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Officials need coordination
Dear Editor: I Elected officials of Rockdale County and the city of Conyers have been frequently criticized for lack of effective collective coordination when addressing issues impacting both county and city residents. Both entities have repeatedly claimed that such coordination occurs — events that frequently only represent elected officials attempt to vouch for as fact. It is a repeated claim that when one of the political entities (county/city) sneezes, the other ...




How not to repair a garage door
It’s a fact: I don’t like to pay someone else to do something that I can do better. Well, at least that’s the theory. The reality is that I’m cheap, and I hate to let my money go on long trips without me. So, I often repair things that I should never mess with, just to save a few bucks. A classic example of my penny-pinching foolishness dates from about 1986, when I tried to repair my own garage door.




4-H and scare tactics
In these tough economic times, the university system, which provides more than $70 billion in revenue in Georgia and employs more than 69,000 workers is under pressure to cut expenses so the state can have a balanced budget.




Don't cut the 4-H program
Dear Editor: The proposed reductions to the University System of Georgia to eliminate all 4-H programs, close five 4-H facilities including Rock Eagle and close over half of the Extension Offices statewide is unacceptable. 4-H is one of the few organizations that every child, regardless of background may participate in with no dues or fees. It offers children an opportunity to make friends from all over the state and nation at ...




Pecan Pie for the Mind: Don’t let your kids unionize over backyard gardening
Once this cold weather ends, it'll be gardening time. Now, I don't know if you give a hoot about growing peppers, tomatoes, and squash, but I learned how to garden at a very early age, and I have some strong opinions on the subject. And rolling around with all the great memories from those times is a painful recollection of feeling like an overworked serf, ill-treated peasant and underpaid sharecropper rolled into one - sort ...




Improved service
As far as we are concerned there is never an excuse for a business to tolerate employees who in any way are not helpful and even rude to their customers. The sad part of this is that many owners are absentee and do not even realize that this is happening until it's too late. Adam Malley, the owner of Conyers Pro Important Service Center in Rockdale County, recognizes the importance of customer service and as ...




Big hearts
While many communities struggle just to have access to any medical care, Rockdale County is blessed to now have two free medical clinics - Helping Hands and Mercy Heart - where people who have fallen on hard times can turn for basic and preventative medical care. These clinics are the product of the hard work, doggedness and vision of dedicated volunteers and organizers. The Mercy Heart Clinic recently opened thanks to the efforts of many ...




Additional expenses in the budget?
(Addressed to the Board of Commissioners at the Feb. 23 meeting) Dear Editor: After reading this mornings headlines regarding our county's 2009 budget I was absolutely shocked at the chairman's comments on why we have over $700,000 in additional expenses.

Feb. 20 Editorial Cartoon
Feb. 20 Editorial Cartoon

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Our thoughts: Sticks and stones
Rahm Emanuel, the president’s chief of staff, recently used the word "retard" in a public display of disgust with his own kind of politician — the liberal Democrats of the Senate.




Legislature applies the brakes at mid term
 On Feb. 18, your House and Senate reached the mid point of the 2010 Georgia legislative session and the budget news is not good. On the bright side, the Senate passed its version of the supplemental FY 2010 budget today to get us through the end of the fiscal year on June 30th. It will now go back to the House for reconciliation by a committee of three each Senators and Representatives ...




Our thoughts... Black History Month
February is a month set aside in the busy calendar year to celebrate black history and to reflect on the heritage, achievements and contributions of the black community nationally and locally.




Pecan Pie for the Mind: I’ll turn 50, but I won’t grow up
I’m about to turn 50. Yeah, snicker if you want, but what choice do I have? I’m highly allergic to death, and I don’t own a decent time machine, so I’m stuck. Aging is bad enough, but the absolute worst thing about turning 50 is that people will expect me to finally act grown up. Well, I don’t want to be a grown up. I’ve spent my life surrounded by them, and ...




Chamber of Commerce
Rockdale county and the city of Conyers business and community are fortunate to have a strong Chamber of Commerce working for them.




Letter to the Editor: Oden — Our Next American Idol?
Dear Editor: That may be a bit of a stretch; however, Chairman Oden's ambition to win awards for awards' sake seems to be in his blood. The latest "go for the gold" comes from Chairman Oden spending more of our taxpayer dollars on a nondescript award that no longer means anything of real value. The award is the Malcolm Baldridge Award, which is instituted by a branch of the Department of Commerce.




Rockdale High Basketball
The Rockdale community is already brimming over with community pride; the fact that our Rockdale county High school with a 24-1 record is currently ranked number 1 in the state in the class AAAA division just adds icing to the cake.




Letter to the Editor: Ratios have a place outside math class
(This response was taken from an ongoing discussion between Randy Reynolds, chair of the Rockdale Libertarian Party; Stan Williams, chair of the Rockdale Democratic Party; and David Center, professor emeritus of Georgia State University, that was shared with The Rockdale News.) Dear Editor: I was trying to promote discussion about only one narrow educational issue - student/teacher ratio - not open a discussion about everything wrong with education, students, parental involvement, etc. Specifically, I was ...




Our thoughts... Monastery
One of our hidden treasures in Rockdale county is the Monastery of the Holy Spirit.




Our thoughts... Happy Birthday, Boy Scouts
This weekend we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America.




Pecan Pie for the Mind: Fighting Socialism in the depths of winter
It’s freezing cold down here in Dixie! Listen, I fully expect the South to be humid and hot, balmy and breezy, and stifling and sticky, but nowhere did I sign up for frigid and frozen. We southerners will tolerate an occasional ice storm or that rare centimeter or two of snow, but weather like we’ve had for the past few months is nuts. The only solution to this craziness is to learn ...




Leave it to Skeeter to put things in perspective
Whenever this world starts looking too complicated, I call my friend Skeeter Skates, owner of Skeeter’s Tree Stump Removal and Plow Repair in Greater Metropolitan Pooler. Skeeter has a wonderful way of putting things into perspective.




Economy and budget in the second week
Your Georgia House and Senate completed Day 8 of 40 legislative days on January 28 and will convene again on Monday, February 1. The four legislative days we completed this week saw a first in Georgia history, Senators and Representatives leading the way for state employees on furloughs and a continuing effort to ensure taxes levied on our citizens are fair and equitable.




An old-fashioned tea party for state politicians
What this state needs is a good old-fashioned Tea Party. Not one directed at the liberal weenies in Washington who tried to ram health care reform down our throats. This protest needs to focus on the State of Georgia.




Pecan Pie for the Mind: There Goes Another Good Dress Shirt
Well, I just messed up another one of my nice dress shirts. This time, it was an exploding jalapeño that did the damage. Add that to the two other good shirts that were stained by splattered soy sauce and splashed gravy, and you can see why I'm afraid to wear nice clothes when there's food involved.




Pecan Pie for the Mind: Geography lessons from an angel
I love the South, and I especially love Georgians. Georgians are some of the most courteous people around — people who will go out of their way to help you. I think God created Georgians because his regular angels didn’t take too well to our red mud, what with those white outfits they have to wear.




Down to business at the Capitol
After a break for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday on January 18, the Georgia House and Senate spent three days receiving budget requests from the various departments of state government. Governor Sonny Perdue led the briefings on Tuesday afternoon with his overall assessment of state finances and his proposed amended FY 2010 and full FY 2011 budgets. The "amended budget" means that money taken in over the pervious budget ...




Our thoughts... Toney Collins
We try our best to have respect for our elected officials. It is often thankless work and most of them run for office with the best of intentions and sincerely try to be good representatives of the people who have elected them.




State of the city
On Thursday, community leaders, resident and the "who's who" of Conyers and Rockdale gathered in the evening at the Georgia International Horse Park to hear about the state of the city of Conyers.




21st Century Schools
There are two people responsible for the editorials you see in this column every week. Both of their names are proudly posted at the top of this column. The one member, who is a card carrying member of the baby boomer generation, was absolutely and completely in awe this past week as he along with other members of school superintendent Dr. Samuel King advisory council visited the spanking brand new Rockdale elementary school C.J.Hicks. The ...




Legislature convenes for 2010
The 2010 session of your Georgia House and Senate kicked off on the morning of January 11. The annual 40 working day session is expected to last until the first week of April during which time we will write a budget for the next fiscal year as well as tend to other business.




Pecan Pie for the Mind: An unknown world
For years, I put off learning how to cook because I was afraid it was going to be really hard and require a lot of thinking. But, over the past couple of months, I’ve learned that I can make my way around in the kitchen with my brain almost completely shut off. If you’re a guy like me and you’re wondering, "What’s so hard about operating a blender," let me share some of the ...




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