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SEPTEMBER 10, 2023 • VOLUME 29 NUMBER 9
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Carroll County school
board member Clayton
Kierbow died August 27
after battle with cancer
Clayton Kierbow, age 47, Carroll
County School System Board of
Education member,
died August 27, 2023.
Kierbow, Whitesburg
resident, represented
District 4 since 2017.
“We are so grateful
for the wonderful
work Mr. Clayton
Kierbow did in his six
years on the school Kieibow
board,” said board chair Bryant Turner.
See CLAYTON KIERBOW page 27
County school board votes to lower millage rate
aware that state funds will decrease accordingly
State automatically decreases monies to schools when local property values increase
Dr. Bernice Brooks: “ inflation is driving citizens out of their homes - if SPLOST were to go away, what would we do?
story by Janice Daniel and Sue Horn
The Carroll County School System’s
Board of Education voted to lower the 2023-
2024 millage rate to 17.0 mils from 17.5 mils
at its August 21, 2023 board meeting. This
millage rate decrease is the fifth millage rate
decrease for Carroll County taxpayers since
2011 when the rate was 19.6 mils.
Board Chairman Bryant Turner put this
millage reduction into a financial perspective
explaining what that means for the board as
they face expenses going forward: the state
decreases its monies to schools systems as
local property values increase.
Chairman Turner said, “It is impor
tant for taxpayers to know that the
state reduces the funding to Carroll
County Schools when the tax digest
increases [which occurred the past
two years in Carroll County with the
steep across-the-board property
appraisal increases], so we will be
seeing a decrease in state funding
over the next two years. The state
See REDUCED TAX page 13
Tanner Medical Foundation appoints
new members to Board of Trustees
‘The property tax
increase will
be devastating
for low to modest
income families, ”
Jennifer Shunn,
Director of Habitat
for Humanity
“Protect Student Health Georgia”: protecting the innocence of children
in public schools and keeping them free from harmful indoctrination
Noelle Kahaian, president/co-founder of Protect Student Health
Georgia, and paralegal for the Child & Parental Rights Campaign
was featured speaker at the recent Guardians of Liberty meeting.
PROTECT STUDENT
HEALTH GEORGIA
We inform & mobilize
parents and community
members
We advocate for
transparency for parents,
students & teachers
We promote child protective
& parental rights legislation
We educate on issues like
CSE, CRT, SEL, SOGI and
obscene materials
Statewide coalition of concerned
parents and citizens formed to protect
the fundamental rights of parents to
direct the education of their children
story and photos by Wayne J. Reynolds
On Tuesday evening, August 22, 2023,
The Guardians of Liberty held their monthly
meeting with approximately 35 in attendance
at Uncorked on Main, downtown Villa Rica.
This non-politically aligned and informal
group has the goal to educate the public on
local government
through a variety
of speakers, includ
ing elected offi
cials, candidates,
attorneys, and spe
cial groups of all
kinds. Talks are
informal and usu
ally involve ques
tion and answer periods.
Tuesday’s agenda included several points
of interest: candidates for the upcoming
November 7th General/Special Election, and
the featured speaker Noelle Kahaian, presi-
See GUARDIANS of LIBERTY page 4
Noelle Kahaian
opened her talk
with the clear and
straightforward
statement, “I do
not support
transgenderism.”
from press release
The Tanner Medical Foundation has
appointed three new members to its Board of
Tmstees: Anil A. Dhople, MD, board-certi
fied radiation oncologist at Tanner Radiation
Oncology; Mandy Baeumel, senior vice
president of people and culture, for the
Southwire Company; and Julie Parrish, real
tor with Metro West Realty.
The Tanner Medical Foundation Board of
Tmstees is made up of community and busi
ness leaders across the region who are work
together at enhancing healthcare access and
services. The Tanner Medical Foundation is a
non-profit organization supporting the serv
ices of Tanner Health System through the
community’s philanthropic efforts.
“Each of our tmstees brings with them
their own unique skills and areas of exper
tise, I am excited to see how our new mem
bers will leverage their strengths and passion
to help forward our mission and goals,” said
Nichole Fannin, executive director for
Tanner Medical Foundation.
Dhople earned his medical degree from
the University of Florida College of
Medicine in Gainesville, completed his
internship in internal medicine at the
University of Maryland School of Medicine
in Baltimore and worked residencies in
See TANNER NEW TRUSTEES page 17
Julie Parrish
Anil Dhople
MD
Mandy
Baeumel
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Public support sought to build first
“All Ages & Abilities Accessible Park”
in Carrollton’s Hobbs Farm Park
When completed, this will be the only park in the State of Georgia that
is fully and completely accessible to all persons of all ages and abilities
“AAA Park” will meet seven principles of “Inclusive Playground” design qualifying
as national demonstration site and will be listed on National Registry of Parks
story by Wayne J. Reynolds
Connie McNiel had a vision, and more importantly, a fierce unwavering deter
mination to see that Carroll County citizens could have a recreational park that
was completely accessible for people of all ages with all disabihties.
“I moved to this area just before the pandemic and found there were no parks
that were completely accessible,” Connie said. “Safari Park in Carrollton, for
example, had only one access ramp in the entire playground. So, once you enter
the playground structure, there is no exit for someone in a wheelchair if another
mobility device is entering via that ramp.
“I worked with Make a Wish for over 20 years plus I have a grandchild with a
disability, so I know what a stmggle it can be tor them. So I decided to explore
See CONNIE MCNIEL page 10
Connie McNiel