|
mainstreetnews Home
Search Site
Area Sports
Classifieds
Place A Classified Ad
Banks Legal Page
Banks Opinion Page
Banks Obituary Page
Archives
Subscribe
Send A Letter
List Your Business
Banks County Stats
Election Information
July 18 Election Results
Go to Jackson County
Go to Madison County
OPINION
Angie Gary
Baseball bats and a big horse track
Baseball bats and horse tracks are two things that have never
been top on my list of favorite things. I haven't held a baseball
bat since my elementary school days and have thought about them
very little, if at all. As for . . .
Drew Brantley
One last focus on jumps, screams
I enjoyed a rare if not unique experience this weekend. I don't
mean to say that I discovered a way to produce unlimited power
from a glass of tap water, but it was a series of events that
have never happened to me before. Covering the high school softball
teams . . .
SPORTS
SEE THIS WEEK'S PIGSKIN PICKERS!
Leopards run over Apalachee, 32-10
Banks County ended five games of frustration Friday with a 32-10
win over Apalachee.
The Leopards amassed more than 300 yards of total offense on
their way to the victory.
State softball title results
Neighborhood News...
JACKSON COUNTY
Wickliffe pleads guilty to bid-rigging
Jerry Wickliffe, owner of the private sewage firm Water Wise,
entered a guilty plea Friday in federal court on charges that
he and others engaged in a wide-ranging bid-rigging scheme.
'Referendum A' would cost county $162,255 in taxes
If a statewide referendum to eliminate property taxes from farm
equipment passes on Nov. 7, it would cost Jackson County approximately
$162,255 next year.
News from
MADISON COUNTY
BOE fields questions about system's financial woes,
agrees to hold public forum
Members of the Madison County Board of Education began answering
questions about the school system's finances at their regular
meeting Tuesday night, and agreed to hold a public forum on the
subject in the near future.
Judge still considering lowering Fortson bond
A judge was still considering Wednesday morning whether or not
the half million dollar bond set recently for accused "cement
murderer" Tracy Lea Fortson is too high.
|
mainstreetnews.com
The Banks County News
Homer, Georgia
Telephone: (706) 367-5233
Fax: (706) 367-8056
NEWS / ADVERTISING
PRINTING
® Copyright 2000
MainStreet Newspapers, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Copyright / Terms / Privacy
|
|
COOKING UP CHICKEN
The dads of Cub Scout Pack 106 were busy all day Saturday
cooking chicken for the Scouts' chicken-cue. They started at
6 a.m. to cook 800 chicken halves for the event. The barbecue
was held to raise funds for a trip to the Yorktown in Charleston,
S.C., in February. The Scouts sold around 600 dinners. Dinners
that were left over were donated to the boys' home, A Better
Place. Donations of clothing and toiletries were also being taken
for the battered and abused women's shelter.
|
UPDATE:
Arbitrator rules in
Baldwin's favor
Arbitrator G. Grant Brantley ruled in
favor of Baldwin in the dispute between the city and Demorest
over ownership of the water plant.
The two cities have been at odds since Baldwin officials contracted
with Aqua Source, a private company, to run the water operations.
Officials in Demorest maintained that Baldwin did not have the
power to enact the contract and refused to hand over plant operations
citing an agreement between the two cities.
In an arbitration hearing held Oct. 2 and 3, Baldwin and Demorest
argued their cases to Brantley. Tuesday, Brantley signed a document
stating "that a verdict and judgment should be rendered
in favor of Baldwin."
The ruling will now be passed to another judge for a final determination.
If he agrees with Brantley's decision, it will cost the city
of Demorest $33,070 in legal fees. Demorest will also have to
allow Baldwin to install Aqua Source as the plant operator.
Lula council to
pursue curfew for minors
A curfew for minors could soon come into effect in Lula.
Candy Loggins came before the Lula City Council Monday night
asking the council to adopt a curfew.
Loggins presented a petition with over 200 signatures of residents
requesting a curfew.
"We are having a lot of thefts and damage to property,"
Loggins said. "It may not be affecting everyone, but it's
affecting lots of people."
Loggins said she had spoken to Hall County Sheriff Bob Vass and
he agreed to enforce an ordinance for the city.
However, she said Vass wants to meet with the city to establish
a system to first issue warnings to violators.
For the ordinance to be enforced citywide, Lula will also have
to request enforcement by the Banks County Sheriff's Office on
the Banks County side of Lula.
"I'll see if I can get (Sheriff) Bob (Vass) to be here at
the next meeting and talk to (Banks County Sheriff Charles) Chapman,"
Lula mayor Tim Allen said. "We'll see if they'd be willing
to enforce it."
OTHER ITEMS
At its meeting Monday, the council also:
·agreed to accept Sonny Saxton's $7,700 bid to grade and
gravel the outer driveways and three cross driveways in the Westview
Cemetery. The council also agreed to have the roads surveyed.
·learned Allen had placed an order for an International
garbage truck for the city.
·learned the city is awaiting a survey for Shockley Road.
·heard from attorney Brad Patton that the best way for
Barry Wickle to give a proposed $25,000 gift would be to give
a straight cash donation.
·agreed to rebid work on the city sidewalks. The council
decided to allow city workers to remove the old sidewalks. The
council also agreed to seek a bid to put a brick sidewalk in
front of city hall.
·accepted a resolution transferring the city's cable franchise
agreement from Benchmark Communications to Adelphia.
·heard from District 20 State Representative Carl Rogers,
who asked the city to submit requests for state appropriations.
DOT says Baldwin
responsible for cost of relocating water line
For the past few months, the Baldwin City Council and Georgia
Department of Transportation have been arguing over who is to
blame for the broken water line along Wolford Creek and who should
pay for it. Last week, the council learned that Baldwin will
have to fund the relocation of the line.
At a meeting in September, councilmember Mitchell Gailey said
a 400-yard stretch of four-inch water line on a ridge near Wolford
Creek had been relocated in the process of re-routing Highway
441. He said that the DOT ended up burying the water line 80'
deep with dirt, rock and boulders causing the line to break.
It was "leaking thousands of gallons a day into the creek,"
according to Gailey.
The water loss has been costing the city an estimated $2,500
per month and placed a strain on the water system, city leaders
said.
Gailey said at the time, "What I'm really afraid of is that
that line is going to let loose and the 10 houses down there
are going to be in desperate need of water."
Officials felt that the problem should be corrected as quickly
as possible, whether DOT helped with the cost or not. Mayor Mark
Reed looked into an emergency loan from Georgia Emergency Management
Association.
After Monday night's council meeting, Gailey said that Baldwin
was accountable for the repair costs. The city and Summit Pipeline
engineers had approved the laying of the lines, according to
DOT officials. The engineers had not consulted the Hwy. 441 construction
plans and the line was laid improperly, he said.
A new line is being installed and will soon be completed, he
said.
Political forum
planned Oct. 24
The Banks County Chamber of Commerce will host a political forum
at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24, at the Banks County High School
auditorium.
All local candidates in the Nov. 7 election have been invited
to participate. Dennis Robarge will serve as moderator. The audience
will be allowed to submit questions to the candidates in writing.
For more information, contact the chamber office at 677-2108.
|
Go to Banks
Community Pages
Public Meeting Dates
On-Going Services
Banks County
Business Listing
Automotive
Churches
Education/Child
Care
Financial
Institutions
Food
& Convenience Stores
Garden
& Agriculture
Homes
& Supplies
Industry
& Manufacturing
Insurance
Real
Estate
Recreation/Entertainment
Retail
Stores/Outlets
Service
Businesses
Commissioners meet
with C. Jordan Road residents on road improvements
The Banks County Board of Commissioners met with property owners
and residents along C. Jordan Road for more than an hour Friday
morning to discuss a proposal to make improvements to the road.
Residents of the road presented a petition in September asking
the BOC to not use taxpayers' money to reroute the road around
a 90 degree curve on its north end. But David Cook, who attended
Friday's meeting, said the residents do want their road maintained
and widened, if necessary.
Cook asked the commissioners why the county needs the right of
way along the road and what the improvement plans are.
Commissioner Ernest Rogers, who said he rode through the road
Sunday, said the plans include improving the "S-curves,"
widening the road and straightening the road.
Cook said the residents who signed the petition want the road
maintained and widened, but they don't want something put in
that isn't needed.
"This is not an expense the taxpayers should have,"
he said.
Commissioner Pat West-moreland, who pointed out that he worked
with the Georgia Department of Transportation for 34 years, said
he "knows when a road needs to be improved." He said
the county's responsibility is for all people who travel on the
road.
Westmoreland also said the project is not a "pet project"
of his and is not a personal favor to anyone.
Pilot not seriously
injured in crash
A South Carolina woman escaped serious injury Saturday in a plane
crash in Banks County.
Svetlana Dramoua, 18, a native of the Ukraine, was on a solo
flight from Clemson, S.C., when she crashed around 12:30 p.m.
Saturday. Banks County Sheriff Charles Chapman said she was able
to walk away unharmed from the crash.
Dramoua was on a solo flight when the engine failed, according
to the sheriff. She reportedly tried to make it to the Habersham
County Airport in Baldwin, but was unable to do so. She was three
miles west of Homer at the intersection of the Yonah-Homer Road
and Bellamy Road when the plane nose-dived into a pasture. She
had no power in the aircraft at that time, according to the sheriff.
The front end of the plane received extensive damage. The investigation
was turned over to the Federal Aviation Administration.
|
