Newspaper Page Text
144th YEAR, NO. LI
THURSDAY, MARCH IS, 2021
1 SECTION, 8 PAGES
50 CENTS PER COPY
Reynolds Police Department Arrests
Man Wanted For Robbery In Alabama
--Traffic Stops Lead To Drug Arrests
According to Reynolds Police
Chief Lonnie J. Holder, the
Reynolds Police Department
arrested Jurand Kijuan Wells,
a 19 year old male of Montgom
ery, AL, for theft by receiving
stolen property. Wells was also
wanted by the Montgomery
Police Department for robbery.
On March 14th, Sgt. Vernon
Humphrey with the Reynolds
Police Department was run-
ning stationary radar on Hwy.
96, when a vehicle traveling
east appeared to be traveling
at a high rate of speed. Sgt.
Humphrey clocked the vehicle
traveling 92 mph in a 55 mph
speed zone and made a traffic
stop.
The driver, Heaven Rowden,
a 20 year old female, did not
have a driver’s license. The
passenger, Jurand K. We Os,
was asked for his identification
information, which he gave to
Sgt. Humphrey. Sgt. Hum
phrey ran Wells’ information
through the mobile data unit
and learned that Weils'driver’s
license was suspended and he
was wanted by the Montgom
ery Police Department for Rob
bery.
Sgt, Humphrey called for as
sistance, and Taylor County
Sheriff 's Deputy Jimmy Towns
arrived on scene.
Sgt. Humphrey noticed the
buttofa pistol between the seat
and some bags under Wells’
legs, Sgt Humphrey took pos
session of the pistol and re
moved the bullet from the
chamber and the bullets from
the fully loaded 15round maga
zine, There were also 53 Mo
tion Picture Purpose $100 bills
wadded up in Wells’ rear
pocket.
Sgt, Humphrey ran the
pistol's fa 40 caliber Smith &
Wesson) serial number through
the mohile data unit and
learned that the pistol was sto
len from Montgomery, AL.
Wells was charged with Theft
by Taking and transported to
the Taylor County Jail, where
he awaits extradition to Mont
gomery, AL.
Chief Holder thanks Deputy
Towns for his assistance,
* * *
On March 11th, Reynolds Po
lice Officer Danny Anthony, Jr.
was patrolling Georgia Hwy. 96
West in the City Limit of
Reynolds, when he observed a
car traveling at a high rate of'
speed. Officer Anthony clocked
the car traveling 94 mph in a
60 mph speed zone and initi
ated a traffic stop.
Officer Anthony approached
the car and explained the rea
son for the stop to the driver,
Jeffrey Blaine, a 24 year old
male of Vidalia, GA, While
speaking with Blaine, Officer
Anthony detected the odor of
marijuana.
Officer Anthony called for as
sistance, and Corporal Sean
Humphrey arrived on scene, A
search was conducted, and a
green pill was retrieved. Blaine
was arrested and transported
to the Taylor County Jail.
According to Chief Holder,
Blaine was charged with Pos
session of a Controlled Sub
stance (Ecstasy),
* * *
On March 3rd, Officer Chris
topher Gillespie of the
Reynolds Police Department
was running radar on Georgia
Hwy. 96 East, when he ob
served a small passenger ve
hicle traveling at a high rate of
speed. Gillespie clocked the
vehicle traveling 75 mph in a
50 mph speed zone and initi
ated a traffic stop.
While explaining the reason
for the stop to the driver, Devin
TyrdlGreon,a 21 year old male
of Newport, VA, Officer
Gillespie detected a strong odor
of marijuana coining from the
driver.
Officer Gillespie asked Green
to step out of the vehicle. A
search was conducted, and Of
ficer Gillespie retrieved two
plastic bags containing a green,
leafy substance believed to be
marijuana.
According to Chief Holder,
Green was issued two citations,
Traverse Jurors Drawn For April 5th
Term Of Taylor County Superior Court
According to Taylor County
Clerk of Superior Court Lisa
McDonald, traverse jurors have
been drawn for the April term
of Taylor County Superior
Court,
Traverse jurors should report
to the Taylor County High
School Auditorium on April 5th.
Jurors will begin reporting at
9:30 a.m., on a staggering
schedule, with COVID-19 pre
cautions in place.
Traverse jurors are: Todd
Clark Moore, April Denice
Goodroe, Benjamin Dugger, Jr.,
Roger P. Cook, Shededra
Laquisha Greene, Cody Ryan
Hobbs, Jeriy Kenneth Weldon,
Sr., Melvin Brodi Barrow, Kim
berly Kristine Bell, Patricia
Davis Kent William L. Reeves,
>See Traverse Jurors on p. 5
Special Week Honors
Georgia’s School Boards
The week of March 15-19, 2021 has been proclaimed School Board Appreciation
Week in Georgia. The weeklong observance calls attention to the contributions of
local boards of education.
Superintendent Albritton commented, ‘'Citizens elect board members to represent
the community’s voice on education matters and to set the vision for the school dis
trict. Our board spends countless hours fulfilling its responsibilities and working
together to continually improve our education system. We are grateful for their con
tinuing dedication and service to our community and to our schools.”
The men and women serving our district and their years of service are:
Mary Bentley - 9th year
Greg Brown - 5th year
Glenda Latimore - 5th year
Wayne Mclnvale - 1st year
Wes Summers - 1st year
As constitutional officers of Georgia, school board members tire responsible for set
ting educational policies,employing school personnel,providing buildings and equip
ment, operating a transportation system and disbursing school funds,. As community
leaders, school board members serve as advocates for the children in local public
schools and must study, evaluate, and decide what actions are in the best interest of
those students.
The Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) sponsors the celebration.The mis
sion of GSBA is to ensure excellence in the governance of local school systems by
providing leadership, advocacy and services and by representing the collective re
solve of Georgia’s 180 elected boards of education. Please visit www.gsba.com for
more information.
Illegal Dumping And Littering Addressed
At March Butler City Council Meeting
By VALOR I MOORE
Editor
Last Tuesday night, the But
ler Mayor and City Council met
for the regular March meeting.
During the meeting, Public
Works Director David
Windham advised that the
Public Works Department is
attempting to clean up trash on
the sides of city roads. As soon
as the litter is picked up, more
trash is thrown out Windham
encouraged everyone to keep
their neighborhoods clean, He
is planning to have rolloff
dumpsters available in the City
for spring cleaning.
Police Chief Kain Cobb noted
that there are certain areas in
town where people are illegally
dumping items, such as tires,
appliances, and furniture.
Cameras have been installed in
the worst areas. So far, two
individuals have been identi
fied and charged with illegal
dumping. The fine is $500.
Mr. Gerald Mixon with the
River Valley Regional Commis
sion was present at the meet
ing to address the Council.
Mr. Mixon reminded that the
City operates with a County
Service Delivery Strategy
(SDS) that documents what
services each government en
tity in the county provides, and
to whom. The SDS includes
Taylor County and the Cities of
Butler and Reynolds, and is up
dated every 10 years.
Currently, the SDS needs to
he updated to include a private
housing component. The City
of Butler is interested in apply
ing for funds that, if approved,
would include a housing com
ponent in the form of neighbor
hood revitalization. This could
include housing, water, sewer,
and street and code enforce
ment.
The State now requires hous
ing components to be included
in the SDS in order to be eli
gible for funding. The update
to the SDS requires approval
from both cities and the county.
The County and the City of
Reynolds have already ap
proved the update, and the City
of Butler adopted a resolution
to revise the SDS at last week's
meeting.
Mayor Pro tem Ed Guinn
noted that the City is dealing
with more and more mental ill
ness and homelessness. He
added that most local govern
ments do not address these is
sues.
Guinn asked, ‘Tf these re
sponsibilities (to manage men
tal illness and homelessness)
continue to be pushed down
from the federal government to
local government, are funding,
programs, and services avail
able?"
Mr. Mixon said a Community
Development Block Grant
could possihly be a route to
take. He added that projects
and services to address men
tal illness and homelessness
would need to be on the SDS
and the Comprehensive Plan
for the city to be eligible for
outside funding for these pro
grams.
These issues will be consid
ered in the future.
Chief Cobh reported that the
police department responded to
177 incidents in February.
Fire Coordinator Eddie
Moulton advised that the But
ler Fire Department answered
four calls in February, three
structure fires and one alarm
call.
The fire department held a 16-
hour extrication class in Feb
ruary, with 17 attendees.
Counci 1 worn an Deborah Will
iams thanked Chief Cobb and
the Butler Fire Department for
their help with the recent food
bank.
E-billing is now r available to
pay City utility bills, and City
Hall reopened to the public
Monday, March 15th. City Hall
has been closed as a COVID-19
precaution.
Following the regular meet
ing, the Mayor and Council
went into executive session to
discuss personnel.
COVID-19 Vaccine Now Available
To Local Teachers And School Staff
By VALOR I MOORE
The Taylor County Board of
Education held its regular
monthly meeting last Monday
night. The meeting was opened
with the Invocation by Dr.
Stanley Kimble.
To begin. School Superinten
dent Jennifer Albritton offered
condolences to the family of Mr,
Harold Helms. Mr, Helms was
a former Purchasing Agent for
the school system, as well as a
former principal at the
Reynolds school. After his re
tirement, he continued to sup
port the school system through
the Kiwanis Club of Taylor
County’s STAR Student/
Teacher Program.
Georgia Governor Brian
Kemp announced that the
COVID-19 vaccine is available
to teachers and school staff,
and the Taylor County Board
of Education wasted no time in
partnering with the local
health department to make the
vaccine available to all local
school staff. The Modem a vac
cine was available on March
11th at the health department.
The second dose will be given
on April 8th, The schools will
offer onsite vaccinations on
March 19th, with the second
dose on April 16 th. The School
Nurse and Mrs. Tammy
Berry hill will assist with the
onsite vaccines. Approximately
30% of the schools staff had
signed up to receive the vac
cine. Some staff had already
received the vaccine, since they
qualified in other categories.
The 21st Century Grant will
allow for a 3-week summer pro
gram, focusing on reading and
math, for K-12 students. In
addition, the high school will
host traditional summer school
through Odyssey Ware. There
has been some lost instruction,
due to COVID-19.
This week is School Board
Appreciation Week, and Super
intendent Albritton honored
the local Board’s dedication to
the school and community with
a token of appreciation. Board
Member Mary Bentley is serv
ing her 9th year on the Board.
Board Chairman Greg Brown
and Board Member Dr, Glenda
Latimore are in their fifth year
on the Board, and Board Mem
bers Wayne Mclnvale and Wes
Summers are serving their first
year.
The Board approved a Memo
randum of Agreement with the
Georgia Center for Youth for
the 2021 and 2022 school years.
Due to COVID-19, the 2020-
2021 school year started late,
and there has been a total of
17 days of lost instruction dur
ing the year. The calendar was
>See School Board on p. 8
TAYLOR COU
PRIMARY SCHOOL
PRE-K REGISTRATION
MARCH 22-26, 2021
R*qu«r«d Document* nMdidit tha lirtw of rtglftrtbon:
* Proof of «« fk SJV agr.'onvnii
* lutti Ccrlifujte
* Socwl Cord
* Imrnuflii4t«n Form, &PH jj ji
* Baling, OwtatGPH Form
TIMES FOR
REGISTRATION
9:00-11:00 AM
1:00-3:00 PM
MONDAY FRIDAY
OUE TO COVID-19.
ONLY ONE PARENT
IS ALLOWED AT
REGISTRATION.
A MASK MUST BE
WORN AT ALL
TIMES,
PLEASE. NO SMALL
CHILDREN
ALLOWED IN
SCHOOL AT TIME OF
lilVlH I rtSiLUiP
TAYLOR COUNTY
Pfti MARY SCHOOL
Birtlff, 1I90&
Taylor Co. COVID-19 Update
{as of Tuesday, March 16,2021)
Cumulative Cases: 490
New Cases (Past 2 Weeks): 4
Cumulative Deaths: 20
Drive-thru testing is available at the Taylor County
Health Department on Tuesdays, from 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Call (47S) 862-5628.
Georgia is now vaccinating healthcare workers, resi
dents and staff of long-term care facilities, law enforce
ment, firefighters, first responders, educators and staff,
adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities and
caregivers, parents of children with complex medical
conditions who are at risk of developing severe illness
from COVID-19, individuals with disabilities, and indi
viduals 16 years old and over with certain medical con
ditions that increase the risk of serious illness from
COVID-19.
To register for the COVID-19 vaccine, visit:
www.westcentralhealthdislrict.com
(Source: Department of Public Health, Central Health District,
other sources report different data.)