(Millen, GA) The economy is pretty much all they talk about in Millen.
That's in Jenkins County, where the unemployment rate is 17% -- the third highest in all of Georgia, and one of the hardest hit counties in the nation.
During my visit to Millen in November I met people applying for jobs at the new Jenkins Correctional Center.
Corrections Corporation of America told me today that right now, 100 applicants have accepted jobs there.
Those positions include correctional officers, health care workers, case managers, and other professional fields.
Here are some pictures from a big ceremony in Millen today.
These are the first 50 cadets who completed the mandatory Georgia Basic Correctional Officer Training.
Warden Kemp and Wilson Hall, Assistant Director of Georgia's Training Academy presented certificates to the graduates.
The correctional center will be staffed by about 85 percent of people who live in Jenkins County.
"We only wish that we had more that we can offer, but 200 plus jobs in Jenkins County will be great, help out folks here in Jenkins County a lot," says Warden Kemp.
More than 1,000 people applied for jobs. 100 positions still have to be filled. A formal dedication ceremony for the Jenkins Correctional Center is scheduled for Wednesday, March 7th.
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