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Chief Assessor Dennis lee
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2009 Peach Shirts at Khourey's
Memorial-Poker Run
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Vol. 125 Issue No. 24 500
Legal Oi l'd/! for Peach County, City of Fort \ alley and City Of Byron
B0E Passes Tentative
Budget With Tax
Increase
By Victor Kuikosky
News Editor
What a difference a year makes, or
even a day.
At last week’s regular meeting of
th^ Peach County Board of Education,
Superintendent of Schools Student
Clark discussed the challenges of
writing the tentative $61.5 million
budget for fiscal 2009-2010.
“It has been a very difficult budget
year. We get new information daily
from the Department of Education,”
Clark told the board. The exact
numbers of state funds are still not
clear, it also isn’t clear what the county
tax digest will look like until after
decisions on revaluation appeals some¬
time in the summer.
Clark used a slide show to dem¬
onstrate some current problems, but
also added some historical informa¬
tion. For one, eight years of “austerity
reductions” from the state have taken
a total of $6.5 million out of the local
schools budget, including $1.7 million
in the next fiscal year. Funds added
See BOE Page A4
Fort Valley's Finest Honor Their Finest
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Lt. Jerrell Smith receives the Officer of the Year Award from Chief John
David Anderson. Photo by Danny Gilleland
“How do you recognize individuals
for a team effort?” Anderson said.
The Leadership Team at the FVPD
had to distinguish the best of the best
in an environment “where uncommon
valor is a common virtue.”
For 2008, when the department won
the distinction of State Certification,
which less than one in six police
departments in Georgia have achieved,
it was especially hard.
“How do you distinguish extraordi¬
nary achievement from the excellence
we see every day?” Anderson asked
By Victor Kuikosky
News Editor
In what was probably the safest
gathering at tjie Austin Theater in
downtown Fort Valley, the Fort Valley
Police Department last week gave out
awards for Officer of the Year, Rookie
of the Year, and many other honors.
In a rarfe case of doing the con¬
fessing himself, Chief of Police John
David Anderson admitted the deci¬
sions were hard.
a Festival Feature
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Photo by Danny GIIMind
From left, Loraine Khoury, April Bfoxson, Kathie Lambert and Jane
Hopeck pose with the cookbooks in front of the Troutman House.
Medical Reality Show A Sister
in Peach County i
Prince Albert, and
The Head Man
Peach County's ■ Newspaper
Getting Peachy In The Valley
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Brooke Bennett, Michelle Yingling, and Sophie Bennett help paint peaches on Church Street in front of the
Peach County Court House Saturday morning preparing for next week's Peach Festival. See inside for a
schedule of events. Photo by Danny Gilleland
Despite the struggles, the depart¬
ment’s top officers finally came up
with a list of the finest of the finest
and announced the winners.
The 2008 Officer of the Year Award,
was “one of the hardest decisions,”
Chief Anderson said, when every¬
one in the department is so deserv¬
ing. Ultimately, the honor went to Lt.
Jerrell Smith, who recently made the
switch to detective after years in the
patrol division. Anderson praised Lt.
Smith for managing the juggling act of
job, family and community service.
“He has dedicated himself to the
needs of the agency and is always
willing to fall on his sword without
complaint,” Anderson said.
Chief of Detectives Capt. Lawrence
Spurgeon praised Lt. Smith for “count¬
less hours” spent organizing the evi¬
dence room. Anderson said FVPD
would never have achieved certifica¬
tion without that effort.
Rookie of the Year, however, was a
unanimous decision, Anderson said.
The award, given to an officer with
less than one year of service, went to
Officer Marion Hubbard.
“Never have I seen a more marked
dedication in an individual to becom¬
ing a police officer,” Chief Anderson
said. Officer Hubbard had to over¬
come many personal struggles but
never gave up, the Chief said.
Anderson called on FVSU criminal
justice professor Mike Qualls to rec-
achievements. Off. Rod Harris and
Chief Anderson himself both recently
earned bachelors degrees from FVSU.
Major Joe Saxon earned a Masters in
Public Administration from Columbus
State.
The evening featured numerous
other awards.
Longevity/Service Awards
2 Years: Off. Stuart Williams,
Off. Jason Seaman, Off. Toni Gezzi,
Sgt. Becky Musselwhite. 5 Years:
Off. Ian Lawson. 20 Years: Karen
Richardson.
Police Commendations
Governor’s Offfice of Highway
Safety Program: Off. Ian Lawson,
Speeding Enforcement; Off. Toni
Gezzi, Child Restraint Enforcement;
Off. Toni Gezzi, Seat Belt Enforcement;
Off. Ian Lawson, DUI Enforcement.
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Officer Marlon Hubbard receives the Rookie Of The Year Award .
from Chief Anderson. Photo by Danny Gilleland
By Danny Gilleland
Staff Writer/Photograpker
The Peach Festival is selling copies
of the Georgia Hometown Cookbook.
The book features over 300 recipes
from hometowns around Georgia.
The book also features facts about
the towns featured in the book. Some
of the recipes are Georgia’s Favorite
Brunswick Stew, Drunk As A Skunk
Georgia Pecans, Vidalia Onion Farm
Fresh Salsa, Sweet Georgia Brown
Pecan Pie, Fried Green Tomatoes,
and on page 226, Fort Valley’s favor¬
ite Peach Cobbler recipes. Loraine
Khoury proudly says one of those is
for the World’s Largest Peach Cobbler,
of course.
The cookbooks are $15 and can be
purchased at the Troutman House in
AW's Honorable Mention Football Games
Dugout Club Honors
Diamond Trojans
Sammy Lewis Wins 5th
Pentathalon
A
JUNE 10, 2009
Citizen Tells Byron
Council of Water
Woes
• By Victor Kuikosky
News Editor
For Mary and Lamar Shipman, their
problems with storm water began with
the construction of the shiny City Hall
Complex in Byron. That directly con¬
tradicts promises made to them during
construction that the new complex
wouldn’t create flooding problems,
Mary Shipman told the Byron City
Council Monday evening.
But ever since construction began,
stormwater has been gushing down
the road between the new building and
the old office complex next to it. The
banks have eroded, and the rose garden
that was once the delight of Mary
Shipman and even passersby has been
largely destroyed by the stormwater.
Further stormwater problems come
from the drainage ditch between the
Shipman’s property and Grub n’ Gas
next door has mostly filled in. The
ditch should lead runoff downhill and
underneath the nearby railroad tracks
but can’t hold enough water to do its
job. The Shipman’s back yard is often
See Byron Page A3
Yingling, Lt. Ty Matthews, Lt. Randall
Harris, Sgt. Becky Musselwhite, Maj.
Joe Saxon.
OTHER AWARDS
Good Conduct Commendation.
Given to officers with the best dis
ciplinary record: Sgt. Laura Bailey,
Officer Stuart Williams. Physical
Fitness Commendation: Officer Jason
Seaman. Top Gun” Award (for
marksmanship on an official test):
Cpl. Willie Marshall, Perfect 300
score. Community Service Award (all
honorees worked with multiple com¬
munity groups): Officer Rod Harris,
Michelle Yingling, Lt. Jeff Lundy, Sgt.
P.J. Strickland, Det. Lyndon Prater,
Lt. Jerrell Smith, Lt. Kevin Sparks
(retired).
Fort Valley and The Convention and
Visitor’s Bureau in Byron.
And speaking of peach recipes, on
June 13 during the Downtown Byron
Market, the Byron CVB will sponsor
the Taste of Peach at the gazebo in
Jailhouse Park. This event will feature
dishes made with peaches, not all of
them desserts. Frances McDaniel
said so far folks have signed up to
bring such items as sauces, cobblers, a
sausage dish, pork loin, chicken wings,
and salads - all made with peaches.
Everyone bringing a dish must send
a copy of their recipe to the Convention
and Visitor’s Bureau in Byron. Ms.
Frances and Ms. Regina are collecting
them and making a small cookbook
that they will give away for free at the
event. And the tasting is free as well.