About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 26, 2018)
Area man celebrates drug court success story LOCAL, 4A Football team remains undefeated SPORTS, 1B ^DawsonCountyNews WEDNESDAY I SEPTEMBER 26, 2018 DaWSOflNeWS ^COITI DAWSONVILLE, GEORGIA $1.00 Officials respond to prayer complaint Dawson schools say football team’s character coach will remain as volunteer By Jessica Brown jbrown@dawsonnews.com A character coach will con tinue his volunteer role but will no longer lead students in prayer following a complaint made about prayer before Dawson County High School football games, according to Dawson County Schools. Students will continue gather ing voluntarily to express their beliefs and any prayers at the school will be student led. The Freedom From Religion Foundation, a national nonprof it organization, on Sept. 21 requested the school system investigate a resident’s com plaint about Russell Davis, who was featured on the Dawson County High School football team website as “football char acter coach.” Monday evening, his title simply read “volun teer.” A video posted by a parent on Facebook Sept. 7 shows Davis, a pastor at Etowah Church, leading the Dawson County Tigers and children from a local parks and recre ation football team in prayer in the high school locker room before a game against the West Hall Spartans. The video had received more than 68,000 views as of Tuesday afternoon. Dawson County Schools Superintendent Damon Gibbs said Monday afternoon that the school system was made aware that a letter on behalf of the foundation was sent to the attorney for the district. After “reviewing the infor mation provided and conversa tions with appropriate school officials, the district is commit ted to following the parameters set forth in the First Amendment, and the court decisions interpreting the First Amendment, relating to both the establishment of religion and student’s rights to exercise See Prayer 19A : y if' h Jessica Brown Dawson County News Fausett Farms celebrated the first day of fall by opening its sunflower fields Sept. 22. Over the next month visitors will be able to stop by the farm located off Hwy. 136 West from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week to enjoy the 30 acres of sunflowers the farm has to offer. Commission chair to present 2019 budget By Allie Dean adean@dawsonnews.com Dawson County Board of Commissioners Chairman Billy Thurmond is scheduled to present his recommendations for the 2019 spending plan to the rest of the board on Thursday. Three public hearings will follow at 6 p.m. Oct. 4, 4 p.m. Oct. 11 and 6 p.m. Oct. 18. The board could vote to adopt the budget at the Oct. 18 meeting. County budget hearings were held in August and department heads presented around $26.8 million in general fund requests, with $2.4 million additional in personnel requests and $7.8 million additional in capital requests. Since then several items have made their way onto BOC agendas for a vote due to their more urgent nature. On Sept. 6, the board voted unanimously to approve a $27,300 expenditure for security and monitoring for the county’s computer systems through the rest of 2018. See Budget 17A Autumn fun is in the air Events, destinations for leaf lookers abound in north Georgia Woman dies in head-on collision By Jessica Brown jbrown@dawsonnews.com Dawsonville welcomed the first day of fall Sept. 22 and there are plenty of activities in Dawson County to keep visitors and resi dents alike in the fall spirit. Sunflowers at Fausett Farms A family farm since 1858, Fausett Farms has been offering fall enthusiasts beautiful mountain scenery and over 30 acres of gold en sunflowers since 2011. The farm also offers miles and miles of horse riding trails, mule drawn wagon rides, barbecue sandwiches and local honey. Pets are welcome to enjoy the farm but must be on a leash. Parking is $10 per car. The farm will be open for the next month from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week. Fausett Farms is at 11336 Hwy. 136 West in Dawsonville. Burt’s Pumpkin Farm Nestled off Hwy. 52 down the road from Fausett Farms is the fam ily-owned farm that offers visitors a wide assortment of fun. From the colorful orange pumpkins of all sizes to daily hayrides across the farm to the country store filled with fresh baked treats, Burt’s Pumpkin Farm offers something for every one. The pumpkin patch and gener al store are open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in September and October and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in November. Admission and parking are free. Burt’s Farm is located at 5 Burts Pumpkin Farm Road in Dawsonville. Uncle Shuck’s Com Maze Just off Hwy. 53, Uncle Shuck’s Corn Maze has fun for the whole family. There are approximately four miles of trails in the 12-acre corn field sure to keep even the most seasoned corn maze experts entertained but easy enough for beginners to enjoy. Every Friday and Saturday night in October Uncle Shuck’s will present The Dark Rows, a haunted corn maze nighttime adventure for those brave enough to enter the corn maze lit only by the moon. See Fall |7A By Allie Dean adean@dawsonnews.com A two-vehicle head-on collision killed one and injured another Sept. 21 at the intersection of Ga. 400 and Hwy. 53. According to a report from Georgia State Patrol, at approximately 9:15 a.m. Friday, a black Toyota Prius driven by Sherri Deal, 55, of Sugar Hill, was traveling north on Ga. 400 in the right lane of the left turn lanes that continue to Hwy. 53 west. Another vehicle, a red Jeep Grand Cherokee driv en by Benny Smith, 66, of Gainesville, was travel ing south on Ga. 400 in the left lane. Deal failed to obey the traffic control device and ran the red light, the report states. The front of Smith’s car struck the front passenger side of Deal’s car. Deal was transported to Northeast Georgia See Crash 19A 0 9 0 9 9 Inside Volume 4, Number 1 © 2018, Dawson County News Dawsonville, Georgia Church Events 3B Classifieds 9B Dear Abby 8B Deaths 2A Legals 10B Opinion 11A Sports 1B 3A Dawson in top 25 in state in graduation rate 5A Longtime L literacy advocate retires ASSOCIATED CREDIT UNION ASSOCIATED CREDIT UNION Better than a Bank MQUU JidJM tIEULI qo/oo LEE CARDHOLDER '1#*C v/s www.acuonline.org/balancetransfer Offer valid July 1,2018 - September 30, 2018 for 9.9%, 12%, and 13% APR Associated Credit Union Visa Credit Cards only. 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