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Vol. 125 Issue No. 13
Legal Organ l or Patch County , City of f 'ort l alley anti City Of Bynnt
Education Helps Tough Get Going, Sellier Tells Audience
By Victor Kulkosky
News Editor
When Tony Sellier stood at the
lectern to talk about education, he
confessed to being a bit out of place.
“I’m probably the least educated
person here,” the state representative
for District 136 confessed to the gath¬
ering of teachers, students, business
and community leaders at the Peach
County Chamber of Commerce’s
annual Focus on Education
Banquet," held at the Byron Municipal
Complex.
Just that afternoon, Sellier told his
audience, he had been in Atlanta at
a subcommittee meeting was going
nowhere; he left, saying he had some¬
thing important to do.
“What’s important?" he asked.
For the State of Georgia, education
is a biggie. Sellier said about half
. of the state’s budget, or roughly $9
billion, goes to K-12 education.
“What’s so special about educa¬
tion?” Sellier asked, then answered his
own question.
. “Education liberates you,” he said.
“You’ve heard the saying, ‘knowledge
is power?’ Well, it is.”
The Venezuela native said he comes
from a “third world country” where
education is hard to get and options
are limited.
“Teachers and students have to
Murder Committed For A Worthy Cause
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Murder In Maui brought mystery to
Fort Valley Saturday night.
By Victor Kulkosky
News Editor
Someone was murdered at the home
of Connie and Frank Freshwater last
Saturday night. Despite the crime
scene being a block from headquar¬
ters, there is no evidence Fort Valley
Police investigated.
That’s probably because the crime
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night.
“The sky’s the limit, and nobody
can take that from you,” he said.
But it’s also important to keep reach¬
ing for the sky.
Sellier recalled how he had to attend
courses at the University of Georgia
after election to the state legislature.
“I’m 64 years old and still going to
school,” Sellier said. He ran for the
legislature at age 62 after a 38-year
career. He’d never been in politics
before, but at one time, he hadn’t
been married before or had children
before.
Sellier predicted that the evening’s
honorees and the nation would prosper
despite difficult times. America
got through two world wars, the
Great Depression, the Vietnam Era,
Watergajp “When the and going other crises. tought, the
gets
tough get going. Americans are
tough,” Sellier said.
For his part, Sellier pledged
continu
make incredi|)Ie sacrifices,” Sellier
said of his native land.
Which is just what the evening's
honorees did. The banquet honored
Peach County’s STAR student and
teacher and Teachers of the Year for
each school and county-wide.
“You’ve already achieved success
by getting these awards,” Sellier said.
In the global economy, further
success will only get harder, as every¬
one will have access to more resources
around the world, but also much greater
competition for those resources.
“Y’all remind me of me,” Sellier
said. “With a good education and self
reliance, you accomplish anything.”
He recalled his time in Mexico in
the 1993, where he helped set up a
Blue Bird plant in Mexico. Sellier said
he told his workers that tlte knowledge
and skills they were acquiring were
theirs to keep.
“Nobody can take that from you,”
Sellier said, and it’s the same with
the students and teachers honored that
sort of took place in Maui, a bit outside
the local police jurisdiction.
It began as a fundraiser for the
Hawaiian Association of Authentic
Leis or HAAL, “an organization com¬
prising skilled artisans who make
authentic, handmade Hawaiian leis,”
that is, those flower necklaces so
closely associated with the Hawaiian
Isles. (This being a community news¬
paper, readers will have to make their
own “lei” jokes.)
But Host Harold Logan was in for
more than just pineapple daiquiris
and flirting with the scantily clad
- because, before the evening was
over, a guest would be murdered,
and, as any detective will tell you,
“everybody’s a suspect,” until the perp
walks in cuffs.
Topping the list of suspects was
Harold (Albert) Logan, the host and
owner of the “scene of the crime,”
the Pineapple Haven Hotel, which he
received in a divorce settlement from
his ex-wife, Stella Capwell, another
suspect.
But there was plenty of motive
and opportunity to go around. Was
it Bambi Bianca, Harold Logan’s
jealous girlfriend? Or psychic Abigail
Wiggins, who had a bad feeling about
the evening? Or lounge singer Danny
Wo? Or Private Eye Thomas Q.
Magnus, Abigail’s friend, whom Stella
just happened to owe money for a
previous job? Could Magnus have
investigated himself? What about
Harold’s business partner Rebel
Hanukkaiiahani? Or Stella's daughter
from her first marriage, Ruth Astoria a
“snooty little witch,” according to the
program? (A politically correct typo,
perhaps?)
Okay, actually the event, “Murder
in Maui,” a murder mystery cocktail
party, was a real fundraiser for a real
event, the Battle of Byron. On that
front, Murder in Maui was “a smashing
success” said Battle Chairman Emily
Peed Says Public Backing
for New Hospital is Rising
By Victor Kulkosky
News Editor
The LISDA hasn’t changed its mind,
but Peach County citizens are coming
around, one mind at a time.
Thus reported Nancy Peed,
Administrator and Chief Executive
Officer of Peach Regional Medical
Center, at last week’s regular meeting of
the Peach County Hospital Authority.
The latest word from state-level
officials at the U.S. Department of
Agriculture is that the department still
wants some level of local government
guarantees before sending PRMC’s
L
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• t I *
On left. Peach STAR Student William Hedgpeth and Michael Chidester.
Above, Teachers of the Year, from left: Cathy Schofield of BES, John
Rickerson of PCHS, Dr. Pamela Miller of HPS, Kay Yancey of HES,
Marsha Hogan of FVMS, Damika Glover of BMS. Far left Peach
STAR Teacher Lori Corbin and Michael Chidester. Photos by Danny
Gilleland
ing legislative support for ecuca
tion.
“I pledge to you my support of edu¬
cation funding to help you get your
education and grow,” Sellier said.
The honorees included Peach
County’s 2009 STAR Student and
STAR Teacher. The STAR program,
run by the PAGE Foundation, recog¬
nizes a student in the top 10 percent of
his or her class in the junior o* senior
year who also achieves a top SAT
score. The STAR Student chooses the
START Teacher, a teacher whom the
student feels made a difference in his
or her education. This year’s STAR
Student is William T. Hedgpeth, and
his STAR Teacher is Lori Corbin.
Also honored were Peach County’s
teachers of the year: John Rickerson,
Peach County High; Damika L.
Glover, Byron Middle School; Marsha
Hogan, Fort Valley Middle School;
Cathy Schofield, Byron Elementary
School.
Griffin. Over 100 guests attended,
and the event raised $1,600.
Griffin thanked many participants,
including Byron Councilman Michael
Chidester (as a horticulturist) and
Chiropractor David Marshall, owner
of Still Waters Family Chiropractic,
who played the major role of Thomas
Magnus. Susan Webb graciously
agreed to be murdered for the occa¬
sion. Director Sara Lynch success¬
fully pulled off her very first show
with great success.
Griffin said arriving guests received
a lei and were assigned parts (in addi¬
tion to the featured cast). Among the
ad hoc roles were people with amnesia,
who kept greeting people they’d
already met, town drunks, Canadian
tourists, an upstairs maid, and a scien¬
tist with bad allergies who sneezed all
night long. An evidence table featured
a bloody knife, rat poison and blood.
The interaction of the various players
was “hysterical,” Griffin said.
loan application up the line to the
national level, Peed said. USDA would
be the major source of the estimated
$27 million needed to build PRMC’s
planned new hospital.
“They want more community
support,” Peed said.
PRMC has been working on getting
that support lately. The hospital held
a town meeting on March 12 at the
Powersville fire station, at which board
members presented information about
why the believe the new hospital is
necessary, and also heard questions
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The honorees received gifts and
certificates from local businesses,
individuals, and officials, including
Cedargreen Landscaping, SunMark
Community Bank, Hooterville Farms,
Mayor John Stumbo and Helen Rhea
Stumbo, Valley Athletics, Lane
Packing, McNeal Insurance, HEA
Federal Credit Union, and the office
of U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop.
The Kay Center provided catering
services.
The Focus on Education banquet
was organized by the Peach
County Chamber of Commerce
Education Committee: A1 Ellis,
Denise Carmichael, Dollie Horton,
Doris Wilkinson, Matthew Wilhoit,
Mildred Lindsey, Rhonda Kelley,
Rick Ogletree, Sara Mason, Sidorva
Johnson, Stephanie Johnson, Susan
Clark, Todd Youngblood, Vicky
Simmons, Woody Freeman.
Food included Hawaiian kabobs
“hot off the grill,” a salmon dish from
Marge at The Green Frog, and Debbie
Hancock’s “famous cheese straws.”
Griffin also thanked Vicki Simmons
for designing the program.
The money raised Saturday goes
toward funding the Battle of Byron
free concert Saturday night, April
2. The performers will include The
Drifters, the smooth-voice vocal group
famous for hits such as “Under the
Boardwalk,” “Up on the Roof,” “Save
the Last Dance for Me.” Also starring
will be the Tommy Talton Band. Local
legend Tommy Talton was a founder
of Capricorn Records, who played
with the Allman Brothers and bands
such as Cowboy and Wet Willie. Also
headlining will be local legend Larry
G. Hudson out of Macon.
The Battle is scheduled for Saturday
and Sunday, May 2 and 3, and will
include family fun and the Battle’s
famous contests. Be there.
Owls Roost In Byron
St.
,
I
Jody Usry poses with his owl tiltied
'Identity Crisis*
16 500
Peach School Board chairman
Jody Usry is one of 26 Byron artists
to take a wooden cutout and create
an original owl painting. Jody chose
a Batman theme complete with
attached black gloves and toes to
wrap around a limb.The commu¬
nity project is sponsored by Byron
CVB/Welcome Center. The owls will
be roosting in front of various busi¬
nesses around Byron for six weeks
each. The four-foot tall owls will
all be roosting in the auditorium of
the Byron Municipal Complex Friday
April 3 at 7p.m. for unveiling. Remodeled Come
see the owls, the newly
auditorium and stay for a free movie
night featuring Winnie The Pooh.