Polk School District is calling off its plans for viewing solar eclipse with students outdoors

Stephen Evar Hultberg

Mr. Stephen Evar Hultberg, age 75, of Rome, passed away Wednesday, August 16, 2017.

Arrangements are incomplete at this time and will be announced later by Daniel’s Funeral Home.

Daniel’s Funeral Home has charge of the arrangements.

CEDARTOWN — The Aug. 21 solar eclipse is right around the corner, and ahead of the celestial event, the Polk School District has announced a change to their plans. Recent news coverage of the potential for solar eclipse glasses having been counterfeited — even with official stamps on them — have caused local schools to reconsider their plans, and keep students indoors.

The school district is sending out a letter to parents explaining the change, which will keep students in the classroom during the eclipse to prevent any potential for eye injuries during the eclipse. All outdoor activities during the time will not be allowed, Greg Teems said. Instead, local schools are changing their plans to allow for students to take part in eclipse watching online, and won’t have gym or recess outdoors during the event to prevent any issues. Polk School District will also hold students for an extra 30 minutes for the school day to ensure that when students begin going home on buses, they won’t run into potential distracted drivers and possible wrecks.

Kevin Myrick, Polk County Standard Journal some 170 jobs, mostly in management.

“As part of its reorganization plan, Beaulieu Group LLC is restructuring its management and eliminating approximately 170 positions,” said Beaulieu President Michael Pollard in a statement. “The majority of reductions are management and senior management positions and are spread across the company. The organization will be far leaner with a focus on manufacturing great product, selling great product and managing our assets effectively.

“These decisions were extremely difficult for us to make as they impact our colleagues and friends, but when announcing the reorganization one month ago we indicated that we would need to find cost-efficiencies in order to strengthen our long-term financial viability. This is an ongoing and challenging process for Beaulieu, but we remain committed to providing high-quality products as we regain our position in the marketplace.”

Dave Foster of TalkFloor.com, which covers the floorcovering industry, says the announcement isn’t a surprise. “They are restructuring,” he said. “And cleaning house among the management, you’d expect to be part of that.”

Beaulieu Group filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in July in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Georgia in Rome.