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The Led County Ledger
Your Hometown Source Of Local News
Hometown Newspaper of George and Florence Neese
Volume XLV- Number 41
Leesburg, Georgia - - June 7, 2023
Fifty Cents
USPS National Dog Bite Awareness Week
Even Good Dogs Have Bad Days (#dogbiteawareness)
Special to the Ledger
Sponsored by the
United States Postal
Service®, National Dog
Bite Awareness Week is
a public service cam
paign that offers safety
tips and emphasizes
the need for increased
owner responsibility in
the prevention of dog
attacks.
The Postal Service™
reports the number of
dog attacks and bites
together as the most
prominent threat to
carriers. Last year, over
5,300 Postal Service
employees were vic
timized by dogs. This
is why you are asked to
restrain your dog when
your carrier is deliver
ing your mail.
Many are dog lovers,
but few are dog experts.
People who have friend
ly pets often expect a
friendly reaction from
other dogs. However,
even friendly dogs will
bite given the right
circumstances. Dogs are
primarily territorial in
nature and protective of
their owners and their
owners’ property, which
can sometimes mean
attacking and possibly
biting the letter carrier.
Make sure your dog is
in a location away from
the door when the mail
carrier comes to your
house. If you go outside,
close the door behind
you to make sure your
dog doesn’t get out. If
you are outside with
your dog while mail is
being delivered, make
sure your dog is away
from the mail carrier
and on a leash.
The tools available
online will help pro
mote awareness of this
public health concern
in an effort to reduce
the number of adverse
interactions with letter
carriers.
How to Avoid Being
8 10499 02456 8
DOHERTY, DUGGAN,
HART&TIERNAN
INSURORS
Home • Auto • Business • Life/Health
P.O.Box 71628 (229)888-2040
Albany, GA 31708-1628 800-628-2040
2301 Dawson Road (31707) Fax (229) 435-3036
www.ddhtins.com
Lee County
Commission
will meet
Tuesday,
June 13
at 6:00 p.m.
The meeting
will be held
at the T.
Page Tharp
Governmental
Building
Bitten
• Don’t run past a dog.
Special to the Ledger
By Brody Morris
As my fellow gradu
ates and I take this step
into our future, I want
us to remember that this
moment is not isolated
from our past. We all
are fires, fires that came
from a kindling, a kin
dling that was ignited
and tended until the fire
became self-sustaining.
All of us here are our
own flames that exist
due to our past.
I believe the kindling
for my fire was placed
when I moved back
to Lee County during
seventh grade. The
students, teachers, and
administrators here
invested in me and got
to know me in a way
I had not experienced
elsewhere. They wel
comed me in my new
environment and saw
potential in me. It was
not just the teachers who
got to know me, I made
friends that year that I
continue to be friends
with to this day. It was
not long before I truly
felt like Lee County
was where I belonged.
If ever there was a place
for my fire to start, it
was here.
With the foundation of
my fire in place, it was
ignited when I entered
high school. The transi
tion from middle to high
school was both a chal
lenging yet fun experi
ence. The East and West
schools were united to
create the brilliant class
we have now. For some,
this would be the year
we took our first AP
class, a challenging yet
highly educational class.
The dog’s natural in
stinct is to chase people
However, for most of us,
this was also the year
we looked toward our
future, by choosing the
pathway that would lead
us to many different
possible careers.
Nevertheless, our ex
perience in ninth grade
would differ from every
one else’s as the Covid
pandemic cut our school
year short. Suddenly a
two-week quarantine
would extend to the
rest of the
year, and
we had to
find ways
to continue
with our
lives vir
tually. The
two-hour
AP Human
Geogra
phy exam
turned into
a 50-min
ute virtual test with only
two questions. Although
adjusting to the new vir
tual education style was
demanding, the isolation
from friends and family
is what really made this
time challenging. Yet,
even in this unprece
dented time, we did not
allow the hardships to
damper the fire.
Tenth grade was when
the kindling was finally
ignited. This was the
year some of us took AP
Seminar and started our
path towards achieving
AP Capstone. I would
say this was when my
fire started as after the
difficult AP Seminar
class I did not want
school to get easier, I
wanted to exceed my
perceived limitations of
myself and overcome
who run.
• If a dog threatens you,
the challenge. My fire...
my passion, led to where
I stand now, and that
fire can lead all of you
as well if you tend to it
and do not let adversities
quench your fire.
This was not just the
year of AP Seminar; this
was also the year we en
tered the main campus,
where we would spend
the final years of school.
During this time, we
wore masks in school,
which al
though they
may have
divided us
physically,
would not
separate us
from each
other. Some
did not join
us in person
but instead
joined us vir
tually. Even
through the isolation of
the pandemic, we still
ignited our flames and
tended to them with
diligence through the
trials that would seek to
extinguish the fire.
As we entered our Ju
nior and Senior year, we
became more aware of
how much time was left
before graduation, and
this was when we lit our
torch and become great
beacons of our realized
potential. We partici
pated in and became the
leaders of clubs, we left
a legacy by creating our
own clubs, we excelled
in sports, we complet
ed our pathways, we
joined the workforce,
and we applied and were
accepted into colleges.
We made great use of
our last years in high
don’t scream. Avoid eye
contact. Try to remain
school, which we can all
be proud of.
As we conclude our
time at Lee County High
School, we must reflect
on the excellent, rigor
ous academic education
we have received. Thank
you to the teachers,
counselors, and admin
istrators who taught
us what we needed to
know to succeed in our
next chapter and who
also taught us many life
lessons. Thank you for
investing in us, caring
for our well-being, and
impacting our lives
in ways we will never
forget.
We must also thank
our families for fueling
our fires and getting us
to this moment. These
past four years have
presented us with unex
pected ups and downs.
However, our families
have always been in our
corner, cheering us on
and pushing us to reach
our potential. Thank you
to my Mom and Dad. I
would not be standing
here today without your
love and support.
Reflecting on these
past four years, we
should be thankful for
each other. The friend
ships and the memories
we have made here will
forever be etched into
our hearts. We have
supported each other
and helped each other
achieve success in our
years at Lee County, and
I hope we continue to
encourage and support
each other as we venture
into the future.
One of my favorite
characters growing up
was Winnie the Pooh,
still until the dog leaves,
and then back away
slowly until the dog is
out of sight.
• Don’t approach a
strange dog, even one
that is leashed or con
fined.
• If a dog is about to at
tack, try to place some
thing between yourself
and the dog, such as a
satchel, backpack, or
bicycle.
How to Be a Responsi
ble Dog Owner
• Obedience training
can teach dogs proper
behavior and help own
ers control their dog in
any situation.
• Dogs can be protec
tive of their territory
and may interpret the
actions of letter carriers
as a threat. Take precau
tions when accepting
mail in the presence of
your pet.
• Dogs that haven’t been
properly socialized,
receive little attention
or handling, or are left
tied-up for long periods
frequently turn into
biters.
and one of his more
philosophical quotes is,
“We didn’t realize we
were making memories.
We just knew we were
having fun.”. I never
realized how true that
quote was until this
year. Everyone has
made fun memories
with their friends and
family, more than I
could say in one speech.
Nevertheless, I think
everyone should keep
those in mind during
this moment. This is
the moment when we
all come together as our
own fires that have been
prepared, ignited, and
carefully tended. Now
we come together as the
class of 2023, shining
as bright as the greatest
inferno. Now let us use
this inferno to reveal a
bright future for us all.
Thank you.
Homeownership
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even if you don't have
much to put toward a
down payment.
GCB has you covered
with low mortgage
insurance premiums.
Contact us to
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Georgia Community Bank
3000 N. Slappey Blvd.
(229) 446-0102
Online @ GCB.bank
NMLS # 648124
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To Subscribe Call 229-759-2413
Submitted Photo
Drug Dog New Addition To Smithville Police Department
The City of Smithville recently received a certified drug dog. Sgt. Michael Francis is the officer
that will work with Courage, the drug dog. Courage arrived in Smithville last week and is
already patrolling with Sgt. Francis.
Lee County High School Salutatory Address
Brody Morris