Magistrates on Tuesday approved for Judge-Executive Jim Nickell to seek bids on the project after the approval.

The county spent an extra $300 to have the plans “fast tracked” at the Division of Construction in Frankfort.

Nickell said the plans should be approved within about 10 days of Tuesday’s regular fiscal court meeting.

Officials are up against a June 1 deadline to spend a $150,000 grant to build a new shelter.

Rowan County’s new animal shelter will be built on five acres in Clearfield on KY 519 near the base of Clack Mountain.

It will house homeless cats and dogs from Rowan, Bath and Fleming counties.

A revised inter-local agreement with Fleming and Bath counties allowed Rowan County to keep the entire $150,000 grant, as long as the project is in full swing by June 2012.

It also includes the stipulation that Rowan will house animals from the neighboring counties for a fee.

The shelter, estimated to cost $187,000 to $200,000, will be a 4,200-square-feet concrete block building. Plans allow for quarantined areas for sick dogs and cats, two exam rooms, and 32 indoor/outdoor runs with fenced exercise areas.

In other business the Court:

o Heard a request from residents of Starlight Lane to have their road blacktopped.

o Gave its approval of a railroad museum to be installed by the historical society near the farmers market at the entrance to city park.

o Accepted bids for janitorial services at the courthouse and justice center for fiscal year 2012-2013. Low bids of $27,900 (courthouse) and $56,900 (justice center) were submitted by Clean Sweep Janitorial, Inc.

Sally Robinson, Director of the British Council in Tanzania spoke to the children about the UKs sporting excellence, Premiership football and the run up to the London Olympics this summer:

The whole of Britain will be counting down the next 100 days, London is ready and our new stadiums are waiting to be filled with thousands of athletes and millions of fans, to see world records broken, memories created and friendships made, she said.

She went on to outline the legacy that the games will leave, not just in Britain, but across the globe, including Tanzania: We want these Olympics to be the most successful ever held and their effects will last much longer than this summer. Their legacy will also spread much wider than Britain itself.

The UKs International Inspiration programme is creating opportunities for young children in 20 countries around the world, including Tanzania, as part of the Olympic legacy. It is hoped that up to two million children and young people here will have their lives enriched through sport.

This year is important for Britain in other ways too, as the country will also be celebrating the Diamond Jubilee, marking 60 years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Sally went on to say More than ever before the world will be focused on the UK – its a very special time for our country and we want to share it with the people of Tanzania.

Consumer prices rose by 1.9 per cent in the year to the end of April, according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

The CSO said that consumer prices in April were unchanged in the month compared to a 0.4 per cent rise between March and April 2011.

Consumer prices were lower than in March when the annual rate of inflation went up to 2.2 per cent on the back of higher fuel prices.

The annual price rises were fuelled by a 9.4 per cent rise in the cost of education, while transport costs increased by 5.7 per cent. Miscellaneous goods and services increased by 4.1 per cent over the year and alcoholic beverages and tobacco prices rose by 3.2 per cent.

During the year to the end of April 2012, there was a 2.3 per cent decline in the cost of furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance. Prices for goods and services in the recreation and culture segment fell by 1.1 per cent while clothing and footwear was down by 0.4 per cent.

On a monthly basis, the cost of miscellaneous goods and services increased by 1.3 per cent while food and non-alcoholic beverages rose by 0.5 per cent. Over the same period there was a 0.9 per cent decrease in the cost of alcoholic beverages and tobacco and a 0.7 per cent decline in transport prices.

The monthly rise in miscellaneous good and services was largely attributed to the introduction of the household charge and an increase in health insurance premiums.

The annual rate of inflation for Services was 2.1 per cent in the year to April, while Goods increased by 1.5 per cent.

Services, excluding mortgage interest repayments, rose by 2.7 per cent over the 12 month period.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) excluding tobacco for April remained unchanged in the month and was up by 1.7 per cent in the year.

The CPI excluding energy products was down by 0.2 per cent on a monthly basis and rose by 0.9 per cent on an annual basis. The CPI excluding mortgage interest remained unchanged in the month and rose by 2.1 per cent in the year.

Davy Stockbrokers described the falling inflation rate as a welcome development for Irish consumers but warned that it was also a sign of continued weakness in the domestic economy.

Goodbody said Government policy was driving domestic inflation with measures aimed at reducing the deficit having an upward effect on prices.

However, it added that it expected some of the Government-driven inflationary pressure to be offset by moderating energy prices in the coming months.

Lobby group Isme claimed the latest figures mask rising business costs and called on the Government to take action to restore national competitiveness.

The sad fact is that, as businesses cut their prices to compete, increased State influenced costs, including energy, transport, local charges, water and waste charges continue to undermine our competitiveness, which is crucial to any economic revival, said Isme chief executive Mark Fielding.

It is now imperative that Government reciprocates, by immediately implementing a root and branch review of the States influence on the costs to business and addresses these through cost reductions and greater efficiencies, he added.

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The Arts Association in Newton County, the Conyers Rockdale Council for the Arts and the Southern Heartland Art Guild, all arts-related nonprofits in the area, provide week-long day camps for children to explore their creative sides.

Below is a breakdown of the camps:Creative Kids CampSponsored by the Arts Association in Newton County, Creative Kids Camp offers rising first- through sixth-graders a variety of activities each day, 9 am to 2:15 pm, during the week of June 4-8.

First- second- and third-graders will receive classes in instrumental music, visual art and vocal music each day. Fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders take sessions in visual art, vocal music and drama daily.

Teachers include Stephanie Cleveland, music teacher at Flint Hill Elementary School; Katy King, Rockdale County Schools art teacher; Laurie Bunn, former music teacher; Melissa Parker, Flint Hill art teacher; Alan Bunn, Jackson County High School choral teacher; and Jay Tryall, Oxford Youth Singers assistant artistic director.

At the end of each day, campers watch live performances by the musicians, storytellers and dancers, and at the end of the week, campers perform for parents.

The camp takes place at Oxford College of Emory University in Oxford, and accommodates about 125 campers.

Cost is $225 per camper and scholarships are available.

Its great for the Arts Association because we can expose more kids to the arts in this intense week of fun and creative art projects, said Abigail Coggin, Young Artists Program director for the Arts Association.

To register, call the Arts Association at 770-786-8188 or visit www.newtoncountyarts.org.Musical Theater CampAnother Arts Association offering, Musical Theater Camp is a two-week long intensive camp for rising fourth- through 12th-graders to hone their singing, dancing and acting skills. The camp runs July 9-20 at the Newton High School auditorium at 140 Ram Drive in Covington.

Campers audition the first day of camp and are cast into various musical theater numbers. During the camp, youth rehearse musical numbers and learn accompanying staging and choreography. Rising fourth- through seventh-graders rehearse 9 am to 3 pm and older youth rehearse 11 am to 5 pm

Musical Camp teachers include Mary Lynn Luke, a former Rockdale County choral teacher and current Oxford Youth Singers music director; Jay Tryall, director of the local theater group the New Depot Players and assistant artistic director for the Oxford Youth Singers; and Ashley Lazenby and Peter Swan, dancers and co-directors of the Covington Regional Ballet.

The camp culminates in a performance on July 20 at 7 pm at Newton High School.

Cost is $250, and those interested may call the Arts Association at 770-786-8188 or visit www.newtoncountyarts.org.ArtSmart CampPresented by the Conyers Rockdale Council for the Arts, ArtSmart Camp is offered in two sessions, June 11-14 and June 18-21 at Memorial Middle School, 3205 Underwood Road in Conyers.

The camp, which accommodates children ages 6 to 14, offers five classes each day, two of which the children may choose themselves. Classes and teachers include drawing — Orrin Morris; watercolor — Sheila Myers; acting — Tess Conway and Justin Conway; pottery — Penny Lee; music — Rebekah Roberts; and art — Jay Domingo.

Camp is daily from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm

Cost before May 15 is $135, or after that date $150. Fee for Conyers Rockdale Council for the Arts donors is $125. To register, call 770-922-3143 or visit www.conyersarts.org.Musical Drama CampThe Conyers Rockdale Council for the Arts offers a Musical Drama Camp which runs July 9-21 at the Rockdale Auditorium, 903 Main St. in Conyers.

Designed for children ages third grade through college age, Musical Drama Camp casts campers in a variety of musical numbers where they receive singing, dancing and acting instruction. The camp runs 9 am to 1 pm each day and the children perform on July 23.

Camp artistic director and choreographer is Joey Fargar, artistic director for local performance group Conyers Kids, and the music director is Brittney Jaynes.

Cost is $125. To register, call 770-922-3143 or visit www.conyersarts.org.Arty Art CampPresented by the Southern Heartland Art Guild, Arty Art Camp is geared toward the visual arts and campers may choose from two sets of sessions, with each set offering different lesson plans but the same art skill level.

The Green Sessions are offered June 11-14 and July 9-12, and the Blue Sessions are June 25-28 and July 16-19. Days run from 9:30 am to 2 pm

Designed for rising first-graders through 12-year-old children, the camp offers children the opportunity to make wire art, collage, painting and drawing, as well as learn about the color wheel. Throughout the week, children also study 12 different artists and their works.

Were exploring lots of mediums. Im trying to expose the kids to as many different products as possible, said Ann Wildmon, camp director. We dont do craft type projects; we do fine art, we learn about art.

Cost for the week is $165 and campers may register by calling 770-788-8799 or in-person at the Southern Heartland Art Gallery, 1132 Monticello St. in Covington, where classes take place. For applications and more information, visit www.southernheartlandart.com.

Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara, chairman of the House committee on higher and technical education, said he is hopeful that today’s inquiry would lead to “better legislation” addressing alleged abuses committed by schools, including exorbitant miscellaneous fees and continued tuition hikes.

When asked if they would craft laws to penalize schools imposing arbitrary and unjust miscellaneous fees or call for a moratorium on tuition increases, Angara said: “It would depend on the findings of the commit¬tee. We don’t want to pre-empt things which is why we conduct an investigation, which we hope leads to better legislation on the part of Congress if it is seen to be necessary.”

The hearing stem from House resolutions filed by Kabataan party-list Rep. Raymond Palatino, Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone, and Alliance of Volunteer Educators (AVE) party-list Rep. Eulogio ‘Amang’ Magsaysay.

House Resolution 832 was filed by Palatino to stop “the rampant imposition of unjust, redundant, arbitrary, and exorbitant miscellaneous fees in schools nationwide” and called for the passage of a law that would regulate schools from imposing such fees.

He said the internet fee, aircon fee, registration fee and develop¬ment fee should not be imposed as miscellaneous fees since schools should deliver such services to the students.

“The Congress should step in. They should prioritize the bill that calls for tuition and miscellaneous regulation. Instead of being preoccupied with the impeachment during the resumption of session, Congress should work towards the passage of this bill,&" he said.

Angara said they are counting on the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) to immediately come up with its memorandum on better guidelines on miscellaneous fee hikes.

Evardone, for his part, has urged President Benigno S. Aquino III to direct the CHEd and the Department of Education (DepEd) to impose a moratorium on the increase of school fees in all levels of education in view of the incessantly frustrating increase of basic goods and commodities that adds to the burden of the Filipino people.

HR 1335 filed by Magsaysay sought an inquiry into the compliance and implementation of CHEd memorandum orders pertaining to tuition increases to ensure that the teachers, educators and other teaching person¬nel benefit from such hikes.

Government regulations provide that 70 percent of fees collected from tuition hike should be earmarked for the salaries of the teachers while 20 percent for the acquisition and up¬grading of equipment, laboratories and libraries and the remaining 10 percent will be considered as return on investment.

The non-profit organization dedicated to saving displaced dogs and cats is holding a three-day rescue event at the PetSmart store at the northeastern corner of Chandler Boulevard and the Price Freeway (near Lowes). The goal is to find homes for 100 cats and dogs.

The event is 2-7 pm Friday, 10 am-7 pm Saturday and 11 am-5 pm Sunday at the PetSmart at 2840 W. Chandler Blvd. Kit Kat Rescue also will be at the Cinco de Mayo Festival and Chihuahua Races at the downtown Chandler Library Courtyard on Saturday.

Well be doing a little bit of everything, said Kit Kat volunteer Ruth Broos. With the 100th anniversary of Chandler, were trying to get 100 animals adopted out that weekend. Well be in the parking lot at PetSmart, but if its too hot, well be in the store.

The group also will be providing low-cost spay/neuter information and explaining the benefits of those procedures. In addition, there will be information for people interested in providing foster homes to animals, and the non-profit will be accepting donations.

Kit Kat Rescue began in 2008 with the goal of finding homes for displaced kittens and cats, whether house pets or feral. In 2010, Wayne Miller, founder of the organization, decided to include dogs in the groups work because of the increasing numbers of those animals that were being abandoned as a result of the housing crisis.

Kit Kat Rescue finds foster families for unwanted animals who care for them until they are cleared to take part in one of its weekly adoption events. The group is raising money to fund a permanent shelter to house animals during that initial clearing period.

We have a property were looking at now, Broos said. We want to bring in more donations. We have a capital campaign going on so we can purchase this particular property.

Anyone wishing to get involved can do so in a variety of ways. In addition to this weekends three-day adoption event, Kit Kat Rescue holds weekly adoption fairs at PetSmart. Visit the organizations website, KitKatRescue.org, to donate or find information.