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CARROLL COUNTY, GEORGIA'S ONLY LOCALLY OWNED / LOCALLY OPERATED NEWSPAPER
NEWS REPORTING / NEWS RECAP / NEWS ANALYSIS
APRIL 11, 2021 • VOLUME 27 NUMBER 4
StarNewS monthly traditional print publication /StarNewS Online daily local news
www.starnewsgaonline.com
Carroll County Mental
Health Advocates ask
the public to help be
their “missing link”
by Janice Daniel
The Carroll County Mental Health
Advocates will be hosting their 2nd
annual community event “Miles for
Mental Health - Running Over the
Hurdles Together” 5K and 1-mile Fun
Run on Saturday, May 15th, 2021, at
the Greenbelt at Hobbs Farm, 1147
Rome Street, Carrollton, Georgia.
Registration begins at 2:00 pm, Fun
Run begins at 3:00 pm, and 5K Run
begins at 4:00 pm. Proceeds will bene
fit the Carroll County Mental Health
Advocate programs. Additional infor
mation can be obtained at the Carroll
County Mental Health Advocates
office at 306A Bradley Street,
Carrollton, Georgia 30117, phone 770-
830-2048.
The story of the CCMHA is one of
tme commitment to their mission. In
2008, then Carroll County Probate
Court Judge, Betty Cason (now Mayor
of Carrollton) brought together a
group of concerned citizens for a con-
See FUNDRAISER page 7
Georgia Labor Department
issued more in
unemployment payments
in last 12 months than
prior 82 years
1911-2019: $20,024 Billion paid
2020 alone: $20,218 Billion paid
from press release
The Georgia Department of Labor
(GDOL) recently surpassed a major
milestone in the organization paying
claimants more in the past 12 months
than in all of the combined years that
GDOL has been in existence.
Georgians have received S20.218 bil
lion in unemployment insurance (UI)
See $20.218 BILLION page 27
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WGTC announces
new president
Dr. Julie Post will begin job April 16th
LOFCR: Local Option Face Covering Requirement
Governor removes mask mandate, eliminates ban on large gatherings, reduces social
distancing to 42 inches in some cases, moves mask wearing decision to the local levels
Effective for time frame of April 1st through April 30th
from press release
Dr. Julie Post, Vice President of Student Affairs
at Gwinnett Technical College, has been selected
at the next president of West Georgia Technical
College (WGTC), as announced by Technical
College System of Georgia Commissioner Greg
Dozier. She will begin her duties at West Georgia
Tech April 16,2021. Pat Hannon has been interim
president of West Georgia Tech since Dr. Scott
Rule retired as President December 31, 2020.
See WGTC NEW PRESIDENT page 8
by Sue Horn
On Thursday, April 1, 2021, Governor Brian
Kemp signed three executive orders, of which
one (temporarily) eliminates the year long CoVid
large gatherings ban and any remaining
sheltering-in-place for the time period April 8th
though April 30th. And although the mask wear
ing requirement has been (temporarily) elimi
nated at the state level, it was moved to a local
level decision. Specifically, for the time period
April 1-30, 2021, the mask mandate has been
eliminated (but “strongly encouraged” by the
governor) and replaced with a Local Option Face
Covering Requirement (LOFCR) giving a city,
county, or other government entity the authority
to continue to impose the requirement of wearing
a mask “when not able to maintain Social
Distancing from non-cohabitating persons”.
Social distancing has been reduced from 6 feet
to 3.5 feet (42 inches) of separation between
seating/parties at restaurants, bars, and movie
See LOCAL OPTION FACE COVERING page 5
Life going forward, and out of the pandemic
As pandemic restrictions have eased (3.5 feet now for some
social distancing/mask use encouraged but not mandated), civic
clubs are returning to more normal functioning, including the
Carrollton Kiwanis Club who recently hosted Carroll County’s
fire chief Tim Padgett. See story page 6. Photo by Sue Horn
MAY 15, 2021 • HOBBS FARM
PROCEEDS BENEFIT CARROLL COUNTY MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATES
"•5* FOB MENTAL HEALTH
ANNUAL 5K RUK/WALK AND FUN RUN
MEMORY WALK / FUN RUN @ 3PM • 5K RACE @ 4PM
A scant 0.039% of Carroll County voters
participated in SPLOST Referendum
bv Sue Horn
The March 16, 2021 Carroll
County SPLOST (Special Purpose
Local Option Sales Tax) passed by
an 81% margin with only 3,368
citizens participating. Of those,
See 0.039% VOTED page 19
County commission approves
amendment increasing spending by
$191,433 to match extra revenue
by Sue Horn absent) to increase the budget by
At the 3:00 p.m. Thursday, April $191,433 to match increased reve-
1, 2021 Special Called Meeting of nues. Three categories received the
the Carroll County Board of bulk of the cash: $53,000 has been
Commissioners, an amendment was assigned to increased “salaries”;
passed 6-0 (one commissioner was See $191,433 page 11
85,888
Number of Carroll County citizens
voted in the Nov. 2020 Election
3,368
Number of Carroll County citizens
who voted in the March 2021
SPLOST Referendum
CoVID-19 statistics for Georgia and Carroll County
one year: March 23, 2020-April 5, 2021
GEORGIA
As of APRIL 5, 2021:
856,340 total confirmed cases
16,749 total deaths
Estimated state population: 10.6M
Death total represents
0.00158% of population
CARROLL COUNTY
As of APRIL 5, 2021:
7,271 total confirmed cases
129 total deaths
Estimated county population: 122,000
Death total represents
0.001% of population
Source: Georgia Department of Public Health dph. georgia.gov/covid-19
EARLY BIRD RATE
UNTIL MAY 1ST
REGISTRATION RATE
MAY 1ST - MAY 14TH
1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place
Medals to be Awarded
PACKET PICK UP
FRIDAY, 5/1410AM-2PM
306 BRADLEY STREET
$10 12 AND UNDER
Food Trucks, Live
Entertainment, and Family
Fun Following the Race!
