ATLANTA
License plate contest begins
The governor is inviting members of the public to leave their mark on car bumpers across the state in the search for Georgia's new license plate.
The Department of Revenue is hosting the contest, and submissions will be accepted through June 17. The department is scheduled to produce a new Georgia license plate in 2012.
The contest is open to all Georgia residents or companies authorized to do business in the state. The public will select three semifinalists through an online vote between June 24 and July 8. Multiple design entries are allowed, and the design must promote Georgia as the Peach State.
Gov. Nathan Deal will announce the winning design July 15.
FORT PAYNE, Ala.
DeKalb helping Missouri victims
DeKalb County Sheriff Jimmy Harris said efforts are under way to provide help for Joplin, Mo.
Joplin was struck by a massive tornado on Sunday that killed more than 100 people and caused millions of dollars in damage.
Harris said a tractor-trailer was filled with water and packages in Fort Payne on Monday and sent to aid in relief efforts. The help comes less than a month after four tornadoes struck DeKalb County.
In Decatur, Epic Church volunteers said they planned to take supplies to Joplin on Tuesday, with a second group leaving Friday.
Andrea Hatfield with the church said the people of North Alabama make perfect contributors because of their own experience. Tornadoes killed more than 200 people in Alabama in April.
PIKEVILLE, Tenn.
Poppy Day coming Friday
Members of the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 66 in Pikeville will pin poppies on passers-by at the Bledsoe County Courthouse square Friday.
Auxiliary President Hannah T. Schoolfield said poppies are a reminder of the sacrifices made by America's veterans.
In 1915, the flowers growing wild in World War I France inspired Canadian Army doctor Lt. Col. John McCrae as he stood amid soldiers' graves in a French cemetery, Schoolfield said. McCrae wrote "In Flanders Fields," a poem that describes wild poppies growing amid the rows of graves, which in turn inspired Poppy Day as a way to remember those sacrifices, she said.
Schoolfield said the crepe-paper poppies to be handed out by auxiliary members were handcrafted by hospitalized and disabled veterans. The poppies are not sold, but donations are accepted, she said.
MANCHESTER, Tenn.
USDA honors Deerfield school
U.S. Department of Agriculture officials today are honoring Deerfield Elementary School in Manchester with a HealthierUS School Challenge award.
Deerfield joins 1,001 schools recognized nationally for health, nutrition and fitness excellence, and it is the first school in Tennessee to receive the Gold Award of Distinction level of certification.