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EARLY COUNTY
Garden Spot of
GOD’S COUNTRY
VOLUME 122 - NO. 21
2lh
Inflation has hit the newstand: Ef
fective this week the Early County
News is 20 cents per issue when bought
over-the-counter or off the newstand.
Few New Faces
In Courthouse
There will be practically
no changes in the official
family of county office
holders as the New Year
begins today (Thursday).
Oree Thompson begins his
4th term as sheriff; Norman
Alexander continues as
Clerk of the Courts; beginn
ing his 4th term. Supt. of
Schools, Lonnie Chester is
the senior member from
point of service beginning
his sth term as head of the
county schools. Probate
Judge Eleanor Sheffield and
Tax Comissioner Eloise
Moseley’s first regular term.
She is serving, at present,
her late husband’s unexpired
term.
State Court Judge Phillip
Sheffield and State Court
Solicitor Lowrey S. Stone,
although they do not main
tain offices in the cour
thouse, will also be beginn
ing new terms, as will Cor
oner Billy Joe Jordan. The
only face missing is that of
Treasurer, Tige Pickle, who
Gov. Competition
Program Reviewed
Approximately 20 people
from the Blakely-Early
County area met recently at
the First State Bank with
representatives from the
Governor’s Department of
Community Affairs. Spon
sored by the Blakely-Early
County Chamber of Com
merce, leaders of civic
organizations and members
of the Chamber listened as
Ms. Cristie Ellis, Consultant
from the Department of
Community Affairs and
Marjorie Chandley, also a
consultant, explain the
Governor’s Competition Pro
gram.
Cats Return
To Action
January 9
The Early County Bobcats
hosted the Annual Christmas
Tournament here December
19th and 20th.
The Early County Boys
captured 2nd place in the
tourney by beating Miller
Co. 79-73 Friday night,
before losing to Calhoun Co.
58-35 in the Championship
game.
The Bobkittens captured
3rd place by beating
Seminole Co. 56-44, before
losing to Calhoun Co. 61-57.
The Miller Co. girls beat
Calhoun Co. in overtime to
capture the girls champion
ship.
The Bobcats and Bobkit
tens will be back in action
Friday January 9th when
they journey to Whigham.
NEW HERR
Surly County News
held that position 36 years, is
retiring and his duties will be
absorbed by County Ad
ministrator Wm. E. Broad
way. He will also absorb the
clerk of Commissioners
duties which in former years
was held by Norman Alex
ander.
There will be three
changes on the Board of
Commissioners: Wilbur
Evans, succeeds Carlton
Scarborough; “Smokey”
Davis replaces David Can
non; Ralph Jenkins succeeds
J.W. (Buddy) Durham. Buck
Radney who represents
district 4, and Liston
Radney, representing
district 2 are the hold-over
members of the board.
Wilbur Evans is no stranger
in his position as board
chairman, having served in
this capacity 1974-77. Tom
Baxley will continue to serve
as county attorney and
“Bud” Lisenby as road
superintendent.
After a short slide presen
tation, Ms. Ellis explained
that the Governor’s Com
petition Program is spon
sored by the Georgia Depart
ment of Community Affairs.
It involves smaller-sized
communities in Georgia
which compete against each
other for cash prizes. Com
munities are awarded these
prizes based on their ac
complishments in com
pleting local civic projects.
These projects include (but
are not limited to) downtown
revitalization, recreation,
community beautification,
community festivals, etc.
New Names
At City Hall
This Year
Three new city officials
will begin their first tenure
of office this week when
Mayor-elect Charlie Jacobs
and Councilmen David Grif
fin and Tommy Wright take
their posts.
Jacobs, better known as
“Uncle Charlie’’, will
replace Mayor Guy H.
Dunaway who did not seek
re-election to a second term.
Griffin and Wright will be
filling the posts of Jimmy
Murkerson, who served two
terms, and Billy Fleming
who served three terms.
Neither seeked re-election.
The two hold-over coun
cilmen are A. J. Gentry and
Arthur Chapman.
Success to All Who Pay Their Honest Debts - “Be Sure You Are Right, Then Go Ahead”
Between Officials And Property Owners
High Taxes Discussed;
Sales Tax Favored
In a year when most crops
were declared a disaster,
higher taxes is the last thing
Early County farmers
wanted to see.
However, a 17% increase
in the local budget, a loss of
tax digest, and a 38% in
crease in property values,
caused all property owners
in Early County to be hit
with a considerable increase
in taxes.
As a result of the increased
taxes, about 75 people at
tended a meeting Thursday,
December 18th. at the Early
County Courthouse to
discuss the problems with
local officials.
The meeting was spon
sored by the Early County
American Agriculture Move
ment and was moderated by
David Still.
A number of local farm
owners stood and voiced
Burglary And Drugs
Nine Arrested Here
Early County lawmen
have arrested nine persons
and are searching for two
more suspects for burglaries
and drug violations.
The arrests began Friday
New Meeting
Place Jan, 6
Beginning with their
January 6th meeting, the
Board of Early County Com
missioners will hold their
meetings in the “Old Jail”.
The old jail building,
located just off Court Square
on River Street, has recently
been renovated to provide
additional office space for
the county.
Damascus
Election
Voters will go to the polls
in Damascus Tuesday,
December 6 to elect City of
ficials.
A mayor and four city
councilmen will be elected to
one year terms.
The polls will be at the
Damascus City Hall and will
be open from 7 A.M. till 7
P.M.
Friends To Honor “Tige”Sunday
The Honorable Earl
“Tige” Pickle is retiring as
Treasurer after thirty-six
years service.
Tige’s friends will be
honoring him Sunday after
noon, January 4, at the
Blakely Woman’s Club from
2 P.M. till 5 P.M. Everyone
is invited to come out and
help honor him for
everything he has done for
the growth of Blakely and
Early county.
To help recognize Tige on
this day, Mayor Guy H.
Dunaway recently proclaim
ed January 4, 1981, as Tige
I:
EARLY COUNTY, BLAKELY, GA., THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 1981
complaints or raised ques
tions, and several local of
ficials took their turn at try
ing to explain the problems.
But in the end, no one had
any answers that were likely
to solve the tax problems.
However, a number of in
teresting points were
brought to light during the
discussions.
The loss of digest was due
to a court ruling in which an
expansion of Great Southern
Paper Company was
declared eligible for a five
year tax deduction.
It was pointed out here
that the paper mill had not
“gotten out” of any taxes.
Simply stated, local officials
questioned whether the s2l
million expansion was in
deed an expansion or an im
provement - which would not
have been exempt.
Winning the court case,
when officers of the Blakely-
Early County Task Force
responded to a report that
voices were heard coming
from a vacant trailer.
Arriving at the scene,
lawmen spotted several
suspects leaving the mobile
home through a rear door
and on stopping one of them,
allegedly found marijuana in
his possession.
A search of the trailer un
covered an amount of the
drug in excess of a pound,
and officers filed charges of
felony violation of the
Georgia Controlled
Substances Act, possession
of more than an ounce of
marijuana, against each of
the six suspects.
Charged in the bust were
Johnny D. Antley, 34, his
wife, Kathy Ann Antley, 25,
Emmett D. Wiley, 26, his
wife, Judy Ann Wiley, 24,
Wanda Kay Jordan, 20, all of
Early County.
Mr. and Mrs. Antley were
released from jail after
posting $6,000 bonds each,
and the remaining four
suspects were released on
$5,000 bonds each.
In a seperate incident,
drug charges were filed
against two Blakely men
when task force officers
raided the Apollo Club, an
establishment on Church
Pickle Day in the City of
Blakely.
Tige became the com
munity’s “Favorite Son”
back during the depression
days when he became han
dicapped from a football in
jury which turned into a
serious illness.
The injury itself caused
him to miss two years of
school before the resulting il
lness caused him to spend
several years in and out of
hospitals.
No jobs being available
that a handicap could hold, a
job was manufactured at the
the paper mill still pays ap
proximately 30% of the
County’s taxes, while, as one
official pointed out, requir
ing very little of the county’s
services.
Paul Angeloff, vice
president and General
Manager of Chattahoochee
Industrial Railroad, who
also is chairman of the
Chamber of Commerce’s In
dustrial Development Com
mittee, pointed out to the
group that Early County was
the first county in Georgia to
adopt the tax exemption law
Since, a number of other
counties, especially those
bordering neighboring
states, have adopted similar
exemptions to help entice in
dustry. He further pointed
out that it is one of the few
things Early County has to
lure industry with, and even
then we are fighting more
Street in Blakely.
Charged with C.C.S.A.
violations for possession of
Biphetamine 20 were Harold
Summerset, 28, of Blakely,
and Randy Davis, 18, also of
Blakely.
The men were released
from jail after posting $2,000
bond each for the felony
charges.
A task force spokesman
said lawmen are still looking
for a third suspect in the
Apollo Club incident, but no
additional arrests had been
made.
Lawmen also arrested a 22
year old Early County man
in connection with two
burglaries of the same
business.
Danny Ray Wiley, 22, was
charged with the Oct. 17
burglary of Woodlynn Farm
Suppy near Cedar Springs in
which loss was estimated at
$530.
A second charge was
brought against Wiley for
the Dec. 21 burglary in which
loss was estimated at $lO5.
Lawmen are investigating
the burglaries and a warrant
has been issued for the ar
rest of a second suspect.
Wiley was placed in
custody in the Early County
Jail, where he remained to
day in lieu of $2,000 bond for
each count of burglary.
Early County News, where
he began writing a column in
1937 - which has continued
until today.
He was born in 1914, the
son of George Franklin and
Laura Lindsey Pickle. He
married the former Ann
Spurlock in 1943. They have
three children, Ann-Aline,
Longview, Texas, Frank,
Manchester, Georgia, and
Lindsey, Kingsport, Tenn.
They are now the proud
grandparents of Franklin
Pickle of Manchester; Lind
sey, Jr., Laura, and Leslie
lucrative offers like
Alabama’s 20 year exemp
tion.
State Representative
Ralph Balkcom pointed out
that one of the growing pro
blems with property tax is
that only about one-third of
the state’s population pays
any property tax, and about
one-third of those pay about
80% of the property taxes.
County Commission Chair
man Carlton Scarborough,
recalling this year’s crop
failures, pointed out that the
present budget was adopted
and the tax millage set
before anyone realized that
there wouldn’t be money to
pay the taxes with. He also
pointed out that even so, not
a whole lot could have been
cut from the budget, 12% of
the increase mostly due to
inflation.
In comparing Early Coun-
Library Donation
The Early County Library was recently advised of a gift from Mr. and Mrs. John Wade
Shepard of Greenwich, Connecticut. Virgil Jones, president of Bank of Early, made the
presentation to Mrs. Mary Whitehead, Librarian. The gift consists of one hundred shares
of HCNB Stock.
This is the second generous contribution that the Sheppards have made to the Library.
The first was one half of the purchase price of the site on which the new library facility is
being built.
The Blakely Rotary Club gave the remainder of purchase cost.
Completion of the Library is scheduled for May, 1981. Brookstone, Inc. of Albany is
contractor. The new location is on Columbia Street, situated between the Early County
High School gymnasium and the Early Memorial Nursing Home. The cost of the project,
including equipment and landscaping is approximately one-half million dollars.
Ann of Kingsport.
Tige’s schooling began in
1920 in Mrs. Freeman’s class
in the Cuba Community. He
graduated from New Hope
(10th grade), and entered
Blakely High School where
he graduated in 1933. While
fighting his illness, he at
tended Southern Business
University and graduated in
1935 before returning to
Blakely.
He built Blakely’s first
motel, the Deep South in 1948
and he and Ann operated it
for 25 years.
In 1966 he began his daily
PULL FOR BLAKELY :
- OR -
PULL OUT
ty’s property values, the
following was revealed.
Refering to “tillable pro
perty” the following per acre
values were found: Baker
Co. - S4BO and up; Calhoun
Co. - S6OO was tops; Clay Co.
-$350 and up; Randolph Co.
-$490 and up; Seminole Co.
-S7OO was tops; and Early
Co. - SBSO was tops.
Comparing millage rates
the following figures were
revealed: Baker Co. - 12.9
mills; Calhoun Co. - 19.0
mills; Clay Co. -16.25 mills;
Randolph Co. - 17.13 mills;
Seminole Co. - 19.84 mills;
and Early Co. -16.31 mills.
So, contrary to what many
of those attending the
meeting believed, Early
County’s property values,
nor Early County’s millage
rates is out of line with
neighboring counties.
The concensus feeling of
radio program on WBBK
which has continued for 15
years.
In addition, Tige has ...
served on district staff of
Congressman Dawson
Mathis and Maston O’Neal;
Charter member and past
president of the Blakely
Lions Club. Honorary
member since 1966 of Blake
ly Rotary Club. Member of
First Baptist
Church... Mason, member of
Magnolia Lodge, since 1942.
Member and director
Blakely-Early County
Chamber of Commerce.
I J
20 CENTS PER COPY
the group was that local of
ficials should hold spending
as much as possible. One of
ficial pointed out that the on
ly way spending can be held
down, is for the people to
refrain from demanding
more services.
Broadening the tax base
was also overwhelmingly ap
proved by the group in two
straw votes.
First, only 18 out of the 75
attending indicated they
would support alteration of
the local tax exemption pro
vision on new and expanding
industry. Such being a vote
to secure more industry to
help bear the tax burden.
The second straw vote was
an'overwhelming support of
the local option sales and use
tax. A tax that would provide
some tax relief for local pro
perty owners.
Director of SOWEGA Coun
cil on Aging, Albany. Was
one of the promoters of the
Early County Hospital and
Nursing Home, Been on its
Authority since it was
organized in 1961... Spea
rheaded bond-election, where
funds were derived.
What will Tige do when he
leaves the Courthouse? He
plans to continue his column
and radio show as long as his
health permits, “and try to
do good things for other peo
ple, who have done so many
good things for me.”