City Faces Discrimination Lawsuit

A group of current and former workers for the city of Kennesaw is accusing officials of racial discrimination committed and condoned by city officials. The lawsuit filed by three men Monday in U.S. District Court in Atlanta alleges that city officials used and permitted racial slurs and jokes at the workplace, and threatened and belittled minority workers. Two of the plaintiffs in the case are black; the other is Korean. All the defendants are white. The plaintiffs say they complained on several occasions to management about the alleged discrimination, but the complaints were not investigated.

(Associated Press)

More Jobs Coming to Columbus, Norcross

Two companies have announced in recent days that they would soon add several hundred jobs in Georgia.

YesVideo, a company that converts home movies and videos to DVDs and other digital formats, will bring 300 jobs to Norcross next month.

The Santa Clara, Ca.-based firm says they have has 30,000 retail locations including Walgreens, Costco and CVS.

"Metro Atlanta is well-centered, geographically, to service the entire eastern seaboard, Midwest, and south central areas with cost-effective ground logistics," YesVideo Chief Operating Officer Gregory Ayres said.

On Friday, Kodak announced that they were ramping up a third production line at their Columbus plant.

Kodak officials say the just-completed $15 million dollar investment will add another 50 jobs in coming years, bringing the total staffing to 300.

The facility makes digital plates for the printing industry.

On the red side of the employment ledger, however, JP Morgan Chase says they plan to close a credit card customer service center in Kennesaw by mid-2010, eliminating 730 jobs.

The center primarily worked with the now defunct electronics retailer, Circuit City.

Chase didn’t say when the cuts would begin, but says employees will be eligible to apply for other jobs in the company.

(The AP contributed to this report)

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City allows guns in parks

A Georgia pro-gun organization has won a legal battle in Kennesaw. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that under pressure from GeorgiaCarry.org, the city north of Atlanta has legalized carrying a gun in a public park. GeorgiaCarry.org filed suit last week against Kennesaw and six other Fulton County cities. The suit says those cities are violating state law by having ordinances banning guns in parks. Kennesaw Mayor Leonard Church says Kennesaw was forced to allow guns in parks because only the state can regulate where firearms may be carried.

Kennesaw may abolish gun ban in parks

Kennesaw, just north of Atlanta, is considering allowing people to carry firearms in public parks.

The move comes after the city attorney received a letter from a gun-rights group urging the repeal of a local law prohibiting guns in parks.

Town officials say there is a good reason to repeal the ordinance: state law says only the state has power to determine where guns may be carried.

Another Kennesaw ordinance requires landowners to own a gun.

Students test negative for TB

It looks like a Georgia high school student who tested positive for tuberculosis did not give it to other students. Health officials notified Kennesaw Mountain High School in Cobb County in July that a rising sophomore tested positive for TB. The school sent letters to about 100 students who had classes or rode the bus with the student. None of them tested positive. Tuberculosis is a disease caused by a bacteria which usually attack the lungs.