Newspaper Page Text
Healthcare Workers, First Responders a Essential Personnel
©lye (Faglnr (Euuntg News
and
(Publication Number USPS 534-720)
143rd YEAR, NO. 15 THURSDAY, APRIL 1G, 2020 1 SECTION, 8 PAGES 50 CENTS PER COPY
Local State Of Emergency And
elter-In-Place Order Extended
Confirmed cases of
Coronavirus (COVID-19) con
tinue to climb in Georgia. At
press time, Tuesday night,
there were 14,578 confirmed
cases in the state, with 524 re
ported deaths. In Taylor
County, nine confirmed cases
have been reported, with two
deaths: an 83 year old female
and a 60 year old female. Dur
ing a press conference Monday,
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp
voiced his displeasure with the
low number of tests being con
ducted in the state. Reporting
continues to lag behind, and it
is anticipated that Georgia will
reach the peak of the pandemic
around April 27th.
On Wednesday, April 8th,
Governor Kemp renewed the
Public Health State of Emer
gency and extended the Sheh
tcr-in-Place order. The Public
Health State of Emergency,
originally set to expire April
13th, was extended for 30 days
>See Shelter-in-Pface on p. 5
What’s Going On With The 2020 Elections?
—May Primary Postponed Until June 9th
By MINDY BASS
Chief Voter Registrar
& Election Supervisor
Going into 2020, we all knew r
it would he an exciting year in
Elections, but w r e didn't antici
pate how exciting things would
get. Starting the year with the
Presidential Preference Pri
mary, things were off to a great
start Then the Coronavirus
hit. We were all put into a
strange situation. The election
w f as postponed until the May
Primary. The votes already cast
in the Presidential Primary
will be counted during the Gen
eral Primary. Those who had
not voted yet will get a com
bined ballot that will have the
Presidential Race on their
regular Primary ballot* Then,
COVID-19 became a major
pandemic. We are social dis
tancing. Our candidates aren't
getting their normal time to
campaign, they have expressed
that they want to get out there
face to face to earn your vote.
With the self-quarantine and
social distancing going on, Sec
retary of State Brad
RafTensperger made the deci
sion to promote Absentee Vot
ing, We wanted to get ahead of
schedule by sending out an
Absentee Application to every
>See Elections on page 8
Chief Voter Registrar and Election Superintendent Mindy Bass
w ith an armload of absentee ballot applications
Early Monday Morning Storms Canvas
Southeast, Striking Taylor County
Early Monday morning t April 13th, a strong line of storms raced across the state i leaving
destruction in its path. A devastating tornado was reported north of Taylor Countyin
Upson County. No tornadoes were reported in the county; but straightline winds left
downed trees t residents without power in parts of the county; and destruction of the car
port of Tyler and Jessica Newcomb’s new h ome y located at 529 Barrow Road in Potterville.
The home is currently under construction. According to Taylor County EM A Director
Gary Lowe and Deputy EMA Director David Windham, 12 calls were received for downed
trees, and two crews responded to offer aid in Ups art County* Governor Brian Kemp
declared a State of Emergency for severe weather damage for the entire state,
School Board Holds April
Meeting Online Via Zoom
By VALOR I MOORE
Editor
Due to the shelter-in-place
order and social distancing
guidelines, the Taylor County
Board of Education held its
regular April meeting online
via Zoom, with all members
present.
The meeting was opened with
the Invocation by Ashley Coker,
youth pastor of Mt. Pisgah Bap
tist Church,
Superintendent Jennifer
Albritton announced that the
school district has received ac
creditation through Cognia,
formerly AdvancED, She com
mented, “I am very excited
about accreditation for our
school system. This is some
thing to celebrate." (See more
on this page.)
Also, the School Nutrition
Program has been awarded a
$34,735.63 grant for an
economy oven.
Mrs, Albritton advised that
Jordan Faucet has been se
lected for the Governor's Hon
ors Program,
The Pre-K program will be
moving to the primary school
over the summer. Currently,
>See School Board on page 4
Taylor County School District
arns Cognia System Accreditation
Taylor County School District
announced that Taylor County
Schools has earned system ac
creditation by Cognia l T a non
profit organization that pro
vides quality assurance for
schools, school districts, and
education service providers.
Cognia, formerly AdvancED*
nationally recognizes districts
that meet rigorous standards
that focus on productive learn
ing environments, equitable re
source allocation that meet the
needs of learners, and effective
leadership. Earning accredita
tion from the Cognia Global Ac
creditation Commission means
that the system and all of its
schools are accredited, and that
>$ee Accreditation on page 7
Taylor County Transit
Notice
The Taylor County Transit will not be operat
ing during the weeks of April 6th and April 13th,
due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Taylor
County Transit Office number is (478) 862-9526.
Stay Safe!
If you travel north of Reynolds on Hwy. 128, you will see a creative reminder to stay safe
and wear a mask, as you pass Parks Farm. The display was created by Marc Robinson
with hay from Parks Farm* Marc’s wife, Angela, and children, Colton f Savanah, and
Paisley, helped with the decorating*