http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/americus/ Americus, GA News http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/americus/content/b3c41cc076052ae5412c898dcafd8d37.html Democrats accused Athens' two Republican state senators of neglecting education at a candidates' forum Tuesday night at the Georgia Center http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/americus/content/e8355a1922c7943e4d18ae9ab8d893ee.html Many local political groups spent the weekend scrambling to get just a few more residents registered to vote in time for the Monday registration deadlineWith the election of a new president just 30 days away it's likely canvassers have knocked on your door or jingled your phone at least once in the past three months Many wanted to get you registered to vote others hoped to solidify your support for Republican John McCain or Democrat Barack Obama http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/americus/content/94dd6149e4cad1dad1efd4c913b7d9dc.html At Gateway Bank Trust employees field many questions from customers concerned about the national financial situationldquo;The banking industry as a whole is getting a bad raprdquo; said Mary Carpenter an assistant vice president at the Ringgold bank Just in the last few months the federal government has bailed out several large but struggling financial institutions using billions of dollars in loans from the Federal Reserve Other publiclytraded companies have gone bankrupt or been bought outAnalysts say the problems stemmed from granting so many subprime mortgages ndash; home loans given to those with low credit scores or high debt ratios That coupled with the fact that many borrowers are faced with home mortgages higher than the current market value has caused a ldquo;national financial crisisrdquo; according to reports from The New York Times and Wall Street JournalWhat the crisis means on the local level is that community banks are more careful than they were a year or two ago about granting loans said Joe M Haskins chairman and chief executive officer of CapitalBank in Fort Oglethorpeldquo;It is becoming harder to get a home loan because credits are being scrutinized more and they are requiring bigger downpaymentsrdquo; he saidOn the WebBauerFinancialcomwwwfdicgov While most community banks donrsquo;t deal in subprime mortgages they do sometimes make loans that are then handed off to larger corporations The loan itself may trade hands three or more times and in some cases can end up with large conglomerates like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac which were recently bailed out of financial crises with government interventionWes Smith chairman and chief executive officer at Northwest Georgia Bank said most of the financial institutions that have had problems are in a different category of banking one concerned primarily with taking on investments and turning over a high profit with lending that is often riskier and at higher interest ratesldquo;Most of the bailed out institutions are whatrsquo;s been referred to as investment banksrdquo; he said ldquo;In doing so they generally take a lot more risks than a commercial bank would takerdquo;Even if the community banksrsquo; standards for granting loans donrsquo;t change they must pass down the criteria of the larger institutions that will eventually hold the mortgages Smith said However local bankers also said they more closely scrutinized their potential borrowers before granting loans than did most national banksAnother result of the crisis is that fewer individuals and companies are asking for loans The housing market in Northwest Georgia has exploded over the last few years but recently stagnated Now local real estate agents say there are more homes than they can sell in a reasonable timeldquo;Builders to their credit have also started selling less and letting their inventory catch uprdquo; said Jeff A Bridgman a senior credit officer at GatewayDid you knowLocal bankers say that despite many news reports to the contrary there are several ways to insure more than 100000 under FDIC regulations Some restrictions apply Haskins said that in addition to construction being down in recent months people are also being laid off and the economy in general is struggling The secondgeneration owner of the bank said hersquo;s noticed a trend over his life in which the country experiences financial troubles then bounces backldquo;It seems like almost every decade therersquo;s been a downturnrdquo; he saidLately though bad news from Wall Street is making many of the nationrsquo;s biggest headlinesInsurance company American International Group Inc as of Friday Sept 19 was the latest in a series of companies leaning on government loans for help AIG secured an 85 billion twoyear loan from the Federal Reserve on Tuesday Sept 16 Lehman Brothers a global investment bank attempted to get similar bailout assistance The government refused and the company filed for bankruptcy on Monday Sept 15 On the national financial scene Merrill Lynch was recently sold to Bank of America after struggling financially The government bailed out Bear Sterns in March and did the same for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac earlier this monthThose who support the government bailouts say the moves rescue the already fragile economy from growing worse and buy the companies time to sell off some assets and pay back debtHaskins said that although he doesnrsquo;t have enough information to assess whether the government made the best choices in loaning taxpayer money he does believe the banks should in some way be held accountable for their lending practicesWhile national financial institutions are struggling he said community banks are in a different boat altogetherldquo;I think what distinguishes us as community banks we did not do any subprime lendingrdquo; he said ldquo;What we have seen is just strictly a slowing of the economyrdquo;Carpenter said there are resources online that concerned customers can turn to for more information BauerFinancialcom provides quarterly reports on every bank in the United States and the FDIC Web site wwwfdicgov has several databases and information on insuring accountsCarpenter said customers who are concerned about the financial crisis should contact their banks for more informationCLICK ON THESE LINKSFEEDBACK: Send a letter to the editorSUBSCRIBE: Get The Catoosa County News each WednesdayGO BACK:Return to our homepage http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/americus/content/f34ddcef723104b2cb26e63c4cca5c4f.html The mediation period for the Catoosa County Board of Commissioners and Fort Oglethorpe officials to work on a fire protection plan will likely be extended againThatrsquo;s according to Ron Goulart Fort Oglethorpersquo;s attorney and interim city manager Attempts to reach County Attorney Clifton ldquo;Skiprdquo; Patty were unsuccessfulFort Oglethorpe is suing the county over what city officials have said is an attempt to duplicate existing fire services County officials want to move toward a consolidate countywide fire department and had originally planned to cut off funding to Fort Oglethorpe Fire Rescue and Post Volunteer Fire DepartmentSuperior Court Judge Ralph Hill first ordered the county to continue paying for Fort Oglethorpe and the Post to provide services inside the city limits and on the west side of the county on May 15 Since then the departments and city and county officials have participated in one formal mediation session and exchanged other communicationThey were scheduled to be in court again when the mediation period ended on Oct 8 but Goulart said there was a scheduling mixup and Hill was not in court that weekldquo;Wersquo;ve agreed just to continue on as we have been and then have Judge Hill sign off on it when he gets backrdquo; Goulart saidPost receives 216000 a year in county funding and Fort Oglethorpe receives 175000 The two departments operate as one and together have an ISO rating of three Lower ratings translate to lower insurance rates for property ownersCounty officials have said they donrsquo;t plan to take over fire protection in west Catoosa County until they can provide at least the same level of service as property owners have nowCatoosa volunteers hold off on suitVolunteers from the RinggoldCatoosa County Fire Department had discussed filing a lawsuit similar to that of Fort Oglethorpe and the Post but on Friday Oct 10 their attorney said that isnrsquo;t likelyThe Catoosa County Board of Commissioners voted Sept 16 to progress toward a consolidated unified fire service called Catoosa County Fire Department form its own volunteer department and file paperwork with the Georgia Firefighters Standards and Training Councilldquo;The volunteers are very disappointed because we may not be able to file suit at all because we understand the county is prepared to spend 200000 or whatever it takes to run out the volunteersrdquo; said attorney HK Sawyer ldquo;The county has virtually unlimited funds to fight any legal battlerdquo;County officials have said volunteers are still welcome and wanted They also say the new county department will provide better service in the longrun since it will also be staffed with dozens of fulltime professional firefighters in addition to volunteers However county officials are requiring the volunteers to apply for their volunteer jobs all over again and meet county standards a move that several veterans said they found insultingSawyer said the matter has him frustrated but itrsquo;s unlikely at this point that there will even be a lawsuit filed After all he said where would the volunteers find 200000 to fight county governmentCLICK ON THESE LINKSFEEDBACK: Send a letter to the editorSUBSCRIBE: Get The Catoosa County News each WednesdayGO BACK:Return to our homepage http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/americus/content/67ec8bc748653dae17d5f546209b4b02.html The shutdown of the Mohawk Industries synthetic carpet yarn plant in Fort Oglethorpe will result in 235 layoffs and will cost the city some lost tax revenue officials saidThe plant announced today that it will close its doors at 365 Patterson Ave by Nov 28 Calls to the office were not immediately returned and officials at Mohawkrsquo;s corporate headquarters declined to comment outside of a written statementHowever Fort Oglethorpe Mayor Ronnie Cobb said the sluggish housing market is to blame for the shutdown Fewer houses are being built so less carpet is needed he saidldquo;I guess it surprised me in a way but the way the economy is going it wasnrsquo;t that big of a surpriserdquo; he said ldquo;Itrsquo;s not going to get betterrdquo;According to the companyrsquo;s statement Mohawk will also shut down a plant in South Carolina that employs 137 peopleldquo;These plant closings are a classic example of how changing consumer preferences impact a manufacturing company during a prolonged economic downturnrdquo; said Jerry Hendrix senior human resources director for Mohawkrsquo;s flooring division ldquo;Companies have no choice other than to respond to these changes My heart goes out to the men and women at both of these locations and to all of the American employees facing similar situationsrdquo;Cobb said he met with a local Mohawk official yesterday to discuss the situation The city has offered to try to recruit new industry to the building Cobb said but no official plan of action has been agreed uponAlthough figures were not immediately available Cobb said Mohawkrsquo;s departure would affect the cityrsquo;s tax base as the City Council works on its budget for 2009In a press release State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond said today that the Georgia Department of Labor will provide assistance to employees who are expected to lose their jobsldquo;The layoff at Mohawk Industries in Fort Oglethorpe will create an unfortunate situation for the workers and their familiesrdquo; said Thurmond ldquo;Georgia Department of Labor staff will meet with them as soon as possible to explain the services available to help them get back to work as quickly as possiblerdquo;The labor department provides a wide range of transitional services to laidoff workers The department also conducts job search workshops career counseling and provides resource centers in each office Some job seekers may also be eligible for occupationalskills training onthejob training General Education Development GED preparation and testing and supportive services such as childcare assistance transportation assistance and meals while enrolled in fulltime trainingCatoosa County is served by the departmentrsquo;s Northwest Georgia Career Center at 96 Stuart Road in Fort Oglethorpe Call 706 8611990 for informationCLICK ON THESE LINKSFEEDBACK: Send a letter to the editorSUBSCRIBE: Get The Catoosa County News each WednesdayGO BACK:Return to our homepage http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/americus/content/849028b9c5ea6d2283d6b6cd25368452.html Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John Oxendine stressed the importance of fire safety during his visit to Battlefield Elementary School Thursday Oct 2 to kick off National Fire and Prevention Monthldquo;By having the kids learn about fire safety it will cause them to tell their parents lsquo;we need a plan in case of a firersquo;rdquo; said Oxendine ldquo;We have fire drills at my house at night; to make them more realistic having to avoid obstacles in the darkrdquo;In addition to Oxendine members of Fort Oglethorpe Fire and Rescue were on scene including Fire Chief Bruce Ballew On scene were two Fire Safety Houses that the students used to learn the importence of staying calm and low to the ground in case of a home fireldquo;Kids donrsquo;t die in school fires; they die at home firesrdquo; said Oxendine ldquo;This is why we need to have home drillsrdquo;In efforts to promote safety Oxendine deputized each student in the third grade classes giving them Junior Fire Marshals titles and each received fire helmets He explained to the students why it is important not to play with fire and why arson is dangerous and illegalldquo;Do you get your toys when you hear the smoke alarm How about finding your dog or cat What about your parentsrdquo; Oxendine asked The students gleefully cheered that they should just quickly and calmly get out of their home and make sure to stay low so that the smoke would not affect them ldquo;Your parents and pets will be able to get themselves outrdquo; Oxendine told themOxendine also mentioned that it should be the studentsrsquo; jobs to get themselves out of the home safely Following the predesignated plan would help their parents know where they are to meet he told them Oxendine used as an example a story of a family who had dealt with a fire and described how one of the children went behind the house rather then the front This caused the father to go back in to search for the child and he ended up being injured ldquo;This is why itrsquo;s so important to stick to the planrdquo; Oxendine saidStudents seemed to enjoy the activities and time out of class; they ended the fire prevention events with a fire drill ensuring all of the students and teachers knew the schoolrsquo;s plan to get out safelyldquo;It was really awesome it felt like we were talking to the President of Georgia It was really funrdquo; said third grader Kendal Tnally after listening to a speech from OxendineFire prevention and protection tips: Change your batteries on the smoke alarms twice a year ldquo;Just change it every Halloween and Easterrdquo; said Oxendine Stay low during a fire as itrsquo;s the smoke that does the damage first Place your hand on any closed door if itrsquo;s hot there is likely fire behind it Make a family fire safety plan Once outside stay outside of the fire stay thereFor more tips and information go to wwwfiresafetygovCLICK ON THESE LINKSFEEDBACK: Send a letter to the editorSUBSCRIBE: Get The Catoosa County News each WednesdayGO BACK:Return to our homepage http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/americus/content/c21443cb739c6c58b3293101c78bfe89.html Includes video:The anniversary of the 145th Battle of Chickamauga has taught Fort Oglethorpe officials at least one thing: the need for even more effort in five yearsMayor Ronnie Cobb said he can remember how the city celebrated the 100th anniversary Old men grew beards and ladies wore hoop skirts to commemorate the times That was in 1963 when Fort Oglethorpe had only 2000 residents he saidCouncil Member and City Clerk Harold Silcox said itrsquo;s important that people know that even though Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park is in Walker County it is also inside Fort Oglethorpersquo;s city limitsldquo;We need to really push this park with the upcoming celebration of the 150th anniversary in 2013rdquo; Silcox said ldquo;Last weekend every motel we had was full and the restaurants were toordquo;Chris McKeever executive director of the 6th Cavalry Museum and an active proponent of Fort Oglethorpersquo;s tourism industry said the commemoration on Sept 1921 was also an opportunity for the cityrsquo;s businesses to promote their names to the thousands of visitors who flocked in for reenactments living histories and other activitiesOn behalf of the Fort Oglethorpe Tourism Committee McKeever and other volunteers set up an information tent at the battlefield where most of the activities were held They passed out information and discount coupons from local businesses spending only about 400 on the entire event she saidldquo;It was good to be able to talk to people at the event and find out their thoughtsrdquo; she said ldquo;This was a good learning experiencerdquo; McKeever said better directional signage would be helpful at the 150th anniversary Also the 6th Cavalry was formed in 1861 she said so shersquo;ll likely try to plan something special for the commemoration in 2013McKeever said she received more than 50 calls from people in the community seeking information about the battle commemoration plans before the eventldquo;It was good we were able to offer this kind of servicerdquo; she saidThe event seems to have been a boon for motel and bed and breakfast businesses all of which were filledAt the Best Western on Rossville Boulevard front desk clerk Jackie Boles said people began making reservations in June for the weekend Rooms were also booked full at Captainrsquo;s Quarters Bed and Breakfast and Super 8Many visitors who came by the Tourism Committeersquo;s tent were from Atlanta Knoxville Tenn and Cleveland Tenn McKeever said They often come to the Chattanooga area a few times a year and will now be more informed about what Fort Oglethorpe has to offer she saidAlthough the weekend was designed to commemorate a solemn event in which more than 30000 soldiers from the North and South were killed during the Civil War the experience also had its lighthearted momentsMcKeever said the Tourism Committee was stationed not far from a family of reenactors who had also brought with them a jersey cow they tied out barely 50 feet away from one of the cannons Although the cannons were loaded with far less gunpowder than would be used during a real battle the blast ldquo;just knocked you backrdquo; McKeever said and would rattle the stack of flyers volunteers were handing outldquo;Yoursquo;d see those first few sheets rise up from that cannon being firedrdquo; she said ldquo;That cow never flinched They take that cow to all the reenactments that they do so she was used to itrdquo;VIDEO: Chris McKeever speaks about the anniversaryrsquo;s impact on Fort Oglethorpe businessesTo launch external video player click hereCLICK ON THESE LINKSFEEDBACK: Send a letter to the editorSUBSCRIBE: Get The Catoosa County News each WednesdayGO BACK:Return to our homepage http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/americus/content/d94ede7aa297db7687254eec019c35ef.html Candidates for the three seats on the Catoosa County Board of Education spent most of the evening fielding questions about budget concerns and the graduation rateContenders for seats on District 1 District 3 and for an atlarge seat faced each other in a debate sponsored by the Catoosa County Chamber of Commerce at the Colonnade on Thursday Oct 2District 3: Dycus vs JacksonIn the District 3 race Incumbent Don Dycus 60 an aquatic biologist of Ringgold is challenged by Bud Jackson 51 a general contractor of Ringgold Dycus has been the board chairman for several yearsAsked for their stances on giving property tax breaks to senior citizens Dycus said he believed the breaks should be age and incomebased Many property owners 65 and older have plenty of income to pay taxes while others do not he said Jackson said income should be taken into account but he would lower the exemption age from 75 to 65 or 70 as neighboring counties have doneBoth candidates agreed that the problem with education funding lies in Atlanta where state legislators have approved budget cuts for local school systems sometimes even after local school boards have submitted their budgets for the yearDycus said he has worked with the public and educators to work out compromises on budget cuts and increases Jackson said he would pursue more grants for the system to lessen the burden on local taxpayers At that point the debate moderator posed the first audience question of the night The inquirer wanted to know if Jackson would vote to hire his wife Donna Jackson of Paradyne Consulting Inc in Ringgold if elected Paradyne provides grant application assistance for a feeldquo;Irsquo;m not promoting my wife; Irsquo;m promoting a systemrdquo; Jackson said adding that he would not vote to hire her if elected ldquo;Itrsquo;s just another way to get money without going to the taxpayerrdquo;Dycus immediately quipped that if he were serving on the board there would be no conflict in hiring Paradyne The audience laughed and the moderator asked Dycus how he would vote in Jacksonrsquo;s situation Dycus said he would not vote to hire someone in his familyAtlarge: Edwards v WilliamsIn the midst of the state funding shortfall the local school board has faced a state funding cut of 16 million Vying for the atlarge school board seat are incumbent Melvin R Edwards 71 a retired educator of Chambers; and Brent Williams 35 an accountant of Poplar Springs Edwards said the board has already done a decent job of working with what it has and is fortunate to have a healthy reserve fund to cover some of the funding losses Nevertheless he said that in the future the board would likely have to cover shortfalls by cutting programsldquo;The state mandates many things that we have to dordquo; he said ldquo;Since 2003 our system has lost over 10 million but wersquo;ve opened three new schools during that timerdquo;Williams said he has balanced budgets his entire careerldquo;Therersquo;s a lot of ways that we can do more with lessrdquo; he said ldquo;We have to do everything we can to keep from cutting where itrsquo;s core to educationrdquo;He criticized the boardrsquo;s move earlier in the year to cut back on the number of teachers in the system in response to a budget shortfall saying leaders should have made more cuts in administrationAsked what he would do to improve the 728 percent graduation rate Williams said he would find alternative ways to teach including using nontraditional settings and using technology He also criticized the fact that many Catoosa students have to share textbooks for their classesEdwards said the graduation rate has already risen under his leadership up from just 59 percent in 2002 The system needs to examine ways to help students have to support their families to stay in school he said and create a safe caring environmentWilliams said he wants the school system to return to being an institution that sets standards and is ready for the challenges of the future Edwards said he has been in education in Catoosa County since 1960 and wants to see all students graduateBoth candidates have children andor grandchildren in the school systemDistrict 1: McDaniel vs SilcoxDistrict 1 seat incumbent Billy Joe McDaniel 77 a retired electrician of Rock Spring faces Pat Silcox 68 a retired human resources professional of Fort Oglethorpe whose husband Harold Silcox is a Fort Oglethorpe City Council memberMcDaniel said his 32 years of experience on the board are reason for voters to check his name in Novemberldquo;Irsquo;ve worked with children ever since I came back out of the service in the Korean conflictrdquo; he said ldquo;If I make a difference in some childrsquo;s life I have been successful in this liferdquo;Silcox said she has worked for federal city and county government and is a certified human resources manager She cited her volunteer work through the Red Cross at a local hospital and in response to Hurricane Katrina as evidence of her aptitude for public serviceAsked how she would improve the graduation rate Silcox said there needs to be a focus on treating children differently rather than trying to make them ldquo;a clone of ourselvesrdquo; Not all are collegebound she said and training for vocational jobs including at the Volkswagen plant that is being built in Chattanooga Tenn is vitalMcDaniel said the graduation rate is still low but a 100 percent rate isnrsquo;t possible Classes in welding electrical work iron working and construction are already offered he said but the schools also need parents to become more involvedBoth candidates agreed they would like to reinstate the number of classes the system offers for gifted students Silcox criticized cuts to the gifted program earlier this year saying officials should have anticipated potential state funding losses and been ready to chop elsewhere McDaniel replied that the board had to make the cuts because news of the state funding cuts came after state officials had already approved the local budgetCLICK ON THESE LINKSFEEDBACK: Send a letter to the editorSUBSCRIBE: Get The Catoosa County News each WednesdayGO BACK:Return to our homepage