COMMUNITY TEA

The U.S. government is urging U.S. citizens to leave Haiti because of the country’s deepening insecurity along with a severe lack of fuel that has affected hospitals, schools and banks. The rare warning from the U.S. State Department comes as Haiti’s government and police are struggling to control gangs. 

A judge this week approved a $626 million deal to settle lawsuits filed by Flint, Michigan residents who found their tap water contaminated by lead following disastrous decisions to switch the city’s water source and a failure to swiftly acknowledge the problem. 

A federal appeals court temporarily blocked the release of White House records sought by a U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection, granting — for now — a request from former President Donald Trump. The administrative injunction effectively bars until the end of this month the release of records that were to be turned over today. 

A federal appeals court in New Orleans halted the Biden administration’s vaccine or testing requirement for private businesses, delivering another political setback to one of the White House’s signature public health policies. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit issued the ruling Friday after temporarily halting the mandate last weekend in response to lawsuits filed by Republican-aligned businesses and legal groups. Calling the requirement a “mandate,” the court said the rule, instituted through the Labor Department, “grossly exceeds OSHA’s statutory authority,” according to the opinion, written by Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt and joined by Judges Edith H. Jones and Stuart Kyle Duncan.They said they believed the ruling imposed a financial burden on businesses and potentially violated the commerce clause of the Constitution. The New Orleans-based 5th Circuit was appointed by Republicans, and is considered one of the country’s most conservative appeals courts.

Marietta City Schools vaccinated 383 children Saturday morning at Park Street Elementary, the latest in a series of vaccine clinics the district has hosted, and the first to vaccinate students aged 5 to 11. The district partnered with Poole’s Pharmacy to host the clinic, administering first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The second dose for the children vaccinated Saturday will be administered on Dec. 4. While parents and their children were inside, a small group gathered to protest their skepticism of the vaccine. The clinic, Superintendent Grant Rivera said, was about the district being proactive in fighting COVID-19 within schools. 

The Southern Poverty Law Center has appealed a federal judge’s decision last month not to require stricter COVID-19 policies in Cobb County schools. The appeal is the latest move in a lawsuit by the SPLC and two metro Atlanta law firms, representing four students with disabilities, which argues the district’s protocols are discriminatory. The plaintiffs have argued their children — suffering from muscular dystrophy, leukemia, and other illnesses — are at risk of severe symptoms or death should they be infected with COVID-19. 

Medicare’s “Part B” outpatient premium will jump by $21.60 a month in 2022, one of the largest increases ever. Officials say a new Alzheimer’s drug is responsible for about half of that. The increase guarantees that health care will gobble up a big chunk of the recently announced Social Security cost-of-living allowance, a boost that had worked out to $92 a month for the average retired worker, intended to help cover rising prices for gas and food that are pinching seniors.

The Cobb Board of Education voted along party lines last week to amend Superintendent Chris Ragsdale’s contract. The board approved the amendments 4-3, without debate, after discussing them during a closed-door session. Board Chairman Randy Scamihorn declined to share specifics about the contract, saying details could change as district lawyers negotiate with Ragsdale’s attorney. In February, the board voted along party lines to extend Ragsdale’s contract through 2024, but did not give him a raise. According to Ragsdale’s 2020 contract, his salary is $350,000. 

The Marietta City Council made the city’s downtown open-container district permanent and removed restrictions that limited the district to certain times and days.Visitors to downtown Marietta will now be able to walk around downtown sipping a cocktail, beer or wine, any time of the day. The drink must be 12 ounces or less, bought from a licensed establishment within the district and contained in a clear plastic cup. The open-container district extends north to Polk Street, west to Marietta Parkway and south to South Marietta Parkway. Except for one block that extends to Waddell Street, its eastern boundary is roughly Atlanta Street/East Park Square/Cherokee Street. 

The Carolina Panthers have brought back Atlanta native and former star Cam Newton. The Panthers announced that they came to a one year contract with Newton, bringing him back to the franchise that drafted him No. 1 overall in 2011 — and cut him prior to the 2020 season after losing eight straight games. The deal is worth $10 million, including $4.5 million in fully guaranteed money and a $1.5 million roster bonus. Newton has not played football since being released prior to the season by the New England Patriots after getting beaten out for a starting job by rookie Mac Jones. An MRI revealed Carolina starting quarterback Sam Darnold would miss at least four weeks with an incomplete fracture of his shoulder blade.

Airport Travelers who catch rides from Uber and Lyft after their flights will need to head back to a designated rideshare pickup zone at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport’s domestic terminal starting Monday. When traffic plummeted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, rideshare pickups were moved to the lower level curbsides. Now that crowds have returned to the airport, Hartsfield-Jackson will once again use an Uber/Lyft Rideshare Pickup Zone near the Terminal North economy lot. That pickup area is about a five-minute walk from the terminal. There will be no Uber and Lyft pickup areas at Terminal South. Drop-offs by Uber and Lyft drivers will still be at curbside. 

Kingsley Village Apartments is the site of the Little Library Ribbon Cutting Ceremony that will be held on Tuesday, November 16, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. The community is invited to attend the event that will be held in the Thrive Resource Center courtyard – Building 900. This special event will include  a short presentation, fellowship with the community, and networking opportunities. Attendees will also enjoy complimentary funnel cakes from Yummy’s Food truck. The event is a partnership between We Thrive in Riverside Renters Association, Cobb Collaborative, and Lexington Riverside Properties. Kingsley Village Apartments is located at 595 Riverside Parkway in Austell. FOr more information, contact Monica Delancy at monicadelancy@hotmail.com

The Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service announced Wednesday that Trader Joe’s is recalling a chicken patty product after pieces of bone were discovered in the product.  The recall affects Trader Joe’s in Georgia and across the country. Trader Joe’s Chile Lime Chicken Burgers and Spinach Feta Chicken Sliders are the two recalled chicken products. Customers who purchased either of the products are urged to throw the food away or return it to the Trader Joe’s for a refund. Consumers with questions about the recall can contact Frank Sorba, president of Innovative Solutions Inc., at 206-365-7200 or email him at frank@innovativesolutionsinc.us

Have a wonderful, safe, and productive week.