About Barrow journal. (Winder, Ga.) 2008-2016 | View Entire Issue (May 27, 2009)
Barrow Journal www.BarrowJournal.com •r Read all over... Wednesday, May 27,2009 Vol. 1 No. 31 20 PAGES 3 SECTIONS A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. WINDER, BARROW COUNTY GEORGIA 30680 250COPY •Artist set to display work page 1C •In the kitchen with a Cook of Barrow County page 1C •Student suspended over threats page 2A •Bethlehem officials request sewer service page 3A Opinions: •Passing of time doesn't dim memories page 4A •Goodbye to some friends page 4A •Airport issue comes full circle page 4 A Sports: •AHS Wildcats usher in spring practice page 1B •WBHS, AHS soccer players recognized page 1B •WBHS seniors sign athletic scholarships page 1B Also Inside: •Classifieds page 6C •Church News page 7B •Public Safety page 6A •Obituaries pages 4-5C To subscribe, call today: 770-867-NEWS (6397). The Barrow Journal is delivered every Thursday. Drugs by bucket busted in Winder BY SUSAN NORMAN Winder police officers last week busted up an unusual drug operation down the street from Barrow County Leisure Services. The operation out of an apartment on 2nd Street involved the use of a wireless doorbell button attached to a tree in nearby woods. Buyers first would push the remote doorbell, then go to the back of the apartment and ring a second doorbell. “Once the doorbell is rung, (the dealer) will lower a bucket from his apartment,” states a police report. “The drug user will place money in the bucket, and once (the dealer) receives the money, he will lower the drugs to the user.” Acting on a May 11 tip about crack cocaine being dealt from the apartment, officers first confirmed the existence of the drug operation by having a confidential source make multiple buys. Then in the early morning hours of May 22, a total of 13 officers from three city police units conducted a “no knock” search of the apartment. The seven-member Special Response Team used a door ram to get inside the apartment and to sur prise the sleeping suspects, according to a police report. Also on hand were three members of the Narcotics Unit and two mem bers of the Criminal Investigations Division. Inside were four people, includ ing Laurnecia Fulton of Athens, who leases the Winder apartment; her son, whose name and age were not released; Antwan Scruggs of Lawrenceville, and a fourth man who had come for the holiday weekend and was later released by police with out being charged. During the search, officers seized suspected marijuana, two blunts, and a few Percocet pills in a gallon-size plastic bag. Officers also confiscated a digital scale, a bucket with red writing on it, brown rope, a wireless door chime and a doorbell button that was discovered taped to a tree about 60-100 feet from the apartment building. “Lt. (Frank) Farr located a door bell button taped to a tree,” wrote a narcotics officer in the report. “Lt. Farr pressed the button, and I could hear a doorbell sound inside of the residence.” Fulton, 27, and Scruggs, 30, were arrested and charged with possession of oxycodone, possession of mari juana with the intent to distribute, possession of marijuana within 1,000 feet of parks and recreation facilities, and possession of tools for the com mission of a crime. The juvenile was not charged. All aboard... THE RIGHT BUTTON Catherine Nelson, age 6, looks at an antique toy train during the recent Train Day held in downtown Winder. The event was held in conjunction with Armed Forces Day. Photo by Jessica Brown Graduations set for next week BY CHRIS BRIDGES Winder-Barrow High School and Apalachee High School seniors are count ing down the days until gradudation. WBHS seniors will walk the stage Thursday, June 4, at 8 p.m. in a ceremony held at W. Clair Harris Stadium, principal A1 Darby said. Fellow seniors at AHS will take part in graduation ceremonies Friday, June 5, prin cipal David McGee said. The ceremony will also be at the school’s football stadium. Anna Grayson Gresham is the valedicto rian for WBHS with Taylor Nicole Turner earning salutatorian honors. Josephine Gina Borg is Apalachee’s vale dictorian for the 2008-09 school year with Lauren Ashley Morris being named the salutatorian. WINDER-BARROW HIGH SCHOOL The following WBHS seniors have earned honor status for the 2008-09 school year: Anna Grayson Gresham, Taylor Nicole Turner, Heather Faith Hardigree, Savanna Leigh Vickery, Ashley Nicole Skinner, Leslie Nicole Davis, Leah Nicole Craft, Flavia Soledad Canciani, Kirsten Elizabeth Gunter and Leslie Jordan Bentley. Also Leslie Jordan Bentley, Hector Fernando Salazar, Jeremy Ryaan O’Neal, Kengelle Queen Chukwurah, Jennifer Stephanie Rivas, Taylor George Prather, Cerissa Rae Lester, Daniel Edwardo Jimenez, Kaela N. Burns, Aaron Matthew Phipps and Gabriel Anna Lewis. Also Gregory Scott Dixon, Daisy Xiong, Regina Karen Taylor, David Andrew Prae, Charlotte Anne Lawson, Rhode Theodona Doriscar, Megan Elizabeth Barnette, Melody Brooke Whittington, Rebekah Shay Williams and Brenda Keo Phan. Also Jessica Kouch, Brittany Nicole Cooper, Jorge Yamid Lozano, Mary Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick, Stephen Jay Sandlin, Caitlin Grace McDaniel, Huxford Lane Anderson, Jennifer Farias, Luis Alfredo Jimenez and Thomas Allan Jr. Dean. Also Akendra Shantea, Ken Johnson, Abbey Michelle Vickers, Taylor Elaine Fortson, Darlene Ntxhee Yees Moua, Evan Taylor Donaldson, Le-On Christoph Jr. Taylor, Samantha Rene McGrath, Elizabeth Anna Stapleton, Borei Tang and Robert Lee Russell. continued on page 2A Officials no show at meeting New Winder budget has plenty of work left BY SUSAN NORMAN Winder’s city government held a public hearing Tuesday about its new budget for the fiscal year that starts in less than five weeks. But only two local residents showed up to speak and the only city official on hand to hear their comments was the city’s finance director. There was no mayor. No city councilmen. No city administra tor. City finance director Leslie Ginn said turnout for the annual budget hearings is historically very low and that the city’s elected officials do not attend them. Attendance this year may have also been affected by the lack of public notice about the meeting. Only one public notice was published Sunday in a newspaper. The rest of the media was not notified of the hearing and the meeting was not mentioned on the city’s web site. Ginn said notices were posted at city hall. However, local resi dent Kay Pierce said she had been to city hall less than an hour before the start of the public hearing and she could not find the meeting notice posted anywhere. “I think it is poor planning to have one notice in one paper,” Pierce told Ginn. “It was just by chance that I read it this week.” The city’s published notice about the hearing this week did not mention a second public hearing that is planned. Ginn said that hearing will be at 5 p.m. June 18 immediately prior to the City Council’s called meeting for the adoption of the budget. Both meetings will be in the council’s chambers at the Winder Community Center, 113 E. Athens St., in downtown Winder. continued on page 2A School officials discuss move to charter status BY CHRIS BRIDGES Barrow County Board of Education members agreed Tuesday night that becoming a charter school system is a good idea. The only disagreement is how quickly the system should act on the idea. After hearing a presentation from Pat Stokes, former superin tendent of the Morgan County School System, on how becom ing a charter school system would impact Barrow County, board member Lynn Stevens wanted to have everything in place by November of this year. Other BOE members, however, said that was moving too fast and wanted to wait until Nov. 2010. In a charter school system, all schools are charter schools that receive public funding, but are run independently. The entire school system is released from state requirements for class size and instructional time in exchange for increased student achievement. continued on page 2A County budget group to huddle again Thursday BY SUSAN NORMAN The Barrow County Board of Commissioners budget committee will meet Thursday at 4 p.m. to again wrestle with what portends to be the most difficult budget year in the county’s history. County BOC chairman Danny Yearwood said this week that climbing out of what amounts to a nearly $10 million revenue hole over the next 16 months will require a combination of departmen tal restructuring, layoffs, salary and benefit reductions and higher taxes. “We are going to face this thing,” he said in an interview. Last week, he began preparing the county’s elected officials and department managers for what may be required. At a May 21 meeting to kickoff the FY2010 budget process, he reeled off numbers showing the severity of the projected shortfall and the lack of a simple fix. continued on page 2A
