This year, we wrap up Season 2 and the year with a return to a holiday tradition: reading some of my favorite Letters to Santa submitted for 2021! Check out this holiday special and enjoy the various wishlists to Santa! This holiday episode is sponsored by GFL Environmental. 

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The Tallapoosa Circuit Drug Court program's 37th graudation ceremony was held on October 6, 2021, and gave participants and a local official the opportunity to speak out about their struggles with addiction and the recovery process. Make sure to listen in to this special episode of Talking Points on Polk Today, sponsored by Floyd Medical Center and Gammon, McFall and Villerreal, Attorneys at Law in Cedartown. 

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Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene's town hall meeting in full is available in this special episode of Talking Points on Polk Today, sponsored by Floyd Medical Center and Gammon, McFall and Villerreal, Attorneys at Law in Cedartown. 

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State Senator Jason Anavitarte joined me by phone for this latest episode of Talking Points on Polk.Today, discussing various topics of interest from voting legislation to the challenges of expanding rural broadband and more. 

Listen in to the latest episode, made possible by sponsors like Floyd Polk Medical Center, Gammon, McFall and Villereal, Culver Exterminating Company and the Development Authority of Polk County. Become a Polk.Today sponsor by visiting polk.today/advertising to learn more. 

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Pizza Farm owner Tommy Sanders - also a member of the Polk County Board of Education - lost his business to fire on January 9, and has plans to rebuild in the coming months. Listen to this interview from his kitchen table in Rockmart where he discusses what happened that night and his issues with the Polk County Water Authority in this latest episode of Talking Points on Polk.Today. 

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Check out the companion story to this podcast on Polktoday.com!

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The Rockmart Parks and Recreation Department is hosting a basketball tournament continuing today, and more is happening in the department as new director Jeff Holstein looks to push forward following much of 2020 without any youth sports, and a 2021 that is getting ready for the return of some normalcy with a spring schedule.

Today's episode of Talking Points on Polk.Today focuses also on the future of youth sports, how Holstein wants to include more opportunities for adults to have recreation sports, and much more in a conversation at the Recreation Department.

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The Georgia General Assembly is set to take up debate on new laws this year as they make their way through committees in the State House and Senate this year over an issue that some citizens will want, and others won't: gambling. 

More specifically, this episode hopes that you'll gain a greater understanding of a new bill making its way through the state house that will allow websites to take payments from Georgia residents - technically illegal at the moment within our borders. 

Joining me to help explain what's happening is Billy Linville, spokesman for the Georgia Professional Sports Alliance.

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Also, lookout for a new podcast launching today as well: PolkSportsWire Roundtable, the first item for the forthcoming Polksportswire.com

Today's episode of Talking Points on Polk Today is focused on education, and comes in two parts. 

In the first half of TPPT's fifth episode of season two, Ferst Readers Regional Program Coordinator Debbie Ross talks about the upcoming An Afternoon with the Authors fundraiser for the organization coming up on February 21. The event is raising money to help Ferst's goal of providing books for youth from birth to age 5 to help increase literacy rates locally for youth entering school for the first time at Pre-K or Kindergarten levels. This year also provides an opportunity for a community-wide reading of Karen White's "The Night the Lights Went Out." 

Part 2 of the episode focuses on the Polk School District and a presentation was given on February 2 by Assistant Superintendent Dr. Katie Thomas over why students should remain on a four-day week during the coming 2021-22 academic year. 

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Some weeks back, Floyd Medical Center's Daniel Bevels (who provides public information for Polk Medical in his role) came to take part in a recent meeting of the Rotary Club of Polk County to talk about the hospital's response to COVID-19, how they are handling an influx of patients, and a discussion of vaccination. 

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Check back later in the week for Episode 5 of the podcast. 

Rockmart Mayor Sherman Ross joins us on the long-delayed third episode of Season 2 of Talking Points on Polk Today to discuss projects underway and those coming in the future ahead for the city, along with other topics of import that are notable for local residents and visitors alike. 

Also, take the opportunity to help out and volunteer for cleanups and more happening within the City of Rockmart. 

Today's episode of Talkings Points on Polk Today is sponsored by Gammon, McFall and Villerreal Attorneys at Law in Cedartown and Culver Exterminating Company in Rocklmart.

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Note: this episode was recorded on location at Pizza Depot in Rockmart, so there might be some heater noise from where we were sitting.