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Barrow 4 Journal
www.BarrowJournal.com Or Read all over...
Wednesday, November 5,2008
Vol. 1 No. 2
18 PAGES 2 SECTIONS
A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc.
WINDER, BARROW COUNTY GEORGIA 30680
250 COPY
• Barrow County
Museum gets renova
tion page 2A
Opinions:
• Many changes
in span of decade in
Winder, Barrow
page 4A
Sports:
•Winder-Barrow's Ben
Corley gets chance to be
top Bulldogg
page 1B
•Senior Night held at
Apalachee High School..
page 2B
•Wildcats win offensive
shootout
page 3B
Other News:
•School News
pages 8B
•Public Safety
pages 7-8A
•Church News
page 6B
•Obituaries
page 9A
Photo Feature:
•Young and old both
enjoy recent Air Show
in Barrow County
page 6A
Healan out; Jud and June roll
BY SUSAN NORMAN
The nation gave Democrats
control of the White House
and Congress on Tuesday,
but Barrow County voters
went the other direction and
handed Republicans com
plete control of the local
government.
Swept out of office by a
difference of fewer than 600
votes was the county’s lone
Democrat incumbent, 3rd
District Commissioner Bill
Healan.
A huge number of voters
partici-
p a t e d
in the
elec
tion
with
Barrow
having
a 73
percent
turn
out,
Local voters also elected
Republican Jud Smith as the
new sheriff 17,854 to 5,725
over Democrat James B.
Bonnemer, Sr. and rewarded
incumbent Republican Chief
Magistrate June Davis with
another four years in her job
with a 16,998 to 6,181 win
over Democratic Johnny C.
Barrow County’s
African-American
leaders celebrate
Obama victory.
— 3A
A PRIVILEDGE VOICING THEIR OPINION
Roy Rice, 100 years old, prepares to vote Tuesday at Barrow County voters cast their ballots Tuesday at
the Winder Community Center. Precinct 2. Local voters overall continued to support
Photo by Susan Treadwell Republican candidates. Photo by Jessica Brown
Smith.
The 45 days of early voting added
some drama to election night. Tuesday’s
turnout of 9,397 voters was swamped by
the magnitude of the 43-percent turnout
prior to election. Some 13,885 residents
voted in person at the county annex and
another 1,435 voted by absentee paper
ballot. Those early and absentee votes
were not tallied until after all 16 poll
ing places had reported their Tuesday
results. So it wasn’t until 11:20 p.m.
Tuesday night that local candidates
learned their fates.
continued on page 3A
Journal to
publish kids
photos for
Christmas
The Barrow Journal will
publish photos of your
children and grandchildren
in our Christmas week edi-
ton.
You can send in photos
of your child with Santa,
a school photo, or a photo
that you make at home.
Children must be under
12-years-old.
The deadline for pho
tos is Dec. 3. The photo
graphs may be mailed to
or dropped by the Barrow
Journal at 77 East May
Street, Winder, Ga. 30680
or you can email your
photo to news @ barrow-
journal.com.
Include the child’s name,
parents or grandparents
name and town. The child
or a parent or grandpar
ent must live in Barrow
County. Cost for the photo
is $10 for a single child’s
photo or $15 for a photo of
multiple children.
You can pick up the pho
tos you send in after the
Dec. 24 Barrow Journal
edition at the Journal
office.
THE BAND PLAYED ON...
The Winder-Barrow High School band will perform at one final football game this
season Friday when the Bulldoggs host the Loganville High School Red Devils
at 7:30 p.m. at W. Clair Harris Stadium. Senior band members will be recognized
along with senior fall sport athletes. Photo by Jessica Brown
Bethlehem purchases new computer, copier
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
In an effort to improve overall operations at
city hall, Bethlehem officials voted Monday
night to purchase a new copier and computer.
A combination scanner, copier and fax
machine will be purchased for $1,951, which
includes a three-year lease. The Konica Minolta
Cl OX will be purchased from Graham Office
Equipment in Comer.
The new copier was needed since the current
was one estimated to be 20 years old.
In addition, city officials agreed unani
mously to purchase a new computer at a cost
of $499 plus tax from Home Computers in
Bethlehem. A 19-inch monitor will also be
purchased for $190. The 19-inch monitor was
only $30 more than the 17-inch model being
offered.
The current computer being used was
approximately four years old.
Software
decision
postponed
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
Despite a plea from some
members of the Barrow
County Board of Education,
no action was taken during
the board’s meeting Tuesday
night concerning the expan
sion of the “Classworks” com
puter program for all elemen
tary and middle schools.
Superintendent Ron
Saunders recommended to
the board that $424,000 be
used to expand the program
from the current four elemen
tary schools. That amount
did not include an additional
$31,500 for computer servers
and $25,935 per year for the
next three years for a service
charge.
Classworks is a program to
help teachers meet the needs of
all students, regardless of the
level they are at. The comput
er-based program is also used
to help students reach CRCT
goals and to target learning
problems and help give solu
tions for weaknesses.
A presentation about the
program was made by compa
ny officials during a two-hour
work session in October.
continued on page 3A
Barrow being sued by stable owners over zoning denial
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
Phillip and Jacquelin Twiss
are suing the Barrow County
Board of Commissioners after
the BOC voted to deny the
couple’s rezoning request for
24 acres on Hancock Bridge
Road from R-l to AG.
While the Barrow County
Planning Commission voted
to approval the request, the
BOC voted unanimously in
September to deny the rezon
ing.
A suit was filed in Barrow
County Superior Court over
the matter against Barrow
County chairman Doug
Garrison, commissioners
Jerry Lampp, William Brown,
Bill Healan, Isaiah Berry, Bill
Parks, Ben Hendrix and chief
administrator Keith Lee.
The Twiss own and oper
ate Across the Way Stables.
When Jacquelin Twiss and
her husband Phillip pur
chased the land on Hancock
Bridge four years ago, they
did so with the intent of
relocating the stables to the
property. When they learned
the business, which special
izes in the retraining of thor
oughbred racehorses, is not
allowed under residential
zoning, a request was made
for the land to be rezoned to
agricultural.
The planning commis
sion voted to approve the
request with the recommen
dations that the riding arena
be moved and a maximum
of 11 horses be kept on the
property.
The planning staff said the
rezoning would be suitable
for the area and would also
be consistent with the coun
ty’s comprehensive plan.
The analysis further voted
the rezoning would not cause
any adverse affect on adja
cent and nearby property.
But neighbors Kenny and
Karen Post voiced strong
opposition to the plans. Karen
Post said Riverbluff subdivi
sion is a residential area and
that agricultural activities
would have a negative impact
on her property values.
Twiss said it would not
harm the neighborhood.
“If one looks one mile
down the road from us, a new
subdivision with homes start
ing at $200,000 just went in
next to Horse Feather Farms,
another equestrian facil
ity,” she said. “In the other
direction (Jackson County),
there are homes around
$500,000. If one were to
look at Alpharetta properties,
the horse farms are the most
expensive.”
Twiss said it would not be
commercial boarding.
“We are a thoroughbred
facility,” she said. “We board
horses that are in training
with us. We are not a public
barn. There will not be tons
of traffic. There never has
been traffic in and out of our
place. We do sponsor clinics,
but that doesn’t mean they
are held at our place. We do
not have the facilities to host
the number of people that
attend.”
continued on page 3A
