Marie Lewis is CRBI Environmental Educator for 2012

Media release: Marie Lewis, a science teacher at Coosa High School, was recognized with the Coosa River Basin Initiative's (CRBI) Environmental Educator Award at the CRBI annual membership meeting held Monday evening January 30 at Northwest Georgia Technical College.  According to the CRBI website, the Coosa River Basin Initiative is a grassroots environmental organization based in Rome with the mission of informing and empowering citizens to protect, preserve and restore North America's most biologically diverse river basin.

Marie Lewis has been a science instructor at Coosa High School for 24 years during which time her duties have included department head, mentoring new teachers, and coaching.  Approximately seven years ago, when the state was rolling out the new Georgia Performance Science Standards, Lewis combined the new standards with new teaching strategies she had learned from school system assessment training to seek "real life" learning experiences for her students.  She wanted teens to connect what they were learning in her class with the world around them in Northwest Georgia.  She wanted to demonstrate to students the importance of sustainable environmental development and to show how humans were impacting our environment.  "Students are able to see what type of Eco Footprint we are placing on our own environment," stated Lewis. "The sparkle in their eyes and fun they have lets me know kids are learning, and making connections that will last a lifetime."    

With the approval of the Floyd County Administration, along with Joe Cook of the Coosa River Basin Initiative, Eric Lynnberg environmentalist of the City of Rome, parents, and the volunteers of the Rome Emergency Management team Mrs. Lewis allowed students from Coosa High's Honors Biology Class to experience a study of a river's ecosystem.  The class used the extensive resources of the Rome area waterways including the Etowah River, Coosa River, Big Cedar Creek and Brushy Branch.  The state standards based lessons allowed the Honor Biology students to explore Environmental Biology in an approximate 2-3 week window.  Topics included nonpoint, point source pollution, ecology of a river system, determining the health of a river or tributary, investigating macro invertebrates, water and soil quality testing , participation in the Big Cedar Brushy Branch stream bank clean up in cooperation with Ga. Power and Temple Inland, and understanding how the community works together developing solutions to keep our environment safe.  Joe Cook, executive director of CRBI, said, "We appreciate all Mrs. Lewis does to engage her students in hands on learning experiences and get them out on the rivers." 

Many of Lewis' students from the Honors Biology and other volunteers from the Science Club at CHS have volunteered for CRBI fundraising events.  Students have served as scorekeepers for the Ecology Quiz Bowl or score runners for competition events.  Lewis added, "Even though we are just a "spoke" in part of the wheel of environmental awareness of Rome and Floyd County, involving students in these experiences allows them to be more aware of how we impact the environment and hopefully they can be a part of developing solutions for future preservation."   

Seven Hills Rotary, Chamber, Georgia Northwestern to announce GOAL, Rick Perkins winners

Media release: The Seven Hills Rotary Club, Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce, and Georgia Northwestern Technical College invite you to attend the GOAL and Rick Perkins Presentation Awards Luncheon to honor the top GOAL student and top instructor at Georgia Northwestern Technical College.

 

The four GOAL finalists were interviewed by a selection committee chosen by the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce and a winner was selected.  The four GOAL finalists will make their presentations at the luncheon and the winner will be named. 

 

The four finalists are:

Mary Gronek - Cosmetology

Roger Haikal - Business Management

Jairo Lerma - Business Management

Holly Wright - Associate of Science in Nursing

 

First launched in 1971, GOAL focuses on excellence in technical education and recognizes students for academic excellence and personal achievement.

 

The Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Instruction honors the Technical College System of Georgia's most outstanding instructors. The award has been an ongoing statewide event since 1991 and is designed to recognize technical college instructors who make significant contributions to technical education through innovation and leadership in their fields.

 

The Rick Perkins nominees for 2012 include:

Ronda Cox – General Education English and Math

Darice Lewis – Computer Information Systems

Gerald McFry – Business Management

Diane Nance – Radiologic Technology

Susan Stephens – Cosmetology

Sharon Vaughan – Medical Assisting

 

A screening committee of administrators at GNTC reviewed each of the nominated instructors and conducted personal interviews with the nominees. A winner will be announced at the luncheon to represent the college as GNTC's Rick Perkins winner for 2012 and move on to the regional competition.

Rep. Barbara Massey Reece| Legislative Report | January 27, 2012

Media release: On Jan. 24, members of the Georgia Commission on the Blind, including several advocates from our area, visited the State Capitol. I met with them, along with a number of other House members and Senators, to hear their concerns about services for the blind and hearing impaired.

We discussed legislation they are promoting, including HB 662, the Blind Persons' Braille Literacy Rights and Education Act, which I have co-sponsored. This proposal would require an evaluation of a blind or visually impaired child to determine his or her need for Braille instruction and, when warranted, require Braille instruction in the child's individualized education program. The measure also includes requirements for textbook publishers related to Braille instructions and licensing requirements related to Braille for certain teachers. The bill was referred to the House Education Committee for its consideration.

Economic Impact of Tourism

Jan. 24 was also Tourism Day at the Capitol. The Department of Economic Development estimates that visitors spend almost $125 million each year in the communities of House District 11. This supports 1,310 jobs in our area that are connected to the travel industry. Across Georgia, tourism generates $2.4 billion in local and state revenue, which results in a tax savings of $706 for every Georgia household.

State of the Judiciary

Chief Justice Carol Hunstein of the Supreme Court of Georgia delivered her annual State of the Judiciary address to a joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate on Jan 25. She called for an overhaul of the state's juvenile justice system in addition to expressing support for recommendations of a special Criminal Justice Reform Council. The chief justice said that putting nonviolent youth offenders in juvenile jails increases the likelihood that they will commit crimes in the future. State funding cuts to mental health and child welfare services, as well as group homes, have left juvenile judges fewer options for dealing with young offenders.

Statistics from the Department of Juvenile Justice show that in the past three years, nearly two-thirds of approximately 10,000 incarcerated young people in Georgia had substance abuse problems, and more than one-third had mental health problems. Chief Justice Hunstein also urged lawmakers to enact proposals to create specialized courts designed to treat nonviolent adult offenders with substance abuse and military veterans who run into trouble with the law. She said the roots of an offender's behavior need to be addressed by the justice system.

The chief justice said, "If we simply throw low-risk offenders into prison, rather than holding them accountable for their wrongdoing while addressing the source of their criminal behavior, they merely become hardened criminals who are more likely to re-offend when they are released." She added, "The same reforms we are recommending to you for adults must begin with children. As with adults, we have learned that our get-tough tactics have failed to scare juvenile offenders straight."

Direction of Fee Revenues

Legislation has been introduced that would ensure that state revenues collected in the form of special state fees are directed toward the purpose for which they were created. HB 811 is aimed at ending the practice of spending special fee revenues on other general budget items instead to going to their designated programs. Examples of these revenue sources include the solid waste disposal surcharge fee provided for the hazardous waste trust fund; the tire disposal fee provided for the solid waste trust fund; additional offender fines and court filing fees provided for peace officer and prosecutor training, indigent criminal defense and driver education and training. When these funds are redirected to other programs, the fee-based funds are short-changed, sometimes requiring local governments to make up the difference. HB 811, which has been referred to the House Governmental Affairs Committee for its consideration, seeks to fulfill the original purpose of the fees.

Small Business Deregulation

The Special Committee on Small Business and Job Creation, which is charged with thoroughly reviewing and evaluating the regulatory environment in which our small businesses operate, will hold a special public meeting on Thursday, Feb. 2, from 1 to 4 p.m. in Room 406 of the Coverdell Legislative Office Building, across the street from the State Capitol. The purpose of this meeting is to hear from small business owners and operators who wish to comment on any unfair or burdensome regulations that hinder small business growth in Georgia and determine whether the General Assembly can address those problems through legislation. If you are interested in attending the Feb. 2 meeting or future meetings of the committee to discuss your concerns, please contact my office at 404-656-7859 or send an email to barbara.reece@house.ga.gov.

Cancer Check-Off

All Georgians are encouraged to participate in the state's voluntary state income tax check-off program for cancer research when filing their 2011 Georgia tax returns. The check-off allows Georgians to write in a contribution of $1 or more to the Georgia Cancer Research Fund. The donations are tax deductible and are matched dollar-for-dollar by research facilities in Georgia. The program has allowed donors to contribute a total of $3 million toward cancer research, funding a total of 71 projects through research grants. For more information, visit www.georgiacancer.org.

Session Schedule

Monday, Jan. 30, is the 10th legislative day of the session.

Please continue to contact me with your views on the issues or whenever I can be of service. Rep. Reece may be reached at 404-656-7859 or barbara.reece@house.ga.gov. Rep. Reece serves on the Education Committee, State Institutions and Properties Committee, Science and Technology Committee, and the Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Committee. She is also Vice-Chairman of the Rural Caucus.

Public health tapping Gas Station TV to spread quit tobacco message

 Northwest Georgia Public Health's Health Services Program Manager Lisa Greeby smiles at the ironic juxtaposition of tobacco advertising and the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line promotion on the Gas Station TV pump screen at the East Rome Walmart. "When you're going head-to-toe with the tobacco industry on a comparatively infinitesimal budget, it's crucial every penny is spent wisely and cost-effectively," says Greeby. "We get that with GSTV."

Media reelase: The health promotion folks at Northwest Georgia Public Health are first in Georgia, among the first nationwide, to use at-the-gas-pump television to deliver public health messaging. "We're working with Gas Station TV (GSTV), the largest national away-from-home television network, to deliver 30-second spots promoting the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line to a captive audience at a natural pause point in their day when they can't channel surf or skip past the message with a DVR," explains Health Services Program Manager Lisa Greeby.

"We have people's undivided attention; there's no multi-tasking, just pumping" Greeby says. "Using GSTV, we're able to reach viewers at the pump in nine of our ten counties with one-to-one public health messaging. The four-week buy will deliver about a quarter-of-a-million impressions at nine northwest Georgia Walmart multi-pump, multi-screen gas stations."

Greeby says at-the-pump television is an effective, targeted media buy. GSTV delivers Nielsen Media Research-verified information on viewership, demographics, dwell time, network size and recall. "When you're going head-to-toe with the tobacco industry on a comparatively infinitesimal budget, it's crucial every penny is spent wisely and cost-effectively," says Greeby. "We get that with GSTV."

Public health research studies show northwest Georgia's per capita tobacco-use rates for adults and youth are considerably higher than the state average. Not surprisingly, lung cancer rates in Georgia's northwest quadrant also surpass the state average. "Public health works hard to prevent people, especially children, from ever starting to smoke," Greeby says, but we also work hard to help people quit."

Northwest Georgia Public Health's Georgia Tobacco Quit Line awareness campaign is being executed in conjunction with the Georgia State Department of Public Health's Tobacco Use Prevention Program. "Together, we have launched an aggressive, ten-county marketing campaign using most of the traditional tools -- radio, newspaper, cable, billboards, school yearbooks, our Web site -- in addition to social media and GSTV's innovative at-the-gas-pump television advertising," Greeby says. "This spring, we'll be partnering with the Rome Braves, Class A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, on a variety of promotions publicizing the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line."

LakePoint ground breaking by April, open by April 2013? Returning manager glad to be back with Rome Braves. Heart health dominates February events. Another spring-like day.

Please click www.hometownheadlines.com:

 

Atlanta Braves Manager Fredi Gonzalez says LakePoint ground breaking could come by April; first pitch 12 months later?
-Latest updates from one of the development partners.

Rome Braves: Ingle glad to be back 'home'
-Randy Ingle returns this year to manage the Rome club after spending last season in Danville.
-Rome opens home season April 12.
-Miracle Field opens April 14.

Big heart is part of Redmond's heart health month
-Discounts on critical screenings, education events and the heart walk are part of the events set for February in Rome and Cartersville.

Graves targets hidden airline fees; Isakson, Chambliss want Keystone pipeline built.

Another spring-like day today; rain by midweek

-Tuesday: Sunny, high of 65, low of 41.

-Wednesday: 40-70% rain chance, high of 65, low of 49.

-Thursday: 20% rain chance, high of 66, low of 38.

 

Hometown Headlines Radio Edition,  7-9 a.m. weekdays
-On Rome's News Talk WRGA 1470 AM; click to listen online.
-Please join our guests today including Logan Boss with public health on recent flu reports in Northwest Georgia; Mike Morton of the Rome Tea Party on today's Florida primary and Thursday's candidates' presentation; and Jessica Brady of AAA South on rising gas prices and a stunning trend in DUI case.

 

Shorter Hawks move to 22-0 in basketball with eight games to go.

Rome Braves
-10th season home-opener is April 12 at State Mutual Stadium.