Newspaper Page Text
Vol. 14, No. 41
Thursday, October 14, 2021
UPSON.
BEACON
Shining Light & Keeping Watch on Our Community
upsonbeacon.com
219 Thomas Street, Thomaston, Ga. 30286 • 706.646.2382
50 Cents
Mayor Calls for Council to Disband CRC
Recommendation to Move City Offices Rejected by 4-1 Vote
Bridge Turner
Managing Editor
bturner@upsonbeacon.com
Following a rec
ommendation last week by
Community Relations
Committee Chairman Rev.
James McGill to remove
the R.E. Lee name from
the government complex,
Mayor J.D. Stallings called
for Thomaston City Coun
cil members to disband the
committee.
Citing a lack of appro
priate representation, lack
of unity, and “lack of any
will to bridge gaps,” Stall
ings said the commission
does not serve the interest
of city residents. The
mayor’s plea generated no
motion to disband the
group, which submitted a
recommendation with 6o
percent of its original
members.
“The Community Rela
tions Committee was
formed out of the ideals of
cooperation and open-
mindedness with the in
tent to bridge ideological
and individual divisive
ness. As such, the city
council agreed to a super-
majority consent for per
sons to serve on this
committee,” Stallings said
in a prepared statement.
“It quickly became ap
parent that the community
could meet no such goals,
with resignations render
ing no super majority rep
resentation and accusatory
statements signifying a
lack of any will to bridge
gaps,” he continued. “To
that effect, a recommenda
tion has been made to ap
peal the council for actions
foregoing the appropriate
level of representation and
unity by which the com
mittee was founded.”
Jack Grubb, appointed
Mayor and Council, 8A
Williams Crowned 2021UL Homecoming Queen
Cheers could be heard throughout downtown Thomaston last Friday night as KeeKee Williams was
crowned 2021 Upson-Lee High School Homecoming Queen during halftime of the annual homecom
ing football game at Matthews Field. Reigning Queen Mckenzie Fry returned to crown Williams.
See the senior homecoming court and grade-level winners on pages gA and 10B.
37 Questions:
Mayor Pro Tem
Candidates &
Their Answers
Beacon’s ‘Candidate
Forum’ Q&A, Section B
Doug Head Sharon King Lori Lindsey
Bridge Turner
Managing Editor
bturner@upsonbeacon.com
Early voting opened
Tuesday for the Nov. 2
Municipal Election, which
includes a contested race
for Thomaston’s mayor
pro tempore, an at-large
seat on the city council.
Incumbent Doug Head
and challengers Sharon
King and Loraine “Lori”
Lindsey provide in-depth
answers to key questions
posed by The Upson Bea
con in Section B. The sec
tion also features voting
times, locations, and in
structions, along with an
37 Questions, 8A
Pizza Delivery
Driver Robbed
At Gunpoint
A Domino’s Pizza deliv
ery driver was robbed at
gunpoint last week by two
unknown assailants, ac
cording to a report from
Thomaston Police Depart
ment.
The female driver was
dispatched to 420 4th Ave
nue SE to deliver food, but
no one answered the door
to receive the delivery, she
said. As she sat in her car
after notifying her man
ager, a black male ap
proached and placed a gun
to the back of her neck, ac
cording to the report.
The suspect snatched
approximately $100 and a
cell phone from her hand,
told her to look away, and
asked if she had any more
money, she said. The male
then leaned into her car
and reached into the
center console, where he
took another $300 in cash.
A second black male
opened the front pas
senger door and removed
the pizza and a two-liter
bottle of lemonade, the
victim stated.
Using a location app,
two officers found the
Delivery Driver Robery, 8A
;
L-R: Mayor Pro Tempore Doug Head, city council member Don Greathouse, state Rep. Beth Camp, Public Works
Director Kyle McGee, Mayor J.D. Stallings, council representatives Jeff Middlebrooks and Ryan Tucker, City Manager
Russell Thompson, and Economic Development Coordinator Taylor Smith. Luke Haney/Upson Beacon
Lakeside Park Opening Celebrated with Ribbon Cutting
The City of Thomaston officially opened Lakeside Park last Friday with a ribbon cutting cere
mony. The “passive use” park is open every day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and includes a 1.6-mile
walking trail around the lake, a yoga area, a pull up station, and greenspace. See more, Page 5A.
TPD Personnel Recognized at Council Meeting
8 10499 02461 2
Thomaston Police
Chief Mike Richardson
recognized several
members of the force dur
ing a city council meeting
last week for exceptional
service, and Mayor J.D.
Stallings issued oaths to
two new TPD officers.
Most recently, Patrol
man David McCoy appre
hended murder suspect
Christopher Jones of
Thomaston, who was
wanted out of Columbus in
the fatal shooting of Ken
neth Griggs. Jones, 23,
also faces charges of pos
session of a firearm by a
felon and parole violation
in an unrelated invol
untary manslaughter con
viction, according to on
line reports.
After being taken into
custody in Upson County...
Jones confessed to the
shooting in a taped inter
view with Columbus PD
detectives. He told officers
that an altercation oc
curred between himself
and Griggs in a parking lot,
leading to him shooting
Griggs, the report stated.
Jones will remain in
the Muscogee County Jail
on no bond as the case
moves to Superior Court.
Also receiving letters of
commendation were the
following:
Cpl. Conner Dix and
Patrolman Justin Sanders
were recognized for life
saving actions involving a
one-year-old not breathing
and in possible cardiac ar
rest.
Cpl. Jared Fordham
and K-9 Beno tracked and
located a missing juvenile
who ultimately was safely
TPD Recognized, 8A
(0 Griffin Ob-Gyn
NOW SEEING PATIENTS IN THOMASTON
CALL TO MAKE AN
APPOINTMENT TODAY:
403 WEST MAIN STREET
TUESDAY-THURSDAY 8:30-4:30
(770)227.5505
(706)646.2888
Leigh Ann Story, CNM; Bryan Krepps, HO; Jim Dunaway, MD; Lou Hameli, MO; Holly Harrison, PA*C;
Nadine Nolting, CNH; Enid Lofters-Jones, MD; Megan Potter, MD; Katya Brickman, CNM; Ashley Johnson, PA