First-time jobless claims down nearly 24% in Bartow. High of 71 today. Thursday Bartow County Jail reports. Latest food inspection scores.

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First-time unemployment insurance claims drop; surge in Gordon

	January	December	Jan. 2010	12-month %
Bartow	1,196	911	1,577	Down 24.2%
Chattooga	108	112	142	Down 23.9%
Floyd	1,411	1,587	1,494	Down 5.6%
Gordon	1,644	1,073	1,156	Up 42.2%
Polk	649	624	834	Down 22.2%
Georgia	89,659	75,635	95,264	Down 5.9%

 

The January report on first-time unemployment insurance applications shows some encouragement in most Northwest Georgia counties -- except for a striking 42.2 percent surge in Gordon County.

-Bartow County say claim drop more than 24 percent when compared to January 2010 followed by 23.9 percent in Chattooga and 22.2 percent in Polk.

-Floyd saw a 5.6 percent drop, smaller than the 5.9 percent year-over-year drop posted by the entire state. Of the 14 major metropolitan areas in the state, only Columbus, Rome and Savannah reported decreases in claims filed in January vs. December 2010. Floyd posted a 12 percent month-over-month drop.
-Statewide, 89,659 laid-off workers filed initial claims in January, an increase of 14,024, or 18.5 percent, from 75,635 filed in December. But there was a decline of 5,605, or 5.9 percent, from 95,264 filed in January 2010. Much of the over-the-month increase in statewide claims occurred in manufacturing, construction, administrative and support services and trade.
-Quotable: "Most of these were seasonal layoffs that occur each year," said state Labor Commissioner Mark Butler (right). "However, I am concerned that the number of long-term unemployed Georgians continues to increase. This is a sure sign that the state's job market remains soft."

Feb. 17: Cartersville City Council meets at 7 p.m. Hear live coverage on WBHF AM 1450 or on our webcast. Work session at 6 p.m. Agenda

Two lanes on I-75 to be closed today: From DOT--Motorists should expect a double lane closure on I-75 northbound between Exits 306 (Folsom Road/Ga. 140) and 312 (Ga. 53). This closure is necessary for Georgia DOT to install an overhead sign on the interstate. The two left lanes will be closed just after the morning rush hour, around 8:30 a.m., and reopened around  4:30 p.m. 

Thursday's Bartow County Jail reports. Incident Reports // Jail Intake Report

Weather: Spring fling continues with sunny skies, high of 71 today.

-Thursday: Watch early morning fog. High of 71, low of 44.

-Friday: Beautiful day with a high of 73, low of 49.

-Weekend: Low 70s, mid 40s at night; rain late Sunday?

-Extended forecast: Click / Regional radar: Click

Norman Arey's Sports Commentary. Arey 

-Do nothing, make money; who's in line to coach basketball at Georgia Tech?