Newspaper Page Text
Page 4 - The Wiregrass Farmer, December 21,2016
Editorial & Opinion
The WIREGRASS FARMER - Established 1902
Official Legal Organ of Turner County
109 Gordon Street • P.O. Box 309 • Ashburn, GA 31714
Telephone 229-567-3655
email wiregrassfarmer@yahoo.com
THE WIREGRASS FARMER (USPS 687-460) is published
every Wednesday by Ashburn Newspapers, Inc., 109 N. Gordon
St, Ashburn, Georgia. Periodicals Postage Paid at Ashburn, Geor
gia.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Wiregrass
Farmer, 109 N. Gordon St., Ashburn, GA 31714
STAFF
Bob Tribble, President • Ben Baker, General Manager
Lena Blusk, Sales Director • Robin Tillman, Office Manager
OUR GOAL
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County by Cook Publishing Co. Inc. Our goal is to produce quality,
profitable, community-oriented newspapers that you, our readers, are
proud of. We will reach that goal through hard work, teamwork, loy
alty and a strong dedication toward printing the truth.
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LEGAL NOTICES is Monday NOON before Wednesday’s publication.
Holiday deadlines will be announced at least one week in advance.
Jesus is the reason for the season
r
Still waiting
Some time back the County Commission handed
over past-due garbage bills collection, in part, to
Government Tax Solutions (GTS).
GTS is the same company that runs the County’s
annual property tax sale. GTS has plenty of experi
ence in collecting past due taxes.
The Turner County garbage bill is a tax, not a util
ity fee. It is a tax placed on every property in Turner
County with an occupied residence. No home, no
tax.
The garbage bill has also created considerable
controversy. The entire idea is offensive to some
while other see it as a reasonable way to handle
garbage. A move some time back to write off uncol
lectible accounts drew plenty of heat from residents.
The fact that the garbage program has always run at
a deficit has annoyed many more. The deficit is cov
ered by the taxes collected on insurance premiums
in the unincorporated county.
So, handing collections over to GTS does make
sense.
However.
We have yet to learn how GTS plans to collect
the past-due garbage bills.
The newspaper has repeatedly called GTS to
speak to the people in charge. Messages were left
with people who said the newspaper needed to talk
to the company’s directors. No calls were returned.
The newspaper has also requested County Com
missioners, Courthouse Annex staff and the County
Manager to tell GTS officials to speak with the
newspaper about collection efforts.
Nothing.
This is a serious matter. The garbage contract the
County has is well past the joke stage. It’s a night
mare. Collection efforts in the past have made some
sizeable dents in the problem.
But taxpayers deserve to know how GTS will col
lect these past due taxes. If GTS is not forthcoming,
we can only hope the County can get out of that con
tract.
Sometimes we get so
caught up in the hustle and
bustle of the Christmas Season
that we fail to celebrate its real
purpose. Two ladies were
shopping for Christmas gifts
and one of them commented
about a manger scene, “Look
at that religion is trying to take
over Christmas.” We all know
that the birth of Jesus is the
reason for the season.
Luke’s gospel shares facts
about the birth of Jesus. Joseph
and Mary traveled from
Nazareth to Bethlehem. Mary
was pregnant and about to give
birth to Jesus, who would be
her first child and that Jesus
was born in Bethlehem. He
goes on to mention that there
was no vacancy at the Inn and
that Jesus was born in a stable.
If the innkeeper was insen
sitive perhaps he turned Joseph
and Mary away without caring
that she was about to give
birth. If the innkeeper really
cared he could have asked one
of his guest to give up their
room by explaining Mary’s
circumstances and needs or he
could have given Mary and
Joseph his own living quarters.
There was no evidence that
the innkeeper did not care.
Luke seems to leave it up to us
to decide. History does suggest
that inns of that day were sim
ple and rustic. Many stables
back then were similar to the
inns. They were reasonably
clean, usually quieter and more
private than the inn. Guest usu
ally brought their own food
and the innkeeper would pro
vide a place to heat the food as
From Where
I Sit
well as a place for the guest to
sleep.
The innkeeper would also
provide a place for the animals
to stay and food for them.
Therefore, in Mary and
Joseph’s case the innkeeper
may have been caring by pro
viding them with the most pri
vate accommodations that he
had available.
Chuck Swindoll, a popular
and respected Bible teacher
and preacher, tells a story re
garding the presentation of a
Christmas pageant. Wally was
a socially promoted fourth
grade student who desired to
be Joseph but had been chosen
to be the innkeeper because he
was larger than the other boys
in the fourth grade. During
practice Wally did as he was
told by responding to Joseph’s
request for a room with a gruff
voice saying “I have no more
rooms!”
However, during the
pageant’s first presentation
after Wally said gruffly “I have
no more rooms” he watched
Mary and Joseph as they
walked away. Suddenly, over
come with emotion and teary
eyed, Wally cried out “Come
back Joseph and Mary you can
have my room!” For a moment
the Director and the audience
thought Wally’s emotional out
burst would negatively affect
the pageant but instead it
added new depth.
Christmas is usually a
busy time for most of us and
unfortunately even we Chris
tians can get so busy that we
do not observe Christmas for
the right reason. Let us all
make room for Jesus in our life
this Christmas Season. More
importantly if you have not al
ready done so make room for
Jesus permanently in your life
as I did 71 years ago at age ten.
In closing let me share with
you this Christmas poem writ
ten by Helen Sleiner Rice that
is title “Gift of Love.”
Christmas is a gift of love
that cannot be bought or sold.
It is ours for the asking and is
worth more than gold.
And this priceless gift of
Christmas is within the reach
of all. The rich, the poor, the
young and old, the greatest and
the small.
So take God’s Christmas
gift of love, reach out and you
will receive, and the only pay
ment that God asks is just that
you believe.
May you all have a won
derful and Blessed Christmas
Season and enjoy the time you
will have to spend with your
family always remembering
that “Jesus is the reason for the
Season.”
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Stepping Back In Time
with David Baldwin
1906- Mr. T.K. Heinsohn, a
prominent citizen of Sylvester,
cut his throat with a razor, fi
nancial troubles thought to me
the factor of the suicide. Mrs.
Heinsohn had retrieved some
water at his request. She
thought he was sleeping when
she returned but was awakened
later by a gurgling sound and
found her husband lying across
the bed with his throat out. He
was postmaster in Sylvester,
ran a general supply store, and
bought cotton. It is thought that
poor collections caused him to
perform the deed. A large
$2,500 building is being built
in Rebecca by Messrs. A.N.
Payne and J.F. Maddox. Mr.
E.H. Lewis is putting up a neat
frame building next door for a
post office. The inaugural voy
age of the steamship
"Brunswick" will leave
Brunswick, Georgia for Ha
vana, Cuba on January 8,1907.
First Cabin is $25, second
cabin, $12, round trip, first
cabin, $40. Gabe Davis-likely
Ashburn first black business
man- is selling fire wood. 50
cent for a horse wagon load of
stove wood; 65 cents for a
horse wagon load of house
wood. Mr. John Taylor will de
liver wood. Dr. Richard Luke
is busy this week arranging his
office in the Davis building.
Dr. Thrasher is in the Davis
building. Pigeon and rice was
on the menu card of Hotel Ash
ley, Rebecca, Georgia, and last
Friday. Mr. A.A. Johnson has a
very unique pet in the shape of
an alligator about eight inches
in length having been caught
near here. Miss Clyde Shingler
returned from Virginia College
at Roanoke, Va. for the holi
days.
1916-A new law requires
schools opening in January to
run for four continuous months
and that children eight through
14 are required to attend
school, both white and colored.
Parents who fail to comply will
be prosecuted. Miss Ruth
Bussey and Mr. C.E. Coker
were married at the home of
Rev. J.E. Spillers. The office of
Treasurer of Turner County has
been abolished by a majority
vote of two votes. The Ashburn
Plumbing Co. is installing
electric lights and water works
in country homes, most re
cently the home of G.B. Gor-
day. Bank Assets, Citizens
Bank of Ashburn, $233,480;
Bank of Rebecca, $104,448;
Planters Bank of Sycamore,
$178,249, Turner County
Bank, $260,371; Ashburn
Bank, $261,134.
1946- Mr. T.E. Kennedy, Jr.
was elected mayor and Mr.
H.H. Smith and Mr. Kent
Robinson were the successful
candidates for the two places
on the city council. Mr.
Kennedy received 249 votes
over Byron Elliott with 143
votes and AV Akin with 80
votes. Mr. H.H. Smith got 303
votes. Kent Robinson, 224
votes, Mr. H.L. McCard 216
votes, and Mr. W.P Tyson 190
votes. The Methodist church
will launch a building cam
paign to redecorate the present
church sanctuary and to con
struct a new educational build
ing for the children.
Of the 187,520 acres of land
T.E. Kennedy
in Turner County, 93,010
acres, or 50%, is in forest land,
according to Olin Withering-
ton, the State Forester. Accord
ing to State Auditor B.E.
Thrasher, Jr., there are only
eight Confederate veterans left
on the pension roll in the state.
There are 947 widows of Con
federate veterans living in their
own homes and five live at the
Soldiers Home in Atlanta. The
Veterans receive $75 per
month, the widows receive $50
per month. Smith-Holloway
Mr. and Mrs. H.H. Smith an
nounce the approaching mar
riage of their daughter, Nellie,
to John Arthur Hollaway of At
lanta. The wedding will occur
Sunday at 12 o'clock at the
Ashburn Baptist church.
1956- Tifton Attorney Bob
Reinhardt was named to a four
year term the Tift County
Board of Education. George A.
Owen, 77, and originally from
Cherokee County, has died. He
served on the Turner County
Board of Education for 42
years. He came here 51 years
ago. He was a member of
Bethel Baptist Church. Miss
Joyce Hendricks of Ashburn
married Mr. Wayne Kennedy
of Albany on December 13,
1956. Joyce is a 1954 graduate
of Ashburn High School and
later attended Albany Voca
tional School. Mr. Kennedy
graduated from Albany High
School and is now employed
with the Western Electric
Company. They will make
their home at 910 and 1/2
North Madison Street, Albany.
Baker’s Dozen
Merry
Christmas
A few years ago, a local
church contacted me. The
ladies of the church wanted to
do something for the inmates
in the state prison nearby.
They contacted me because
I'm one of the volunteer
preachers at the prison. Their
idea was to bake homemade
goodies and put them in a bag.
One bag per "detainee" as they
are called. The ladies needed a
head count and permission
from the folks in charge.
We got both, 198 gentlemen
and make sure the goodies
were in clear bags.
Now understand the state
prison system has Christians,
Muslims, atheists, Jehovah
Witnesses, Buddhists, Wiccans
and plenty of other religions. A
lot of these religions do not
celebrate Christmas and do not
want anything to do with it.
The evening of Christmas
Day I showed up at prison with
boxes of homemade stuff,
brownies and cookies mostly.
The shift sergeant helped me
bring stuff in after making sure
everything was OK.
Every detainee was allowed
to leave the dorms to get a bag
of Christmas cheer. Every de
tainee did so. Each one walked
past, shook my hand and got a
heartfelt "Merry Christmas!"
and some home baked good
ness.
Not a single one com
plained. Not a single one re
jected the small gift.
Merry Christmas!
On the last day of school
before the Christmas break, I
went to one of the stores in
town and bought just about
every candy-filled hollow cane
in the store.
That afternoon on the bus, I
threw the bags of candy across
the dash. As the kids filed onto
the bus, their eyes got wide.
One of the young ladies actu
ally hugged me before she
went to her seat.
One of the Kindergarten
chitlins stopped to talk. He
asked if the candy was for
them.
"Yes. You can have one
when you get off the bus."
He grabbed two.
"You can have one. When
you get off the bus."
He put one back.
"When you get off the bus."
He starts to walk back to his
seat.
"WHEN you get OFF the
bus," I said for the fourth time.
He put it back.
These children are raised
Christian, Muslim, probably a
few atheists and some Jehovah
Witnesses in the mix as well.
As each young'un got off
the bus, each one got a cane of
candy and a Merry Christmas!
About half said it back. Only
one child turned down the
cane, but a sibling took one.
Merry Christmas!
• ••
Before signing any contract,
forming any group, associa
tion, body or organization,
agreeing to any commitment,
the first and most important
question to ask is:
How do we get rid of it?
If you can't come up with a
reasonable answer, don't do it.
• ••
If you didn’t go to the Town
of Rebecca on Saturday
evening, you missed a wonder
ful time. Good food, good
friends and a great time.
Thanks Rebecca!