Girls Preparatory School and the ALICE Training Institute will offer ALICE Instructor Certification Training in Chattanooga Aug. 2-3. The course will be held on the GPS campus in Caldwell Commons.
The goal of the ALICE program is to enable individuals to survive in the gap between when a violent situation begins and when law enforcement arrives. The training is age- and ability-appropriate.
Register at tinyurl.com/AliceGPS.
Eight more HCS schools to open VW eLabs
The Public Education Foundation has received a $5.3 million grant to open Volkswagen eLabs in eight additional Hamilton County schools.
The schools include Alpine Crest Elementary, Calvin Donaldson Elementary, Daisy Elementary, East Lake Academy, East Ridge Middle School, Harrison Bay Future Ready Center, Wallace A. Smith Elementary and Westview Elementary.
VW eLabs grant students access to a host of digital fabrication technologies, including microcomputers, renewable energy kits, 3D printers, robotics and laser cutters.
The new labs will open in August and will join a network of 36 other HCS schools featuring VW eLabs.
City, EPB enhance energy resilience for emergency resources
The city of Chattanooga and EPB have completed the “Power to Protect” microgrid at the Chattanooga Police Services Center and the Chattanooga Fire Department’s administrative headquarters at 3410 Amnicola Highway.
The new microgrid can generate enough power in an emergency to sustain operations around the clock at these locations for an indefinite period, according to a news release from the city.
Functions located at the Police Services Center and fire department’s administrative headquarters and served by the microgrid include SWAT, homicide, Chattanooga Fire Station 10, the radio control center, the city’s camera surveillance and other communication infrastructure.
There has been no need to use the microgrid in an emergency, although tests take place regularly.
EPB’s Smart Grid provides two pathways for power to reach the Police Services Center and the fire department’s administrative headquarters, so the new microgrid will serve as the third line of defense should widespread outages affect Chattanooga.
EPB also relocated a power pole from the front to the back of the building to avoid damage from possible wrecks on the Amnicola Highway corridor.
The Power to Protect microgrid includes two main generation and storage systems.
The city of Chattanooga purchased a 200-kilowatt diesel generator and 155 kilowatts of solar; EPB invested in a 500-kilowatt battery to support the microgrid and other grid services.
City selected for Good Jobs, Great Cities
The city of Chattanooga is joining a new peer-learning cohort led by the National League of Cities and the U.S. Department of Labor to accelerate efforts to design, develop and launch a workforce initiative.
The Good Jobs, Great Cities Academy works with municipalities to spur solutions that train workers for high-demand jobs in infrastructure, clean energy and advanced manufacturing jobs made possible by investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.
The Good Jobs, Great Cities Academy includes 16 cities focusing throughout 2023 and 2024 on supporting residents from historically underserved and underrepresented communities in order to address key shortcomings in their education and workforce ecosystem.
Academy cities are working closely with their employers, workforce development boards and other cross-sector partners to build on-ramps into in-demand infrastructure occupations for workers facing barriers to career success.
For example, such city partnerships will take action to launch pre-apprenticeship programs, expand registered apprenticeship into new sectors, design a comprehensive youth strategy for a city, or develop a regional sector partnership for a growing industry.
Other cities selected for the academy include: Birmingham, Alabama; Duluth, Minnesota; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Frederick, Maryland; Jamestown, New York; Kokomo, Indiana; Lansing, Michigan; Missoula, Montana; Monroe, North Carolina; Newark, New Jersey; San Antonio; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Saint Louis; Tacoma, Washington; and Tempe, Arizona.
Martin secures funds for Adult, Teen Challenge
State Rep. Greg Martin has secured $25,000 in state funding for Adult and Teen Challenge Midsouth in Chattanooga.
The funding will be used to help graduates of the nonprofit’s addiction recovery program attend college or a trade school to improve their lives and reduce the likelihood of a relapse.
Adult and Teen Challenge Midsouth is a faith-based, residential alcohol and drug addiction recovery program for adults between the ages of 18 and 50.
The appropriated funds are part of a $56.2 billion balanced budget the general assembly passed in April.
Martin represents House District 26, which includes part of Hamilton County.