Wedding venue in Blue Ridge, GA for couples in Albany, GA

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Hundreds of students and employees at Albany’s Turner Job Corps Center will be forced to move on. The transition is part of recent cutbacks by the Trump administration.

On Thursday, May 29, the U.S. Department of Labor announced that they will begin a “phased pause” of operations at some Job Corps centers across the country.

Job Corps Centers provide residents with job training and pathways to success. The Turner Job Corps Center here in Albany is one of the facilities impacted by President Trump’s budget proposal.

|READ MORE: Turner Job Corps Center to close following Dept. of Labor announcement|

“Many of these kids have been in foster care, many have been high school dropouts, and many are trying to get their lives together. But this takes that away. Turner Job Center was one of those places that helped them move forward,” said King Randall, a former Turner Job Corps volunteer.

WALB has learned that the 510 students currently enrolled at Turner will have to vacate the center as early as next week. Nearly 20% of those 510 students are homeless. Additionally, 271 employees at Turner Job Corps Center will be without a job by June 30. Job Corps closings will impact over 12,500 employees nationwide.

“The city will probably find housing for some of them to go in,” said City Commissioner Jon Howard. “Then, we have a lot of jobs in the city and in the county. We can absorb some of those individuals. You know, they can go through some training. If they have administrative experience, anything like that, we can help a few of them.”

The Albany Area Chamber of Commerce and the Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission issued a joint statement on how they plan to help those impacted by this closure. The statement reads in part:

“In preparation for potential changes to operations, the Albany Area Chamber and the EDC are working collaboratively to compile a list of local resources for current students and staff who may remain in the Albany area beyond the June 30th transition. These resources will include job placement support, opportunities for resume and interview assistance, mental health service options, and other forms of community-based aid.”

The Albany Area Chamber of Commerce and the EDC

WALB has reached out to Turner Job Corps for an interview. They declined stating that all media requests are being deferred to the Office of Public Affairs with the Department of Labor.

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How gas prices have changed in Albany, Georgia in the last week

Gas prices have gone up by about 4 cents per gallon since this time last month but are still down by nearly 50 cents compared to this time last year. The national average fuel price is about $3.17, with Tyler, Texas, seeing the cheapest metro-area prices at $2.60 and Salinas, California, with the most expensive at $5.11.

After issuing multiple pauses on tariffs against Canadian and Mexican imports since taking office, President Trump in early April announced a sweeping 10% baseline tariff on all imports to the U.S., with many countries facing even steeper duties, though oil and gas imports are exempted from new tariffs. On April 9, the White House announced a three-month pause on all "reciprocal" tariffs (except against China), but the baseline 10% tariffs will remain in place.

Jolted by the impact of the tariff announcement, the stock market plummeted on April 3, with U.S. oil prices dropping 7%. The double-whammy of lower prices and higher costs for crucial materials like steel pipes may have a major impact on domestic oil and gas production. Meanwhile, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries announced this month that it would increase production to help stabilize the market.

Expecting market volatility, GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan thinks it is possible that gas prices have already reached their peak in 2025, which typically happens around mid-April each year.

"After oil's sharp drop over the last couple of weeks—driven by concerns over the impact of U.S. tariffs and OPEC+ restoring production faster than expected—gasoline prices have posted a notable weekly decline, with nearly every state seeing prices fall," De Haan said in a recent statement. "While I do expect gas prices to continue trending lower, any abrupt change in the current tariff situation could eventually bring the decline to a halt."

Stacker compiled statistics on gas prices in Albany, GA metro area using data from AAA. Gas prices are current as of April 24.

Albany, Georgia by the numbers- Gas current price: $2.82--- Georgia average: $2.93- Week change: -$0.04 (-1.4%)- Year change: -$0.57 (-16.8%)- Historical expensive gas price: $4.38 (6/12/22)

- Diesel current price: $3.34- Week change: -$0.11 (-3.1%)- Year change: -$0.45 (-12.0%)- Historical expensive diesel price: $5.53 (6/13/22)

Metros with the most expensive gas#1. Salinas, CA: $5.11#2. Lihue (Kauai), HI: $5.10#3. Napa, CA: $5.08

Metros with the least expensive gas#1. Tyler, TX: $2.60#2. Lawton, OK: $2.61#3. Lubbock, TX: $2.61

This story features writing by Tim Bruns and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 371 metros.

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