the News November 15, 2014 Volume 6, Issue 32
75 cents
rockdalenews.com
Medical Marijuana
Raising the debate The Hopkins family lost two children while the debate over medical marinjuana rages on
Page 3 Serving Rockdale County and Conyers
Captains of Industry (Left to right) Melissa Nikolic of Ga. BioEd Inst., Lt. Gov Casey Cagle, Frank Milward of Merial, Ken Howerton of Baxter Healthcare Corporation, Joe Zorzoli of UCB, Inc. (Below) NCCA CEO Chad Walker, Cagle, RCA CEO Miki Edwards
Majesti
is crowned
Majesti Bass signs to play at UGA next fall
Page 13
Giving Back
tis the season to give to others
Page 10 Mecca: Best Veteran’s Day Ever
Page 6 Like us at facebook.com/ rockdalenews Follow us @rockdalenews
RCA hosts Lt. Gov summit with bioscience, health IT focus By Michelle Kim
mkim@rockdalenews.com
Rockdale Career Academy students and programs were on display as bioscience industry and information technology leaders and college and career professionals from around the state came together for Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle’s seventh annual Business and Education Summit Thursday at RCA. “First of all, Rockdale is the largest career and college academy in the state,” said Cagle, on why RCA was chosen to co-host this year’s summit. “We have seen tremendous success within the institution. Every year – this is our seventh year – we travel around the state doing our summit. It’s always done at a college and career academy. This year Rockdale was
selected not only because of their size but also their excellence.” The two-day summit focused on the bioscience industry in Georgia and healthcare information technology during panel discussions on Thursday at RCA and Georgia’s film industry on Friday hosted at the Newton College and Career Academy. Thursday morning’s first discussion panel focused on the needs of Georgia’s bioscience industries. It’s an exciting time to be in the bioscience industry, said panelists, because of the impact it can have on people’s lives and the wider economy and the state’s commitment to grow the industry. Panelists said while many might have the perception that bioscience is about research,
Church gets thumbs up to opening private school By Martin Rand III
news@rockdalenews.com
The Conyers-Rockdale Planning Commission recommended approving two new ordinances, moving the church closer to operating as private school and a daycare center. In two 4-0 votes Thursday night, the board gave approval to Kingdom Builders Covenant Church, 1151 Flat Shoals Road, Conyers for two special permits that would allow the place of worship to operate as a private elementary school and a daycare center as an accessory use to the church.
Board member Allan Jones was absent for the meeting and didn’t get a vote, but did make an appearance just before the meeting adjourned. The first special use permit allows the church to provide private school education for grades kindergarten through fifth. The church initially sought to be a private school for middle school and high school grades as well, but doesn’t meet the required number of acres of land to allow such as use. According to Rockdale County law, for a private school needs at least 12 acres of land to operate as a middle school and 20 acres
See CHURCH, Page 15
about three-quarters of the jobs available are in the manufacturing side of bioscience. Milward said, “Our industry doesn’t function just with biologists. The maintenance folks are just as important as the biologists. If the machines don’t work, you don’t work.” While science background and skills are important, soft skills such as being able to work in a team, communicate effectively and constantly learn and change are almost as important as the initial skill set students will emerge with after
See Industry, Page 15
online exclusive
County budget to dip into reserves by $9 million Budget hearings Nov. 18 at 901 Main Street Go to rockdalenews.com for full story