Newspaper Page Text
Vol. 17, No. 21
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
UPSON
BEACON
Shining Light & Keeping Watch on Our Community
upsonbeacon.com
219 Thomas Street, Thomaston, Ga. 30286 • 706.646.2382
75 Cents
Newsline
May 22. 2024
ULHS Graduation
Slated May 24
The Upson-Lee High
School Class of 2024 Com
mencement Ceremony will
take place on Friday, May
24, at 8 p.m. at Matthews
Field.
This is a private cere
mony, and all guests must
have a ticket to attend, ac
cording to school officials.
While officials say they
hope for beautiful weather,
an inclement weather plan
has been released:
In the event of light rain
or drizzle, graduation will
continue as planned. Stu
dents and faculty will be
provided clear rain ponchos
to wear over their gradu
ation regalia. Guests should
come prepared with appro
priate rain gear - ponchos,
raincoats, something to
cover wet seats, etc.
Umbrellas are not al
lowed at Matthews Field
during the graduation cere
mony.
In the event of heavy
rain or severe weather,
graduation may be delayed
that evening or postponed
until the following morning.
If postponed, the ULHS
Commencement Ceremony
will be held on Saturday,
May 25, at 9 a.m. at Mat-
See Graduation, 6A
City, County
Offices Close
Memorial Day
Upson County and City
of Thomaston governmental
offices will be closed Mon
day, May 27, in observance
of the Memorial Day holi
day.
City and county offices
will reopen Tuesday, May 28
for normal hours of opera
tion.
Memorial Day
Service at GGMP
A Memorial Day service
will be held on Monday,
May 27 at noon at Greatest
Generation Memorial
Park, according to organiz
ers with Upson County
Ministerial Association.
Johnny Caldwell will
serve as guest speaker, and
Mountain View Baptist
Church members will per
form the National Anthem.
In the event of inclem
ent weather, the service
will move to First Method
ist Church of Thomaston,
located at 132 Cherokee
Road.
All are invited to at
tend.
8
10499 02461 2
Brue Ousts Allen for BOO Chair
Meier, Chastain, Biggs, McGill, Roberts win Opposed Races
Challenger Dan Brue garnered 2,018
votes in the May 21 primary to oust incum
bent Norman Allen for Republican rep
resentation in November for chairman of
the Upson County Board of Commis
sioners.
Brue will face Ed Searcy, who was un
opposed on the Democrat ticket, with 943
votes. Allen received 886 votes, and Re
publican challenger Bill Maher tallied 616
votes.
Incumbent Teresa Meier received 2,710
votes to secure another term as Upson Su
perior Court Clerk, with Jessica Harper
Jones receiving 857 votes.
Hannah Ellington Arnette and Assis
tant Magistrate Judge Cecil Hutchins are
headed to a runoff election for Chief Mag-
See Election, 6A
From left are T-U Deputy Superintendent Dr. Amy Miller, ULPS Principal Tracy Wainwright, T-
U School System and ULPS Teacher of the Year Amanda Gunnels, and T-U Superintendent Dr.
Larry Derico. Courtesy of T-U Schools
Amanda Gunnels Named
T-U System Teacher of Year
Upson-Lee Primary teacher Amanda
Gunnels was announced on Wednesday,
May 15, as the Thomaston-Upson School
System 2024-25 Teacher of the Year.
Superintendent Dr. Larry Derico and
Deputy Superintendent Dr. Amy Miller
made the announcement during a surprise
visit to ULPS, according to system officials.
The System Teacher of the Year is se
lected from the individual schools'
Teachers of the Year by a panel of com
munity and school district judges. Judging
was based on an application packet, a
classroom/teaching observation, and a
teacher interview.
Gunnels will now represent T-U
Schools in the Georgia Teacher of the Year
competition.
Beacon, Community
IVIourn Death of Fagan
Claudette Fagan, also
known as “Lady C,” a
newspaper colum
nist for more than 35
years in Upson
County, died May 14.
Mrs. Fagan was a
member of The
Upson Beacon family
for 13 years and,
prior to that, contrib
uted to The Thomaston Times. She ded
icated her life to the service of the
Thomaston-Upson community.
Where there was a need, Mrs. Fagan
jumped in. She was member and treasurer
of the Salem Civic Organization, treasurer
of Salem Volunteer Fire Department,
former member of the Love Club, treasurer
of the local NAACP, Freedom Fund chair
person for the NAACP, treasurer for Thom
aston-Upson County Concerned Citizen
Coalition, treasurer for ISSUES, member of
Upson Loses Historian,
Friend Jimmy McKinley
James Trice
"Jimmy" McKinley,
past tax commis
sioner who was in
strumental in
establishing Thomas
ton-Upson Archives
and preserving the
county’s history, died
Tuesday, May 14, at
his residence.
McKinley was 83.
“My heart is broken with the news of Mr.
Jimmy’s passing. To say he was a friend of
the archives is an understatement. The truth
is, we wouldn’t be here without him,” T-U
Archives Director Jamesan Gramme said.
“He dedicated his entire life to protecting
and preserving the history of Upson
County.”
Without his help, it is possible that An
drews Chapel one-room schoolhouse also
“wouldn’t be here.” McKinley and his wife
Claudette Fagan
Jimmy McKinley
See Fagan, 6A
See McKinley, 6A
Commissioners Deny RV
Park on Lawrence Road
‘Flex Space’ County Code Amendment Passes, 4-1
Bridge Turner
Editor in Chief
bturner@upsonbeacon.com
Upson County Commissioners voted
unanimously last week to deny a special ex
ception allowing a recreational vehicle park
on Lawrence Road and voted 4-1 to add “flex
space” as a permitted use in zoning codes.
Owners and applicants Jessica Butler and
Timothy Pryor of Williamson requested a
special exception for a 60- to 75-site RV park
on approximately 62 acres at 1922 Lawrence
Road, citing tourism, economic growth, job
creation, community engagement and recrea
tion as benefits.
More than a dozen area residents spoke
against the development, voicing concerns for
increased traffic, environmental impact, in
creased noise and litter, wastewater disposal,
See RV Park, 5A
Alonzeonia Ellison
PPP loan Fraud
Probe Nets 15 More
TPD: Many Additional Arrests’Expected
During Ongoing Local Investigation
As of May n, the Thom
aston Police Department
Criminal Investigations Di
vision had made eight ad
ditional arrests related to
Paycheck Protection Pro
gram loan fraud, according
to a statement from Chief
Mike Richardson’s office.
By May 18, seven more
arrests were reported.
In November 2022,
while working with the Fed
eral Bureau of Investigation,
a probe was launched into
numerous PPP loans that
were made in Thomaston
and Upson County during
the COVID-19 pandemic in
2020-2021, the release
stated.
There were millions -
possibly billions - of dollars
in PPP loans fraudulently
obtained in Thomaston,
Upson County, and
throughout the United
States.
“Through the course of
our investigation, with as
sistance from the FBI, it was
determined that many of
the PPP loans obtained by
Thomaston residents had
See PPP, 6A
Church Rezoning
Request Delayed
for Second Time
Hope of Generations ’ Affilia tion
Questioned in Planning Meeting
Bridge Turner
Editor in Chief
bturner@upsonbeacon.com
Consideration of a rezon
ing request by Hope of the
Generations Church was de
layed for the second straight
month by the Upson County
Planning Commission last
week, and one commissioner
questioned the church’s de
nominational affiliation and
funding sources.
A public hearing and
commission discussion
which began at the April
meeting were continued
until May, and last week
were continued until June
with a unanimous vote.
Among concerns cited by
commissioners included
adequate county water
supply, wastewater disposal,
stormwater runoff, and ease
ments for landlocked prop
erty.
The church applied for
rezoning of almost 54 acres
at 212 McCard Road, which
also fronts Highway 74
West, Pickard Road, and
Firetower Road, for expan
sion.
“The expansion is noth
ing more than our continued
expression of wanting to
See Church, 7A
Emancipation Celebration
Scheduled May 25
The Emancipation Committee of Upson has announced
the 2024 Upson Emancipation Celebration, set Saturday,
May 25, from n a.m. to 8 p.m.
Beginning with the annual freedom parade through
downtown Thomaston, followed by the traditional pro
gram and community gathering/celebration, this year’s
celebration will also include a “kids’ zone,” car show, live
music, vendors, and raffles and giveaways.
Following the parade, which begins on Bethel Street,
the rest of the schedule will take place at the Lincoln Park
Speaking Grounds, located at 235 MLK Drive in Thomas
ton.
This year, the parade route will be slightly altered due
to ongoing road work at the five-way stop downtown. The
See Emancipation, 5A
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Holly Harrison, PA-C
Nadine Noelting, CNM
Abby Gibbs, CNM
Accepting New Patients In Thomaston
403 West Main Street • Thomaston
CAU {706)646-2888 or (770) 227-5505 for an appointment.
