About Upson beacon. (Thomaston, Ga.) 2008-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 2021)
The Upson Beacon Thursday, January 7, 2021 Page 3A The Gordy Files The Debbie McClain Version Sponsored by West Central Georgia Bank Community banking means better banking. GOOD DEEDS... Someone left a basket of goodies at our EMS station... that is wonderful. I applaud our EMS staff for their dedication and hard work under such negative circumstances. The life savers are doing everything they can and giving their best. They are ex tremely short handed. Please remember to be kind and thank them when you see them. If you have an issue or complaint, you need to contact their corporate office, Community Ambulance, at either ourcommunityambu- lance.org or (800) 633-3593. OUR FRONTLINE WORKERS AND FIRST RE SPONDERS ARE THE BEST... They are all working their tails off with the rise in COVID cases in Upson County. Thank you all, URMC nurses, doctors, housekeeping and dietary staff, police officers, deputies, EMS, fire fighters, state patrol, utility workers... taking care of us, and we pray for your health and safety. THANKS CRAIG STUBBS... Craig’s last day with Community Ambulance was Christmas Eve. He will still serve Upson as deputy coroner but has taken a po sition with a different EMS company as a paramedic... Craig, your community loves and appreciates all the years you invested in our safety... Upson’s loss is another county’s gain for sure. FREE COVID-19 TESTING IN UPSON COUNTY... drive-thru testing and pre-registra tion is highly recommended. Testing will be held at Upson Regional Medical Center each Wednesday from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. To register visit covid19.dph.ga.gov/. HAPPY BIRTHDAY GREETINGS ARE EX TENDED TO... Kelsey Phillips, Kywantis Freeman, Connie O’Brien, James Ballard, Steve Duke, Kim Tyson, Courtney Mikissick, Katie Byard, Elaine Chap man, Jan. 7... Jessica Hendrix, Angel Kelly, David McCoy, Ronnie Portwood, Ashly Mae Maxon, Jason Dickerson, Chasity Gross, Jan. 8... Julie Bishop, Kelli Pitts, Darlene Buffington, Alane Rayburn, Matthew Glanton, Johnny McDonald, Kevin Delli-Gatti Jr., Mimi M. Majors, Denise Sanford, Debbie Anderson, Kelli Ramsey, Amelia Daniel, Taylor Phillips, Mason Lee Hammond, Jan. 9... Brandy House, Susan Bryant, Mike Eidson, Johnny Johnson, Tionne Price, Jan. 10... Mary Bess Daniel, Myra Sasser, Terry Carpenter, Mike Gilb, Billy Evans, Melissa Draime, Destinee Smith, Destinee Reeves, Sarah Williams, Lacy Jackson, Alexa Leann Magestro, Jan. 11... Tim Ledbetter, Becky McCarty, Cassie Huckaby, Nancee Hudson-Crook, Mi chelle Hight, Cohen Bickley, Riki Joiner, Addie Arm strong, Trace Park, Jan. 12... Robert Haney, Vanessa Searcy, Darnell Poteat, Jason Thornhill, Katie Peeler, Peggy Force, Deas Gignilliat, Jan. 13... We wish for all celebrating birthdays many more happy and healthy ones. IT'S NATIONAL BE ON-PURPOSE MONTH... What in the world is this, you ask? National Be On-Purpose Month highlights the importance of goal-setting and being true to oneself... Suc cessful people think, envision, and talk about what they want — which is the underlying theme of this holiday... it’s also National Get Or ganized Month... but we aren’t going to talk about that. SMART PHONE SMART BANKING Talk with us today about Mobile Banking. 1 WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA BANK Financial strength...in local hands. Main Office 617 N. Church St. (706) 647-8951 Downtown Office 101 W. Gordon St. (706) 647-8958 Thomaston North Shopping Center (706) 648-2225 FDKS& www.wcgb.com Upson COVID-19 Update Upson County reports 2,335 positive COVID-19 cases with 82 deaths as of noon last Tuesday, according to the Johns Hopkins Uni versity & Medicine Coronavi- rus Resource Center. Numbers reflect 333 new cases and no new deaths since Tuesday one week prior. During that time, Upson’s per capita infection rate increased from 76.4 cases per 1,000 residents to 89.1 cases per 1,000 res idents. A consensus of online sources report Georgia with 672,849 (up 58,133 for the week) positive cases and 10,623 ( U P 260 for the week) deaths as of noon last Tuesday. Johns Hopkins lists the following confirmed cases for counties bordering Upson: Monroe, 1,684 cases with 64 deaths; Pike, 1,380 with 21 deaths; Lamar, 1,262 with 32 deaths; Meriwether, 1,166 with 20 deaths; Taylor, 557 with 14 deaths; Crawford, 446 with eight deaths; and so 5 County Sees Spike in Cases Talbot, 307 with nine deaths. Total number of positive cases reported among res idents and staff at local long term health care facilities (including Harborview, Providence, and Riverside) is 298 (up 13 resident cases and five staff cases) dur ing the same period, with 51 resident deaths (no change), according to Geor gia’s Long-Term Care Facil ity COVID-19 Report from the Georgia Department of Community Health. The report shows Har borview (109 residents/109 tested) with 90 resident cases (up 13), 55 resident re coveries, 24 staff cases (up four), and 19 resident deaths (no change). Prov idence (76 residents/80 tested) reports 65 resident cases (no change), 50 res ident recoveries, 33 staff cases (no change), and 15 resident deaths (no change). Riverside (57 res idents/110 tested) reports 59 resident cases (no change), 42 resident recoveries, 27 30 Day Trend Upson County COVID-19 Confirmed PCR and Antigen RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR £ ^ ^ N' ^ N Sr f* t. ^ ^ ^ ^ Sr fN C, Rr Sr W R staff cases (up one) and 17 resident deaths (no change) from one week ago. The Centers for Disease Control continues to rec ommend the use of face masks to help slow the spread of COVID-19, espe cially where social distancing is difficult to maintain such as in grocery stores or phar macies. The CDC stresses the use of masks in areas of sig nificant community-based transmission. Tidal Wave Auto Spa Announces Recapitalization Tidal Wave Auto Spa founder and chief executive officer Scott Blackstock and Golden Gate Capital, a lead ing private equity invest ment firm, have announced the recapitalization of Tidal Wave, one of the largest and fastest growing premium conveyor car wash systems in the nation. Blackstock will continue to lead the company as CEO and will remain a significant shareholder, and the com pany will continue to be headquartered in Thomas ton. Founded in 1999 by Scott and Hope Blackstock, Tidal Wave’s current footprint in cludes more than 60 loca tions in 11 states in the Southeast and Midwestern United States, with 18 more locations under construc tion. Tidal Wave is a recog nized leader in the car wash industry with its innovative use of technology and unwa vering dedication to an ex cellent customer experience, according to a company statement. “We are very pleased about the partnership with Golden Gate Capital,” said Blackstock. “With its long and successful history of in vesting in multi-unit busi nesses and considerable financial strength, the part nership will enable us to ac celerate our growth.” “Being able to build this business right here in Thom aston and Upson County has always been so important to both Hope and me,” Black- stock continued. “The level of talent in our hometown is phenomenal and has been essential to our success. Thomaston is truly the best small town in the best state for business.” The Tidal Wave Auto Spa home office, located in downtown Thomaston, is a refurbished two-story build ing which houses more than 40 employees who manage all aspects of the car wash business. Starting with con cept, employees also handle permitting, construction, operations, human re sources, payroll, quality con trol, marketing, supply distribution, accounting, and customer service. Tidal Wave was ranked sixth in the 2020 Top 50 List of Conveyor Carwashes pub lished annually by Profes sional Carwashing & Detailing magazine. Tidal Wave is also listed as one of America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies on Inc. 5000’s 2020 list. By: Rev. Dean Hemphill Clarks Chapel Baptist Church 176 Mathis Lake Rd. Thomaston, GA 30286 The confidence in the higher up FBI has diminished. The confidence in the election process of this nation has di minished. The confidence in the news media has di minished. The confidence in professing Christians, churches, and preachers has diminished. Any direction you look, there is not much confidence. God already knew about these days when He said in Psalm 118:8, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” Going into 2021, you and I need to comply with the Word of God. All of us can trust in the Lord when that is not true concerning man. The restoring to confidence once it’s diminished is not going to take place overnight. We have come a long way from a man’s word being enough. I remember years ago when I witnessed men would shake hands over a business deal. Those days are gone, because today confidence is not among us. We also need to think of all the promises we make to God and back them up. It would seem right to me if God just wrote us off. But the love that He is and when sin abides, His grace much more abides reminds us that if it wasn’t for the Lord, we would be of all men most miserable. I want to encourage all Christians to lift up your heads, because redemption draweth nigh. Clarkschapelchurch.com Have a Smart Phone? Have your next visit at any of these locations VIRTUALLY! Upson Family Physicians Thomaston 706-647-7009 Upson Family Medical Center Northside 706-647-2641 Orthopedics Sports Medicine and Surgery 706-647-3030 Upson Family Physicians Barnesville 770-358-3284 Upson Family Physicians Zebulon 770-567-7293 Upson Family Medical Center Southside 706-646-5730 Upson Urology 706-647-9412 Call to schedule your virtual visit today. 5 ★ -k -A 2122 Hwy 19 North Thomaston 706-647-2300 Ole’Matt Winter is on the way! $10 Off Allignment $5 OFF Oil Change •Test Results • Sick Visits • Post-Op Care • Medication Refills • And much more! rrnmtm t™™? ^ Visit us online at 5startireandauto.com Not limited to smart phones. Laptops, desktops, and tablets with an enabled camera, microphone, and internet connection can be used for virtual visits. | UPSON sp, Regional Medical Center The big city hospital that's right in your backyard
