As promised, today the LU begins daily updates. These links and comments are taken from yesterday’s LU Facebook activity.

During their April meeting, the LaFayette City Council voted to change garbage service to once a week pickup instead of twice a week during May. The move was meant to save money and should be OK because the city is gradually rolling out bigger trash bins (95 gal vs. 55 gal) to city residents. The new schedule gives former Monday-Thursday customers Thursday-only service, while Tuesday-Friday customers will get Tuesday pickup. The new schedule began yesterday, April 30th (the “first week of May” is the same as May apparently) with only two problems – many city residents don’t have the new bigger cans yet, and nobody was notified of the change.

At midnight an LU Facebook poll showed only 4 of the 39 people who voted (around 10%) have gotten larger cans, and many already rolled their old cans down to the curb expecting service on Monday because they weren’t told about the change. A decent plan but, as usual, the city executed it poorly. They should have let people know what was going on and waited for the new cans to be ready before starting.

If the changes don’t save money or too many people protest them, the city will return to the old schedule in June and raise garbage prices. An increase on city power bills will already begin this month.

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The City has earned “National Main Street Accreditation.”

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Walker County is spending $154,000 on a training tower for the fire department. Better trained fire fighters is worthy of the investment, and may result in a lower ISO rating to make insurance in the county cost less.

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Walker County Emergency Services is going to offer free community training on the first Thursday of each month. This week’s class will be Babysitter Safety for kids 12-18 years old who watch other children outside their own family. The classes will always be offered at Fire Station 1 in Rock Spring, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, and taught by volunteers or salaried employees at no additional cost to the county.

Here’s the list of classes for the rest of 2012:
May – Babysitter Safety
June – Community CPR
July – Fire extinguisher training
August – Basic first aid
September – Safety in the woods Safety and Survival Techniques Part I
October – Safety in the woods Safety and Survival Techniques Part II
November – Community CPR
December – Preparing for a safe holiday season

“To register for a class, please call Headquarters at 706-539-1255 or email to Traci Reece at t.reece@walkerga.us”

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Majestic Manor Nursing Home in Rock Spring received a 93 score health inspection. Its previous score earlier in the month was a nasty nasty 49. Ivy Cottage in LaFayette got a 91, their last inspection was a similarly bad 63. Melinda’s Catering earned a B, and Twins Pizza got an A. (Originally from WQCH Radio.)

All Georgia restaurant inspections are now archived online.

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Here’s a look at the new state educational standards rolling out this fall. Georgia is now free of No Child Left Behind but these new guidelines come straight from the federal government.

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Walker Co libraries and GNTC now have new tools and study materials to help unemployed residents “bridge gaps in their education” as a means of getting back to work.

Last week Bebe Heiskell said Walker County has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, so it’s not likely that anyone would need any help getting back to work. But if you’re a statistical oddity without a job, we’d encourage you to take advantage of the new material.

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If you don’t have plans for the weekend, Finster Fest will be this Saturday and Sunday at Dowdy Park in Summerville. Shuttle Buses will be carrying people from the park to Finster’s Paradise Gardens near Trion.

Since taking over Paradise Gardens earlier this year, Chattooga County (and the Paradise Garden Foundation nonprofit) have been working to restore the garden and make it a center point of the county’s tourism scene.

From the Press Release: “Finster Fest is one of North Georgia’s most popular Folk Art and Music Festivals. Finster Fest 2012 will be host to performing acts such as Roger Allen Wade, Patterson Hood of the Drive by Truckers and many others.”

Volunteers from The Home Depot’s main office recently came to Summerville as part of a work day at Paradise Gardens, preparing for the fest.

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From the Macon Telegraph: “A federal grant originally intended to expand the state’s wildlife management areas — with Middle Georgia’s black bear habitat as the top priority — will now likely be used to simply maintain existing leases, state officials say. That’s because the state cut its own budget for wildlife management areas and is using the grant to make up some of the difference.”

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And the Underground is now accepting advertising. An ad here would be seen by hundreds of your neighbors every single day.

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