College holds celebration on Hispanic Serving Institution status

DALTON, Ga. — For 15 years Dalton State College has had the highest Latino student population in the University System of Georgia.

The college is now officially recognized as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), the first in the state of Georgia and one of the first in the South. It’s an achievement to celebrate, college officials say, and the community is invited to help the college do just that on Thursday. DSC hosts an HSI celebration at 3:30 p.m. at the foot of the Burran Bell Tower on the college quad. 

“This is a happy time for Dalton State,” DSC President Margaret Venable said. “We are proud to be Georgia’s first HSI and for all that says about the educational aspirations of our community and region.”

In order to be named an HSI, a college or university must have a student population that is at least 25 percent of Latino descent. Nearly 27 percent of DSC students enrolled last fall self-reported that they were of Hispanic origin. As one of only 492 HSIs nationwide, DSC is eligible to apply for federal grants to fund campus improvements that will benefit all students. 

According to Quincy Jenkins, DSC’s director for Hispanic and Latino outreach, improvements could range from capital projects to additional staff to program improvements to an endowment fund.

Workshop to present Heritage Square master plan draft

LIVE OAK, Fla. — The Live Oak Community Redevelopment Agency will hold a workshop Tuesday to discuss the Heritage Square Master Plan draft.

Heritage Square encompasses the area between U.S. Highway 129 on the west, Duval Street on the north, Mussey Avenue on the east and the railroad on the south.

The meeting will be held at City Hall at 5:30 p.m.

“The City of Live Oak CRA, would like to have our citizens continue to be part of the plan,” CRA Project Specialist Kim Smiley said. “When Live Oak citizens participate in the redevelopment process, it shows commitment to help make projects like this happen.

The master plan will include the various phases of the project — which normally includes Year 1, Years 2-5 and Years 6-10, etc., according to Kimley-Horn’s Jon Sewell at a previous CRA meeting — to develop the site, potentially as an entertainment district in downtown Live Oak.

Thursday event to commemorate anniversary of Rev. Martin Luther King’s assassination

MOULTRIE, Ga. — Moultrie churches and individuals will come together Thursday, April 26, in the first community-wide commemoration of the death of civil rights icon, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

The event will begin at 7 p.m. at the Colquitt County Arts Center. It is free and open to the public.

“There had never been a moment like this one,” said Mary Braggs, one of the event coordinators, in a press release about the event. “For many, it seemed as if time stopped, everything stopped. And, every man and woman living at that time would be able to tell you where they were when word came that Dr. King had been assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn.”

Wiregrass hosting Tech Roadshow

VALDOSTA, Ga. — Wiregrass Georgia Technical College and DellEMC are partnering to present the Dell Technologies Tech Roadshow. College officials describe it as a unique opportunity to see the newest and future technologies from DellEMC. 

The event is scheduled noon-3 p.m. Thursday, April 26, Brooks Hall on the Valdosta Campus of Wiregrass Tech. 

Some of the technology on display will be SonicWall, Aerohive, education strategy, mid-range storage solutions, Dell Data Protection ESSE and Dell clients, displays and carts.