About Upson beacon. (Thomaston, Ga.) 2008-current | View Entire Issue (April 24, 2024)
Page 6A Salem Community News UPSON BEACON i; Lights Raping «atcn on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 By Claudette Fagan The Salem community food distribution will be held on Friday, April 26, be ginning at 5 p.m. All vol unteers are asked to be at the church at 4 p.m. Thank you for your continued sup port. Congratulations to Ms. Alana Raines and other members of the dance team, who participated in the In ferno Dance Competition in Las Vegas. The team re turned home with platinum awards (solos and groups), first-place awards, and first place in production and stu dio award. We’re so proud of them all. Alana is the daugh ter of Thomas (T. J.) Raines and Francesca (Frankie) Raines. Our prayers and sympa thy go out to the following: to the Goodroe family on the passing of Mr. Gregory Goodroe; to the Zachery family on the passing of Mr. Willie Roy Zachery; to the Williams family on the pass ing of Pastor Catherine H. Williams. May you take comfort with the family and friends that surround you. We send you healing prayers and comforting hugs during your time of bereavement. Continued prayers for the sick and shut in: Mrs. Claudette Fagan, Ms. Patri cia (Granny Pat) Carson. Anniversary wishes are extended to the following: Ernest and Bernice Wilder will be celebrating their 54th wedding anniversary on April 26. John and Toni Mabry will be celebrating their 17th wedding anniver sary on April 26. Tyrone and Roseland Brown will be celebrating their fifth wed ding anniversary on April 27. Edward and Linda Raines will be celebrating their 12th wedding anniver sary on April 28. Maurice and Angela Raines will be celebrating their 34th wed ding anniversary on April 28. Best wishes on your spe cial day. Birthday wishes are ex tended to the following: Mil- licent Wright - April 24; Asa Woodard - April 25; Todd Warner, Craig Fuller, Taylor Walker - April 26; Horace (Dunna) Raines, Sandra Daniel, Carla Thomas - April 27; Linda F. Miller, Wanda Smith, Joshua Ham mond, Louise Colquitt, Deeniaya Turner, Treshenna Miller - April 28; Patrina Dawson, Willie Foster, Ken Harris, Krana Herriott Fel ton, Benjamin Matthews, Anthony McCrary - April 29; John Felton Ivey Sr., Tyanna Rogers, Shameka Ivey Revels, Tomeka Ivey Mann, Jarrett Adderton - April 30. Happy birthday to each of you. Thought for the day: Here’s what you need to remember: You are enough, and you are wonderful, even on those days you feel broken and shattered. Community News By Elaine Walker Happy belated 70th birthday to Pastor Harry Clark. Birthday wishes are ex tended to Shundra White, Mary Lewis, Nefetari Mad den, Todd Warner, Icy Terry, Eterica Searcy, Stone O’Neal, Jerry Kelly, Khan- dice Jones, Marie Green, and Shifra Walker. Happy anniversary to James and Jean Anderson. Happy third birthday to Khari Ashanti Searcy. Our prayers and sympa thy are extended to Dapha- ney Andrews on the passing of her husband, Charles. We pray that God will continue to strengthen her during this time. Continued prayers are extended to Juanita Chas tain, Dorothy Searcy, Jen nifer Sullivan, Dorothy Car- thon, Lakeitha Walker, Clyde Middlebrooks, Willie James Walker, Loretta Bras well, Lucile Matthews, Susie Curtis, Elvis Searcy, Grade Paine, Deaxon George Lock hart, Janie Britt, Georgia Brown, Nita Carter, Mary Jo Pickard, Johnny Albert Brown, Jack Draine, Janice Wilson, Bernice Zeek, Willie Albert Little, Roberta Brown, Shirley Searcy, Wil lie Jo Davis, Henrietta Cha ney, Josephine Fagan, Jada King, Mary Allen, and Annie Green. Wonderful Wednesday to Horace Searcy, Londyn Pettigrew, Lauralyn Petti grew, Claudette Fagan, Jean Render, Juanita Bland, Billy and Barbara Quiller, Willie and Debbie Quiller, Steffie Kendrick, Georgia and Christine Stinson, Ella Owens, James and Audrey Prater, Vanderous and Annie Grant, Terry and Shirley Fuller, Pastor Pat rick and Cynthia Allen, Ann Potts, Peggy Allen, Bobby and Kay Searcy, Lonnie Walker, Katina Alsobrooks, and Toniece Walker. The members of Lincoln Park A.M.E. Church would like to invite friends and family to help us celebrate Rev. Ralph and Frist Lady Emma Searcy’s 16th anni versary on Sunday, April 28 at 11 a.m. Come out and help us celebrate them! The pastor and members of Exceedingly Grateful Ministries invite you to their revival, April 23-25 at 7 p.m. Minister Bennie Harris will be the guest speaker. Thank you for your prayers and presence. Pastor Harry Clark. Plans are being made for LP Fun Summer Camp 2024. For more information you may contact Paula Daw son. WORDS OF WISDOM: “The eternal God is your refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms,” Deu teronomy 33:27. The heavenly Father’s arms never tire of holding His children. Upson Regional Recognizes Casteel with DAISY Award On April 10, Upson Re gional Medical Center rec ognized Chelsea Casteel, RN, with the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. Casteel is a nurse in URMC’s emergency de partment. The DAISY Foundation was established in 1999 by members of the family of Patrick Barnes, a 33-year- old who died of complica tions related to the auto-immune disease ITP. His family came up with the idea for the DAISY Award as a way to rec ognize the extraordinary care he and the family re ceived from his nurses throughout his illness. The acronym DAISY stands for diseases attack- Investment, Continued from Front building upon the economic stability and urban growth this town has always been known for.” Brightmark’s proprie tary Plastics Renewal® technology takes discarded plastic content and converts it into the materials to create new circular plastic products, diverting waste otherwise bound for land fills, incinerators, and wa terways. “Over the years, B right - mark has invested heavily in talent and innovation re quired to build and refine a circular solution capable of tackling one of the most complex issues of our time: recycling,” said Brightmark founder and CEO and Geor gia native, Bob Powell. “This investment in Georgia represents a com mitment to supporting eco nomic longevity and playing an integral role in building a sustainable future together in my home state,” Powell continued. “We’re thrilled to be able to offer a circular solution that will make a positive environmental and economic impact on a re gion so near and dear to my heart.” Brightmark will be a community partner to Thomaston and Upson County and is prepared to support the goals of the community, its economy, and most importantly the health and safety of its people. “I am excited to wel come Brightmark to Upson County. Bringing diverse in dustries to Upson has been a priority for some time and I’m proud of our efforts to bring this project home,” said Upson County Com mission Chairman Norman ing the immune system. What began as a thank you from Barnes’s family to nurses has grown into a meaningful recognition program embraced by healthcare organizations around the world. A common theme of Casteel’s genuine care and kindness emerged in the numerous nominations re ceived from patients. One nomination ex pressed, “I was impressed by how well she took care of me. She spoke kindly to me as if we were friends, as opposed to just another pa tient. My concerns were handled with respect, quickly and sweetly. Her personality and profession alism gave me a sense of Allen. “Over the last year and a half, Brightmark has demonstrated a strong de sire to become a collabo rative partner and responsible steward of the local environment. “I visited their plant in Ashley, Ind., and was im pressed by what I saw,” Allen concluded. “I want to thank everyone who had a hand in making this happen. This is a huge win!” Brightmark is steadfast in its commitment to pro tect the Thomaston and Upson County environ ment, particularly the water, air, and land that sur rounds the site. Extensive planning and investment will be undertaken to ensure there are strong measures to mitigate environmental risk. Brightmark will invest over $1 million to enable a zero liquid discharge tech nology to ensure that all process wastewater is man aged and processed on site, thereby preventing any con tact with any municipal water supply, including drinking water, ground- water, the Flint River, and other local waterways. The company’s circular ity center will be considered a synthetic minor emitter - implementing the best available technologies to re duce emissions. Brightmark intends to invest $20 million in addi tive infrastructure projects pursuant to agreements with the city and state as part of the total investment, including upgrades to util ities, roadway improve ments, rail access extensions, and other nec essary resources to opera tionalize the business, improve local infrastruc ture, and positively impact the community, the local security. My entire experi ence with Upson was pleas ant, however, I was even more impressed by her ex cellence!” URMC CNO Brandie Kilcrease shared, “Chelsea is a great example of the positive attitude and expert level of care that Upson Re gional Medical Center’s nurses provide to our pa tients. We are grateful to Chelsea, and all our won derful nurses for the ded ication that they put into caring for the patients in our community.” Nominations for the DAISY Award can be sub mitted online at urmc.org, or in person at Upson Re gional Medical Center. economy, and tax base. “This is a tremendous win for Thomaston-Upson County, and we are thrilled to welcome Brightmark to our community,” said Chase Fallin, chairman of T-U In dustrial Development Au thority. “Creating jobs, growing our community, and building for our future is the cornerstone of eco nomic development. This project encompasses all of those tenets. We welcome Brightmark to our com munity and look forward to seeing the project prosper.” The dedication to the health and safety of employ ees and the communities where it operates is core to the company’s values and mission, according to com pany officials. Not only does it adhere to all local, state, and federal health and safety laws, but in many in stances, exceeds these stan dards. Brightmark will imple ment detailed procedures to ensure employee safety, in cluding strong training on critical areas such as operat ing procedures, emergency response, remediation, and lifesaving protocols. The health and safety team will establish a detailed emer gency action plan for Thom aston that goes beyond regulatory requirements and industry best practices. The company reportedly is purchasing too acres in the industrial park from the IDA for $2.5 million as part of the investment. The IDA will serve as a “conduit” for the almost $1 billion bond, which does not involve the credit of the City of Thomas ton or Upson County, ac cording to local officials. Brightmark representa tives emphasized that the bond “will not [involve] public dollars.” Riot, Continued from Front Ke’Shawn Dubinion, Bran don Nicholas Fletcher, and Ja’Den Artez Raines. Four others, ages 14-16, have been referred to juve nile court. All eight were charged with inciting a riot, affray, disrupting operations of a public school, and various counts of simple battery. In addition, Alston and Raines were charged with obstruc tion of a law enforcement of ficer. “School safety is of great importance and behavior of this nature will not be tol erated,” Kilgore said. “Those assaulting others and dis rupting our schools will be prosecuted.” Last Friday, UCSO was notified of a handwritten note found on the floor at U- L Middle School detailing a plan for a potential school shooting, with a drawing of the school floorplan and comments attached, Kilgore Drug Bust, Continued from Front Chief Richardson’s state ment. During execution of the warrant, 32-year-old Walker fled from the house on foot. After a brief chase, he was apprehended with out further incident, Rich- Kong, Continued from 4A 200 years, two centuries, she still stands strong and true on the granite ridge, and her glow has held steady no matter what storm. And she is still a bea con, still a magnet for all who must have freedom, for all the pilgrims from all the lost places who are hurtling through the dark ness, toward home.” What a beautiful and ac curate depiction of our country and our heritage - the most successful country in human history, a society known for prosperity, free- stated. “We immediately re sponded to begin an investi gation. A 12-year-old male was identified as a suspect and confessed to having created the document,” Kil gore said. “The juvenile was removed from the school, taken into custody, and re ferred to juvenile court.” The following statement to parents and guardians was released by ULMS Prin cipal Rhonda Gulley: “I am writing to provide you with information about an incident that occurred today, April 19, and to assure you that ULMS staff, along with local law enforcement, continue to take the steps necessary to ensure student and school safety. “This morning, on the floor of the ISS classroom, a student found a handwritten plan for enacting a school shooting at ULMS on a date in the future (May 2024). Immediately, [UCSO] was notified, and an investiga tion was started. The student ardson said. Walker was transported to Upson County Jail and charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of mushrooms with intent to distribute, manufacturing a Schedule I controlled sub stance, and violation of the Criminal Street Gang Ter- dom, that respects the rights and the welfare of all its citizens. But the health of our democracy is uncertain. According to Larry Dia mond, the world is in a “democratic recession.” How close might it be to a democratic depression, in which democracy is sub verted and replaced by plu tocracy - even in countries with a long history and ro bust institutions? Pre viously privileged citizens are feeling “status anxiety” demanding that we return to a time when they had un challenged power. Our democracy will only continue to work if loyalty to responsible for the threat was identified and ques tioned and has admitted to writing the plan. This stu dent has been removed from [ULMS] and will face disci plinary measures as per the Thomaston-Upson School System’s code of conduct and juvenile court. “At no time during this incident were any students or staff in danger. I want to thank the student who found the plan and reported this threat. Please continue to encourage your children to report anything suspicious to our school resource officer or to a school employee. We want our students to feel comfortable reporting any information that could com promise their safety and the safety of others. “If you have any ques tions, please call the school at 706-647-6256.” Both investigations re lated to school incidents are active and ongoing, accord ing to the sheriff. rorism and Prevention Act. “The lab was dismantled by TPD Cpt. Brian Ham mock, who is a Clandestine Lab State Certified officer trained to dismantle illegal labs,” Richardson said. “We would also like to thank the Meriwether County Sheriff s Office for their assistance with the case.” one’s society overrides loy alty to one’s short-term self- interest. My hope is that we recognize the fragility of our institutions and jointly ad dress our shared challenges forged by the young men who founded our country, defend it from predators foreign and domestic, and invigorate our democracy. Unfortunately, we cannot be mere spectators voting now and then. Our future de pends on actively participat ing. Things supposed to be unshakable can be shaken. Do you suppose you will witness a better future by plucking out your eyes?
