Community college growing fast

North Georgia is home to one of the fastest-growing colleges in the nation. Enrollment at Gainesville State College is up 11% over the past year. The survey by Community College Week magazine says that makes Gainesville State the 22-nd fastest-growing community college nationwide.

(Athens Banner-Herald)

Newt Gingrich to teach UGA course

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich is set to teach a law course in Athens . Gingrich will teach a judicial review class next spring at the University of Georgia School of Law, according to the Athens Banner Herald. Gingrich was elected to Congress in 1978 from suburban Atlanta and represented the 6th Congressional District for 20 years. He was speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999.

(Athens Banner-Herald)

Little warning on plant closure

At least 80 workers won't get paychecks after their northeast Georgia wood products plant announced it's closing for a few weeks. The Athens Banner Herald reports Weyerhaeuser Company in Colbert in Madison County broke the news to employees yesterday. The company says a poor housing market is forcing the plant's closure for at least six weeks. Weyerhaeuser is Madison County's largest employer.

Discrimination suit against sheriff's officials

In northeast Georgia, a discrimination lawsuit against sheriff's officials will go forward. The Athens Banner Herald reports arbitration has failed between officials with Oconee County's sheriff's office and the plaintiff, Michelle McClung. McClung's federal lawsuit claims she was passed over for three promotions because of her gender, and then faced retaliation after her lawsuit.

Athens has lower ER wait times

If you head to an Emergency Room in Athens, you can expect to wait for a doctor less than most Americans. That’s according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. he Athens Banner-Herald reports the average patient wait time at Athens Regional Medical Center is 42 minutes. At St. Mary’s Hospital, it’s 47 minutes. The CDC says in the average American ER, people wait an hour.

Former police chief cleared of allegations

Former Arcade police chief Dennis Bell has been cleared of accusations he had fixed traffic tickets. Jackson County’s District Attorney told the Athens Banner-Herald a six-month probe by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation found no evidence that Bell destroyed the original documents in a 2006 DUI case. Bell resigned from his position as chief in November and has taken a job with the Franklin Springs Police Department.

Harvesting gas from Georgia landfills

Georgia is set to get its second-ever plant to harvest methane gas from landfills. The Athens Banner-Herald reports the plant would be built in Winder near the Oak Grove and Speedway landfills. Winder would sell methane gas to the plant, which would harvest it to turn into natural gas to re-sell to city residents. The project is still in permitting phase but could be up and running by 2010. It’s projected to be able to heat 20,000 homes for the next 20 years. The only other plant like it in Georgia is set to open next year in DeKalb County.

Tuition hikes loom

Some Georgia college and graduate students could see a big rate hike next year. The Athens Banner-Herald reports that the University Board of Regents is set to approve several tuition hikes today and tomorrow. The regents could sign off on letting heads of graduate and professional programs set their own rates. For some at the University of Georgia that would mean between 10 – and 65% increases. Now, graduate students across Georgia’s university system are gathering to protest the hikes.