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Mastering the course: GCHS golfers learn the gentleman's game
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Lake Oconee News
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Your official newspaper serving Greene, Morgan and Putnam counties in Georgia's Lake Country \ www.LakeOconeeNews.us
FRIDAY APRIL 8 2016
VOL. 18 NO. 14
75 CENTS
INSIDE
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MORGAN COUNTY
Morgan buys $ 1M of land for Rec. Dept, expansion
Jeff Warren
jeff@lakeoconeenews.us
The Morgan County Commission
Board voted Tuesday, April 5, to
cooperate with the county school
board in the purchase of 165.37
acres, much of it to be used for
expansion of county recreation fa
cilities. The land lies on both sides
of the U.S. Highway 441 Bypass in
Madison and fronts East Avenue
and Old Buckhead Road at the north
edge of the land. The large parcel
includes a potential new school site.
Total cost is $1,016,033.20.
“Our contribution for this is a half
million dollars and some change,”
County Manager Michael Lamar
said. “We’ve just sold some airport
property to the city for just under
$500,000. We’re basically taking
proceeds from one [transaction]
and using them to pay for some
thing else.”
Commissioner Andy Ainslie
reported present ballpark facilities
at Heritage/Bill Wood Park are
packed with sports participants.
He noted the property to be bought
is adjacent to the present facility.
“The location is great. The property
is great. Collaboration [with the
school board] is great, because
we probably didn’t need all of it,”
Ainslie said.
Rec. Dept. Director Lance Alex
ander, present in the meeting,
SEE LAND » A5
Contributed
The foursome - from left, of Ron Waeghe, John Carter, Dr. John Jones and Frank Travetto - can attest
to Carter's milestone round.
Golfer shoots age 900 times
Dave Brown
dave@lakeoconeenews.us
For the last decade or so, John
Carter has a number in mind when
he sticks his tee into the ground on
the first hole. That number is his
age.
Carter, who will turn 79 in June,
has shot his age 948 times.
“It gives me even more incen
tive to practice and play the great
game of golf with my friends,” said
Carter.
“My goal is to
shoot my age
1,000 times.”
According to Golf Digest, an
“age shooter” is a golfer whose
score matches or beats his age. For
example, a golfer of age 70 who
shoots a 70 or better. The round
also has to come on a course 6,000
yards or longer.
Last year, Carter accomplished
the feat 115 times.
Carter, who hails from East
Lansing, Mich., and has lived at
Reynolds at Lake Oconee for the
past 16 years, vividly recalls when
he shot his age for the 900 th time
during a round at Reynold’s Creek
Club course.
“You see the picture of me
holding up the 900 sign? The
reason those guys are smiling is
SEE GOLFER » A8
GREENE COUNTY
A polyglot
becomes LOA
board member
Jackie Gutknecht
jackie@lakeoconeenews.us
The Lake Oconee Academy
Governance Board welcomed
its newest board member,
a 10-year Greene County
resident, Fatima Aparedci-
da Fields, with a unanimous
decision Monday night.
Fields, who is fluent in
three languages - Portuguese,
English and Spanish - and
conversational in two - French
and Italian - brings diversity
and global awareness to the
board, LOA Dr. Otho Tucker
said.
Fields worked professionally
in Brazil up until 2006. She
has experience in manufac
turing and marketing with
experience in large and small
organizations.
Fields fills the seat vacated
by former board member Mike
Kelly. The seat has been vacant
for three years, LOA Board
Chairman Mark Lipscomb
said.
In other news, Tucker said
the school has received 293
applications for the upcoming
school year. Eight students
SEE LOA » A8
GREENE COUNTY
County commission
candidates featured
PUTNAM COUNTY
Reid deemed ineligible for Putnam
Board of Commissioners for taxes
The Lake Oconee News is
happy to provide space for
all of the qualified candi
dates for the upcoming May
local election. Correspon
dence was sent to all can
didates via United States
Postal Service and email and the deadline was set for April 1.
This ongoing elections series will follow the following
schedule:
April 8 edition: Board of Commissioners candidates
April 15 edition: Board of Education candidates
April 22 edition: Sheriff candidates
April 29 edition: Coroner, probate judge, clerk of court and
tax commissioner candidates
May 6 edition: State elections candidates, including
superior court judge and state representative candidates
SEE CANDIDATES, PAGES A2-3
Lynn Hobbs
lynn@lakeoconeenews.us
One candidate is no longer
on the ballots in Putnam
County — unless she can clear
her standing with the IRS.
With a 3-2 vote Tuesday night,
the Putnam County Board of Janie Reid
Elections and Registration
deemed Janie Reid ineligible to hold
office.
Reid is the three-term incumbent
and Democratic candidate for the
District 2 seat on the Putnam County
Board of Commissioners.
Her eligibility to run for office was
challenged March 22 by Van Manley, a
registered voter of District 2. Accord
ing to Manley’s complaint,
there are federal liens indi
cating that Reid currently
“owes federal taxes for the
years 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005,
2006, 2008, 2009, 2011 and
2013 totaling $25,274.07 in
unpaid taxes.”
Any person “who is a de
faulter for any federal, state,
county, municipal or school system
taxes” is not eligible to hold office in
Georgia, according to the Georgia
Constitution (Article II, Section II,
Paragraph III). “But such ineligibil
ity may be removed at any time by
full payment thereof or by making
SEE REID » A8
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