Newspaper Page Text
Tigers prominent
in 7-AAA Regional
Football Awards
SPORTS, 1B
DawsonCountyNews
WEDNESDAY I DECEMBER 12, 2018 DaWSOflNeWS ^COITI DAWSONVILLE, GEORGIA $1.00
12 volunteer firefighters resign
BURNT MOUNTAIN
Highlights dispute between Pickens, Dawson counties over Station 8
By Allie Dean
adean@dawsonnews.com
The future of Fire Station No.
8 on Burnt Mountain is uncer
tain after 12 volunteer support
firefighters turned in their res
ignation last week after refus
ing to attend a Dawson County
training session, throwing a
wrench in a so far successful
intergovernmental agreement
between Pickens and Dawson
counties.
The intergovernmental agree
ment, or IGA, was signed in
December 2008 and established
that Pickens County would
build the station on Monument
Road while Dawson County
would provide equipment and
assume operation of the station,
including training the volun
teers.
Dawson County Emergency
Services Chief Danny
Thompson held a mandatory
training session for the station
on Dec. 4, but reported only
one of the 13 support staff
assigned to the station attended.
Lt. John Tarantini, the head
of the volunteers on Burnt
Mountain, wrote in an email to
Thompson the morning of Dec.
4 that the volunteers would
instead be attending a Pickens
County training class in a cou
ple of weeks.
Thompson and Dawson
County Manager David
Headley took the volunteers’
refusal to attend the Dawson
County session as a violation of
the IGA, and Headley respond
ed in an email that “ignoring
the direction...provided by
Chief Thompson is not in keep
ing with the official agreement
between Dawson County and
Pickens County.”
According to Thompson,
Tarantini refused to sign a letter
of reprimand on Dec. 6 for
insubordination and failure to
follow a direct order, an action
that would demote him to the
role of support staff member
effective immediately. During
their Dec. 6 conversation,
Tarantini presented a letter of
See Firefighters 16A
DCN wins
Beacon Award
From staff reports
The best gift I could get’
For the Dawson County News
Tara Hardwick and her foster brother Brian Abbott reunited after 44 years in October 2018.
After searching for 44 years, Dawson woman finds her foster brother
By Jessica Taylor
jtaylor@dawsonnews.com
For most of Tara Hardwick’s life,
she has been secretly searching for
someone, and after 44 years, she final
ly found him.
Growing up in Roswell, Hardwick
was used to her family taking in foster
children and orphans, especially
around the holidays to give them the
joy of Christmas with a family. She
never spent enough time with them to
build a lasting relationship, until Brian
entered her life.
In November 1971, Brian, a
6-month-old-baby, was found in a
steakhouse parking lot in Buckhead
with only a T-shirt and diaper. The
Hardwick family quickly took him in
as their foster with the understanding
that they would officially adopt him.
For four years, Brian was a member
of the Hardwick family and every
thing appeared to be heading toward
his official adoption. Then the
unthinkable happened.
Hardwick’s parents were having
marital troubles, something the
Division of Family and Children’s
Services picked up on, which meant
Brian would be placed in another
home.
“All I know is that my father went
inside shortly after Brian departed,
packed his bags, and never returned to
the family home again,” Hardwick
said.
At 14, Hardwick found herself cop
ing with the loss of her little brother
and kept the pain of the loss to herself,
secretly hoping they would be reunit
ed again one day.
Her mother and brother kept their
pain inside as well.
“Nobody really ever said anything
to each other ... we would say
The Dawson County News was honored
by the Georgia School Boards Association
Dec. 7 as a recipient of the Beacon Award
for journalism excellence in education
reporting.
On Friday, Dawson County News
General Manager Brenda Bohn, Editor
Allie Dean and Education and Features
Reporter Jessica Taylor attended the GSBA
winter conference at the Renaissance
Atlanta Waverly Convention Center to
receive the award.
“It was an honor to even be nominated for
this award but to receive it is a testament to
the dedication of our education reporters,
both past and present,” Dean said.
See Beacon 14A
Jessica Taylor Dawson County News
A Dawsonville man and a Dahlonega
man were killed Dec. 10 in a wreck on
Ga. 400.
A Dawsonville man and a Dahlonega
man were killed on in a head-on collision
on Ga. 400 near Henry Grady Hwy. on
Tuesday.
According to a press release from
Georgia State Patrol, troopers responded to
the wreck at 1:24 p.m. Dec. 10.
The release states that Tony Ray
See Brother 14A
See Crash 14A
2 men killed in
Tuesday crash
on Ga. 400
By Allie Dean
adean@dawsonnews.com
90994 04002
Inside
Volume 4, Number 12
© 2018, Dawson County News
Dawsonville, Georgia
Church Events
Classifieds
Dear Abby
Deaths
Legals
Opinion
Sports
3B
7B
6B
2A
8B
9A
1B
3A Burnt Mountain
weathers ice
storm while rest
of county sees
only rain
7A Cumming man
owns 60,000
records, Coke
bottles more than
100 years old
13 MONTH CD
25 MONTH CD
HOLIDAY 2 552 2 85
SPECIAL
FOR LOCAL LOCATIONS VISITOR CALL
COASTALSTATESBANK.COM
Dawsonville Branch (706) 216-5900
Cumming Branch (770) 292-9168
STEP UP OPTION
Member
FDIC
^Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is accurate as of publication date. Minimum balance to open and obtain APY is
$10,000. Penalty will be imposed for early withdrawal, which may reduce earnings on the account. 13 month
CD: Initial term is for 13 months, automatically renews to a 12 month CD at the then prevailing rate. 25 Month
Step up Option CD: Initial CD is for 25 month term, automatically renews to a 24 month CD at the then
prevailing rate.
Mills community bank
A Division ofCoastalStates Bank
**Step Up Option: Allows for the use of a one-time step-up option, which allows the customer to
increase the rate to the then prevailing 24 month CD rate (or 25 month CD rate).
