The Dalton Police Department welcomed a new officer to the ranks on Tuesday morning as Dalton native Richard Cook took his oath of office and received his badge from Chief Jason Parker.   Officer Cook graduated Friday from the Georgia Public Safety Training Center’s Regional Police Academy in Athens.  Officer Cook is a native of the Dalton/Whitfield County area.  He ... (click for more)

Phil Smartt, candidate for County Commission, District 7, officially kicked off his campaign with a breakfast held Saturday at his headquarters on 8150 East Brainerd Road. Many community supporters as well as politicians attended. The event included Phil's grandchildren singing a song about his campaign set to the jingle,"Frosty the Snowman".  His grandchildren also held ... (click for more)

A $125,000 Federal Court settlement was reached Monday in the Adam Tatum case after nine hours of negotiations. Attorney Robin Flores said $112,500 would be paid by the city of Chattanooga and $2,500 by Erlanger Medical Center. He said the remaining $10,000 was from an undisclosed source. Attorney Roger Dickson of the Miller and Martin law firm provided over the lengthy mediation ... (click for more)

Dr. Martin Ringstaff informed the Cleveland City School Board Site Committee on Tuesday that the Cleveland High Raider Dome has be replaced completely with an entirely new building, as simply replacing the dome itself is not financially or structurally practical.  The committee met to discuss how to proceed with the much-needed construction projects, that include the Raider ... (click for more)

This situation with Police Chief Snyder’s alleged affair reminds me of a story my dad once told me when he was in the military. One day a woman came running to his commanding officer screaming that she caught her husband, who was one of this commanding officer’s soldiers, cheating on her with another woman. The woman demanded that the commander make an example of this man and dishonorably ... (click for more)

I like to think I that I am “good on my feet,” creative and adept when it comes to saying something nice, or reaffirming, when I think it might be helpful to another soul. The other day I came across an article during my morning reading entitled, “10 Insanely Nice Things You Can Say to Anybody,” and I read every one of them. Trust me, this is important stuff in a world that increasingly ... (click for more)