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Lake Oconee News
Your official newspaper serving Greene, Morgan and Putnam counties in Georgia's Lake Country \ www.LakeOconeeNews.us
VOL. 19 NO. 31 m FRIDAY AUGUST 4 2017 75 GENTS
MORGAN COUNTY
Six nabbed for criminal damage to property
The Morgan County
Sheriffs Office has
arrested six people in
connection with vandal
ism that occurred to nine
cabins on Bethany Road.
A month-long inves
tigation resulted in the
arrest of three adults and
three juveniles (ages 10,
11, and 14) for causing
an estimated $15,000 in
property damage to the
cabins. These individu
als smashed nearly every
window, damaged several
artifacts and sprayed fire
extinguisher contents
throughout the nine cabins
over a three-day period.
Cabins on
Bethany
Road are
in rough
shape
after being
vandalized.
Contributed
Leila Scoggins/Staff
Line dancing commences before the band takes the stage at this year's Firefly Festival
SEE MORE PICTURES » PAGES B2-3
LAKE COUNTRY
Mother of
teen faces
charges for
fatal wreck
Lynn Hobbs
lynn@lakeoconeenews.us
The driver of a vehicle involved in
a fatal crash that claimed the lives of
two Morgan County teens in April
was arrested Monday for charges
stemming from the wreck.
Brittany Smith, 19, and Michael
Rhodes, 18, were killed instantly
April 23 in a wreck during a severe
thunderstorm on U.S. Hwy 441
near County Line Road in Putnam
County.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee they
were passengers in hydroplaned into
the path of an oncoming vehicle.
The Jeep was driven by Rhodes’
mother, Tracey Lynn, who was crit
ically injured and taken by ambu
lance to the hospital in Athens. She
remained in critical condition for
quite some time, and Putnam County
Sheriff Howard Sills said she had
been told that when she was phys
ically able, to turn herself in to the
Putnam County Jail.
She arrived Monday, in a wheel
chair, was charged with two counts
of second degree homicide by vehicle
and one count of failure to drive
within single lane, and was released
SEE WRECK » A3
index
Calendar B4
Churches B6
Classifieds D3
Community B1
Opinions A4
Recipes D1
Sports C1
Sports C1
FRIDAY
84/71
Scat dT-storms
WEATHER »D6
0
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Communications Inc.
GREENE COUNTY
Mark Engel/Staff
Parents, staff and teachers who want UPSA to have another chance outnumbered those who
supported the UPSA governing board's actions.
ANOTHER CHANCE
UPSA supporters want alternative to LOA
Mark Engel at the Union Point STEAM scores at the school.
engel@lakeoconeenews.us Academy (UPSA) and she’s upset “The scores that people are
that the UPSA governing board looking at are from a couple of
“Our leadership, that we have voted last month to not seek years ago,” Malone told the Board
right now, is incredible.” renewal of the school’s charter.
Stacey Malone is a teacher The UPSA board blamed low test SEE UPSA »A2
MORGAN COUNTY
Morgan BOC
approve 2018
millage rate
Katherine Klimt
katherine@lakeconeenews.us
The millage rate for Morgan County’s
2018 budget was subject to its third
and final public hearing directly before
the board of commissioners monthly
meeting on Tuesday morning, and was
approved by the board with minimal
controversy. The millage rate, central
to the calculation of property taxes,
remains the same as it was in last year’s
budget though property tax revenue
is expected to increase due to steadily
rising property values in the county.
For the 2018 fiscal year, the millage
rate remains steady at 11.194 mills,
which will likely generate an additional
$680,000 in tax revenue according to
county manager Adam Mestres due
to the continuing recovery of the local
housing market from the economic
collapse of 2008.
Mestres explained that the county is
now in sight of fully recouping its losses
from the global economic downturn,
which reduced the total aggregate
property value of the county from
SEE MILLAGE » A10
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