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m CARROLL COUNTY, CL Star News CARROLL COUNTY, GEORGIA'S ONLY LOCALLY OWNED LOCALLY OPERATED NEWSPAPER jState of Carroll 2020 ANNUAL SPECIAL on how we are doing as a county and community, including stats on our quality of life in West Georgia PART ONE OF THREE beginning on page 9 NEWS REPORTING / NEWS RECAP / NEWS ANALYSIS www. starnewsgaon line .corn! OCTOBER 11, 2020 • VOLUME 26 NUMBER 10 StarNews monthly traditional print publication /StarNews Online daily local news Solving the ‘Digital Divide’: bringing the internet to more of rural West Georgia and East Alabama Carroll EMC, SyncGlobal, with the help of a $12.5M USDA grant, continue to push forward to bring internet service to cover 125 square miles stoiy and photos by Daniel Jackson In August of 1936, after the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt the prior year, the Carroll Rural Electric Asso ciation was formed in Carroll County (later the Carroll Electric Membership) a novel and innovative organ- that brought - and elec- Tim Martin trie lights - for the CEO first time to vast rural Carroll EMC areas of west Georgia. This life changing modernization was made possible through an initial 117 miles of wire, and a $118,000 loan from the REA. Now, eight decades later, Carroll EMC will, once again, help bring about another life changing modernization to rural residents in West Georgia and East Alabama: bringing the world into homes and business through the Internet. Carroll EMC and SyncGlobal, a telecommunications service provider located in Bremen, along with the assistance of a $12.5M grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will string 125 square miles of fiber cable to bring broadband internet to 7,300 residents, roughly 121 farms, 15 busi nesses, several fire stations, and an elementary school (see map page 2.) Tim Martin, President/CEO of Carroll See SOLVING DIGITAL DIVIDE page 2 November General Election in Carroll County: State Senate District 30 and State Representative District 18 The State Senate Race by Daniel Jackson As both the country and Georgia pre pare for the Tuesday, November 3, 2020 General Election, Georgia’s Senate District 30 will be on the ballot for voters in the counties of Carroll, Douglas and Paulding (this district covers portions in all three counties). The two candidates See STATE SENATE RACE page 4 The State Representative Race by Daniel Jackson When the Georgia House of Representatives, District 18 Representative Kevin Cooke retired this year to make his run for Congress, the race was on to fill his seat. Cooke’s previ ous Democratic challenger Patricia A. Tuesday, November 3, 2020 General Election Early Voting Dates and Locations • Carroll County Elections Office 423 College Street, Carrollton Oct. 12-23: Mon- Fri 8 am - 5 pm Sat. Oct. 24: 9 am - 4 pm Oct. 26-30: Mon -Fri. 8 am-7 pm • Bonner Recreation Gym 226 West Avenue, Carrollton Oct. 12-23: Mon- Fri 8 am - 5 pm Oct. 16-23: Mon- Fri 8 am - 5 pm Oct. 26-30: Mon- Fri 8 am - 6 pm • Powell Park Recreation Center 524 Leslie Drive, Villa Rica Oct. 26-30: Mon- Fri 8 am - 6 pm Rhudy is on the ballot for the November 3,2020 General Election. Rhudy will face Republican Tyler P. Smith, who defeated Cason Hightower (R) gaining 51.3% of the vote to Hightower’s 48.7% in the August 11, 2020 runoff held by the See STATE REP RACE page 5 Update driver’s license now to ensure proper ID for General Election from press release To ensure a smooth process when casting a ballot on November 3rd, now is the time to ensure you have proper photo identification. “Don’t wait until Election Day to realize your driver’s license or identification card is missing,” said DDS Commissioner Spencer R. Moore. “Photo identification is required at the polls, so please secure yours now.” DDS has continued to serve customers at significant rates even during the earliest days of the Pandemic. It took less than two weeks (3/20/2020-3/30/2020) for DDS to reopen with COVID-19 safety precautions after the Emergency Declaration. In addition, DDS remote services have been available online and via the DDS free mobile app continuously 24/7. See UPDATE DRIVER'S LICENSE page 5 Carrollton Mayor Betty Cason: governing during CoVID Betty Cason is the City of Carrollton’s first female mayor photo and story by Sue Horn When former Carroll County probate judge Betty Cason was elected mayor of Carrollton with a strong 60.63% vote win in November 2019, she made history as becoming the first female mayor for the almost one hundred year old city (chartered 1826; incorporated 1829). She took office in January 2020. More history would follow in the spring, as she became the first City of Carrollton mayor to govern during a pandemic. The novel coro- navirus, soon to be dubbed CoVID-19, swept across the country like a steady, unrelenting tsunamic wave. Governors’ hands were forced into declaring sheltering-in-place orders, including the state of Georgia, leaving local officials in charge of enforcements. “We started the year with great plans,” Mayor Cason said, “But, then, CoVID happened.” See MAYOR CASON page 7 The soul of our democracy depends on a leader that will fight for you. I am the clear choice for Georgia's Senate District 30 as I am ready to take a stand f/\r /Mir \A/aet (ionmiq /Ammnnihi VOTE 3 2020 EDWARDS STATE SENATE DISTRICT 30 ^EDWARDSCARES^ © DON’T MISS AN ISSUE! 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