Newspaper Page Text
Serving the communities of Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Mill Creek, West Jackson and South Hall
Member of the
Georgia Press Association
250 copy
Wednesday, December 26,2007
Vol. 3 No. 36 A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. BraseltonNews.com 18 pages, 3 sections
Inside
BARROW COUNTY
•Planners approve gated
retirement community
page 2A
•Santa makes a stop at
WJPS for students
page 6B
Sports:
•Mill Creek takes fifth in
Kentucky tourney
page 1B
•Winners named for pet
photo contest
page 8A
Opinion:
•‘Time to set ‘08 goals’
page 4A
Public safety:
•Donated money not
being used for son, fam
ily tells police
page 2A
•Church events
page 3A
•Obituaries
page 5A
Braselton’s YearOne rebuilds a legend
BIG MOVER
YearOne has gone all out to make their Burt Reynolds Edition Trans Am one that everybody wants to
catch. Photos provided by YearOne
East Bound and Down
THE BANDIT
Burt Reynolds signed off on all the plans for the car, including the
interior, and the ‘screaming chicken’ emblem on the hood.
BY BRANDON REED
n May of 1977, everybody
wanted to be “The Bandit.”
That was when the legend
ary film “Smokey and the Bandit,”
starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field,
Jerry Reed and Jackie Gleason, hit
the big screen.
But the real star of the film, in
the minds of many, was Reynolds’
car - a black and gold 1977 Pontiac
Trans Am.
Now, 30 years later, that legend
ary car is again on the market,
this time as a custom-built hot rod
being done by Kevin King and the
folks at YearOne in Braselton.
“Backin 1979, everybody wanted
one of these cars,” said YearOne’s
Brad Ocock. “Kids, and dads, too.
How many dads went out and
bought one of these cars because
they saw Burt Reynolds and Sally
Field driving down the road in one.
It was a great movie.”
The movie revolved around a
Georgia trucker who accepts the
challenge to bring 400 cases of
Coors beer, which at the time was
illegal east of the Mississippi, back
to Atlanta from Texas in 28 hours.
The hero, named “The Bandit,”
drove a blocker car for a trac
tor-trailer loaded with the illegal
brew.
Along the way, the heroes
encounter a pretty runaway bride,
as well as an angry, foul-mouthed
Texas sheriff. Needless to say, high
speed mayhem, fdmed completely
in the state of Georgia, ensued.
The rest is history. “Smokey and
the Bandit” was second at the box
office that year. Only “Star Wars”
knocked it out of the number one
slot.
REYNOLDS APPROVAL
It’s no surprise that YearOne
wanted the Bandit himself, Burt
Reynolds, involved in the design
of the new “Bandit” cars. After all,
when you’re redesigning an icon,
it’s best to have another icon help
ing you.
“He came out and we showed
him all the plans and diagrams,”
Ocock said of Reynolds’ help. “We
got everything signed off by him.
He had some input on the interior,
and on the ‘screaming chicken’ on
the hood. It was real important to
him that it stay on there, and that
some of the gold accents and trim
stay on it. He leant his likeness to
the inserts on the interior.”
Unless you’re an enthusiast,
when you look at the car you can’t
See BANDIT on page 3A
PUTTING IT TOGETHER
Construction is ongoing on several of the Burt Reynolds Edition Trans Ams at Year One’s Braselton
facility.
Doctor with Braselton ties to
help with new medical campus
BY KERRI
TESTEMENT
When Dr. James
Jackson was grow
ing up in downtown
Braselton, cows still
roamed the area.
Braselton was a one
stoplight town of 250
people where every
body knew each other,
he said.
“It was just a small
town,” Jackson said.
Today, the town spans four coun
ties with thousands of residents
living in the greater Braselton area.
The dynamic growth in the area
prompted the Northeast Georgia
Health System to select Braselton
for its new medical campus on
Thompson Mill Road, which will
include a 100-bed hospital.
And that’s where Dr. Jackson fits
into the mix — he was recently
named the health system’s new
medical development director for
the greater Braselton area.
Dr. Jackson already has deep ties
to Braselton including his grand
father, Lewis Braselton, a former
mayor and mother Pam Jackson,
a former council member. Dr.
Jackson and his wife have three
children: daughter, Darby, 17; and
sons Braz, 11, and Billy, 10.
Dr. Jackson earned his medical
degree from the Emory University
School of Medicine and complet
ed his internship and
residency at Emory
University and affiliat
ed hospitals, according
to the health system.
For 16 years, he
practiced internal med
icine at the Northeast
Georgia Diagnostic
Center, Gainesville,
before deciding to
move his practice to
Braselton — where he
said a large number of
his patients already lived.
“It always makes you feel good
if you can come back, and have a
small part in trying to make things
a littie better,” Jackson said.
Just a short distance from the
new medical campus — dubbed
River Place — is the Braselton
Clinic, where Dr. Jackson and Dr.
Gary Dailey established the facility
in February 2006.
Since that facility opened, it has
already been expanded to twice
its size. Each month, up to 2,400
patients walk through the doors
of the Braselton Clinic, where 10
specialty practices also welcome
patients.
“We’ve been very fortunate with
the support of the community and
the health system,” Jackson said.
In his new role as medical devel
opment director, Jackson will help
See DOCTOR on page 3A
JACKSON
Council OK’s budget changes
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
The Hoschton City Council
approved one last amendment to
the 2007 budget, before ending the
year.
During a called meeting on Dec.
19, the council approved changes to
the 2007 budget — largely due to
carryover funds from the 2006 bud
get. The 2008 budget was approved
by the city council on Dec. 3.
Last week’s public hearing was
the third such meeting for the latest
round of amendments to the 2007
budget. Previously, the council
approved changes to the 2007 bud
get in October, when city officials
learned that anticipated revenue
was not generating as many funds
as expected.
The recent vote amended
Hoschton’s 2007 general fund bud
get from $798,808 to $831,858.
That amount excludes $147,200 in
sales tax revenue.
The city’s water/sewer budget
was amended from $3.71 million
to $3.74 million. That amount
includes $2.6 million for a state
loan to fund improvements to the
city’s wastewater treatment facil
ity.
Shop with a Cop
HOLIDAY HELP
Hoschton Police Department officer Jeremy Howell helps Dustin
Hulsey pick out a shirt at Wal-Mart Thursday. The officer was paired
with Hulsey for the annual “Shop With A Cop” event held for needy
children in the area. Each of the 44 children chosen to participate
were given $200 to spend at the store on clothing and toys.
Photo by April Reese Sorrow
