WNEG May 2005 News

Over 15,000 tax assessment notices gave gone out in the mail to Stephens County residents. Chief Tax Appraiser Sue Anderson over 13,000 parcels of land in Stephens County increased in value. 2006 parcels decreased in value while 823 parcels did not change and no notices were sent out. The last date to file an appeal in July 12, 2005. For questions concerning the notice, please call the Assessors office at 886-7435.

For an explanation concerning the increase or decrease of the property, you may call and schedule an appointment to meet Robin Baker, Project Manager with Cole, Layer and Trumble Company by calling the same number, 886-7435.

The Stephens County Commissioners hope to name the finalists for the position Road Superintendent sometime this week. County Administrator Darrell Hampton said that a question came up and the board has not received all of the information they need before making a choice. Meanwhile, the commissioners continue their negotiations with the Stephens County School System for the acquisition of the middle school property on which the proposed E-911 center will be located. That, also should be finalized soon according to Hampton. The commissioners have agreed to hire Sterling Development to spearhead the project. Buddy Lawson with Sterling Development said that the bids for the E-911 Center would probably go out in August.

Governor Sonny Perdue has signed House Bill 20 which reinstates Georgia’s window tint law on motor vehicles. Chief Randy Shirley of the Lavonia Police Department said that his department will begin issuing warnings through the first couple of weeks in June, then will begin issuing citations starting the week of June 14.

Georgia’s window tinting law was struck down as unconstitutional last year because the provisions applied only to vehicles only registered in Georgia. House Bill 20 corrected the language so the law to applies to all vehicles. It is illegal for window tinting material that does not allow for more than 32 per cent of light transmission. It is also illegal for materials to be applied to the windows that increase the level of light reflected to more than 20 per cent.

Violation of the law by either driving a vehicle with illegal window tinting or installing the illegal material is a misdemeanor and punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and/or up to 12 months imprisonment.

A recent effort by the Postal Workers in the county gave the Stephens County Food Bank some much needed food heading into the summer months. Melvin Engram with the Food Bank wishes to thank all who participated in the drive. The postal workers picked up over 8000 pounds of food during their recent drive. The effort will help to stock the shelves well into the fall months. Engram said that this is one of the only ways the food bank can continue to supply the people of Stephens County.

Engram said that there is always a demand for food supplies from the food bank, due to job losses, illness in the family and other situations in which families are unable to keep food on hand and need help.

Toccoa City Hall will be closed Monday in observance of Memorial Day. Routes for garbage and recyclables scheduled to be picked up on Monday will be picked up on Tuesday. Commercial garbage will be picked up as usual, but yard waste and other items will not be picked up until the next regular scheduled pick up. Those with special needs can call City Hall for assistance. The Toccoa Police and Fire Departments will be open as usual. Utility department employees, as well as employees from the public works department, will be on call for emergency situations. The Pines Municipal Golf Course will be operating as usual. The normal operating hours are 7:30am until sunset.

The Stephens County Farmer's Market officially opens on Tuesday. Jo Evelyn Dean with the Stephens County Co-operative Extension Office says you need to come early because not all of the vegetables have come in yet. Local farmers normally begin arriving about 7am with their locally grown vegetables and produce, so you need to get there early for the best selection. The Farmer's Market will be located in the side parking lot of Farmer's Furniture on Big A Road in Toccoa.

The unemployment rate for Stephens County in April was 5.8 percent, which was down a bit from March. The reason for the decrease is that some people who work in construction and machinery manufacturing, who were temporarily laid off in March, have returned to work. The state unemployment rate for April was 4.7 percent. It was 5.0 percent in March. The rate was 4.1 percent in April 2004. The Stephens County labor force was 12,700. Of those, 11,969 were employed while 731 were unemployed.

The strains of Pomp and Circumstance will ring throughout the Stephens County Indians football stadium this evening as the Class of 2005 graduates. Two hundred and thirty-five seniors will don the cap and gown for the ceremonies. Outgoing Stephens County High School Principal Jerry Carroll says this will be a special class for him. Tonight's graduation exercises begin at 8:00pm. A taped delay broadcast of the speakers will be heard on AM 630 WNEG Saturday afternoon at 5:00pm.

It was celebration time at Big A Elementary School this morning as Superintendent of Stephens County Schools Gary Steppe announced the unofficial results of the CRCT test, the measuring stick that Georgia uses for learning in the schools. For the second year in a row, Big A Elementary is a Gold Star school with almost 96-percent of students meeting or exceeding the standard. Big A Elementary is the only school in the system to have received the award. Eastanollee, Liberty and Toccoa Elementary schools received Silver Stars, indicating that 85-percent of the students meet or exceed state standards.

In addition to the good news about CRCT scores at Big A Elementary School, students, teachers and parents gathered Friday morning to celebrate the career of Principal Jimmy Howard who is retiring after thirty-two years in education. Principal Howard was showered with gifts, a "this is your life" slide show, and a touching song featuring the entire student body singing "You Are My Hero". Mr. Howard was noticeably moved by the sentiment.

Over 200 Stephens County High School seniors will receive their diplomas Friday evening at graduation exercises in the football stadium at 8PM.

High school principal Jerry Carroll said that there were a couple of outstanding aspects of this year’s class. For the first time in the history of the district, Stephens County High School had three Star Students make identical scores on their SAT tests this year. And an outstanding athlete will be serving as the Class Valedictorian.

Bud Keith, who was the starting quarterback for the Stephens County Indians football team last year, is the Valedictorian of the Class of 2005. Keith has signed a scholarship grant with Shorter College and will help establish the college’s first ever football team.

This will also be the final class for Principal Jerry Carroll, who announced he is retiring. Assistant Principal George Sanders takes the reign of the high school next year.

Sterling Development of Toccoa has been chosen by the Stephens County Commissioners to spearhead the E-911 project, located at the old Stephens County Middle School in Eastanollee. Buddy Lawson made his second presentation before the commissioners, stressing the three main items that need replacing in the existing building. Those items include the roof, the air conditioning system and the electrical system. The commissioners have voted to build the E-911 headquarters, but will not complete the rest of the building until later.

Commission Chairman Steve Chitwood explains his thinking regarding the construction of the entire project in stages. The chairman said that the public has voted for the commissioners to build the E-911 center. But he wants to preserve some money for the restoration of the old Stephens County Courthouse. Chitwood said he had no idea how much money would be available for the courthouse after the e-911 center was completed. The commission also voted to order the electrical equipment ,including four terminals that will be used by the 911 staff.

Buddy Lawson of Sterling Development told the commissioners that he sees any number of uses for the building in the future. Speaking as a citizen, Lawson said that the building is a good building and would serve the commissioners well in the future if they decided to use a portion of it for other things. Lawson said with the approval of his firm, he will get the ball rolling next week …

The agreement between the commissioners and Sterling Development was not unanimous. Commissioner Rex Anderson voted NO, saying first of all, the county didn’t officially have the property from the school board. Secondly, he didn’t think that SPLOST money could be spent for property .

County attorney Rusty Smith said that he felt that a contract with the school board would be finalized within the next couple of weeks. And he said he felt the county was within their legal rights to spend the SPLOST money as long as the property was used for the E-911 center and related projects.

Lawson told the commissioners he felt the earliest he thought bids would be advertised would be August. Asked if he felt that the center would be completed by the end of this year, Lawson said they would do their very best to make the deadline.

One of the largest crowds in four years attended the annual “WNEG Senior Expo” Thursday at the Stephens County Recreation Center. Over 30 exhibitors sponsored booths that gave information, brochures and in many cases free screenings for different health issues.

One of the highlights of the event was the naming of the Senior Man and Woman of the year. Nominations were submitted by the public. Margaret Scott was named the Senior Woman of the Year. She said she was so surprised by the honor, she didn’t even hear her name called. Ms. Scott does a lot of singing and playing with one of the groups that provided entertainment for the Expo, The Singing Saints.

Prather Wilson was named the Senior Man of the Year award. He said that he hadn’t quite gotten used to the title yet, but was honored by it. Wilson has been very active in many areas of the community for a number of years.

A local man, long known for his generosity, will soon have a Georgia state route named after him. The Georgia Department of Transportation announced Tuesday it will name State Route 365/Highway 123 as the “Roger Caudell Highway.” That move comes after the Georgia General Assembly directed the DOT to add the signage – an effort spearheaded by State Senator Nancy Schaefer.

Caudell’s name will be on the stretch of 365/123 from the Jeanette Jamieson intersection in Stephens County to Lake Hartwell at the Georgia-South Carolina state line. One of the supporters of the effort is local attorney and former state court judge Alton Adams. “Roger lived on that land for many years,” explained Caudell. “He had a grocery, hardware, and farm supply store on it, and he farmed it,” he said.

Adams helped write the resolution that ultimately passed in the state general assembly this past session. Adams says few people today know of Caudell’s quiet generosity. “It was commonly known back then that Roger would extend credit with just handshake, especially during hard time,” Caudell remembered. “He is still known today as a respected and generous man; a quiet and unassuming person,” he said.

Among other things, Roger Caudell is credited with helping to expand the poultry industry in Stephens County. He also served as a trustee of the Stephens County Board of Education and for 15 years on the board of the Stephens County Department of Family and Children’s Services.

The numbers are in for this year’s annual Stephens County Relay for Life event to raise money for cancer research. Heavy rainfall put a damper on part of the event last Friday night, but this year’s chairwoman, Renee Carroll says it was still a success. “We made $98,000 Friday night,” Carroll said. “The rain later in the evening ended the walk early, but it was still close to our goal,” she said.

That goal is $115,000 and donations are still coming in. The rain late Friday night also cut short the candlelight ceremony in remembrance of cancer victims and survivors. Carroll says survivors who did not stay for the service may still pick up their t-shirts. “Any survivor who did not get a t-shirt Friday night, can call me at 886-2710,” Carroll explained. And donations are also still being accepted. According to Carroll, donations may be made through August to Relay For Life.

Many people are planning to get away for this holiday weekend and now are a good time to make sure you’re prepared for the trip – especially if you plan to drive. The Georgia State Patrol spokesman trooper Larry Schnall says the GSP is encouraging motorists to take the steps necessary to make sure your vehicle is safe. “It doesn’t cost that much to have your car checked out,” Schnall noted. “It’s a good idea to make sure you have good tread on your tires, your fluid levels are correct and your seatbelt and child car seats are installed and working properly,” he said.

Schnall says it’s also important to plan your trip carefully and to make sure you stop every couple of hours if you’re driving a long distance. “When you are on a long road trip, you want to take a break every couple of hours so you don’t become overtired,” Schnall said. “Get out, stretch your legs, or take a short nap. You don’t want to risk having an accident, which would ruin your vacation,” he said. The GSP is expecting heavy traffic on Georgia highways this holiday weekend.

A vacant business site located at the corner of Midget Drive and Mize road could soon become a car dealership. Now owned by community bank and trust, the property is being considered by an Atlanta dealership, which asked the site be rezoned from r-1 to commercial. That has people living on Midget drive very upset.

They say they don’t want a new or used car dealership on that corner because of the traffic it will bring to their street and for aesthetic reasons. Carl Gunn and his wife have lived in their home on Mize Road for 48 years. Their front yard looks directly at the back of the vacant property. The Gunns fear a dealership would stack their old junk cars there – right in front of their window. “How would you like to look out your front window and see old junk cars?” asked Gunn.

Faye and Landel Williams live at the end of Midget drive. They say a dealership means customers and test drivers making u-turns in their front yard. “There’s no cul-de-sac,” explained Landel Williams. “People will be driving down to our property looking for a place to turn around, and they’re going to turn around in our front yard,” he complained.

After listening to their complaints Monday night, City commissioners discussed imposing as a condition of rezoning that a privacy fence be built across the back of the lot. That was not good enough for the homeowners and commissioners voted to table the matter until they heard from the dealership and discussed it further with the homeowners.

A group of convenience store owners recently fined for selling beer to an undercover officer who is a minor, claim the City is “picking on them.” At Monday night’s City commission meeting, Bill Good, owner of Buddy’s Quick Stop on Big A Road, told commissioners the fines and liquor license suspension of nine stores is unfair.

Except for Buddy’s Quick Stop, eight stores were fined $500 and had their licenses to sell alcohol suspended for a month for selling alcohol to an undercover police officer who is a minor. Buddy’s was cited for a second offense. Good must pay $1,000 and had his license suspended for 90 days.

Good and the other eight store owners, claim the City violated state law, which says clerks can use their judgment to determine whether someone looks of age or not when selling alcohol. “The City wants us to card everyone,” Good said. “We’re happy to do that, but the commissioners need to make it a City ordinance to card everyone and we will obey the law,” he said.

Toccoa police chief Jackie Whitmire says there’s no other way to check on convenience stores other than by using a sting operation like the one in April. Whitmire said the state law is subject to interpretation. “I’m sure that is how their attorney has interpreted it,” Whitmire said. “If it were me, I would check IDs,” he said. Commissioners David Austin and Ferrell Morgan agreed that the prudent thing for convenience store owners to do is to always check IDs, however, there is no concrete law in Toccoa requiring them to do so.

In his speech to commissioners, Good said the City does not do enough to foster a good relationship with the convenience store owners and announced the formation of the Toccoa-Stephens County Convenience Store Association. Good asked commissioners to set aside the suspensions, meet with the convenience store owners to work out their differences, and institute a periodic training program for convenience store clerks.

Commissioners then voted to take Good’s proposals under advisement and had a first reading to amend the current alcoholic beverage control ordinance. Commissioners want to change the ordinance to say, “Fines up to $500.” A second reading on that amendment will be held at their next meeting June 13^th.

CITY OF LAVONIA RECEIVES MILLION-DOLLAR GRANT FROM FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
May 24, 2005

The City of Lavonia is getting some financial help from the U.S. Commerce Department. U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez announced late Monday $1.2 million economic development administration investment grant in the city. The money will be used to expand Lavonia’s wastewater treatment facility and is coming from several grants the City applied for. According to Lavonia city manager Gary Fesperman, the funding has been in the planning stages for two years.

That expansion is also expected to attract new economic growth to the I-85/Georgia Highway 17 interchange in the coming years. Fesperman says another reason for the expansion is to provide wastewater service to the gateway industrial park. The grant money and expansion is expected to generate 221 new jobs and create $46.5 million dollars in private investment.

Stephens’s county commissioners have a full week of called sessions ahead of them this week. The first will be two days of meetings with department heads regarding the fiscal 2006 budget.

This year’s budget is $19,511,260 – larger than expected according to county administrator Darrell Hampton. “Most of the increase comes from revenue derived from SPLOST IV funding, which will cover the cost of the new jail, more new ambulances and other SPLOST projects,” Hampton explained.

Hampton says on Monday and Tuesday, commissioners will go over each department’s budget line by line. Once those meetings are over, two public hearings will be held before the budget is ratified next month.

Then on Tuesday morning, commissioners have scheduled an early called meeting to begin conducting more interviews for the position of county road superintendent. Last month, commissioners interviewed four candidates, but were not happy with any of them. So, they re-advertised the job in the local papers.

Commissioner Ken Peeples said at the time they were looking for someone with roadwork experience and management experience. Bud graves, the previous road superintendent, resigned in January.

On Thursday morning, commissioners will meet with engineer Buddy Lawson to make the final decision on whether to approve the recommended renovations to the old middle school property for the new e-911 dispatch center.

Later, they will also meet with the new owner of the Coats American property on Rose Lane to begin discussions on acquiring the wastewater treatment plant there. According to a report done by the Sewer and Water Committee of the Stephens County Development Authority, the treatment plant could yield up to a million gallons of wastewater a day. If purchased, the County would have to apply for a permit from the State Environmental Protection Division to turn the plant from a commercial facility to a municipal facility.

Lavonia police have made a couple of arrests for unlawful driving. 23-year old James Ryan Carcy of Hartwell was charged with fleeing or attempting to elude, reckless driving, suspended license, no insurance and no seat belt.

Police also arrested 22-year old José Jimenez of Hartwell and charged him with driving while license suspended, window tint violation, child safety seat violation, and adult seatbelt violation.

It is the second largest methamphetamine bust in hart county history, and authorities say they have their man – a Mexican citizen. Sheriff Mike Cleveland says an anonymous tip lead to the arrest of 44-year old Tomas Arrelano. Arrelano is charged with trafficking in methamphetamine.

Sheriff Cleveland says when arrested, Arrelano had in his possession over 224 grams of crystal Meth, which has a street value of over $30,000. Cleveland says the bust and the amount of methamphetamine involved re-enforces his theory that Meth has surpassed cocaine as the new drug of choice on the street.

The building is already up, but nevertheless, the Stephens County Historical Society held a groundbreaking ceremony Friday morning for their new museum at the train depot. Guest speaker was state representative Jeanette Jamison. Actual construction on the depot renovation and new museum began in March, and society president Brenda Owens says everyone is surprised at how fast the work is moving along.

One of the ways the historical society is raising money to fund the renovation is through the sale of brick pavers. The bricks will make up the walkway between the depot and the part of the museum that will house the old stable. Owens says there’s been a lot of interest in the bricks, but time is running out for people to become a part of history. “The cut off date to buy brick pavers is July first,” Owens explained. “That way we will have a good idea of how many to order,” she said.

Owens expects the train depot and the historical society museum renovation to be completed in time for the Camp Toccoa reunion in October. Owens says the owner of the old British stable plans to fly here from the U.K. in September to help re-assemble it inside the new museum. “He called the chamber offices recently and spoke to Cynthia Brown and told her he is very excited about his trip here and looking forward to attending the reunion also,” Owens explained.

Staff and faculty from North Georgia Technical College will be in Stephens and Franklin Counties today to let people know about the opening of the new Currahee campus on highway 17. College president, Dr. Ruth Nichols says the college has been getting a lot of calls and questions about the new campus and what it will offer. “So we wanted to come to Stephens and Franklin Counties today to talk to people about all the different kinds of programs that will be available at the Currahee Campus and just sort of get the word out,” Nichols said.

The new campus is a state-of-the-art facility, which will offer a wide variety of courses from criminal justice to hospitality and truck driving, to name a few. Also in town today, members of the college’s Culinary Arts School.

The students heard about the Stephens County High School’s culinary arts class going on to compete in national competition in California after winning the State competition. But the high school students don’t have all the money they need for the trip, so Nichols says her college students have decided to help. They held a bake sale in front of the Wal-mart Friday to raise money. Classes at the new Currahee campus begin July first.

Stephens’s county commissioners have a full week of called sessions ahead of them next week. The first will be two days of meetings with department heads regarding the fiscal 2006 budget. This year’s budget is $19,511,260 – larger than expected according to county administrator Darrell Hampton. “That is largely due to the SPLOST IV revenue,” Hampton said.

Hampton says next Monday and Tuesday; commissioners will go over each department’s budget line by line. Once those meetings are over, two public hearings will be held before the budget is ratified next month.

Stephens County is receiving a windfall of funding from the state department of transportation.

County commissioners this week met with members of the d-o-t to discuss the DOT's future plans for Stephens County. Commissioner ken Peeples says they got the good news then. “They told us they have allocated $50-million for road projects between now and 2008,” Peeples said.

The money will be used over a three-year period to fund a number of road projects, such as the widening of Highway 17 and the extension of the 17 Bypass to the South Carolina boarder, Peeples explained.

Earlier this week, state representative Jeanette Jamison says she plans to ask the d-o-t about how they plan to accommodate residents of memorial drive now that the super Wal-Mart is going in.

Memorial drive will be used by trucks delivering goods to the new store and could pose a major traffic problem for people living in the area.

The Toccoa fire department is thanking the public for their generosity last weekend during their “give burns the boot” campaign. Fire fighters were out in force last weekend at the Toccoa wall-mart soliciting donations to help burn victims and their families. Assistant fire chief Elgar Lewallen says the money is already being put to good use. “It will go to the Georgia Burn Foundation to fund programs that help burn victims and their families in Georgia,” he explained.

This year, firefighters raised just over $2,033 – several hundred dollars more than they expected.

Lewallen says he’s grateful to the people of Toccoa-Stephens County. “I just want to thank everyone who donated or volunteered their time and energy last weekend. We really appreciate it,” he said.

Part of the money will also go to fund local education programs on fire safety here in Toccoa, according to Lewallen.

Another Stephens County citizen finds themselves a victim of the Nigerian check scam. This time, the scam involved a phone call to a senior citizen in the county who thought she had suddenly struck it rich, according to Stephens County Sheriff’s investigator Tim Jarrell. “The victim received a phone call from a man who told her she had one an international lottery and was going to receive a cash prize of $100,000,” Jarrell explained. “However, the man told her she could not tell anyone about the money until two weeks after she received it,” he said.

As is common with this scam, the caller told the victim that in order to receive her winnings, she had to send him several thousand dollars up front as a “processing fee” to an address in Canada. The victim then began asking her family for money. They became suspicious when she would not say what the money was for. “They told her it didn’t sound right, but she would not go to authorities,” Jarrell said.

After wiring the suspects $2,700, the victim became concerned that this was indeed a scam and began talking to her family and the authorities. “He would call her and want more money, and then he began threatening her,” Jarrell said. “He told her that if she didn’t send him more money he would report her winnings to the IRS as unauthorized income and the IRS would take her house away,” he said.

Jarrell says the case is still under investigation and they are working with the FBI in hopes of finding the suspects. Since the scam originated in Canada, it is unlikely the suspects will ever be caught. But if they are, they will be extradited to the U.S. to face fraud charges.

County commissioners will spend the next week looking at recommendations from local engineer Buddy Lawson regarding what it will take to turn the old middle school property into the new e-911 dispatch center. At Tuesday’s called meeting, Lawson outlined the major problems with the two buildings that would house e-911 dispatch and the e-m-s.

One of the main problems, according to Lawson is the bad roof, which is not up to code and needs replacement. He also recommended each building have its own ground-level a/c system, noting the current a/c system is deteriorated and not worth repairing. “It’s a total loss and falling apart,” he said.

Finally, Lawson said the electrical system in both buildings does not meet Georgia code and is actually dangerous. “The electrical wiring is not up to code in any way, shape or form,” he told commissioners. “It’s not grounded and needs to be completely replaced as does the lighting system, which is also not grounded,” Lawson said.

But the real concern according to Lawson is the septic system, which is not on the part of the property the county plans to buy and would be maintained by the school system. Lawson therefore recommended the county consider buying the entire middle school property except for the cannery. “By purchasing the all of the property, the county would be able to put in a spray field where the old ball field is now,” Lawson explained. “It would also give the county control over the septic system maintenance, rather than having to depend on the school system to fix it and maintain it,” he said.

The cost for renovation of the two buildings, including repaving one parking lot and putting a chain link security fence around the buildings is $900,000. That’s quite a bit more than the estimated $183,000 it would have cost the count to renovate the old Hilltop Training Center site, which according to the site survey and evaluation done by Pieper, O’Brien and Herr, would have included virtually the same kinds of renovation work. Lawson said, however, his cost is inflated for two reasons. “First, we always plan for problems we didn’t foresee when putting the original estimate together,” he said. “Plus we believe it’s better to over-estimate rather than have to come to the county later and ask for more money,” he concluded.

If the e-911 installation is to be completed on time, Lawson told commissioners work would have to begin by June first and no later. Commissioners scheduled a final meeting with Lawson for next Thursday.

Stephens County Hospital is in negotiations with Toccoa Falls College to purchase more land for the hospital, which is virtually land locked in its present situation.

Hospital Administrator Ed Gambrell said that the move by the hospital would add a little over 6 acres to their current campus. The land would be of no future use by the college and the hospital has no immediate plans for the land, although it would be an excellent addition to the hospital’s property for future expansion. Gambrell said that the purchase will be in the neighborhood of $65,000.

The Stephens County Board of Education has approved a program called “Choosing the Best” for its Sex Education course throughout the school system.

A task force had been requested several years ago by the Stephens County Grand Jury and formed by the school board to address the problem of teenage pregnancy. Chairman Brenda Kelley told the board Tuesday night that the task force is not just focusing on teenage pregnancy but student abuse and violence and safety concerns.

After much discussion and community involvement, the task force has recommended “Choosing the Best”, a program which is currently being used in the high school. Brenda Kelley said that course is abstinence-based, which is what the community stressed it wanted.

Pastor Andy Childs of Ebenezer Baptist Church had spoken to the task force regarding the programs and he is satisfied with the selection. He said that the program not only addresses sexual issues but self esteem and other issues that are vital to young people’s well being. Self esteem, according to the pastor, leads to better grades, which in turn leads to a better education and a higher graduation level.

School Superintendent Gary Steppe said he was not comfortable with some of the other programs that were available in the lower grades. He emphasized that the issue of teenage pregnancy is not a school problem. He said that there is a high rate of teenage pregnancy in the county, but he doubted many of those students got pregnant while they were in school. It was his hope that more churches and families would get involved, as the issue is making a lot of problems in young people’s lives.

The task force is hoping that some work books will be available for students to take home with them from school and use them for references in the future. The public had been invited to take a look at the material which was on display the board’s headquarters and Ms Kelley stated that many folks did take advantage of that opportunity to look at the program.

Most of the 15 proposed name changes to streets in the City of Toccoa will go through as recommended by e-911 project group, Flagship GIS. At Monday night’s public hearing, only about 10 people showed up to object to a change or ask that the name be changed as suggested.

Of the 15 or so name changes only Parkway Drive to Parkway Ct.; East and West Whitman Streets; Lewis and Dogwood Lane; and Ola and Cherokee Streets were left as is. Gary Fricks said before the meeting that he wanted his street to be changed from Malik Drive to Fern Valley. “I just want to make sure they keep it Fern Valley Dr.,” he said. He left the meeting before it started, telling WNEG reporter MJ Kneiser that commissioners told him they would be voting that way.

One street name change caused some controversy in the black community. Flagship proposed changing E. Whitman Street to Wiley Street and west Whitman Street to Whitman Street. Wendell Sherman spoke to commissioners on behalf of the black community asking that no changes be made to either stretch of road.

After some discussion, commissioners voted to leave both street names alone. Sherman said she was happy with their decision. “For me and many others in the black community, Whitman St. has a lot of sentimental and historic value,” Sherman explained. “I was in the last class to graduate from Whitman High School and I don’t want to see the name changed,” she said.

Only one proposed street name change caused commissioners to vote for a change and then a vote to change it back to the original. Commissioners initially voted 3 to 2 to change Ola Street and Cherokee Blvd. to only Cherokee Blvd. However after the vote, mayor Ken Davis asked the dissenters, David Austin and Ferrell Morgan for more discussion on their views – even though a vote had been taken to change it.

Commissioners then re-voted unanimously to leave Ola Street and Cherokee Blvd. as is.

COUNTY COMMISSIONERS HEAR FROM ENGINEER TONIGHT ON E-911 DISPATCH SITE
May 17, 2005

County commissioners will hear tonight from local engineer Buddy Lawson on what exactly needs to be done to turn the old middle school building into the new e-911 dispatch center. Meantime, discussions with the school board on whether the public will have access to the old main classroom building is on hold, according to County attorney Rusty Smith.

Under the terms of the proposed sale contract, the school board will retain ownership of the old gymnasium. However, the dressing rooms for the gym are located in the old classroom building. That would present a security issue for dispatchers. As it stands now, the proposed property line runs down the middle of the covered walkway that separates the two buildings.

Another problem, according to Smith, is the location of the drain field, which is not on the part of the property the County is considering buying. Smith tells WNEG commissioners are waiting to hear the engineer’s report tonight before deciding how much of the old school property they will buy.

Tonight’s meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. in the county courthouse annex meeting room.

Summer vacation for students in Stephens County and Northeast Georgia is almost here, but that doesn’t mean the learning stops when you’re having fun. North Georgia Technical College will hold two entrepreneurial summer camps at its Cleveland campus for middle and high school students next month.

Fran Chastain, director of entrepreneurial programs at the school says the camps are designed to teach kids about the benefits of owning your own business. “Many times students leave the area because they cannot find work here,” Chastain said. “This camp is designed to give teens information about the benefits of owning their own business so they can stay in their hometowns and have a career here,” she said.

The kids will spend the week looking at different kinds of career fields and will visit area businesses, all while having a lot of fun. “One of the businesses we will take the kids to is a whitewater rafting and tubing company in White County,” Chastain explained. “The owner will talk about her business and how she started it, and then of course, we’ll all go tubing,” she said.

The registration deadline for the entrepreneur camps is June first. To register and get more information, you can call 706-754-7810.

A new hotel for visitors to Toccoa-Stephens County is opening next Tuesday on Falls Road. The Traveler's Rest Inn is located off Falls Road near Toccoa Falls College and was the brainchild of local real estate developer Elliott Caudell.

Barely visible from the road, the upscale Traveler’s Rest Inn is different from other hotels and motels in the area in that each room is its own suite, which includes a kitchen area full bath, living room and bedroom. Owner Elliott Caudell says he felt there was a need in Toccoa for an upscale hotel. “I wanted to build a hotel that could be used by local businesses, the college, and by family members of patients at Stephens County Hospital and the Toccoa Nursing Center,” he explained.

Traveler’s Rest Inn is smaller than most hotels with only 16 rooms, but it also offers a conference/banquet room with full kitchen and landscape grounds, which Caudell says make it perfect for weddings. Caudell plans to officially open travelers rest inn with a ribbon cutting ceremony June 2^nd.

PUBLIC HEARING PLANNED FOR MONDAY NIGHT ON STREET NAME CHANGES
May 16, 2005

Toccoa citizens are encouraged to attend a public hearing tonight on the proposed name changes to 15 city streets. The hearing gets underway at 6 p.m. at city hall. Residents living on those streets were contacted by the city and asked for input. Mayor Ken Davis says so far, he has not heard from anyone. The street changes proposed are as follows:

Davis says he is not sure if any decisions regarding street name changes will be made tonight.

There are times when driving down big a road feels like driving an obstacle course. And with all wrecks that typically happen between the Wal-Mart and McDonald’s, the Georgia department of transportation is looking at synchronizing the traffic lights.

State representative Jeanette Jamison recently met with the regional DOT engineer Russell McMurray about a planned study. Jamieson says there’s really nothing else that can be done. “There’s really no way to widen Big A Road because of the businesses along it, so this is about the only thing that can be done to cut down on the traffic accidents,” she said.

The study is expected to take about two weeks, according to Jamieson, with implementation of the new traffic light system expected to be in place within months.

A Toccoa man is charged with failure to yield after causing a nine-car pile up on Big A Road Thursday afternoon. It happened just after four o’clock.

Police say 20-year old Alan Edmonds of Toccoa was traveling northbound on Big A when he crossed the center line and struck oncoming traffic in front of the Dairy Queen.

That caused a nine-car pile up, which tied up traffic in the southbound lanes for over an hour. Edmonds told officers he doesn’t remember much of what happened, but said he last remembers waiting to make a left turn. The next thing he knew, paramedics were trying to revive him.

Edmonds and two drivers from the southbound lane, and a juvenile were reported injured. One of the southbound drivers, identified as 43-year old Wanda Wisham, suffered a broken arm. A juvenile also suffered a head injury. The extent of Edmonds injuries is not known.

A source at Stephens’s County Hospital tells WNEG, four people were admitted to the hospital emergency room shortly after the wreck, treated and released.

Four teenagers from Stephens County are lucky to be alive after their car went out of control Thursday night on Skyline Drive. It happened about 7:30 p.m. Thursday evening near the culvert off Rose Lane.

Police tell WNEG skid marks at the scene indicate the car was traveling at a high rate of speed going around the curve when the accident happened. Officers say the car struck one tree, bounced off another and landed on its side in the creek. Two boys in the back seat were ejected from the vehicle and suffered minor injuries.

According to one of the officers who assisted at the scene, emergency crews had to use the jaws of life to extract the driver and front passenger – but only after towing the car up out of the creek. Both boys were flown by helicopter to area hospitals – one to Gwinnett Medical Center in Lawrenceville, the other to Greenville Hospital in Greenville, SC. No word on whether any charges will be filed against the driver.

Lavonia police are offering a $500 reward for information leading to the capture and arrest of a man who robbed the BB&T Bank on Thursday. According to Police Chief Randy Shirley, it happened late Thursday afternoon. “The suspect walked into the bank carrying a duffle bag,” Shirley explained. “He then handed the teller a note demanding she fill the bag with money,” he said. The suspect then walked out of the bank and got into a late model gold Cadillac. Witnesses told police the car took off in the direction of downtown Lavonia.

Shirley says photos from bank surveillance video have given law enforcement a good description of their man. “He is described as a white male, about six feet tall, between 45 and 50 years old, with a bushy moustache,” Shirley said. At the time of the robbery, the suspect was wearing tan khaki pants and a green polo shirt.

Once those photos were distributed to area law enforcement, Shirley says they soon received a solid lead from the Madison County Sheriff’s office. “They called and told us a suspect fitting that description was seen at a restaurant in that county earlier this week,” Shirley said.

SEVEN CONVENIENCE STORES LOSE LIQUOR LICENSE FOR SELLING TO MINORS
May 10, 2005

Seven convenience stores doing business in the City of Toccoa now have 15 days to clear out their inventory of alcohol and pay stiff fines for selling liquor to a minor. That minor was an undercover Toccoa police officer who bought the booze and tobacco at nine stores in all and was not carded at any of them. At Monday’s City Commission meeting, hearings were held to determine their punishment.

The bust on April 21^st was the second offense for two of the nine convenience stores. The owner of Buddy’s Quick Stop on the corner of Currahee Street and Big A Road and the owner of A&S Foods received fines of $1,000 and had their licenses to sell alcohol suspended for 90-days. Neither was present at the hearing though records show they were notified and had signed a form saying they would be there.

Two other stores, Royal Foods on Highway 145 and Black Mountain Mart, asked for and were granted hearings before the ABC Board. The remaining five stores each received first-time offender fines of $500 and a 30-day suspension of their liquor licenses.

Theresa Price is the manager of the Chevron Food Mart on Mize Road. Price told commissioners she thought the undercover officer was of age by the tattoos on his arm. “I thought you had to be 21 to get a tattoo and when I saw his tattoos, I assumed he was 21. It was an honest mistake,” Price explained. “This is the first time in over 20 years that I’ve been caught not asking for an ID,” she said.

Price asked commissioners to increase the fine rather than impose the 30-day license suspension for a first-time offender, but that request was denied. Price said she’s glad she was caught because it was a learning experience.

All five stores have until May 24^th to remove their entire alcohol inventory and pay their fines.

Toccoa City Commissioners got their first glimpse of the proposed fiscal 2006 budget Monday night and it’s bigger than ever, according to City Manager Billy Morse. The overall proposed budget for next year is $31.8-million dollars, but does not call for any new property tax increase. However, Morse said it does call for some utility rate hikes.

Under costs associated with state and federal mandates, the City is proposing a 4% cost-of-living pay raise for employees, the purchase of four new police cars, $100,000 to go towards the downtown canopy removal project, $100,000 towards the renovation of the Walton Creek lift station, and the purchase of a new garbage truck.

After the regular meeting Monday Commissioners convened the first of several work sessions to review the new budget. One of the items looked at last night was the funding of animal control. Currently it is funded 50-50 with the County, but the City recently showed that most of the animal control calls are in the county.

The County has agreed to pay 70% of the animal control budget and buy a third new animal control vehicle.

A woman is in jail for allegedly trying to bring contraband into the Stephens County Detention Center. Stephens County Sheriff Gene Sorrells says the suspect, identified as Amanda Norris, allegedly brought a King James Bible to the Center for an inmate. Upon further inspection, it was discovered that inside the Bible, deputies found a taped plastic container with tobacco and a green leafy substance. The substances were found inside the binder of the Bible.

Sheriff’s deputies say Norris's husband is an inmate at the Detention Center. The exact charges against Ms. Norris were not disclosed.

The Sheriff’s office was notified of a possible scam involving construction. A resident of Old Canon Road told officers that her father had been approached by a man who wanted to sell him asphalt for one dollar a foot. The suspect was described as a white, heavy- set male with dark brown hair. He was driving a Chevy or GMC tan pick-up truck. A general lookout has been issued by officers for the man.

Several weeks ago, Sheriff Sorrells warned the public about strangers coming to your home offering to do any kind of home repair work. “this is the time of year when these scam artists come through the County,” Sorrells said. “And they mainly target the elderly. If anyone has someone come up to them and offer to do any kind of home repair work or yard work, call our office and I will send out a deputy to check them out,” he said.

City commissioners will be looking at a number of issues when they meet tonight for their first session of May.

Under old business, commissioners will once again look at the renumbering issue for e-911. Commissioners will consider whether to amend a city ordinance regarding how to display house and building numbers. With the new enhanced 9-1-1 systems, house numbers are required to be displaced perpendicular to the street with the numbers viewable on both sides. For example, on either side of a mailbox. City mayor Ken Davis says that’s not part of the Toccoa ordinance. “We have to decide whether or not we want to make it part of the City’s ordinance or not,” Davis explained.

In other business tonight, commissioners will look at revoking the alcoholic beverage licenses of businesses in Toccoa caught selling to minors. The fiscal 2006 operating budget and the monthly financial report will also be discussed. Tonight’s meeting begins at 5 p.m. in city hall.

Standard Register in Toccoa is expanding. The company is in the process of enlarging their current 7,000 square foot facility on Highway 145 to one three times that size.

Plant manager Bill Cochran notes the bigger facility is needed because the Toccoa facility will be taking on new areas of responsibility. “We will be turning much of what is now warehouse into new office space,” explained Cochran.

Based in Dayton, Ohio, Standard Register helps businesses and organizations capture, manage and use information.

Their Toccoa plant is responsible for customer service and graphic design, and that, according to human resources director Debra Godwin, means more jobs. “We are hiring in the areas of customer service, customer liaison and graphic design,” Godwin said. They are also looking for part-time employees and students who are interested in a long-term assignment.

Members of the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce honored their own last week at the annual Chamber Banquet. Taking place at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center, the banquet recognized outstanding business leaders in our community as well as outstanding students from North Georgia Tech who are looking to a career in business. This year’s awards went to:

And the Lifetime Achievement Award went to the late Neil Pruitt, Sr. This year’s Eagle Award went to a recent immigrant to the U.S. from Peru, Edwin Ponce, who credited North Georgia Tech with helping him learn English so he could go on to further his education and career. And the North Georgia Tech Goal Award went to Stephen Wheeler of Demorest who has gone back to school so he can go on the mission field.

State Senator Nancy Schaefer has been appointed to the Tree Ordinance Study Committee.

The committee was formed to investigate laws pertaining to county and municipal regulations of tree harvesting and enforcing those cities and counties to enforce current landscape ordinances. Created by Senate Resolution 458, this committee will study current practices and enforcement of local regulations of tree trimming and cutting is necessary to determine whether additional general law limitations are needed to protect property rights.

Ms Schaefer, a Republican from Turnerville, is serving on the committee along with Lt. Governor Mark Taylor, President Pro Temp Eric Johnson, a Republican from Savannah,, Senator Chip Pearson of Dawsonville and Senator Bill Stephens of Canton. Senator Pearson is the committee’s chairman.

Stephens County Hospital is working to bring in a physicians group to provide health care services to low-income individuals in Stephens County. Hospital administrator Ed Gambrell says about 37% of the cases using the hospital’s emergency room are routine and non-life threatening, and could be seen by a family physician. The problem is that many in our community do not have a family doctor or medical insurance so they go to the emergency room.

That’s why Gambrell says contracting with the physicians group; Med-Link is a necessary step for Stephens County. Gambrell is currently applying to have Stephens County classified as “medically under served” – a move that would allow med link to set up offices in the county and receive funding from the federal government. But Gambrell says it is a slow process. “The wheels of the federal government turn slowly,” Gambrell said. “So I don’t think we’ll be able to get it in place this year, but I do expect to have it in place next year,” he said.

Mitch Griggs, an Economic Development Program Manager for the Georgia Department of Community Development has been named Executive Director of the Stephens County Development Authority. Mr. Griggs selection was formally ratified in a special meeting of the Development Authority Board on May 2^nd. Final negotiations were satisfied on May 4^th.

“We are delighted to have attracted such an outstanding individual to lead the Development Authority”, said Bob Defenbaugh, Chair of the Search Committee and Development Authority. “Mitch Griggs is the best suited candidate for the job among a deep field of qualified applicants.”

Mr. Griggs’ background and experience are diverse. In his current job, Griggs is been responsible for administering state- and federally-funded grant and loan programs as incentives for new industry locations and business expansions. His experience includes ~~is responsible for~~ project development, including prospect cultivation, establishing and maintaining relationships with site selection consultants and local officials, making presentations, deal structuring, incentive contracts and marketing. and application assistance. His duties also involve (Mitch-Help) for grant and loan proposal review and award processes including coordinating reviews of funding requests, preparing review reports, developing grant and loan contract documents, program marketing and maintaining contacts databases. Mitch has coordinated over $40 million in grants and loans to help over 130 companies locate or expand their operations throughout Georgia, resulting in over $800 million in new private investment and over 20,000 new jobs in the state. He previously worked for the Lower Savannah Council of Governments, and in the private sector as a Manager for Talley Leasing Company.

Mr. Griggs is a graduate of ~~with Honors from~~ the University of Georgia. He is a Certified Economic Development Finance Professional. Mitch is active in the Georgia Economic Developers Association.

“A big factor in Mitch’s hiring was the expertise he brings in financing and deal closing” Bob Defenbaugh said. “His technical skills will be very important as we seek to develop new job opportunities for our community”. Executive Leadership Solutions assisted the Development Authority in the search process. An initial pool of 45 applicants was narrowed to four candidates from whom Mr. Griggs was selected.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to work with our elected, professional and volunteer leadership on the continuing development of Toccoa, Stephens County, “ Griggs said. “A lot of resources are in place or underway: Hayestone-Brady Industrial Park, Four-laning of Highway 17 to I85, an exceptionally strong existing industry base, significant investments in public education including a new middle school/the satellite facility for North Georgia Technical College, Toccoa Falls College, superb medical services, and the Currahee Club residential development.

~~Personal Closing…..family, children, etc~~Mr. Griggs and his. wife Joanna, have two children, Elena and Daniel, and an English bulldog, Sanford.

The City of Toccoa is asking for public input on a list of proposed street name changes. A public called meeting will be held Monday May 16 at 6 p.m. at City Hall for citizens to voice their questions, comments or concerns.

The Stephens County E911 Department is recommending that the names of several City streets be changed and several private drives be established. This change is being made to eliminate duplication and avoid confusion. The overall goal of the Enhanced 911 System is to provide the best possible public safety response to an emergency situation.

If anyone wishes to comment on these proposed name changes, then the City Commission would like to hear from you. At the meeting, all citizens will be given an opportunity to state their opinion. If you are unable to attend the meeting, please provide your comments in writing to the City Commission. Call 886-8451 if you have any questions about the hearing.

Please call Paige Crocker, E911 Director, at 886-1211 if you have any questions about the County’s recommendation, or for information about the overall E911 System. Once all the comments have been heard at the public hearing, the City Commission will consider Stephens County’s request. A final decision may or may not be made at the meeting.

Members of the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce will gather tonight to honor their own at the annual Chamber Banquet. Taking place at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center, the banquet will recognize outstanding business leaders in our community, according to Chamber director Cynthia brown.

Another highlight of the evening will be awarding one businessman with the Lifetime Achievement Award. This year, the chamber plans to honor the late Neal Pruitt Sr. The cast of this year’s middle school play will provide entertainment. Also honored tonight will be outstanding students at North Georgia Tech.

City of Toccoa crews will be working in the Fern Valley Drive area starting next week. According to the City of Toccoa’s Public Works Department, it will probably take the entire week to fix a damaged culvert. There is also the possibility the work might take a little longer if some unforeseen circumstances occur.

The city would like to apologize for any inconvenience the work may cause residents next week during the repairs, and they thank residents for their cooperation. If there are any questions, you may cal the Public Works Department at 282-3280.

The remapping and renumbering of Stephens County is beginning to wind down. After months of sending out cards and making change requests, Flagship GIS owner Dan Richards says they only have 2,500 original change cards left to send out before the June 15^th deadline. E-911 communications director Paige Crocker says she expects the last of the original cards to go out before mid May. “We do need people who want to make changes to call and make an appointment, rather than just coming to the office,” she said. “We have so many request for changes that unless they make an appointment it’s hard for us to make sure the changes are made,” she said.

Richards told county commissioners last night that they are current on fixing change requests. Since last month, they have processed some 680 change requests and Richards expects to process about 200 more before the June 15^th deadline.

Toccoa firefighters will once again join more than 100 other fire departments across Georgia in participating in the 16^th annual “give burns the boot” fundraiser. Give burns the boot begins Thursday, May 12^th and runs through Saturday May 14^th. Firefighters will be out in front of the Wal-mart every day from 9 a.m. To 5 p.m. Soliciting donations to the Georgia firefighters burn foundation.

Local coordinator Elgar Lewallen, chief of training for the Toccoa Fire Department, says the drive has three goals. “First to provide funds for burn hospitals in Georgia for new equipment, second to support the families of burn victims, and third to provide funds for Camp-Ooh-U-Lah, a burn camp for children,” he said. In 2004, 95 children attended the camp, which allows campers one week per year in which they can live without society’s’ stares and just be kids.

Ten percent of the dollar amount raised will also go back to the local fire departments. Lewallen says that money is used to provide educational material for students. Last year, the Toccoa fire fighters raised $2,053 and Lewallen hopes to raise even more this year.

County commissioners will look further into a request by the owner of Carter's Royal Transfer to close two convenience sites. John Carter has petitioned the county for permission to close the site on Tower Road as well as the one on County Farm Road near the jail.

Carter told commissioners he is losing money on the sites because of low traffic. At Tuesday night’s meeting, some people who use the Tower Road site say the county is not considering the summertime vacation traffic. Others blamed the county for not providing services paid for with tax dollars. County administrator Darrell Hampton said the request by Carter’s needs more study.

For years, the county operated the convenience sites as a loss and tried to get a private waste management company to take them over. Only Carter’s Royal submitted a bid and the County does not want to lose his contract.

Accused child molester Robert Bryson was back in Stephens County Superior Court Tuesday morning asking that two of the nine counts against him be dropped before his trial next month. Bryson’s attorney ed staples asked that the two counts of failure to report a change of address and failure to report as a sex offender in another state be dropped from the list of charges in this case. Staples argued those two counts are not related to the child molestation charges.

However, assistant district attorney Rick Bridgeman contended that the charges stem from Bryson's fleeing when he learned he was being investigated on the molestation charges. Bridgeman argued Bryson would not have fled had there not been an investigation and a threat of re-arrest. He said Bryson's failure to register in Tennessee is a direct result of his intention to hide his whereabouts from authorities in Stephens County. After his arrest, Bryson was charged with seven counts of child molestation in Stephens County.

Authorities say shortly after being released from prison in North Carolina on child molestation charges in 2003, Bryson moved to Stephens County and lived with a woman and her children. The woman later accused Bryson of molesting her son. Bryson then fled and a manhunt lasting several days failed to locate him. He was caught a year later in Tennessee.

After studying similar cases, Judge James Cornwell concluded Bryson’s escape from authorities in Stephens County to Tennessee in July 2003 was part of a series of the same events and denied his attorney's request. Bryson is set to go on trial in Stephens County Superior Court on June 20^th.

The Stephens County school board is once again trying to figure out how provide students a quality education with fewer dollars. That issue was one of several board members discussed when they met Friday and Saturday for a retreat at the Pioneer RESA Center in Cleveland, Georgia.

School superintendent Gary steppe said it was good session with budget and personnel matters topping the list. Steppe says the past couple of years have been hard on teachers and the school system because of continued QBE funding cuts. This year is no exception.

Steppe says the 2005 – 2006 school year budget will be tight, and the board is trying to figure out how to compensate teachers and still maintain quality education for students.

Steppe says they have gotten the figures for this year’s QBE funding, but he declined to say what the amount was only that it is not as bad as last year.

South Carolina troopers continue to investigate a wreck on I-85 Monday morning involving two 18-wheelers. It happened about 5 a.m. near the Fair Play, SC exit. Troopers say both drivers were injured when the two trucks collided. One of the trucks was carrying a load of chickens for Fieldale Farms, the other was a food service truck.

Both drivers were hospitalized. The driver of the Fieldale truck is identified as James Armour of Gainesville, GA. The other truck was a food service truck driven by Anthony Meadow of Union, South Carolina.

Amour was airlifted to Greenville Memorial Hospital; Meadow was taken to Oconee Memorial Hospital and then transferred to Greenville Memorial.

I-85 was closed for a several hours in both directions while crews worked to clear away the dead birds and remove the 18-wheelers.

Toccoa police are looking into a theft from a convenience store. It happened last Friday at the Exxon station on South Broad Street. The manager told police a white woman with blonde hair entered the store, picked up some drinks, walked to the counter and yelled, “I have a gun!” She then grabbed some cigars and fled.

The suspect dropped a set of keys while running from the convenience store, which had a Bi-Lo discount card attached. Investigators are checking with Bi-Lo headquarters to hopefully get the identity of the suspect.

A group of concerned citizens is not happy with a proposed new curriculum in the middle and high school that’s designed to help lower the teen pregnancy rate in Stephens County. Recently, a special task force studying the current curricula, called, “Choosing the Best,” and the teen pregnancy problem reported their results to the Stephens County school board. The group found parents wanted a tougher, more thorough sex education program in the classroom. As a result, the task force recommended three separate curricula aimed at different age and grade levels, but it is not totally abstinence based.

But Sharon Johnson, director of Abstinence Awareness in Stephens County, says the proposed curriculum is not what she wants to see taught. “I don’t approve of it, at all,” Johnson said. “It teaches children other forms of birth control other than abstinence,” she said.

Stephens’s county school board member James Thomas says the reality is children need to learn both. “Everybody is not going to adhere to abstinence, we know that,” Thomas said. “We have to look at, ‘Do we want to prepare for the other or not?’” he said.

In a the task force survey, conducted by the group, “Brighter Futures for Teens,” only 30% of responding parents said their children were receiving good sex education in the schools. 50.7% of adults said stated that access to birth control does not increase sexual activity.

Johnson says the current curriculum “Choosing the Best,” needs to stay. “If taught this course in the earlier grades, beginning in sixth grade, it would work,” she concluded. One of the reasons, though for the change in sex education curriculum is because of orders from the State Board of Education, which deemed the course ineffective.

This coming Thursday is the “National Day Of Prayer, a day set aside for all people of all faiths to prayer for peace in the world and to pray for various issues within the community. Here in Stephens County, an interdenominational service will be held at noon on the grounds of the Stephens County courthouse. The service will be aired live on AM630 WNEG.

Geraldine Hayes, one of this year’s coordinators, said that the committee has been working very hard on the local celebration and came up with an additional event on the Eve of the National Day of Prayer. It’s a special rally for young people and will take place at the Stephens County Middle School.

National Day of Prayer t-shirts are being sold to help fund the event. Any money after expenses will be donated to the Widows of Fallen Soldiers in Iraq. The special guest speaker for the Wednesday evening rally will be Parris Jackson from All In The World Ministries in Inman, South Carolina. Parris is only 10 years old.

The owner of Carter's Royal Disposal is considering closing down two convenience sites and petitioned the county for permission to do so. One of the sites is located off Brookhaven Circle near the Carter’s Royal transfer site. The other is a site near the County jail.

According to county administrator Darrell Hampton, John Carter says the one near his transfer site is redundant and the other near the jail is not used much. Since taking over the convenience sites, Carter has replaced county employees with his own.

The county last year privatized the convenience sites as a cost-saving measure. Tonight, commissioners will discuss carter’s request at their regular work session and are expected to vote on it tomorrow at their regular meeting.

County commissioners have a long work session ahead of them tonight at the Courthouse Annex. Among the items up for discussion tonight, commissioners will consider the purchase of e-911 sign-making equipment and material.

They will also consider a contract with Appalachian Mountain Services for the collection of delinquent property taxes in the county, and consider a resolution supporting the proposed development of “Imperial Place,” a new senior citizen development on the corner of Rose Lane and Rothell Road Extension.

Tonight’s work session takes place at 5:30 p.m. In the courthouse annex and is open to the public.

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