University System News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia state employees likely to observe Juneteenth as a paid holiday next year
By Maya T. Prabhu
Juneteenth will become a paid day off for Georgia employees under a calendar of state holidays for 2022 that Gov. Brian Kemp released. The memo was released two days after Cumming Republican state Rep. Lauren McDonald, on behalf of the governor, filed legislation that would expand the number of paid state holidays observed by Georgia employees from 12 to 13. House Bill 868 would update state law to stay in line with the federal government designating Juneteenth as a holiday.
Incredible Health
Best Nursing Schools in Georgia for 2022
Georgia is one of the fastest growing states in the nation. According to Georgia.org, its 10-year growth rate of 14.4% is more than 1.5 times that of the U.S. population growth rate. Due to this, there’s an ever-increasing need for nurses in Georgia. Additionally, there are many different nursing programs to choose from for a nurse who wants to advance their career or for a prospective nurse.
Top nursing schools in Georgia
Georgia College & State University – Score 92; Georgia State University – Score 84; Augusta University; Georgia Southern University
The Brunswick News
College students create Mosaic Museum social studies lessons
By Lauren McDonald
A trove of fascinating history and science lessons can be found on Jekyll Island, and a recent class project at College of Coastal Georgia will bring these resources to local teachers. Claire Hughes, an education professor at the college, asked her social studies methods class to design lessons for Glynn County Schools and the Mosaic Museum on Jekyll. The students presented their final lesson plans at the end of fall semester.
WTVM
‘He is a hero’: Community honors CSU basketball player who passed away
By Ahniaelyah Spraggs
Family and friends of Anthony Moore, the local father and university basketball player that passed away in a crash in Phenix City on Christmas Eve, continue to come together to honor his legacy. With Moore being a talented athlete, CrossFit Sacrifice created a workout of the day to honor the young man who many people in the community consider a hero.
Related article:
Ledger-Enquirer
CSU basketball player fatally struck by car during illegal street race, authorities say
Johnson City Press
Georgia poultry producer donates to UGA Poultry Science Building
Georgia-based Wayne Farms has announced a $1.1 million donation to help build a new Poultry Science Building at the University of Georgia. Wayne Farms is a longtime supporter of the university’s poultry science department, which is ranked one of the top such programs in the nation. …The new $54.1 million facility will be located between Boyd Hall and Conner Hall and will be a centerpiece of the university’s recruitment effort for new talent in poultry science. Wayne Farms’ contribution will name one of two learning laboratories in the new building, which when complete will feature more than 70,000 square feet of instructional and laboratory space and world-class research facilities.
GCM
Andy Jorgensen wins President’s Award for Environmental Stewardship
The Florida superintendent champions water-conscious and low-input golf course management strategies.
GCM staff
Andy Jorgensen, CGCS, director of golf course maintenance operations at On Top of the World Communities in Ocala, Fla., has been named the recipient of GCSAA’s 2022 President’s Award for Environmental Stewardship. …GCSAA’s President’s Award for Environmental Stewardship was established in 1991 to recognize “an exceptional environmental contribution to the game of golf — a contribution that further exemplifies the golf course superintendent’s image as a steward of the land.” …Jorgensen, who earned degrees and turfgrass certificates from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and the University of Georgia, was previously superintendent at Southern Woods Golf Club, World Woods Golf Club and Sugarmill Woods Country Club.
Gwinnett Daily Post
Georgia Gwinnett College professor shares best financial practices for end-of-year planning
By Collin Elder Special to the Daily Post
As 2021 draws to an end, people of all walks of life prepare for the last leg of their annual financial journey. December brings with it the thrill of the holiday season, but also the strain of spending, whether it be on travel costs or gifts, events or food, new insurance plans or final medical bills. People feel the end of the year in their wallets, but what can they do to alleviate some of that fiscal hurt? Dr. Cathy McCrary, assistant professor of accounting at Georgia Gwinnett College, offers several tips and techniques to answer that question.
WRDW
What you need to know on new COVID isolation guidelines
By Sloane O’Cone
Some COVID guidelines are changing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just updated how long you should isolate if you test positive. We’re looking at those changes and what you need to know. The new guidelines come down to understanding the difference between isolation and quarantine. “And they’re already saying it’s not just the number of days — and I like this part — it’s not just the number of days but the symptoms have to improve,” said Dr. Rodger MacArthur, professor of medicine in the division of Infectious Diseases Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. Isolation is for anyone who’s tested positive. You should stay away from everyone in isolation for at least five days. Stay home for as long as symptoms last. Once they’re gone, you can return to normal activities with caution and must wear a mask everywhere for five more days. Quarantine is for anyone who’s come in contact with someone positive.
Georgia Recorder
State lawmakers to take aim at racial history in public schools, partisan school boards
By: Ross Williams
Teachers and administrators from across the state agree critical race theory is not discussed in Georgia grade school classrooms, but it likely will be a hot topic under the Gold Dome in January as lawmakers return for an election-year legislative session. But with restrictions on schools teaching about racism and other cultural issues dominating the discussion before the session begins, some worry more pressing problems like school funding could get short shrift.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
COVID rules at Atlanta’s historically Black colleges tougher than most
By Eric Stirgus
The HBCUs likely to keep most measures next semester
Atlanta’s historically Black colleges and universities took a stricter approach than most schools in Georgia and nationwide to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on their campuses this past semester. All students, faculty and staff had to be vaccinated, unless they received an exemption. They had to wear masks at most indoor and outdoor locations. A few weeks after the semester began, the schools conducted weekly COVID-19 testing. Some called it “overkill,” Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, Morehouse School of Medicine president, said during a September town hall meeting. She called it necessary to prevent an outbreak and to show how such measures could work in Black communities, which have had disproportionately high positivity rates. …The University System of Georgia, meanwhile, faced criticism from many professors for not requiring people to get vaccinated or wear masks in most spaces.
Other News:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Map: Coronavirus deaths and cases in Georgia (updated Dec. 28)
An updated count of coronavirus deaths and cases reported across the state
CONFIRMED CASES: 1,370,825
CONFIRMED DEATHS: 26,313 | This figure does not include additional cases that the DPH reports as suspected COVID-19-related deaths. County is determined by the patient’s residence, when known, not by where they were treated.
CBS46
Gov. Kemp responds to COVID-19 surge in Georgia, National Guard troops to be deployed
Joyce Lupiani
Gov. Kemp says he will not be implementing any measure that shutter businesses or divide the vaccinated from the unvaccinated and the masked from the unmasked despite the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in Georgia. Kemp, who is fully vaccinated and boosted, says he will continue to urge Georgians to talk with their doctors about the benefits of getting the vaccine or receiving their booster shot and trusts the residents of Georgia to do what is right for them. …The Georgia Department of Public Health (GaDPH) is actively working to increase testing capabilities and the number of PCR tests administered statewide increased by 31% over the last 7 days. Up to 2,500 Georgia Guard troops have been authorized to be deployed for COVID-19 needs, according to the governor. In the coming days Georgia Department of Community Health (GaDCH) will be accessing needs and handing out assignments to the most high-need areas – like testing sites and hospitals.
Georgia Gwinnett Daily Post
Georgia officials warn of COVID-19 testing scam
From staff reports
Attorney General Chris Carr and Georgia Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey are warning Georgians to beware of potential scams related to the heightened demand for COVID-19 testing. “We urge all Georgians to be on the lookout for fraudulent COVID-19-related practices, specifically as it pertains to testing,” Carr said in a news release. “Unfortunately, scam artists seeking to take advantage of the increase in demand will attempt to con hard-working Georgians into paying for fake tests. Do your research to ensure you are visiting a legitimate operation and receiving results from a valid provider.”
Higher Education News:
The Chronicle of Higher Education
As Omicron Looms, These Colleges Will Start Their January Classes Online
By Francie Diep
More than a dozen residential colleges have announced in recent days that they will teach classes online when students return from winter break in January. The precautionary measures came as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus spread rapidly around the country. On college campuses and elsewhere, Omicron has shown itself to be highly contagious and able to infect vaccinated people. Many experts fear a large wave of infections just before the new year, when many students will return for winter, spring, and intersession terms. Delaying the in-person components of a term that begins in January can give colleges time to assess the situation, said Anita Barkin, co-chair of American College Health Association’s Covid-19 task force.