Newspaper Page Text
“The Sweetest Spot In Georgia”
The City of Reynolds 7 new muraf “The Sweetest Spot In Georgia” is complete and adding beauty and interest to downtown Reynolds f on the side of the Knighfs
Pharmacy building on Winston Street. The mural was painted by artist Christopher Johnson. Johnson resides in Columbus t GA and is an Art Professor at
Andrew College in Cuthbert, GA. The mural was paid for by the Taylor County Chamber of Commerce and the Taylor County Development Authority, with no grant
funds.
144th YEAR, NO. 35
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2021
1 SECTION, 8 PAGES
50 CENTS PER COPY
101 Year Celebration And
Rededication Of Fickling Masonic
Lodge To Be Held September 12th
By EDWARD BENNS
Fickling 129 Masonic Lodge will celebrate a rededication of the lodge Sunday afternoon,
Sept. 12, at 2:30 p m. The original laying of the cornerstone was held July 10, 1920. An
Occasional Communication of the Grand Lodge of Georgia was opened in the RivoJi Theater
Building in Macon, GA by Grand Lodge Officers.
The Grand Lodge Officers then traveled to Butler for the ceremony. After the stone was
affixed to its permanent position, the Elements of Consecration were applied by the Most
Worshipful Grand Master of Masons in Georgia Charles L, Bass. Thereafter, * a metallic box
containing deposits was then placed in the stone by the Grand Treasurer.”
Members of Fickling Lodge had been encouraged to contribute deposits for the box. Those
making deposits were asked to place them in small packages and identify the name of the
depositor on the package. A listing of the depositors would be included with the items.
At the Rededication Ceremony, the sentinel ghosts of 101 years will be disturbed from their
nook within the cornerstone receptacle. The repository will he breached by Most Worshipful
Brother Jan Giddens, Grand Master of Masons in Georgia, and the contents revealed
This Capsule of Time will again be refurbished and laid to rest once more, there to remain
until disturbed by future generations.
The public is cordially invited to join Fickling Lodge and officers of The Grand Lodge of
Georgia in this historical event and folio wing reception. The activity will take place in front of
the Fickling Lodge Building, north of the Taylor County Courthouse Square.
Respectfully,
Henry C. “Buddy” Griggs, Jr.
Worshipful Master, Fickling Lodge ff 129
Order Declares COVID-19 Related
Judicial Emergency In Taylor County
The Honorable Chief Judge
Bemon G. McBride, III, Chief
Judge of Superior Court,
Chattahoochee Judicial Cir
cuit, has issued an order declar
ing a COVID related judicial
emergency in Taylor County, as
follows:
“The undersigned judicial of
ficial, acting under authority of
O.C.G.A. § 38-3-60 et seq.,
hereby declares the existence of
a judicial emergency in Taylor
County as a result of COVID-
19 exposure and the risk of
transmission of this contagious
novel disease in the courthouse,
such circumstances constitut
ing a public health emergency
as defined in O.C.G.A. § 31-12-
1(2).
“The conditions of the public
health emergency substan
tially have endangered or in
fringed upon the normal func
tioning of the judicial system
and the safety of jurors, liti
gants, and other persons to
have access to the courts;
“ACCORDINGLY, upon the
request of the Sheriff of Taylor
County, Georgia,
“IT IS ORDERED that the
Taylor County Courthouse, lo
cated at 2 North Broad Street
in Butler, Georgia, shall remain
locked during the period of this
judicial emergency to control
access to the public.
“IT IS FURTHER ORDERED
that the Probate Court and
Clerk of Superior Court offices
and other offices located in the
>See Judicial Emergency on p. 5
Online Distance Learning Is Now An
Option For Taylor County Students
—Safety Strategies Updated As Positive COVID-19 Cases Rise
With the number of positive
COVID-19 cases continuing to
increase in the county and in
the schools and after receiving
input from stakeholders during
a Zoom meeting held Wednes
day, Aug. 25th, the health and
safety strategies have been
updated, and changes have
been made to the COVID-19
Reopening Guidelines 2021-
2022, for the schools. At the
end of last week, Aug, 27th,
there were 26 COVID-19 posi
tive students and one positive
staff member. Taylor County
School District has approxi
mately 1,290 students and 230
staff members.
According to Taylor County
School Superintendent Jenni
fer Albritton, the following up
dates/changes have been made:
1. Online distance learning
will be offered as an option for
delivering instruction for stu
dents in grades K-12, Students
enrolled in the Distance Learn
ing Option will be utilizing the
online program called
Odysseyware in grades 3-12.
In grades K-2, distance learn
ing students will be utilizing
several online programs. The
enrollment form is available on
the school websites. Those en
rolled by Sept, 3rd, should be
able to begin work in the pro
gram by September 13th, if not
sooner. The enrollment form
will provide more detailed in
formation about the program
and specific guidelines. By en
rolling in the Distance Learn
ing Option, you will be making
a commitment to distance
learning for the rest of the
school year. These students
will be eligible for any honors
or recognitions, but they will
not be eligible to participate in
extracurricular activities.
2, Free school-based COVID-
19 testing will be implemented
and provided by the Georgia
Department of Public Health.
DPH will provide personnel,
equipment and supplies to per-
>$ee Distance Learning on p. 5
Butler Council Passes FY21-22 Budget
By VALOR! MOORE eral Government, $308,552;
Public Safety, $685,824; Public
Editor
At this month’s regular meet
ing of the Butler City Council,
with Mayor Pro-tom Ed Guinn
presiding in the absence of
Mayor Barry Whitley, the
FY21-22 budget w as read and
approved, with no millage rate
increase. The City is operat-
ingat just under 10 mills. The
City's fiscal year begins Oct. 1,
2021 and ends Sept. 30, 2022.
The General Fund includes the
foil owing appropriations: Gen-
County Tables
Decision To
Close Railroad
Crossings
By VALOR! MOORE
On Aug. 24th, the Taylor
County Board of Commission
ers held a special called meet
ing to meet with Alex Ricci, an
engineer with Norfolk South
ern Railroad.
Georgia ranked third in the
nation for highway-rail colli
sions, with 103 collisions and
nine deaths, according to the
Federal Railroad Administra
tion (FRA). This data was up
dated in August of this year.
Due to this, the FRA has
tasked Norfolk Southern with
reducing incidents and railroad
crossings. A 25% reduction in
crossings is desired, and the
FRA is offering financial incen
tives to close crossings. In Tay
lor County, two crossings are
being considered for closure:
one in Howard and one in But
ler (Lofton Road). The county
will be paid $12.5 thousand for
one crossing, with an addi-
>See Railroad Crossings on p. 6
Works, $225,094; Recreation,
$14,000; and Public Library,
$28,000.
The Council also approved a
citation fee increase. A $25
court cost will be added to all
citations.
The City’s Zoning Administra
tor Ashley Lawhorn advised
that there have been inquiries
about campgrounds in the City.
There are no stipulations re
garding campgrounds in the
current ordinance. The Coun
cil approved amending the or
dinance to change camp
grounds to “conditional use”, al
lowing the City to determine
>See Butler Council on p. 6
Reynolds Police Banquet
Postponed Due To COVID
With the surge of COVID-19 numbers in the county and sur
rounding counties, Reynolds Police Chief Lonnie J. Holder has
decided to postpone the Reynolds Police Banquet, scheduled
for Sept. 23, until the numbers go down. Chief Holder said,
“It’s the right thing to do. We don't want to risk anyone’s health
to have this event. I want to recognize our men and women in
blue, who put their lives on the line every day they put that
uniform on, but we also have to be smart and take precau
tions. We will have the event when the COVID-19 numbers
reflect a downward trend, and wc can safely hold the banquet.
Taylor County EMS Provides
COVID-19 Hospital Update
As most of you are aware, Covid-19 is on the rise again. This
affects many aspects of our service to Taylor County. We are
currently staffing two full time ambulances. In most cases,
we are able to transport patients to the hospital and return
within a time frame that doesn’t cause other emergency re
sponses to be delayed. With the rise in Covid patients being
admitted to the hospital, this has placed a strain on there
being adequate beds available in the emergency room and
ambulance transports to be delayed several hours, in some
cases. At this time, we are asking everyone to please be mind
ful that the hospital that you normally choose may not ac
cept or may d ivert our am balance to a different hospital. Tay
lor County EMS may also make recommendations that you
see your primary care physician instead of an emergency room
visit. This is to help lower your chances of unnecessary expo
sure to Covid and other sicknesses that could be hazardous
to your health. Please keep in mind that all hospitals are
extremely full and wait times are beyond Taylor County EMS’s
control. Thank you to evetyone for understanding.