Newspaper Page Text
36 Pages 3 Sections, Plus Preprints A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. Winder, Barrow County Georgia 50« Copy Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Barrow
Briefs
Annual
chamber
dinner set
The Barrow County Chamber
of Commerce will hold its 70th
annual awards dinner Saturday,
Feb. 11 at Chateau Elan Winery
and Resort.
A reception will be held at 6
p.m. with dinner and awards to
follow at 7:30 p.m.
A platinum sponsorship is
$1,800 and includes a table for 12,
preferred table locations, listing in
the evening program, logo on the
rotating Powerpoint presentation
and logo on the chamber website
for one year. A gold sponsorship
is $1,500 and includes seating
for eight people with logo on the
Power Point presentation and a
listing in the evening program.
Individual tickets are $90 each. A
cash bar will be available.
Make a reservation by emailing
mmilner@barrowchamber.com.
Radio classes
to be held
The Barrow County Commu
nity Emergency Response Team
(CERT) will be holding a five-
week course where you can learn
everything you need to earn your
Technician (entry level) FCC
Amateur Radio License.
Classes begin on Feb. 5 at 2
p.m. at Barrow County Fire Sta
tion 6. 222 Pleasant Hill Church
Road, Winder.
Registration is required. Classes
are free. To join, contact Mike
Wolcott at 404-281-6581 or
w4wyi@arrl.net
WHS
Class of ‘62
reunion
The Winder High School Class
of 1962 will hold a mini-reunion
at 1 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 6, at the
Golden Corral, Winder.
For more information, call Jane
Krebs at 770-725-5247.
Index:
Church News
10A
Classifieds
5-6C
Legals
7-12C
Obituaries
11A
Schools
7-10B
Public Safety
7-9A
Sports
1-6B
Mailing
Label Below
o
7
Having a ball
DANCING AT COMMUNITY CENTER
Jim and Darlene Townsend danced to the music of “Back in Time” during the 24th annual
Adult Literacy Barrow Literacy Ball at the Winder Community Center on Saturday evening.
The ball is the organization’s primary fundraiser and supports dropout prevention efforts,
Adult Literacy instructional support, GED exam scholarships, family literacy activities, and
English literacy programs. Photos by Wesleigh Sagon
Adult Literacy Barrow hosts 24th annual Literacy
Ball; money donated to help organization’s efforts
By We si eig'h Sag'on
News-Journal Reporter
The 24th annual Lit
eracy Ball was held at
the Winder Commu
nity Center Saturday
evening with 300 visi
tors in attendance.
The Literacy Ball is
a fundraiser to support
adult learners and to
positively impact the
community. “Adult
education is vital to
workforce develop
ment in Barrow Coun
ty, because it provides
an avenue for students
to pursue higher educa
tion and better employ
ment opportunities,”
said Lynn Hammond,
Literacy Ball chairper
son.
Since 1993. more
than 11.000 people
have been served in
the local adult educa
tion program. Funds
from the Literacy Ball
support dropout pre
vention efforts, Adult
Literacy instructional
support. GED exam
scholarships, family
literacy activities, and
English literacy pro
grams.
Desmond Vaird is
one of the success sto
ries of this program.
Once addicted to drugs
and living at the Pot
ters House he turned
his life around by
obtaining his GED.
“After my grand
mother passed away
my life spiraled out of
control,” said Vaird.
While work
ing toward getting
his GED, Governor
Nathan Deal present
ed him with the Eagle
Award. He is cur
rently serving as the
State Ambassador
for adult education.
Vaird’s future goal is
to become an elemen
tary school teacher and
work with special edu
cation children.
Adult Literacy Bar-
row seeks to promote
greater public inter
est in increasing adult
literacy levels in the
county to improve job
See Ball on Page 2A
WAGES SPEAKS
Susan Wages, Adult Literacy Barrow board
chair, spoke at the 24th annual Literacy Ball
on Saturday evening.
CHECK DONATED
Sally Brown, Adult Literacy executive director, left, and Mindy Reid, Bethlehem Elementary
School principal, are shown holding a $1,009.64 check that was donated from Bethlehem
Elementary School to Adult Literacy Barrow for its Read-a-thon. This check will help the
English as a Second Language (ESL) classes to educate parents so they are better prepared
to support and educate their children.
Expletive
hurled at
BOC over
speeding
on road
By Scott Tliompson
News-Journal Editor
Two residents of Cash
Road in Barrow County
contend that speeding on
the road is a threat to their
family, and their ire led one
of them to utter an exple
tive at the county Board of
Commissioners last week.
Married couple Doug
and Pam Brewer addressed
commissioners during a
public comment session at
the Jan. 24 meeting and
implored the county to
install speed bumps along
the residential areas of the
small road between Atlan
ta Highway and Pleasant
Hill Church Road west of
Statham.
The Brewers say that
hundreds of drivers per
day travel along the road
at higher speeds than the
25 mile-per-hour limit in
place.
Pam Brewer became
increasingly emotion
al during her comments,
saying that she was fear
ful of backing out of her
driveway and being hit by
speeding cars rounding the
blind curve at the top of a
hill near her home at higher
speeds.
At one point, she pound
ed the lectern with her first
and yelled, “I'm tired of
being damn nice.”
After her allotted time
to speak had expired, she
walked away, turned back
around and shouted, “F***
y’all” to the board before
exiting the chambers.
Doug Brewer addressed
commissioners prior to his
wife and said he has tried
“for eight years to get you
See Road on Page 2A
BOE gets
update
on school
‘climate’
ratings
By Al ex Pace
News-Journal Reporter
Most Barrow County
schools earned an above
average climate rating in
2016.
The Barrow County
Board of Education got a
look at its 2016 School Cli
mate Star Ratings on Tues
day. The Georgia Depart
ment of Education released
the ratings last week and
every school in the Bar-
row County School Sys
tem earned an “average” or
higher rating.
Most schools scored
“above average” and
“excellent” except for
Auburn Elementary and
Kennedy Elementary,
which both scored “aver
age.”
The climate star rating
“refers to the quality and
See BOE on Page 3A