Newspaper Page Text
38 Pages 3 Sections, Plus Preprints A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. Winder, Barrow County Georgia 50« Copy Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Barrow
Briefs
Street closure
North Jackson Street in
Winder will be closed from
East Midland Avenue to East
Candler Street on Friday, May
19, and remain closed for three
weeks for a traffic study proj
ect.
Train Day
event set
The Barrow County Histor
ical Society has a Train Day
planned for Saturday, May 20,
from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the
Gainesville-Midland engine
and caboose on the side rail
adjacent to the Barrow County
Chamber of Commerce depot
in downtown Winder. The Bar-
row County Museum will also
be open during the same time
period.
Lunch-n-
Learn set
Easter Seals and Winder
Head Start will be hosting a
parent/community partner
focus group “Lunch-n-Learn”
on Friday, May 19 at 11:30
a.m. at the Easter Seals Winder
Center; 37 South Center St.
The event will be an oppor
tunity for parents to engage
with community agencies, ask
questions and address concerns
about the community and Eas
ter Seals. Lunch will be pro
vided.
Healthcare
meeting
A free healthcare meeting
will be held at 7 p.m. on Mon
day, May 22, at the Winder
Community Center, 113 East
Athens St. The event is being
sponsored by the Barrow Coun
ty Democratic Party, www.
barrowdems.com. Cindy Zel
din. director of Georgians for
a Healthy Future, will give an
overview of the current issues
surrounding healthcare and
answer questions. The event
is open to everyone, whether
you have healthcare coverage
through your employer, ACA.
Medicare or Medicaid.
Index:
Church News 10A
Classifieds 4-5B
Legals 6-11B
Obituaries 11A
Public Safety 7,9A
Sports 1-2, 12B
Mailing
Label Below
o
Sheriff’s office still investigating
3rd-grader’s death from gunshot
Online fundraising page created for victim’s family; funeral set
By Scott Thompson
News-Journal Editor
The Barrow County Sher
iff’s Office was still working
Tuesday afternoon to determine
whether the death of a 9-year-
old Winder boy last week from
a self-inflicted gunshot wound
was accidental or intentional.
Anthony Colon, a third-grad
er at Yargo Elementary School,
was found shot inside his home
shortly after getting off a school
bus on the afternoon of May 10.
Sheriff Jud Smith said Colon,
without his parents" knowledge.
was able to obtain a gun that had
been secured in the home and
shoot himself.
The parents and Colon’s
younger brother were in the
home at the time of the incident.
After being found, Colon
was life-flighted to Chil
dren’s Healthcare of Atlanta at
Egleston, where he died later
that evening.
Smith and Capt. Ryan Sears
said Tuesday the sheriff’s office
is still in the process of inter
viewing the parents, teachers and
friends of Colon in an attempt to
determine what happened and
why. Smith said charges are not
likely in the case.
“We will release everything
hopefully later this week or
early next week.’’ Smith said.
According to an obituary
in the Barrow News-Journal,
Colon was an active member of
local Boy Scout Troop No. 721
and had an interest in gaming
and muscle cars.
A funeral service is scheduled
for 6 p.m. Friday in the chapel
of Smith Funeral Home, 755
Atlanta Highway, Winder. The
family will receive friends from
3-6 p.m. at the funeral home.
An online GoFundMe page
has been set up for Colon’s fam
ily.
As of late Tuesday evening,
$7,165 of a $10,000 goal had
been raised and more than 100
messages of sympathy and sup
port for the family had been
posted.
“Words cannot express the
empathetic pain I feel for your
family’s tragic loss. My constant
prayers go out to you,’’ one mes
sage read.
To access the page, go to
www.gofundme.com/sup-
port-for-the-colon-family.
STEAM Showcase
BARROW COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM HOLDS SECOND ANNUAL EVENT
Slightly more than 200 students from all age ranges participated in the second STEAM
Showcase May 4 at the Center for Innovative Teaching. The event attracted 44 teams from
all the schools except one. Bethlehem Elementary School had its honors night ceremony
the same evening, Lee Bane, STEAM coordinator, said. Top, Steven Griffing, the engi
neering teacher at Sims Academy of Innovation and Technology, talks about the school’s
“electrathon” car with a group of students. Bane said this year’s car was “designed and
100 percent hand manufactured” by students. The front wing of 13 classrooms and the hall
in front of the media center were sites for exhibitions. Projects ranged from “aquaponics at
Sims” to “procedurally generated side-scroller videogame” to “stop - American history in
motion” to “real-world water filtration solutions.”
DISCUSSING THE PROJECT
Samantha George talks about the Westside
Green Team projects.
CONFERRING
Students participate in the Barrow County
School System’s STEAM Showcase May 4.
DEMONSTRATES
A student demonstrates his project during
the Barrow County School System’s second
annual STEAM Showcase on May 4. Slightly
more than 200 students from all age ranges
participated in the showcase at the Center
for Innovative Teaching. The event attract
ed 44 teams from all the schools except for
Bethlehem Elementary School, which had its
honors night ceremony the same evening.
Former
student
charged
in WBHS
burglary
A former Winder-Barrow
High School student was
arrested and charged with
burglary after breaking
into the school early in the
morning of May 10.
According to a Winder
Police Department news
release, officers respond
ed to an alarm call at the
school around 1:15 a.m.
and spotted Jonathon
Tucker Allen, 18, walking
around the gymnasium.
A school administrator
arrived at the school and
officers reviewed video
surveillance footage, which
showed Allen entering the
building, walking around
the school and taking var
ious items.
Allen was transported to
the Barrow County Deten
tion Center and charged
with burglary, theft by tak
ing, criminal trespass, pos
session of tools used in the
commission of a crime and
loitering and prowling.
Statham City
Council meets
Subdivision
work to
start near
middle
school
By Ron Bridg'eman
News-Journal Reporter
Development of a new
subdivision across Jeffer
son Street from Bear Creek
Middle School is expected
to begin this summer in
Statham.
Developers talked about
the plans for the subdivi
sion at last week’s work
session and Tuesday night’s
council meeting.
Council met for just
more than 30 minutes and
announced an executive
session for personnel that
lasted three minutes.
The property is about 51
See Council on Page 2A