News from BarrowJournal

News from BarrowJournal - Topics from October, 2012

Statham raises tax rate 11%

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Wednesday, October 17. 2012

The Statham City Council voted Tuesday night to raise the town’s millage rate 11 percent. The rate will go to 5.928 mills, up from 5.341 mills. City clerk Susan Gabriel said the new rate is effective immediately and tax notices will be sent out in a couple of weeks with payment due within 60 days. For the full story, see the Oct. 17 issue of ...

Park on Granite Hotel site could cost big $$$

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BarrowJournal

Wednesday, October 17. 2012

Building a park on the site of the former Granite Hotel could cost $750,000-$1 million, almost as much as it would have cost to restore the old building itself. The Winder Downtown Development Authority hired landscape architect John Anderson to develop three concept plans for the new Richard B. Russell Park to be built on the site of the ... [Full Story »]

Sheriff’s Office attains state certification

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BarrowJournal

Wednesday, October 17. 2012

The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office joined the small percentage of sheriff’s offices in Georgia to achieve state certification through the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police. A formal ceremony was held Tuesday at the Barrow County Courthouse to acknowledge the accomplishment, which encompassed at least three years of preparation and a ... [Full Story »]

Agencies have to vote in public before real estate deals; AG’s opinion backs the Journal’s view of buying and selling property

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BarrowJournal

Monday, October 15. 2012

Government agencies must vote in public before they sign a contract to purchase or sell property. That is the opinion from Georgia’s attorney general’s office which issued the view last week following a September request from the Barrow Journal. “By strict legal formalities you must have the public vote before you sign the contract,” ... [Full Story »]

Father of twin murder suspects issues statement, blasts local gawkers

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BarrowJournal

Sunday, October 14. 2012

The father of the twin brothers suspected of killing a former Florida journalist and burying his remains in Winder has issued his first public statement since last week's discovery of the body. In a lengthy statement posted on two websites Sunday afternoon, William J. Cormier II says he and other family members uninvolved in the incident are ... [Full Story »]

PABIS: Technology in education

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BarrowJournal

Saturday, October 13. 2012

My husband told me I ought to listen to an episode of a podcast called Mac Power Users: Episode 93. This episode is an interview with Fraser Speirs, a mobile education consultant. He works for the Cedar School of Excellence in Greenock, Scotland, and he also writes books, travels and does public speaking about using mobile devices and ... [Full Story »]

GBI identifies dead man as Dugas

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BarrowJournal

Friday, October 12. 2012

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Medical Examiner's Office in Decatur today confirmed that the remains found beneath a concrete slab in Winder on Monday are those of former Florida newspaper reporter Sean Dugas. "A GBI forensic pathologist used dental and facial bone CT scans and surgically implanted dental hardware serial numbers to make ... [Full Story »]

Self-assessments should be open and transparent

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BarrowJournal

Friday, October 12. 2012

Oh, the irony. Last week, the Barrow County Board of Education held another in a string of closed-door meetings. In recent weeks, the Barrow BOE has held several closed-door meetings to renew the contract of superintendent Wanda Creel and to review her performance, and for other personnel matters. As provided by law, those meetings are allowed ... [Full Story »]

Inmate gets settlement from county

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BarrowJournal

Thursday, October 11. 2012

Following an unscheduled closed session Tuesday night, the Barrow County Board of Commissioners voted to approve a $10,000 settlement with a former county inmate whose allegation of abuse was made public in 2011 by local and state representatives of the NAACP. Six months after an NAACP press conference on the steps of the historic county ... [Full Story »]

Brothers charged with murder, concealing body

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BarrowJournal

Wednesday, October 10. 2012

The Winder Police Department on Wednesday afternoon filed murder charges against twin Pensacola brothers suspected of killing the person whose remains were found buried under concrete in a Winder yard two days ago. William and Christopher Cormier, both 31, also were charged at 4 p.m. with concealing the death of another person, according to a ... [Full Story »]

Entries from October 2012