1. What new screening for day care workers goes in effect on Jan. 1?
A. Drug
B. Psychological evaluation
C. Fingerprinting
D. All of the above
2. What local school system has the only plan in the state that pays retirees two pensions?
A. Gwinnett
B. DeKalb
C. Fulton
D. Clayton
3. Manuel’s, perhaps the most famous political bar in Georgia, is banning what starting Jan. 1?
A. Lobbying
B. Smoking
C. Dancing
D. Karaoke
4. Atlanta Hawks player Kyle Korver recently made the record books scoring 3-pointers in a consecutive 90 games. What Midwestern college team did he play for?
A. Missouri Tigers
B. Kansas Jayhawks
C. Iowa Hawkeyes
D. Creighton Bluejays
5. Keeping with the sports theme, Braves catcher Brian McCann recently signed with what other Major League baseball team?
A. Mets
B. Yankees
C. Dodgers
D. Phillies
Answers:
1. C. State lawmakers pushed through a law earlier this year requiring child care workers to pass a national background check based on their fingerprints. It takes effect, for some, Jan. 1. The fear was that the existing — and only — criminal background screening for child care staffers, a name-based search of Georgia records, might not protect children from predators.
The fingerprint-based national background check will be mandatory for new hires as of Jan. 1. Current workers are exempt until 2017, or earlier if they move to another job in child care.
2. A. The Gwinnett County school district is spending tens of millions of tax dollars every year to offer their educators two pensions, the mandatory state pension and a rare second pension. A combination of employee contributions and state and local tax money supports their participation in the Teacher Retirement System of Georgia. But the second pension is funded 100 percent by the local district — Gwinnett taxpayers — at a cost of $139 million in the past three years alone.
3. B. At the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, Manuel’s is going smoke-free. Manuel’s Tavern in Atlanta posted this notice on its Facebook page: “I was asked this morning if the New Year’s Day end of smoking at Manuel’s was real. The answer is yes. Manuel’s will be smoke-free starting 2014.” The note brought more than 400 responses so far from Facebook friends, the vast majority of them praising the move.
4. D. Former Creighton Bluejay Kyle Korver set the NBA all-time mark for 3-pointers in consecutive games at 90. The Atlanta Hawks small forward/shooting guard drained a 25-footer from beyond the arc 6:31 into the first quarter. It came on his third attempt. Philips Arena, in anticipation of the record breaker, erupted in cheers before the ball cleared the netting.
5. B. Brian McCann, arguably the best-hitting catcher in Atlanta Braves history, is now a New York Yankee and the highest-paid free agent catcher in baseball history. The seven-time All-Star agreed to terms just before Thanksgiving with the Yankees on a five-year, $85 million contract that includes a sixth-year vesting option that could push the total value of the contract to $100 million.
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