Newspaper Page Text
Page 4A - The Lee County Ledger, Thursday, November 8, 2001
BURNING PERMITS
DENIED
Due to the extreme dry weather
conditions the Georgia Forestry
Commission is not issuing any
burning permits for outdoor burn
ing in Lee County. The lack of
rain, lower humidity, and the dry
ing effects of the sun have dried
forest and open land fuels to the
point that wildfire potential is too
great.
Wildfires are not just destruc
tive to our forestlands but often
threaten personal property such as
our homes and can also threaten
personal safety.
Georgia Forestry personnel in
Lee County feel that the best way
to protect the best interest of the
Lee County citizens is to stop is
suing burning permits until the
county as a whole receives some
significant rainfall.
Wildfires also burn with more
intensity and spread more rapidly
during extremely dry conditions,
making it harder for fire crews to
contain the fires. A rapid hot run
ning fire can damage personal
property before the fire is even
discovered. This is the type of
situation that the Georgia For
estry Commission hopes to avoid
by postponing outdoor burning
until we receive adequate rainfall
to make burning conditions more
favorable.
The Georgia Forestry Commis
sion also wants to encourage ev
eryone to exercise caution while
enjoying his or her outdoor activi
ties such as grilling, hunting, and
camping. Be sure to wet the grass
underneath the grill so if hot ash
hits the grass it will not set the
yard on fire. Also remember that
the coals from the grill can be hot
the next day so don't dump them
until you are sure that they are
cool. Hunters and anyone travel
ing through heavy vegetation
should be cautious of stopping
and possibly setting the grass on
fire with the exhaust system.
Campers should make sure that
the campfire is completely extin
guished prior to leaving the camp
area. We just need to be extra
careful to prevent wildfires dur
ing these dry conditions.
Early detection is the key to fire
suppression and minimizing
damage by wildfires. If you spot
a fire or questionable smoke
The University of Georgia • Cooperative Extension Service
Test Soil Now
■r
mft — *
Doug Collins, CEA
v I
Putting Knowledge toWork' 1 ^
Test Soil Now
Now is the time to test soil. Why
now? Why not in the spring?
There are several reasons to do it
now.
The results of a soil test will
vary depending upon the time of
year that the sample is taken. Be
cause most farmers take their
samples in the fall, recommenda
tions are based upon the soil fer
tility indexes that are obtained
with samples taken in the fall.
This may not make a whole lot
of sense to you. All you need to
understand is that you will receive
more accurate recommendations
with a soil sample taken in the fall
than at any other time of year .
If lime is required to adjust the
pH of the soil, it needs to be ap
plied in the fall. Applying lime in
the fall will give it time to react
with the soil and raise the pH. A
fall soil sample will allow you to
apply lime in the fall if needed.
If you are taking soil samples
from a lawn or garden, take cores
from several spots around the
lawn or garden and mix them to
gether in a clean plastic bucket
that has never contained fertilizer
or lime. Soil samples taken in
lawns should be taken to a depth
The Le6 County Ledger
‘EstabCisf.ed August 24,1978
P.O. Box 715 (124 4th Street) Leesburg, Georgia 31763
(229)759-2413 USPS 470-310
Official Organ of Lee County
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Lee and surrounding counties $14. 95 year
Elsewhere $19. 95 year
Publisher Derryl Quinn
Editor Jim Quinn
Layout and Design Tricia Quinn
(USPS 470-310), is published weekly for $14. 95 per year in
Lee and surrounding counties, and $19. 95 per year else
where by at its offices at the May Office Building, 126 - 4th
Street, Leesburg, Georgia 31763. Periodicals postage paid
at Leesburg, GA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes
on Form 3579 to, RO. 715, Leesburg, GA 31763.
0
Printed On
Recycled Paper
MEMBER OF GEORGIA
PRESS ASSOCIATION
please contact the Georgia For
estry Commission in Lee County
at 759-3011. Thank you for your
support and understanding.
Hopefully the good Lord will
bless us with some much-needed
rain soon.
"Eternal
vigilance is
the price
of liberty."
Wendell Phillips -1852
Facts About Masonry identity Theft And Fraud
D \ 7 T A \ D hr\/IAn it 10 nnt cmrit thmin-ht it poame hJ
A soil probe and soil bags may be obtained from the
Lee County Extension Office.
of four inches. Gardens should be
sampled to a depth of six inches,
while orchards should be sampled
to an eight inch depth. Fill out the
required information on the soil
sample bag and fill it with soil to
the "fill" line on the bag. Make
sure to fill in all requested infor
mation. Number each sample
with a one. two. or three digit des
ignation so that you will know
which recommendation goes with
which sample if you have more
than one sample. The Lee County
Extension Office Secretary. Jan
Weathersby, will be glad to fill in
the crop code on the bag based
on what you tell her you want to
grow on the land sampled.
Jan will also be glad to provide
you with soil sample bags and to
loan you a soil sample tube. Just
remember to bring it back
promptly. The charge for soil
sample analysis is four dollars for
homeowners.
For those of you who may not
know, our office is located in the
Lee County Governmental Build
ing, which is just south of the
courthouse in downtown Lees
burg. For more information, call
the Lee County Extension Office
at 759-6025.
By J.M. Rhodes
Member of Chehaw Lodge 701
Leesburg, Georgia
"MORE LIGHT"
If one were asked to sum up the
meaning of Masonry in one
word, the only word equal to the
task is "Light" A lodge of Ma
sonry is a House of Light. Sym
bolically it has no roof but the
sky, open to all light of nature and
of grace. As the sun rises in the
East to open and rule the day, so
the Master rises in the East to
open and guide the Lodge, in its
labor. All the work of the Lodge
is done under the eye and in the
name of God. obeying Him who
made great lights, whose mercy
endureth forever. To the door
comes the see ked after light
asking to be led out of shadows
into realities, out of darkness into
light. From its first page to the
last the key-word of the Bible is
light, until, at the end, when the
City of God is built, it has no
need of the sun or the moon or
stars, for God is the light of it.
To find the real orgin of Ma
sonry we must go far back into
the past, back behind history. All
the world over, at a certain stage
of culture, men bowed down in
worship of the sun, the moon and
the stars. In prehistoric graves the
body was buried in a sitting pos
ture, and always with the face to
ward the East, that the sleeper
might be ready to spring up early
to face the new and brighter day.
There is a mystery in light. It
is not matter, but form of motion.
it is not spirit, thought it seems
closely akin to it. Midway be
tween the material and the spiri
tual, it is the gateway where mat
ter and apart pass and repass. Of
all the glories of nature it most
resembles God in its gentleness,
its pity, falling with impartial
benediction alike upon the just
and the unjust, upon the splendor
of wealth and the squalar of pov
erty. Yes God is light, and the mis
sion of Masonry is to open the
Windows of the mind of men. let
ting the dim spark within us meet
and blend with the light of God,
in whom there is no darkness,
there is "a light that lighteth ev
ery man that cometh into the
world," as we learn in the Book
of Holy Law, but too often it is
made dim by evil, error, and ig
norance. until it seems well nigh
to have gone out. Thus our gentle
Masonry, by seeking to "Bring
men to light", not simply symboli
cally but morally and spiritually,
is trying to lift the shadow of evil,
ignorance and injustice off the life
of man.
What the sad world needs-what
each of us needs- is more light,
more love, more clarity of mind
and more charity of heart, and this
is what Masonry is trying to give
us. Once we take it to heart, it will
help us to see God in the face of
our fellows, to see the power of a
lie and its inherent weakness be
cause it is false, to see the glory
of truth and its final victory - to
see these things is to be a Mason,
to see these things is to be saved.
ALERT ALL TAXPAYERS
Recently homeowners in the Redbone District of Lee County were
surprised by the request of a farmer to rezone 168.6 acres of his 530-
acre tract to permit R-3, mixed use residential development. My per
sonal concern is the existing infrastructure would not be able to handle
a large subdivision. However, the larger consideration is the petition
signed by over 200 citizens that opposed the rezoning for various
reasons. The constitutional rights of all Lee County citizens have been
respected as demonstrated by the numerous public meetings on zon
ing and other issues.
The traffic on Philema Road is getting to the point we will need red
lights at different points to allow safe entry onto the road at peak
times if a large subdivision is established off Middle Road. It is al
ready hard to safely exit the existing neighborhoods in the mornings.
My other concern is our tax base. We have a county that is bringing
in people from all surrounding counties to attend our public school
system. I take pride in the reputation our schools have, but we need
more houses here to help cover the taxes that will be needed. The
county will need to add more classrooms and purchase additional
buses when the land is developed. We will not get the revenue needed
to do this from a mobile home park. My concern is for homeowners
who are currently living in Lee County. If our taxes continue to rise,
our senior citizens will not be able to afford to pay their property
taxes.
Instead of a mobile home park we need a neighborhood established
with homes that cost from $65,000 to $85,000. Many of the young
couples in our neighborhood cannot get into a home in our area be
cause the majority of them start out at $100,000. Affordable housing
is a need that I feel could be met.
Regardless of the type of homes allowed on this property, the prop
erty owners should not be allowed to sell any lots until they have
built and paved roads with the proper drainage and curbs. None of
this expense should fall back on the taxpayers when a landowner is
going to make the profits. It doesn't matter if you live in a mobile
home or house; we all need a safe road for our buses and ambulances.
And again, we will need extra tax dollars to maintain these roads
once the builder has developed the streets and turned them over to the
county to maintain.
Concerned Citizen
Gail Fentem
APPRECIATES SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT
I would like to join with many other Lee Countians in expressing of
our appreciation to Sheriff Harold Breeden and the Lee County
Sheriffs Department for their efforts in making Halloween a safe
experience for the children last Wednesday in the Redbone District
as well as throughout Lee County.
As always, Sheriff Breeden and his department are on top of the
situation by looking out for the children as well as protecting all of
Lee County.
Sincerely.
Mary Gibson
By Hugh Morris
Andrew and Jen are a happy
young couple. Bobby is a close
friend from law school that lives
across the river at Alltel Stadium
in Jacksonville, Florida, the site
of the annual University of Geor
gia versus University of Florida
football game. Andrew and Jen
would stay with Bobby for the
weekend. Florida was favored but
hopes were high that the Dawgs
prevail. After all, in the history of
both schools, Georgia has tradi
tionally beaten Florida.
The agenda for Friday night in
cluded the Epping Forest Yacht
Club. The club holds dinner with
plenty of music, dance and cheer
leaders from both schools. The
University of Georgia and Florida
Cheerleaders took turns encour
aging while Hairy Dawg toured
the crowd. The mood was festive.
The night was young and the
Worlds Largest Party would be
gin tomorrow.
Saturday morning arrived. Jen
reached for her purse and the wal
let was gone. Had she been robbed
last night? Suddenly, her driver's
license, cash, social-security card,
birth certificate, ATM and calling
card completely disappeared!
Identity theft occurs when
someone steals your personal in
formation, pretends to be you and
obtains credit cards, loans, or even
jobs. Identity theft is one of the
fastest-growing crimes. The crook
steals your social security num
ber, credit card, driver's license,
ATM cards, telephone calling
card and other key pieces of iden
tity. They use the information to
impersonate victims, spending as
much money as possible in short
est amount of time before mov
ing on to someone else's name and
account information. If you have
been a victim, you should follow
each of the guide points listed be
low.
1. Report the crime to the po
lice immediately. Obtain a writ
ten copy of the police report.
2. If your checks are stolen, no
tify the bank at once. Close all ac
counts and obtain new account
n u m -
bers. Re
port the
crime to
the fol
lowing
nation
ally rec
ognized
companies: National Check
Fraud Center, Check Rite,
Crosscheck, SCAN, TeleCheck,
National Processing Company
(NPC), and Certegy Check Ser
vices (Formally Equifax Check
Services)
3. Call your credit card compa
nies. Obtain replacement cards
with new account numbers. Close
the old accounts.
4. You may be forced to change
your social security number if the
number becomes associated with
bad credit. Contact your Social
Security Administration Office.
Caution: This step should be re
served for only the most extreme
situations.
5. You may be forced to change
your driver's license number.
When requesting the new num
ber, the Georgia State Patrol re
quire proof that your driver's li
cense was stolen. The copy of
your written police report will
help.
6. Contact the nearest office of
the Consumer Credit Counseling
Service for advice on removing
fraudulent claims from your
credit report. Call l(800)-388-
2227.
7. Important: Document every
thing. Keep a log of all conversa
tions with the legal authorities
and financial institutions, includ
ing dates and names. Send all cor
respondence by certified mail.
Keep copies of all letters and
documents. Always back up any
phone calls with a letter.
8. Be persistent!
Jen was smart. She cancelled
her accounts the morning before
the game. And guess what,
Epping Forest Yacht Club was
kind enough to report Monday
morning that her wallet was fi
nally found.
Hooks - Hanner Environmental
Center To Be Dedicated Friday
A new public - private partner
ship in Terrell County will bring
jobs and economic activity to ru
ral Southwest Georgia, while bol
stering the region's understand
ing of water and natural resource
issues. The new facility, the
Hooks Hanner Environmental
Resource Center (HHERC), will
be dedicated Friday. November
9th, as it hosts a legislative study
committee tasked with planing
the state's water future.
HHERC, the brainchild of lo
cal conservation leaders and State
Representative Bob Hanner and
Senator George Hooks, will as
semble a critical mass of water
related technical experts, plan
ners, eductors and researchers
from state, federal and private
agencies. The 5000 square foot
facility and 25 acre research sta
tion, formerly owned by Birdsong
Peanut Company, will be home
to multi-disciplinary water re
search, training and education
program.
A few of the HHERC' functions
include housing: Georgia Soil and
Water Conservation
Commission’s Irrigation Man
agement Program, field research
office for the Flint River Water
Planning and Policy Center aqui
fer capacity and reservoir testing
programs, training facility for the
Georgia Rural Water
Association's water and waste
water treatment operator certifi
cation programs, education cen
ter for the Georgia Association of
Conservation’s District's Erosion
and Sediment Control training
programs and USDAAgricultural
Research Service multi-crop irri
gation and conservation research
farm and Lower Chattahoochee
River & Water Conservation Dis
trict operations.
The $350,000 base funding for
the project came during the 2001
session of the Georgia General
Assembly, when the two local
lawmakers made the project a pri
ority for the region.
To submit articles and pictures to
The Lee County Ledger, you may
e-mail them to leeledger@aol.com or mail
items of interest to
P.O. Box 715, Leesburg Georgia.