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Our Time and Place:
A History of
Jackson County, Ga
A complete history of Jackson County, Georgia
from 1796 to the present. Written in narrative style for easy
reading. Includes material not found in other books about Jackson
County.
Order this book online
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Bear Creek Project
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OPINIONS
Jackson County opinion page
SPORTS
Directions to Area Schools
Raiders defeat Dragons, 14-11
Madison County shut down Jefferson's high-powered offense in
a 14-11 road win Friday night.
Panthers to host Hart County Bulldogs
The Panthers will be playing Hart County on Friday at Panther
Stadium after missing one game and having a week off.
Tiger Softball Team Nearing Area Tourney Time
Coaches talk about peaking at the right time and no time would
be better for the Commerce Tigers (9-14) than next week during
the Area Four tournament.
Neighboorhood News ..
MADISON COUNTY
Brakes put on bypass
The Danielsville bypass project is no more, at least for now.
With significant state funds tagged for Atlanta's traffic mess,
upgrades of Hwy. 29 in Madison County are on the back burner
for at least six years, possibly more and perhaps for good.
Comer council sets clerk's salary
The Comer City Council set the city clerk's salary at $37,000
in a called meeting Wednesday night, Sept. 19, 2001.
Neighborhood News...
BANKS COUNTY
Baldwin approves further plant expansion
The Baldwin City Council has approved further expansion of the
town's waste water treatment plant.
At a special work session last week, council members and Baldwin's
city engineer met with contractor Sonny McNeil and project supervisor
Jack Kent at the facility to show how additions made under the
current expansion project could save time and money for future
growth.
Health department to charge $15 for flu shots
At the quarterly meeting earlier this month, board members of
the Banks County Health Department voted to raise the cost of
flu shots for non-Medicare patients.
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The Jackson Herald
Jefferson, Georgia
Telephone: (706) 367-5233
Fax: (706) 367-8056
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Suspect
sought in murder
Jackson County law enforcement officers are searching for a 17-year-old
man in connection with the murder of a woman early Saturday morning
near Jefferson.
Manuel Rosillo (pictured at right) is the suspect in the murder
of Juana Gonzalez, 38, Borders Street, Jefferson. Another woman,
Florinda Dye, Railroad Street, Jefferson, was critically injured
in the incident. She is at Athens Regional
Medical Center.
Jackson County Sheriff's Department chief investigator David
Cochran said warrants for one count of murder and two counts
of aggravated battery have been issued for the suspect.
Deputies called to the scene early Saturday morning found the
two victims in a back bedroom of the residence. Gonzalez, who
had massive head injuries and was shot, was dead when the officers
arrived. Dye was found bludgeoned about the head and in serious
condition.
Cochran said the suspect allegedly entered the residence at 7356
Brockton Road where he lives with his father around 2 a.m. Saturday.
"It appears that the son entered the back bedroom where
Serbando and Juana were sleeping," Cochran said. "He
was armed with a firearm. Serbando attempted to wrestle the firearm
out of his hands. They struggled through the house and out into
the yard. At that time, Manuel fired two shots at his father,
not striking him. The father then fled into the woods and attempted
to get away from his son."
The suspect then allegedly went back into the home and kicked
in a back bedroom door where the two victims were.
An 8-year-old girl was hiding underneath the bed and was not
injured. A 4-year-old child was sleeping in another room and
was not injured.
Law enforcement officers have found no motive in the murder.
"We have not found any evidence of any kind of altercation
prior to this," Cochran said. "That is still a mystery.
As of right now, there appears to be no motive for it."
The suspect is "considered dangerous," according to
a wanted poster released by the sheriff's department. Anyone
with information on his is asked to contact Cochran at 367-8718
or Ben Williams of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation at (706)
542-7901. |
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HOME DAMAGED IN FIRE
Johnny and Hazel Turner's home on MLK Jr. Drive
in Jefferson was damaged in a fire Thursday afternoon. Mr. Turner
is shown sitting outside the home as firefighters battle the
flames. The Jefferson, Arcade and Jackson County Correctional
Institute fire departments responded to the fire call. Jefferson
fire chief Doug Waters said the fire was started by a family
member who was smoking in bed and set the mattress on fire. The
fire was confined mostly to that bedroom, which received extensive
damage. Waters said there was also furniture and smoke damage
in the bedroom next to it and smoke damage throughout the house.
No one was injured.
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Water board puts
projects on hold
The economic slowdown deepened by the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks has led the Jackson County Water and Sewerage Authority
to put several water projects on hold.
Manager Jerry Waddell suggested Thursday night "putting
the brakes on spending," citing declining revenue from the
special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST), $149,000 per
month payments on the Bear Creek Reservoir and an increase of
$59,000 per month on its bond repayment.
"The total (of the two monthly payments) is more than the
checks we receive from SPLOST," Waddell said. "That
tells me we need to put the brakes on."
The delay in finishing the reservoir project costs the authority
at least $100,000 per month in lost profits, according to Elton
Collins, chairman, and the slowing economy just makes matters
worth.
The collections from the 2000 SPLOST have been below projections
every month since February. Although total collections through
the first 14 months of the five-year sales tax are 4.3 percent
over projections, collections February through August averaged
eight percent below what was expected.
"We are under projection every month this year," said
Collins. "And after what happened last week (the terrorist
attacks), some say we are sliding into a recession."
At Waddell's suggestion and with the recommendation of engineer
Charlie Armentrout, the authority put on hold three projects
on which construction has not been started. They include line
installation along Old Hoods Mill Road and various other areas
in SPLOST project three, a waterline extension along Georgia
15 in the center of the county and lines in the southeastern
section in SPLOST projects four and five.
In other business, the authority:
·agreed to negotiate a new water purchase agreement with
Braselton since the city proposes moving the connection between
the two systems to a new location.
·approved an amendment to its contract with Doug Elam
for water service to Mulberry Plantation. The amendment removes
the deadline for service and specifies conditions upon which
the authority could move on the letter of credit in the event
of default by the project's owner.
Two Die In Wreck
On 441 Early Monday
State Patrol Trying To Determine What Caused Head-On Collision.
The Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team of the Georgia
State Patrol is trying to determine exactly what happened to
cause a two-car head-on collision on U.S. 441 Monday that killed
two people.
The wreck occurred at about 6:00 a.m. on wet pavement near Fairway
Mobile Homes and there were no witnesses, according to the Gainesville
post of the Georgia State Patrol. It was dark at the time of
the wreck.
The impact killed Keith Whitlock, 40, of Commerce, who was driving
a northbound Buick Electra, and Phyllis Veal, 45, of Hull, who
was a passenger in the southbound Buick LeSabre.
George Franklin Garrett, 58, of Maysville, driver of the LeSabre,
was taken to Athens Regional Medical Center with "serious"
injuries.
The accident kept U.S. 441 blocked for several hours.
Because the pavement was wet, there were no skid marks and because
both cars were about the same size and they spun around upon
impact, immediate assessment of the cause was not possible, the
Patrol said.
Hoschton festival
set
The 30th annual Hoschton Fall Festival is planned for Friday-Sunday,
Sept. 28-30. The city of Hoschton is sponsoring the festival.
This year's Hoschton Fall Festival will include a new attraction
- a "Mr. and Miss Hoschton Fall Festival" children's
pageant sponsored by the Hoschton Women's Civic Club to raise
funds for the train depot renovation project.
Winners in each age category will be selected during the Hoschton
Fall Festival at 7 p.m. Friday, September 28, on the square in
front of city hall.
Saturday's schedule includes a parade at 11 a.m. Other plans
for the day are cake walks, a horseshoe tournament, craft show,
concessions and a street dance.
Comedian J.B. Slicker and 12-year-old vocalist Amber Carter will
perform at the festival at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday. Slicker
has been in the entertainment business for more than 25 years
in both the country and gospel music fields. He has shared the
stage with top-name performers suc as Lynn Anderson, Moe Brandy,
The Kingsmen, Helen Cornelius, Stella Parton, The Statesmen and
others. He is a songwriter and after-dinner speaker.
Carter has performed all over Nashville and is performing at
festivals throughout the south. At 12-years-old, she already
has her own CD.
Food concessions throughout the festival will include pizza,
homemade ice cream, funnel cakes, mini donuts and barbecue.
The event will conclude Sunday with gospel music performed by
groups from across the state.
For additional information, contact Hoschton City Council at
(706) 654-3034.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
FRIDAY
7 p.m. Fall Festival Pageant
SATURDAY
11 a.m. Parade
1 p.m. J.B. Slicker
Cake walk
Horseshoe contest
2-5 p.m. Hope Christian Worship Center and New Step
Entertainment
5 p.m. Amber
7 p.m. Kevin Scott and Gold Rush
SUNDAY
1-5 p.m. Gospel singing
Newspaper display
shows historic flags of America
In the days following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York
and Washington, we at The Herald wanted to show our patriotic
spirit in a unique and special way. Although we had already been
flying an American Flag, we wanted to do something more.
We decided to display some of the historic flags of America as
a symbol of other struggles this nation has faced in the past.
Thus, eight historic flags, in addition to the current American
Flag, were chosen to display in our windows.
We've had a lot of questions about these flags, so the following
is a brief history of the flags in our windows:
Stars and Stripes
1777
Sometimes called the "Betsy Ross Flag," this was the
first official flag of the United States, adopted by the Continental
Congress on July 14, 1777, Flag Day. Although popular legend
has it being made by Betsy Ross, there is no real evidence of
that. Some historians credit others with the stars and stripes
design. Actually, the creation of the flag wasn't a large item
on the Continental Congress agenda and was buried in a report
from its Marine committee. The arrangement of the first flag's
stars may not have been in a circle, either. It wasn't until
1912 that the order of the stars was put in law, so up until
that time, star arrangements varied by manufacturer. Many homemade
flags had their own star design. Capt. John Paul Jones was supposedly
the first to fly the new flag on his ship, The Ranger.
Star Spangled Banner
1795-1818
This is perhaps the most famous flag in American history, due
in large part to the fact that we have the original on display
in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. The flag gets its
name from the song written by Francis Scott Key on Sept. 13,
1814, during the bombardment of Fort McHenry, Maryland, during
the War of 1812. That song became our national anthem in 1931,
the "Star Spangled Banner." Interestingly, the flag
of this era had 15 stripes. That was changed back to 13 stripes
in 1818.
Bennington "76" Flag
1777
This unique flag flew on Aug. 16, 1777 when American militia
defeated a British raiding force at Bennington, Vermont, where
American military supplies were stored. The "76" appears
backwards because the blue Union is always displayed on the viewer's
left when hanging vertical.
Gadsden Flag
1776
There were several flags during Revolutionary War times that
featured a rattlesnake. This is the 1776 Gadsden Flag named for
Colonel Christopher Gadsden of South Carolina. The image of a
rattlesnake and the words "Don't Tread On Me" were
an obvious warning that the Colonies would not allow the British
to trample on their liberty. This flag can be seen in the movie
"The Patriot."
Fort Moultrie
1776
This flag was carried by the South Carolina Militia on Sullivan
Island June 28, 1776, when the British were defeated at Ft. Sullivan.
This was the first American flag used in the South during the
American Revolution. It is named for Gen. Moultrie, who designed
the flag by using the silver crescent from the front of the militia
caps and the blue of the militia uniforms. Later versions added
the word "Liberty."
First Navy Jack
1776
This was a marine flag believed used in January 1776 on a Continental
Fleet ship. Variations of this flag were used by the Americans
on ships all during the Revolution. Today, the only ship that
can fly this flag is the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, an aircraft carrier.
It is one of several old flags to have used the image of a rattlesnake
in defiance to the British Crown.
Grand Union Flag
1776
This was the first true American flag, although it was never
officially sanctioned by the Continental Congress. The 13 red
and white stripes represent the 13 Colonies, but you will note
the use of the British Union Jack in the flag's canton (upper
left corner). Some say this is symbolic of the loyalty of the
Colonists to the constitutional form of government from which
they grew, while at the same time the 13 stripes show the call
for independence. This flag was raised on January 1, 1776, on
Prospect Hill in Somerville, Massachusetts, near George Washing-ton's
camp of the newly formed Continental Army. At the time, this
flag was known as the "Continental Flag" because it
represented the united colonies. But in a letter, George Washington
called it the "Grand Union" and that is the name which
comes down to us today. This was the flag that was flying at
the time the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4,
1776. This flag was the unofficial flag of the nation until June
14, 1777.
34-Star Flag
1861-1863
Although the South seceded from the Union in 1861, no stars were
ever removed from the national flag. Three national flags flew
during the Civil War, with the 34-star version being the one
flying when Abraham Lincoln took office. In fact, on George Washington's
birthday, Feb. 22, 1861, president-elect Lincoln raised a large
34-star flag over Independence Hall, a symbolic act of faith
in the nation's unity. Since there was no particular arrangement
of the stars at that time, this version is the "Popular"
version that was sometimes flown.
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Galilee Preschool Flyer
New Police
Chief Pledges To 'Keep Oath Inviolate'
Commerce's new police chief began his tenure in Commerce by promising
to do something the last chief didn't.
"I shall keep my oath of office inviolate, speak the truth
and endeavor to serve the public," said John W. Gaissert
minutes after being sworn in by Jackson County Chief Magistrate
Billy Chandler in a ceremony at City Hall.
Gaissert comes to Commerce from North Georgia College, where
he served as director of public safety and chief of police. He
succeeds the late George Grimes, whose sudden death of a heart
attack led to the discovery that he was stealing money from traffic
fines, according to city officials and the Georgia Bureau of
Investigation.
"My intent is to earn the public's trust," Gaissert
said.
He also made reference to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, saying:
"I never supposed I would assume the office during a time
of national crisis and tragedy," adding that he "never
felt so humbled" as in the aftermath of the attacks when
the sacrifices of fire and police personnel became known. He
quoted the biblical book of Daniel, noting that when three young
men were thrown into the furnace for failing to bow to the king,
a fourth person was seen with them.
It is a reminder, he said, that "even in the most desperate
of circumstances, the Lord is with us. He may not keep us from
the fire, but he will be in the fire with us."
Gaissert also presented to Mayor Charles L. Hardy Jr. the flag
that was presented to him by Rep. John Linder on the occasion
of Gaissert's 1998 retirement from the U.S. Naval Reserve. The
flag flew over the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC.
After the ceremony, which was attended by city officials, police
officers and others, the new chief said he believed in community-oriented
policing. His first priority, he said, will be to reach out to
the community, both to get to know people and to understand their
expectations. He said he has no major changes in mind for the
police department, but will focus on policies and fiscal accountability,
processes, training and readiness. He also said that he would
see that his officers are "provided with the tools to perform
their duties safely."
In making decisions, Gaissert said, he would answer four questions:
"Is it legal? Is it reasonable? Is it well-intentioned?
Is it ethical?"
"It (a decision) may not satisfy 100 percent of the people,
but it should be defensible," Gaissert stated.
Candlelight ceremony
planned Thursday
The Jackson County Volunteer Rescue will host a candlelight service
at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27, on the downtown square in Jefferson.
There will be special music and speakers. Those who attend are
asked to wear red, white and blue.
A fund drive will also be held with donations to be sent to the
families of victims of the terroristic attacks in Washington,
D.C., and New York City, N.Y.
Three qualify in
Jefferson
Three people had qualified for the positions up for grabs in
the Jefferson special election as of press time Wednesday.
Former councilman Jack Seabolt and Phillip Thompson qualified
for the Ward 2 city council seat held by Jim Joiner, who resigned
earlier to run for mayor.
Angela McKinney is the only one who has qualified so far for
the Ward 1 board of education seat formerly held by Horace Jackson,
who resigned last week.
Qualifying was to have ended at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.
The special election will be held on the same day as the regular
city election.
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