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20 Pages, 2 Sections
A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. Winder, Barrow County, Georgia $1.00 Copy Wednesday, March IS, 2023
Submitted photo
The house explosion
on Hidden Acres Road
early Saturday morning
was caused by multiple
propane tanks inside the
home killed three and
injured four. The incident
was officially listed as an
acccident, according to
BCES.
UPDATE:
House
explosion
in Barrow
County
kills
three,
Insurance and Safe
ty Fire Commissioner
John F. King released an
announcement Tuesday
regarding the house ex
plosion on Hidden Acres
Road over the weekend
that killed three occupants
trapped inside and injured
two more.
Just after midnight Sat
urday, March 11, neigh
bors reported an explo
sion to the Barrow County
911 center.
“As firefighters arrived
quickly, multiple explo
sions were going off in
side the home,” said Bar-
row County Emergency
Services Chief Alan Shu
man, who added that the
home was fully engulfed
in fire and was collapsing.
Several vehicles were also
involved, said Schuman.
Also, upon arrival at
the scene, first respond
ers found four occupants
in the side yard of the
residence. Firefighters
worked with medical per
sonnel from Northeast
Georgia Medical Center
in treating the injured sur
vivors. Two suffered se
vere burns and were trans
ported to Grady Hospital
for treatment and one was
taken by helicopter to an
area hospital.
Additional firefighters
See Fire, page 2A
MAILING LABEL
BASA art students beautify Wimberly Center
Submitted photos
The community is encouraged to attend an art show March 18 at the Wimberly Center from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to view new
art intallments created by Katherine Bransen’s drawing and painting students at Barrow Arts and Sciences Academy.
Bransen’s students built their displays over the course of several months and include an eight-foot welded sunflower for
the community garden, murals designed for the Boys and Girls Club, Wimberly Roots and other nonprofits who call the
Wimberly Center home (pictured above) and much more. The displays were created with a simple goal in mind: Uplift
and inspire others.
Pictured (from left): Nazifa Cultarevic, Dr. Garey “B.J.” Huff, Jr., Dr. Audrey Huff
and Dr. Garey “Butch” Huff, Sr.
The Doctors Huff:
Winder’s favorite family doctors
celebrate 75 years, ready to 75 more
By Morgan Ervin
morgan@barrownewsj ournal. com
For the last 75 years, visiting the fam
ily doctor for many in Barrow County
more than likely meant visiting Dr. Gar
ey (Butch) Huff, Sr., his son, Dr. Garey
(BJ) Huff, Jr., Dr. Huff, Jr.’s, wife, Dr.
Audrey Huff and if you’re old enough,
Dr. Edwin Etheridge - three genera
tions of family physicians who operate
with the motto: “Our family caring for
your family.”
“We focus on caring for the family
unit. We like to see babies all the way
up to elderly folks,” said Dr. Huff, Sr.
Dr. Edwin Etheridge started the fam
ily practice on the second floor of the
Sharpton Opera House in downtown
Winder in 1947.
Dr. Etheridge was born and raised
in Carl, Georgia, and went to the Uni
versity of Georgia. Before starting the
family practice, Dr. Etheridge made
house calls, as many doctors did during
that time. He and his wife, Louise, who
he met in college and who also graduat-
See Huff, page 3A
Credit: Huff/Etheridge Family photo
Dr. Edwin Etheridge and his wife, Lou
ise, passed the medical practice down to
their son-in-law Dr. Garey Huff, Sr.
BOC approves speed
zone camera at
Innovation Campus
An additional Au
tomatic Traffic En
forcement Safety De
vice (ATESD) will be
installed at the Bar-
row Arts and Sciences
Academy school zone
on Austin Road school
zone as part of the
Georgia Department of
Transportation’s update
to the Barrow Coun
ty Speed Zone Ordi
nance, which the Bar-
row County Board of
Commissioners (BOC)
unanimously approved
Feb. 28.
The GDOT update
also moved the West
Winder Bypass from the
on-system section to the
off-system section due
to it not being a state
route. All off-system
routes will not be veri
fied by the GDOT.
According to county
staff, both the school
system and the Sher
iff’s Department have
requested an ATESD at
this location, and is an
ticipated to be the last
school zone that will be
equipped with cameras.
The school zone will
span 0.47 miles begin
ning 1,003 feet south
of State Route 53 and
ending 950 feet north of
See BOC, page 2A
BCSS increases
teacher salaries,
hiring event
set March 18
The Barrow County
School System is hosting
a second teacher job fair
on Saturday, March 18
from 9-11 a.m. at Wind
er Barrow High School.
Complete details are
on the BCSS website:
https://www.barrow.kl2.
ga.us/departments/plan-
ning-personnel/job-fair
BCSS currently has
several open positions
that need to be filled, in
cluding 65 teaching posi
tions, four administrator
positions, eight certified
specialists and a number
of jobs in other areas.
What’s more, the Bar-
row County Board of
Education recently ap
proved a significant pay
increase for teachers
and staff in order to be
more competitive with
surrounding school dis
tricts. The $2,000 salary
increase is pending state
approval as part of the
budget process current
ly underway. If passed,
the proposed raise would
take effect Sept. 1, 2023.
Winder receives multiple awards at Southeast
Festivals & Events Association Conference
The City of Winder re
ceived five awards at the
Southeast Festivals &
Events Association confer
ence. including Best Event
under $75,000 and Best
Poster for its Spooktular
event.
Each year, hundreds of
cities and festivals across
the southeast gather for
the Southeast Festival and
Events Association confer
ence.
The conference provides
continuing education for
city event/festival planners.
The conference ends with
the Kaleidoscope Awards
where these organizations
are recognized for their out
standing festivals from the
previous year.
The City of Winder
walked away with five
awards, including the cov
eted Best Festival Award for
Spooktacular.
Spooktacular's ‘Streets of
Treats’ won third place for
Best Event within an Event
and the city’s Noon Year’s
Eve event won second place
for Best Children’s Event.
“Our 2022 Spooktacular
See Winder, page 2A
Submitted photo
Pictured (from left): Council woman Shannon Hammond, Council womman Kobi
Kilgore, Councilman Travis Singley, Mayor David Maynard, Councilman Sonny
Morris, director of special events Kristin Edwards, Councilwoman Stephanie Brit
and Councilman Jimmy Terrell with the awards Winder received at the Southeast
Festivals & Events Association Conference.
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