Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, December 8,2021
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 3B
Why don’t kids
ride bus anymore?
In a town of 7,500, I found myself in a long line of
traffic that would not budge. In either lane.
Finally, I eased into the old Tastee Freeze lot, pulled
my sewing machine from the back seat, and walked it
across the road to The Common
Thread where I was dropping it for
repair.
“What’s going on??” I exclaimed.
“School pick-up line.”
I stared at the jam of a hundred or
more cars. “Doesn’t anyone ride the
school bus anymore?”
Riding the school bus for 10
years was one of the most meaningful experiences of
my life. On the first day of first grade, I begged Mama
to let me take the bus instead of riding with her when
she went to register me. Daily, since a toddler, I sat on
the front steps to watch it pass our house and dreamed
of those big doors swooshing open for me.
Oh, the lessons I learned from that gentle yellow bus
— such as the discipline of being ready and on time.
The school bus waited for no one. There was no cajol
ing, threatening, or begging by Mama. I knew to be
ready and waiting when it turned off the highway and
headed down our road.
Only once in 10 years did I miss the bus. It was a
minute early, I was a minute late. My hand was on the
front door knob when I heard it slow as the driver
glanced around for reliable me. My heart fell as I
watched its tail lights head over the bridge. I had missed
the bus.
Literally and figuratively, I would never do that again.
A friendship from those school bus days instilled con
fidence. Vicki, two years older and one of the most pop
ular girls in the entire school, saved me a seat beside her
every morning and afternoon. Sometimes she wore her
cheerleading suit and that made me feel even more spe
cial.
The school bus introduced me to the seasons that
come and go. In the gentle Spring, birds serenaded me
as I waited at the mailbox wMle the Autumn brought a
colorful array of oranges, yellows and reds to entertain
me. It became my favorite season and those became the
colors I wear and with which I decorate.
The bitter cold Appalachian mornings left me shiver
ing miserably while the rain storms forced me to shelter
under the front porch, then run, books clutched tightly
in my arms, as hard as I could when I saw the head
lights turn the comer.
Later, I realized that it was a metaphor for life: storms
would rage occasionally, birds would rejoice at times,
and there were be days of sheer beauty.
My brother-in-law, Rodney, drove a school bus. Every
afternoon, his small son waited excitedly in front of the
house for Rodney to return from his route. Rodney
would stop, open the doors and welcome his most cher
ished passenger to ride the 20 yards to the bus’s parking
place. What a memory.
One of Rodney’s colleagues had a nine-year-old pas
senger who was typical boyish trouble. The first child
on in the morning, the last off in the afternoon, Jimmy
spent every ride in a haze of flying fists and bloody
noses. No amount of disciplining or trips to the princi
pal’s office could deter him.
In the midst of one fierce back-of-the bus battles, the
driver pulled over to the side of the road.
“Jimmy, come here!” he bellowed. The little boy,
head hung, slunk to the front.
“This fightin’ is gonna stop. TODAY.” The driver
commenced into a serious come-to-Jesus. Suddenly,
Jimmy’s head snapped up, his eyes widened. He was
upset.
“But, Mr. Jackson, you don’t understand!!!” he cried
out. He pounded his chest frantically. “One day, I’M
gonna win!”
That particular school bus lesson has traveled with me
down through the journey of life.
It has served me well.
Ronda Rich is the best-selling author of What Southern
Women Know About Faith. Visit www.rondarich.com to
sign up for her free newsletter.
FROM 1B
Firefighters
driving record and be
able to pass a background
check. Open enrollment
for prospective volunteers
is every January, and
applications can be found
on the Dawson County
Government website dur
ing the month of January.
Edwards said that, in
his time as a volunteer
firefighter, he’s found the
job to be more than worth
the time and effort.
“It’s very rewarding,
particularly when you
make a difference in
someone’s life,” Edwards
said. “When we respond
to a call, those people are
having the worst day of
their life, and being able
to help them when
they’re having a really
bad day and a really bad
time is really rewarding.”
Photo submitted to Dawson County News
Chris Gaines (right) this past weekend collect
ing his pilot's license.
FROM 1B
Gaines
What’s next for you
now that you’re a
licensed pilot?
Obtaining a private
pilot’s license really is
the first step to more
learning and training on
how to improve your
new skill and continu
ing to become a safer
pilot. I plan to move
into the next level certi
fication and become an
instrument rated pilot
hopefully in the spring
of 2022 as well as a
high performance
endorsement so that i
can fly faster planes. I
guess the best line I can
say is literally “the
sky’s the limit” from
here!
Try these homemade holiday treats
Who doesn’t love get
ting a homemade gift
from the kitchen during
the holidays? Try one or
all of these recipes for
your family members and
friends this Christmas
season. Look for cute
Christmas containers and
glass jars at the dollar store, and use
color&l ribbons to complete your cute
packaging. For your friends who like
to cook, include the recipe.
Chocolate Fudge Sauce
• 1 14 cup heavy cream
• ¥i cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons com syrup
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 7 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
In a saucepan, combine heavy
cream, brown sugar, com syrup and
butter. Heat over medium heat and stir
until sugar dissolves. Boil gently for 4
minutes. Remove from heat and stir in
vanilla and salt. Pour into a jar and
refrigerate.
Poppy and Sesame
Seed Crackers
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• !/2 teaspoon salt
• 'A cup butter
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 4-5 tablespoons ice
water
Sift together flour,
baking powder and salt.
Stir in poppy seeds and
sesame seeds. Add ice
water and knead togeth
er. Wrap in plastic wrap
and chill in refrigerator for 30 min
utes. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
Roll out dough on lightly floured sur
face. Cut into small squares or other
desired shape. Prick each with a fork a
few times. Bake on parchment lined
baking sheet for 12-15 minutes. Cool
on wire rack.
White Chocolate
Peanut Butter Krispies
• 2 cups Rice Krispies
• 2 cups dry roasted peanuts
• 2 cups mini marshmallows
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 pounds white chocolate chips
In a large bowl, combine cereal,
peanuts, and marshmallows. In a
microwaveable bowl, combine peanut
butter and white chocolate chips and
microwave for a minute. Stir every 30
seconds until fully melted. Pour pea
nut butter/white chocolate mixture
over cereal and stir to combine. Drop
by tablespoons onto parchment paper
lined baking sheet. Let sit for 2 hours.
Slow Cooker Spiced Nuts
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups almonds
• 2 cups walnut halves
• 2 cups cashews
• 2 cups pecan halves
• 8 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 14 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup water
Whisk egg whites with vanilla. Add
nuts, stirring to combine. In another
bowl, whisk together sugar, brown
sugar, ground ginger, ground nutmeg,
ground cloves, and salt. Add to nuts
and pour all into a slow cooker. Cook
on high for 1 V2 hours, stirring every
30 minutes. Add water. Cook another
20 minutes on low. Pour out onto
parchment paper lined baking sheets
to cool.
Peppermint
Hot Chocolate Mix
• 1 (6-ounce) box candy canes
• 2 V2 cups powdered milk
• 1 cup dark cocoa powder
• 1 Vi cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Crush candy canes in a food proces
sor, or place in plastic zipper bag and
crush with rolling pin. Combine all
ingredients, mixing well. To make,
combine 1/3 cup mixture with 1 cup
boiling water or hot milk. This would
be so cute gifted in a Mason jar with
red and green ribbons tied on, and a
gift tag with directions.
ADLEN ROBINSON
Columnist
County district map, budget covered at BOC meetings
Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
After collection efforts for the
decennial U.S. Census recently con
cluded, the Board of Commissioners
took the important step on Dec. 2 of
rubber stamping Dawson County’s
local redistricting plan.
Ultimately, the state legislature will
have the final say in approving such
plans for Dawson and other Georgia
counties.
County attorney Angela Davis
described the revised voting map
schematics as keeping in mind popu
lation changes and other criteria out
lined under the Voting Rights Act.
The Dawson County government
opted for the state’s Legislative and
Congressional Reapportionment
Office to draw up the suggested map
changes. The reapportionment office
is a joint entity of the state’s General
Assembly.
In Dawson County, districts 2 and
4, represented by Chris Gaines and
Emory Dooley respectively, saw the
largest population increase over the
last decade. In response, districts 1
and 3, represented by Sharon Fausett
and Tim Satterfield, were expanded to
allow for equality of Dawson districts
based on population size.
District 3 was expanded into the
easternmost portions of District 2,
while District 1 was expanded into the
westernmost parts of districts 2 and 4.
“With respect to the Voting Rights
Act, often the focus there is on ensur
ing that there’s a preservation of
majority-minority districts,” said
Davis during the meeting. “That really
wasn’t an issue with the demograph
ics in Dawson County...so I think it’s
one of the more simple map changes
I’ve seen.”
The attorney added that all of the
incumbent commissioners and school
board members are maintained in
their area, so nobody will be kicked
out of their district and put into a new
one.
County email system
issues resolved
It’s been a busy week for the coun
ty’s IT department, which detected
attempts on Nov. 29 and Dec. 1 to
hack into the local government’s
email system using malicious emails.
Chief Financial Officer Vickie
Neikirk read a statement from county
manager David Headley, who wasn’t
able to attend the meeting. His state
ment clarified that the events were
“not a hack” and “at no time were
Dawson County servers ever infiltrat
ed, and no data was accessed.”
IT Director Herman Thompson
explained that the events were
attempts to exploit part of Microsoft
Exchange software used for the coun
ty’s email infrastructure.
With a virtual window into the
email system, the perpetrators could
see the email lists and manipulate
them as if they were physically inside
the building. Fortunately, they never
intruded into the government center,
and no county equipment was infect
ed.
Emails could be sent as if they were
sent by the individual with the county
email. In other words, it was a sophis
ticated spoof.
“Right now, we’re safe and secure.
We’ve had outside parties verify this,
and all of our email and data is safe
and secure. All of the county data is as
well,” Thompson added.
While he couldn’t guarantee that
perpetrators wouldn’t find a new hole
in Microsoft software, he did outline
what is being done to remedy the situ
ation.
Measures taken include geo-fenc-
ing, verifying all 600-plus county
emails and confirming firewalls’ and
routers’ strengths. The IT director said
it will help to have the additional IT
staff as authorized by the recently-
approved budget. He added that a fis
cal year 2023 move from an in-house
server to cloud-based Microsoft
Office 365 could also help.
Budget ins and outs
During the Nov. 18 voting session,
the county commissioners gave the
fiscal year 2022 budgets their stamps
of approval.
Updated figures have the FY 2022
general fund budget clocking in at
$32,486,680. That includes the mill-
age rate of 7.625 mils, down from
7.885 mils. The county budgets total
an overall $57,339,342.
The general fund budget for next
year includes money that the tax com
missioner’s office requested as part of
a separate motion the night the budget
was approved. A state mandate to
increase bailiff pay must be voted on
and approved before an amendment
can be made to include it in the 2022
budget.
To recap, the FY2022 budget
includes new or upgraded positions
for:
• a county marshal
• custodian
• general mechanic
• IT network administrator and
two technicians
• a senior judicial assistant
• permit technician
• legal assistant for the public
defender
• building inspector
• pre-trial officer
• senior plan reviewer
• fire inspector
The public defender’s salary will
also be corrected by increasing it
$11,229 to $154,461.
As previously reported by Erica
Jones, $1.5 million has been set aside
for first responders to receive salary
increases for the next three years. For
the part and full-time employees who
did not receive money from COVID-
related funding, each will receive dol-
lar-per-hour raises from a planned
amount of $341,615.
Additionally, the county manager
will be given $75,000 as a contingen
cy for county employees who may
want to request additional pay raises
after doing certifications, training or
performing over and above job expec
tations.
On Nov. 18, the board approved the
Dawson County Sheriff Office’s secu
rity system upgrade project contract
with Southwestern Communications.
The project is not to exceed a cost
of $2,075,409.40 and will be financed
using previously-approved capital
funds of $1,405,500 and $669,909.40
from the General Fund fund balance.
Those funds will be reimbursed by the
SPLOST VII funds approved for the
upgrade.
The total cost of the project will be
$2,279,339.40, according to informa
tion shared with the BOC at its Nov. 4
work session. Included in that overall
total is the service and maintenance
support contract, which will account
for $203,930 of the total and can be
paid over a period of five years.
According to DCSO Major Greg
Rowan’s Nov. 4 presentation, the pro
posed security upgrades would
include testing the current equipment;
running new wiring; installation of the
latest available version of all equip
ment and software; testing and quality
control; training staff on the new
equipment and software; and provi
sion of a comprehensive support,
repair and maintenance agreement.
The sheriff’s office also added a few
more security upgrades to the bid,
including 15 new secure doors; addi
tional cameras both indoor and out
door; new camera client stations in the
courthouse; cameras in the Butler
Building where the old jail used to sit;
cameras in the old historic courthouse;
cameras in the K-9 building and cam
eras in the courthouse elevators.
Rowan explained during that meet
ing that the SWC bid, as well as the
other proposed bids, were above the
$1.5 million target price approved in
January because of inflation and sup
ply availability.
The project total of $2,279,339.40
includes the maintenance contract, the
related costs for which would be
spread out over a five-year span of
time.
In more recreational news, the BOC
also approved $20,000 for an educa
tional butterfly park to be installed at
River Park by the Rotary Club of
Dawson County.
Speaking on behalf of the club,
Brooke Anderson said at the Nov. 18
BOC work session that should the
project move forward, the club could
complete it by the end of February,
just in time for spring.
Over the last several years,
Anderson said the club has done sev
eral projects in conjunction with the
Parks and Recreation department,
such as a splash pad, pickleball and
basketball courts and batting cages.
What's next for the year's
last BOC meeting
The BOC’s Dec. 16 agenda will
include items from two important
property-related issues. Further dis
cussion on the county’s forthcoming
short-term rental ordinance has been
postponed until that time.
Likewise, a possible subdivision off
of Ga. 9 and Goodson Road will
come back up for a vote after being
postponed.
During a Nov. 17 community meet
ing at Rock Creek Park, development
consultant Jim King told residents that
he would try to redesign the proposed
neighborhood’s current site plans. He
also said he would send them an exist
ing traffic study and a forthcoming
hydrology study when it becomes
available.