Group: Troubled Ga. district loses accreditation   08/28/2008
DECATUR, Ga. (AP) - A Georgia county school district lost its accreditation Thursday, an unusual move blamed in part on what has been called a "dysfunctional" school board. Clayton County Commissioner Eldrin Bell confirmed the loss of accreditation shortly before the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools announced it. The association issued a scathing report in February calling Clayton County's school board "dysfunctional" and "fatally flawed." It gave the district until Sept. 1 to overhaul the system.

County SAT scores rise   08/27/2008
Cherokee County School District students are getting better at mastering the SAT, according to results released Tuesday.

City executes layoffs, freezes to trim budget   08/27/2008
Falling revenues have led the Canton city government to lay off staff and freeze hiring for open positions in its efforts to prevent a tax hike.

'An integral part of the community'   08/27/2008
A Canton man known as a pillar in the community his family founded has died after a lifetime of service.

Clintons throwing a one-two punch at McCain   08/27/2008
DENVER (AP) - Democrats were using the one-two punch of Hillary and Bill Clinton to unify their party against Republicans and argue that the nation would be safer - its economy as well as its citizens - under a Barack Obama administration. Anticipating Wednesday night's focus on national security at the Democratic National Convention, Republican John McCain contended in a new TV ad that Obama showed he was "dangerously unprepared" for the White House when he described Iran as a "tiny" nation that didn't pose a serious threat.

Presidential camps pick up in Cherokee   08/27/2008
The campaign for the Democratic Party's presidential candidate is trying to make a dent in heavily Republican Cherokee County.

Consumer outlook up more than expected in August   08/26/2008
NEW YORK (AP) - Americans' confidence in the economy has gotten a better-than-expected boost in August amid lower prices at the gas pump. The Conference Board, a private research group, said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose to 56.9, up from a revised 51.9 in July. Analysts had expected a reading of 53. That marked the second month in a row that sentiment improved, after a six-month slide since January. However, the level still remains about half of what it was a year ago. The Conference Board's Present Situation Index, which measures shoppers' current assessment of the economy, declined to 63.2 from 65.8 in July. But the Expectations Index, which measures their outlook over the next six months, increased to 52.8 from 42.7 in July.