Newspaper Page Text
VOL. 132 NO. 25 44 PAGES 5 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 50« COPY
— Inside —
Area news:
•JCCI warden sworn in
page 2A
Op/Ed:
•'Grand jury should unravel
Glenn mess' page 4A
Sports:
•Panther Invitational wres
tling tournament ahead this
weekend at JCCHS
page IB
Features:
•Local singer/songwrit
er forms muscial charity,
Healing Power of Music
page 1C
Other News:
•School News
pages 7-12B
•Public Safety
pages 7-9A
•Legals
pages 8-15 C
•Church News
pages 10-11A
•Obituaries
page 12 A
Judge tosses suit against Glenn
Grand jury to hear from former chief next week
A FEDERAL court judge has ruled in favor of former Jefferson
Police Chief Darren Glenn in a civil action filed against the former
chief in 2006. Federal Court Judge William O'Kelley granted Glenn's
motion for summary judgment last week in a 2006 suit filed by JPD
officer Lee New against Glenn over a 2005 demotion. The handling
of that demotion and New's threat of a lawsuit led to Glenn's firing by
Jefferson officials in June 2006.
Meanwhile, Glenn is scheduled to appear before the Jackson
County grand jury next Tuesday as prosecutors try for a third time to
indict the former chief over having ran car tag information. Glenn's
grand jury appearance will be the first time Glenn's side of the case
is aired as prosecutors have previously declined to interview Glenn
and attempted to block his appearing before
the grand jury.
Last month, Jackson County Superior Court
judge Bob Adamson dismissed 30 indict
ments handed down against Glenn because
prosecutors from the Georgia Prosecuting
Council in Atlanta did not let Glenn make
a statement to the grand jury in September.
Under Georgia law, law enforcement officers
have the right to make a statement to the
grand jury if they are facing indictment on
charges related to their position.
December's hearing will be the third time state prosecutors have
attempted to indict Glenn. In December 2006, prosecutors attempted
to present similar indictments against Glenn and four other former
JPD officers, but those indictments had to be withdrawn after Glenn’s
attorney, former Georgia Attorney General Michael Bowers, pointed
out that they cited a bogus state law code.
CIVIL SUIT TOSSED
Last week’s ruling to grant a summary judgment in officer Lee
New’s lawsuit against Glenn was a major legal victory for the former
chief after 18 months of a complex legal wrangling.
continued on page 3A
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas....
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS GO UP
The Whitfield home in the South Jackson area has more than 100,000 lights for the Christmas season. Located at 83 Sarah Street, off of
Hwy. 129, the Whitfields began putting up the lights on Nov. 1. It took three to four hours of work each day to get the display ready for
the lights to go on the day after Thanksgiving. Photo by April Reese Sorrow
Rain helps;
more needed
RAIN OVER the last week has given
some hope that the historic drought
affecting the state may be relenting.
But weather experts warn that it will
take a lot more rain to refill area water
reservoirs.
Showers in the Northeast Georgia
area have raised the flow level of the
Middle Oconee River near Arcade. The
river hit a historic low on Sept. 4 at .7 ft.
stage. On Tuesday of this week, that has
risen to 2.08 ft. stage.
The Middle Oconee River is a key
source of water in Northeast Georgia
since water is pumped from it into Bear
Creek Reservoir. It is from that reservoir
that Jackson County gets much of its
water.
Reports indicate that the reservoir
water level has risen in recent weeks
from its October low of 14 ft. below full
to about 10 ft. below full.
In Jefferson, the city reservoir went
up some after the recent rain, but is still
2.5 ft. low.
“It came up some,” Jefferson public
utilities director Jeff Killip said Tuesday.
“We’re still a long way from being out
of the woods. Any rain will help some.
It stops us from having to buy so much
from the county.”
Officials are still concerned about
next summer and fall if the drought lin
gers through the coming winter months.
If the area starts the summer with reser
voirs below normal, the situation could
become much worse next year.
QCPC denies
rezoning for
industrial site
Jefferson to hear
request Dec. 3
BY ANGELA GARY
THE QUAD Cities Planning
Commission recommended denial last
week of a request that would allow an
industrial development in Jefferson.
The QCPC unanimously denied
a request from Gwinnett Industries
Inc. to rezone 71.98 acres and 86.44
acres located at 90 W.G. Legg Road
and Raford Wilson Road from A-2
(Jackson County) to LI (City) for the
purpose of a light industrial park.
The Jefferson City Council will con
sider the request when it meets at 6
p.m. on Monday, Dec. 3.
At last week’s QCPC meeting, sev
eral people spoke against the recom
mended change.
Jim Morgansteen said more infor
mation should be given on the project
before approval is given.
“It seems a little cart before the
horse... if the project is approved
before the specifics are there,” he said.
Sandy Beem, an adjacent property
owner, pointed out that Curry Creek,
continued on page 3A
Jefferson plans weekend of holiday events
THE ANNUAL Jefferson Christmas
parade will be held at 5 p.m. on
Saturday.
The theme will be “A Hometown
Christmas.” Grand marshals will be area
Korean War and Vietnam War veter
ans, including Don Anderson, Donald
Scheck, Joe Ogletree, Walter Petering.
T.O. Hall, Willie Hughey, Fred Wilson,
Bosie Griffith, Darrell Crowe, Henley
Wilkes and Mac Cates.
Others to be in the parade include
the Galilee Christian Church Hand Bell
Choir, a float from Jefferson United
Methodist Church, the Jefferson and
Jackson County high school’s ROTC
color guard, area Girl Scout and Boy
Scout troops, city and county govern
ment officials and the Jefferson High
School marching band. Santa will be
riding through town in an antique fire
truck.
The parade is sponsored by the City
of Jefferson, Better Hometown Jefferson
and the Jefferson Area Business
Association.
DECORATING DOWNTOWN
Robert Archer mounts illuminated angels to power poles in down
town Jefferson Wednesday, readying the city for the Christmas hol
iday and weekend festivities. Photo by April Reese Sorrow
OTHER FESTIVITIES
The official lighting of the town’s
Christmas tree will be held at 7 p.m.
Saturday in the pocket park in down
town. Mayor Jim Joiner and Santa Claus
will be “flipping the switch. The Galilee
Hand Bell Choir will be performing
before the lighting.
The weekend holiday festivities will
conclude with the Christmas Tour of
Homes on Sunday, Dec. 2, in Jefferson.
Tours begin at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the
Jefferson Civic Center.
The tour will feature the homes of
Hidden Lakes and the Evans-Legg
home.
Tickets are $15 before the day of
the tour and $20 on the day of the
tour. Tickets are available at Jefferson
City Hall, Downtown Interiors, Coffee
Philter and the Jefferson Civic Center.
Maps and brochures will be available
the day of the tour. Carpooling is recom
mended. Refreshments will be served.
For more information, call
706-367-5714.
Last call for kids’ Christmas photos
THE DEADLINE for accepting photos for MainStreet
Newspapers' annual children’s Christmas section has been
extended to Friday, Nov. 30, at 5 p.m. No photos will be
accepted or published after that time.
The special section will be in the news stands of The
Jackson Herald, The Commerce News and The Banks
County News on Wednesday, Dec. 19.
continued on page 3A
Hoard to autograph reissued book
RICHARD “DICKIE” Hoard will
be a the Jefferson Public Library at 7
p.m. Thursday, Nov. 29, to sign copies
of his reissued book, “Alone Among the
Living.” He will also be at Our Town
Antiques in Commerce on Saturday,
Dec. 1, from noon until 3 p.m. to auto
graph copies of the book.
The book chronicles the events sur
rounding the murder of Hoard’s father,
Floyd “Fuzzy” Hoard in 1967. F. Hoard
was solicitor of the Piedmont Judicial
Circuit and was killed on the orders of a
local criminal kingpin.
The book was reissued this year for
the 40 th anniversary of the murder.