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State unemployment rate holds steady at 8.7 percent
Staff Report
Updated: Mar 8, 2013, 2:02 AM
Published: Mar 8, 2013, 2:04 AM
ATLANTA — The Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday that Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for January was 8.7 percent, unchanged from December. The rate was 9.3 percent in January a year ago.
There was a loss of 47,700 mostly seasonal jobs and an increase in initial claims for unemployment insurance benefits over the month, but the increases were not enough to impact the unemployment rate.
“The good news in this report is that we lost the fewest jobs for January since 1987,” said state Labor Commissioner Mark Butler. “And, we start the year with 79,600 more jobs in January than we had in the same period a year ago.”
The number of jobs increased to 3,956,300 from 3,876,700 in January 2012. Most of the over-the-year job growth came in professional and business services, 25,500; leisure and hospitality, 21,300; education and health care, 16,100; trade, transportation, and warehousing, 13,000, and manufacturing 5,800.
The number of first-time claims for unemployment insurance benefits, resulting from layoffs during the month, increased by 20,669 to 71,530 from 50,861 in December. The increase is mostly from seasonal layoffs in manufacturing, administrative and support services, construction, and retail trade.
However, the number of initial claims was down by 6,226, over the year, dropping from 77,756 in January 2012. Most of the over-the-year decline came in manufacturing, retail trade, construction, accommodations and food services, and transportation and warehousing.
Georgia’s labor force grew by 15,704, reaching 4,846,362 in January, its highest level since July 2008. The labor force has grown by 54,127, or 1.1 percent, from 4,792,635 in January 2012.
The number of long-term unemployed workers declined by 3,700 to 191,300 in January, its lowest level in 35 months. The long-term unemployed — those out of work for more than 26 weeks — make up 45.2 percent of those unemployed in Georgia.
Effingham ECCA Students Build Electric Car with Hyundai
From wiring to problem-solving, Effingham juniors Rowand Smart, left, and Dexter Bohlman tackle the challenges of building an electric car alongside engineering director Aaron Parker. (Mya Taylor / Effingham Herald)
Mya Taylor
Updated: Sep 23, 2025, 1:44 PM
Published: Sep 23, 2025, 1:47 PM
SPRINGFIELD, Ga. — For five months, 10 engineering students at Effingham College and Career Academy spent afternoons with wrenches, wires and instruction manuals, turning boxes of parts into something extraordinary — a working electric car.
The build was part of a partnership between ECCA’s engineering lab and the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in nearby Ellabell. Funded through $150,000 in state grants and supported by Hyundai’s donation of tools, the project gave students hands-on experience in electric vehicle technology while tying classroom learning to one of the region’s most significant new industries.
Finding their place in the project
Junior Dexter Bohlman hadn’t expected to be part of the build. A scheduling error placed him in a higher-level engineering class, and before long he was wiring railings, connecting a key fob and shaping the steering panel.
Much of the work he did alone. The wiring — 250 to 450 terminals in all — was especially tricky.
“You have to figure out how to manage the wires to make it so that they’re less complicated,” Bohlman said. “On the top rail it’s a little bit of a mess, but down there we managed to get it a little more concise.”
For Bohlman, the project became more than an assignment. It gave him experience to add to his aerospace résumé and a sense of ownership in something bigger than himself.
Classmate Rowand Smart also joined by accident, after his schedule shifted. At first, he said, his enthusiasm for engineering was fading. The project changed that.
“It turned into something that I was actually interested in because it’s kind of a hobby working on my truck and seeing the less mechanical and more electrical part of it,” Smart said. “The wiring, the programming, all of that was really interesting.”
Smart’s father and grandfather were both mechanics, and he said their influence helped guide him through the toughest parts of the build.
ECCA juniors Dexter Bohlman and Rowand Smart helped turn kits of parts into a drivable electric car — then signed their names on the project to mark their role in the hands-on Hyundai partnership. (Mya Taylor / Effingham Herald)
Learning by doing
Students worked four days a week on the car, often troubleshooting unexpected problems.
“We had to figure out what we were going to do, find the parts, read the instructions before we put it together, and make sure we had the right equipment,” Smart said.
Together they learned not only how to wire circuits and measure voltage but also how to rely on one another.
Engineering Director Aaron Parker said the students’ persistence reflected what he calls the “four C’s” — creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration.
A proud moment
By May, the car was ready for its first test run. Getting it out of the lab was almost as hard as building it — four adults and 10 students had to tilt and lift the vehicle through a doorway.
Once outside, the students each took turns driving. For Bohlman and Smart, it was the highlight of months of effort.
“It was probably one of my proudest moments of students, especially upon completion,” Parker said.
The car later went on display at Stemposium, a community event where STEM students showcase their work. Families and staff stopped to admire what the team had built.
Looking forward
Bohlman said he dreams of an affordable electric rally car, while Smart imagines a Mustang with electric power. Both said the project changed how they see engineering.
HMGMA Chief Administrative Officer Brent Stubbs shared his gratitude for the partnership with ECCA.
“HMGMA is thrilled to sponsor the EV lab at Effingham College and Career Academy. ECCA is teaching young students about electric vehicles and giving them an opportunity to get hands-on experience, so when we learned about their need, we jumped at the opportunity to help. We are proud to be a long-term partner in educating future generations of EV and automobile enthusiasts. We hope one day some of them will become Meta Pros at HMGMA,” Stubbs said.
As for the car itself, Parker said it will soon get finishing touches — a light and dash cover — before being used to promote the program. Another frame, bright red and untouched, waits for the next group of students to take on.
“At the end of the day we want to set these kids up to be successful adults so that they can be independent when they get out in the real world,” Parker said.
