Newspaper Page Text
Middle School Basketball
SMAC Semifinals
Saturday 11 a.m. Civic Center
Ashburn man charged
with murder Story inside
™ Wireorass Farmer
Wednesday, January 22,2014
ASHBURN, GA, 31714
VOL 109 - No. 4 • 500
www.thewiregrassfarmer.com
/Around Town\
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Call 567-3655 for
information.
Chamber
banquet
The 58th Annual Ash
burn Turner County Cham
ber of Commerce banquet
will be held on Thursday,
January 23, at 6:30 p.m. at
the Turner County Civic
Center. The meal will be
pork chops with all the
trimmings and will be
catered by David Hickman.
Motivational speaker, A1
Walker, will be the speaker
for the evening. You will
also be entertained during
dinner by Julie West and
The Jazz Element Band.
Tickets are $30 and can
be purchased at the Cham
ber office. Tickets must be
purchased by Friday, Janu
ary 17.
Report Cards
Turner County Elemen
tary School Open House/
Teacher Conference Thurs
day, Jan. 23, 2014, begin
ning at 3:30 p.m. ending at
5:30 p.m. Turner County
Middle/High School Parent
Report Card Pickup/Open
House Wednesday, Jan. 22,
4-6 p.m. Parents are encour
aged to attend to talk with
teachers and pick up report
cards.
Rec basketball
The Turner County
Recreation Dept. Basketball
signups will be Jan. 27-31
at the gym on Cleveland
Ave. Time: 4-6 p.m. daily.
Cost: $25 per child. Boys &
girls ages 4-14 are encour
aged to participate. For
more info contact Mike
Coker 229-567-5223.
Serving Turner County Since 1902
Office charged
after accident
by Ben Baker
Editor
Board of Education
member Mary Frances Of
fice was charged with sev
eral traffic offenses
following a wreck Friday.
Ashburn Police Chief
Joe Saxon said pending
charges are: DUI refusal,
reckless driving, leaving
the scene of an accident,
improper passing, im
properbacking, failure to maintain lane and striking a fixed
object.
“That’s about where we’re at with it,” the chief said. “I
do not believe it is alcohol related.”
Friday afternoon, Mrs. Office (See OFFICE Page 6)
CHARGES
DUI refusal
Improper passing
Leaving accident
Failure to
maintain lane
Striking fixed
object
No apology
by Ben Baker, editor
Sycamore City Councilman J.C. Harris believes fellow
Council member Brenda McNair owes two people an apol
ogy. When she’s done with that, he says an apology is then
due to the residents of Sycamore.
For her part, Mrs. McNair
was noncommittal.
At a called meeting last
week, Mr. Harris called for
the apology. Mr. Harris is
known for being quiet and
saying little at Council meet
ings.
(See McNAIR Page 2)
Harris
PICTURE PERFECT
The full moon, a few clouds and a nighttime scene provided this amazing look at the
Turner County Courthouse recently. Photo Geraldine Phelps
Turner County EMS gets equipment grant
EMS Director Robby Royal & Paramedic Dennis Higgins with trauma equipment
purchased.
by Robby Royal
EMS Director
Turner County EMS was
selected to receive a trauma
equipment grant in the amount
of $4775.96 to provide our
EMS with trauma related
equipment.
This grant has been funded
by the Georgia Trauma Care
Network Commission and will
be administered by the Georgia
Association of EMS. This
grant can be used as reim
bursement for any trauma re
lated equipment used on
ambulances for 911 zoned am
bulance providers.
The total amount of this
money for Georgia was
$1,154,592 with Turner
County EMS receiving
$1193.99 for each of its four
ambulances. This grant was
awarded in equal amounts for
each of the 967 licensed ambu
lances used to provide emer
gency patient care as part of a
911 zone in Georgia.
EMS Director Robby Royal
said this money has allowed
him to purchase needed trauma
equipment that initially wasn’t
in the 2013-2014 EMS budget.
We have purchased two EZ
IO Drill Kits which provides
the medical professional im
mediate vascular(intraosseous)
access in critical adult and pe
diatric patients we are unable
gain venous IV access on, in
stead fluids and medications
are given directly into large
bones in the body.
This as well as other trauma
equipment/supplies purchased
will allow Turner County EMS
to give each patient the best
care possible while at the same
time saving tax dollars. Turner
County was awarded a similar
grant in 2012, but the amount
per ambulance was only $504.
Archery range
Turner County Recre
ation Dept, will open it's 3-
D Archery Range beginning
Feb. 1. The course will be
open from 9am-2pm each
1st and 3rd Saturdays at no
cost to the participants. For
more info contact Mike
Coker, 229-567-5223.
Obituaries
Mr. Walter O. Whitehead,
83, Ashburn
Joyce Kennedy, 78, Chula
Troy Nyles Brooks, 82,
Ashburn
Richard “Ricky” L. Tripp,
54, Arabi
Mr. Charles H. Lunsford,
Jr., 81, Sumner
Betty Ruth Baggett, 66,
Fitzgerald
Donna S. Rogers, 63,
Albany
Complete obituary
^information is on Page 5
Jordan: Economic figures accurate
DEFENSE!
The recent economic news
that Turner County has moved
up in the state rankings is prob
ably accurate, said School Su
perintendent Ray Jordan.
If Mr. Jordan seems an un
likely expert on Turner County
economics, consider his job for
a few minutes. As the superin
tendent of the school system,
he has to keep an eye on the tax
base, sales tax revenue and the
economic status of the children
enrolled the school system
here.
He has an
other indica
tor of
economics -
school en
rollment.
Last year
some 66 chil
dren left the Turner County
School system because their
families moved to another
county to find work.
He said that is a solid indi
cator that Turner County’s un
employment rate and the aver
age income as reported by state
officials is probably accurate.
As people leave the county
to find work, the unemploy
ment rate drops. Add to this
most of those leaving are not
high income residents.
As Mr. Jordan pointed out
when someone who has no in
come leaves, that does work to
raise the average income of
those who remain behind.
Jordan
HealthPlus expansion to begin in spring
Tift Regional is expected to
begin land clearing in the
spring for a new medical clinic
in Ashburn.
The hospital has a clinic in
Ashburn, but needs more
space. After Phoebe closed it’s
fairly new clinic in town, the
HealthPlus facility here saw an
enormous increase in patient
load. HealthPlus is the local
arm of Tift Regional.
The new property will be on
E. Washington at the site of the
old Matthew’s Furniture build
ing and what is called the Zorn
House. This is just a bit west of
the present clinic and on the
other side of the road.
City Manager Ben Taylor
briefed the City Council on the
project and attended a Rotary
Club program about the new
clinic.
He said the new center will
not have a triage clinic, but
will have expanded hours.
Rebel basketball fan Jason Cooper Jr, 18 months,
tells the Lady Rebels to keep their hands up in their re
cent home basketball game.
An apology? Bah! Disgusting! Cowardly! Beneath the dignity of any gentleman, however wrong he might be.
Steve Martin
