WNEG April 2005 News

April 2005 News

COMMERCIAL DEVELOPER FROM ATLANTA BUYS OLD WAL-MART PROPERTY
April 25, 2005

A commercial real estate developer from Atlanta is the new owner of the Wal-mart property on Big A Road. WNEG News has learned that Vanguard Properties, Inc. purchased the 70,000 square foot building and the property it sits on for Wal-mart’s asking price of $1.25 million. Co-owner Tim O’Neil Jr. says that over the past five years, Vanguard has purchased about 20 of Wal-mart’s old properties. “We typically will buy Wal-mart’s old properties when they move up to a new Super Wal-mart,” O’Neil explained. “The Toccoa purchase was one of several Wal-mart properties we bought,” he said.

The sale is good news for Toccoa because it means more jobs. Vanguard plans to divide up the building into three or four retail spaces and lease them to major retail chains. O’Neil says they have what he calls a laundry list of major retailers they typically work with and several have already expressed an interest in Toccoa. “We would not have gone into this venture unless we had retailers already interested in leasing space there,” O’Neil explained. “We typically work with a number of major retailers, which are well known across the country,” he said.

Vanguard is also considering building some smaller retail space on one side of the property. O’Neil says they plan to close on the property shortly after Wal-mart moves to its new Super Wal-mart location on Highway 17 and the 17 Bypass.

The Governor’s Task Force on Education Finance was treated to excerpts from the Stephens County Middle school’s spring play Friday morning before getting down to a day of work sessions. Stephens County Middle School played host to the group today and according to task force member David McClosky, they spent the day looking at all of the components of funding education in Georgia.

One of the reasons Stephens County Middle School was chosen for the site of the session McClosky said, is because of the high level of community involvement in education here. “In January, we conducted one of our Community Conversations here, which was the most well-attended of any we had held in the State,” McClosky said. “We wanted to come back for this work session because we’re impressed with the way Stephens County has gotten involved in this effort,” he said.

The task force will take the information it gathered and use it in planning the future budgets not only of Stephens County, but also of the rest of the school systems in Georgia.

SHERIFF SORRELLS WARNS OF SUMMER THEFTS AND SCAMS ON THE ELDERLY
April 25, 2005

The warmer weather not only brings out the flowers, it brings out the thieves. Stephens County Sheriff Gene Sorrells says thefts go up every summer and he’s warning the public to use extra care when it comes to taking care of yard equipment, tools, or anything else you may store in a carport or shed. “People often leave their lawn mowers and other tools lying around in the yard during the summer months,” Sorrells said. “Then thieves drive up and take them out of your yard or carport,” he said.

Another problem during the summer months is with scam artists preying on the elderly. Sorrells says if someone comes to your home asking to do home repair or yard work, don’t let them in. “These people typically target our senior citizens by offering to do yard work, or home repairs,” Sorrells explained. “If someone like that comes to your door, don’t let them in. Give us a call and one of my deputies will come out and check them out to make sure they’re ok,” he said.

Last summer, a group of Irish immigrants known as “The Travelers” came through Stephens County and tried to con several citizens out of their money by offering bogus home repair work.

Members of the Governor’s Task Force on Budget and Finance will be in Toccoa Friday for a work session on new ways to fund education in Georgia in the future. It’s not the first time the group has visited Toccoa.

They were here earlier in the year for a statewide videoconference session at the new middle school, which had the largest public turnout in the state. “That’s why they decided to come here again,” noted Middle School Principal Brenda Kelley.

Some 26 members make up the task force, but today’s session is also open to the public. “The public is invited to come and sit in on any one of the work sessions, which will be going in each of the school’s conference rooms,” Kelley explained. “We have also invited school principals and school superintendents from surrounding counties to attend,” she said. Those attending will have a chance to ask the committee questions and offer input and ideas. The task force work sessions begin at 10 a.m. and will continue until about 3 p.m.

The search continues today for a new Stephens County Development Authority director. Board members began two days of interviews yesterday and will do another round today.

Board chairman Bob Defenbaugh says they are looking for someone familiar with working with both government and industrial economic development groups. They also want someone with a vision and plan who can take the County’s economy into the future.

Stephens County has been without a director for almost a year. Last May, former director Lonnie Eden field resigned citing personal reasons. Defenbaugh says they’re looking for someone with specific qualifications. The Development Authority has no set deadline for hiring a new director. Defenbaugh says they will keep looking until they find the right person for the job.

A Rhode Island man is charged with theft by taking in Toccoa. Police say Daniel Royce Allen of providence, Rhode Island, took four chrome tire stems off two vehicles parked at the quality foods Tuesday.

A witness saw Royce steal the stems from a Chevy Silverado and a ford ranger. The witness called police, and then followed Allen to the Auto Zone where officers questioned him. During the questioning, the officer discovered the stems in the Allen’s possession. He was arrested and charged with two counts of theft by taking.

SCHOOL BOARD TO STUDY RESULTS OF TASK FORCE STUDY ON TEEN SEX
April 21, 2005

Stephens County School Board members heard from a special task force Tuesday night that spent the past year studying how to better prevent teen pregnancy in our community. The Stephens County school system is under orders from the State Board of Education to change its abstinence-based curricula from the current program called, “Choosing the Best.”

The Task Force on Violence Prevention and Safety consists of members from the school system, the Department of Juvenile Justice, local youth ministers, Stephens County social workers, and the medical field. After a year of sending out surveys to parents, Stephens County Middle School principal Brenda Kelley said the study found parents want more after-school programs for their children to get involved in and more information made available to their teens on the hazards of premarital sex.

After reviewing several courses, the group came up with four abstinence-based programs targeting individual age groups. They include, “Drawing the Line,” which is aimed at 6^th and 7^th graders; “Making a Difference,” aimed at 8^th graders; and “Reducing the Risk,” which targets 9^th - 12^th grade students. Topics for the programs include courses on disease risk, AIDS/HIV, pregnancy prevention, self-concepts, family living, dating, and making decisions.

The School Board will review the courses over the next month. The course books will also be available for parents to review at the school system’s administrative office on Mize Rd. School Board members are expected to make a decision at their next meeting in May.

VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS AT ODDS OVER IDEA OF COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT
April 21, 2005

Stephens County commissioners are considering a proposal to consolidate all seven volunteer fire departments under the umbrella heading of “The Stephens County Fire Department.” Fire chiefs from the seven county volunteer fire departments met with commissioners Tuesday night to express their views and air their concerns on the matter. Only two of the volunteer fire departments are against consolidation.

County commission chairman Steve Chitwood told the firefighters that he believes it would be better for the citizens of Stephens County if the fire departments worked as one department from the same quote, “playbook.” Vernon Wilkinson jar, the chief of all the volunteer fire chiefs agrees. He said a consolidated county fire department would give them a lower ISO rating overall and preserve their pension fund, which is administered through the county. In order to stay in the pension, 50% of the volunteer firefighters must answer all fire calls and attend mandated training. Of the 118 current volunteer firefighters in Stephens County, only 55 are in the pension plan. A single county fire department would also even out the training system for all the departments, according to Wilkinson.

However, chiefs of the two departments that want to go their separate ways said the county is not ready for a county fire department and they say they don’t need a county fire chief over them. They say volunteer fire fighters should have the right to determine whether to stay with the county or be separate. Chitwood did not say when or if any firm decision would be made on whether to form a single county fire department or whether to allow each group to continue to function individually.

The Stephens County Grand Jury handed down a number of indictments last week, many of them involving drug charges. Most notable was a true bill returned against Jamal Marcus Brown, Montavious Xavier Flentall, and Tobias Martell Howard. The trio was indicted on seven counts, which included drug possession and carrying a concealed weapon. At the time of their arrest, all three were found to be armed and all three are charged with two counts each of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. Each also face weapons charges.

Flentall is charged with possession of a firearm by a first offender probationer, carrying a concealed weapon, and carrying a pistol without a license. Brown is charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and carrying a concealed weapon. And Howard is charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, carrying a concealed weapon, and carrying a pistol without a license.

Stephens County school children are gearing up for this year’s CRCT tests coming up next week. CRCT stands for “Criterion-Referenced Competency Test” and is mandated as part of the President’s “No Child Left Behind” education program. The test measures how well a student is doing in learning the material in his grade level and helps teachers understand what areas need improvement or where to focus greater efforts.

But the tests can cause a lot of anxiety for students and the Georgia Department of Education offers parents a few tips for helping their children get through the test week. They include:

A Toccoa man who shot and killed his neighbor’s dog says he acted in self-defense and will not be charged. The incident happened last week on Poplar Street. Myron Smith said he didn’t want to kill the Cocker Spaniel belonging to his neighbor, Charles Hall, but he had no choice. Smith said he heard barking and commotion in his backyard and saw the both his neighbor’s Cocker Spaniels in his backyard trying to get to his cats and his Chihuahua, which was hiding in its doghouse. “I first yelled at the dogs and tried to scare them off, but they wouldn’t leave,” Smith recalled. “When that didn’t work, I got some cable wire and tried to use that to get the dogs out of my yard, but one of them jumped over the cable and came at me and bit me on the hand. That’s when I got my shotgun. The dog didn’t stop trying to attack me until I fired and I killed it. The other dog ran off,” he said.

The dog’s owner, Charles Hall told officers his spaniel had been secured inside their fenced backyard when they left for their child’s t-ball game, but the gate was open when they returned home several hours later.

Smith says over the past several years, they’ve had a problem in the middle-class neighborhood, with people letting their dogs run loose. “It’s gotten worse over the past several years,” he explained. “I’ve seen dogs chase people back into their homes. And children don’t want to stand outside and wait for the bus in the morning because they’re afraid of the dogs,” Smith said.

Smith could have been charged with animal cruelty and discharging his weapon inside city limits, but police did not charge him with either because they say he was acting in self-defense on his own property. The City of Toccoa has a leash law, but Smith, who has lived in Toccoa all his life, says he’s never seen it enforced.

With allergy season in full swing, many people depend on certain over-the-counter cold remedies to help alleviate their symptoms. But beginning in July, you will have to ask the pharmacist or his assistant for any medicine containing the ingredient, pseudoephedrine. Governor Sonny Perdue signed House Bill 216, the Meth Bill, into law Tuesday at the State Capital in Atlanta. The law requires all cold medicines containing the ingredient be kept behind the counter. Lawmakers passed the legislation during this last session because of the growing number of methamphetamine labs in the state. Meth makers use the ingredient pseudoephedrine to make their illegal drug, often buying boxes and boxes of popular cold remedies, such as Sudafed, which contains the ingredient, at a time.

Jerry White, owner of White’s Pharmacy on Big A Road, says the law is needed. “This is a good bill,” White said. “It’s needed to help keep the manufacture of these illegal drugs down,” he said. “I don’t have any problem moving our common cold medicines off the shelves and putting them behind the counter. We’ll be happy to sell those medicines from behind the counter when customers ask for them,” he concluded.

Some communities in Georgia already have pseudoephedrine laws on their books. Douglas County, for example, has had an even tougher law in place for several years. County commissioners there will now have to re-write their law to conform to the State’s, which is not as strict. The new methamphetamine law takes effect July first.

VATICAN CITY - Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany, the church's leading hard-liner, was elected the new pope Tuesday evening in the first conclave of the new millennium. He chose the name Pope Benedict XVI and called himself "a simple, humble worker."

"Dear brothers and sisters, after the great Pope John Paul II, the cardinals have elected me — a simple, humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord," he said after being introduced by Chilean Cardinal Jorge Arturo Medina Estivez.

A report that Six Flags Over Georgia is looking for land in Franklin or Stephens Counties is not true. WNEG News recently received a copy of an email circulating around Stephens County that says Six Flags is considering land near Toccoa for the site of a new theme park. However, Six Flags Over Georgia spokesman Jim Taylor says “not so.” Taylor says it’s another urban legend and there have been similar rumors regarding South Carolina and Florida. “There’s been rumors circulating for years that we’re looking for land around Greenville, SC, and also in Florida,” Taylor said. “They come up about once a year, but Six Flags has no plans to build any more theme parks in this area anytime soon,” he said

GEORGIA DOT WARNS OF BUSY SUMMER CONSTRUCTION
April 19, 2005

The Georgia Department of Transportation is warning motorists to be on the look out for highway construction projects as they travel across the state this summer. DOT spokesperson Vicki Gavalas tells WNEG this could be the busiest summer ever for DOT road crews with literally hundreds of road projects scheduled. The DOT has already begun more than $378-million dollars in work and by the end of the year; they expect that number to be in excess of one billion dollars.

Here in northeast Georgia, the widening of State Highway 17 from I-85 to the Stephens County line will get underway within the next week or two. In Rabun County, the DOT will be widening a stretch of U.S. 441 from the Tallulah Gorge to the southern limits of Clayton and add a passing lane to State Route 2/U.S.. 76. Gavalas advises motorists to plan ahead and allow for extra time when traveling across the state this summer.

A group of German businessmen and women stopped by Toccoa Friday to take a tour of our local media outlets. The group is on a month-long visit of Georgia as part of a business exchange program sponsored by the rotary club. On Friday morning, they stopped by the WNEG studios for a tour.

One member of the group, Nikolaus Fischer, said he’s been impressed with the size and beauty of Georgia. From here, team went on to visit towns in Habersham County and other Georgia areas.

A Martin man told Stephens County Sheriff’s deputies that two suspects tried to strong arm him into releasing a vehicle.

Chester Brock said that the two unidentified men told him they were going to take a vehicle which was on Brock’s property. When he told they they were not going to take the car, according to the report, the two tightened their grip on his arms in an attempt to persuade him to release the vehicle.

The report indicated that the suspects eventually left without the vehicle. Brock was not injured in the incident and an extra watch is being placed on the property.

Stephens County administrator Darrell Hampton is no longer a candidate for the county manager job in Dawson County. Thursday night, the Dawson County commission announced they had selected the current Dawson County SPLOST coordinator for the job. Hampton received the news from Dawson County commission chairman Mike Berg in a phone call late Thursday night.

In a memo to Stephens’s County employees this morning, Hampton said, “Their selection was a Phil Anderson, a retired major general, extensive experience with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and NATO. During our conversation the chairman noted that their decision was a choice between his technical expertise and my administrative/management skills,” Hampton said.

The Dawson County chairman told Hampton their decision was a choice between Anderson’s technical expertise and Hampton’s administrative/management skills.

WNEG has learned that the old Wal-mart property on big a road is under contract to an Atlanta developer who is paying the asking price of $1.25 million dollars. The name of that developer has not been released, but they reportedly also bought three other Wal-mart properties in other locations. A closing date is set for the end of March 2006. Wal-mart plans to move out of the old store into their new property on highway 17 by the end of the year.

Meantime, a local church’s efforts to buy the property has fallen through, but not their plan to provide family entertainment and Christian education in the community. Christ fellowship Church on Big A Road had put in a bid for the property, but according to commercial realtor CB Ellis, was turned down. Pastor Scott Collett says the church still wants to build a Christian school and a family fun center in Stephens County.

The center will include go-carts, a skateboard park, arcade, and indoor/outdoor restaurants. Collett says he is actively looking at other property in the county. Christ fellowship is part of “the fathers house” ministries based in Dawsonville, Ga. They also have ministries in Cherokee and Bryson City North Carolina.

The Stephens County Humane Society thrift shop on Pond Street is closing. For the past five years, the non-profit animal welfare group has used the store space rent-free – donated by building owner Elliot Caudell. Humane Society volunteer Joan Allen says the store will close by June first. “Everything in the store is half price,” said Allen. “We plan to close the store by May 15^th,” she said.

The store was used to raise extra money to care for the dogs and cats they take in and adopt out, but Allen says once this store is closed, there are no plans to re-open in another location. “We cannot afford to pay rent for a storefront,” Allen said. “Plus, we’ve had trouble recruiting volunteers, sales are way down, and my health no longer allows me to come to the store everyday,” Allen explained. Caudell tells WNEG news he plans to renovate the space and lease it out to another business.

Local businesses will be meeting next week for the annual business and industry quarterly meeting at just right catering on the downtown mall. Sponsored by the Stephens County Development Authority, special guest speaker will be Andrew Witt man of McMillan & Associates, tax credit and recovery specialists.

Another highlight of the evening, according to assistant executive director Jean McCullough will be to honor two local companies who have been nominated for Manufacturer of the Year. Both Caterpillar and Ferro were nominated by North Georgia Technical College. Other local businesses up for the award include Kate/Textron in Franklin County and Gap Manufacturing in Rabun County. All four will be honored in Atlanta earlier on the 21^st at a special reception and luncheon in celebration of Manufacturing Appreciation Week.

FIRST BAPTIST PRESCHOOLERS RAISE MONEY FOR ST. JUDE’S HOSPITAL
April 15, 2005

Preschoolers at the First Baptist Church Daycare Center have been working all week raising money to help sick children at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. This morning, they will be rewarded with a number of fun events at the annual Trike-a-thon. Jenora Dodd, director of First Baptist Preschool, says the youngsters have been learning about bike safety this week. “They have been learning all week about the importance of wearing their helmets, and they also understand that the money they’re raising will go to help sick children at St. Jude,” Dodd said.

Representatives from several local groups, including the Stephens County EMS, the Toccoa Fire Department, and the Stephens County Sheriff’s Department will be on hand for the Trike-a-thon. “EMS volunteers will be inspecting bicycles and helmets before the children get on a bike track that was built for the big event,” Dodd explained. “EMS is also helping to sponsor this event,” she said.

Another event today, Dodd said, will be recognizing the late Neil Pruitt Jr. with a plaque that honors his many years of contributing to St. Jude’s and supporting the annual Trike-a-thon. Over the past five years, First Baptist’s Preschool has raised over $25,000 for St. Jude’s Hospital.

Governor Sonny Perdue has signed into law legislation designed to help the small business owner. Perdue signed House Bill 282, the entrepreneur and small business growth initiative earlier this week. Under the legislation, small businesses in Georgia will see more than $25-million dollars in tax savings over the first three years. State Representative Jeanette Jamison praised the bi-partisan effort. “This is one of two bills sponsored in the House that is designed to give not only small businesses, but all companies in Georgia more tax incentives,” she said.

Small businesses comprise more than 95% of all businesses in Georgia, employing half of Georgia’s workforce and generating more than half of the state’s revenue. The bill becomes effective immediately and is applicable to all taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2005.

People expecting refunds from the IRS may be tempted to take advantage of the “rapid refund” products, but a Georgia consumer watchdog group is joining with the AARP to warn older citizens and the working poor that a fast refund may not be the best way to go. Allie Wahl, executive director with the group, “Georgia Watch,” says some rapid refunds are actually high-interest loans in disguise.

Storefront tax offices often use the rapid refund as a way to get people in the door, and they especially prey on the working elderly and those eligible for the earned income tax credit. “People don’t realize that these actually are high-interest, short-term loans,” Wahl said. “What happened is the tax payer is lent their refund money, minus a high-interest rate amount, like 20%. An account is then opened in their name and when the IRS sends the refund, the loan company takes the entire refund, but the taxpayer is really only getting a portion of the refund they’re actually entitled to because the loan company has deducted their high-interest fee from their refund,” she explained.

Some of the most vulnerable taxpayers using fast refund products are the working elderly and low-income working adults who also qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit. A recent study by the Brookings Institute found that metro Atlanta was ranked fifth out of the 10 cities where the greatest percentage of EITC recipients bought a rapid refund loan.

Wahl says it’s best to wait for the hardcopy check to come in the mail or to ask the IRS to directly deposit your refund into your checking account.

The Toccoa-Stephens County YMCA will once again take over the running of several municipal parks and the Doyle street pool. This week, City commissioners approved a plan to once again work with the Y.

City manager Billy Morse says the agreement is basically the same as last year. “The agreement is $40,000 a year, paid out in increments of $10,000 quarterly for the management of the Doyle Street pool, the Community Center, the Camp Fire Hut, and Alewine Park,” Morse said.

However, one sticking point involved how much water usage to allow the “Y.” “They had asked for unlimited water usage, but commissioners capped that at $25,000,” Morse explained. This is the second year that the YMCA has run City recreational facilities.

A memorial service will be held Friday for a Stephens County woman, shot and killed in Gaffney, SC by her boyfriend. Gaffney authorities say 43-year old Pamela Owenby was found dead at the convenience store where she worked.

On Tuesday, 43-year old Mark Pearson of Royston turned himself into the Franklin County Sheriff. Sheriff Steve Thomas says Pearson’s arrest came after a phone conversation. “I received a call from the Franklin Springs police department about a Franklin Springs firefighter who wanted to talk,” Pearson said. “I spoke with the suspect who told me about the incident in Gaffney and I told him he needed to come into the sheriff’s department, which he did. I then read him his rights and placed him under arrest,” he said. Thomas said that police in Gaffney told him that victim was found in the bathroom of a convenience store. “She had been shot three times,” Thomas said.

A 10-year-old son and her mother and stepfather who live in Martin survive Owenby. Friday’s memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. at Whitlock Mortuary on Rose Lane.

Stephens’s County Sheriff Gene Sorrells is asking citizens and business owners to join him in establishing community watch programs throughout the county. Citizens run the community watch program with guidance given by the Sheriff’s office. Sorrells says it’s similar to the neighborhood watch program. Once a community is trained, signs are posted telling would-be criminals that people in the area are watching them. “I’d like to see these watch programs in all parts of the county,” Sorrells said.

· Sorrells says there has been a recent rise in the number of burglaries and thefts in the county. He says Stephens County has had community watch programs in the past, but they have not been active recently. Anyone interested in forming a community watch program in their neighborhood, should contact Sheriff Sorrells at 886-2522.

After a lengthy discussion, Toccoa city commissioners will abide by the County’s e-911 renumbering plan, but has reserved the right to review proposed street name changes. At Monday’s meeting, commissioners heard from citizens inside the city limits who have just learned their street names have been changed. Most were upset about the name changes more than the renumbering.

However, Charles Willis, a Toccoa firefighter, said the new metered system is needed to save lives. Police dispatcher Cindy Paige also explained the lengthy, sometimes confusing process dispatchers and public safety personnel currently have to go through to locate a residence. She said the new metered system will save precious minutes by pinpointing a residence, even if the caller is unable to speak to say where they are.

E-911 Communications Director Paige Crocker explained that if the City opts out of the renumbering system, they would lose one of the prime benefits of e-911. Four of the five City commissioners agreed the metered numbering system as outlined by Crocker needs to be implemented in Toccoa, even though it may cause some confusion at first for citizens. “I am very pleased that the City will be going with the metered numbering system,” Crocker said. Mayor Ken Davis was the only dissenter. Davis said he would prefer to have the City decided on an individual case basis which streets should have the metered system and which would not.

With regard to street name changes, commissioners will review each proposed name change and make their own decision. Mayor Ken Davis requested from Crocker a list of current proposed street name changes in Toccoa by April 30^th. Commissioners will review the list and make any changes they see fit by the June 15^th deadline.

One area commissioners did not budge on however, was where to put the new house numbers.

Toccoa city ordinance requires numbers to be posted on the structure, and commissioners agreed to keep it that way. Crocker said that would not present a problem.

The Northeast Georgia Housing Authority is going for a new look. Last night, Housing Authority executive director H.T. Brantly presented their plan to renovate one section of the authority to city commissioners in a special work session. Brantley told commissioners, the authority plans to tear down about 30% of the 100 apartment units in that area. “We plan to open up the street, put in a cul-de-sac and make it more attractive,” he said.

Their plan is to replace the cement-block apartments with duplexes and better landscaping to give it a more neighborhood feel. They will also be adding more off-street parking.

The housing authority citywide has a high vacancy rate and Brantley hopes a more attractive setting will make the units more marketable.

It has been talked about for years and in the planning stages for months. Now, some construction on Highway 17 will become a reality.

State representative Jeanette Jamieson told WNEG News that within a couple of weeks, there should be some actual construction activity on the county’s main highway…

Mrs. Jamieson emphasized that people in the county have heard about the modernization of the traffic system for many years. Now, with the co-operation of the Department of Transportation, the plans will now become a reality…

The next step of construction will be the widening of the 17 By-pass. Most of the right-of-way has already been purchased for that stretch of highway.

Six Stephens county high school band students are participating in the Georgia music educators ninth district honor band later this week in Woodstock. The musicians were chosen after having auditioned recently at Pickens county high school with other members of the district.

Students selected from Stephens County include Katherine Hughes on the trumpet; Anthony haddock – principle timpani; Christopher Todd – fist chair trumpet; josh McMillan – tuba; Allison martin – first chair trombone, and Benji Stegner – first chair clarinet. On Thursday and Friday the students will rehearse and then perform in a in an honors concert on Saturday.

Georgia companies can look forward to a simplified corporate tax system that is designed to create jobs and expand capital investment. Last week Governor Sonny Perdue signed house bill 191, the Corporate Tax Reform Bill, into law.

The bill phases out property and payroll taxes from the current corporate tax formula over the next three years and transitions to a 100% sales-based corporate tax by 2008. In signing the bill last week, Perdue said HB 191 would encourage business growth in Georgia.

Toccoa Commissioners met Monday with the entire city staff including police, to go over the their plan to crack down on unsightly properties. Mayor ken Davis has made it his mission this year to beautify Toccoa by strictly enforcing the City’s property and zoning ordinances. City manager Billy Morse says citizens may not be aware of the fact that there are a number of such laws already in place, some over 30 years old, but they have not been enforced. Meantime, the City has hired a new code enforcement officer, according to Morse. “We have hired Toccoa Police officer Ken Cox to be the new Code Enforcement officer,” Morse announced Monday. Cox replaces the previous code enforcement officer, Steven Smith, who resigned in January, just three months into the job. Smith left after receiving threatening letters and phone calls from angry citizens.

Toccoa Police are looking for a couple of stolen ATVs, taken from a residence at Ridgecrest Drive.

Jack Catlin told officers that the two vehicles were taken out of a black homemade trailer.

One of the vehicles is a 2002 Polaris Trail Blazer, white with a yellow seat. The other is a 2001 Polaris ATV 4-wheeler. No other information was available on the second ATV. The two vehicles were into the National crime Information Center.

A Toccoa man had just one day to enjoy his CD player before it was stolen out of his car.

David May told officers that while his car was parked at Toccoa Rental parking lot, someone had taken the brand new CD player from the dashboard of his car. May said that he had not locked the car.

May said he had just purchased the CD player that day before for $50 and had the receipt at home.

AM630 WNEG News has learned that Stephens County administrator Darrell Hampton is one of three candidates for the position of county manager in Dawson County to replace outgoing county manager Bill Johnsa. Hampton confirmed the story to WNEG News Thursday by phone, but declined to comment further. The Dawson County News Advertiser reports the two other candidates include Dawson County SPLOST coordinator Phil Anderson and Lake Gibson, vice president of administrative services for Lanier Technical College. Hampton said he broke the news to the Stephens County commissioners Monday night after their work session.

Dawson County commission chair Mike Berg told the News Advertiser all three candidates bring attractive qualities to the position. The list had been narrowed from over 200 applications to 21 candidates to three finalists. Berg is quoted in the paper as saying their commission hopes to make a decision in the next two weeks.

Hampton, who is originally from Columbus, Georgia, has been Stephens County administrator for about three years. No word from commissioners on whether Hampton will be replaced if he should leave Stephens county.

The William Nelson family of Toccoa spent the night with relatives or friends after their house at 130 Willowdale was heavily damaged by fire Thursday night. Fire officials indicated that the house was struck by lightning during the fierce thunderstorms that raked the area about 8PM.

Loretta Scott, who lives about a half a block away from the fire scene, said she heard the lightning hit ,but thought it was either a tree or a power pole…

Fire Chief Rodney Burdette indicated he thought the house was hit by lightning twice…

There was some initial confusion when the call came in.. Originally, it was believed that there were two separate structure fires. Burdette said some trucks went to the wrong location…

The Nelsons were not at home at the time of the fire. The blaze heavily damaged the roof and the upper part of the house. Two cars parked in the carport and the driveway were not damaged. There were no injuries in the incident.

After talking about it for at least the last year and holding hearings for the last 6 months, the Franklin County Commissioners have voted to have a Land Use Plan in their county.

County Manager Frank Ginn said that the county has had a couple of very controversial issues come up in past years which got the commissioners and the citizens thinking about land use…

The commissioners passed the issue by a unanimous vote on Monday. Ginn said that most of the folks who come in to check out the map are interested in their own property, but they do have an eye on neighboring properties…

Stephens County officials have been urged by several groups to start thinking about land use. The issue was voted down by citizens a number of years ago, but maps and regulations are still available.

People needing the services of the Stephens County Animal Control may have noticed slow or no response to calls for animal pick up or locked doors at the shelter. That’s because both animal control officers are out on medical leave. However, Toccoa Police Chief Jackie Whitmire says a dispatcher has been filling in.

“This week, we’ve had one of our dispatchers over there from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every day to do intake and adoptions,” Whitmire explained. “On Saturday, someone will be there from 10 a.m. to noon,” he said.

Both animal control officers have been out sick. “Bobby King is home recovering from shoulder surgery,” Whitmire explained. “And Joe has been hospitalized with pneumonia,” he said. “I’m not sure what we will do as far as staffing next week at the shelter, but we will have someone out there. Anyone who needs an animal picked up should call the Toccoa Police Department for now instead of the shelter and we’ll send an officer out to them,” he concluded.

The best older worker in Georgia is being sought and if you know one, you are invited to nominate them for this year’s annual 2005 Older Worker of the Year award. Sponsored by Georgia’s Older Worker Network, spokeswoman Sue Pelfrey says the award recognizes certain skills in workers over the age of 60.

Those skills include, dependability, expertise, and mentoring to name a few. It also honors those persons in the workforce who have made significant contributions to their companies or organizations through their creativity, loyalty, hard work, knowledge and productivity. All business owners and managers have until May 23^rd to submit their nomination. And nominees are being sought for the “Employer of the Year,” an award that recognizes companies who have supported the mature worker. Employee and employer winners from Georgia’s Mountain Region will be entered into statewide competition. To make a nomination, you can contact Sue Pelfry at 770-538-2650.

The Stephens County jail will continue to provide medical care to inmates through an outside medical contractor. County commissioners voted this week to renew the contract with Southern Health Partners at a cost to the county of $123,583.

By contracting out medical service, the County saves money by not having to take inmates to the Stephens County Hospital Emergency Room for minor or routine medical care. The contract also covers dental care.

Stephens County Sheriff Chief Deputy Mike Crozier told commissioners the service also eliminates the security risk encountered when inmates are taken to the emergency room. Only the most severe cases will be taken to the ER, according to Crozier. Under the contract, Southern Health Partners will provide a full-time nurse and a physician who visits once a week.

FRANKLIN COUNTY MAN FINDS STOLEN TRAILER AT LOCAL CONVENIENCE STORE
April 7, 2005

A Franklin County man, who stopped at the Royal Foods on Highway 106 Monday, ended up with more than a full tank of gas. Roy Gibson called authorities when he spotted his trailer being pulled by another car. Gibson said the trailer had been stolen from his home a year and a half ago.

Stephens County Sheriff’s deputies detained the woman who was pulling the trailer. She told them her husband came home with the trailer late one night about the same time it went missing from Gibson’s home. She said her husband told her he bought the trailer from an unknown subject. The suspect agreed to let Gibson unhitch the trailer from her vehicle and take it home. Deputies contacted the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department and turned the case over to them.

County commissioners tabled a decision on approving a contract to buy the old middle school property in Eastanollee last night because of a problem discovered this week by County attorney Rusty Smith and Buddy Lawson of Sterling Engineering. Smith showed commissioners a plat of the property, which contains the old library building and music room as well the main school building and adjoining gymnasium. Originally the county wanted to buy just the library and music buildings, but later also decided to purchase the main old school building.

The problem according to Smith is that the school board wants to maintain ownership of the old gym. That in itself is ok, Smith said, but the dressing rooms for the gym are inside the old school building. The property line will run through a covered walkway that connects the gym to the old main school building. Smith likened it someone selling a house, but still wanting use of the shower. Smith said allowing access to the old school building once it becomes part of the E-911 dispatch center would present a security issue.

Commission chairman Steve Chitwood charged Smith and County administrator Darrell Hampton with researching what can be done to solve the problem. One option, according to Smith would be to purchase the gym and then lease it back to the school board. Another would be to simply not buy the main school building since it was not part of the original deal, which is what Smith recommended, but Chitwood said that was not an option.

An Eastanollee family is trying to salvage what they can this morning after a fire destroyed their home yesterday. It happened early Tuesday morning at a home on cedar drive.

The victims, whose names have not yet been released, are relatives of Jody Marcus, assistant fire chief for the Carnes creek volunteer fire department. Marcus says the day started out just like any other day for his uncle and his family. “He got up around 6 a.m. and went into shave and get ready for work,” Marcus said. “While he was shaving, my uncle heard noises and thought everyone else was getting up, but when he went into the kitchen, he saw flames falling from the kitchen ceiling. He woke everybody up and got them out of the house,” he said. In all, three people made it out safely, two adults and one teenager. A third teen was spending the night with friends.

Historians from Terracon Engineering in Duluth, Ga were in Toccoa this week looking over the downtown area and taking pictures of the buildings. Main Street director Connie Tabor accompanied the historians on their tour. Tabor says this is one part of the overall process of renovating Doyle Street. Last month, City mayor Ken Davis asked that the city begin drawing up a separate set of city ordinances for historic neighborhoods and districts. Tabor says the work is another part of that process as well. According to Tabor, the DDA and City Planning Commission expect to have a first draft of an historic ordinance ready by next month. The city is working with Terracon to come up with a design scheme for downtown Toccoa once the canopies come down and the mall is re-opened. All of the plans must be in place before the City can apply for historic status and for grants to pay for the renovation.

State Senator Nancy Schaefer has her own fond memories of Pope John Paul II. The freshman senator from the 50^th district was part of the crowd in Rome in 1978 when Cardinal Karol Wojtyla became Pope John Paul II. Then in 1996, Schaefer represented the Southern Baptist Convention at the United Nations Conference on Food in Rome. It was there that she met the Pope in person during a 30-minute audience. Schaefer says she was most impressed with the Pontiff’s spirituality. During the audience, Schaefer had a chance to talk with the Pope personally and said she was surprised at the personal attention he gave to their conversation. “He knew about Georgia and the Southern Baptist Convention,” she said. “And he asked about my home state. He said he appreciated the work of the Southern Baptists,” Schaefer said. You can hear more about Schaefer’s visit with Pope John Paul II on this Sunday’s edition of Radio Forum, which airs at 7:20 a.m. and 12:20 p.m. on AM630 WNEG.

Donations of used books are being taken at the Toccoa-Stephens county library for this year’s Friends of the Library second-hand book sale. The sale will take place April 18^th through the 23^rd at the library. Library director Michelle Austin says the money raised will go back into the library.

First Citizens Bank recently honored several of its employees for their long-term service to the bank.

The employees were feted with a special luncheon where they each received the First Citizens executive leadership award and service pin. Sandra Waters received her 30-year pin and service award. Waters started out with the bank with it was still the Bank of Toccoa and says she stays because of the wonderful staff she gets to work with. Other employees who received recognition included, Carolyn Thurmond with 40 years of service, Betty Anderson with 20 years of service, Peggy Ray with 15 years, and Pam Payne, also with 15 years of service.

ACREE DAVIS OFFERS MEMORIAL BOOK FOR POPE JOHN PAUL THE SECOND
April 4, 2005

People in Stephens County who want to pay their respects to the memory of Pope John Paul the Second may do so at Acree-Davis Funeral Home. Owner Hank Jarrett says he felt the need to offer a memorial book for people to sign because of the tremendous impact the pope had on our society. “Words cannot express the impact His Holiness has had on our society and how many people he has touched in so many way,” Jarrett said in a prepared statement. “He will be so dearly missed by the world and always remembered as the spiritual leader and humanitarian who changed the lives of so many people,” he said.

A separate prayer chapel with memorial books and other items of remembrance has been set up at Acree-Davis. The memorial books and items of remembrance will be sent to the Vatican and to family members after an adequate period of time, according to Jarrett. The prayer chapel and memorial books are available to the public Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. and on Saturday from 8 a.m. until noon.

Strong winds Saturday toppled trees and blew down power lines leaving at least 2,000 people in Stephens County without power for several hours. Most of the outages were in the area of Rock Quarry Road to Prather Bridge Road, E. Silver Shoals Road, and Red Hill. By 3:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon, wind speeds at the AM630 WNEG studios were reported at 25 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph.

A tree fell through a house on Old Rothell Road near Camp Mikell, but there were no injuries to any of the residents. And a tree fell across the road on Collins road, but was quickly cleared to one side.

This weekend we will once again spring forward into daylight savings time. Daylight savings time officially begins Sunday morning at 2 a.m., so don’t forget to set your clocks ahead one hour before going to bed Saturday night.

That’s also a good time to check the batteries in your smoke detector and perform other safety checks, like checking the batteries in your smoke detector. If you don’t have a working smoke detector, you may call the Toccoa Fire Department and they will give you one. They will also come out and check your smoke detectors to make sure they are in good working order.

State Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John Oxendine recommends you do a family fire safety drill to make sure your family has an escape plan worked out in the event of a house fire. Oxendine says every year Georgia experiences numerous fires in homes that don’t have working smoke detectors.

Now that the train depot renovation is well underway, members of the Stephens County Historical Society are working on a design for the museum. Society president Brenda Owens says they met with several architects recently who have experience designing museums. “We want a floor plan that flows well from one building to the other,” Owens said. “It also needs to be easy and enjoyable for visitors to walk through,” she said.

Meantime, the Historical Society continues to raise money for the museum project and one of the newest fundraising efforts they are undertaking is selling brick pavers, which will be part of a memorial walkway between the depot and the stable museum building. Owens says they’re calling the project, Your Place in History. “The brick pavers will be on display showing supporters and can include their name or the name of an ancestor or loved one,” explained Owens. “They are just for veterans, but for anyone who wants to be part of the new museum. It’s also a good way to be a part of this year’s Stephens County Centennial celebration,” she concluded.

State Republican Party chairman Ralph Reed was back in his hometown Thursday for a brief visit. Reed was here to speak at the Boys and Girls Club luncheon at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center. Reed said he learned his conservative values growing up in Stephens County, the kind taught at the Boys and Girls Club, an organization he is not personally involved in, but supports through his involvement with the United Way in Atlanta.

This weekend, Republicans in Georgia will meet for their district conventions. Reed says he expects to gain even more support for his campaign for lieutenant governor at the conventions. District Nine Republicans, which includes Stephens County, will meet Saturday in Elberton.