Getting a handle on the Civic Center repairs
Mike Geoghagan, Page 4
™ Wiregrass Farmer
Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2006
ASHBURN, GA, 31714
VOL 106-No. 1 -500
^Around town ^
Rec basketball
Turner County
Recreation Department
Basketball Registration
Tuesday, Jan. 3 - Friday,
Jan. 13 Old Ashburn Gym
4-6 p.m. Boys and Girls -
Ages 6-14. Cost $25.
Coaches needed: Please
contact David Kingry at
567-5223.
Firefighting 101
Ashburn Fire &
Emergency Services will
offer the Basic Firefighter:
Module One Course as part
of its in-service training
program. The course is a
very fast paced course,
which is the mandated
training course required by
Georgia Law to become a
firefighter.
The class will begin on
Monday Jan. 9, at 6 PM at
Ashburn Fire &
Emergency Services
Station #2 in Ashburn. The
course is 60 hours in length
and will be held on consec
utive Monday and
Thursday Nights. The
course will take approxi
mately 8 weeks to com
plete.
If you are interested in
attending the class please
call 567-4952 to register.
There is no charge for this
class and after successful
completion participants
may pursue a career in the
Fire Service.
Bike engraving
The Ashburn Police
Department and The
Wiregrass Farmer are
offering FREE bicycle
theft protection help. Just
bring your bike by the
APD or The Wiregrass and
someone will engrave your
name and address in a hid
den location on the bike.
We’ll also take down infor
mation about the bike so if
it is stolen, law enforce
ment will be better able to
recover to the stolen bike.
Two kids bikes, boy
and girl were found
Tuesday. Call 567-2401 to
identify and claim.
2005 WGF on CD
The entire 2005 year of
the Wiregrass Farmer is
now available on CD in
PDF file. CDs are $5 each
(includes mailing), or you
can bring a blank CD by
our office and we’ll burn it
for free. 2004 and 2003
editions are also available.
Open House
Open House - Turner
County Middle School 4-6
p.m. Parents are encour
aged to come to the school
and pick up their child's
report card.
Obituaries
Nealon Murphy, 63,
Ashburn
Mr. Harold Morgan, 64,
Fitzgerald
Montyne W. Roberson,
76, Irwinville
Complete obituary informa
tion is on Page 5.
Serving Turner County Since 1902
Gang in town
Arrests confirm presence of street gang in Ashburn
Three beaten badly in gang attack
APD to step up intervention efforts
by Ben Baker
Editor
Ashburn has a gang.
The gang is actually two separate
groups, the Folks for males and the
Pearls for females.
Ashburn police officers have been
aware for some time that such a gang
was forming up here, but could do little
about it until the gang members broke
the law.
According to APD Lt. Ed
Yarbrough, the gangs broke the law
Monday, Dec. 26 when gang members
attacked three people, injuring one
severely enough that one victim was in
the hospital in Tifton for days with a
concussion.
The other two victims suffered dam
age to their faces, including damage to
the eye sockets that resulted in their
making appointments to see a specialist
for extended care, the lieutenant said.
One of these two victims also had
surgery on a finger which was broken
badly enough to require pins be placed
in the bones, he said.
The three victims were beaten with a
2x4, Lt. Yarbrough said. One of them
(See ATTACK Page 2)
by Ben Baker, editor
The Ashburn Police Department is
stepping up gang-related law enforce
ment efforts, according to Chief Ben
Sumner.
“It is not going to be tolerated. We
will not have a city taken over by gangs.
We will use everything in law enforce
ment to stop this,” said APD
Investigator Lt. Ed Yarbrough. “Georgia
has a gang law, sentencing and fines are
a lot more harsh.”
The chief said his department is
planning a series of gang-intervention
seminars for law enforcement and the
school system. Sometimes gang-related
matters on the streets can spill over into
the school, he said.
The department is also broadening
it’s own reach.
“We’re in the process of getting in
with the South Georgia Rural Gang unit.
We’ll get some help in manpower and in
tracking these people,” Lt. Yarbrough
said. “Within the next month we’ll have
a recognizeable gang task force at the
APD.”
The chief and Lt. Yarbrough said the
gang has received the message that
(See GANG Page 2)
Go Rebels!
Cole Soliday gives teacher Amanda McCard a high-five at a recent basketball game after
the Rebs make a good play on the court.
The purpose of a
congressional office
by Ben Baker
Editor
What does a U.S. Representative's field office, the
offices located in the district he represents, do anyway?
That's a question Turner County native Hobby
Stripling recently answered at the quarterly elected offi
cials meeting here.
"The Congressman's office serves as the
Congressman's eyes, ears, feet and hands," Mr. Stripling
said. "We make him aware of what goes on in the dis
trict."
Mr. Stripling works for Rep. Jim Marshall, D-
Macon, who serves the district Turner County will be at
the next Congressional election.
"Jim views the Congressman's office as belonging to
the people of the district. He is a caretaker of the
office," he said.
Congressional field offices are paid for by taxpay
ers.
"The Washington office handles all the legislative
business. The D.C. Office gets two mail deliveries a
day, one at 11 a.m. and one at 2 p.m. They get hundreds
of mails and emails every day and that does not include
junk mail," Mr. Stripling said. "The phone calls are con
stant."
The Washington office also handles tours of the
Capitol as well as requests for flags which have flown
over the Capitol.
During his talk, Board of Education member Mary
Frances Office noted the congressman does not have an
office in this area of Georgia. Mr. Stripling reminded
everyone Rep. Marshall's district does not yet include
Turner County.
"We won't serve this area until 2007," he said. And
that only if Rep. Marshall wins re-election.
Ashburn City Clerk asked if a field office would be
located somewhere in this area if the Congressman won
re-election. Mr. Stripling said that will probably happen.
"We've got to be sure he gets elected to this district,"
he said.
The quarterly meeting was held at Keith-A-Que and
sponsored by Rebecca and Sycamore.
Tickets available now for Chamber bash
by Ben Baker
Editor
Tickets are on sale now for
the annual Ashburn-Turner
County Chamber of Commerce
banquet.
The banquet is Friday, Jan.
27 at 6:30 p.m. at the Civic
Center. Dress is business attire.
Tickets are $30 and are
available at the Chamber of
Commerce, 567-9696, or from
any Chamber Board member.
Tickets can only be picked up
at the Chamber office. Board
members who sell tickets will
deliver the tickets to the buyer
after the tickets are paid for.
As in year’s past the ban
quet will provide a setting for
several community awards
sponsored by the Chamber of
Commerce.
Citizen of the Year, Farm
Family of the Year, Small
Business of the Year, Industry
of the Year are all sponsored by
the Chamber, but winners are
selected by prior year recipi
ents.
Chamber Volunteer of the
Year will also be presented.
The night will also serve as
the official full membership
meeting for the year.
Walker’s BBQ is catering
the event. The menu is still be
selected.
This year’s entertainment is
Steve Brogan, a professional
comic-ventriloquist.”
According to his website,
“Brogan is a career ‘Comic
Ventriloquist’ and a major suc
cess in his profession. A versa
tile entertainer, Steve has the
unique ability to script his
shows to include audience par
ticipation. Steve and his
‘friends’ perform nationwide
for events just like yours. He
has received national awards
for his work in ventriloquism
and has appeared on Good
Morning America and The Fox
Network, to name a few. Steve
follows a history of ventrilo
quists in his family and has
turned that childhood hobby
into his occupation. ‘I feel very
fortunate to be able to make
people laugh for my living,’
says Steve. This laughter is
brought about through several
different ventriloquial charac
ters in Steve's shows as well as
lots of audience participation.
Steve Brogan and Elmer at a recent performance.
From a parent's right to know what their children are doing, to protecting citizens across the country from the growing threat of gang violence, the House
Democrat leadership is simply out to lunch. Virginia Foxx
