Newspaper Page Text
VOL. 132 NO. 28 42 PAGES 5 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 50« COPY
— Inside —
•Annual Christmas section
includes more than 500
children's photographs
Jefferson businesses hit by burglars
Seven reported
in last few weeks
BY ANGELA GARY
SEVEN JEFFERSON businesses have been hit
by burglars in the past month with hundreds of
dollars being stolen.
The first two burglaries were reported on
Dec. 4 when police officers responded to bur
glar alarm calls. The first alarm call came from
Hyman Brown Insurance Agency, located at 1195
Washington Street. The officer found that the door
had been pried open. An employee was called to
the business and found that $150 had been taken
from a desk drawer.
On the same night, an alarm call came from
Stitching On The Square, located at 1191
Washington Street. The door to the business was
also pried open and $600 was taken from the cash
drawer.
The next day, Dec. 5, the owners of Gooch
Electric, located at 991 Lee Street, discovered a
burglary at their business. Items were taken from
several work trucks that were parked under a shed
and from a storage trailer behind the building.
On Dec. 7, a police officer responded to an
alarm call at Peak Rehabilitation, located at 1600
Washington Street. The owner also went to the
scene and found that $120 had been taken from
a cash box.
On Dec. 8, the police department was called by
realtor Susan Woodman, who reported that some
one had broken into an old model home that has
been used as an office for Brookside. Items taken
were a comforter, two blankets. The officer found
that the burglar had entered the home by prying
open a side door.
On Dec. 12, an officer was called to Real Deals,
located at 21 Cobb Street, for a possible burglary
in progress. An unlocked door was found and
the video showed two people leaving the build
ing before the officer arrived. It was not reported
whether anything was taken or not.
On Dec. 17, a burglary was reported at Mama's
Treasure Hut. Nothing was reportedly taken. The
officer called to the scene found the glass had
been removed from a window. He also found pry
marks on the door.
In the past months, two residential burglaries
have also been reported in the Jefferson area.
Burglaries were reported at 272 Lawrenceville
Street, on Dec. 15, and at 92 Oak Lane on Dec. 14.
A cell phone and $180 were taken from one home,
and $152 was taken from the second home.
Op/Ed:
•'One Solitary Life'
page 4A
Sports:
•Jackson County squads
earn season sweep of East
Jackson page 1B
Features:
•Christmas memories:
Looking back at the 1930s
page 1C
Other News:
•School News
pages 9-12B
•Public Safety
pages 8-10A
•Legals
pages 7-13C
•Church News
pages 11-12A
•Obituaries
page 8B
‘Hoax bomb’
was just a
school project
!Suspicious package ’
at JCCHS examined
BY ANGELA GARY
A BOMB SQUAD was called
to Jackson County Comprehensive
High School for the second time
this school year after a “suspicious
package” was found at the school
Monday evening.
The Georgia Bureau of Inves
tigation bomb disposal unit was
called. But the device was not a
bomb, just a misplaced school sci
ence project.
Jefferson police chief Joe
Wirthman said the “suspicious pack
age” was found in the gym Monday
night. A Jefferson police officer went
to the scene and evacuated the school
after seeing the package.
“The sergeant on shift looked
and it appeared to be an explosive
continued on page 6A
Help for the holidays
HOLIDAY MEAL OFFERED TO MORE THAN 800 FAMILIES
Over 800 families in Jackson County received food for a holiday meal from Rising Families, a ministry
of Cave Springs Baptist Church, Monday. The food came from donations from several local compa
nies, including Havertys, which held a food drive for the event. A Jackson EMC round-up grant also
contributed to the effort. Eighty two volunteers from the church and community helped sort and load
the food into the vehicles of families who began waiting in lines at 9 a.m. Larry Grizzle is pictured
with a ham and bag of potatoes ready to load in the back of a needy family’s vehicle.
Photo by April Reese Sorrow
Verbal smoke and fire traded at BOC meeting
Bell, Thompson clash on fire training center funding decision
BY ANGELA GARY
A DISCUSSION on the county’s
planned fire training center got hot
Monday night when Jackson County
Board of Commissioners chairman Pat
Bell and commissioner Jody Thompson
argued over whether the matter should
be discussed further.
Thompson has questioned the cost of
the facility and whether voters should
be allowed to make a decision on fund
ing the project.
Bell has contended that voters
approved the project in an earlier special
BELL THOMPSON
purpose local option sales tax vote.
“Once the decision is made, it is
made,” Bell said.
Thompson quickly responded:
“I don’t believe the motion is dead
because you say it is dead.”
Bell said, “It is dead.”
Thompson was upset with her for
interrupting his comments.
“I still have the floor,” he said.
Bell told him: “Not if I don’t say
so.”
Thompson told her to “check the
parliamentary procedure.”
Thompson asked for the matter to
be on the agenda at the BOC meeting
Monday night. He pointed out that
$1 million for a bum building was
approved in 1997, but that the project is
now estimated to cost $6 million.
Commissioner Tom Crow said
plans for a $4.8 million building were
approved by the BOC in 2004. He
added that costs of materials for the
building have increased since that
time.
Money for a bum building was first
approved as part of the SPLOST 3 in
2000. That tax brought in $485,000.
In the SPLOST 4 vote, approximately
$1 million was set aside for the bum
building.
Nicholson man has suited up for more than 40 years
“Oh! You better watch out, You better not cry,
You better not pout, I’m telling you why:
Santa Claus is coming to town! ”
The makings
of Santa Claus
-Ly,
Ed Tolbert, Nicholson, has
played Santa since 1964.
Photo by April Reese Sorrow
BY JANA A. MITCHAM
IT'S BEEN A long sleigh tide for Ed Tolbert of
Nicholson, a.k.a. Santa Claus of the North Pole.
For more than 40 years, he has suited up in the red
and white, spreading a little cheer in the month of
December.
This year’s schedule of 15 to 20 holiday visits is
typical of years past, with Santa making an appear
ance at churches, schools and community events.
He's rounding out this season with stops at West
Jackson Primary School, East Jackson Elementary,
North Jackson Elementary and an East Jackson Middle
School party.
‘Two schools a day will just about ‘whup' you,”
Tolbert said. “Oh, Lord, I'd hate to guess how many
kids I’ve seen.”
He'll visit Antioch United Methodist Church
Saturday night and then make a final stop at Beaverdam
Baptist Church Sunday before parking his sleigh at
home to get ready for Christmas Day.
Tolbert, accompanied by a “Mrs. Claus” or
“Rudolph,” has traveled in the past as far as Washington,
Ga., for a teachers’ party, and his route now will stretch
up to Franklin County.
His reputation precedes him, as word of mouth is
mostly responsible for his popularity as Santa Claus.
“They know I’m about half crazy,” Tolbert said.
“And I just want to have fun with the kids.”
“Ho! Ho! Ho!” he booms. “Merry Christmas!”
A TEENAGE SANTA
Antioch UMC, Beaverdam Baptist and Erastus
Christian Church are among some of Tolbert’s longest-
standing Santa engagements. In fact, he got his start as
jolly old St. Nicholas at Antioch UMC as a teenager
in 1964.
“Antioch Methodist Church needed a Santa Claus,”
he said. “I was a senior in high school and I said I
would do it. I've done it about every year since then.”
Except for 1966 and 1967, when Tolbert was serving
in the military, he has made the Santa rounds.
continued on page 6A
$45.9 million
in road bonds
set by BOC
“These projects
are paying for
themselves and
they are good
for Jackson
County.”
—Scott Martin,
IDA chairman,
in support of projects
BY ANGELA GARY
JACKSON COUNTY leaders
approved $45.9 million in road bonds
Monday night in an effort to boost the
county’s long-term economic outlook.
The Jackson County Board of
Commissioners unanimously approved
the bonds for
nine economic
development
road projects.
County leaders
point out that
the cost of the
projects could
be less than
$45.9 million,
depending on
donated right of
way, developer
participation and
DOT funds.
Scott Martin, chairman of the county
industrial development authority, and Dr.
Shannon Adams, county school super
intendent, were at the meeting to offer
support for the projects.
The IDA recently held a day-long
retreat with the BOC to discuss possible
projects to be funded.
“We have worked on this for quite
some time,” Martin said. “Our goal has
been to be on a fact-finding mission.”
Martin pointed out that the 2004 road
bond package for development had been
bringing money back into the county.
“These projects are bringing back
more money than it costs to build them,”
he said. “These projects are paying
for themselves and they are good for
Jackson County.”
BOC chairman Pat Bell said she sup
ports the projects, but added that the
county should be “very, very careful” as
it moves forward.
“I am concerned about long-term debt
as it is money we may need for water,”
she said.
TIER 1 PROJECTS
The projects have been divided into
two “tiers.” The “tier 1” projects are:
•Transportation/rail corridor study and
water and sewer planning, $500,000.
•John B. Brooks Road, $3.8 million.
•1-85 interchange study, $250,000.
•State Route 53 engineering,
$300,000.
•Hospital Road Connection to 441,
$600,000.
TIER 2 PROJECTS
‘Tier 2” projects are:
•Commerce Retail Blvd., $10 million.
•Zion Church Road construction,
$22.9 million.
•Bana Road, $5.4 million.
•Oversight (of tier 1 and tier 2), $1.4
million.
The total price of tier 1 and tier 2 does
not total $45.9, the amount of the bonds.
County leaders point out that the addi
tional money will be for the underwriter
fees, bond counsel fees and interest for
two years.
Holiday deadlines
THE DEADLINES for The Jackson
Herald have been moved up due to the
Christmas holiday. The news and ad
deadline for next week’s issue will be at
noon on Friday.
The news office in Jefferson will be
closed Tuesday, Dec. 25. The office will
open at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 26.