Municipalities

(Bostwick, Buckhead, Madison, Rutledge)

    • The Rutledge City Council voted unanimously Thursday to adopt the city's fiscal year 2010 General Fund and Water/Sewer budgets. The sole change made to the General Fund budget, set to total almost $422,000 for FY10, involved moving more than $4,000 from Recreation and Parks and Capital Outlays to allow for work on grants to benefit Rutledge as well as work on the city's Web site. The Water/Sewet budget, at more than $335,000 for FY10, was approved as proposed.

Education in Morgan County

    • President Obama spoke to the nation's school-age students in an address at lunchtime on Tuesday about "the importance of taking responsibility for their education, challenging them to set goals and do everything they can to succeed," according to the White House Web site, whitehouse.gov.
    Apparently, some in the county voiced their concerns as to whether local students would be required to watch the address.
"The presidential address is being handled the way we do other opportunities like this: schools and teachers have the opportunity to view this if it fits within their schedule and curriculum," Superintendent Dr. Stan DeJarnett said.
    DeJarnett has asked media specialists at Morgan County's schools to record the address and archive it, so that teachers can play it later, if need be. "Nobody's requiring teachers to use it or students to watch it," DeJarnett said. "If they want to watch it live, they can."

Local News

• Free food and football? Participate in TOTS-EAT, a community service project through the Morgan County Middle and High School branches of the International Thespian Society! Bring 10 cans of food to any (or all) of the Morgan County High School home football games before Halloween, and receive a coupon for a free Chick-fil-A sandwich. ITS members will be stationed at the front and back gates of the stadium to receive the cans. All of the food will be contributed to The Caring Place. • Go see Morgan County in the movies! "Halloween 2," the second installment of director Rob Zombie's "Halloween" series featuring psycho-killer Michael Myers, comes out in theaters this Friday, August 28. The cast and crew visited Morgan County in March of this year, filming scenes and footage at Madison's Dog Ear Books, "Uncle Meat's Java Hole" in the movie; Madison Markets, near the Madison City Cemetery and in a West Jefferson Street alley. The Morgan County Courthouse, supposedly, functions as the Haddonfield Sheriff's Office, and Sheriff Brackett's house can be found on Broughton Road in Newborn.

    • The Rutledge City Council will hold a public discussion about the annual budget on Thursday, September 3 in Rutledge City Hall. The council will consider adoption of the around $400,000 budget the following Thursday.
    Council members will put budget money toward improving the park entertainment area.
    The council doesn't anticipate any dissent in regards to the proposed budget. "We do not waste taxpayer money," council member James Bratcher said.
    • The City of Rutledge was featured in a "Neighborhood Spotlight" segment on 11Alive's Weekend Morning News with Valerie Hoff and Chris Holcomb last Saturday, August 8. To view the segment, visit 11Alive's Web site, www.11alive.com/video, and "Video Search" for "Rutledge."

Education in Morgan County

    • At the Morgan County Board of Education’s special called meeting on Tuesday, July 28, board members unanimously, save for member Dave Belton, who was not present to vote, approved two textbooks, Glencoe/McGraw Hill’s “Marketing Essentials” and “Sports Entertainment,” as recommended by Assistant Superintendent Dr. Ralph Bennett and Morgan County High School Assistant Principal Davis Bell. Both books will be utilized in the new career pathway “Marketing Careers & Service” at the school.
    The board also unanimously, with the exception of Belton, approved hiring a new Morgan County Middle School Language Arts teacher, a replacement bus driver, and a new school nurse at Morgan County Primary

Education

    • After being nominated by the Georgia Association of Middle School Principals, Morgan County Middle School Principal Dr. Joe Hutcheson was chosen to receive the 2009 Outstanding Educator award, which was given to him at the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders conference this month. Hutcheson was recognized at the Monday, July 20 meeting of the Morgan County Board of Education.

National News
    • According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, the federal minimum wage is set to increase this week, from $6.55 per hour, which went into effect July 24, 2008, to $7.25, which will go into effect on Friday, July 24, 2009, an increase of roughly 10.7 percent. For more information, visit the United States Department of Labor online at www.dol.gov.
Buckhead News
    • The Buckhead City Council Monday announced plans for the ‘Old Buckhead Days celebration scheduled for Saturday, August 29 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.