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PAGE 8A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. NOVEMBER 26. 2020
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Georgia unemployment rate drops significantly in October
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA - Georgia’s
unemployment rate fell to
4.5% last month, the lowest
since the coronaviras pan
demic broke out last March,
the state Department of
Labor reported Thursday.
Joblessness, which hit a
record low of 3.1% before
the pandemic, has plum
meted from an all-time high
of 12.6% last April.
“The fact that we have so
quickly reduced our unem
ployment rate to almost pre
pandemic levels demon
strates how strong our
economy was prior to the cri
sis and how we are success
fully recovering
economically,” Georgia
Commissioner of Labor
Mark Butler said. “[But] we
still have a lot of work to do
in order for growth to con
tinue.”
Also on the positive side,
the number of initial unem
ployment claims filed in
Georgia last week fell by
4,201 to 19,626. That bucked
the national numbers, which
rose sharply by 31,000 as
some states and municipali
ties instituted lockdowns due
to a surge of COVID-19
cases.
The labor department has
paid out nearly $16 billion in
state and federal unemploy
ment benefits since last
March, including $163 mil
lion last week.
Since March 21, the
agency has processed just
more than 4 million initial
unemployment claims, more
than the last nine years com
bined.
The job sector accounting
for the most first-time unem
ployment claims last week
was accommodation and
food services with 4,155
claims. The health care and
social assistance sector was
next with 2,863, followed by
administrative and support
services with 2,258.
More than 162,000 jobs
are currently listed on Em-
ployGeorgia. The labor de
partment is working with a
number of employers to
arrange virtual hiring events
across the state. The list in
cludes Robins Air Force Base
in Warner Robins; Shaw In
dustries and Mohawk in Cal
houn, Adairsville and
Cartersville; and Biolife in
Social Circle.
The fact that we have so
quickly reduced our unem
ployment rate demonstrates
how strong our economy
was prior to the crisis, Geor
gia Commissioner of Labor
Mark Butler said.
Plants of the Southeast
Chinaberry, Melia azedarach
[John Nelson is the retired
curator of the A. C. Moore
Herbarium at the University
of South Carolina, For more
information, visit
www.herbarium.org or email
johnbnelson @sc. rr. com.]
By John Nelson,
University of
South Carolina
...the tree may be known by
the fruit,
as the fruit by the tree...
King Henry IV, part
1; Act 4, Scene 2.
Shakespeare would have
made a fine plant taxonomist,
as he understood the impor
tance of fruits in identifying
plants.
The fruits of the Chin
aberry are poisonous, they
say, so don’t fool around with
them. In fact, the leaves are
too, probably.
The tree has had a rela
tively long history in the
American South, and it has
accrued a bit of folklore
going along with it. Chin-
aberries are native to south
western Asia, including
India. It is related to mem
bers of the mahogany family.
From Asia, it made its
way to the West Indies as an
ornamental species during
the time of Spanish coloniza
tion, and from there, as you
might expect, it’s not so far to
America, especially
Charleston.
Chinaberry trees are
lovely in the spring, bloom
ing madly, and with a shock
of glossy green foliage, they
were widely planted as a
street tree, and referred to af
fectionately as the “Pride of
India”.
They are potentially large
trees, but we usually don’t
see them getting too big. The
bark is sinewy and ridged.
The leaves are compound, di
vided into plenty of toothy
leaflets, on a long stalk. The
flowers are formed in large
panicles, each blossom with
five small sepals, and five
bright pink, flaring petals. A
number of stamens (10 or so)
will have their purple fila
ments all fused, thus they
form a distinct tube around
the single central style. Pink
and purple makes a nice
combination, and the flowers
are quite fragrant, as well. In
the summer, the spherical,
marble-sized fruits develop,
first hard and green, but
ripening into a warm yellow,
and ultimately becoming
somewhat mushy.
These fruits are techni
cally “drupes”, each contain
ing a single, large seed,
which is somewhat ribbed on
its sides. The seeds have been
popular as a source of beads,
and one old common name
for the plant is “Bead-tree.”
The trees are often seen in
urban as well as country set
tings from Virginia through
all the most southern states,
and all the way to California.
It is still sometimes
planted on purpose, but owes
much of its current distribu
tion to the ease with which it
sprouts from seeds. In fact,
the plants are most often
PICKENS COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
SCHEDULE OF APPROVED LOCAL OPTION SALES TAX PROJECTS
YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2020
AMOUNT AMOUNT
PROJECT
ORIGINAL
ESTIMATED
COST (1)
CURRENT
ESTIMATED
COSTS (2)
EXPENDED
IN CURRENT
YEAR (3)
EXPENDED
IN PRIOR
YEARS (3)
TOTAL
COMPLETION
COST
EXCESS
PROCEEDS NOT
EXPENDED
ESTIMATED
COMPLETION
DATE
SPLOSTV
The acquisition and installation of new technology, textbooks,
and equipment for all educational facilities.
$
4,000,000.00 $
4,000,000.00 $
688,847.63 $
1,156,134.20 $
4,000,000.00 $
2.155,018.17
12/31/21
The acquisition of new school buses, vehicles, and
transportation equipment including but not limited to
modifications to existing school buses.
3,300,000.00
3,300,000.00
702,215.00
31,336.00
3,300,000.00
2,566,449.00
12/31/21
The construction and equipping of additional classroom space
and related facilities on the campus of Pickens High School and
the renovation, repair, construction, modification and equipping
of buildings and facilities located on the campus of Pickens High
School.
5,500,000.00
9,200,000.00
7,940,741.33
808,161.51
9,200,000.00
451,097.16
12/31/21
The construction and equipping of additional classroom space
and related facilities on the campus of Jasper Elementary
School and the renovation, repair, construction, modification
and equipping of buildings and facilities located on the campus
of Jasper Elementary School.
1,700,000.00
1,700,000.00
24,135.00
79,042.14
1,700,000.00
1,596,822.86
12/31/21
The construction and equipping of additional classroom space
and related facilities on the campus of Tate Elementary School;
the renovation, repair, construction, modification and equipping
of buildings and facilities located on the campus of Tate
Elementary School; the renovation, repair, construction,
modification and equipping of buildings located on the campus
of Tate Elementary School; the renovation, modification,
construction and equipping of cafeteria, lunchroom and kitchen
facilities located on the campus of Tate Elementary School;
1,500,000.00
1,500,000.00
2,685.00
10,623.00
1,500,000.00
1,486,692.00
12/31/21
The construction and equipping of additional classroom space
and related facilities on the campus of Pickens County Middle
School; the renovation, repair, construction, modification and
equipping of buildings and facilities located on the campus of
Pickens County Middle School;
6,000,000.00
11,700,000.00
8,665,740.53
2,002,271.72
11,700,000.00
1,031,987.75
12/31/21
The construction and equipping of additional classroom space
and related facilities on the campus of Jasper Middle School;
the renovation, repair, construction, modification and equipping
of buildings and facilities located on the campus of Jasper
Middle School;
1,000,000.00
1,000,000.00
0.00
5,577.00
1,000,000.00
994,423.00
12/31/21
The construction and equipping of additional classroom space
and related facilities on the campus of Hill City Elementary
School; the renovation, repair, construction, modification and
equipping of buildings and facilities located on the campus of
Hill City Elementary School;
3,000,000.00
3,000,000.00
0.00
0.00
3,000,000.00
3,000,000.00
12/31/21
The construction and equipping of additional classroom spaee
and related facilities on the campus of Harmony Elementary
School; the renovation, repair, construction, modification and
equipping of buildings and facilities located on the campus of
Harmony Elementary School;
1,500,000.00
1,500,000.00
8,883.00
0.00
1,500,000.00
1,491,117.00
12/31/21
Renovations and modifications to existing educational facilities
and the acquisition and installation of equipment at all other
educational facilities
1,500,000.00
1,500,000.00
5,321.94
137,586.53
1,500,000.00
1,357,091.53
12/31/21
The acquisition and purchase of real estate; the preparation,
acquisition, and payment of engineering plans, specifications,
and other preliminary construction costs associated with the
building of a new school facility.
500,000.00
500,000.00
0.00
0.00
500,000.00
500,000.00
12/31/21
The payment of principal and interest on bonds.
500,000.00
500,000.00
0.00
0.00
500,000.00
500,000.00
12/31/21
$
30,000,000.00 $
39,400,000.00 $
18,038,569.43 $
4,230,732.10
39,400,000.00 $
17,130,698.47
(1) The School District's original cost estimate as specified in the resolution calling for the imposition of the Local Option Sales Tax.
(2) The School District's current estimate of total cost for the project(s). Includes all cost from project inception to completion.
(3) The voters of Pickens County approved the imposition of a 1% sales tax to fund the above project.
Amounts expended for these projects may include sales tax proceeds, state, local property
taxes and/or other funds over the life of the project.
(4) In addition to the expenditures shown above, the School District has incurred interest to provide advance funding for the above project(s) as follows:
Prior Years $
Current Year
Total $
Photo/John Nelson
Although these trees came from India, their common
name suggests that it comes from China.
thought of as being weedy
and a bit invasive, often
growing in unkempt thickets
along train tracks or in vacant
lots.
Long after the leaves have
dried and fallen, the fruits
will remain on the trees, way
up in the high branches. As
winter progresses, these
fruits frequently become
darkened and bit shriveled,
and well, frankly, not too
>retty,
Because of all this, this
tree now has a considerable
amount of “baggage” associ
ated with it, and most people
don’t like it too much. Once
grown as a common street
tree, it’s now considered
something of a tacky weed.
But a fragrant and pretty one,
at least in the spring.
©JohnNelson2020
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