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10117
VOLUME 17 NUMBER 8
SEEPAGE
AUGUST 2011
Eliminated
bidder calls
foul on county
school board
by Carole Scott
Carroll County building con
tractor Paul Cooper says that
his firm’s bid to re-roof the
Carroll County College and
Career Academy was not con
sidered by the Carroll County
School System because the bid
package he was given by them
to fill out and return did not
include all the material they
required, thus he was
disqualified.
Bidders were given a choice
of downloading the required
packet from a website or pick
et COOPER page 27
While nation’s credit ratings
may be lowered, Georgia and
Carroll County’s are up
by Carole Scott plan to deal with its huge deficit
County school system
salaries: a closer look at
where the money is going
In July 2011, the three major
credit reporting agencies warned
that the Federal government’s top
of the scale AAA rating may be
lowered as a result of its lack of a
New health
director for
this region
Haynes was physician
at Tanner’s Immediate
Care Center, Villa Rica
by Sam Gentry
A new health director has been
chosen for District 4 of the Public
See HA YNES page 34
and the enormous debt run up as a
result of this and previous years’
deficits. The good news is that, at
the state and local level, ratings
See RATINGS page 11
by Prissi Sullivan
The Carroll County Board of
Education has been under scrutiny
due to recent budgetary issues.
Specifically, after working and re
working the budget for the
upcoming year, the county found
it necessary to cut employee sala
ries; dip into the fund equity
See SALARIES page 38
County school
board million $$
short; approves
What exactly is the nation’s
debt ceiling; why does it exist? Cowart’s contract
by Carole Scott
The U.S. Senate passed a bill
raising the ceiling on the amount
of money the Federal government
can borrow by $2.4 trillion on
Tuesday, August 2, 2011 that had
been passed only the day before
by the U.S. House of
Representatives. President Barack
Obama signed it into law shortly
after the Senate passed it. The 74-
26 majority in the Senate was,
like the majority vote in the
House, bipartisan. “The Wall
Street Journal” reported that
“Republican lawmakers who
were opposed to the bill said it
See DEBT CEILING page 13
by Sam Gentry
The Carroll County School
Board met at the Board of
Education building, 164
Independence Drive in Carrollton
on July 21, 2011, for a regular
meeting. Among other items was
discussion of the $1.2 million
shortfall in the budget - $2.5 mil-
See SCHOOL BOARD page 26
Awaiting 4th deployment
to the Middle East, James
Michael Butler is killed
by hit and run driver
by Prissi Sullivan
A true hero, in every sense of
the word, was buried in Pelham,
Alabama, on July 22, 2011. CW
(Chief Warrant) 3 James Michael
Butler of Villa Rica was killed
July 15, 2011 by a hit and run
driver at Ft. Hood near Killeen,
Texas. He was awaiting his fourth
deployment to the Middle East.
In addition to family and
friends, his funeral was attended
by representatives of the military,
CW (Chief Warrant) 3 James Michael Butler of Villa Rica was killed by a hit and run driver at the U.S. Federal Air Marshals,
Ft. Hood near Killeen, Texas. He was buried in Pelham, Alabama. Photo by Prissi Sullivan and Villa Rica Masonic Lodge
#72, while the Patriot Guard
Riders stood vigil. Butler was
awarded full military honors,
including a fly over, and Masonic
graveside ceremony.
His father, Jim, grew his hair
every time his son was deployed
and cut it when he returned safely
home. Butler’s wife, Nicole, and
his mother cut Jim’s hair and
placed the locks on the casket. His
son was home for .the last time.
The truest measure of Butler’s
heroism lay in the number of
See BUTLER page 12
