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Vol. 126 Issue No. 29
Legal Organ For Peach County ; City of Fort Valley and City Of Byron
Habitat
Needs
For
House
Peach Area Habitat For Humanity
building house number 16 in
and September 2011 and we need
volunteer help.
The house is for the Shelton
and is located at 2244 Hendricks
(Directions: take the Perry
1341] towards Perry, 13 miles
Camp John Hope Road turn left
Hendricks Rd., go 2.2 miles,
is on the right, behind a gray
home.) You must be over 16 years
and sign a waiver to volunteer.
call our construction supervisor
Shelton at 478-951-2939 and let
know when you are coming.
We need about four people
Saturdays: August 20, 27
September 3 and 10. We could
use some volunteers during the
No special skills are needed, but
you have building experience that
a plus.
Habitat for Humanity
is founded on the conviction
every man, woman and child
have a decent, safe and
place to live. Through volunteer
and donations of money and
Habitat and its homeowner
have built or rehabilitated more
400,000 houses. A nonprofit,
nominational Christian housing
istry, Habitat invites people of
backgrounds, races and religions
build together in partnership.
Get involved today and join
in building homes and hope for
lies around the world!
Habitat for Humanity International
is a tax-exempt 50l(CK-3)
organization. Your gift is
ible as allowed by law.
Locul Weather Forecast
Wednesday, Aug. 24
High -***“■' ’ C;
94 °F
Overnight Mostly
Low 70°F Sunny
Thursdoy, Aug. 25
High
96 °F **-*•-• -
Overnight Low ‘F Partly Cloudy
71
Friday, Aug. 26 am
High
97'F
Overnight Mostly
Low 73 “F Sunny
Saturday, Aug. 27
High 97*F :
Overnight Partly Cloudy
Low 7VF
Sunday, Aug. 28
High 7
9 % F
Overnight *F Mostly Sunny
Low 69
Monday, Aug. 29
H,gh
98''F
Overnight Low Mostly Sunny
70*F
Tuesday, Aug. 30
97'F High
Overnight Mostly
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Peach County's ■ Newspaper
va Visits veterans
Where Live
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Members of the local VA Mobile Veterans Service Center Task Force include: Sabrina
Thorpe of the Peach Literary Service Center (front left), Samuel McGhee with the Gano
Community Center, Tony Brown, Mobile Unit Driver and Readjustment Counselor, front far
right; and Commissioner Mike Dinkins (back far left). They joined veterans and community
members during last Saturday's visit of the VA Mobile Unit. Photo by Mark Walker
By Horace Holloman III
Leader-Tribune Intern
Peach County veterans in Fort Valley
were greeted with a special service as
the Veterans Affairs (VA) Mobile Unit
rolled into town for the first time last
Saturday.
The Mobile Unit is a service of the
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs,
a government agency that provides
benefits and special aid programs to
those who served in the armed forces.
This unit made its first appearance in
Fort Valley to talk to soldiers in the
area and gauge if visits are necessary
in the future.
“This mobile unit is primarily for
Downtown Carnival Greets
New FVSU Students
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Members of the FVSU chapter of Delta Sigma Theta form a makeshift Delta at last week's
F.L.Y. Friday celebration in downtown Fort Valley. Photo by Mark Walker
By Mark C.L. Walker
Leader-Tribune Intern
The college town of Fort Valley
greeted students from its college with
a downtown gathering last week. The
event, called “F.L.Y. Friday,” filled
the streets of downtown fort Valley
with vendors, local members of the
community, and both new and return¬
ing students for a night of fun, food,
shopping and live entertainment. The
Fort Valley State University Office
of Campus Life and the City of Fort
combat veterans and provides coun¬
seling and other resources. Based on
the number, even if it’s two or three
I’m sure they will come back," said
Sabrina Thorpe a member of the Peach
Literary Service Center, a non-profit
organization that helps senior citizens
and military service members.
Fort Valley veterans like the pros¬
pect of services coming to them when
the closest Vet center is 30 minutes
away from downtown.
"I'm very excited about this; it
can help some of these younger guys
because a lot of them don’t know about
the VA,” said war veteran and Fort
Valley resident Willie J. Hammock
“The unit provided excitement and
promoted the August 19 event with the
slogan, “you-nity in the community."
Annette Burgess with FVSU Campus
Life worked with the community to
organizer event that familiarized the
students of FVSU with their city.
The purpose of F.L.Y. Friday is not
only to get students involved with the
university but with Fort Valley as well,
"said Burgess. “We want to let students
know what types of places are avail¬
able here in the downtown area."
The event specifically targeted
incoming freshman that have moved
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enthusiasm for our veterans, thegMIfVf*
able to think back to the good ot’ days
when they were in the military," said
Thorpe.
The VA Mobile Unit made multiple
stops around Fort Valley and parked
in areas such as the Community Plaza
in the Gano neighborhood, near the
Railroad crossing at the tip of State
University Drive and the CVS park¬
ing lot near Five Points. This vehicle
comes with the latest technology such
as satellite communication, flat screen
TVs for training/education videos and
a wheelchair lift, along with two pri
vate offices. It also comes with a
medial examining table Continued and can pitch
to poge2
away from their families and respec¬
tive cities to start anew in Fort Wiley,
making it important to let them know
that a variety of different resources
are available to them such as grocery
stores, clothing stores and restaurants
Many local businesses welcomed the
new students and the community with
free food, ice cream, drinks and other
products. Local vendors were excited
about providing service for the event
in hopes that the student will become
regular customers.
Continued to page 2
W84, 3011
REDISTRICTING
Hooks Out
As Senator
James And
Dickey Could
Stax; y in House
By Victor Kulkosky
News Editor
The proposed new district maps
approved Tuesday by the Georgia
General Assembly would eliminate
George Hooks as Peach County's
Senator, but leave Robert Dickey
and Lynmore James with good pros¬
pects for winning re-election in new
districts.
The House and Senate approved
their own maps last week, while
each branch approved the other's on
Tuesday morning. The new district
maps now go to Gov. Nathan Deal for
his signature and still require approv¬
al by the U.S. Department of Justice,
expected by October 1. Legislators
would still be in their current districts
in the 2012 session, with the new
districts contested in the November
2012 General Election.
Peach is one of the few Georgia
counties that would still be divided
Bel ifl*> two House districts. For now,
ckey (R-Musella) in District 136
represents the northern, or Byron
side of the county, while James
(D-Montezuma) in District 135 rep¬
resents the southern, or Fort Valley
side. The new map leaves Peach
County divided along roughly the
same line, but between two differ¬
ent districts, the redrawn 139th and
140th. The new districts share some
of the territory of the old 135th and
136th, but are more compact. James'
current district sprawls across parts
of several counties, including Dooly,
Macon, Peach, Talbot and Taylor.
The new 140th includes all of Taylor,
Macon and Dooly Counties and the
southern half of Peach County but
does not include Talbot. Since Rep.
James lives in Macon County, he
could potentially remain in the leg¬
islature.
Rep. Dickey's 136th District
includes Crawford County, and parts
of Bibb, Houston, Lamar, Monroe,
and Upson counties, along with
northern Peach County. The pro¬
posed 140th is similar, but would add
a piece of Western Bibb County. The
proposed new district seems favor¬
able few Dickey to remain in the leg¬
islature if he chooses to run.
The situation with the State Senate
is very different.
Even if Sen. Hooks (D-Americus)
is elected in a new district, it would
not include Peach County. Hooks's
current 14th Senate District has
the distinction of being the largest
state legislative district in the coun¬
try, reaching across a wide swath of
Middle and South Georgia. Peach
County would be part of a new 18th
Senate District. That much more
compact district would include all
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