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Barrow ... Journal
www.BarrowJournal.com •r Read all over...
Wednesday, May 18,2011
Vol. 3 No. 30 28 PAGES 3 SECTIONS A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. WINDER, BARROW COUNTY GEORGIA 30680 25(£COPY
Community:
•Barrow hosts Relay
for Life
page 1C
•Airport deli under
new ownership
page 2C
Opinions:
•'Brown shines in all
ways'
page 4 A
,'Cut today's genera
tion some slack'
page 5A
Sports:
•Diamond Doggs fall
in second round
page IB
•Cope leads WBHS at
state track
page IB
•Ernest earns medal
for AHS
page IB
•TOPS Soccer
page 5 B
Also Inside:
•Church News
page 5C
•Classifieds
page 7C
•Obituaries
page 4C
•Pets of the Week
page 3C
•Public Safety
pages 6-11A
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Journal is
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Thursday.
County taxes could jump 48%
BOC looking at $5.7 million gap in FY2012 budget
By Susan Norman
snorman @ barrowjournal. com
Based on budget talks this week,
there is no doubt that the county’s
property tax rate will rise in October.
The only question is by how much.
On the table is the possibility of a
rate hike of up to 5 mills, which would
be a 48-percent rate hike for properties
everywhere but in Winder, where due
to the annual rollback for the city’s
separate fire tax, the county rate would
jump as much as 62 percent.
Because the tax hike would apply
only to the county government’s
operations, entire tax bills would
not increase by those percentages.
The effect of a 5-mill increase would
be $200 in higher taxes for every
$100,000 in a property’s value.
CFO Rose Kissalita told the Barrow
County Board of Commissioners at a
called budget meeting that she now
expects the funding gap for fiscal year
2012 to be more than $5.7 million.
See Taxes on Page 3/*
Crowning achievement
EDUCATION EXCELLENCE
(TOP) Meggan McNally was surprised by the announcement that she is
Barrow’s Teacher of the Year for 2011-2012. She had just returned from a
field trip with her students when a team of school administrators, family
and friends delivered the news and congratulated her. Last year’s Teacher of
the Year, C.J. Wilder performed her official “coronation.” (BELOW) McNally
(center), a gifted (SCOPE) teacher at Yargo Elementary School is shown
with Yargo principal Jan Masingill and schools superintendent Wanda Creel,
after they surprised her with the announcement.
Photos by Lorin Sinn-Clark
Oh the places they 7/ go...
WBHS, AHS seniors
to receive diplomas
By Katie Cofer
katie @ mainstreetnews. com
It is the week of high school
commencement and Barrow
County graduating seniors will
be headed off to their next phase
of life,
Apalachee High School
seniors will accept their diplo
mas Friday, May 20 at 6 p.m. at
the R. Harold Harrison Stadium
at AHS. A rain date is scheduled
for Saturday, May 21 at 10 a.m.
on the field or in the gym with
each senior allowed four tickets
for guests.
Winder Barrow High School
will hold its commencement on
Friday, May 20 at 8 p.m. in the
school stadium. A rain date is
scheduled for Saturday, May 21
at 1 p.m. in the school stadium.
The valedictorian at Apalachee
High School is Nicolai Popescu
and the salutatorian is Tyler
•AHS, Friday 6 p.m.,
R. Harold Harrison Stadium
•WBHS, Friday, 8 p.m.,
W. Clair Harris Stadium
Jacobs.
Winder Barrow’s valedicto
rian is Mai Xiong and Crystal
Chukwurah is the school’s salu
tatorian.
According to statistics pro
vided by school counselors,
local seniors have a variety of
after high school plans.
Approximately 60 percent of
Apalachee High School gradu
ates will be heading off to a
four-year university, 20 percent
are going to a technical school
and 5 percent plan to enter the
military. Fifteen percent of the
AHS graduating class is headed
for the work force.
See Graduation on Page 13A
Alcohol related
Fireman arrested following
domestic violence incident
By Susan Norman
snorman @ barrowjournal. com
A second firefighter working
for Barrow County Emergency
Services has been arrested
following an alcohol-related
domestic dispute.
Bobby Ray Garmon, 36, of
Red Oak Way in Winder, was
charged April 24 with three
misdemeanors, including bat
tery, criminal trespass, and
simple assault.
According to a Barrow
County Sheriff’s Office report,
he had been drinking beer and
tequila “throughout the day”
at the home of a relative, and
en route to their home that
evening began yelling at his
wife and “hit her in the right
side of her face while she was
driving her vehicle.”
When they arrived at their
GARMON
house, she ran inside and
locked the door.
“Mrs. Garmon said her hus
band ran to the front doot
and tried to kick the front
door open,” states the report
by deputy William Myers.
See Fireman on Page 13/*
Performance Learning Center
gives students second chance
By Lorin Sinn-Clark
lorin@barrowjournal.com
Sometimes all a kid needs is a second
chance and that is exactly what the Barrow
County Schools Performance Learning
Center provides to some 75 high school
students who, if they were not at the PLC,
would probably drop out.
“I failed some classes and was off
track,” said PLC junior Justin Jackson,
whose post-high school plan is to become
a firefighter.
“I came here to get on track and now I
am going to be able to graduate with the
rest of my class. There’s no doubt — if I
wasn’t here, I would’ve already dropped
out.”
Jordan Caler, another PLC junior,
agreed. “I fell behind on credits — too
far to get caught up. The PLC gives us
a second chance. We don’t want to drop
out, but sometimes that seems like the
only option. Now I am caught up and will
graduate on time with the rest of my class
mates." Caler said he’s “leaning towards
the military” after high school, "as a path
to something in the medical field.”
PLC principal Molly Stiltner said these
students’ views voice the heart of the PLC
mission.
“We’ve always had a fair number of kids
who get within a year or so of graduating
and then drop out,” Stiltner said. “Our
goal is to reach those kids, keep them in
school and help them succeed.”
See PLC on Page 12A
“PEOPLE CARE HERE”
This is one thing PLC students (L to R) Jordan Caler,
Nicki Williams, Amanda Knight and Justin Jackson agree
on about their school. They are in the Outdoor Learning
Center with their math learning facilitator, Tam’ra Kerch.
Photo by Lorin Sinn-Clark