Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current, February 20, 2019, Image 1
Teen’s photographic skills gives those with disabilities a voice LOCAL, 6A Dawson County senior sets scoring record in 71 -60 win SPORTS, IB DawsonCountyNews WEDNESDAY I FEBRUARY 20, 2019 DaWSOflNeWS ^COITI DAWSONVILLE, GEORGIA $1.00 BOC planning censure against Nix County human resources director terminated after receiving confidential emails from commissioner By Allie Dean adean@dawsonnews.com Documents released by the county last week show Human Resources Director Danielle Yarbrough, a 20-year county employee, was fired Feb. 8 after it became known she had received confidential information from a commissioner via email. In a termination letter dated Feb. Yarbrough Nix 8, County Manager David Headley explained why he fired Yarbrough, stating that though she had no con trol over receiving the documents, she violated a recently-signed confi dentiality agreement by not taking steps to notify him upon receipt. District 4 Commissioner Julie Hughes Nix, the commis sioner who sent the emails, is facing a resolution of censure from the rest of the board dur ing Thursday’s voting session. According to the resolution, censure is the “appropriate form of reprimand for a com missioner acting out of order.” The resolution states that Nix acted out of order when she sent emails to an employee on repeated occasions, despite the fact that that the communica tions were specifically marked confidential and attorney-client privileged. “Despite this specific admoni tion, such communications were forwarded by Commissioner Nix in violation of the attorney- client privilege when such com munications were concerning personnel issues about the very employee to whom she forward ed the communications, this employee was represented by an attorney, and this employee was taking positions adverse to See Nix 15A DCHS STAR student, teacher named Jessica Taylor Dawson County News Pictured from left are Dawson County High School Principal Brody Hughes, STAR student Will Mulberry, STAR teacher Laura Hendrix and Dawsonville Lions Club President Don Cargill. Will Mulberry plans to go on 2-year mission trip after graduation By Jessica Taylor jtaylor@dawsonnews.com Earning the highest SAT score in his class was a breeze for Will Mulberry. “It’s just about being con sistent with (studying). Some people, they say they’re going to study and they might do it for one day but the key is to just make sure you’re doing it every day,” Mulberry said. “If you do it every day you could just study little by little and it makes it much easier. It doesn’t build as much of a burden as you’d think.” The Dawson County High School senior studied for months leading up to the standardized test, success fully earning an overall score of 1370. Mulberry was recently recognized for his impres sive score by the Georgia Educators’ Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) program, which is sponsored by the Dawsonville Lions Club. “Mr. Mulberry is the best of the best at Dawson County High School. Very polite, dedicated, driven, any of those acronyms you want to put on it,” said DCHS Principal Brody Hughes. “Obviously it takes somebody of that caliber to be STAR student so just an all-around fantastic young man. We look forward to the good things we know he’s going to do with his life.” As STAR student, Mulberry was tasked with selecting the STAR teacher, an educator that he feels has been the most instrumental in his academic career. It was an easy choice to make: chemistry and phys ics teacher Laura Hendrix. “He loved that science and that energizes any teacher, I do know that,” Hendrix said. Mulberry has always had an affinity for math-based sciences and a mind for engineering. In Hendrix’s classes, he was always looking for new challenges. “When we see a student who loves the subject, you step it up a bit. I would look for some challenging prob lems for him,” Hendrix said. “He did college based chemistry and college based physics and he was good at it.” Mulberry said Hendrix’s science classes helped him discover what he wants to do after graduating in the spring: aerospace engineer ing. “She really just helped to amplify my interests and help me to decide what I want to be when I grow up,” Mulberry said. “In physics we actually had a day where we met with aero space engineers and got to see what they did on a regu lar basis. She just did a real ly good job at showing me what I want to do when I grow up.” Mulberry plans to attend Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah and enlist in the Air Force ROTC at the See STAR 14A Uncle Shuck’s moves ahead of 2019 season Owner: Corn maze can now expand amenities By Allie Dean adean@dawsonnews.com Mathew Hughes has big plans for the future of Uncle Shuck’s corn maze. Owner and operator of the business that called Hwy. 53 on Gober Hill home for the past 17 years, Hughes recently moved the com maze, and the recognizable red barn, across town. See Shuck's 17A Jessica Taylor Dawson County News Hwy. 9 is the new home for Uncle Shuck's, which is owned and operated by Mathew Hughes, who has worked at the business since he was in high school. Chamber seeks lower impact fees that affect businessess By Allie Dean adean@dawsonnews.com The Dawson County Chamber of Commerce is continuing to fight against the impact fees instated by the Dawson Board of Commissioners last August, par ticularly the effect the fees have on the business community, as evidenced by a presentation Feb. 14 by Chamber President Christie Moore. Impact fees are one-time fees collected on new developments during the building permit process that are intended to help offset the costs of capital improvements See Chamber 15A 0 9 0 9 9 Inside Volume 4, Number 22 © 2019, Dawson County News Dawsonville, Georgia Church Events 3B Classifieds 8B Dear Abby 6B Deaths 2A Legals 7B Opinion 9A Sports 1B 3A Rules for passing school buses changes Cause of Friday morning structure fire unknown THE MOST IN GEORGIA POWERFUL CANCER FIGHTING NETWORK Taking on cancer requires an elite clinical team. That's why Northside Hospital Cancer Institute has the most board-certified medical oncologists in Georgia. We diagnose and treat more new cancer cases than any other hospital in the state—providing care at 48 cancer centers. Backed by expertise and experience, we're built to beat cancer. Learn more at builttobeatcancer.com m NORTHSIDE HOSPITAL CANCER INSTITUTE ‘■BUILT to BEAT CANCER