Newspaper Page Text
Vol. 15, No. 1
UPSON
Wednesday, January 5, 2022
BEACON
Shining Light & Keeping Watch on Our Community
upsonbeacon.com
219 Thomas Street, Thomaston, Ga. 30286 • 706.646.2382
50 Cents
Newsline
Jan. 5. 2022
DA Broder
Review: Griffin
Circuit 2021
Griffin Judicial Circuit
District Attorney Marie
Broder submitted the fol
lowing personal commen
tary, highlighting local
convictions of 2021 and
previewing trials scheduled
for 2022, 3A
Ellington Retires
After 35 Years
with City
For more than 35 years,
code enforcement officer
and building official Rob
ert “Bobby” Ellington has
served the City of Thomas
ton, keeping the com
munity safe. He officially
retired on Dec. 29. See
more, 6A
Overcoming the
Odds: Norris
Meets Georgia
Football Heroes
On May 28, Lindsay
Norris stood on Matthews
Field in Thomaston to de
liver her valedictorian
speech to her graduating
class at Upson-Lee High
School, a goal she had been
working toward since she
was in sixth grade. Days
before it was time to get on
stage, she ripped apart her
prepared speech and
started again.
Lindsay’s family was in
the stands, seeing her
graduate high school be
fore attending Georgetown
University. In the midst of
a crowded stadium, one
person stood out in par
ticular: her sister, Audrey
Norris. See more, aB
Local Little Free
Library to be
Featured on GMA
This month, Good
Morning America will fea
ture Little Free Libraries
across the country during
the show’s “book of the
month” feature, including
one in Thomaston, main
tained by Thomaston res
ident Brenda Logan and
her family. See more, 6B
Opinions, 4A
Including Columnists:
•Alan Landers
• B. Waine Kong
•Elaine Dees
•Letter to the Editor
8
10499 02461 2
First Baby 0/2022
The first baby born at Upson Regional Medical Center
in 2022, Terrance Christian, arrived at 9:36 a.m. Jan. 1, weighing
three pounds, six ounces. Terrance is the son ofTerleia Christian.
TPD Reports 9 Vehicle
Break-Ins New Year’s Eve
Thomaston Police Department reported
nine vehicle break-ins on Friday, Dec. 31,
resulting in the theft of multiple items in
cluding two firearms.
Vehicles were entered on Daniel Street,
Parkway Drive, Willington Drive, Cunning
ham Avenue, Sixth Avenue, South Center
Street, two on East Lee Street, and one at
tempted break-in occurred on Jenkins
Street. Firearms were taken from both ve
hicles located on East Lee Street, according
to reports.
The Jenkins Street resident said her se
curity camera footage showed “about five
young, black males” who appeared to be
walking from the Park Street playground.
Around 1:40 a.m., one of the males tried
and failed to enter her vehicle, then the
group walked to Cunningham Avenue and
entered another car, she stated.
The Willington Drive resident said her
Auto Break-ins, 5A
Street Racing
Ends in Crash,
1 Driver Dead
Georgia State Patrol investigated a weekend
crash which resulted in the death of one driver in
volved in street racing, according to Thomaston
Police Chief Mike Richardson.
Montavius Arontae Parham was pronounced
dead at Upson Regional Medical Center New
Year’s Day after crashing into a ditch past North-
side Baptist Church on County Road. First re
sponders freed Parham from the wrecked Dodge
Challenger with jaws of life, but the 20-year-old
was DOA at the emergency room.
TPD officers said they saw two vehicles racing
at speeds over 80 miles per hour northbound on
North Church Street near the intersection of
Goodrich Avenue. One vehicle, driven by 32-year-
old Cortez C. Puckett, was stopped near Waffle
House at Northside.
“Once the violations were observed by officers,
Street Racing, 5A
Upson Earns
EMS License
Thiel: ‘A Step in
The Right Direction’
Bridge Turner
Managing Editor
bturner@upsonbeacon.com
Upson County has been awarded an emer
gency medical services license, according to local
officials, the first step toward acquiring the zone
for 911 and ambulance coverage.
Securing the EMS license enables the county
to submit a proposal to the Region 4 EMS Coun
cil for control of the zone. But regardless of the
zone outcome, holding the EMS license will
allow local oversight of future ambulance service,
according to County Manager Jason Tinsley.
Commissioners recently authorized Chair
man Norman Allen to execute a service delivery
agreement with Ameripro EMS of Riverdale, a
partnership which will allow pursuit of the zone
license. The relationship will include Lamar
County, with Upson paying about $960,000 and
Lamar paying approximately $495,000 at last
report.
The multi-part agreement also will include fi
nancial support from the City of Thomaston, re
cently approved by council members.
“Upson County is excited to share that we
have been awarded a county EMS license,” Allen
said. “This is an instrumental step toward sub
mitting the proposal... to obtain the zone for 911
and EMS coverage. I want to thank all involved
in this complex process.”
In a social media post, Joey Thiel said, “Ev-
EMS License, 5A
COVID-19 REPORT
Upson’s New Case Rate Triples in One Week
Upson County reports
5,953 positive COVID-19
cases with 192 deaths as of
noon last Tuesday, according
to the Johns Hopkins Univer
sity & Medicine Coronavirus
Resource Center.
Numbers reflect 337 new
cases (up from 102 last
week) and one new death
(same as last week) since
Tuesday one week prior.
Johns Hopkins lists the
following confirmed cases for
counties bordering Upson:
Monroe, 4,573 (up 169) cases
with 154 (up one) deaths;
Pike, 4,130 (up 120) with 74
(no change) deaths; Lamar,
3,758 (up 170) with 101 (no
change) deaths; Meriwether,
3,364 (up 198) with 121 (no
change) deaths; Taylor, 1,385
(up 66) with 42 (no change)
deaths; Crawford, 1,218 (up
42) with 47 (up one) deaths;
and Talbot, 831 (up 58) with
30 (up one) deaths.
Georgia reports 1,839,879
(up 80,000; up from
59,116 last week) positive
cases and 31,443 (up 197;
down from 208 last
week).
More than one million
new cases were reported in
the United States in one day -
Monday, Jan. 3 - breaking a
worldwide record for 24
hours, according to a Fox
News report.
Georgia Receives Oral Antiviral COVID-19 Treatments
Molnupiravir and Paxlovid™ Available at Select Retail Pharmacies
The Georgia Department of
Public Health is announcing the
allocation of Merck and Pfizer
oral antiviral treatments for
COVID-19 to select retail phar
macies in Georgia.
Initial supply of Molnupiravir
and Paxlovid™ from the federal
government is limited. DPH an
ticipates additional allocations in
the coming weeks as production
increases.
Per guidance from the U.S.
Department of Health and
Human Services, initial alloca
tions were made to federal phar
macy partners. DPH has
partnered with Walmart, Walg
reens, and Good Neighbor Phar
macy Group (a group of small in
dependent pharmacies) to ensure
coverage across the state. Phar
macies currently allocated treat
ments can be found on the DPH
website at
https://dph.georgia.gov/dph-
covid-19-guidance.
The Food and Drug Admin
istration issued an emergency use
authorization for molnupirvar by
Merck and an emergency use au
thorization for Paxlovid™ by
Pfizer as oral antiviral treatments
of COVID-19. Early studies indi
cate these treatments may reduce
severe outcomes from COVID-19
including hospitalization or
death. The antivirals are rec
ommended for treatment of indi
viduals who are at high risk for se
vere COVID-19 or have
underlying medical conditions.
Both drugs require a prescrip
tion and should be initiated as
soon as possible after diagnosis of
COVID-19 and within five days of
symptom onset.
While antivirals may help treat
COVID-19, vaccination is the best
prevention against COVID infec
tion, according to DPH. Geor
gians aged five and older are
eligible for vaccination. Georgians
16 and older are eligible for
boosters six months after com
pleting their primary vaccine
series of either Moderna or Pfizer
(only Pfizer is authorized for
booster doses in 16- and 17-year-
olds) and two months after their
J&J vaccine. To find a COVID
vaccination location, visit
https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-
vaccine.
Basic prevention measures
should also be followed to help
prevent further spread of COVID
and mitigate outbreaks of infec
tion, especially in public settings:
wear a mask, physically distance,
and wash your hands frequently
with soap and water.
For updates on COVID-19, fol
low @GaDPH and @GovKemp on
Twitter and @GaDPH and @Gov-
Kemp on Facebook.
(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
