Newspaper Page Text
The
Vol. 4 No. 1
Your only locally-owned community newspaper
Serving Braselton, Hoschton, Chateau Elan, Traditions, Mill Creek, West Jackson and Barrow County
Wednesday, April 23,2008
A publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. BraseltonNews.com BarrowJournal.com
Member of the
Georgia Press Association
250 copy
24 pages, 3 sections
Inside
•Garrison gives state of
Barrow County address
page 3A
BARROW COUNTY
•Barrow BOC approves
controversial special use
permit page 2A
•Auburn hears pitch for
past due tax collection
page 2A
Sports:
•Hawks’ first baseman
is ‘true baseball player’
page 3B
Opinion:
•Governments should
cut back, too ... page 4A
Public safety:
•66 charged by Jackson
County Sheriff’s Office
page 7A
•Church events
page 12 A
•Obituaries
page 8A
Changes slated for Hoschton budget
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
AND BRANDON REED
Hoschton is slated to make its first
budget amendment of the year — a
step that could be taken again before
the end of 2008.
The city council approved the 2008
budget in December 2007, but now
says some minor tweaks are needed.
Hoschton amends its budget when 10
percent of a city department’s budget
is changed.
“We’re not increasing the budget or
decreasing the budget,’’ said council
member Tom Walden during a fiscal
resources meeting last week. “We’re
just moving monies around in it.”
“We’re not in
creasing the bud
get or decreasing
the budget. We’re
just moving mon
ies around in it.”
— Hoschton City
Council member
Tom Walden
Walden said the changes reflect the
fact that when revenue is increased or
decreased, the same measure must be
made to expenses to produce a bal
anced budget.
Some of the changes include
$77,281 in reserves and carryover
from the 2007 general fund budget.
Walden said that figure wasn’t avail
able when the city council started
working on the 2008 budget in the
fall of 2007.
Hoschton is also reducing its 2007
carryover of sales tax funds for the
water and sewer budget from the bud
geted $155,000 to $107,000.
Meanwhile, 2007 sales tax fund
carryover for recreation was increased
from $2,000 to $5,200.
The city is also reassigning the
court clerk’s salary and expenses
from the police department to gen
eral government — a change of more
than $30,000.
Additional changes include moving
$20,000 from operations to adminis
tration in the water and sewer budget.
As the city is using more well water,
it is purchasing less water from the
Jackson County Water and Sewerage
Authority, while still having legal
expenses, Walden explained.
The Hoschton City Council adopt
ed its 2008 general fund budget for
$771,110, which excludes $173,927
in sales tax revenue.
The proposed budget changes
would increase the general fund bud
get to $852,491 and sales tax revenue
to $177,127.
The city’s water and sewer fund
budget was approved for $969,528;
the changes would increase that fig
ure to $1.08 million.
However, sales tax revenue for the
water and sewer fund would slide
from the budgeted $342,738 to
$294,738.
The city council is expected to dis
cuss the changes during its work ses
sion on Thursday, May 1, at 7 p.m.,
and during a regular council meeting
on Monday, May 5, at 7 p.m.
Walden said a public hearing on
the proposed budget changes is
scheduled for Wednesday, May 21,
at 1 p.m.
Stringer enters formal
‘not guilty’ plea Thurs.
Accused in 2006 murder-arson case
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
The man accused of kill
ing four people and burn
ing their Hoschton home
entered a formal plea of not
guilty on Thursday.
Henry Lee Stringer,
Auburn, is facing the death
penalty for allegedly killing
his girlfriend, Marvelette
J’Laine Strickland, 29, their
children J’Majuan Stringer, 4, and
J’Lasia Stringer, 2, and Marvelette’s
mother, Evelyn Strickland, 68. Their
bodies were found inside their burn
ing Pendergrass Road (Ga. Hwy.
332) house in Jackson County on
May 30, 2006.
Stinger was arrested a year after
the murder-arson and was indicted
by a Jackson County grand jury in
December 2007 on 16 counts related
to the case.
During the arraignment hearing,
district attorney Rick Bridgeman
read the formal charges against
Stringer, as presented in the indict
ment.
Stringer, 35, has been charged
with four counts of mal
ice murder, six counts of
felony murder, two counts
of aggravated assault, one
count of aggravated battery,
two counts of cruelty to
children and arson.
The indictment claims
Stringer stabbed J’Laine
Strickland and Evelyn
Strickland, and killed his
children by burning the house they
were in at the time.
One of Stringer’s court-appointed
attorneys, Joseph W. Vigneri, said
the defense plans to file “a number
of motions,” possibly up to 100.
He asked Superior Court Judge Joe
Booth to extend the deadline to file
motions. Vigneri also said the defense
hasn’t finished its discovery process
to collect evidence for a trial.
Bridgeman said he’d agree to
extending the deadline.
“This is an important case, howev
er, we’d do want it to move forward,”
Bridgeman said.
Meanwhile, Stringer remains at the
Barrow County Jail.
STRINGER
Festival time in Hoschton
MUSICAL ENTERAINMENT
The band “Just Passin’ Thru” performs at the depot at the Hoschton Art Trax. Other entertainment
was provided by Erica Butler, Keith Davis, Up Front Barbershop Quartet, Michelle Walker and the
Yargo Community Band. See page 10A for more festival photos. Photo by Kerri Testement
Publix to open next Thurs. in West Jackson
SIGN OF THE TIMES
Publix’s new store is located at the intersection of Ga. Hwy. 124
and Ga. Hwy. 332 in West Jackson. Nearby, grading has started for
a new CVS pharmacy. McDonald’s and Burger King are also eye
ing the area. Photo by Kerri Testement
Private sports complex
headed to West Jackson
BOC approves rezoning for project
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
Publix Super Markets will open
its latest store in West Jackson next
Thursday, May 1.
The 45,300 square-foot store located
at 6055 Ga. Hwy. 124 in the new West
Jackson Crossing shopping center will
mark the first Jackson County store
for Publix. Another store is located
nearby in Braselton on Ga. Hwy. 211
in Barrow County.
Publix said it will employ 80 people
at the Hoschton store that will include
a pharmacy, bakery, deli and seafood.
The store will also feature the tradi
tional grocery, meat, produce, dairy
and frozen food departments.
A ribbon cutting ceremony is planned
on May 1, at 9 a.m. Regular store hours
are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Publix currently has 928 stores in
Florida, Georgia, South Carolina,
Alabama and Tennessee. The company
is based in Lakeland, Fla.
The West Jackson Publix is located
at the intersection of Ga. Hwy. 124
and Ga. Hwy. 332 — a growing area
primarily anchored by Traditions of
Braselton, the county’s largest residen
tial development.
Also at the intersection, grading is
underway for a new CVS pharmacy.
The company is building a 12,900
square-foot store that is expected
to open in August, according to the
Jackson County public development
office.
Representatives for McDonald’s and
Burger King have also talked to plan
ning officials about opening stores at
the intersection, but no plans have been
submitted to the Jackson County public
development office.
A sign for West Jackson Crossing on
the 14-acre site lists other potential ten
ants as Great Clips, Nail Talk and Tan,
and Esquire Cleaners.
See PUBLIX on page 3A
BY ANGELA GARY
A sports complex will locate in West
Jackson following action of the Jackson
County Board of Commissioners
Monday night.
The BOC agreed in a 4-1 vote to a
request from Larry Beck to change the
land map designation for 21 acres at
8154 Hwy. 124 West from residential
growth to community activity center
for the project. Beck now plans to seek
rezoning of the project to pave the way
for the development.
Commissioners Bruce Yates, Dwain
Smith, Jody Thompson and Tom
Crow voted in favor of the request,
while BOC chairman Pat Bell voted
against it.
Beck said the sports complex will be
privately owned and the developer will
rent the fields to leagues. Plans call for
baseball, softball and soccer fields, as
well as a skateboard park and tennis
courts, to be located on the property.
See COMPLEX on page 8A
Tour de Georgia to hold time
trials at Road Atlanta Thursday
America’s premier professional cycling event
is headed to Braselton. The seven-stage, 589-mile
race began Monday at Tybee Island.
Braselton area cycling fans will have then-
best opportunity to watch the competition on
Thursday, April 24, when Road Atlanta hosts
the Tour’s first ever team trial event. The team
trial will consist of twenty-minute heats with two
See TOUR on page 3A
Tour de
Georgia
