About The Sylvania times. (Sylvania, Ga.) 2022-current | View Entire Issue (July 13, 2022)
Screven County MIDDLE SCHOOL Supply List page 7 County Commissioner faces day in court Allison Willis strikes pregnant daughter Joe Brady Editor According to reports filed at the Screven County Sheriff’s Office, on July 6, the 19-year- old daughter of County Commissioner Allison Willis, Samantha Lee, reported to the authorities of an assault she received at the hands of her mother. Lee explained to deputies that what started as a verbal argument quickly escalated into a physical altercation over whether a minor child should be babysitting children under the age of 1 year old. According to Lee, Commissioner Willis began hitting her in the head and pulling her hair out. “When I told her I was going to call the cops. Mom began yelling that nobody was calling the {expletive} cops on her. Lee had just found out she was 11 weeks pregnant the day before this altercation. This is not the first incident at the Willis home. On April 8, 2022, Screven County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to the residence and arrested Samantha Lee for possession of a Schedule 2 Controlled Substance, and possession of a prescription drug without a label. Commissioner Willis had reported her daughter after discovering what appeared to be adderall, without a prescription in her daughter’s possession. This incident was reported in the April 13 th edition of The Sylvania Times. Sheriff’s reports dated Monday, July 11, 2022, and obtained by The Sylvania Times further states that at “6 p.m., on July 6, Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the Optim Medical Center-Screven Emergency Department in reference to the assault. Upon arrival deputies met with Lee and took her statement. “I’m pregnant with Allison’s grandchild and she never should have put her hands on me,” Samantha explained. “How can I trust her to not hurt her grandchild? Physical abuse by Allison has been going on my whole life. I just feel sorry for my siblings.” The case was turned over to an investigator and a statement was released Monday afternoon, July 11 by Sheriff Mike Kile, “The case has been turned over to the magistrate court to schedule a hearing on the matter.” “It is time to shed the light on Mom. I hope she can admit she was wrong and get some help for my siblings’ sake. If this had to happen for my family to get help, then I’m glad it did {happen},” Samantha says. The Sylvania Times reached out to Commissioner Willis but as of press time, no response had been received, (photo contributed) Screven County Library Temporarily Moves Sarah Saxon Reporter In the June 29 edition of The Sylvania Times, it was reported that the city was replacing a fuse at the transformer behind the library when the transformer blew up, causing the library to be in the dark. Since then, the library has operated until noon each day and held the summer reading programs at the Cail Center. All that changes however on July 13, when the library will temporarily move to Ogeechee Technical College (OTC) Campus, the hours will be Monday - Friday from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. OTC is across the street from the existing library. Patrons will have access to the computer lab, however, there will not be any onsite printing nor copying or faxing. Regional Director of the Screven-Jenkins Regional Library System Kathryn Youles explained, “if someone wants a book, please email scl@sjrls. org or go to the library’s App and give us the book title and/or author and we can pull the book for you and let you know.” The phone number to the library is still unavailable to the public, however; you can still reach them by email. County Manager Lori Burke says “the OTC building is owned by the county, and it makes sense to use that building as it is across from the library. OTC is allowing the library use of the computer lab and several offices.” The Didgeridoo Down Under - the Australian Outback will be held at the Cail Community Center next Tuesday at 10 a.m. Students will return to OTC on July 19. Youles explained, “we will work cohesively to ensure patrons and students can work together at the college.” The Sylvania Times will keep you updated as to when the library will re-open, (photo by Sarah Saxon) Screven gets much needed drought relief from heavy rains Sarah Saxon Reporter If you have driven down either Mims Road or Rocky Ford Road, you have noticed Farm Bureau has had a sign posted that says, “Pray for Rain”. We prayed and He answered. Over the past couple of days, we have seen lots of that liquid stuff that waters our grass, fills our ponds, wells, and keeps all things beautiful. With all the heavy rain, it makes driving conditions very dangerous. If you feel unsafe, pull over and make sure your lights are on so that everyone can see you. According to the NOAA, Screven County is classified as Abnormally Dry, which, in laymen’s terms, the topsoil moisture is decreased, planting is delayed, and the fire risk is elevated. Eight percent of the county is classified as being in moderate drought conditions which translates to crops are vulnerable, soil moisture is low, gardens and lawns require more water, stream and pond levels are lower and tree mortality has begun. Will Boyd, who farms on Poor Robin Road says of the recent downpours, “we are in the driest part of the county and have received approximately 2 inches of rain within the last week.” Over this past week, various areas of the county have gotten anywhere from 2 14 to 3 inches of rain. Jason Mallard, with the UGA Extension Service says” the rain has been very beneficial, and with no rain for several weeks, it’s very bad for all the crops. Of course, we need more rain, because the plants have a water holding capacity that keeps rain in the soil, but once it evaporates the crops begin to wilt.” Mikki Saxon, the Deputy Director of the Screven County EMA reports, the rain amounts at the fire stations around the county have averaged between 1.14 inches to 2.66 inches. The forecast for the rest of this week calls for chances of rain every day. Screven County is currently 3.61 inches below normal from average rainfall. Claxton Poultry President acquitted Mikel Fries acquitted of price-fixing on chicken products Joe Brady Editor Diane Bartz & Keith Coffman Contributors Mikell Fries, president of Claxton Poultry Farms and Scott Brady, vice- president, have been acquitted in a scheme to suppress competition and fix prices, (photo contributed) Three executives who worked for poultry company Pilgrim's Pride and two executives of Claxton Poultry Famis were found not guilty on Thursday of fixing prices in the poultry sector. A court official said on Thursday in an email that the five were acquitted, ending the Justice Department's third attempt to win a conviction. Former Pilgrim’s Pride chief executives William Lovett and Jayson Penn were found not guilty, as well as former Pilgrim's Pride vice president Roger Austin. Mikell Fries, president of Claxton Poultry, and Scott Brady, a Claxton vice president, were also acquitted. The government had originally charged 10 executives with price-fixing but dropped charges against five of them after two mistrials. In 2020, Pilgrim's Pride Corp agreed to pay a $110.5 million fine after striking a plea deal with the Justice Department over price-fixing charges on chicken products. Pilgrim's Pride is mostly owned by Brazilian meatpacker JBS SA. see CLAXTON Prices of chicken wings and breasts, meanwhile, have climbed 38% page 5
