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VOLUME LXXI NUMBER 9
Forsyth Thaws Out
From Winter Storm
Forsyth Countians began Monday
digging out from under a thick layer of
snow and ice that accumulated
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Icy Icicles
Long, cold icicles were seen everywhere last weekend as Forsyth Countians brav
ed it through another winter storm of the year. Freezing rain, sleet and snow fell
Saturday and Sunday but the sun came out Monday morning to begin the thaw.
Hospital Building
Fees Being Paid
BY CATHY PUCKETT
Staff Writer
The Forsyth County Hospital Authori
ty voted last week to release over
$170,000, to pay construction costs and
architect fees for a building project
underway that will enlarge the 28-bed
facility to a 36-bed community hospital.
The board members agreed to pay
$162,812, in construction bills, and $7,281,
in architect fees for the expansion pro
ject.
An audit report at the regular mon
thly hospital board meeting revealed
while progress is being made collecting
bad debts owed the hospital, bad debts
are still plaguing the medical facility.
In 1978, $27,000, was collected in bad
debts, compared to some $45,000, col
lected in 1979. The board members
discussed having the auditors to do a
construction project audit when the
project is completed to give detailed in
formation to the county commissioners
as to a breakdown of costs of the pro
ject.
Mrs. Clara Vernon, a Nurse’s -Aide at
the hospital appeared before the
hospital authority and requested the
board study the pay scale of employees
and consider a cost of living raise as
well as reviewing annual evaluation
pay raises. The hospital authority
memhers passed a motion to study the
issue and report back at the next
meeting their findings.
A financial report revealed the $6,824,
alloted to the hospital, as the remaining
amount in the county’s budget to the
hospital would remain within the coun
ty’s hands and wouldn’t be turned over
to the hospital. The money was
budgeted to the hospital for 1979, but
wasn’t used during the year and the
county policy states funds not used dur
ing a fiscal year are to go back to the
county and not be released after Jan. 1,
of the new year. The hospital ad
ministrator, Joe Brandon told the board
members he was unaware of the policy,
and a request from the hospital to the
county for the funds had been denied.
In other business, the hospital
authority,
-heard a report that a study is being
made to check out a new insurance pro
gram for hospital employees that pro
vides better benefits.
-voted to continue with sick leave
policy previously adopted by the board.
-heard a report the hospital’s Ladies
Auxiliary has worked on selecting color
schemes for the new addition being
built.
-heard a report the medical staff is
working harder to be more efficient in
completing monthly charts.
-was given progress reports on the
past year of service with Brookwood
Health Services, Inc.
-discussed changing the meeting
dates from the fourth Tuesday in each
AlHf-Ni G A 30602
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1 111 l COUNTY iIbVIS
throughout the area Saturday and Sun
day.
The county was under a winter storm
month back to the second Tuesday as
originally designated.
-discussed representatives of the
board attending a hospital seminar in
Nassau during June.
-heard a report patient question
naires are being filled out by patients at
the hospital and kept for reviewing.
Fishing Lady
Keeps
Fishing Fever
BY CATHY PUCKETT
Staff Writer
Doris Meadows doesn’t wait for
beautiful summer time weather, to
crank up her boat and go fishing, she
has “fishing fever" from January to
December.
Mrs. Meadows is a memher of the
“Lunker Lovers” Bass Fishing Club
and also the “Bass ‘N Gals” Club,
which is an exclusive all-female fishing
club.
She and her husband Pete began
fishing on Lake Lanier several years
ago when they lived in Atlanta, and
decided it would save a lot of time if
they moved to Forsyth County near the
lake. In their eight years in Forsyth
County, the Meadows and their three
children Tammy 16, Raymond 15, and
Teresa 10, all agree Forsyth County and
Lake Lanier is the place for them.
The fisherman, or “fisher-lady”
remembers as a child when her mother
used to take her fishing off the bank of a
lake, and through the years she con
tinued to enjoy fishing. She and her hus
band enjoy fishing, and she became a
member of the fishing club in
December of 1977, and since then has
been a “serious” fisher-lady.
As a club member of the fishing
organization Mrs. Meadows fishes in a
monthly club tournament, and several
other tournaments each year. Right
after she joined the club she fished in
her first tournament and “fell in love”
with tournament fishing. “You meet
the nicest people on fishing trips. It
really helps to bring the family closer in
sharing a hobby together,” she said.
She gives a lot of credit to her fishing
ability to her husband Pete and their
fishing-partner Junior Samples. “Pete
and Junior have really helped me in
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5,1980 CUMMING. GA. 30130
watch beginning last Saturday and
local citizens began making prepara
tions. Reports from several area
businesses show that people were buy
ing emergency items and local grocery
stores and convenience stores almost
ran out of bread and milk as people
thronged to get ready for the ap
proaching storm.
Late Saturday afternoon the rain
started to fall and shortly thereafter the
rain turned to freezing rain and sleet.
Roads almost immediately were
covered as traveler’s advisories were
issued for the area.
With rapidly falling temperatures
and freezing rain coming down, For
syth Countians were preparing for the
possibility of another ice storm.
Most downtown businesses closed
early on Saturday as the weather got
worse.
The freezing rain stopped Saturday
night, leaving behind a thick coat of ice
creating hazardous walking and driv
ing. When most Forsyth Countians got
up on Sunday morning they saw
everything blanked with snow and the
white stuff was still coming down.
Most area churches called off Sunday
morning services due to the weather.
County trucks and equipment worked
all day trying to keep roads and
especially bridges passable.
Several minor accidents occurred
due to the weather but no weather
related injuries were reported. Forsyth
County Sheriff Wesley Walraven said
that many people donated their four
wheel drive and emergency vehicles to
the department so that officers could
continue to patrol. “We had excellent
citizen participation which enabled us
to continue our work during the hazar
dous weather,” the sheriff replied. Only
one miiiolr accident was reported inside
the city limits by the Cumming Police
Department during the bad weather.
On Sunday the temperature never got
above freezing so the snow and ice
didn’t melt. Temperatures Sunday
night dipped down into the teens but the
sun came out Monday morning and the
frozen grounds became slush as the
thaw began.
teaching me a lot about the lakes, and
how to pull in the fish “
While she enjoys any kind of fishing,
anywhere, anytime, she generally
fishes for Bass, and says she “loves”
Lake Lanier. “Just about all the girls in
my club think Lake Lanier is the best
place to fish out of all the lakes we’ve
fished in.”
The “fisher-lady” has fished in
numerous tournaments throughout the
southeast, including fishing at West
Point, Clark Hill, Bartledge Ferry,
Lake Eufaula, Lake Sinclair, Lake Bur
ton, Lake Hartwell, Jackson Lake and
many others. She is looking forward to
upcoming tournaments this year which
include fishing from lakes in Georgia,
to Texas, Kentucky and Arkansas. She
is hoping to be a top winner in the tour
naments which will earn the right to
fish in a Classic World Competition in
October with top fishermen throughout
the world.
Most of the women in her fishing club
own their own boats, and some of the
lady-fishermen own and operate boats
on their own, since some of their
husbands don’t even go fishing.
The fishing club isn’t interested in
catching all the fish possible, unless a
fish is a record catch, the club
members always throw them back.
“We try to abide by all the survey and
conservation rules and do our part as
conservation-minded fishermen.”
Fishing sometimes means getting
scorched by the sun during a 10 to 12
hour fishing expedition, or wiping ice
off a fishing rod in 17 degree weather,
but to the Forsyth County Fisher-Lady,
it’s a hobby she never gets tired of. “I
never get bored fishing, whether I’m
catching fish or not, I could fish all
day.”
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The Calendar Girl for March is Jackie Stephenson, 17 year
old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred L. Stephenson, Rt. 9, Cum
ming. Jackie is ready to fly her kite in the March winds. Miss
March is a senior at Forsyth County High School where she’s
a member of the Drama Club, was captain of the varsity foot
ball cheerleading squad, ran varsity track and was voted
Presidential Primary
Slated Next Tuesday
Next Tuesday, March 11, Forsyth
County voters will have the opportunity
to vote in the Georgia Presidential
Preference Primary.
Probate Judge Joyce Hawkins said
the 13 Forsyth County precincts will be
open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voters will be casting their ballots for
a Republican and Democrat nomina
tion. Voters must ask for a Republican
or Democratic ballot when they go to
vote.
There will be six names und on the
Democrat ballot with a space called
Home Burglary Ring
Cracked Open Here
An investigation by the Forsyth Coun
ty Sheriff’s Department resulted Mon
day in the arrest of two and warrants
issued for a third person in connection
with numerous burglaries in Forsyth,
Cherokee and Fulton Counties.
According to Sheriff Wesley
Walraven, the arrest of the trio solved
approximately 14 burglaries thus far in
the three county area.
Arrested were Donna Lynn Hester,
19, and Johnny Patterson, 18, both of 247
Polarock Road, Atlanta. A warrant has
been issued for a third Atlanta man in
connection with the thefts.
The reports show that the girl, whose
family lives in south Forsyth County,
allegedly drove the others throughout
the area in search of residences for
burglaries. At least two homes known
to the girl were victims of the thefts.
Two men of a Suwanee address were
arrested by Cumming City Police Mon
Miss March
Most School Spirit Senior Superlative. Jackie likes to water
ski, snow ski and enjoys modeling. She has three older
sisters, Cindy, Pam and Lynn. Miss March plans to attend
Georgia Southern College and major in public relations. The
Calendar Girl is a monthly feature sponsored by The Forsyth
County News.
“uncommitted preference”, which
means you do not wish to vote for any of
those names on the ballot. The names
on the Democratic ballot will include:
Edmund G. Brown, Jimmy Carter, Cliff
Finch, Richard B. Kay, Edward Ken
nedy and Lyndon Larouche. You must
vote for one.
On the Republican ballot there will be
nine names including: John Anderson,
Howard Baker, George Bush, John Con
nally, Phil Crane, Bob Dole, Benjamin
Fernandez, Ronald Reagan and Harold
E. Stassen.
day and charged with theft by taking
and possession of controlled
substances.
According to police records, during
the morning hours Monday Bobby Gene
Buice Jr., 18, Rt. 1, Suwanee, and
Milton Frady, 19, Suwanee, were seen
near Andean Motor Company’s parking
lot trying to remove parts from an auto.
The police were called and the pair
was arrested and charged. Further in
vestigation revealed suspected drugs in
their possession. Monday afternoon
they were still being held in the Forsyth
County Jail.
Last Thursday, the Sheriff’s Depart
ment’s investigative unit arrested Jar
rell C. Howard, 37, Cumming, and
charged him with two counts of motor
vehicle theft and one count of third
degree arson.
See BURGLARY...Page 16
25 Cents
24 PAGES, 2 SECTIONS
Also on the ballot for the Democrats
will be several names of people seeking
to be Democratic representative elec
tors for House District Nine. Voters will
be asked to vote for six men and six
women from Hall and Forsyth Coun
ties. These 12 electors will attend the
national Democratic convention and on
the ballot it will show that all those
seeking the posts are committed to Jim
my Carter.
The men on the ballot include:
Dayton Allen, D. Steve Carter, Charles
F. Ector, John D. Girardeau, Harold E.
Hammontree, Howard B. James, Greg
Mathis, Samuel L. Oliver, Charles R.
(Charlie) Smith, G. Joe Townsend and
Horace D. Trammel.
The women on the ballot are:
Virginia L. Hall, Nell Cash Hulsey,
Mrs. Madge M. Matthews, Jane H.
Oliver, Fern Patterson, Gloria
Prestridge, Cathy Puckett and Candace
Gail Tapp.
Mrs. Hawkins said that there are
10,422 registered voters in Forsyth
County. “We really expect an extreme
ly light turnout next Tuesday, but urge
everyone to go to the polls. History
shows that not many people take these
primaries seriously and don’t bother to
take the time to vote,” Mrs. Hawkins
added.
The local polling places include;
Barker’s, J.P. courthouse; Bell’s,
Brandywine clubhouse; Big Creek, Big
Creek School; Chattahoochee, Chat
tahoochee clubhouse; ChestateC;
Chestatee Schoolclubhouse; Coat
Mountain, W.E. Holcomb’s store; Cum-'
ming, Forsyth County Courthouse;
Ducktown, Ducktown school;
Hightower, J.P. clubhouse; Roland’s,
Lanierland Music Park; Settendown,
Friendship School; and Vickery, Mid
way clubhouse.