Archive for April, 2009

By KIMBERLY ALLEN

With about a month of school left most kids are already thinking about their summer plans, and if your child intends on working there are opportunities available here.

Hearts to Nourish Hope, a Riverdale non-profit organization, has two goals: keeping the community safe and encouraging youth to explore and develop their potential for good.  Their Summer Jobs PLUS for Youth program is one way they accomplish this by offering jobs to students.  Applicants must be 14 to 24 years old, a Clayton County resident and meet income qualifications.  Please call 770-997-4517 and 770-997-4511 for more information, as May 15 is the deadline to submit applications.

Among the employers Hearts to Nourish Hope has partnered with is Clayton County Public Schools.  At least 400 students can take advantage of summer programs which include a Youth Summer Learning Program where students enhance their skills in arts and technology; a Summer Employment Program working at CCPS or …

Continue reading Youth summer job opportunities in Clayton »

Teenagers can’t wait to turn 18, believing that age officially makes them adults.  But under Georgia law they can be treated as an adult sooner than they or their parents may realize.  

 ”I learned that teenagers do not know our criminal laws or do not appreciate the consequences for breaking these laws,” says author, trial lawyer and former DeKalb county District Attorney J. Tom Morgan.  According to reviews, “Ignorance Is No Defense – A Teenager’s Guide to Georgia Law”  is considered “A must read for every Georgia teenager and parent,” breaking Georgia law down offense by offense in easy to understand language.

Morgan’s research found that 80% of Georgia students don’t know the exact age they are considered adults or about the “seven deadly sins”, which include: murder, voluntary manslaughter, rape, aggravated sodomy, aggravated child molestation, aggra vated sexual battery and armed robbery with a firearm.  If a person as young as 13 commits one of these crimes …

Continue reading Ignorance Is No Defense »

(author is Kimberly Allen)

Budget cuts and financial losses may force Clayton County to reduce its bus service.

According to the AJC, Chairman Eldrin Bell is “vehemently opposed to any cuts to transit.” But should C-Tran (or whomever takes over) be exempt while the rest of the county is forced to cut back? Just think of all the other county services that $8 million could pay for. Our police and sheriff departments could always use extra cash, as well as the district attorney’s office which recently used seized drug money to pay furloughed employees.

The buses I’ve seen rolling down Tara Boulevard are never filled to capacity – even during rush hour. With an $8 million price tag and low ridership on some routes, it seems like the county is throwing good money after bad in this scenario.  Do you ride the bus?  Would losing C-Tran affect your lifestyle at all?  Are you willing to pay a fare hike to keep service going?

Also, what are your thoughts on Tax Commissioner …

Continue reading Would you miss the C-Tran? »

Starting May 1, Stonecrest Mall in DeKalb county will ban teenagers from their premises on weekend nights.  This means anyone under 18 will not be allowed in the mall after 4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays without the supervision of a parent or legal guardian.

Many Clayton residents believe Southlake should institute a similar rule.  My issues with Southlake have little to do with kids hanging out there, but rather its lack of shopping and merchandise choices.  Most kids just need something to do and there are definitely worse ways and places for kids to spend free time.  However, some residents remember when Southlake was a high end shopping mall and refuse to return.

“The safety and well-being of our shoppers are always our top concerns,” says Nicole Spreck, director of Public Relations at General Growth Properties, Inc., Southlake’s parent company.  “We have a customized public safety program at each of our 220+ shopping centers in 45 states.  At this time, a …

Continue reading Should Southlake Mall enforce a curfew? »