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Barrow County’s only award-winning Georgia Press Association member newspaper
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Barrow k Journal
www.barrowjournal.com Barrow County’s Legal Organ Newspaper
VOL. 8 NO. 34 24 PACES 2 SECTIONS, PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. WINDER, BARROW COUNTY GEORGIA 30680 50« COPY
Barrow
Briefs
Local unemployment
rate drops to 4.3
While Georgia's seasonally
adjusted unemployment rate
stayed at 5.5 percent in April,
the Georgia Department of
Labor reported last week
that Northeast Georgia saw
a sharp decline in unemploy
ment.
That includes Barrow
County, where the April rate
fell to 4.3 percent, down
from 4.7 percent in March.
Jackson County was tied for
the second-lowest rate in the
state. Other area counties
fared similarly:
•Jackson, 4.1 percent,
down from 4.5
•Banks, 4.6 percent, down
from 5.0
•Hall, 4.2 percent, down
from 4.5
•Athens-Clarke, 4.9 per
cent, down from 5.2
•Madison, 4.4 percent,
down from 4.7
Oconee County, with
a 3.7-percent jobless rate
(down from 4.0 in March)
had the lowest jobless rate in
the state for April.
Father’s Day
dance, dinner set
The American Legion Post
163 in Statham will host a
Father's Day dance and din
ner on Saturday, June 18.
The dinner will be served
at 6 p.m. with the dance
beginning at 8 p.m. The steak
dinner cost is $15 and dance
tickets are $8. A special com
bination price for both events
is $20.
Music will be provided by
The Sandy Creek Band.
The public is invited to
attend.
Inside:
Index:
Church News 10A
Classifieds 4-5B
Legals 6-1 OB
Obituaries 11B
Pets of the Week 10A
Public Safety 6-8A
Sports 1-3B.11-12B
Contact Info:
Phone: 770-867-6397
Mail: 77 E. May Street,
Winder, Ga. 30680
Fax: 706-621-4115
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Grand
opening
approaches
for new
Russell
Middle School
CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES
Work continues on the new Russell Middle School. Plans are for the
new middle school location to be ready for the start of the 2016-2017
school year in early August. Photos by Jessica Brown
Boys ol summer
TAKING A SWING
Barrow County was a host for the Dizzy Dean Baseball Tournament this
past weekend. In addition to Barrow County, teams from Hall, Jackson and
Dawson counties were represented. Photo by Jessica Brown
False rumors...
Local theater
will not face
wrecking ball
The lesson to be learned in this story
is that Facebook is typically not the best
source for reliable news.
Last week the Barrow Journal received
multiple phone calls concerning a local
resident’s Facebook post stating “I have
information from a very good source that
says the Colleen Ouzts Williams Theater
building will be demolished, along with
the civic center. Although it seems the floor
needs replacing in the theater it would seem
our elected elite and the DDA have decided
otherwise. If this is true then who the HELL
is running this town? Surely not the people
who live here,”
A quick check with the City of Winder,
however, determined there was no truth
to the Facebook post. A city official said,
“there are no plans to tear the buildings
down.”
In fact, there have been no discussions at
Winder City Council meetings concerning
destruction of those locations.
The Facebook post also talked of “High
license fees, non friendly cops, a city owned
golf course and elected jackasses who hire
someone else to do the business they were
elected to do. Do the people who care really
want this bureaucracy for their town? I sure
don’t and I believe you don’t either. If the
source who gave me the above information
is right then “we the people” have let our
forefathers down in electing a Soviet class
of imbeciles to ruin our town.”
Inmate death
ruled accidental
The death of a man who was an inmate
in the Barrow County Detention Center
has been ruled an accident.
A spokesman with the Georgia Bureau
of Investigation told the Barrow Journal
Monday afternoon that Johnathan Ray
Manus died from injuries “consistent with
a ground level fall.”
After officials reviewed video tape and
talked with others at the Detention Center,
the death has been ruled an accident.
Manus died at a local hospital and not
at the Detention Center, GBI spokesman
Jesse Maddox said.
The death has officially been ruled an
accident and the Detention Center has
been cleared of any wrongdoing. Manus
died April 18 after going into “medical
distress” the previous day.
Maddox said Monday an official release
on the investigation into Manus’ death
would be given later this week.
City of Winder to hold hearing
for new budget Tuesday, July 5
City of Winder officials are cur
rently working on the details of the
new fiscal year budget.
The proposed budget will be sub
mitted to the council on Monday,
June 27.
Beginning on this date, citizens
can view the budget at no cost
inside the Winder Customer Center
at 45 East Athens Street between 9
a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through
Friday.
Copies of the proposed budget can
also be purchased at the Customer
Center for 10 cents per page or on
a CD for $2. The proposed budget
can also be viewed free of charge at
www.cityofwinder.com beginning
June 27.
The Winder City Council will
hold a public hearing on Tuesday,
July 5, at 6 p.m. concerning the new
budget.
The meeting will take place at
the Community Center at 113 East
Athens Street.
Citizen comments will be heard
at this time.
The council will then meet
Tuesday, July 12, at 6 p.m. at the
Community Center and vote on
whether to approve the new budget
which will be for the fiscal year
ending June 30, 2017.
Road work to close part of Candler
Ongoing road work on McNeal Road will cause parts of Candler Street to
be closed for the next month.
Work is scheduled for the areas near the Candler/McNeal and Candler/
Greenvalley Drive intersections.
In addition, due to a sewer and manhole repair, there will be partial lane
closures at night at the intersection of North Broad and Williams Streets.
The work will be performed from 7 p.m. until 5 a.m. One lane of traffic will
remain open at all times, officials said.
CHEER FOR SUMMER
Apalachee High School recently hosted a youth
cheerleader camp. There are numerous youth
athletic camps taking place this month. See page
2B in today’s edition for a complete rundown.
Photo by Jessica Brown
