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Vol. 14, No. 44
UPSON
Thursday, November 4, 2021
BEACON
Shining Light & Keeping Watch on Our Community
upsonbeacon.com
219 Thomas Street, Thomaston, Ga. 30286 • 706.646.2382
50 Cents
Newsline
Nov. 4, 2021
Christmas Lights
Parade & Market
Slated Dec. 17
The City of Thomaston
will host its annual Christ
mas Lights Parade, themed
“Angels Among Us,” and
Market on Dec. 17 with
seasonal food and craft
vendors, Santa on the
square, and music from
local choirs and carolers.
The market will take place
from 4-7 p.m., followed by
the parade, spanning from
Matthews field to the
square. Vendor and float
applications can be found
at https ://www.cityoftho-
maston.com/160/Main-
Street.
For more information,
contact Thomaston Eco
nomic Development Co
ordinator Taylor Smith at
706-601-4520 or email
tsmith @cityofthomaston. c
om.
Opinions, 4A
•Alan Landers
•B. Waine Kong
•Elaine Dees
•Chris & Jolee Benton
Sunday, Nov. 7
Proclaimed
Retired
Educators Day
Following Gov. Brian
Kemp’s statewide procla
mation of Retired Edu
cators Day, recognized on
Sunday, Nov. 7, Mayor J.D.
Stallings and Upson
County Commission Chair
man Norman Allen signed
a local proclamation in rec
ognition of the day. See
more, Page 5A.
Local Libraries
Closed Thursday
Hightower Memorial
Library and the Yatesville
Public Library will be
closed Thursday, Nov. 11 in
observance of Veterans
Day. See new available
books on Page 5A.
—
8 10499 02461
2
Tinsley: City-County
Relationship Draws
Positive Feedback
ESULTS ARE IN!
SPLOST
PACKAGED
m
RESULTS:
LIQUOR SALES:
Yes: 1,400
No: 485
Yes: 666
No: 281
^ --.-1 * X
Head Remains Mayor Pro-Tem
Voters Say ‘Yes’ to SPLOST & Package Sales
Incumbent Mayor Pro
Tempore Doug Head re
ceived almost 48 percent of
total votes cast, defeating
challengers Lori Lindsey and
Sharon King Tuesday to re
tain his at-large seat on the
Thomaston City Council.
Head tallied 452 votes,
Lindsey received 291, and
King 201 of the 944 ballots
cast.
Upson County voters
overwhelmingly approved
extension of the special pur
pose local option sales tax,
casting more than 74 percent
of votes in favor. Of the
1,885 ballots cast, 1,400
voted for and 485 against
continuing the SPLOST.
Package liquor sales also
received voter approval with
666 voting yes and 281 vot
ing no, reflecting 70 percent
support.
Ronnie Riggins received
61 votes, Wanda Dozier 56,
and George Sanders 52 to se
cure three seats on Yatesville
City Council.
Incumbents Ryan Tucker
and Don Greathouse, both
unopposed, retained their
seats on Thomaston City
Council.
Bridge Turner
Managing Editor
bturner@upsonbeacon.com
County Manager Jason
Tinsley told commis
sioners last week that the
relationship between
Upson and City of Thom
aston governments was
the envy of many of his
peers attending a recent
Georgia City-County Man
agement Association
meeting.
Tinsley and City Man
ager Russell Thompson
teamed to teach a class on
“functional consolidation”
at the association’s fall
conference, held in Colum
bus.
“The feedback we got
from a lot of our peers in
the audience was, ‘Maybe
that arrangement isn’t so
bad’,” Tinsley said. “It gave
me new perspective in a
way that I wasn’t expect
ing.”
In addition to services
and budgets exclusive to
the city and county, the
two governments share
“joint projects” and the ac
companying budgets.
Managers attending the
meeting said the local col
laboration presents certain
challenges, but keeps both
City-County, 7 A
Police Chase
Ends in Crash
At Northside
COVID -19 Quarantine Guidelines
for Vaccinated Individuals
Symptom Status
Length of Isolation/Quarantine
Positive Test
Symptomatic and Asymptomatic
10 days from the onset of
symptoms or date of positive
test, whichever occurred
sooner.
Close Contact (Exposed)
Asymptomatic
No Need to Quarantine. Wear
mask for 7 days.
Close Contact (Exposed)
Symptomatic
10 days from the onset of
symptoms or date of positive
test, whichever occurred
sooner.
Close Contact (Exposed)
Symptomatic
7 days from the date of
exposure and obtain a negative
PCR or antigen test no sooner
than Day 5 of exposure.
T-U BOE Lifts Mask Mandate
Board Approves 2022-23 Calendar
William K. Melton was
charged with felony flee
ing and attempting to
elude police after a high
speed chase starting near
downtown ended in a roll
over crash at the North-
side bridge Saturday
night, according to a
Thomaston Police Depart
ment report.
Two TPD officers and a
Georgia State Trooper
were involved in the pur
suit.
TPD Officer Shane
Morgan reported a white
GMC Yukon failing to
maintain its lane and
“driving erratically” with
hazard lights activated on
Upson County reports
5,409 positive COVID-19
cases with 176 deaths as of
noon last Tuesday, according
to the Johns Hopkins Uni
versity & Medicine Coronavi-
rus Resource Center.
Numbers reflect 10 new
cases (down from 19 last
week) and four new deaths
(down from five last week)
since Tuesday one week
prior. During that time,
Upson’s infection rate re
mained at 20.6 percent,
more than one-in-five. Pike’s
infection rate is 20.7 percent,
highest among neighboring
counties, followed by Lamar
at 18.3 percent.
Johns Hopkins lists the
following confirmed cases for
Peerless Road, adding
that the vehicle repeatedly
crossed the center line
and attempted to pass
another vehicle in a no
passing zone. Melton
turned left onto North
Hightower Street, failing
to yield to oncoming traf
fic, he said.
The Yukon failed to
stop at a stop sign when
turning left onto North
Bethel Street, then
avoided another TPD of
ficer blocking the intersec
tion at East Thompson
Street. Melton drove
around a GSP unit block
ing East Thompson and
Police Chase, 5A
counties bordering Upson:
Monroe, 4,177 (up 28) cases
with 148 (up three) deaths;
Pike, 3,793 (up five) with 69
(up one) deaths; Lamar,
3,418 (up 23) with 90 (up
one) deaths; Meriwether,
2,965 (up 12) with ill (up
one) deaths; Taylor, 1,270
(up five) with 37 (no change)
deaths; Crawford, 1,132 (up
five) with 43 (no change)
deaths; and Talbot, 738 (up
seven) with 27 (no change)
deaths.
Georgia reports
1,636,325 (up 8,159; down
from 9,151 last week) positive
cases and 29,174 (up 535;
down from 699 last week)
deaths with 49.2 percent of
population vaccinated.
At the Oct. 28 work
session for the Thomas-
ton-Upson Board of Edu
cation, members voted 4-3
in favor of lifting the mask
mandate within the Thom-
aston-Upson School Sys
tem. The action was taken
after a review of school
system, county, and state
COVID-19 positive case
data.
Since Oct. 1, only three
positive cases have been
reported within the T-U
School System (two stu
dents and one staff), ac
cording to T-U officials.
According to the De
partment of Public Health,
T-U Schools data coincides
with Upson County and
Georgia case data, which
are all trending down
ward. Superintendent Dr.
Larry Derico stated that
masks will continue to be
highly encouraged within
the schools along with
other safety measures,
such as social distancing
when possible.
Derico added that dis
trict administration will
continue to monitor posi
tive case reports within the
school system and will
keep the board informed
of these numbers. If there
is a significant increase in
positive cases within the
schools, the BOE could
choose to reinstate the
Mask Mandate, 5A
COVID -19 Quarantine Guidelines
for Unvaccinated Individuals
Symptom Status
Length of Isolation/Quarantine
Positive Test
Symptomatic and Asymptomatic
10 days from the onset of symptoms or date
of positive test, whichever occurred sooner.
10 days from the date of exposure and remain
symptom-free before returning to school. If
Close Contact (Exposed)
Option A
Asymptomatic
symptoms develop during this time, the
individual will need to quarantine until they are
fever-free for at least 24 hours (without fever-
reducing medication) and have improved
symptoms.
Close Contact (Exposed)
Option B
Asymptomatic
7 days from the date of exposure and obtain a
negative PCR or antigen test no sooner than Day
5 of exposure.
COVID-19 REPORT
Local & State Cases Decline
to 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