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BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2016
CORBIN DRIVE HOME IN STATHAM DESTROYED BY FIRE
A house fire destroyed a home in the 2000 block of Corbin Drive in Statham early in the afternoon of
Nov. 9. According a Barrow County Emergency Services news release, the fire was reported just before
1 p.m., and firefighters arrived to find the two-story home in flames. The fire had also spread to the lawn
around the home and into neighboring lawns, Capt. Scott Dakin said. An adjacent home also suffered
extensive exterior damage due to radiating heat from the fire. Four adults were displaced as a result of
the fire. The American Red Cross responded to assist them. The fire remains under investigation at this
time. Photo courtesy of Scott Dakin
JROTC HOSTS CAR SHOW
The Winder-Barrow High School JROTC Bulldogg Battalion hosted a car show Saturday morning at
the school to benefit local organizations. All entry fees, donations and concession proceeds went to
The Peace Place and The Tree House, Inc., which help to protect against domestic violence and child
abuse. Photo by Jessica Brown
Statham continued from 1A
restrict the speech of peo
ple appearing before pub
lic bodies. He also said he
had warned council mem
bers to refrain from mak
ing comments or respons
es to those complaining
because of threats of legal
action.
He said after the meet
ing that he knew only of
threats - no lawsuits.
At least three of the
speakers referred to costs
they had incurred and
implied they would seek to
recover those. One woman
said she has a lawyer.
Some of those protesting
the actions of Officer Mark
Lofton accused the mayor
and council of being in
cahoots with Police Chief
Allan Johnston and Lof
ton to raise money for the
town coffers.
Kendra Moore of
Statham accused the coun
cil and its department of
“policing for profit.”
She assailed the coun
cil of “collusion and
corruption that we have
been screaming about for
years.” Moore said the city
had increased the budget
item for revenue from
fines from police stops and
arrests to $250,000 for the
current fiscal year and for
2015-16. She said it was
only $70,000 in the 2014-
15 budget.
Kelly Pickens, the first
speaker, accused Lofton of
being “caught lying time
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and time again.” She said
six tests for alcohol and
drugs in blood were neg
ative and the cases dis
missed.
“You owe them money,”
she said about those who
had cases dismissed. “You
know what’s going on
here. You are filling your
coffers with these people’s
money.”
Speakers accused coun
cil members of ignor
ing complaints about the
police department.
“My nose is very clean,”
Sondra Moore told council.
She said the DUI charge
Lofton made against her
was the first and only time
she had been arrested.
She had a “clean” record,
Moore said. “I deserve that
back,” she declared.
Two of the speakers
demanded the council fire
Lofton. The council did
not respond to any of the
speakers and moved on to
listen to members of New
Life Church, which is on
Railroad Street, adjacent
to the Fajita Mex Grill.
Members of the church
repeated many of their
comments from the Thurs
day work session, oppos
ing the proposed amend
ment to the city’s alcohol
ordinance. It would pro
vide for a waiver on the
distance requirement for
selling beverages near a
church or school.
Perry Barton and Gayle
Steed made the motion
and second to approve the
change. But none of the
other council members
responded. David Huth
and Hattie Thrasher said
they would abstain.
Betty Lyle voted no, and
Bridges said he voted no,
saying the church mem
bers “had a good argu
ment.”
Church members made
two main arguments:
The church and Mexican
restaurant share a common
wall and the church has
been there for about 30
years, far longer than the
restaurant.
Mike Holcomb, who
was the main speaker for
the church, and Michael
Wierdon, associate pastor,
argued that nowhere else
in the country are alcohol
ic beverages allowed right
next door to a church.
Holcomb also said the
church has spent more
than $100,000 this year
on remodeling, and the
restaurant owners knew
that. He said if they were
interested in buying the
church property, the time
to do it was before the cost
of the remodeling.
Barton and Steed said
the change in the ordi
nance would be for the
downtown district, not the
Mexican restaurant. Both
said the owners of the
restaurant have not applied
for a permit to sell alcohol,
and if that were done, it
would require a separate
public hearing with adver
tising beforehand.
Barton said the amend
ment change was suggest
ed by a state agency as
an economic development
tool, not by the restaurant
owners.
PUBLIX MYSTERY COUPON
See What 1$ Gets!
Bring this coupon to Publix on November 16, 2016, and find out what
one penny gets you! Good with your purchase of $10 or more.
Limit one coupon per household per day. Excluding all alcohol,
tobacco, lottery items, money services, postage stamps, gift cards,
and prescriptions. Customer is responsible for all applicable taxes.
Reproduction or transfer of this coupon is strictly prohibited.
Effective November 16, 2016 at participating stores in Ga., Ala., and Tenn.
Publix
'MERE SHOPPING IS A PLEASURE*
LU# 11202
Auburn ends
2015 in the black
The City of Auburn ended FY2015 in the black,
the second year in a row the town has shown signs
of recovering from a difficult five years during the
recession.
Auburn netted $174,400 in its general fund last
fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, 2015.
That put the town’s general fund reserves at
$678,500.
Auburn took in $2.9 million in FY2015 and had
expenses of $2.79 million.
Public safety for the town’s police department
made up over half of the expenses at $1.5 million.
In addition to its General Fund. Auburn also
showed net income in its water and sewer system
budgets and its storm water utility budget.
BOC continued from 1A
general fund balance to
put toward these pur
chases because they are
used during the winter
months as well.”
But commissioners
were also concerned
about using the SPLOST
money when county offi
cials have said in a pre
vious presentation that
the county may have to
purchase a $750,000 fire
ladder truck.
“I’m not opposed to
buying (the mowers)
at all,” commission
er Joe Goodman said.
“If we buy them with
SPLOST funds and are
then forced to buy the
ladder truck, we will be
forced to go into some
creative financing (to
avoid debt or a possible
tax increase).”
In other business at the
Nov. 8 meeting, commis
sioners:
•approved a perma
nent water line easement
and construction and
maintenance easement
agreement between the
county, City of Winder
and the J. Daniel Blitch
Family Partnership.
•approved a volun
tary opt-out amendment
for commissioners with
GebCorp for the county
retirement program.
•approved the appoint
ment of Jimmy Terrell
and the re-appointment
of Jim Litchford to the
personnel review board.
Both appointments are
for four-year terms that
will expire on Dec. 31,
THANK YOU!
A special THANK YOU to the voters of
District 2 for electing me to serve as your
representative on your Barrow County Board
of Commissioners. I consider it a privilege
and honor to have been elected and look
forward to serving all the residents of District
2 to the best of my ability Please feel free to
contact me on my cell phone at 770-868-6676
or email me at wjjsbrown@yahoo.com.
William J. “Bill” Brown
Did you
miss the
meeting?
Go to cityofwinder.com/
resources/television to
watch local government
meetings on demand. You
can also stay up to date
by going to our website at
barrownewsjournal.com.
2020.
•approved a request by
the estate of Randall Per
kins to rezone 11 acres
on Hog Mountain Road
in Statham to allow nine
single-family homes.
•approved a request by
Jackqueline Camp Wil
burn to rezone 1.5 acres
on Tanners Bridge Road
and Tanners Bridge Cir
cle in Bethlehem from
agricultural to residential
use.
•approved a request by
Robert and Carolyn Heu-
pel to rezone 12.3 acres
on Beaver Dam Road in
Hoschton from residen
tial to agricultural use for
a cattle farm.
•denied a request by
Phillip Heupel, Jason
Heupel and Sarah Heu
pel Stanley to rezone 16
acres on Ga. 211 North
west in Hoschton from
residential to agricultural
use for farming.
The commission meets
again at 7 a.m. Tuesday
at the Historic Court
house.
HOLIDAY
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Barrow News-Journal