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Blood Drive!
Thursday
2-7 at Civic Center
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Wednesday, January 20,2016
ASHBURN,GA, 31714
VOL 109 - No. 3 • 500
www.thewiregrassfarmer.com
f.Around Town^
Subscribe to
The Wiregrass
Farmer
Delivered in your
mail every week
Call 567-3655 for
information.
Chamber
banquet
Tickets for the annual
Chamber of Commerce
banquet in January are on
sale now at the Chamber of
fice. Tickets are $30. Call
567-9696 for more infor
mation.
Ribbon cutting
Ribbon Cutting tomor
row Jan. 21st at 10am for
Subway (Washington Ave.
location) and Friday Jan.
22nd at 11am for C & C
Bait and Tackle (Sycamore
at Denham’s).
Blood drive
Blood Drive tomorrow,
Jan. 21st from 2-7pm at the
Civic Center.
Democrat
registration
Registration for county
offices under the Demo
cratic Party will take place
at Ashburn City Hall. San
dra Lumpkin will register
candidates.
Literacy night
Turner County Elemen
tary School Family Literacy
Night. Parents and Teachers
Working Together to Help
Children Enjoy Reading
Jan. 26, from 4:30-6 p.m.
Enjoy: Story Time, Teacher
Led activities, Reading
books with your child. 2nd-
5th graders may take AR
test. Take home activities to
help your child with Read
ing. Blue tickets will be
given to students who at
tend with their parents.
Music classes
Music classes for guitar,
bass, drums and piano are
being held each Saturday at
6 p.m. at Christ Foundation
Assembly of God church in
Roger's plaza. Donations
are requested to help cover
expenses.
Obituaries
Vivian Taylor Lane, 96,
Rebecca
C. Allen Adair, 55, New
Smyrna Beach, FL.
Esma Grace Smith
Clements, 91, Tifton
Complete obituary
information Page 5
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chief
fired
MAKING A MESS
Promotion, retirement and policy change in Sycamore
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Mrs. V.M. Brown’s gifted class made gloop using cornstarch and water. It was very messy and they loved it!
Here Gracie Gunn (I) and Sophie McCard show off the mess. Below Jack Owens and Joey Williford.
BOE looking at
Direct Deposit
At 275 people, the Board of Education
is the largest single employer in Turner
County.
The school system also does written
checks for employees. Even employees
who have Direct Deposit get a paper check
stub every month. The County Commis
sion recently went to Direct Deposit and
by all accounts, it is working very well.
School Superintendent Jeff McDaniel
wants to do away with all that paper.
“25 percent of our personnel still get
paper checks,” he said.
He proposed the School Board look at
(See DEPOSIT Page 2)
Shawn Dupree was pro
moted last week to take over
the City of Sycamore’s public
works department.
The Sycamore Council
voted unanimously for the pro
motion and a raise for Mr.
Dupree.
“Shawn, now you are the
most responsible person. No
matter what goes wrong, you
are responsible,” said Council
man Fred Eister.
NIPPER RETIRES
The announcement also
came with the retirement of
Jerry Nipper who worked for
Sycamore for 33 years. Mr.
Nipper is coming back to work
part-time in exchange for City-
supplied health insurance.
The Council saluted Mr.
Nipper for his years of work
with a series of gag gifts and
serious items: a plaque, a deer
rifle with a scope and box of
ammunition.
“Give him a hunting rifle
after hunting season is over,”
said Councilman Jim Galt-
Brown.
Mr. Nipper’s family, outside
the Council chambers for most
of the meeting, came in for the
(See NIPPER Page 2)
Jerry Nipper, longtime public works department head, was given a deer rifle on the
occasion of his retirement from the City of Sycamore. Also pictured Betty Nipper,
Sandy Dean and Councilman Odie McNair.
Fri
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l|j Liberty
Tax
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251 Q. Munrue Aw - Aslitiurn, GA 317H
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The Sycamore City Council
effectively fired the chief of
police at the Thursday night
Council meeting.
Councilman
Fred Eister read
the list of City
employees to be
rehired, name
by name, and
left off Chief
Lee Ann
Daabes. Motion
Eister/J.C. Har
ris. When the
vote came, it
was 4-1. Voting
yes, Harris, Eis
ter, Keith
Reynolds and
Odie McNair.
Voting no Jim
Galt-Brown.
Sycamore holds this em
ployee-hiring vote at the first
Council meeting of every year.
Before the
vote Galt-
Brown said the
firing, a pend
ing resignation
and one officer
out on medical
leave meant the
Sycamore Po- Galt-Brown
lice Department
was at 25 percent strength.
Mayor Wayne Woodruff
said ads to hire more officers
and a chief would begin imme
diately. In the meantime, the
Council needed to appoint an
interim police chief.
He recom
mended officer
Michael Cling
\ f as the interim.
\ The Council
L agreed, motion
Eister/Galt-
Brown unani
Cling mous.
“I’m good
with it. I can handle it,” Officer
Cling said. He was sworn into
office after the meeting by the
mayor.
A separate motion was
made to re-appoint the City at
torney and the Municipal
Court judge. Unanimous.
Yet another motion gave
Officer Cling a raise.
The interim chief was in
structed to do an inventory in
the police department.
OFFICERS NEEDED
Mr. Galt-Brown asked if
Mr. Eister meant to include one
of the police officers in his mo
tion to rehire employees. The
officer turned in a two-week
notice just before the meeting.
Mayor Wayne Woodruff
said the officer is taking some
time off, but does want to
come back. It was also pointed
out the officer does have two
weeks to work, so the Council
did need to hire him.
(See SPD Page 2)
Eister
Daabes
Serving Turner County Since 1902
I really think that it's better to retire, in Uncle Earl's terms, when you still have some snap left in your garters. Russell B. Long
