About The wiregrass farmer. (Ashburn, Ga.) 1984-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 24, 2008)
Page 2 - The Wiregrass Farmer, December 24, 2008 Eastern Star holds annual Christmas Party SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE Gary McCorvey gives the oath of office to Probate Court Judge Penny Thomas. This swearing-in took place before Judge Thomas gave the oath of office to local officials. The Ashburn Chapter # 287 Order of the Eastern Star Past Worthy Matrons Club had their last meeting Dec. 14 at Shoney’s here in Ashburn at 4 PM with a Christmas Party. The Ashburn Chapter #287 Order of the Eastern Star was organized in 1941 with Mrs. Essa Howell Story as the first worthy matron of the chapter and the chapter was active in all the affairs in the community from 1941 until in October of 1998 when the Ashburn Chapter #287 consolidated with Worth Chapter #454 in Sylvester, Georgia. The Ashburn, Chapter #287 Order of the Eastern Star Past Worthy Matrons Club formed several years after the chapter was formed and had 21 mem bers over the years but had declined to only four members, who were Mrs. Jewel Watson Phillips, Mary Ann Nolan, Hortense Ireland Burdette, treasurer and Imogene Beard Wells, president. The past wor- Supreme Court muddles water on ‘residency’ requirements Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel released the fol lowing statement regarding the Supreme Court of Georgia decision in Handel v. Powell: “While I certainly respect the decision by the Georgia Supreme Court, I am neverthe less disappointed and very con cerned about its potential impact.” Turner County has seen challenges to elected official residency requirements in the past. Current County Commis Angus Steak Chili Chunks of Angus steak and black beans in a spicy chili garnished with cheddar cheese and topped with green onions. 99 GIFT CARDS Easy to get. Great to give. Always the right size. Community Calendar GOVERNMENT Emergency Siren test 1st Wednesday at noon TCMS School Council, 3rd Monday 4 p.m. TCDA 2nd & 4th Monday 8:30 a.m. Chamber County Commission 6:30 p.m. 1st Tues, School Board Bus Shop Ashburn Council 6 p.m. 1st Thursday City Hall Board of Ed. 2nd Monday 7 p.m. Bus Shop Rebecca Council 1st Monday, 6:30 City Hall Sycamore Council 2nd Thurs., 6 p.m. City Hall TCHS Council 1st Monday 4 p.m., TCHS Community Relations Board, last Thursday, 7 p.m. Ashburn City Hall SPECIAL Chamber 3rd Friday noon Chamber Fire Ant Festival Wednesday noon, Shoney's CIVIC Rotary Noon, each Thursday, Shoney's Exchange 7 p.m., each Monday, Club Building Kiwanis Noon, each Tuesday, Shoney's Sycamore Lodge #210 Masons 1st and 3rd Monday 7:30 p.m, Lodge American Legion 2nd Tuesday 7 p.m, old Legion Hall Child Abuse Prev. 3rd Thurs. 6 p.m. Special Services School A.A. Tuesday & Friday 7:30-8:30 Alt. School Cub Scouts every Mon, 7 pm at First United Methodist Church. Ages 6-11 Boy Scouts every Tues. 7 pm at American Legion. Ages 11 & up. Community Calender Deadline: Noon FRIDAY! To be listed, call 567-3655 sioner Daryl Hall owns a home out in the County outside the district he represents and claims a homestead deduction on property within the district he represents. “The law says that the homestead ‘shall be the legal residence and domicile of the applicant for all purposes what ever.’ The Supreme Court held, today, that ‘all purposes what ever’ does not include a candi date’s residency. With this, ‘residency’ will now be deter mined by a largely subjective set of criteria, including a can didate’s self-avowed ‘intent,’ Mrs. Handel said. “Unfortunately, this ruling paves the way for an avalanche of residency claims during future candidate qualifying periods and may even affect residency determinations in other areas, such as voter regis tration. This leaves the Secretary of State’s office with no clear standard upon which to evaluate them. While the Supreme Court had an opportu nity to bring clarity and consis tency to the interpretation of our laws, this ruling unfortu nately will have a very real - and negative - impact on the administration of future elec tions.” thy patron, who was present at the consolidation of the Ashburn Chapter #287 with Worth Chapter #454 was with us at the disbanding of the club, C. A. Burdette, Jr. this afternoon. Before we disbanded we recognized all the past worthy matrons club members that had been a member at one time or another with OES markers. The deceased Ashburn Chapter #287 Past Worthy Matron club members that were recognized are listed by name and years served: Mrs. Essa Howell Story 1941, 1976-77, Mrs. Louise McNair Rose 1943-44 Mrs. Cortez Henderson Sconyers 1945-46, Mrs. Emily Butler Perry 1946-1947 Mrs. Lilas Wilson Griffith 1952-53, Mrs. Mildred P West 1955-56, 1979-80, Mrs. Berta Mae Hobby 1958-1959, Mrs. Julia Bailey Hill 1959-1960, Mrs. Annie Maude Nipper 1960-61, 1962-63, 1963-64, .Mrs. Sarah L. Gay 1967-68 Mrs. Mary Rainey Watson 1968- 69, Mrs. Edna Luke Holland 1974-75, Mrs. Ruby S. Seivert 1996- 97, Mrs. Alma W. Braddy 1966-67 was recognized but no marker given due to the place of interment. Those Past Worthy Matron Club members still living were recognized with OES markers by name and year served are: Mrs. Jewel Watson Phillips 1964- 65,1975-76,1977- 78,1978-79,1985-86,1986-87, Mrs. Lavene L. Blanchard 1965- 66, 1973-74, Mrs. Hortense Ireland Burdette 1969- 70, 1994-95,Mrs. Mary Ann Nolan 1972-73,1983- 84,1984-85, 1990-91, Mrs. Imogene Beard Wellsl980- 81,1989-90,1997-98, Mrs. Lucille C. Ponder 1981-82, Miss Nancy Ponder 1995-96. There were other Past Worthy Matrons of Ashburn Chapter #287 Order of the Eastern Star that was loved and appreciated members of our chapter but were never a mem ber of the Ashburn Chapter #287 Past Worthy Matrons Club by their choice, which we will cherish knowing them for their love, work and dedication to our beautiful Order who are listed by name and year served: Mrs. Linda Ewing 1941-42, Mrs. Bertha Rose 1942-43, Mrs. Lillian Forshee 1944-45, Mrs. Irene Reinhardt 1947-48, Mrs. Elizabeth McCall 1948- 49, Mrs. Rebecca Jones 1949- 50, Mrs. Sybil Bolden 1950-51, Mrs. Mary Martenn 1951-52, Mrs. Robbie Butler 1953-54, Mrs. Bertha Faircloth 1954-55, Mrs. Elizabeth Nolan 1956-57, Mrs. Gladys Kennedy 1957-58, Mrs. Blanche Vance 1961-62, Mrs. Helen Woodruff 1970-71, Mrs. Pearl Glaze 1971-72, Mrs. Wyolene Blue 1982-83, Mrs. Carol McCard 1987-88, 1988- 89, Mrs. Eleane Denham 1991- 92, 1992-93 and Mrs. Charlotte Christian 1993-94. This is the end of the beau tiful Order of the Eastern Star Chapter # 287 and Ashburn Chapter #287 Past Worthy Matrons Club, Ashburn, Georgia which was filled with a lot of precious memories of love, work, dedication and fel lowship. This Chapter was active from 1941 to 1998 and Ashburn Chapter #287 Past Matrons Club was active after 1941 to 2008. Colony Bankcorp announces quarterly dividend Colony Bankcorp, Inc. (Nasdaq National Market: CBAN) announced today that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.0975 per share payable January 9, 2009 to shareholders of record on December 31, 2008. This represents an increase of 2.63 percent over the cash dividend paid of $0,095 per share in the fourth quarter a year ago and is level with the dividend payment last quarter. While earnings have decreased significantly in 2008 due to aggressively addressing prob lem loans during this economic downturn, Colony’s capital position remains strong as its total risk-based capital ratio approximates 12.11 percent - well above the regulatory mini mum requirement of 10 percent to be categorized as “well-capi talized”. Colony Bankcorp, Inc. also announced that it has received preliminary approval from U. S. Treasury for the sale of $28 million in preferred stock and related warrants to the U. S. Treasury under the Capital Purchase Program (“CPP”) of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. The approval is subject to certain conditions and the execution of definitive agreements. In this time of market uncertainty, the Company has elected to participate in the CPP to take advantage of the likely one-time opportunity to receive a very low-cost source of capital. The Company’s par ticipation in the CPP strength ens its current well-capitalized position and increases liquidity. Colony’s board and manage ment believe maintenance of capital at elevated levels during the current challenging eco nomic environment is desir able. However, the Company does anticipate using some of the capital to expand its busi ness through careful lending, enhanced customer service and pursuing potential growth opportunities to increase share holder value. Colony Bankcorp, Inc. is a bank holding company head quartered in Fitzgerald, Georgia, with thirty locations in south and middle Georgia cities of Fitzgerald, Warner Robins, Centerville, Ashburn, Leesburg, Cordele, Albany, Thomaston, Columbus, Sylvester, Tifton, Moultrie, Douglas, Broxton, Savannah, Eastman, Chester, Soperton, Rochelle, Pitts, Quitman and Valdosta, Georgia. Total con solidated assets of the company approximate $1.25 billion. Colony Bankcorp, Inc. Common Stock is quoted on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol “CBAN.” CodeRED still taking applications for emergency weather alerts Turner County and Ashburn have contracted with Emergency Communications Network, Inc., of Ormond Beach, Florida, for its Weather Warning, high-speed telephone emergency notification ser vices. The CodeRED system gives officials the ability to deliver pre-recorded emergency tele phone notification/information messages to targeted areas or the entire county at a rate of up to 60,000 calls per hour. This service is provided at no addi tional charge to the residents of Turner County and only Turner County Pete Giddens, Turner County’s Emergency Management Director, cau tioned that such systems are only as good as the telephone database supporting them. “If your phone number is not in our database, you will not be called”. The Code RED Weather Warning system not only offers faster calling rates and improved message deliv ery, it gives individuals and businesses the ability to add their own phone numbers directly to the system’s tele phone database. Giddens emphasized that this is an extremely important feature. To ensure no one is omitted, Giddens urges all individuals, institutions and businesses to log onto the City of Ashbum’s website, WWW.cityofash- burn.COM, and follow the link to the “CodeRED Residential and Business Data Collection” page. Those without Internet access may call Turner County Road Department/EMA office at 567 4057, Brenda Cox or Pete Giddens Monday - Thursday (1-5PM only please). Required information includes first and last name, street address (physical address, no PO. boxes), city, zip code, and primary phone number, addi tional phone numbers such as a cell (optional). Please limit Cell phone numbers to two (2) per address. No one should automatical ly assume his or her phone number is automatically included. They will not be. All We will close New Years Day, Jan. 1 Regular hours on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31 South Georgia Banking Company riMiM-t-nic individuals, institutions and businesses will have to register. If you change your address or phone number, after you have registered, you will have to re-register. We have no way of knowing when citizens move or change their phone numbers. Giddens explained that the “CodeRED” Weather Warning system is a geographical based notification system, which means street addresses are needed to select which phone numbers will receive emergen cy notification calls in any given situation. The system works fine for cell phones too, but we have to have a street address”. Giddens stated, “CodeRED” gives those who want to be included, an easy and secure method for doing so. The information will only be used for emergency notifica tion purposes”. Questions should be directed to the Turner County Emergency Management Office, 567 4057. In addition to telephone and online registration, Mayor Jim Hedges has had placed in vari ous Ashburn locations, registra tion booths with forms. They are located in both Ashburn banks, Piggly Wiggly, City Hall, and Phoebe Family Center. Locations in Sycamore for registration are: Sycamore City Hall and the Sycamore Post Office. Registration locations are located in Rebecca at the Rebecca City Hall, The Rebecca Post office and Cranky’s Resturant. Additional registration locations for the county are at The Turner County Courthouse annex, and Bethel Baptist Church off Highway 32. Any resident of Turner County may register at any of the above named locations. We have approximately one third of all Turner residences registered now. JESUS (Continued from Page 1) years old or under, according to the time that he had ascer tained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamenta tion, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comfort ed, because they are no more.” The Return to Nazareth But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”
