Newspaper Page Text
The Upson Beacon
Thursday, May 27, 2021
Page 7A
Audrey Norris,
school staff began CPR
while one ran to get a defi
brillator.
School officials say the
fast response time is what
saved Norris’ life.
Within minutes of EMS
arriving, Norris was air
lifted to Children’s Hospi
tal Atlanta at Scottish Rite
for testing before being
transferred to Egleston to
see a heart specialist.
Before being sent to
CHOA, Norris’ mom
planned to take her on a
family trip to Universal
Studios in Orlando to see
Harry Potter World. The
family still hopes for that
and her nurse included her
Harry Potter World trip on
her list of goals to help mo
tivate her through her time
in the hospital.
As days have passed,
Norris has been taken off
of supplemental oxygen
and walked around a bit.
On Monday, a cardiac MRI
and stress test were per
formed in hopes of learn
ing why this happened.
While resting, she has en
joyed YouTube videos,
watched cartoons, and
played board games with
her family.
As of Tuesday morning,
Norris’s team decided to
provide her with a vest that
will work as a defibrillator
so she could go home and
rest, with a plan to take
beta blockers, wear the
vest, recover from the cold
she has, while waiting for
genetic testing results. The
vest will take a few days to
arrive, but Audrey could go
home as early as today and
hopes to see her sister
graduate.
“Audrey has been bat
tling her whole life with
autism and has amazed me
with her perseverance,”
said her mother. “She is a
tenacious girl and has been
City Financial Software,
Joyce said he received
positive references from
other municipalities
using the system and the
company offers a “one-
year risk reversal,” mean
ing Thomaston can opt
out with no loss if dissat
isfied after using the sys
tem for 12 months.
Council budgeted
$190,000 for the finan
cial system upgrade.
City Manager Russell
Thompson announced
that Thomaston will hold
its “Freedom Fest” event
Sunday, July 4, with a live
band from 7-10 p.m. and
a firework show at dark.
There will be giveaways,
but no vendors, according
so strong this week. She
now has two invisible dis
abilities, but she has this
[under control.] She has
never let anything get her
down, and is an inspiration
to me, more than she
knows.”
Audrey is the third of
Matthew and Bethany
Norris’ four children. Both
parents are teachers at
Upson Lee High School.
“Audrey says ‘thank
you’ to everyone for caring
about her and that she
misses her friends and
hopes she can see them
soon,” commented Mat
thew Norris. “I think more
than anything, her mother
is her strength. They not
only look just alike, but
they act the same. Bethany
is an amazing mother,
wife, and teacher.”
As the family prays for
a “solid path on how to get
home and how to get
better,” countless sup
porters have donated food,
funds, and sent letters of
encouragement for Audrey
and her family.
Matthew said that doc
tors and nurses have re
peatedly stated that less
than 10 percent of people
survive a sudden cardiac
arrest in “the wild” and
even less than five percent
do not have lifelong issues,
but so far, Audrey, “has
been blessed.”
Anyone interested in
sending “Get Well Cards
for Audrey” can mail cards
to Audrey Norris, 60 East-
side Drive, Thomaston, GA
30286.
Matthew Norris tells
the Upson Beacon that the
family is especially thank
ful for ULMS Principal
Rhonda Gulley and Super
intendent Dr. Larry Derico
for ensuring that the dis
trict has AEDs and proper
training. He shared the fol-
to Thompson, who told
council members he was
beginning interviews for a
new Main Street coordi
nator last week.
Thomaston’s new
Main Street coordinator
will have an expanded job
description to include
Downtown Development
Authority and historic
preservation assign
ments, along with general
economic development,
Thompson said. The new
coordinator will be asked
to conduct citywide
events and work in con
junction with the local In
dustrial Development
Authority.
In other business,
lowing message on an on
line Upson community
board:
“If not for the heroic
acts of several people in
cluding Robyn Greer, Deb
orah Hopper, several other
ULMS staff and local
EMTs, my daughter would
not be alive today. This
isn’t my hypothesizing.
Every doctor and nurse we
have seen at Scottish Rite
and Egleston have re
peatedly said the same
thing and that the hard job
was done by those heroes
who reacted immediately
to save her.
“I am writing this to
thank our entire com
munity. Upson County
might be small, but its
heart is huge. It is hum
bling how the entire com
munity has rallied around
our Audrey and my wife
and I will never forget this.
We are indebted to this
school system for saving
her life and to this com
munity for loving and
praying for her. Please
continue this. Prayers are
working.
“In this world, we are
divisive far too much. We
fight over who we support
politically or on the sport
ing field. Life is too fragile
for this. I will not be this
way any longer. We are all
a part of the same com
munity and for that, you
have my profound love and
thanks.
“Thank you again for
caring about my Audrey
and give someone you love
a hug every day. It’s scary
to imagine I almost didn’t
have a chance to do that
again with my daughter. I
will never take that for
granted again.”
While her medical jour
ney continues, Audrey re
mains positive and always
has a smile on her face.
Continued from Front
council approved the
2021 transportation spe
cial purpose local option
sales tax paving list and
adjusted the process to
include complete road
ways instead of the pre
vious practice of paving
segments of roads.
Council members dis
cussed the proposed 2022
SPLOST which, if passed,
projects more than $8
million in revenue for the
city with its 35 percent
portion. Thompson said
he is “comfortable” with
the fairness of the ratio,
which provides 64 per
cent to Upson County and
one percent to the City of
Yatesville.
Continued from Front
Audrey Norris.
Photo Submitted
Sewage Agreement,
Continued from Front
day. The new contract
states, “The city shall con
tinue to control the use of
the facilities and... shall
have the right to deter
mine the total daily vol
ume of wastewater that
shall be allowed to be in
troduced into the facil
ities.”
The new agreement
provides for 150,000 ad
ditional gallons of capacity
per day for Thomaston-
Upson Industrial Devel
opment Authority’s use in
business recruitment. The
capacity is assignable by
the IDA and not by the city
or county, the contract
states.
“IDA shall be obligated
to pay an amount equal to
10 percent of the costs of
maintenance and opera
tion of any portion of the
lines or facilities through
which effluent is intro
duced from the industrial
park or any other con
sumer that obtained or ob
tains capacity by request
through or designation by
IDA,” according to the
agreement. “...In consid
eration for the city allow
ing the permitted capacity,
county shall be responsible
for [$1,885 million].”
Portions of the pro
posed contract read as fol
lows:
•The county owns the...
interception sewer from
the city’s pumping station,
located just north of Po
tato Creek, to the site of
the jail and DOT. The
county shall maintain
ownership of said sewer
pipelines.
•In addition to the un
funded balance... all engi
neering costs, grant
administration cost, legal
fees, or any other costs di
rectly tied to this project
will be equally paid for by
the city and county. The
city shall and will be reim
bursed 50 percent of said
cost by the county...
•The county currently
owns the sewer lift station
that is located at or near
the solar farm off Glen-
wood Road. The county
agrees to convey said
sewer lift station to the
city, and the city agrees to
accept, own, and operate
said sewer lift station.
Murder-Suicide,
Continued from Front
ceived a call from her
brother saying he killed
Smith, and immediately
hung up the phone provid
ing no further infor
mation,” a report stated.
A Georgia State Patrol
trooper spotted the vehicle
around 6:30 p.m. near
Ponce De Leon Avenue in
Atlanta and attempted to
conduct a traffic stop. The
suspect fled and, after a
brief pursuit, crashed at
the intersection of Ponce
De Leon and Boulevard
Northeast.
Immediately after the
crash, Bussey was found
dead in the vehicle with
what appeared to be a self-
inflicted gunshot wound,
according to the state
ment.
The scene in Atlanta
was investigated by GSP
and the Georgia Bureau of
Investigation. TPD, with
the assistance of the
Spalding County Sheriff s
Office Crime Scene Unit,
processed the scene of the
homicide on Thurston
Avenue in Thomaston.
The case remains active
and under investigation.
“We have no reason to
believe, at this time, that
there are any other victims
or suspects associated with
this case in Thomaston,”
Chief Richardson said.
Package Liquor,
ordinance which would
place the question di
rectly on the ballot.
Because of the bill’s
wording, no petition is
necessary.
“Why not let the voters
make the decision?”
Thompson asked council
members.
Thompson suggested
limiting package stores to
two or fewer in the city if
voters approve, and sug
gested a lottery or “RFD”
process to determine who
would be allowed to oper
ate them, based on legal
ity. Considerations could
include square footage,
inventory, and architec
tural style of the structure
Continued from Front
- maybe placing empha
sis on redevelopment of
blighted property, he
said.
An ordinance would
require drafting and ap
proval by city council be
fore Aug. 16 to be placed
on the November ballot,
according to City Attor
ney DeAnn Wheeler.
..June 26.2021
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