Funding for the digitization of this title was provided by the 2016 Spalding County SPLOST via the Flint River Regional Library System.
About Griffin daily news. (Griffin, Ga.) 1924-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 24, 1977)
_i Qi w </ iPW®&b H Br** *' v dßr ■ Ot£ “y “ •***" <KifV i . A w ~ JL ® at i * W Finger licking good Kim Knight, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Knight, masters the art of cake decorating while Wendy Ogletree, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Ogletree, sneaks a taste of the sweet icing. The cake decorating classes for 4- Hers held Tuesday and today were sponsored by the Spalding County Extension Service. New law prompts plea for local money help • ATLANTA (AP) — Unemployment insurance benefits to laid-off employes may soon have to be paid by local Geor- , gia governments and they are asking the state to help them foot the bill. “Those in local government are terrifically concerned about the cost of * this program estimated to be $9 million a year overall and $500,000 in Fulton County alone,” Fulton County Com- < missioner Tom Lowe said Tuesday. Local government employes have good job security and do not need the , insurance as much as workers in the private sector, Lowe told the state House Industrial Relations Committee. Many of the state’s local officials support a federal suit filed by the People ...and things Tall man packed into compact he’s driving, his knee nearly sticking out of window on driver’s side. * New grandmother to friend, “My grandbaby is the most beautiful baby ever bom.” ♦ Driver waiting patiently alone at traffic light during pre-dawn hour, then , scratching off when it changes, just as if he were dragging with someone. The Country Parson e . by Frank ('lark V * l-UJ-L b xs rij H ■ 1 * jiiiNi ■Mi -V .jili!' ill! “Most of us don’t like to be , called liars — especially when we’re lying.” DAILY NEWS Daily Since 1872 National Institute of Municipal Law Officers challenging the con stitutionality of a 1976 congressional act which gives state and local govern ments the option of providing the in surance or losing some federal funding, he said. Decatur Mayor Ann Crichton said state money will be needed to keep local governments from having to raise property taxes if the suit fails and the law goes into effect Jan. 1, 1978, as scheduled. “Assuming the law is upheld, I view this as another form of aid to cities and counties I’d like to see the General Assembly consider funding,” said committee chairman Ed Mullinax, D- LaGrange. He said the state has long had such a program but in recent years local governments have used federal funds to provide such benefits. The Georgia Legislature approved a bill this year mandating that local governments provide unemployment insurance, but a measure which would have created a state fund to absorb the cost passed the Senate then got bogged down in the House. Postal service wants to help small towns keep their identity WASHINGTON (AP) — The three families in Berry’s Lick, Ky., can breathe a little easier. So can the folks in Devil’s Elbow, Mo.; Zap, N.D. The Postal Service wants to let America’s small towns keep their identity even if it closes their post of fices to save tax dollars. Under the proposal, due to take effect in 30 days, residents of towns whose post offices are closed can in virtually all cases receive mail addressed to Griffin, Ga., 30223, Wednesday Afternoon, August 24,1977 Berry’s Lick and Zap can breathe easier GRIFFIN City to sack meters for 3-month trial Parking will be free in downtown Griffin during a trial period, beginning Sept. 15 and continuing through the Christmas season until Jan. 1. The decision to sack the meters was made by a vote of 4 to 1 at Tuesday night’s city commission meeting after merchants both for and against the proposal had their say. The dissenting vote was cast by Commissioner R. L. “Skeeter” Nor sworthy, who said he favored removing meters from the streets, but is against taking them off the parking lots because “I don’t think it’s right for the taxpayers to pay for off-street parking for us merchants.” Ed Whatley of Spalding Gas Co. also spoke out against spending tax money to provide lots. He said he owns property which has its own parking spaces and he is opposed to the city’s providing lots for other people with tax money. The commissioners agreed that the plan might not meet full public ac ceptance and that it might not work. As Commissioner Ernest “Tiggy” Jones put it, “We don’t know whether we are exactly right or wrong. It may be distasteful at first to some, but we hope to help everybody,” he said. Commissioner Dick Mullins also agreed that the city will have to see how the plan works. “We may have to activate the off street meters or remove all the meters. We’ll see then,” he said. “The public may not accept it or it may. It may involve a tax increase or it may not,” observed Commissioner Louis Goldstein. Petitions were presented by both sides. William Rosenfeld of Buy-Rite presented a petition signed by 68 downtown merchants in favor of removing the meters. He noted the response was much better than an ticipated 2 weeks ago when it was announced that 30 merchants supported their removal. Felton Rainwater of Morrow Powell and Smith Roberts, representing the group to keep the meters, presented a petition signed with 91 names of merchants and concerned citizens. He explained his group was opposed to the removal of meters if it meant off street parking would be jeopardized in any way. Other merchants speaking out were Sidney Rifkin of Marsh’s who said meter removal has been successful in other towns and Ira Pope of the Fabric Center who said he thought it was up to the owner or manager of each business to tell their employes not to park in spaces needed by store customers. According to City Manager Roy Inman, the lease on the lot at the rear of the Chamber of Commerce will be up for renewal in September and other leases will expire next summer. Leases on some lots run until 1979 and 1981, it was noted. (Continued on page 3) their hamlets. And the communities will still be listed in the Directory of Post Offices, often used as a reference book for place names. The proposed regulations, published in today’s Federal Register, outline the steps to be taken in closing a post office. The public has 30 days to comment before the proposal becomes final. One postal official noted, “People in rural America are worried that if they lose the post office, they also will lose JaSTOI t*’*- na f 4 / , 1 < Jt'- * * JR r I * f a /■_v •' W j - an(l Mrs< R a y Hanna, went into business Tuesday selling Kool-aid for 10 cents a cup in front of his home on East College street. Bill serves two nOOrniTIO* customers, Penny Taunton (1) and Vicki Wiggins. Anna lA*e Hinson, 7, is his helper. City board divided on drunk ordinance City Commissioners R. L. Nor sworthy and Ernest Jones spoke against an ordinance decriminalizing public drunkenness Tuesday night at city hall. The ordinance passed 3-2 with Jones and Norsworthy voting against it. “We’ll just be furnishing the drunks a free taxi service and hotel. They could even sue the city for violating their rights,” Norsworthy said. “It’s the most hypocritical thing this board has ever done. We could be creating a monster, a bureauracy. For the last few weeks we’ve been talking about where our tax money goes and salaries at the library and hospital and now we approve this which will add to community identity.” Deputy Postmaster General William F. Bolger said many small town residents “believe that it is like being taken off the map. So if we close a post office, we will do everything we can to maintain community identity.” One example of a community whose post office loses money is Berry’s Lick. The Postal Service says the facility, which serves only three families, brought in only $37.67 last year while running up expenses of more than ’ Vol. 105 No. 200 the hospital staff and we don’t even know what they are going to do”, he said. Norsworthy said he has asked for a budget of the entire program, listing salaries of all involved and the duties of the 2 new staff members who will be at the hospital emergency room to counsel drunks. “What are they going to do? Shuffle paper? The city will lose $25,000 in drunk fines and it will cost state tax payers some $116,000,” Norsworthy noted. Commissioner Jones also spoke against the program. “I don’t think it will work. It will put an extra heavy burden on the police $4,000. Berry’s Lick can be served by a rural delivery route, which could provide mail service at a saving to the nation’s taxpayers. The Postal Service says it expects some local opposition anytime it wants to close a post office. But resentment usually dies down after residents be come used to the change, officials say. Postmasters’ organizations oppose office closings, which force the local postmaster to quit his job or move. Bolger promised “to go to any ex- Weather FORECAST FOR GRIFFIN AREA - Partly cloudy with chance of showers tonight and Thursday. Low tonight near 70; high Thursday in mid 80s. LOCAL WEATHER — Low this morning at the Spalding Forestry Unit 68, high Tuesday 91. department and put the officers in a precarious position,” he said. Griffin was selected as a pilot city to operate the program. The state is giving some $116,000 for its operation. The ordinance to decriminalize public drunkenness will not be effective until it is approved on second reading in 2 weeks. It provides that instead of arresting drunks, police officers let the drunk decide whether he wants the officer to take him home or to an alcoholic treatment center. Or the officer can hold the drunk in protective custody in jail until he is no longer incapacitated. The person will not be arrested unless he has committed a criminal offense. treme to make our actions as easy as possible on the lives of our employes." Once the regulations take effect, the Postal Service is expected to resume its slow reduction in the number of post offices from the current 30,000. A moratorium on closings has been in effect since July 1, 1976. When an office is closed, service is provided by rural delivery or by a local citizen who agrees to sell stamps and provide other postal functions in his store or home.
