Newspaper Page Text
Barrow County’s only award-winning Georgia Press Association member newspaper
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Barrow A Journal
www.barrowjournal.com Barrow County’s Legal Organ Newspaper
VOL. 8 NO. 40 24 PACES 2 SECTIONS, PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. WINDER, BARROW COUNTY GEORGIA 30680 50« COPY
Saunders confesses to check forging
Warrant says former Barrow superintendent stole more than $100K from Adult Literacy Barrow
By Al ex Pace
Journal Reporter
Ron Saunders is facing
charges of theft and forg
ery after he allegedly stole
over $100,000 from Adult
Literacy Barrow. Saunders,
a well-known community
leader and former super
intendent of the Barrow
County School System,
confessed to authorities last
week that he forged signa
tures on some of the organi
zation’s checks.
Warrants for Saunders’
arrest say he unlawfully
took $111,160 from the
organization. He was arrest
ed by the Barrow County
Sheriff’s Office last week
for felony theft by taking
and fourth degree forgery.
Saunders was termi
nated from his position as
executive director of Adult
Literacy Barrow shortly
after the arrest.
The arrest was made as
part of a BCSO investiga
tion into possible financial
fraudulent activity of the
finances of Adult Literacy
Barrow.
The organization’s board
of directors was notified of
some suspicious activity on
July 18, and in turn notified
the BCSO.
The board suspected
Saunders of forging signa
tures of other board mem
bers on checks and then
having those checks cashed.
Officers were given copies
of this month’s checks.
Saunders confessed to
officers July 19 that he
forged the signatures on the
checks in question and to
other bank transactions that
the board wasn’t aware of.
Because the investigation
into the bank records was
still incomplete, Saunders
was allowed to leave,
according to the arrest
report.
See Saunders on Page 12A
RON SAUNDERS
Barrow
Briefs
Wellness Expo
set for Aug. 18
The Barrow Health and
Wellness Expo will be
Thursday, Aug. 18, at the
Winder YMCA from 11 a.m.
to 3 p.m.
Sponsorships and exhibitor
booths are still available and
may be reserved by contacting
the Barrow County Chamber of
Commerce at 770-867-9444.
To be a gold sponsor, the cost
is $1,500 and a silver sponsor
is $600. Chamber members
may reserve an exhibitor booth
(8x10) for $250 or an over
sized space (8x20) for $425.
Non-member exhibitor booths
are available for $450. Outside
booths may be reserved for
$100.
Exhibitors will set up from
9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and the Expo
will be open to the public from
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
There will be ticket draw
ings for prizes and a “Taste of
Barrow” will be available with
the purchase of a $5 wristband.
Local restaurants will be offer
ing samples from their menus.
Inside:
Index:
Church News
10A
Classifieds
4-5B
Legals
6-11B
Obituaries
11A
Pets of the Week
10A
Public Safety
6-7A
Sports 1-3B, 12B
Contact Info:
Phone: 770-867-6397
Mail: 77 E. May Street,
Winder, Ga. 30680
Fax: 706-621-4115
www.barrowjournal.com
“Like us” on Facebook
Mailing
Label Below
^ \
Intersection Improvement
EASIER TO TURN RIGHT
Work has been ongoing for several weeks at the intersection of Broad Street
and East Broad Street. The upgrade has made it easier to make a right turn onto
Broad Street. Photos by Jessica Brown
SPLOST 2018:
Auburn
reluctantly
approves
projects
By Sliaron Hog'an
Journal Reporter
The Auburn City Council
approved, with hesitation, the
project categories and estimates
for the proposed 2018 Barrow
County Special Purpose Local
Option Sales Tax (SPLOST).
Barrow County voters will like
ly vote on the sales tax referen
dum this fall.
After the unanimous vote was
taken, Mayor Linda Blechinger
said, “That was four reluctant
yesses.”
Blechinger said the county is
including a Level 2 project on
the list, which will allow the
county to receive 20 percent of
the proposed SPLOST proceeds
off the top before the rest of the
money is divided up between
the county and its municipal
ities.
She said Winder officials
were not in agreement that the
county would be able to pay
off debt on the jail and renova
tion projects a third time and
questions were raised about the
sudden designation of an ath
letic complex with soccer and
lacrosse fields and recreational
trails on property at Fort Yargo
State Park.
“It’s unfortunate that all of
a sudden, there’s a Level 2
project that’s being pulled out
for soccer fields and lacrosse
and will take off the top,” said
Blechinger. “And so every city
will be affected by that, and
that's unfortunate,”
See Auburn on Page 12A
Inside Today
•County officials continue
to iron out details of new
budget
— 2A
•Analysis of Bethlehem’s
audit
— 3A
School bells ring again: BCSS students return to class Monday
By Al ex Pace
Journal Reporter
School bells will ring again
next week as Barrow County
School System students return
to the hallways for the 2016-17
school year.
School starts Aug. 1 for the
system following a week of
pre-planning.
The highlight of the 2016-17
school year is the opening of a
new middle school.
The new Russell Middle
School will open for its first
school year.
Two open houses are planned
for this week for the new RMS
location. These are scheduled for
Thursday, July 28, from 5-7 p.m.
and Friday, July 29, from 10 a.m.
until noon for the new Russell
Middle School facility.
The new location for RMS
is at the corner of Candler and
McNeal.
Anticipated enrollment is
approximately 13,400 dis
trict-wide. There will be 130
new certified employees, 34 clas
sified employees, along with two
new principals and three new
assistant principals.
Bethlehem Christian Academy
will begin its new school year
on Tuesday, Aug. 9, headmaster
Rhonda Whiting said.
ALL ABOARD FOR A NEW SCHOOL YEAR
The Barrow County School System begins the 2016-2017
school year Monday. Photo by Jessica Brown
