Newspaper Page Text
36 Pages 3 Sections, Plus Preprints A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. Winder, Barrow County Georgia 50« Copy Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Barrow CCRPI scores mostly increase
Barrow
Briefs
Christmas
parade
winners
announced
The City of Winder's 68th
Christmas parade was held Sat
urday afternoon, and on Mon
day, the city announced the
competition winners among
the more than 60 registered
participants.
Parade participants were
judged in the following cate
gories: craftsmanship, design,
and costume and casting. The
top three floats, the best non
float entry and the Mayor's
Choice are awarded each year.
Top prize winners included:
•First place: Bethlehem
Church, 81 points
•Second place: Integrity
Dance Academy, 80 points
•Third place: Winder-Barrow
Community Theatre, 77 points
•Best non-float entry: Wind
er-Barrow High School March
ing Band
•Mayor’s Choice: Wind
er-Barrow Community Theatre
“I am so proud of this year’s
parade,” city clerk April Plank
said in a news release. “It was
obvious that our participants
spent a great deal of time on
preparation, and on their float
designs. I appreciate every
one's support and participa
tion.”
“It was such a joy and honor
to get to be a judge in the 2016
Winder Christmas Parade,”
judge Stephanie Bramlett
added. “The floats were beau
tiful, but more than that, the
spirit of our community was
beautiful.”
Anyone who missed the
parade may see it on the
city's Vimeo page at vimeo.
com/windertv and on Com
cast Channel 21. Photos of
the parade and day were taken
by Karen Cannon and can be
viewed on the city's Facebook
page at facebook.com/cityof-
winder.
Additional photos by Barrow
News-Journal photographer
Jessica Brown can be seen on
page 1C in today's paper.
Index:
Church News
5B
Classifieds
7-8 B
Legals
4-11C
Obituaries
10-11A
Pets of the Week
3C
Public Safety
8-9A
Sports 1
-4, 10B
Mailing
Label Below
By Ron Bridg'eman
News-Journal Reporter
Barrow County school offi
cials are pleased with the scores
on the 2016 CCRPI (College
& Career Ready Performance
Index). The county schools
largely raised their scores over
all and at most of the individual
schools.
The CCRPI is Georgia’s state
wide accountability system for
all public schools. It measures
schools and school districts on
a 100-point scale based on mul
tiple indicators of performance.
Elementary schools had the
most gain in the scores - raising
the average to 76.9, not quite a
point better than in 2015 when
it was 75.8.
The state average for elemen
tary schools took a nosedive
from 2015 to 2016. The elemen
tary average for this year is 71.7,
a drop of 4.3 points from 2015.
Barrow County schools out
paced the state average, and its
elementary and middle schools
DISCUSSING THE FUTURE
also scored above the state aver
age.
Ten of Barrow County’s 14
schools improved their CCRPI
score from 2015-2016, and 11
out of 14 had a higher CCRPI
than the average score for their
level statewide.
Auburn and Statham elemen
tary schools made the largest
jumps in scores. Auburn stu
dents scored 76.0 for 2016, an
increase of 15.3 points from
2015. Statham’s score was up
10.7 points, from 71.5 to 82.2.
Four elementary schools -
Bethlehem, Bramlett, Kennedy
and Statham - had scores at 80
or above.
The district's largest drop in
the score was at Winder-Barrow
High School - from 80.2 to 74.5.
Chris McMichael, Barrow
County superintendent, was
pleased but cautious about the
test results.
“We’ve taken it very serious
ly” the past few years, McMi
chael said.
See Schools on Page 2A
Funding
for public
defender’s
office
approved
By Scott Tfiompson
Editor
The Piedmont Judicial Cir
cuit public defender’s office
has secured funding for a
new social worker position
that department officials have
said is needed to help with an
increasing workload.
The Barrow County Board
of Commissioners on Tuesday
unanimously approved county
manager Mike Renshaw's rec
ommendation for the county
to pay its $23,531 share of the
salary of the position, which
totals $52,290. Barrow is part
of the circuit with Jackson
and Banks counties and con
tributes a 45-percent pro rata
share of costs.
The new position is part of
a renewed indigent defense
services agreement between
the office and the three coun
ties, which will take effect Jan.
1 after the current agreement
expires.
The new agreement will
remain in effect through
Dec. 31, 2017. It includes an
increase in funding to help
cover the costs of the posi
tion and of salary and benefit
adjustments, of which Barrow
will be on the hook for an
additional $13,358.
Commissioners approved
an $18,443 budget amend
ment Tuesday to help cover
what hasn't already been allot
ted to the office.
The extra money will be
pulled from a county contin
gency fund. Renshaw said.
Funding for the new social
worker position comes after
Renshaw initially recom
mended the county not fund it
in the Fiscal Year 2017 budget
this summer.
Public defender Donna
Seagraves said in August her
office was in desperate need
of help because in addition to
defending clients, it has been
tasked with helping them gain
admission into programs that
serve as an alternative to jail
time in an effort to save tax
payers money.
Congressman Jody Hice was the guest speaker at the Barrow Chamber of Commerce
“Eggs and Issues” breakfast Tuesday morning at the Georgia Club in Statham. Hice gave
his thoughts on the impending Donald Trump administration and outlined the agenda for
2017 for the new Congress. Photos by Scott Thompson
Hice, local legislators
address chamber
By Scott Thompson
Editor
In recent congressional meetings with Presi
dent-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect
Mike Pence, Congressman Jody Hice of Geor
gia’s 10th District said Tuesday he and his col
leagues have been told to “buckle up.”
Speaking to a crowded room at the Georgia
Club during the Barrow County Chamber of
Commerce annual “Eggs and Issues” breakfast,
Hice highlighted some of the primary goals of the
incoming administration and said it was critically
important to accomplish those tasks.
“They’ve already got the 100-day plan lined up,
the 200-day plan lined up and the 400-day plan
on the way,” the Republican congressman said of
See Issues on Page 2A
TERRY ENGLAND
State Rep. Terry England speaks during the
Barrow County Chamber of Commerce “Eggs
and Issues” breakfast on Tuesday.
FRANK GINN
State Sen. Frank Ginn speaks to the crowd
during Tuesday’s breakfast.
REGINA QUICK
State Rep. Regina Quick speaks to the crowd
during Tuesday’s luncheon.
Braselton man charged in deadly wreck on U.S. 129
A Braselton man was charged
with vehicular homicide in a
deadly wreck on Saturday night.
The wreck killed one woman
and injured four other people.
Alexander Michael Olino, 17.
1457 Kilchis Falls Way, Bra
selton, is charged with second-
degree homicide by vehicle and
failure to yield when turning
left.
Olino, the driver of a Honda
Accord, failed to yield when
turning left on Hwy. 129 onto
the 1-85 southbound ramp, strik
ing a Chrysler 200 driven by
Howard Edward Weed, 71, of
Jefferson.
A passenger in the Chrysler,
Iree H. Logan. 83, of Athens,
was killed in the accident. It is
unknown if Logan was wearing
a seatbelt.
Four others, including Olino
and Weed, were injured but not
transported.
Logan was a member of Faith
Baptist Church. The group's
Sunday school class was trav
eling back from a Christmas
event in Gainesville and Logan
decided to ride home with the
Weed family, instead of on the
church bus.
Olino and three other teenage
passengers were reportedly leav
ing a local live nativity event.
Olino told officers with the
Georgia State Patrol that he was
trying to make a left turn behind
a vehicle that had just turned
left.
He said he didn't see the
Chrysler until the crash.
No contributing actions are
listed on the accident report,
but possible distractions are
“unknown.”