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rate increased 5.5%.
“Our students, teachers,
parents, and community
have truly rallied behind
their children to set them
up for post-secondary
success. We could not be
prouder of the hard work,
effort, and dedication dis
played, resulting in the
highest graduation rate in
the history of Apalachee
High School,” AHS prin
cipal Jennifer Martin said.
“The collective effort from
our feeder elementary and
middle schools builds a
solid foundation for our
students, working collab-
oratively with each school,
and focusing on our daily
opportunities to place stu
dents on the right path for
success should be celebrat
ed.”
“This was a giant effort
of all teachers and staff to
reach individual students,
even many who were home
and had unique needs
during the pandemic.” add
ed WBHS principal Der
rick Maxwell. “We plan to
continue and increase our
efforts and look forward to
seeing our Class of 2022
cross the 50-yard line.”
Barrow Arts and Scienc
es Academy, the district's
third high school, which
opened in August 2020 as
a grade 8-10 school and
now has 1 lth-graders, will
have its first graduating
class in 2023.
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CITY OF STATHAM
AD VALOREM TAX RATE
The City of Statham has tentatively adopted a millage rate which will require an increase
in property taxes for the 2021 tax year. The City of Statham anticipates the property tax
levies will be set at 4.345 mills, which is a 16.64% increase from the proposed rollback
rate of 3.725.
All concerned citizens are invited to the public hearings on this tax increase to be held on
Tuesday, October 19th at 7:00 p.m. and Tuesday, November 4th at 6:30 p.m. at Statham
City Hall, 327 Jefferson St., Statham, Georgia 30666.
The proposed tax increase for a home with a fair market value of $225,000 is approximately
$55.80, and the approximate tax increase for a home with a fair market value of $300,000
is $74.40. A Tax Report from the City’s Finance Department is available on the City’s
website, or may be obtained by contacting Statham City Hall.
The City will set the millage rate at the Regular Meeting on Tuesday, November 16th at
7:00 p.m. at Statham City Hall, 327 Jefferson St., Statham, Georgia 30666. The five-year
tax and levy histoiy will be published no less than 14 days prior to its adoption.