http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/catoosa-springs/ Catoosa Springs, GA News http://www.axtora.com/homesites/us/georgia/catoosa-springs/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/catoosa-springs/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/catoosa-springs/content/24b61438a220294baa303ee2ce22e590.html Fuel production in the Gulf of Mexico is still not up to optimal processing speeds according to a press release from Gov Sonny Perdue On Sept 29 Perdue sent out a release to help Georgianrsquo;s better understand why fuel has become a scarce commodity at this point in timeldquo;The US Department of Energy reports 574 percent of crude oil production capacity in the Gulf of Mexico is out This is a slight improvement from Friday Sept 26 when 593 percent of capacity was out On Monday September 22 892 percent of capacity was outrdquo; stated PerdueCurrently only two of the 33 oil refineries in the Gulf Coast remain fully closed while three more have been reported as fully operational since Friday Sept 26 At the bottom of this article you may find an interactive map that readers may place points where fuel may be currently foundldquo;On Sept 27 the Department of Energy DOE announced that it is delivering 500000 barrels of emergency exchange oil to Marathonrsquo;s Midwest refineries via the Caplinerdquo; Although the extra oil is being delivered to the Southeast the amount of time it takes for the extra oil to flow through the pipeline will not be apparent for a few days because of the distancePerdue has also reported that as a result of consumers rushing to the pumps and topping off their cars has caused a much larger need for fuel At this point in the year fuel is already being stretched as the transition from summer fuel types to winter is beginning to come in to the gas stations ldquo;Cities affected by the shortages include: Atlanta Athens Dalton Gainesville and rural areas of North and Northeast Georgia Charlotte North Carolina other parts of western North Carolina including Asheville Chattanooga Tennessee Greenville Spartanburg South Carolina I20 from Georgia to Anniston Oxford Alabama near Talladega where there will be a NASCAR race next weekendrdquo; stated Don Lindsey Director of Public Affairs for AAA East Tennessee Knoxville ldquo;AAA is asking motorists that reside in the above mentioned areas to conserve fuel avoid topping off their gas tanks and not hoard gasolinerdquo;Some practical fuel efficiency tips for drivers include:Drive sensibly: Speeding rapid acceleration jackrabbit starts and rapid braking lowers gas mileage Choose the right vehicle: If you own more than one vehicle drive the one that gets better gas mileage whenever possible Decrease speed: Gas mileage decreases rapidly when driving more than 60 milesperhour Avoid idling: Idling gets zero miles per gallon Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas while idling than cars with smaller engines Commute alternatives are also a useful way to conserve fuel including telework carpool and transit options and flexible work schedules More information is available about commute alternatives at wwwCleanAirCampaigncomTo view the letter from Sonny Perdue to President Bush click hereFind out local gas prices hereClick on View Larger Mapto go to the Catoosa County News Google map where readers can place points of interest gas stations that have fuel and their prices You will need a Gmail account to place points but guests are able to view the mapView Larger Map Takes you to a custom Google MapCLICK 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/catoosa-springs/content/29783ed04925d57f01c554186b2141f8.html The questions were posed and the answers timed just like any other political debate but some have said the Oct 2 candidate debate hosted by the Catoosa County Chamber of Commerce at the Colonnade was not completely free of biasBruce Coker a Democrat and a challenger for the 53rd District seat in the state senate said upon his return from the debate that he believed the Chamber and the Republican Party were working in conjunction Coker is running against state Sen Jeff Mullis R Chickamaugaldquo;I have never in my entire life seen such partisan maneuveringrdquo; he said ldquo;To give you an example Jeff Scott showed up at the event and Nathan Deal did not Obviously we all are in agreement that Mr Dealrsquo;s place right now is in Washington working on the mess that our country is inldquo;What was so shocking is that they allowed Nathan Deal to have a representative to read a public statement then hammered Jeff Scott with partisan questions carefully constructed without the possibility of a response from Nathan Deal on the same questionsrdquo; he saidMullis was on a trip to Europe with Governor Sonny Perdue and he was unable to participate in the debate Coker said since Mullis was not there the moderator could not crossexamine himldquo;I must note that I wasn't ever given a breakdown from the Catoosa County Chamber about the specifics of the basic rules regarding the operations other than who it would be moderated byrdquo; Coker said ldquo;I was shocked when they allowed Jay Neal who is running unopposed for the State House to debate me on behalf of Jeff Mullis ldquo;This was the most politically divisive thing they could have done after all I am not running for state house nor am I running against Jay Nealrdquo; he said ldquo;I am 48 years old and I have seen many political debates but I have never seen one where a colleague was allowed to do such a thing as thisCoker added when he had a conflict and was unable to attend the primary debate the Chamber did not offer the same courtesy of allowing him to have a substituteldquo;This was the most obvious political maneuvering to compromise fairness that I have ever witnessedrdquo; Coker said ldquo;I think fairness should always be exercised when debating issues that are important to the lives of every citizen and must not be manipulatedrdquo; Chris Scott Catoosa County Democratic Party chairman pointed out a discrepancy in representation between the Republican and Democratic candidates He said four absent Republican candidates had representatives at the most recent debate including a Chamber officer to speak on their behalf ldquo;Only two Democratic candidates were absent but had no one to speakrdquo; he said ldquo;The most despicable action took place when the Chamber blindsided Senate candidate Bruce Coker Coker took the stage thinking he would answer questions from the moderator since his opponent Jeff Mullis was vacationing in Spain with Governor Perdue Instead Republican State Rep Jay Neal was allowed to return to the stage and debate Coker on Mullisrsquo; behalfrdquo;ldquo;This was the lowest form of partisan politics that could have been displayed by a lsquo;nonpartisanrsquo; Catoosa County Chamber of Commercerdquo; he saidScott substituted for Democrat Ralph Noble at the Catoosa County primary debate event earlier in the year reading a statement on his behalf However he fielded no debate questions in his absence because Noble was unopposed at that timeCatoosa County Chamber President Martha Eaker denies the debate was partisan in any wayldquo;I am very proud of the fact that the Chamber conducted these debates as a way to educate and inform the public and I stand by the fact that is exactly what we didrdquo; she said Monday Oct 6Eaker said if candidates requested someone to represent them the Chamber allowed itldquo;Every candidate received an invitation to attendrdquo; she said ldquo;If someone called me and could not attend for some reason and ask about sending someone to represent them I said that was acceptable ldquo;If they did not ask I certainly did not suggest anyone sending a reprdquo; she said ldquo;The Chamber of Commerce conducted this in a fair and non partisan format going so far as to have moderators from the Georgia Chamber of Commerce to assure the debate was unbiasedrdquo;Sen Jeff Mullis said Oct 6 he accepted the invitation from Gov Sonny Perdue for the European trip long before the debate was scheduledldquo;I thought it was important for me to go to this trade and transportation meeting for Northwest Georgiardquo; he said ldquo;My way was not paid for by taxpayerrsquo;s dollarsrdquo;Mullis said as new industry opportunities come into Northwest Georgia establishing strong relationships will be the key to competing with surrounding areas for businesses and new jobsCLICK 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/catoosa-springs/content/ea191afb462c7c14c662772349b14eaf.html Many gas stations in Catoosa County were running low as of midmorning on Monday Sept 29However most service station employees contacted between about 9:30 am and 10 am said they were expecting new shipments some time todayThe following are reports from gas stations listed in the Ringgold Telephone Company phone book and under a Ringgold area search on yellowpagescom A few stations did not answer their telephonesAt the bottom of this article you may find an interactive map that readers may place points where fuel may be currently foundStation: Kangaroo ExpressAddress: 5337 Alabama HighwayHave gas: YesRegular unleaded: 379When ran out: Friday ran out of other grades and dieselExpected shipment time: UnknownStation: Mega Star Food Mart 1Address: 11320 Highway 41Have gas: YesRegular unleaded: 381When ran out: Last weekExpected shipment time: Probably today for regular unleaded uncertain on other gradesStation: Corner Pocket Convenience StoreAddress: 438 Highway 41Have gas: YesRegular unleaded: 389 for cashWhen ran out: Saturday eveningExpected shipment time: Probably TuesdayStation: Mapco ExpressAddress: 3668 Battlefield ParkwayHave gas: NoRegular unleaded: naWhen ran out: FridayExpected shipment time: Today or tomorrow for regular unleadedStation: Racetrac Petroleum IncAddress: 6626 Battlefield ParkwayHave gas: Yes for a few hoursRegular unleaded: 381When ran out: Expected to run out todayExpected shipment time: TodayStation: Sunset Market Address: 1810 Mack Smith RoadHave gas: Yes 93 octane for 419Regular unleaded: naWhen ran out: Last nightExpected shipment time: Possibly tomorrowStation: Mapco ExpressAddress: 1397 Battlefield ParkwayHave gas: YesRegular unleaded: 381Expected shipment time: Received one this morningStation: Quick MartAddress: 2526 LaFayette RoadHave gas: YesRegular unleaded: 379Station: Cochranrsquo;s Travel CenterAddress: 11343 Highway 41Have gas: Yes Regular unleaded: 379Click on View Larger Mapto go to the Catoosa County News Google map where readers can place points of interest gas stations that have fuel and their prices You will need a Gmail account to place points but guests are able to view the mapView Larger Map Takes you to a custom Google MapCLICK 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/catoosa-springs/content/96d09faf3a66c02cecff0947ad2195b6.html People in Catoosa and Walker counties are registering in droves for the upcoming electionWalker now has more than 35000 voters on record while Catoosa has nearly 40000 Monday was the deadline to register to vote in the Nov 4 general electionCatoosa elections supervisor Donna Bomar said of the numbers her office has registered in the past several days ldquo;We have done a bunchrdquo;According to Bomar interest in the election can be contributed without question to the presidential raceldquo;This race is historicrdquo; Bomar said ldquo;We have a black on one ticket with a woman on the other So people are very interested in how this race will endrdquo;According to the Georgia Secretary of Statersquo;s Office more than 406000 new Georgia voters have registered this year as of Oct 1Georgia has had both early voting and voter registration going on for the last several weeks throughout the stateAs of Oct 6 in Catoosa about 2500 had already cast ballots in person; in Walker more than 650 had cast ballots These numbers do not include absentee ballots that have been returned by mail to the elections officesldquo;What is surprising is the number of those registering for the first time among the 60 70 and 80plus crowdrdquo; Bomar saidBomar said this senior demographic is by far the largest to turn out compared to other demographic groups newly registering to vote in Catoosa Countyldquo;It is very surprisingrdquo; Bomar said In Walker County elections supervisor Barbara Berry said the number of registered voters has climbed to an estimated 35450 just shy of the county record of nearly 36000ldquo;The turnout has been greatrdquo; Berry said ldquo;Monday we were registering 10 to 15 people about every half hourrdquo;Catoosa County had 39634 registered voters as of Oct 1 Bomar said her office has registered about 169 new voters in the last four days in Catoosaldquo;In 2004 we registered 222 voters at this point but this year we have registered 276rdquo; Bomar saidThe number of active voters in Georgia has grown by more than 850000 since the last presidential election in 2004 when Republican incumbent George W Bush faced Democratic challenger John Kerry According to the Secretary of Statersquo;s office there are 56 million registered voters in Georgia CLICK 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/catoosa-springs/content/75f3565564ad89bf1fa7867b74f23844.html US Senator Saxby Chambliss encouraged Catoosa County to go to the polls during his recent visit to RinggoldChambliss and his wife Julianne sat down for a barbeque dinner with all the Southern trimmings with 161 Northwest Georgians Monday Oct 6 at the residence of Ringgold businessman Alvin Worley Catoosa County Water Utility Board member in what Worley describes as his ldquo;Outbackrdquo;State Sen Jeff Mullis welcomed Chambliss to the area and introduced him to the celebratory cheers of the crowdChambliss encouraged the attendees to go out and vote on Nov 4 for Sen John McCain for president ldquo;Wersquo;ve got to keep working hard to carry Georgia for himrdquo; he saidHe did not forget his own campaign in which he is facing Democrat Jim Martin 62 an Atlanta attorney and Libertarian Allen Buckley 47 an attorney from Mabletonldquo;Itrsquo;s going to be a close electionrdquo; he said ldquo;We have got the votes to win providing our people get out to voterdquo;Chambliss shared with attendees his prospective on the recent legislation passed by the Senate House and signed by the president to meet the ldquo;financial crisisrdquo; in the countryldquo;If we donrsquo;t take action there is a chance for a financial meltdownrdquo; he saidHe said other than his vote to send American men and women in harmrsquo;s way it was the most significant vote that he has ever madeldquo;Everybody agrees something has to be donerdquo; he said He said the country could not afford too many declining days on Wall Street as it recently experiencedldquo;I did not like the first planrdquo; he said ldquo;The Democratic plan was not the answer Wersquo;ve got to make sure we got more oversightrdquo;He said part of that was putting in a provision making sure that executives at these companies do not get golden parachutes Golden parachutes are a term used to describe some benefit packages paid to executives when he or she is terminatedHe said there were no earmarks in the legislation and the tax incentives included for various industries such as the film industry already existed Earmarks are designating the use of federal monies for a specific projects or organization in legislation or legislative committee reportsThe legislation simply extended those existing tax incentives he saidHe said that a trigger was placed in the legislation before all the monies targeting the financial crisis will be usedldquo;We will have an opportunity to see if this is working before the second half is spentrdquo; he said He reminded the group that the steps are not new the federal government bailed out the Chrysler Corp and New York Cityldquo;They paid back every dime and at a high interest raterdquo; he said Chambliss said that the experience of one Georgia business person shared with him was three credit lines that he used to operate his company were being halted by three banks because the credit market was tightening even though he had the money in the bank to cover these credit linesHe said that businessman told him he would pay his people as long as his cash lasted but eventually hersquo;d have to start laying people offChambliss said that putting liquidity and integrity back into the market is the necessary stepCLICK 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/catoosa-springs/content/8a41f0702dbd76e8abe5b465f23f3363.html CHATTANOOGA Tenn AP mdash; Chattanoogaarea officials are working to lure tourists for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War which begins in 2011 and runs for four yearsThe Southeast Tennessee Tourism Association has plotted dozens of historic sites on a driving tour and produced a brochure highlighting some lesserknown Civil War landmarksThe brochure ldquo;Tennesseersquo;s Civil War Trails Fighting for the Railsrdquo; identifies 47 sites in a 10county regionldquo;Everybody is attracted to Gettysburg and Antietamrdquo; said Paul Archambault historic preservation planner with the Southeast Tennessee Development District ldquo;We want to be able to attract that audience down hererdquo;Carroll Van West of Middle Tennessee State Universityrsquo;s Center for Historic Preservation says Southeast Tennessee has some of the most important Civil Warera landmarks in the state including battlefields historic cemeteries and black churchesldquo;There is a lot of interest in the war It touched a lot of peoplersquo;s livesrdquo; said John Culpepper city manager in Chickamauga Ga and a historian who helped plan the 145th anniversary of the Battle of Chickamauga which ended Sunday with an estimated attendance of well over 20000North Georgia already has driving tours similar to the Southeast Tennessee trail The Blue and Gray Trail guide created by the Historic High Country Travel Association directs motorists to about 60 sites including battlefields national park units and museums in Chattanooga and Northwest GeorgiaOfficials from Tennessee Alabama and Georgia also have formed the TriState Civil War 150th Commemoration Association and are seeking nonprofit statusA billboard and print ad campaign will herald the regionrsquo;s history with the motto ldquo;Where Heroes Foughtrdquo; Hotels and transportation companies are developing travel packages and online resources are being established to guide tourists