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Peach County's best news and advertising source... since 1888
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Volume 103, Issue 8 Wednesday, February 20,1991 18 pages, 3 inserts 35 cents
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'Antone
Davis Day )
scheduled
for Friday
Education really does count; ask
Antone Davis. The All American
from the University of Tennessee
and Fort Valley will soon be in the
National Football League draft and
on the road to even greater suc¬
cesses.
Antone will be the first to tell
you that none of this could have
been possible if he had not finished
high school. Dedication on the part
of the local school system and
teachers and a desire by Antone to
improve himself provided his foun¬
dation.
“Antone Davis is what is right
about eduction. A promising career
and future awaits Antone as a result
of finishing high school and col¬
lege,” said Ray Hollifield, Chamber
of Commerce CEO. “Remaining in
school, getting his education and
working for his future have created
the underpinnings for the rest of
Antone’s tomorrows. It is only fit¬
ting that Peach County, Fort Valley
and Byron should designate
February 22,1991 as Antone Davis
Day. He sets a good example for
today’s youth.”
Davis has been selected to eight
All Americaa teams: AP, UPJ, .Ko¬
dak/Coaches, Walter Camp, The
Sporting News, The Football News,
Scripps Howard and the Football
Writers Association of America i
and was a consensus All
Southeastern Conference pick. He
started every game at the
University of Tennessee at right
offensive tackle and helped lead the
Vols to the 1990 Southeastern
Conference and Sugar Bowl
championships.
“Whether it is athletics or
scholastics, an education is impor¬
tant,” said Pat Joiner, Chairman of
the Education Counts Campaign.
“Although Antone Davis is a sports
figure, there are numerous other
Peach County school system gradu¬
ates which have gone on to promis¬
ing careers. The important thing is
to get an education and in so doing
be prepared for tomorrow’s chal¬
lenges. The demands of today’s
technologies require at least a high
school education. Peach County is
Continued on Page 2A
(ftrannunitg
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Wednesday, February 20
Adult Children of Alcoholics will
meet in the conference room of
Peach County Hospital at 7:30
p.m.
Thursday, February 21
Fort Valley City Council will meet
at 7:30 p.m. in City Hall.
Saturday, February 23
Troop 59 Boy Scouts will be out
selling lawn and garden fertilizer.
Support local Scouting by saying
"YES."
BBQ Chicken Fund Raiser for
Buddy Smisson from 11 a.m.
until 3 p.m. behind the Old Post
Office. Plates ate $5. Tickets
available from Bumper To Bumper
and Middle Georgia Bank.
Thursday, February 28
Peach County Hospital
Authority will meet at 11 a.m. in
the Vinson Library at the hospital.
Friday, March 1
Peach County High School
Golden Girls Parent's Com¬
mittee will hold a Chicken-Q from
noon until 1 p.m. or 4:30 to 6:30
p.m. at First South Bank on
Camellia Blvd. Plates are $4.50.
Use the drive up parking.
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Drugs found...
Peach County Sheriff Johnnie Becham and Deputy Mitchell Samas look over the crack
cocaine Samas found partially buried under a utility pole at the corner of Sullivan Road
and 247 Cd|T|TedtorSund^y. Photo by Eric Zellarc
41*? ‘
Deputy discovers drugs
buried under
When Peach County Deputy
Mitchell Samas bent to pick up an
empty beer bottle lying near a
utility pole, he undoubtedly
intended to simply do his part for a
clean community. Instead, he
wound up doing his part for a drug
free community.
Underneath the bottle, Samas
noticed a brown paper bag partially
buried. When it/her he picked it up and
opened was certainly
surprised to find a large cache of
crack cocaine inside.
Samas bad answered a call
about 11:00 Sunday morning to the
corner of Sullivan Road and 247
Connector. The caller had
complained k that two ^suspicious
persons" were loitering there.
Upon arriving, Samas
discovered that the two "suspicious
persons" were merely two young
studying farmers'
market for downtown Ft.
Would an open-air farmers'
market provide a boost to the retail
climate of downtown Fort Valley?
Peach County Chamber of
Commerce CEO Ray Hollifield
thinks so, and is helping a
committee explore the possibilities.
"I think it is an excellent idea
for downtown," Hollifield said.
"Nothing adds more character to a
downtown than to be able to shop
for fresh fruits and vegetables."
Hollifield's remarks came at a
committee meeting last week,
chaired by local businessman
Calvin Mason. Also present were
City Councilman Wilbur Spillers
and Howard McGlamery of the Ga.
Department of Agriculture. County
Commission CHairman Glenwood
Hill also plans to serve on the
committee, but was out of town.
The notion of a fanners' market
has been an idea that Mason has
Robber convicted in Superior Court, gets 20 years
Marvin Marshall, 42, of 315 Peach Circle
in Fort Valley, was convicted last week on
charges of robbery by intimidation as a result
of an October 19 incident at a local
convenience store.
Marshall was sentenced to serve 20 years
in prison. It was the man's third felony
conviction, classifying him as an habitual
men waiting to meet their
girlfriends. The rest of his
discovery was purely by chance.
The youths were brought in and
questioned, but it was quickly
determined that they had no
connection to the drugs stashed
nearby.
I just saw this beer bottle over
by a telephone pole," the deputy
said, "And for some reason went
over to pick it up. The bag was in a
shallow hole underneath it.”
Inside a brown paper bag was a
large plastic bag containing 28
smaller plastic bags, each one
containing three grams of crack
cocaine. Investigator Ricky Vining
estimated the drugs to have a
wholesale value of $3600 and a
street value, once cut and sold
individually, of about $11,000.
Sheriff Johnnie Becham was at
harbored for a number of years. He
has seen successful ones in many
other towns the size of Fort Valley
and feels that both farmers and
backyard gardeners would be more
productive if they had a central
location from which to sell their
goods.
' "I’d like to see us start with a
small retail market for local
growers, perhaps eventually
expanding to a larger market," he
said.
Hollifield thinks that, done
properly, a downtown farmers'
market would bring a great deal of
traffic. He is very definite about
what "done properly" means.
"I’m not interested in anything
that would be an eyesore or detract
from the appearance of downtown,"
he said. "But I think this idea has a
great deal of merit and could fit in
well with what we would like to
felon.
Marshall was charged in connection with
the Oct. 19 robbery of the Suwanee Swifty
store on Knoxville Street. According to
reports, he entered the business about 10:30
p.m. on that date, asking for a pack of
cigarettes,
Store clerk Janet Ezell told officers that
a loss to explain why such a
valuable quantity of drugs had been
left like that.
"It’s been there for awhile," the
sheriff said, pointing to the
condition of the brown bag. The
sheriff also pointed out that three of
the plastic bags had been tom open,
looking as if some animal had eaten
into them.
Byron Assistant Chief James
Barbour surmised that perhaps there
had been an accident at that
location and the drugs had been in a
vehicle involved, and hidden before
authorities arrived.
At any rate, some nearby drug
dealer is out a sizeable amount of
money and some 3000-3500
individual "rocks" have been
removed from the market, a good
day's work for law enforcement,
accomplish through the Main Street
program.
Hollifield suggested that the
city could develop the market and
lease the space, floating a bond
issue to financeathe project, then
retiring the bonds with revenue
from it. He also suggested' that
there would be alternate means of
funding available, possibly through
tax increment financing.
It was decided that a
preliminary cost estimate would be
done and availability of land
checked out before proceeding to
address the issue with city and
county officials. Another meeting
will be held in the near future when
some definite cost figures are
obtained.
Meanwhile, the Dept, of
Agriculture is providing data on the
operation of its state farmers'
markets.
Marshall then told her, "Give me all the
money or I'll blow your head off."
Ms. Ezell elected to fight the robber,
though, closing the cash drawer on his hand,
then grabbing a baseball bat she had behind
the counter,
She hit the man with the bat, but he then
took it away from her and beat her with it.
C ommissioner s
hear reports
from seminars
Greene says hospital "closer
than ever" to budget
The agenda this month for the Peach County Commission was varied
and busy. All of the commissioners have been traveling to various
seminars and study sessions relating to the many issues facing this year’s
Georgia Legislature.
Commissioner Chester Wilkerson reported on the Governor’s
Conference on Drug Abuse. The bills passed during the last session of the
legislature wore reviewed and some are being resubmitted for “reporting
mechanisms” to give the law “some teeth” as they are too weak in their
present form to do any good. Some considerations are that drivers licenses
be marked when the holder is convicted of a DUI and that forfeiture and
seizure of property be considered for drug convictions.
Commissioner Ira Hicks reported on a seminar concerning indigent
health care. Under consideration is a fund to be gleaned through 1/S of 1%
sales tax or $10 per capita of the county populations (approximately
$205,000 in Peach County) to be used for indigent health care. The
consideration is for the county Boards of Health to be the distributor of the
funds for those in need. If the legislature passes the measure, it would take
place in January 1992.
Peach County Hospital Administrator Joe Greene gave his monthly
report to the commission and stated that the hospital is closer to operating
“on budget” than it has ever been. As of December 31, 1991 the hospital
shows a deficit of $181,522 for the months of November and December
(the first two months of their fiscal year). ‘This figure doesn’t reflect
anything other than operating expenses and credits,” said Greene, “and
does not show outside incomes added back.” The county had issued a
check for $272,000 in January that was not reflected on the statement.
Greene voiced concern over the patient Medicaid and Medicare claims
saying that the numbers were running over those estimated. Greene stated
that he hoped to see the hospital hit the break even point soon.
Peach County Chamber of Commerce CEO Ray Hollifield spoke to the
commission asking for a proclamation for Antone Davis Day to be held on
February 2^Stressing the importance of education and stressing the
commitment of Peach County to education.
Hollifield also spoke in behalf of the Mid South Georgia Air and
Transportation Association and its bid to locate the second Atlanta Airport
south of Atlanta. The Association is asking the Georgia Legislature to
grant it Authority status this month so that proper developmental studies
can be made professionally. The Association is asking each county
involved to raise 200 per capita in funding for the study. This would mean
about $4,000 in Peach County.
There has been opposition from some of the prime North Georgia
counties to having the second airport located north of Hartsfield In¬
ternational and now the Middle Georgia group is trying to get properly
organized to make a serious bid for the future revenue an airport could
bring.
There were two seats open on the Peach County Industrial and Devel¬
opment Authority and the commissioners voted to reinstate Tim Dupree
and Byron Mayor James Williams “since they have been so involved in the
GNB project”
Peach magazine wins Cal
Duke an Addy award
Among the eight awards received by Cal Duke & Associates of
Americus was one for the effective use of a complete campaign regarding
marketing materials and a community magazine created for the Peach
County Chamber of Com-merce. The wdHc of southwest Georgia’s major
ad agencies and media representatives was being honored at the
Advertising Feder-ation of Southwest Georgia’s Addy Awards banquet
“This just reinforces what we at the Chamber have tried to do,” said
Chamber CEO Ray Hollifield. “Quality does matter - in everything we do.
This magazine is one example of the quality work done by the many
members of the Chamber of Commerce and our attitude toward the
future.”
According to Cal-Duke, “We enjoyed working on the Peach County
project and received splendid cooperation from the staff of the Peach
County Chamber in coming up with a unique design and format for their
magazine.”
Chamber to co-host seminar
The Peach County Chamber of Commerce and the Business Council of
Georgia will be conducting a full day seminar, How To Improve Your
Employee Relations and Bottomline Through Personnel Policies, on
Tuesday, March 12 at the Macon Hilton.
The cost of the conference is $95 which includes lunch and valuable
resource material on how to develop personnel policies and an employee
handbook.
To make your reservation, please call Corcelles Brown at the Business
Council, 404-223-2284.
causing a broken arm and fractured ribs. He
then fled with a small amount of cash.
Acting on a description given by the
officers stopped a vehicle later the
night and arrested Marshall. Sgt.
Dennis Boyt and Cpl. Tim Colburn stopped *
the vehicle at the intersection of East Church
Street and Vienna Circle about 3 a.m.