The Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday that the unemployment rate in the Northwest Georgia region declined to 8.1 percent in April, down two-tenths of a percentage point from 8.3 percent in March. The rate was 9.0 percent in April a year ago. The rate declined because the number of unemployed people decreased by 872 to 33,169, down from 34,041 in March. The number ... (click for more)

Direct South, Inc, a restaurant equipment supply company based in Macon, Ga., has named Steve Austin as project manager for the Chattanooga area.  Direct South has additional locations in Warner Robbins and Gainesville, Ga.   Mr. Austin, a veteran restaurant equipment sales specialist, had previously worked for American Foodservice Equipment Company, Inc and Lillie ... (click for more)

The head of BB&T's Chattanooga commercial banking operations has been charged by federal authorities with making fraudulent loans. Tracy Brown is set to plead guilty to bank fraud on June 4. Authorities said Brown "appropriated the identities of three customers and took out fraudulent loans in their names. In October 2012, a customer of BB&T, D.M., went to the Ooltewah ... (click for more)

LDA Engineering has been selected to lead the team to develop and recommend a green infrastructure master plan for the city of Chattanooga to complement traditional “gray” infrastructure, namely man-made sewer and stormwater structures, with sustainable green alternatives, officials said Wednesday.   “We are honored to be selected to develop Chattanooga’s green infrastructure ... (click for more)

The Hamilton County Sheriff's Department is very responsive and professional out in Apison, and I appreciate that.  We have some fine deputies serving Hamilton County.    I took a minute to call and tell them thank you, I hope my neighbors will also. Brian Wood Apison (click for more)

I am still wincing over the fact a horrendous bill passed in the state legislature that would make whistle-blowers into criminals would have actually gone into law had it not been for Governor Bill Haslam’s eleventh-hour veto. Called the “Ag-Gag bill,” similar efforts in other states have also soured because it is no more than a Catch-22 trick to protect those who abuse animals, ... (click for more)