2/10- City schools confronted with failure rates- E. Rankin Scott; Valdosta City School System identified that 13.8 percent of all students failed English during the 1997-1998 school year while 11.9 percent failed math. Kindergarten, fourth grade, and ninth grade were identified as the grades in which the highest number of students did not meet promotion criteria. Almost one-third of ninth-grade students failed English or Math during the first semester. Forty percent of ninth graders failed two or more subjects. School board discusses performing a survey to gain teacher input.

2/11- Failing grade probed- E. Rankin Scott; A study of failure rates in Valdosta City Schools showed that poor black males were most at risk of academic failure. Article discusses factors that may be contributing, including lack of proper education of parents.

2/12- Levi Strauss program honored by president- Dean Poling; Valdosta Project Change members Frank Morman Jr. executive diretcor, and Dr. Jerry Hardee, past chairmen, were presented President Clinton's first Ron Brown Award for Corporate Leaderiship to Levi Strauss & Company. Valdosta Project Change focused on increased minority access to inancial credit and housing for people of color, strengthening leadership in the African American community and developing and advocating a multicultural curriculum in the public schools.

2/14- School holds workshop for parents- E. Rankin Scott; Lowndes Middle School held its Second Winter Workship for parents featuring sessions on sixth, seventh, and eighth grade math, computer basics, the internet and encouraging children to read.

2/15- Moody general appreciates sacrifices made by fellow African-American airmen- Shelby G. Spires; Moody Air Force Base Brig. Gen. Claude M. Bolton Jr. discusses his experience as a fighter pilot and the history of African Americans as pilots in the Air Force, with acknowledgement to the Tuskegee Airmen

2/16- Fire Department seeks more minority applicants- Jodi M. Scott; Valdosta Fire Department planned to target high schools, vocational schools, colleges, and universities to increase the amount of black and women applicants for fire service roles. Article discussions additional measures taken to encourage applicants to consider careers with the Fire Department.

2/17- Another racially divisive column hits House floor. Article discusses racially bigoted and divisive statements made in regard to the lack of diversity of the workforce.

2/17- Investigators send fire samples to crime lab- Dean Poling; Fire investigators sent samples from the remains of Goodyear Auto Service Center for testing in the Georgia State Crime Lab after the tire storage area for the business exploded and caught fire.

2/22- Weed and Seed update planned for March 2- no author; Article discusses the Weed & Seed program and Police Chief Frank Simons expected to hear whether Valdosta had been named a Weed and Seed site.

February 1998- Local Levi’s plant spared: Lowndes facility not among 11 to be closed by clothing manufacturer- Staff reports;

February 1998- ‘Granny’s Place’ for kids part of Weed and Seed- Jodi M. Scott; Article discusses "Granny's Place" as a place that children could go after school. The city planned to create 10 centers of this type under the proposal made in Valdosta's Weed and Seed funding application.