About The Eatonton messenger. (Eatonton, Ga.) 18??-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2025)
A6 | THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2025 The Eatonton Aessenger www.msgrnews.com Obituaries John James Milliken John James Milliken, age 87 of Greensboro, GA, passed away peace fully Friday April 25, 2025 surrounded by his loving family. John was born in Bellville GA in 1937 and was raised by his grandparents in Vidalia GA. He moved to Atlanta in his senior year where he graduated from Bass High School. He attended Georgia Tech and earned an Associ ate’s Degree. His career spanned over 30 years working his way up at Southern Bell, Bell Telephone Labo ratories in Murray Hill New Jersey, and then back to Atlanta with Bell South where he was the Director of Planning and Strategic Development. He designed and imple mented data communi cation systems and was involved in protocols in the early development of the internet. An achieve ment he was especially proud of was the design of data ground commu nications for NASA. He then moved to Connecticut and worked for General DataComm where he oversaw the sales and manufacturing of electronic equipment. Retiring at age 59, he moved back to Georgia to Lake Oconee. He promptly jumped into public service where at age 60 he became a volunteer fireman, a first responder, and an arson investigator. In Morgan County, he was on the Tax Assessors Board, was Chief Voter Registrar and on the Election Board. He was on the Hospital Authority Board for Morgan Memorial Hospital where he imple mented many changes that helped the hospital. John was a man of strong faith. He is survived by his wife JoAnne, daughters Susan Blackburn (Marlin) of Sugar Hill and Gail Davis (Kent) of Eatonton, grandchildren Alex Davis and Anna Davis. He was predeceased by his grandparents Susan Ella Lynn and John Lester Lynn of Vidalia, his parents Encell Lynn and Andrew Milliken, and his wife of over 50 years, Annette Thur mond Milliken. A celebration of life will be held at First Methodist Church Greensboro Lake Oconee on Carey Station Road on Saturday May 3, 2025 at 11 AM. The Eatonton Allessenger At the game, at the debate, at the concert, at the fair, at the festival, at the polls, because... LOCAL MATTERS Subscribe Advertise News 706-749-7217 706-707-4240 706-749-7232 Juneral Jfome DIRECTORY May those who have lost a loved one find strength in the love of family and in the warm embrace of friends. McCommons Funeral Home Callaway Funeral Home, and Georgia’s Lake Country Crematory "Over 100 Years and 5 Generations of Family Funeral and Cremation Service" FUNERAL HOMES - MONUMENTS - PREARRANGEMENTS - CREMATORY 706.453.2626 706.486.4138 109 W. Broad St . Greensboro, GA 30642 208 N. Rhodes St . Union Point, GA 30669 mccommonsfuneralhome.com • lakeoconeecrematory.com lcallawayfuneralhome.com] 1 Lake Oconee’s onsite Crematory 11 IERNARD'S AFUNERAL CARE (3 / "Service as good as its promise" (706)485-4494 Eatonton, GA www.bernardsfamilyfuneralcare.com Letters to the Editor Putnam pastors rally behind ‘Rino‘ Dear Editor, We the undersigned, as pastors in Putnam County and beyond, write in support of Commissioner Garrett’s Letter to the Editor (“Let the punishment fit the crime,” April 17). Law enforcement is vital to a safe and harmonious community, but enforcement that appears excessive or arbitrary undermines trust. Quirino Boles broke the law when he voted as a newly convicted felon. But hearing the testimony of his family and friends — and knowing “Rino” personally — we can only conclude that his actions that day were no more than a tragic mistake. Sheriff Sills has chosen to give Rino the maximum 90 days in jail. This means that a father will miss his son’s graduation from high school and his daughter’s gradua tion from college. We appeal for clemency: let this man return to his family and livelihood; let him make room for those who pose a genuine danger to Putnam County; let him do community service teaching other felons about their rights, including how to restore their right to vote. Why should a man accused of voting as an unquali fied elector appear in court in handcuffs and leg irons? SEE MORE LETTERS » PAGES A4-5 Why have almost no family and friends been able to visit Rino in jail? We appreciate the hard work and commitment shown day-in-day-out by local law enforcement. We support our sheriff, district attorney, and judges. But it is our duty as pastors and citizens to speak up when we see our fellow man locked away without justifiable cause. Good people of Putnam County: please join us in signing the family’s petition for Rino’s release and for the merciful settlement of this case. You can sign the online petition at chng.it/vnyJGfhsRL. “I was in prison and you came to visit me,” said Jesus. “But when did we visit you in prison?” asked the people. Jesus replied “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25: 36-40). Sincerely, Pastor Matthew Brown, Pastor Troy Daniel, Pastor Demetrius Griffin, Pastor Wayne Griffin, Pastor Johnny Harris, Pastor Dexter Jackson, Minister Sidney Jackson, Pastor Simone Jones, Pastor Frederick Lowe, Pastor Brian Macon, Pastor Corey Macon, Minister Leon Mitchell, and Rev. Avis Williams Songwriters Night benefits Atlas Ministry at The Barn w4 IAN TOCHER/Staff More than 700 music fans packed The Barn at Briarpatch Farms on Saturday night for the annual Songwriters Night, this year benefiting Atlas Ministry in Greene County. Approximately $100,000 was pledged onsite through raffles and donation requests to help fund the purchase of two new Atlas busses and pay for the attendance of kids to Atlas Camp this summer. Songwriters (l-r) Jeffrey Steele, Casey Beathard, and Chuck Cannon described and played hit songs they'd each written for major recording stars including Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney, Trace Adkins, and Toby Keith, among several others. "This is my third year coming here and I love it," Steele said after the show. "Sometimes the story's better than listening to the song because it's so crazy how the artists found the song. But the other part of it is these guys, we've been friends for over 30 years. We've all had some tragic losses in our lives, but to be up on this stage, the three of us, all these years later, that we've survived all this stuff and we're still making music, that's the best part." Multi-vehicle crash yields minor injuries Lynn Hobbs lynn@msgrnews.com Six vehicles were involved in a crash last week in front of Putnam County High School, and although the pile up appeared severe, there were no reported serious injuries, according to Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills. According to a report by Putnam County Deputy Sheriff Sgt. James Barbee, road construction was in progress on U.S. 441/State Route 24 at the time of the crash around 2:20 p.m. April 21. A 2021 Nissan Maxima, being driven by 17-year-old Tra’Lasia Cobb, of Eatonton, was stopped on War Eagle Drive, which is the exit road of the high school. As Cobb turned left onto the highway, she reportedly pulled out in front of a 2018 Peter- bilt tractor-trailer being driven by David Jenkins, 59, of Acworth. The northbound 18-wheeler struck the Maxima, causing it to spin around and face the opposite direction. The front axle brake of the 18-wheeler broke upon the impact, which caused the truck to go over the center line of the road and into traffic that was stopped there for the road construction. The truck hit five of the stopped vehicles, including a Freight liner M2, Volkswagon Tiguan, Vollk- swagon Atlas, and a Tesla. The Maxima and Peterbilt received disabling damage; the other vehicles received minor body damage. Five of the drivers were taken to various area hospitals to be checked or treated for suspected injuries and complaints, according to the report. Q Vining Ivy Hill Q 2 Chapel ! 706.485.4144 "We will be there for you like a member of the family” www.viningivyhill.com Funeral Homes 306 N. Jefferson Street, Eatonton, GA 31024 706-485-3303 1670 N. Jefferson St., Milledgeville, GA 31061 478-452-2148 a friend of the family |www.williamsfuneral.net| www.HURTSFUNERALHOME.com In Your Time of Need, Call us Save THOUSANDS on Funerals A New Way, Guaranteeing Better Service Eatonton, GA 706-485-3281 CHAT CONTINUED FROM >: A4 chat became public, The New York Times said the German news publication, Der Spiegel, found Mr. Hegseth’s phone number on the internet. The phone number used by Hegseth in the Signal chat was said to also be found in a number of places, including social media and a fantasy sports site. And probably in Russia, China, and Iran, too. Now, they don’t have to spend any money on spy satellites. They can just Google him. Give the guy credit for one thing. He has made “mili tary intelligence” a classic oxymoron. Speaking of morons, oxy or otherwise, after the first call with the Atlantic Magazine reporter on the line, I referred to that crowd as “a bunch of morons.” That got me a rebuke from a reader who requested I withdraw that statement. He said, “It’s an easy opinion to have, but it puts you in the same opinion category as (Sen. Chuck) Schumer, (Sen. Cory) Booker and (Rep. Jasmine) Crockett.” It also put me in the same opinion category as Elon Musk, who called Trump’s top trade adviser, Peter Navarro, a moron. Me and Elon Musk. I may not know what is happening with the Houthians, but I can namedrop with the best of them. If Secretary Hegseth sets up another group chat, I expect to be on it. My brother, too. And my personal attorney. (Although he will probably bill me.) And my kids. In fact, why don’t we all jump on the call? That way, at your next church social or cocktail party, you can tell folks you have inside information on when our fighter jets are scheduled to begin their next bombing runs on the Houthis in Yemen. If they don’t believe you, suggest they talk to Secretary of Defense Hegseth person ally. That shouldn’t be hard to do. They can find his number on the internet. You can reach Dick Yarbrough at dick© dickyarbrough.comor at P.O. Box 725373, Atlanta, Ga. 31139. 88.1 ATHENS 89.9 Lake Oconee RUSSELL W.WALL | ATTORNEY AT LAV 122 North Main St. Bte B. Greensboro,
