Tues., Nov. 6
ELECTION RESULTS |
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OPINIONS
Frank Gillespie
I refuse to be terrorized
A number of people have asked me why I don't write more about
the terrorists. The answer is simple. I refuse to be terrorized!
Zach Mitcham
On media and war
William Sherman hated newspapers so much he threatened to have
several reporters hanged. And while the Civil War press was justified
in some criticism of Sherman, newspapers were at times reckless
in their war reporting and even ruthless in their portrayal of
the famous general, calling him "insane" on several
occasions. (See "Sherman's Other War" by John Marszalek.)
SPORTS
Directions to Area Schools
Manhandling the competition
Raiders overpower Eagles 49-6. Madison County's lopsided Friday
win took place on the gridiron, but was perhaps decided months
earlier in the weight room.
Neighboorhood News ..
JACKSON COUNTY
Jefferson, Braselton get new mayors
Long-time mayors Bruce, Braselton fall to challengers.
Two long-time Jackson County political icons were defeated in
town elections Tuesday.
Maxwell Turns Back Kesler In Nicholson
Incumbents Chaney, Harris And Seabolt Win In Commerce; Jim Joiner
Is New Jefferson Mayor.
Ronnie Maxwell was re-elected mayor in Nicholson, all Commerce
incumbents won easily and Jefferson has a new mayor following
Monday's municipal elections.
Neighborhood News...
BANKS COUNTY
Election results in
Alto council seat decided by one vote. City elections were held
in Alto, Homer and Lula on Tuesday with the closest race being
in Alto where a council seat was decided by one vote.
CVB adopts articles of incorporation
Separation from chamber complete. The Banks County Convention
and Visitors Bureau is now a separate entity as the board voted
last week to adopt articles of incorporation.
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The Madison County Journal
Danielsville, Georgia
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FUN AT THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS
Madison County Special Olympic participants take a break at
Ila Elementary School Friday. Pictured (L-R) are Andrew Smallwood,
Faye Donaldson, mother of Josh Donaldson (also pictured beside
her), Olivia Burger and Nicholas Pierce.
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Runoff
Comer mayor's race still to be decided William Burroughs will
face Sue Carithers in a runoff in the Comer mayor's race Nov.
27.
Carithers received the most votes Tuesday with 92 (41.1 percent).
But she did not receive the required majority vote to win the
election. Burroughs received 59 votes (26.3 percent); Grady Mahaffey
had 48 votes (21.4 percent) and Gene West tallied 25 votes (11.2
percent).
In the Comer council District 1 race, incumbent Allene Pendleton
held on to her post, defeating Paula Kidd Patat, 26 votes to
20.
In the Comer District 4 election, incumbent Laquita Bridges held
off Susan Delay 50 to 20.
No other municipal elections were held Tuesday in Madison County.
Comer
faces $30,000 shortfall
Comer faces a $30,000 shortfall in its 2002 budget unless changes
are made, said outgoing mayor Chris NeSmith.
If revenues and expenses remain the same as 2001, the city will
exhaust its reserves and go into negative financing.
"We have to make some awfully tough choices," NeSmith
said. "The simple way is to charge more for services, but
that should be our last hope."
NeSmith said he wants to leave office with the city in good financial
shape. He will be replaced by either Sue Carithers or William
Burroughs in January.
NeSmith said if the city can cut cost back to the original 2001
budget they might be able to keep the budget in balance. However,
that would not allow the city to rebuild its financial reserve.
He suggested that the council consider cutting the city payroll
by eliminating one job in each department. That would be one
maintenance worker and one of the city's three police officers.
"If you decide to do this, do it soon so they will have
time to find new work by the first of the year," he said.
"...This is just my suggestion. There might be a better
way."
Councilman Randy Williams objected.
"The last thing I want to see is for someone to lose his
job," he said.
The council immediately started looking for ways to cut the budget,
beginning with their own salaries. City Clerk Steve Sorrells
was instructed to change the pay for the mayor and council back
to an earlier figure of $1,200 annually for the mayor and $1,000
annually for council members. This change will reduce the budget
by nearly $3,000. In addition, the council is trying to recover
$8,000 in over-payments to the city's insurance provider, and
to switch companies for a promised lower rate.
The city should seek to expand its tax base rather than increase
taxes and fees, Mayor NeSmith said.
"We need to increase the number of taxpayers, not the tax
rate," said NeSmith.
For the rest of this story see this weeks Madison County Journal
Can Do attitude
When bad things happen, Frances Black, or Fran as she is known
to her friends, says you have to decide at that point if you
want to go on living, and if you do, how best to go about it.
"You've just got to figure out how to do without what you've
lost," she added.
And at least by physical standards, Fran has lost a lot.
A diabetic since 1971, she has lost both feet and part of both
legs, and due to an infection, also lost the sight in her left
eye, all since 1994.
"I was in so much pain, I was just sick all the time from
being in so much pain. At times I couldn't eat or sleep,"
she remembers.
But instead of being beaten down by these experiences, Fran has
maintained her independence, caring for herself and her four
dogs in her own home, with the help of neighbors nearby who keep
a check on her.
She says she feels good these days and has not taken pain medication
for some time.
"You've got to roll with the punches," she said.
AN INDEPENDENT WOMAN
"If I can reach it I can fix it," Fran says of any
plumbing or other maintenance problems around her small home.
And with the assistance of a motorized scooter and a ramp constructed
by the Rotary Club, she also makes herself available to others
in her community. If they have a problem with their plumbing
or other problems around the house, they frequently call Fran.
"I like people - I'm always trying to help people,"
she said.
An animal lover, Fran says her dogs are her closest companions.
She has also taken in a number of strays over the years and is
a beloved figure to the local dogs as she "scoots"
around the neighborhood.
At her own home, two well-cared-for canine friends keep watch
outside, while two smaller dogs, Skeeter and Perky, keep their
"mama" company inside.
Although Fran says Skeeter "keeps everything to herself,
no matter what you tell her," Perky is a different story.
He can "say Mama" and sings along with Fran and various
of his favorite artists on TV.
At night, Fran maneuvers her wheelchair into her small bathroom
and calls Perky and Skeeter in to "get their feet washed,"
lifting each one into the lavatory before the three of them turn
in for the night.
The mother of six grown children and grandmother to seven, Fran
worked in sewing plants full time and did various security jobs
and housecleaning as her children got older, often working almost
80 hours a week.
For the rest of this story see this weeks Madison County Journal
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Plans for Danielsville
office development put on hold
A local developer wanting to place an office park off Hwy. 29
in Danielsville will have to wait another month for an answer
to his rezoning request.
Developer Mike Hipp is asking the Danielsville City Council to
rezone approximately 23 acres off Hwy. 29 North from residential
to business to pave the way for office spaces on the property.
If the rezoning is approved, part of the land will be used for
an office space for Madison County Headstart. Exactly what businesses
will also locate on the property has not been determined. And
that's what has a couple of adjacent landowners concerned.
Ken Clark and Steve Rice, who both own tracts of land by the
proposed office areas, told council members that a business zoning
could open the door for other businesses besides office spaces.
But council attorney Victor Johnson said only a few types of
businesses - with low traffic volume - could locate on the land
without first getting a conditional use permit from the council.
And council member LaVernne Watson, who made a motion to approve
the rezoning request, said the council would "be very, very
selective" on issuing conditional use permits.
But Watson's motion died for lack of a second and the council
voted unanimously to postpone a vote on the matter until Johnson
could detail what kind of businesses would be exempt from the
conditional use permit requirement.
Hipp told the council that the office spaces would be high quality
and that he didn't foresee any office buildings greater than
two stories locating on the property.
To read more about the local events in
Madison County, including births, weddings, sports news and school
news, see this week's Madison County Journal.
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