Newspaper Page Text
Friday, December 11,2015
Lake Oconee News
Page A7
Crime Reports
MORGAN COUNTY
SHERIFF'S OFFICE
Ashley Nicole Hightower, 2770 Headland Drive,
Atlanta, was arrested Nov. 25 and charged with
speeding in excess of maximum limits and driv
ing while license suspended/revoked.
Marcelino Lugo Castillo, 134 Providence St.,
Shadydale, was arrested Nov. 25 and charged
with driving with an expired or no driver's
license.
Walter Joseph Johnson, 4271 Eatonton Road,
Madison, was arrested Nov. 25 and charged
with failure to appear in court.
Julius Scott Hardigree, 301 Deer Track Road,
Buckhead, was arrested Nov. 26 and charged
with driving while license suspended/revoked.
Bereket James Lewis, 1227 Grant St., Atlanta,
was arrested Nov. 26 and charged with pos
session of a Schedule 2 controlled substance,
prescription drugs not in their original container
and misdemeanor obstruction of an officer.
Kourtney Alexa Bishop, 2461 Farmington Road,
Madison, was arrested Nov. 26 and charged
with disorderly conduct.
Yancy Tatuya Estep, 1050 Pintail Lane, Madison,
was arrested Nov. 26 to hold for Walton County.
Jared Jamesuraih, 2 Bayberry Court, Cherry Hill,
N.J., was arrested Nov. 27 and charged with
reckless driving, speeding in excess of maxi
mum limits and driving in the emergency lane.
Tywain Jackson, 1080 Indian Bend Drive, Rut
ledge, was arrested Nov. 27 and charged with
battery-family violence, driving while license
suspended/revoked and attempting to elude a
peace officer.
Christopher Dewayne Smith, 1101 Flat Rock
Road, Madison, was arrested Nov. 27 and
charged with driving under the influence and
failing to meet a headlight requirement.
Steven Donald Hilsman, 445 Poplar St., Mad
ison, was arrested Nov. 28 and charged with
driving under the influence, failing to main
tain lane and possession of an open alcohol
container.
Brandon Rivers, 3890 Bostwick Road, Madison,
was arrested Nov. 28 and charged with posses
sion of marijuana with intent to distribute.
Steven Anthony Elliott, 1640 Aqua Road,
Madison, was arrested Nov. 29 and charged
with disorderly conduct, prescription drugs not
in their original container and obstructing or
hindering an EMT.
Amanda Michelle Willoughby, 4044 Friendship
Road, Buford, was arrested Nov. 29 for a parole
violation.
Jonathon David Quintana, 1600 Old Bainbridge
Road, Tallahassee, Fla., was arrested Nov. 29
for reckless driving and speeding in excess of
maximum limits.
James Stephens Cronic, 4530 Buckhead Road,
Buckhead, was arrested Nov. 30 for failure to
appear in court.
Raquesha Lashay McLean, 950 Hudson Road,
Marietta, was arrested Dec. 1 for driving while
license suspended/revoked and speeding in
excess of maximum limits.
Jarid Ray Cordon, 1010 Little Creek Lane, Mad
ison, was arrested Dec. 1 for possession of
marijuana less than one ounce.
Quantavious Williams, 1039 Green Meadows
Drive, Madison, was arrested Dec. 1 to hold for
Putnam County.
Schools
Continued from A5
LOA also has been the
most divisive addition to
Greene County in the past
decade. Creation of three
gerrymandered attendance
zones, drawn to provide tax-
payer-funded profits for land
owners from attendance
zone one, has been and con
tinues to be economic segre
gation (e.g., excluded Harbor
Club, a competing gated
community) and geographic
segregation (e.g., excluded all
taxpaying families north of
1-20). One simple question
for all LOA parents living in
attendance zone one; how
would you feel as a lifelong
taxpaying parent living in
attendance zone three if
required to wait for a lottery
drawing each year while
new arrivals to attendance
zone one, many moving into
rental homes and thus not
paying school taxes, moved
to the front of the line ahead
of your children?
Failure to provide bus
transportation is another
form of segregation, es
pecially for single parent
working moms with only one
car.
The administrative
decision to use coached
young LOA students for an
expensive and disrespectful
“debate” video, replete with
misrepresentations, was
misguided and inappropri
ate.
Greene County’s Students
The overwhelming
majority are eager to learn,
well behaved and have
unlimited potential. Two
examples:
Greene County High
School’s 2015 Valedictorian
Jasmine Williams is a Gates
Millennium scholarship re
cipient. Though she chose
to attend the University of
Alabama, we still love and
admire her.
Lake Oconee Academy
sophomore Sydney Horton
already has done more
to help others than most
people will in a lifetime. She
started a gifted scholarship
program, tutors at the Pete
Nance Boys and Girls Club,
works part time in a car
diologist’s office and spent
Thanksgiving providing
medical care to underserved
people in Honduras.
LOA Expansion Bond
The recent attempt to in
tentionally by-pass taxpayer
approval for a twenty
million dollar high school
construction bond predict
ably was determined to be
invalid by Georgia’s Superior
Court and then by Georgia’s
Supreme Court. The energy
wasted and costs incurred
(more than three hundred
thousand taxpayer dollars
just in legal fees) could have
been and should have been
avoided. All citizens who
believe in the rule of law and
proper taxpayer representa
tion should thank Mr. Dee
Lindsey. His willingness
to step forward, endure a
barrage of unjust criticism
and pay intervenor legal fees
out of his own pocket should
be applauded.
Greene County Board of
Commissioners
Chairman Ed Bullard’s
divisive and dismissive style
has been harmful and dis
appointing. Hopefully the
next chairman will embrace
government in the sunshine,
welcome the opinions and
authority of the four other
elected commissioners, rein
in County Manager Byron
Lombard and prioritize
the interests of all Greene
County citizens and busi
nesses.
Taxpayer Abuse
Greene County taxpayers,
particularly retirees on fixed
incomes throughout Greene
County, continue to be taken
for granted. Following are
some examples of current
and potential future abuse:
GCSS cost per student is
one of the very highest for
public schools in Georgia.
LOA’s funding per student
is at least 30 percent higher
than the average for other
charter schools in Georgia.
Though there is significant
student capacity available at
Carson Middle School and
Greene County High School,
all parties seem intent on
adding new buildings to
their fiefdoms.
The BOC’s attempt to foist
a 20 million dollar LOA ex
pansion bond on taxpayers
while concurrently planning
to gift 25 acres of recently
purchased land to LOA
are two recent examples
of taxpayer interests being
ignored.
BOC Chairman Ed Bul
lard’s plans to build a sev
en-figure welcome center
and also a plan to purchase
an eight-figure tract of ad
ditional vacant land for a
yet to be vetted or validated
megasite are two potential
abuses waiting to happen.
LOA Charter Renewal
The charter definitely
should be renewed but not
until changes are made and
additional financial infor
mation is obtained, verified
and analyzed.
Attendance zones should
be eliminated now, not used
as a bargaining chip.
Countywide bus transpor
tation should be included.
LOA should be tasked
with providing:
Operation and facility
funding levels compared
to other charter schools in
Georgia
Operating cost budgets
and actuals for significant
line item categories (e.g.,
senior management com
pensation, support staff,
teachers, insurance, legal
fees, public relations etc.).
Preliminary data indicate
that LOA’s total current
funding per student, in
an apples to apples com
parison that separates out
GCSS transportation and
mandated special educa
tion costs, actually might be
higher than the GCSS cost
per student.
Current and project
ed future reserve dollar
amounts should be scruti
nized. The contention that a
new high school will be self
funded by LOA would prove
to be disingenuous if large
taxpayer reserves meant for
operating costs in reality
turned out to be targeted
to build a new high school.
A new school should be
funded by a voter approved
construction bond, the LOA
Foundation or a combina
tion of the two.
November 2016 Election
A new majority of both
the BOE and the BOC (3 of 5
members) will be elected in
11 months. Citizens hope
fully will become informed
and then support capable
new leaders who will bring
our county back together.
Closing Comment
Children are our county’s
and our country’s future,
and a quality education for
all is vital to assuring that
future. Most Greene County
citizens in this giving com
munity have demonstrated
a willingness to pay our fair
share or more for educa
tion costs but we expect a
good product, cost efficien
cy, no behind closed door
gimmicks and the payment
of their fair share by all res
idents.
*S» HARMONY CROSSING
H ANIMAL HOSPITAL
Scott Richter, DVM
Scott Gibson, DVM
Practice Limited To Small Animals
1013 Lake Oconee Pkwy.
Suite 102 • Eatonton, GA31024
706-923-1456
Humbling to hear CCA
passion of giants
I just got to spend the day
sitting among the giants - I
couldn’t help but think as
I pulled out of the Board
of Education parking lot
last Thursday. It was an
experience I would have
cleared my schedule for any
day. I was given the oppor
tunity to ride with some of
Morgan County’s top voices
in education to receive
a grant that will change
the landscape of our com
munity’s schools forever.
Spending the day with this
group was definitely an
honor, and I hope they are
aware how grateful I was
to be among them on this
occasion.
In the car ride to
Gwinnett Technical
College, I had the oppor
tunity to ride with three
distinguished women in
education. During one
of our conversations, it
was brought up that their
children may not really get
to experience all that the
new College and Career
Academy has to offer, to
which they all responded
this isn’t so much about
impacting their own kids
as it is about impacting the
lives of all Morgan County
students including future
students.
It was humbling to hear
their passion for the new
CCA and their students,but
it didn’t occur to me until
later that some of the
students who will get to ex
perience this new institu-
Brown
Continued from A4
Eatonton.
Leave it to Turnipseed
to buy your groceries and
deliver them to your house.
“Pantry Placement? No
problem,” said Turnipseed.
“We’ll shop for your gro
ceries and deliver them
to your house. And for an
additional fee, if you really
want, we’ll actually go in
the house and put your gro
ceries away.
“Matter of fact, if you
want something from the
hardware store or your dry
cleaning delivered, we can
work something out.”
Turnipseed is from the
Atlanta area. She’s been
around the lake the past
dozen years selling antiques
and art. Now she’s making a
go with WeGoShop.
WeGoShop allows you to
select your particular brand
of groceries as well as the
store or stores. There is no
club to join and no registra
tion fee for the service that
WeGoShop offers.
For more information
about personalized grocery
shopping and free delivery,
you can reach WeGoShop
Leila
Scoggins
Reporter
tion may one day be mine.
Although Derek and I don’t
have any children current
ly, God willing, we will
one day, and if it is in the
Lord’s plans that we stay in
Morgan County they will
experience the new College
and Career Academy.
I sat in a public hearing
for the Charter on
Monday, I was reminded
of the promise of what
great things lay ahead for
the students of Morgan
County. When asked what
I thought about the pre
sentation I struggled to
hold back, before giving in
to telling those present in
the presentation about the
student that I was in high
school.
I was unmotivated -
lacking passion and desire
for my schoolwork, not
really knowing what I
wanted to do post high
school, often wonder
ing how the classes I was
taking would apply to my
adult life.
by calling 770-789-8918 or
toll free 1-877-934-6746
ext. 69, or you can also visit
them online by going to the
WeGoShop.com web site.
Hey, great service at a
restaurant is worth the tips
I generously provide on a
quid pro quo basis - always
at least 10 percent even if
the waitress scratches her
armpit and/or puts her
thumb in the scrambled
eggs... and sometimes up to
20 percent if I’m not cut off
I’d like to believe that if
I had access to a CCA, or
even a charter school, my
adult and career life might
have been a whole lot dif
ferent.
The new charter will
allow the system the
ability to accommodate
every type of student from
giving them physical ed
ucation credits for partic
ipating in rigorous sports
teams, to allowing them
to alter when students are
in classes, giving them the
ability to get work experi
ence through internships.
This flexibility might have
been able to have changed
my life and I believe it will
make a difference in our
area students’ lives.
There’s a lot of the
horizon for the Morgan
County Charter School
System - I believe in this
system and the people that
are in charge of enhancing
our student’s education
al experience and I think
others should too. From
the perspective of a young
married couple whose
family is being established
in this community there
is nothing that brings me
greater joy then knowing
just what my future
children will have access
too educationally.
One of my favorite com
munity leaders, Dr. James
Woodard says, “It’s an
exciting time for Morgan
County,” and as for me I feel
blessed to be a part of it.
from the bar again.
Turnipseed deserves
to get paid for bringing
home the bacon, even if she
doesn’t fry it up in a pan.
Thanks once again for
coming back to this tiny
ink spot in your favorite
newspaper. I appreciate you
inviting me into your homes
and businesses.
You may want to ask
WeGoShop over to the
house to see if you like the
service.
M n
o
JCONEE Pets of the Week
REGIONAL
liMANE
ICItlY
RODEO, male, Pit mix, 2 yrs.
old. Very sweet dog for the
right family. Ask for Bonnie
706-454-1508.
All Tabbies on Special fee.
DECEMBER SPECIALS ON ALL CATS:
All adults cats (no matter what color) $20.
All (TABBY) stripe kittens, 6 mos.+ $20.
All (TABBY) stripe kittens, - 6 mos. $45.
All other kittens (no matter what color) $90.
We want all our shelter cats in homes by the end of the year.
Adopters will be screened for eligibility.
Call Kari for appt. 706-454-1508
