Newspaper Page Text
16 Pages, 2 Sections, Plus Preprints A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. Winder, Barrow County, Georgia $1.00 Copy Wednesday, September 29, 2021
COVTD-19 UPDATE
County
death toll
moves up
to 171
The Georgia Department
of Public Health in the
past week added four more
C0VID-19-related deaths
to Barrow County's tally,
bringing the total of deaths
among county residents
since the start of the corona-
virus pandemic to 171, with
five additional “probable”
deaths due to the disease.
It's not clear when each of
the deaths occurred, as the
state has frequently noted
a delay of up to two weeks
in reporting and confirm
ing deaths. As of Tuesday
afternoon, Sept. 28, 22,228
COVID deaths had been
confirmed across the state,
and the national death toll
stood at just under 692,000.
The latest death totals
come as Georgia and Bar-
row County have continued
to see a recent dip in cases
from the latest peak in early
September. The state con
firmed another 35 cases in
the county Tuesday with a
seven-day rolling average
of 34.6. Area hospitaliza
tions also continued to de
cline, with Northeast Geor
gia Health System reporting
219 confirmed-positive pa
tients across its facilities as
of Tuesday afternoon. That
number included 13 pa
tients at Northeast Georgia
Medical Center Barrow in
Winder and 57 at NGMC
Braselton.
Barrow’s rate of ful
ly-vaccinated residents
ticked up slightly in the past
week to 38%, while 43%
have received at least one
dose. Those numbers still
trail the statewide figures
of 47% fully vaccinated and
54% with at least one dose.
The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
(CDC) and the Advisory
Committee for Immuniza
tion Practices (ACIP) are
recommending COVID
vaccine booster shots for
See COVID, page 2A
Index:
Public safety 5A
Lifestyle columns 8B
Classifieds 4B
Legals 5-7B
Obituaries 6-7A
Opinion 4A
Sports 1-3B
County plans to extend EMS transitional budget
Hospital system still
hiring paramedics
By Scott Thompson
sthompson@barrownewsjournal.com
Barrow County plans to extend its transitional
EMS budget another three months through the
end of the calendar year as Northeast Georgia
Health System continues work on hiring em
ployees to take over ambulance transport ser
vices within the county.
During its work session Tuesday, Sept. 28, the
county board of commissioners agreed to move
the extension to the consent agenda for its Oct.
12 voting session and is set to approve roughly
$158,000 out of contingency funds to fully fund
the EMS department budget through December.
The BOC in July reached an agreement to out
source ambulance services to NGHS and its af
filiate, Northeast Georgia Physicians Group — a
move several years in the making that stemmed
from discussion between county officials and
commissioners that the county was having more
difficulty fully staffing all of its ambulance
needs amid both a continuously growing pop
ulation in Barrow and a nationwide struggle by
local governments to hire paramedics.
Two weeks before that agreement was ap
proved, the BOC approved a three-month tran
sitional budget that was slated to extend through
this month while NGHS got its staffing in place
to take over the ambulances. That process has
taken longer than expected, Barrow County
Emergency Services deputy chief Heath Wil
liams said, though he added that health system
officials had assured him they would not need
any longer than the end of the year to fully take
over operations.
Under the outsourcing agreement, NGHS/
NGPG will staff four 24-hour ambulances and
two 12-hour ambulances, which will be housed
at BCES fire stations with the exception of the
unit that is already stationed at Northeast Geor
gia Medical Center Barrow. The county will re
tain the EMS zone license.
ELECTION 2021
VOTE
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Voter registration deadline Monday
Those wishing to vote in the 2021
municipal elections in Barrow Coun
ty or on the countywide SPLOST ref
erendum must be registered to vote
by Monday, Oct. 4.
Elections are being held Nov. 2 for
city council seats in Winder, Auburn
and Statham.
In Winder, Ward 1 incumbent Son
ny Morris is facing challenges from
Matthew Redfern, Melissa Baugh-
cum and Yvonne Greenway. Ward 3
incumbent Jimmy Terrell is opposed
by Danny Darby, and at-large coun
cilman Chris Akins is being chal
lenged by Stephanie Britt, Jerry Mar
tin and Beth Speights.
In Auburn, incumbent councilmen
Bill Ackworth and Robert Vogel III
and challenger Taylor Sisk are vying
for the two open seats. In Statham,
Parker Elrod, Debi Krause, Lee Pat
terson, Scott Penn, Janel Piper and
Barnard Sims are vying for three
open council seats. Incumbents Betty
Lyle, Dwight McCormic and Tammy
Crawley opted not to seek re-elec
tion. Ethan Breazzano, who qualified
to run, has withdrawn from the race,
saying in a statement that he was
informed by his employer that his
candidacy presented a “conflict of
interest" with his employment with
a law enforcement agency in another
county.
Voters in each municipality, as well
as those in other municipalities with
out an election and in the unincorpo
rated areas of the county, will also
be able to vote on the SPLOST 2023
referendum, where they’ll be asked
to continue, for another six years, the
county wide 1-cent special-purpose
local-option sales tax that helps fund
various capital-improvement projects
around the county. SPLOST 2023
collections would begin as soon as
SPLOST 2018 collections hit their
limit.
Voters can register to vote or check
their registration status at registerto-
vote.sos.ga.gov.
Absentee ballot applications are
now being accepted through 4 p.m.
Oct. 22. You can contact the county
elections office at 770-307-3110 to
obtain an application. Ballots must
be returned to the elections office no
later than 7 p.m. on Nov. 2.
All advanced voting will take place
at the county elections office, 233
East Broad St., Winder. Dates and
times are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 12-16,
Oct. 18-23 and Oct. 25-29. Election
day polling hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Auburn voters will vote at Hmong
New Hope Alliance Church, 1622
Union Grove Church Rd. Statham
voters will vote at Barrow County
Emergency Services Fire Station 1,
1625 Bethlehem Rd. Winder voters
and all others will vote at their coun
ty precinct. Your precinct location
can be found on the Georgia Secre
tary of State’s My Voter Page at mvp.
sos.ga.gov.
Authorities seek help
locating missing teens
As of Tuesday morning,
Sept. 28, authorities in Bar-
row and Oconee counties
were still seeking the pub
lic’s help in locating a pair
of teenagers, described as
runaways, who have been
reported missing since Sept.
18.
According to authorities,
James Ethan Dutton, 17, of
Winder, is believed to have
left the area with his girl
friend, 17-year-old Olivia
Warren of Oconee County,
on their own accord in a
blue 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
on Sept. 18. The two had
last been seen together that
evening.
Dutton is a white. 5 feet,
11 inches tall, 150 pounds,
with brown hair and blue
eyes and was last seen wear
ing gray sweat pants and a
sweatshirt. Warren is white,
5 feet, 2 inches tall, 110
pounds, with brown hair and
“greenish-blue” eyes.
Anyone with informa
tion on their whereabouts
is asked to contact Detec
tive Andrew Still with the
Winder Police Department
Dutton
Warren
at 770-867-2156 or Andrew.
still@cityofwinder.com. or
Investigator Golden Sand
ers with the Oconee Coun
ty Sheriff’s Office at 706-
769-3945 or gsanders@
oconeesheriff.org.
Winder man killed after
being hit by car in Athens
Athens-Clarke County police on Tuesday, Sept. 28, were
still investigating the death of a Winder man who was hit
by a car early Monday, Sept. 27, while walking in a road
way.
According to police, John Joseph Walling. 32, was killed
at 12:09 a.m. Monday when he was hit by a Honda Civ
ic near the intersection of Jefferson and Oak Grove roads.
Police said Walling was walking north in the middle of the
right-hand, southbound lane when he was hit, according to
a report from the Athens Banner Herald. The driver of the
car, a 29-year-old Hull man, and his 28-year-old passenger
both received minor injuries, according to a police report.
No charges had been filed as of Tuesday morning, but
the crash remained under investigation, the newspaper re
ported.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact
Officer Zachary Compton at 762-400-7377.
MAILING LABEL
Leftover Pets to provide free vaccines through national initiative
Barrow County-based nonprofit
Leftover Pets, Inc. will provide free
vaccinations for area pets through
a national initiative, leaders have
announced. The vaccines are made
possible through Petco Love’s new
initiative, which is providing 1 mil
lion free pet vaccines to its existing
animal welfare partners, including
Leftover Pets, for families in need,
according to a news release.
Parvovirus and distemper in dogs,
and panleukopenia in cats, are some
of the most prevalent deadly diseas
es impacting pets that are prevent
able with a simple vaccine, leaders
said. An estimated 30% of pet par
ents do not take their pet to a vet
erinarian annually for preventative
care, according to the release, and
the goal of the initiative is to “make
pet vaccines free and accessible in
an effort to ensure the health and
wellness of our beloved pets.”
Leftover Pets aims to vaccinate
400 pets through the effort, leaders
said. Vaccinations will be available
on a first-come, first-served basis,
and the organization is offering
them as part of its spay/neuter pack
age through Nov. 30, while supplies
last.
Vaccines distributed through the
Petco Love initiative will be the
DAPPv Canine and HCP Feline
vaccines. Leftover Pets, Inc. always
provides a rabies vaccination at no
charge with spay/neuter for any dog
or cat 12 weeks of age or older. Mi
crochip with free lifetime registra
tion is available at the time of spay/
neuter for $15.
“Thanks to Petco Love, we can
offer these important vaccines at
no cost to pet owners,” said Susan
Thompson, co-founder and chief ad
ministrative officer of Leftover Pets.
See Pets, page 2A
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