Newspaper Page Text
Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.
W. H. Auden
Time changes this
weekend!
THE
Sample ballots - Your voting guide
Inside this week
Serving Turner County Since 1902
turnout may hit record
SAMPLE BALLOTS - Page 3
Constitutional amendments
explained - Page 3
Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008
ASHBURN, GA, 31714
VOL 106 - No. 44 • 500
/Around Town \
Subscribe
to The Wiregrass
Farmer
Delivered in your
mail every week.
Call 567-3655 for
information.
Halloween
Halloween hours for
Turner County, Ashburn,
Sycamore and Rebecca are
6- p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30.
Turner v. Wilcox
tickets on sale
Pre-sale tickets to this
Friday night's game in
Rochelle can be purchased
at Turner County High
School. Tickets are $6. A
reminder that the game is at
8.
Trick or Treat
The 2nd Annual Trick
or Treat in the Street will be
Oct. 30th from 6-8 pm in
front of City Hall. Anyone
wanting to participate
please call Amanda Bridges
or Lynn Hewitt at 567-
3431. You may also bring
candy by the City Hall if
you cannot be there. We
would like for every busi
ness to participate.
Voter
by Ben Baker, editor
As of mid-morning
Monday, more than 1,100 peo
ple had voted in this historic
2008 election.
Early voting in Georgia
opened in September.
Elections Superintendent
Triscilla Bryan said Turner
County may well set a new
voter turnout in this election.
by Nancy Stevenson
As I walked down the hall,
the sound of my steps echoed
on the wood floor against the
silence that surrounded me. It
was 3 in the afternoon, and
there were no students within
the dimly lit hall. The sound
wasn’t eery, nor did it seem
bleak, but a certain stillness
could be felt. Then the door
was opened to me.
No doubt, the driving force
behind this year’s turnout is the
presidential election.
Regardless of which major
party wins, it will set history
for the nation.
On one hand, the
Republicans have a woman in
the vice president slot. Sarah
Palin is the governor of Alaska.
The air changed instantly.
It was not quiet, but self
discipline kept the sound to a
pleasant hum. Wall to wall
computers lined three of the
four sides of the room, and sit
ting at most of the computers,
were students in study.
There were smiles on some
of their faces and intense con
centration on others. I would
soon find out what made the
On the other, the Democrats
have mixed-race man, Barack
Obama, leading the ticket for
the presidential race.
In both cases, the top spot
on the ticket is occupied by a
aura around me different, for
within these walls, determina
tion was a tangible thing.
You could see it, you could
feel it. These students were
there for a purpose.
The young people around
me, had a mission. The mission
is real and a part of who they
are becoming.
Ashburn’s, alternative
school, located on the corner of
College and Gilmore has a new
program under way.
What is this program? Mrs.
Patricia Hargess, Director of
the Turner County Speciality
School, explained that it’s get
ting young people who are out
on the streets and who “have
dropped out of school to get the
education they are missing.”
It’s for “students who are in
high school that are behind. We
can get them on credit recovery
and help them catch up in
school. At the same time, there
are some students who won’t
be able to get a diploma, but
are seeking their GED. We can
bring them in also and do the
prep and help them get their
GED. So, we are helping to
educate these students and the
current US Senator, so one
state, either Arizona in the case
of John McCain or Illinios in
the case of Obama, will be
short a senator. A replacement
could be appointed or a special
community.”
Even before Mrs. Hargess
came, Mr. Dale Hall who has
worked at the school since
1989 as Community Resource
Counselor said, “ It’s been one
of my dreams...to actually
make this a true alternative
school, and at the same time to
reclaim some of the kids that
have dropped out, either help
election could be held to get
someone for the empty seat.
Polls at the Board of
Elections in the old American
Legion Hall on Highway 41
will be open through Friday.
Per Georgia Law, there will be
no early voting on Monday.
Polls will be open Tuesday,
election Day, from 7 a.m. to 7
p.m.
them if they’re eligible for their
high school diploma to get it,
or to get their GED prepared
for.”
When Mrs. Hargress came
to the school, her leadership
and initiative set the program
in motion. Mr. Hall and Mrs.
Hargress were talking one day
when the idea was brought up.
(See SCHOOL Page 7)
THADEOUS YOUNG JR.
Night school aims to get more graduates
SHELDON LESTER
Haunted House
Free Haunted House,
free candy, Fri. Oct. 31,6
PM at Port A Tech on Hwy
41. Call 567-9507 for more
info.
Food
distribution
Greater Saint Luke
Interfaith Resource Center
Inc. food distribution will
be Saturday, Nov. 1, at 11
AM until supply is gone.
Bring proof of income for
all household members.
Chickenque
T. C. High School will
have a Chickenque,
Thursday, Nov. 20. Tickets
are now on sale for $7 each.
Plates will include: half
grilled chicken, baked
beans, chips, bread, and
dessert. Pick up plates at
TCHS Cafeteria from 3:30
7 pm on Nov. 20. Purchase
tickets at the school or call
567-4377 for more info.
We appreciate your sup
port!
Fruit sale
Again this year Turner
County 4-H will sponsor a
Holiday Fruit Sale to raise
money for the County pro
gram. Fruit sale orders are
being taken now and the
fruit will be delivered in
December. The fruit will
be sold in whole boxes (4/5
bushel) or half boxes (2/5
bushel). The fruit selection
will consist of Navel
Oranges, Juice Oranges,
Tangelos and Red
Grapefruit. The cost for a
(See BRIEFLY Page 2)
Obituaries
Mack Wilkerson, 72,
Rebecca
Complete obituary
^information is on Page 5 J
Sliding economy spurring more thefts here
BEN COLLINS and Investigator Steve Mauldin with guns recently recovered in
Turner County following a burglary investigation in Dooly County.
by Ben Baker, editor
An increase in thefts and
burglaries in Turner County is
just another sign the economy
is in bad shape.
The Ashburn Police
Department and the Sheriff’s
Department both report a large
increase in this kind of criminal
activity over the past few
months.
“Yes. Guaranteed on that
one,” said Sheriff’s Department
Investigator Steve Mauldin.
Both blame it on the sour
economy.
“That’s got a pretty good bit
to do with it. It’s going to get
worse. Folks are going to go to
stealing so they can get by,”
said APD Chief Bryant
McCard.
Inv. Mauldin said most of
the thefts being seen right now
are of items easily stolen and
easily resold on the streets.
“Mostly items outside the
residence, in barns and such.
Stuff they can sell on the street
pretty quickly,” he said.
The problem with these out
door thefts can usually be
traced back to one issue, he
said.
“Lock ‘em. All the thefts
we have had have been open
barns where they just walked
right in,” he said. “We had one
(a barn break-in) that had a
lock and clasp on it, but it
wasn’t locked. They just
walked right in.”
In Ashburn, the crimes are
more aimed at homes.
“It’s residential right now.
Folks breaking into houses,
that is what we are seeing,”
Chief McCard said. “Business
(break-ins) hasn’t started yet,
but I expect to see that before it
is over.”
Both men urged residents to
report suspicious activity to
law enforcment.
In a burglary case that
spanned county lines, a busi
ness was broken into in Dooly
County and a number of guns
taken.
Deputies here received a tip
about some men selling guns
from a pickup truck. They
responded to the call and found
a number of guns reported
stolen in the Dooly County
break-in.
“They got a tip from a con
fidential informant about some
body trying to sell some guns.
Then they got a call from a
family member of one of the
bad guys. (The suspects were)
caught with the guns in the
back of a truck,” said Chief
Deputy Steve Wood.
School Board rejects most proposals from state review committee
by Ben Baker
Editor
The School Board said No
to most of the proposals a state
committee has suggested for
school boards across the state.
The State Board of
Education commissioned the
committee to review and make
suggestions for improving
Georgia’s school boards. The
committee came after Clayton
County schools lost their
accreditation and the School
Board was accused of extreme
mismanagement.
The proposals were sent to
School Boards across the state
for review and input.
Superintendent Ray Jordan
said much of what was being
proposed was
already law.
“This
(would) put it
to a higher
level,” he said.
Account
ability was the
first item on
the list. Mr.
Jordan said
the proposal
wants to make
school board members more
accountable to the people they
represent.
Like many of the proposals,
Mr. Jordan said this idea was
aimed at metropolitan schools
where school board members
often do not have the same
contact with constituents as
happens in small rural counties
like here.
“In Fulton and Clayton
County where the Board is so
removed from the public, that
may be the case,” he said.
“Here, if you do something
wrong, the people tell you
about it.”
The board said Yes to a pro
posal that would make Board
of Education candidates run
nonpartisan in elections.
“This is one I like. Rather
than declare a party affiliation,
you just run for the School
Board,” Mr. Jordan said.
The Board also said yes to a
proposal that would prevent
anyone “judged mentally
incompetent”
from running
for School
Board.
A proposal
for drug test
ing was also
given a green
light, with
Danny
Godwin
objecting.
“I say no,
unless you do it for every
body,” he said.
By no, he meant anyone
running for office in the state
of Georgia. As an employee of
the Department of Corrections,
Mr. Godwin does go through
periodic drug screening.
Mr. Godwin also objected
to a proposal to require poten
tial BoE members to undergo a
background check. Again, Mr.
Godwin did have a background
check as part of his job applica
tion process with the
Department of Corrections.
“I say no. I am fine with
everybody, County Commis
sioners, the whole group,” he
said.
The board was unanimous
in supporting a proposal that a
person running for School
Board must have at least a high
school diploma or GED.
Mr. Jordan noted this would
not have affected Clayton
(See BOE Page 2)
Godwin
