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StarNews
CARROLL COUNTY, GEORGIA'S ONLY LOCALLY OWNED / LOCALLY OPERATED NEWSPAPER
Mayor of Villa Rica candidate Leslie McPherson - seepage 11
Carrollton City Councilman Jim Watters - see page 23
Restaurant/Hotel Inspections - page 28 Marriage Licenses - page 29
A FREE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER IS VITAL TO A FREE CODNTRY StarNews monthly traditional print/StarNews Online daily local news I
OCTOBER 15, 2023 • VOLUME 29 NUMBER 10
www.starnewsgaonline.com
Nursing home spilling raw sewage into Buck Creek: 13,000 gallons a day
Buck Creek watershed drainage area is 32.4 sq. mi./ Buck Creek flows into Little Tallapoosa River
EPD alerted twice by Carroll County Department of Environmental Health (CCDEH): EPD goes to wrong
nursing home; then cancels inspection of correct nursing home; finally dogged by CCDEH into visiting site
Raw sewage continues to flow into open well in Buck Creek watershed/Tallapoosa River System is only home to rare fish “Tallapoosa Darter”
story by Sue Horn
Acting on a tip from a close source and utilizing
the Georgia Open Records Act (O.C.G.A.§50-18-
70), StarNews obtained information, photographs,
and videoes from Carroll County government and
state revealing a long time ongoing large environ
mental spill in Carroll County discovered this past
April by an employee of the Carroll County
Department of Environmental Health (CCDEH).
Records show that the Georgia EPD was repeat
edly informed of the spill and had to be dogged by
a CCDEH employee into finally visiting the site.
EPD has not, as of press time, fulfilled their obliga
tion to stop this egregious ongoing contamination
in Carroll County. Since this site is strictly under
EPD jurisdiction to inspect/monitor, serious ques
tions need answers: When was the last EPD
inspection? Did it pass? If the site failed inspection,
why has the spill not been stopped?
Carrollton Nursing and Rehabiliation facility,
built in 1986, is spilling (through flushing/draining)
an estimated 13,000 gallons of raw sewage per day
running through a non-operational onsite treatment
See 13,000 GALS. SEWAGE PER DAY page 8
To view video clips of the
ongoing sewage spill, go to:
www.starnewsgaonline.com
(video clips made September 19, 2023)
The sewage spill has created an
approximate 1/4 acre human waste pond
that is visible on satellite imagery maps
Adult diapers, tampons, and
medical sharps are visible in the trail
of decomposing human waste
• Carrollton Nursing and
Rehabilitation, 2327 Hwy. 27,
Carrollton, has two onsite sewage
treatment systems: one working;
one not operational for decades
• Facility was purchased in 2021
from GREAT OAKS NURSING
HOMES who owned/operated
for 26 years (1995-2021)
Carrollton Councilman Jim Watters hosts Town Hall Meetings
On the campaign trail for
re-election is Carrollton
Councilman Jim Watters,
shown above left at one of
his eight Town Hall
J Meetings. Joining Watters
| at Oak Mountain Golf
Clubhouse, Carrollton, are
volunteers Amber Nixon,
Laura Carter, and Landon
Moss. The municipal
election is November 7th.
Photo by Sue Horn
Carrollton Mayoral Race - Election November 7th -Early Voting begins October 16th
Carrollton Incumbent Mayor Betty B. Cason
challenged by past mayor Walt Hollingsworth
Mayor Cason
story by Wayne Reynolds
Betty B. Cason began
serving her first term as
Mayor of Carrollton in
2020 and is now running
for reelection for her
second term. She is the
first female mayor of the
106 year old city.
“I enjoy the involve
ment with citizens,
speaking to civic clubs,
and with staff. Many of the statewide organiza
tions I am now part of allows us to bring new
things and ideas to Carrollton,” Mayor Cason
said. “I have been in public service for 40
years, first working for the City of Bowdon,
then 22 years as a probate judge, and now for
over three and a half years as mayor.
“People ask me all the time: is the job of
mayor full time? For me, it is! From visiting
with and speaking to the clubs, organizations,
and other cities, and, most importantly, being
See INCUMBENT MAYOR CASON page 6
Hollingsworth
story by Wayne Reynolds
Past City of Carrollton
mayor Walt Hollingsworth
has decided he would like
to have that job again,
and is mnning for the
position to be decided in
the November 7th elec
tion. “I had so many peo
ple approach me about
mnning again, that in late
July I decided to run
again,” Hollingworth explained. “Since I left
office in 2020, many local residents called me
and asked how to handle a question or con
cern in dealing with city hall. They weren’t
complaints, but more so on how to navigate
city government, which I could help with. I
have stayed involved.” Hollingsworth served
as mayor from 2016 to 2020. He is the lone
challenger to Incumbent Betty B. Cason.
Hollingsworth is a lifetime resident of
Carrollton. He shared that he was diagnosed
See CHALLENGER HOLLINGSWORTH page 15
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