Newspaper Page Text
32 Pages, 3 Sections, Plus Preprints A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. Winder, Barrow County, Georgia 50« Copy Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Barrow
Briefs
SHEPHERD’S MEN RUN
The Shepherd’s Men fifth
annual run in support of SHARE
begins in Chicago, and concludes
at The Shepherd Center in Atlan
ta this year as team members will
carry a 22-pound rucksack and
run 22 kilometers per day.
They will make a stop at
American Legion Post 163 in
Statham on Sunday, May 27, at
1:22 p.m. for an afternoon of
meet and greet, food, vendors,
games, raffles, silent auctions,
etc. to bring awareness to the 22
veteran suicides a day and what
communities can do to help.
The American Legion post is
located at 1633 Atlanta Hwy. SE.
MEMORIAL DAY
EVENTS SET
The local Veterans of Foreign
Wars Post 1187 will be putting
out 240 American flags in Rose
Hill Cemetery on Saturday,
May 26, beginning between
7:30-8 a.m.
Volunteers from the commu
nity, including Boy Scouts and
other groups, are welcome to
come to Rose Hill and assist in
putting out the flags for Memo
rial Day weekend.
On Monday, May 28, the
VFW. which will mark its 71st
anniversary in August, will
host a Memorial Day program
beginning at 9 a.m. at the cem
etery. Barrow County Sheriff
Jud Smith will be the featured
speaker.
For more information, con
tact Post Commander Rick Eth-
eredge at 404-427-4573.
SQUARE DANCE CLASSES
Jug Tavern Squares, Winder’s
Square Dance Club, will host
square dance classes for begin
ner dancers at the YMCA at 50
Brad Akins Dr. Winder, on Sun
days from 2-5 p.m. beginning
June 3. No YMCA membership
or partner is required.
Contact the club vice presi
dent Corrine Potts at 404-519-
6078 for more information or
go to www.jugtavernsquares.
org.
FOOTHILLS
ENROLLMENT
OPENS NEXT WEEK
Students who are interested
in attending Foothills Educa
tion Charter High School may
pre-enroll online at www.foot-
hillscharter.org, or in person at
See Briefs on Page 2A
Index:
Public Safety
7-8 A
Opinion
4-6A
School news
10, 12A
Church News
3C
Classifieds
4-5C
Legals
7-11C
Obituaries
11A
Sports
1-6B
Mailing
Label Below
BOC incumbents win primary
Referendum on consolidation study fails overwhelmingly
By Scott Thompson
News-Journal Editor
The three Barrow County
commissioners up for re-elec
tion this year fended off Repub
lican primary challenges Tues
day by convincing margins.
District 4 commissioner Isaiah
Berry defeated challenger Derek
Cox, 427-257. garnering 62.4
percent of the vote. In District 5,
commissioner Billy Parks won
over challenger Debbie Reid
with 71.1 percent of the vote
(652-265), while in District 6,
commissioner Ben Hendrix held
off challenger Deborah Lynn
BERRY
with 58.8 percent of the vote
(596-418), according to unof
ficial results which the county
board of elections will certify
later this week.
The commissioners are virtual
locks for re-election in Novem-
PARKS
her as they won’t face any Dem
ocratic opposition.
“Obviously I’m elated and I
want to thank the people of
(District 4) for having enough
faith and belief in me,” said
Berry, who has been on the
HENDRIX
board of commissioners since
2005 and appears set to begin
his fourth full term in January,
over the phone Tuesday night.
“I’m just tickled pink that they
thought enough of me to vote
See Primary on Page 2A
BCA seniors graduate
HATS OFF!
Thirty-six students graduated Saturday from Bethlehem Christian Academy during a
ceremony at Bethlehem Church. Jeremy Ryan Bernius is the class of 2018 valedictorian.
Catherine Grace Doolittle is the salutatorian. Above: Graduates toss their hats in the air in
celebration after BCA headmaster Rhonda Whiting closed the ceremony with a prayer. See
more photos from the BCA graduation, as well as photos from this week’s ceremonies at
Winder-Barrow and Apalachee high schools, in next week’s edition.
Photos by Scott Thompson
FINAL WORDS
BCA headmaster Rhonda Whiting shared some final words with each of the graduates while
she conducted the customary servant leadership hand-washing ceremony.
Man dies
in Winder
house fire
A Winder man died Tues
day morning in a house fire
in the Hampton Hills subdi
vision.
Winder fire chief Matt
Whiting said firefighters were
dispatched to 126 Ashwood
Dr. just before 7:30 a.m. and
found the house on fire.
Rick Holst, 51, was found
dead in the home. Whiting and
Winder police chief Jim Ful-
lington said the cause of the
fire remains under investiga
tion by the state fire marshal’s
office but that the fire did not
appear suspicious and there
was no indication of foul play.
A final report from the fire
marshal’s office is expected
in the next couple of weeks.
Whiting said.
City hit by
cyber-attack
The City of Winder has
been hit by a cyber-attack that
is impacting the city’s com
puter and email servers.
The point of entry was
unknown and the U.S. Secret
Service was still investigat
ing the source of the vims
Tuesday night. A ransom of
one bitcoin per server has
been demanded, translating
to about $320,000, according
to a city spokesperson, who
added the vims is a brand-
new one.
According to a message
on the city’s website, emails
which have been sent to any
city employee this week
may not have been received,
including open-records
requests and customer ser
vice, municipal court and city
hall inquiries.
Emergency services are still
functional and citizens are still
able to pay bills online.
o
BOC approves car wash-anchored development
By Scott Thompson
News-Journal Editor
After tabling the item at its
last meeting, the Barrow County
Board of Commissioners voted
unanimously Tuesday night to
approve a request by Caliber
Capital, LLC, of Atlanta, for a
special use on an acre of land
at 558 Carl-Bethlehem Road at
Highway 81 to allow for a car
wash in the Highway Corridor
Overlay district.
The proposed development
next to Applebee’s would
include an express car wash,
two fast-food restaurants and
a gas station/convenience store.
Following recommendations
to deny the request by county
planning staff and the county
planning commission, the BOC
voted May 9 to table the item
over concerns about the lack
of architectural and landscaping
details submitted and the car
wash’s suitability to the high
way overlay district.
Eric Brown of Caliber Capital
appeared to quell most of those
concerns Tuesday as he present
ed the board with a rendering of
the future car wash, noting that
the latest plans move the car
wash closer to the Applebee’s
and position the “more mod
ern-looking” building in a way
where garbage cans could not
be seen from the road. Brown
reiterated statistics projecting
that the total development would
likely employ around 85 people,
including 10 at the car wash, and
could generate over $97,000 in
annual tax revenue for the coun
ty and school system while not
placing an additional burden on
the school system.
“Based on what we’re hearing,
I feel like (the car wash) would
be very appropriate in that area
and I think it’d be good,” com
missioner Ben Hendrix said.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business Tuesday,
commissioners:
•approved a memorandum
of agreement for right of way
with the Georgia Department of
Transportation for the replace
ment of the Bailey Bridge on Old
Thompson Mill Road over the
Little Mulberry River. The work
will include the replacement of
the 52-year-old, wooden, one-
lane bridge with a two-lane con
crete bridge. GDOT will provide
100 percent of the preliminary
engineering and construction
costs and half of the right-of-
See Meeting on Page 2A
