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■UNITED
WE STAND
LOD*FAMILY~COUNTRS
NEWSPAPER,
A Textbook for the Times!
Issue 18 Thursday, April 30, 2020
The Voice of Crawford County Since 1921
also serving Byron and Peach County 1 Section 6 Pages One Dollar
Crawford community cares
Volunteers of all ages
worked Tuesday helping
pack and give out food
in the parking lot at
Piggly Wiggly for those
that are in need due to
C0VID-19 through the
Middle Georgia Commu
nity Food Bank. Melessa
Hollis said she has been
overwhelmed in a good
way, by the show of sup-
port in our community.
Officer involved shooting
under GBI investigation
Crawford County Sheriffs Office requested that the Georgia
Bureau of Investigation to conduct an officer involved shoot
ing investigation which occurred Monday, April 27, 2020.
Reportedly around 6:18 p.m., Crawford County was dis
patched and responded to a domestic dispute at 2570
Richardson Mill Road, Crawford County. They reportedly
found Jamie Lamar Darley, 33, was reported as brandishing
a firearm and threatening an occupant at the residence.
Prior to deputies arrival, Darley had left the residence in
a while Chevrolet truck. Once deputies arrived and began
initial investigation, an occupant at the residence received
information Darley was on Blasingame Road in Crawford
County. Deputies drove to the area and spotted the truck
driven by Darley and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. A
high-speed chase ensued with reports of speeds over too
mph.
The pursuit ended in the yard of the residence of 2570
Richardson Mill Road and Darley exited the truck holding
a silver firearm in his hand. Reportedly, Darley pointed the
firearm at the deputies and fired at least one shot. One of the
deputies returned fire, striking Darley.
Deputies rendered aid to Darley until EMS arrived and he
was transported by ambulance to Navicent Health in Macon.
He was pronounced dead.
According to the GBI, an autopsy was to be performed
Tuesday, April 28th. No officers were injured during the
incident. The GBI will continue its independent investiga
tion of the shooting. Upon completion of their investigation,
it will be termed over to the Bibb Judicial Circuit District
Attorney’s Office for review.
According to some posts on social media, Darley was a UPS
driver.
Kruger seeking extension
Kruger Energy USA Renew
ables, LLC purchased land
off Causey Road for a solar
energy project in 2017.
Now Kruger is wanting to
lease the property to others
but maintain ownership of the
land.
The Development Author
ity of Crawford County held
a virtual meeting to discuss
this with members and Tim
Conboy of Kruger. Kruger
has requested an extension to
the Memorandum of Under
standing (MOE) which will
expire at the end of this year.
The Development Authority
supports this but it would
have to be approved by the
Crawford County Board of
Commissioners and other
involved parties such as Tax
Commissioner, etc.
Extending the MOU would
not change the revenue pro
jected for any of the parties.
This is expected to come be
fore the CC Board of Commis
sioners at their next meeting.
Much to be learned personally
and professionally from pandemic
Everyday life as we know
it has changed with the
COVID-19 which created a
lockdown across the country.
The Georgia Post wondered
what people had learned
from this.
Crawford County School
Superintendent Brent Lowe
said he is definitely learning
to be more aware of his sur
roundings and the amount
of contact, we as a society,
have throughout our daily
lives. “I am a thorough hand
washer since my kids were in
the NICU, but I have always
thought people carrying
around hand sanitizer were a
little bit over the top. I now
catch myself using wipes and
hand sanitizer after every trip
inside a store,” he said.
Society and with schools
having to be closed and new
ways to educate being put in
place, Lowe says the biggest
change he feels we will see
in society and the schools,
is the reduction of the need
to touch. “I have taught my
kids to walk up, look a person
in the eyes, and shake their
hand firmly. I expect to see
this practice go away. As far
as schools, I think this will
accelerate the push for virtual
learning and increase the
availability for children to
learn at home when need be,”
he said.
Lowe says that he has never
believed that any program or
digital tool can ever replace
a good teacher. However, he
says you will probably see
exceptional teachers start
really embracing the ability
to reach their kids virtually.
He expects to see a focus
on teachers having strong
classroom webpages and this
will become the norm, not
the exception. “I also truly
believe that this situation
has shown people how much
more school is than just a
place where facts are thrown
at children. There is so much
social, nutritional, mental
and academic nurturing that
happens every day that never
gets mentioned. My under
lying philosophy for getting
into education is the belief
that a community is only as
good as the school and the
school is only as good as the
community. Covid-t9has
shown that as schools across
GA and the US have stepped
up and found ways to reach
kids and families.”
Though Lowe says school
and education is the world
where he works and the ca
reer he chose, he still wants to
say thank you for all the peo
ple in other circles that have
stepped up and gone above
and beyond. “All the front
line workers in public health
and safety, doctors, nurses,
caregivers and the people
who would not rest until they
physically had to, I sincerely
say ‘thank you’.”
When asked if there was
anything, looking back, he
would have done differently,
Lowe stated that the biggest
issue for the school system,
was connectivity. He said the
county manager started look
ing into this several months
ago. “There are so many ways
to get internet right and so
many different “devices”
that it is hard to get a true
picture of who has what and
to what extent. I wish I had
been a little more aggres
sive in this pursuit, because
we MAY could have given
Chromebooks out earlier. The
problem with doing that is
that a Chromebook is useless
if there in not reliable inter
net. We have better plans in
place right now than we had
a month ago and I truly think
by mid-May we will be even
better equipped. Several
partnerships have surfaced to
address the lack of connectiv
ity in rural America, and we
hope to find inventive ways to
get service to everyone.”
Chamber Executive Director
Patti Temple says she has
learned through this “We
are a strong minded people,
realizing, most of us, are
being very resourceful people
managing our lives away
from each other.”
Temple says she has “sort
of’ learned how to do ZOOM.
She is trying to do her part
and provide a laugh or two
on the phone with people.
She still loves being around
people and yelling across the
street at someone.
Seriously though, she says
this pandemic has brought
forth a desire to hug someone
besides her pets and hus
band.
She hasn’t had too much
time on her hand because she
has been trying to maneuver
various ZOOM meetings to
glean advice and new solu
tions for lost businesses and
laid off employees. Crawford
County and Roberta, she said
are full of resilient people but
his has been harder on some
businesses than others.
Temple says though she is
always amazed how well chil
dren handle things usually
better than adults, she wishes
they would have been able to
have the usual activities like
proms, ball games, etc.
During this time Temple
has been able to clean the
comers in her office and get
organized again. Though
many businesses are strag
gling, there are a couple on
the horizon. She personally
hopes all will be able to make
some kind of turnaround in
the near future.
“Being in this position, a
chamber, its board members
and those in the office are
concerned with our business
es and their employees. It
is difficult without personal
contact, to assure some areas
of business are handled or
if they need help in a matter
using resources available to
chambers to share with busi
nesses,” she said. Because
of the lockdown she dislikes
seeing an owner and the
employee working to provide
a service we have been used
to for decades, no longer with
the welcoming light on. She
misses the smell of freshly
cooked foods filling the air
as you drive past the many
restaurants or in historic
Downtown Roberta as well as
the noise of a busy day on the
square.
The community has many
citizens who are on the front
lines and it’s not always easy
for them to adequately prior
itize assistance all the time.
They are appreciated.
Temple says a pandemic is
a world concern and there
could be another one next
year and we should learn
lessons along the way. She
doesn’t like that fact that
things become politicized
and thinks we shouldn’t be so
quick to judge others in how
they react.
Instead, she says we should
questions the possibilities by
working together on solu
tions. “Hopefully people will
realize their need for each
other and this world and all
its amazing places and or
scenes. It is my hope, all of
us will draw an in-depth plan
to love each other and not
take for granted the people
and places in this wonderful
world. And finally that we will
pray more and give thanks for
what we are given.”
Ask yourself, what have you
learned from all of this. If
you’d like to share it, send us
an email or post on our social
media pages.
Crawford cares for its own with whatever it takes
Roberta Evangelical
Church with help
from the Hamlins
and Cooleys pro
vided food for first
responders such as
the Crawford County
Sheriff’s Depart
ment. Sheriff Walker
pictured at far left
above. Photos at left
are from Tuesday’s
food distribution.
At right is Melessa
Hollis.
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