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WEDNESDAY I SEPTEMBER 25, 2019 DaWSOflNeWS ^COITI DAWSONVILLE, GEORGIA $1.00
Pearson subpoenaed by Senate
Former state lawmaker probed over conversation agreements
By Kelly Whitmire
DCN Regional Staff
A former state lawmaker rep
resenting Dawson County and a
small portion of northeast
Forsyth County and other offi
cials with a south Forsyth
County business were among
six recently subpoenaed by a
U.S. Senate committee.
Per a news release from the
United States Senate
Committee on Finance,
Chairman Chuck Grassley
(R-Iowa) and ranking member
Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) issued the
subpoenas “for documents in
their bipartisan probe of syndi
cated conservation-easement
transactions” to Matthew
Campbell, Robert McCullough,
Matt Ornstein, Mark Pickett,
Frank Schuler and Eugene
“Chip” Pearson, who served as
District 51 state Senator from
2005 to 2011.
A conversation agreement is
an agreement between the prop
erty owner and a trust or gov
ernment agency that allows for
a tax reduction but permanently
limits the rights of what can be
built on the land with an aim of
preserving land.
In a joint statement, Grassley
and Wyden said that the ease
ments are important for promot
ing “land conservation, but
some of them in recent years
may have allowed some taxpay
ers to profit from gaming the
law — depriving the govern
ment of billions in revenue.”
“As we’ve both said all along,
conservation easements have
very legitimate purposes. We
need to protect those purposes
and protect the American tax
payer. If a handful of folks can
game the system for profit, then
we’re all left holding the bag.
We expect fulsome cooperation
with our investigation, and it’s
unfortunate we’ve had to resort
to compulsory process.
Ultimately, when Congress
makes an inquiry, it needs to be
answered. It’s not optional,”
they said in the statement.
The committee launched a
probe looking into the conser
vation tax benefit abuse, citing
findings from the Bookings
Institution, a nonprofit public
policy organization based in
Washington, D.C., which found
the easements “cost the federal
See Pearson 19A
Program serves at-risk youth
Photos by Jessica Taylor Dawson County News
United States Department of Education Assistant Secretary Frank Brogan talks to Next Generation Clubhouse
members Joshua Bohn and James Ventresco about the clubhouse's technology-based initiatives during a Sept.
18 stop in the U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos' 2019 Back-to-School tour.
U.S. DOE Back-to-School tour highlights prevention clubhouse
From left: Director of the Office of Behavioral Health Prevention Travis
Fretwell, U.S. Department of Education Assistant Secretary Frank
Brogan, Next Generation Executive Director Bindy Auvermann, Next
Generation Development Director Veronica Santiago-Johnston and State
Superintendent Dr. Richard Woods.
By Jessica Taylor
jtaylor@dawsonnews.com
Assistant Secretary of the United
States Department of Education Frank
Brogan completed his Georgia leg of
the 2019 Back-to-School tour Sept. 18
with a stop at the Next Generation
Clubhouse in Dawson County.
Brogan visited the prevention club
house to learn more about the success
of afterschool prevention programs
and gather innovative ideas to bring
back to Washington D.C. next week
when the national tour concludes.
“It’s not only been fun, it’s been
very illuminating,” said Brogan. “This
is one of those unique programs that
you have to look for to find, and when
you do, you’re glad you did.”
Next Generation, also called NxTG,
is one of three substance abuse pre
vention clubhouses in the state of
Georgia that receives funding from the
Georgia Department of Behavioral
Health and Developmental Disabilities
(DBHDD). The after-school club
house has been open and serving at-
risk youth in Dawson County since
2013.
The idea for a prevention clubhouse,
a safe and inviting environment for
kids, is the brain child of Travis
Fretwell, Director of the Office of
Behavioral Health Prevention within
DBHDD, who was on site to discuss
the role of the clubhouse.
“It stemmed from an idea of mem
bership. I really thought that if we
could create an avenue for member
ship but make it an inviting situation
that we could get kids to come back to
services,” Fretwell said. “The idea was
to create an environment that they
wanted to come back to so that’s when
we came up with the clubhouse con
cept - to create an atmosphere that
would be fun.”
It was also important to Fretwell
that each clubhouse adhered to the
culture of its unique communities, by
leaving the curriculum up to the direc
tors and leaders of each clubhouse.
“In thinking about these programs,
one of the things that I wanted to do is
to ensure that each community can
develop their own program, so to
speak — so what’s impactful for the
youth in your community,” Fretwell
said. “For some communities, it’s all
about soccer. They want to do soccer
so their program is shaped around soc
cer. For some it’s entertainment, oth
ers its sports. Some they say it’s edu
cation and its robotics.”
For Next Generation, it’s a STEAM
See Visit 13A
Four fires in
as many days
Joshua Demarest
jdemarest@dawsonnews.com
Dawson County firefighters and Georgia
Forestry employees fought a brush fire near
Kelley Bridge Road in Dawson County for
the better part of the day on Tuesday, Sept.
24. The fire closed a lane of Kelley Bridge
Rd. and reignited at least once.
It marked the fourth fire in as many days
in the county.
Earlier in the morning of Sept. 24, a fire
broke out on Hanging Dog Road. Units
quickly responded, but the 2,500 sq. ft.
workshop involved was heavily damaged.
Just after midnight on Monday, Sept. 23, a
fire erupted in a commercial building behind
Big D’s BBQ. That building was also badly
damaged.
During the afternoon on Saturday, Sept.
21, a brush fire broke out near Hwy. 53.
The fires may have something to do with
the weather.
According to a Facebook post made by
Dawson County Fire and Emergency
Services, “next week marks the end of the
State EPD open burn restrictions. Dawson
County is currently in a moderate drought
according to the National Weather Service.
These hot and dry conditions increase the
risk of woods, grass and brush fires.
Remember, you must contact the Georgia
Foresty Commission at 1-877-OK2-BURN
(652-2876) or online at www.gatrees.org
before you do any outdoor burning of hand-
piled vegetation.”
See Fires 19A
Trampoline
park to fill old
Kroger store
Joshua Demarest
jdemarest@dawsonnews.com
During the Board of Commissioners
meeting on Sept. 19, it was announced that
Faunch Trampoline Park would be taking
30,000 sq. ft. of the old Kroger on Hwy. 53
and Ga. 400. It will include trampolines,
extreme dodge ball, ninja courses, laser
tag, an in-house make-your-own pizza res
taurant and more.
The company’s goal is to have the tram
poline park open sometime in March 2020.
“Faunch is an innovative leader in the
family entertainment industry and we
couldn’t be more excited about bringing
new and exciting attractions to the area,”
said Corey Stalnaker, who will own and
run the franchise location with his wife,
Christina. “Even if they’ve been to other
action parks before, I think the local com
munity will be really impressed with
Faunch’s setup. There’s a focus on family
entertainment and fitness, and safety. We
See Launch 12A
9 0 9 9
Inside
Volume 4, Number XX
© 2019, Dawson County News
Dawsonville, Georgia
Church Events
3B
Classifieds
9B
Dear Abby
7B
Deaths
2A
Legals
10B
Opinion
11A
Sports
1B
5A Backpack
Buddies group
packs meals
for school kids
6A Groundbreaking
ceremony held
for Fire Station 8