News from BarrowJournal

News from BarrowJournal - Topics from May, 2012

Elderly woman arrested in poppy incident

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Friday, May 11. 2012

The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office on Monday apparently arrested a 70-year-old Laotian woman in connection with an incident where a Winder Police officer stumbled upon hundreds of poppy plants last week. A sheriff’s office incident report indicates Yee Chang, of 715 E. Northcrest Drive in Winder, was arrested by the Barrow County Crime Task ... [Full Story »]

Time to talk about achievement gap

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BarrowJournal

Friday, May 11. 2012

For at least three decades, politicians and education officials have been discussing and debating what to do about the “achievement gap.” It’s a difficult question. The fundamental issue is that minority students in the country — black and Hispanic — consistently underperform on standardized education tests. For some states, this ... [Full Story »]

Lots of marijuana clogs toilet in hotel room

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BarrowJournal

Friday, May 11. 2012

Two people smoking marijuana in a hotel room clogged a toilet with the leafy substance, as they tried to flush it away while police were at their room door, according to Braselton police. Other guests staying at the Holiday Inn Express on Ga. Hwy. 211 told hotel management that they could smell marijuana coming from a room, where a man and a ... [Full Story »]

Meth addict avoids prison because of Drug Court's problems

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BarrowJournal

Thursday, May 10. 2012

A Barrow County judge has agreed to allow a meth addict who admitted violating the rules of Barrow County’s drug court program to remain in the community because of questions raised about the program’s services at an April 26 hearing. Senior Judge T. Penn McWhorter in a May 2 order said James Shannon Kimbrough is addicted to ... [Full Story »]

Drunk driver runs from cop in church cemetery

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BarrowJournal

Thursday, May 10. 2012

A man who hit a cemetery sign with his vehicle ran through the graveyard to avoid arrest, according to an incident report from the Braselton Police Department. An officer said he was working a traffic stop near Zion Church Road when he heard skidding tires and the sound of a crash in the distance. The officer drove to the area, where he found a ... [Full Story »]

Wallace demoted at E-911 center

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BarrowJournal

Wednesday, May 9. 2012

With the county’s emergency radio communications system still in technical disarray, the chief of Barrow County Emergency Services on Monday demoted the long-time manager of the Barrow County E-911 Center and appointed a new employee as interim manager. Chief Dennis Merrifield announced the personnel change in an email Tuesday morning to his ... [Full Story »]

Winder pays Eberhart legal fee

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BarrowJournal

Wednesday, May 9. 2012

With no public comment, the Winder City Council voted Tuesday night to pay $1,300 for the private attorney that councilman Charlie Eberhart hired to defend his ability to vote and to hold office in Winder. Eberhart, who claims his funeral home on King Street as his domicile, was forced to hire an attorney when his political challenger, James ... [Full Story »]

Barrow out of ozone area

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BarrowJournal

Wednesday, May 9. 2012

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has decided to exclude Barrow County from metro Atlanta’s ozone non-attainment area. The EPA made the announcement last week. David Word, an environmental engineer with the county’s consultants, Joe Tanner & Associates, said Tuesday that the because of recent improvements to air quality around ... [Full Story »]

BOC approves radio funds; board politics muddies the water at Tues. meeting

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BarrowJournal

Wednesday, May 9. 2012

A last-minute political maneuver by the chairman of the Barrow County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday night nearly thwarted a negotiated settlement with the county’s mayors for funding the replacement of Barrow County’s emergency communications system. But in the end, the BOC approved using interest savings from the refinancing of old ... [Full Story »]

Auburn Oks apartment application

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BarrowJournal

Wednesday, May 9. 2012

The Auburn City Council approved a resolution Thursday night to support an application for a 72-unit multifamily development to be called Auburn Hills Apartments. The application is for the developers, TBG Residential, to apply for tax credits from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. Previous discussions about the project included an ... [Full Story »]

Entries from May 2012