Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
ASHBURN,GA, 31714
VOL 109-No. 51 *500
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Call 567-3655 for
information.
Chamber
banquet
Tickets for the annual
Chamber of Commerce
banquet in January are on
sale now at the Chamber of
fice. Tickets are $30. Call
567-9696 for more infor
mation.
Music classes
Music classes for guitar,
bass, drums and piano are
being held each Saturday at
6 p.m. at Christ Foundation
Assembly of God church in
Roger's plaza. Donations
are requested to help cover
expenses.
Birth certificates
Need a certified birth
certificate? If you were
bom in the State of Georgia,
the Turner County Probate
Court may be able to pro
vide you with a certified
copy. For more information
call Probate Court Judge
Penny Thomas at 567-2151.
Need Volunteers
Looking for a unique
volunteer opportunity? Do
you have a passion for
Turner County history and
people?
The Historic Crime and
Punishment Museum is
where you need to be! Vol
unteers to lead tours
throughout the jail and
share it’s rich history are
needed. Training will be
provided by the Historical
Preservation Society. Con
tact the Chamber of Com
merce for more
information.
Welcome kits
If you are new to Turner
County please be sure to
stop by the Ashbum-Tumer
County Chamber of Com
merce to pick up your New
Resident Welcome Kit. The
kit is filled with promo
tional material, advertise
ments, and coupons
provided by Chamber
Members, along with a map
and directory. We are lo
cated at 238 E College Ave.
Obituaries
Georgia Muriel Shealy
Stephens, 87, Rockyface
Complete obituary
information Page 5
Serving Turner County Since 1902
The reason for the season
I bring you the most joyful news ever
announced, and it is for everyone! The
Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—
has been born tonight in Bethlehem!
An angel
by Luke
About this time Caesar Au
gustus, the Roman emperor,
decreed that a census
should be taken
throughout the nation.
(This census was taken
when Quirinius was
governor of Syria.)
Everyone was re
quired to return to his
ancestral home for this
registration. And be
cause Joseph was a
member of the royal
line, he had to go to
Bethlehem in Judea,
King David’s ancient
home—journeying
there from the Galilean
village of Nazareth. He
took with him Mary,
his fiancee, who was
obviously pregnant by this
time.
And while they were there,
the time came for her baby to
be bom; and she gave birth to
her first child, a son. She
wrapped him in a blan
ket and laid him in a
manger, because there
was no room for them
in the village inn.
That night some
shepherds were in the
fields outside the vil
lage, guarding their
flocks of sheep. Sud
denly an angel ap
peared among them,
and the landscape
shone bright with the
glory of the Lord. They
were badly frightened,
but the angel reassured
them.
“Don’t be afraid!”
he said. “I bring you
the most joyful news ever an
nounced, and it is for every
one! The Savior—yes, the
Messiah, the Lord—has been
born tonight in Bethlehem!
How will you recognize him?
You will find a baby wrapped
in a blanket, lying in a
manger!”
Suddenly, the angel was
joined by a vast host of oth
ers—the armies of heaven—
praising God:
“Glory to God in the highest
heaven,” they sang, “and peace
on earth for all those pleasing
him.”
When this great army of an
gels had returned again to
heaven, the shepherds said to
each other, “Come on! Let’s go
to Bethlehem! Let’s see this
wonderful thing that has hap
pened, which the Lord has told
us about.”
They ran to the village and
found their way to Mary and
Joseph. And there was the
baby, lying in the manger. The
shepherds told everyone what
had happened and what the
(See NEWS Page 2)
Fortson is firefighter of the year
Ashburn Lire & Emergency
Services held its annual
Awards Banquet on December
8th at the Turner County Civic
Center.
Charles Lortson was named
Lirefighter of the Year for his
outstanding performance
throughout the year. Chief
Meadows said, “It is both an
honor and a privilege for me to
have Charles under my com
mand, he is a very good em
ployee and we are lucky to
have him.”
Others receiving awards
were:
Captain Mark Robinson
Captain Hank Pate
Captain Steve House
Lieutenant Jamie Turner
Lieutenant Darren Gipson
Michael Wiggins
Kenny Guy
Terry Peavy
Bruce Burgess
Chris Ward
Brad Calhoun
Juretha McMillian
Ashburn Lire & Emergency
Services has an ISO Classifica
tion of 2, which is in the top
2% in the nation.
Chief Meadows said “the
fire department personnel are
second to none; they get very
little compensation and give a
110% effort. I have never been
associated with a finer group of
people. They are as good as it
gets.”
The night also marked a bit
tersweet moment for the ALD.
Mark Robinson has accepted
the job of County Lire Chief.
Chief Meadows said he was
happy about that because it is
a step up for Robinson and it
(See AFD Page 2)
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Sycamore recently had its annual Christmas Banquet
for employees and special guests. It was a seafood buf-
fett. Employees received their Christmas bonuses. Mu
nicipal Court Judge Aleta Larger received a gavel
plaque. Sycamore is the first place Judge Larger has
served as court judge.
Interest rate hike effect will be small locally
You just can’t raise loan rates a whole lot.
We’ve got to be competitive on that.
Chris McCard, S. Ga. Bank
When the Lederal Reserve
raised a key interest rate last
week, it was the first time the
rate had gone up in a decade
and the first change in seven
years.
The Led, as the agency is
known, raised a key interest
rate to .25 precent. The rate is
sometimes called the Prime
Rate, but that’s not com
pletely accurate. (See side-
bars below.)
A lot of banks link their
loan and savings account
rates to this rate.
A quarter percent hike is
not going to make much dif
ference around here said
South Georgia Bank City
President Chris McCard.
“You might see some
loans with a variable interest
rate increase,” he said. “But
loan demand is stagnant in
this area. It’s not like that all
over the country.”
With already low demand
for loans, raising the interest
rate means people will be
even less inclined to borrow
money, Mr. McCard said.
“You just can’t raise loan
rates a whole lot. We’ve got
to be competitive on that,” he
said.
South Georgia Bank’s loan
rates are based on the credit
of the person seeking a loan,
the purpose of the loan and
other factors, he said.
What is the Federal Reserve?
What is the Prime Rate?
The U.S. Lederal Reserve is more
commonly known as The Led. It is the
central bank for the United States.
The Led oversees the US dollar. All
US printed money has Lederal Reserve
information on them. Most coins,
which are stamped, don’t have Lederal
Reservce marks.
The Lederal Reserve is not popular
with some elected officials.
Some in Washington have called for
an independent audit of The Led’s
books. The Led is audited by the ac
counting giant Deloitte and the Gov
ernment Accountability Office, but
some elected (See FED Page 2)
The prime rate is the amount of in
terest charged on certain loans. There
is no one prime rate. There are two
major prime rates for the United States.
The Lederal Reserve Prime Rate is
the rate “The Led” sets for banks to
borrow money from The Led, the
keeper of the nation’s currency.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has a
Prime Rate as well. As of The Led’s
rate hike, the WSJ rate is 3.25 percent.
Banks use both rates to calculate in
terest for loans and interest paid on sav
ings accounts.
Other nations also have Prime Rate
that is figured (See RATE Page 2)
2176 Hwy 41 South
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Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas.
Dale Evans
