Ruskin Elementary School has received the 2024 Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Lighthouse Award, the highest award given by the organization.

All schools in Ware County will be closed on Friday due to a “logistical challenge” created from the high school football team making playoffs.

The Ware County Sheriff’s Office said Ware County High School was put on lockdown on Monday after reports of a shot fired.

The Ware County School System will adopt a hybrid instructional model from Sept. 7 through Oct. 7 due to the number of COVID-19 cases in the county and the surrounding area, the school system said.

After just over a week in session, Ware County Schools made the decision Friday to put the school year on hold following a “sharp increase” in the number of positive COVID-19 cases reported among students and staff.

An NCAA official says the governing body may consider using a single site for later rounds of men’s college basketball tournaments following a successful run in Indianapolis.

On Saturday in the national semifinals, the Zags will face 11th-seeded UCLA, which beat Michigan 51-49 in a later Elite Eight game. All-American Corey Kispert had 18 points and eight boards on an “off” night — only 6 for 19 from the floor. “We just tried to stay moving,” Suggs said about attacking the USC zone, which had been shutting down teams all month in Indy. “It was a little surprising," USC coach Andy Enfield said, “because we'd been playing great basketball.”The Zags have a way about doing that to people. ALL-WEST TEAMThe All-region team included both Mobley brothers, Suggs, Kispert and Timme, who was named the West's most outstanding player.

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)INDIANAPOLIS – Official Bert Smith collapsed on the floor early in the Elite Eight game between Gonzaga and Southern California and had to be taken off the court on a stretcher. He stayed down for about five minutes, and then was able to stand up and move to a nearby stretcher. Additionally, Tony Chiazza — the standby official for the UCLA-Michigan game later Tuesday — would also serve as the standby official for the remainder of the USC-Gonzaga game, Worlock said. The matchup was the 70th game Smith has worked this season, according to kenpom.com. ___This story has been corrected to show the replacement official is Tony Henderson, not Williams.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. – Georgia teachers and other school and child care employees gained access to the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, per the latest executive order from Gov. Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and parents of children with complex medical conditions are now also able to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Georgia under new guidelines issued last week. Blackstone said his teachers are relieved and excited to sign up for their shots. He said he will wait until his teachers and staff get vaccinated before he gets a shot himself. “In addition to becoming eligible for vaccines through the Health Department, Southeast Georgia Health System, and local retail providers, our employees have been given the opportunity to register for a vaccine clinic next weekend,” Tucker said.

WARE COUNTY, Ga. - Putting a priority on making schools safer, the Ware County School District has added 13 school resource officers to complete its own school police department. Ware County is the 30th district in Georgia out of 180 to form its own school police department protecting preschools, elementary, middle and high schools. In 2018, officers were only in middle and high schools. Lt. Kylie Carter is one of the resource officers walking the halls of the 11 schools in Ware County and protecting the 6,100 students in the district. Superintendent Bert Smith said Ware County is the only district in its region of eight school systems to have a school resource officer in every school.

The new academic year for 6,100 students at Ware County's 11 schools also brings a new superintendent and a new school district police force. Superintendent Bert Smith was the principal at Ware County High School. School district policeBefore the new police force was launched, Smith said only the middle schools, high school and alternative school in the county had an officer assigned. With the Ware County school system police department officially up and running, Smith said this means every school in Ware County will now have a school resource officer on campus. WATCH: Ware County looking to address road conditions as students return to schoolLottie Tatum Road, Musket Trail and Brad Street were just a few of the problem roads.