Friday, May 24, 2013
The group’s National Council on Thursday reportedly gave the go-ahead to allow openly gay boys into its ranks. Tell us what you think of the decision.
A boy’s sexual orientation may soon be moot when he goes to join one national organization. According to reports Thursday evening, the Boy Scouts of America voted to drop sexual orientation as one component of membership into the youth group. While the organization’s decision paved the way for openly gay boys to become Scouts, the group’s leadership stopped short of allowing gay Scout leaders. Want to blog about this topic? Email Community Editor Jon Gargis at jon.gargis@patch.com to find out how you can become a Local Voices blogger on your hometown Patch. Not all Scout troops may be receptive to the change. In previous discussions over the issue, BSA spokesman Deron Smith said that under the then-proposed change, the BSA would not …
Thursday, May 23, 2013
More than 30 percent of Georgia high school students aren’t graduating in four years. What do you think is keeping these students from earning their diploma?
A diploma remained out of reach for more than 30 percent of Georgia students in the class of 2012. That’s according to numbers released this week by the Georgia Department of Education. It reported that across the state, 69.7 percent of students in the class of 2012 graduated within four years. Three area school districts were among those that surpassed the state average. Cobb County Schools saw an even 76 percent of its class of 2012 graduate on time. Paulding County Schools were just behind with 75.5 percent graduating, while Douglas County had 72.3 percent earning diplomas on schedule. Other districts in Georgia didn’t fare as well. Atlanta Public Schools had just over 51 percent of students graduate, according to the Atlanta Journal-…
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The truth can appear at times when we least expect it.
JoEllen Smith is a bona-fide East Cobb Republican. She is a business woman and mom, involved in her children’s public education. Last year she ran in the GOP primary for the state house in East Cobb. She has been known to tell the truth. Lance Lamberton and a number of other anti-tax Republicans are given to saying outlandish things in The Marietta Daily Journal. They were against the Cobb Education SPLOST before the election. After they lost the election, they continued with their criticisms but this time they are criticizing the process, backed only by their prejudices, ideology, and baseless conspiracy theories. Acting like the bad losers that they are, they are blaming anyone and everyone for the election loss. To the surprise of many …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Gov. Nathan Deal on Wednesday overturned a decision from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to remove Bibles from the cabins and lodge rooms of state parks. Tell us what you think of the decision.
If you stay in a cabin or lodge room at a Georgia state park, you can take in the native flora and fauna outside. Inside, you shouldn’t have to look hard to find a Bible—at least for now. According to Fox 5 Atlanta, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources this week had been set to remove Bibles from such rooms across the state following a citizen’s complaint. "Recently, due to a citizen concern, Georgia Department of Natural Resources management directed Parks staff to remove Bibles from cabins and lodge rooms until management can fully investigate the issue and make an informed decision," a DNR spokeswoman told the news station. On Wednesday, Gov. Nathan Deal instructed DNR officials to return the Bibles to cabins and lodge rooms. His…
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Officials say the head of the government office knew his agency was targeting tea party groups in May 2012. Tell us what you think of the agency’s recent admissions.
It’s bound to be no party for Internal Revenue Officials in the coming days. The Associated Press reported Monday that IRS officials revealed that acting IRS Commissioner Steven T. Miller knew back in May 2012 that the agency had targeted tea party groups by unfairly investigating them to see if they were violating their tax-exempt status. Monday’s revelation came on the heels of last week’s acknowledgment by the agency that the groups had been targeted during the 2012 election season. Organizations that faced IRS scrutiny included those that had “Tea Party” or “Patriot” in their names. According to the AP’s report, about 300 groups were singled out for additional review; while about half of those cases had been closed and no group had …
Monday, May 13, 2013
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ suffered a skull fracture during a game last week when a line drive hit him in the head. Tell us if you think Major League Baseball or any other leagues should implement helmets for pitchers.
"I don't remember seeing [the ball]. Just immediate loud ringing in my ear. Just pressure on my ear, and I was on the ground. That was kind of it.” That, according to an Associated Press report, was how Toronto Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ described the line drive that hit him in the head during his team’s May 7 game against Tampa Bay. The impact left him with a skull fracture and a knee that was tweaked as he fell to the ground. Happ’s injury has brought attention to other pitchers who have sustained similar injuries in the past. Major league pitcher Bryce Florie was struck in the right eye by a line drive more than a decade ago. According to Paul Newberry of the Associated Press, Florie would pitch only seven more games after that …
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Middle school isn't too early to start getting your children ready for college. Appleton Learning of East Cobb offers tips on three areas that you can address with your students now.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The home city of one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects is asking a funeral home director not to request a burial there. Should cities be allowed to turn down burial requests?
It’s been nearly three weeks since his death, but it remains unclear where the body of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev will be buried. The Associated Press reports that while Tsarnaev's mother says she wants the body returned to Russia, the funeral director in charge of Tsarnaev’s body believes the country will not accept the body. The funeral home director, Peter Stefan, said he plans to ask for a burial in the city where Tsarnaev lived, but officials in Cambridge, Mass., are urging him not to do so. "The difficult and stressful efforts of the citizens of the City of Cambridge to return to a peaceful life would be adversely impacted by the turmoil, protests, and wide spread media presence at such an interment," Cambridge…
Monday, May 6, 2013
A runner’ gesture cost his high school a trip to the state championships. Tell us if you think the ruling on the gesture was right on, or if the disqualification was unwarranted.
A high school’s chance to compete in the state championships was halted last month despite a winning performance from four of its athletes. Columbus High School saw four of its athletes take first in the 4 x 100-meter relay. But the team was disqualified, according to KHOU 11 News, after its final runner, Derrick Hayes, pointed up to the sky as he crossed the finish line. The DQ was levied as the gesture violated a rule that prohibits excessive acts of celebration, and it cost the school an opportunity to make it to the state championships. Hayes’ father said he believes his son made the gesture to give thanks to God. “It was a reaction,” K.C. Hayes said. “I mean you’re brought up your whole life that God gives you good things, you’re …
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Former Atlanta Hawks player Jason Collins, most recently with the Washington Wizards, recently came out as gay. Tell us what impact, if any, you think his announcement will have.
"I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay," says Jason Collins in a story set to be published in the May 6 issue of Sports Illustrated. The pro basketball veteran has been a member of six teams in 12 seasons in the league, including three in Atlanta—he last donned a Hawks jersey during the 2011-2012 season. But many are likely to deem his coming out as something bigger than his on-the-court career, as he has become the first male U.S. athlete in a major professional sport to declare that he is gay. "I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation,” Collins told Sports Illustrated. Collins’ announcement was lauded by several of his …
Rich "The Equalizer" Pellegrino
2:58 am on Saturday, May 25, 2013
Well said L A ! more ›