Newspaper Page Text
— www.JacksonHeraldTODAY.com —
VOL. 133 NO. 12 42 PAGES 4 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 50<f COPY
— Inside —
Area News:
•Fall back: Set your
clocks back an hour this
weekend ... page 12A
•Judge Bob Adamson
retiring page 2A
Op/Ed:
•'McCain deserves
support' page 4A
Sports:
•Dragons to host
Titans at region show
down Fri page 1B
Features:
•Commerce man col
lects horror posters
page 1C
Other News:
•School News
pages 6&8B
•Public Safety
pages 6-8A
•Legals
pages 9-22 C
•Church News
page 11A
•Obituaries
page 9A
Election coming up Tuesday
6,500 have already cast votes in Jackson County
BYANGELA GARY
JACKSON COUNTIANS will go
to the polls Tuesday to cast their vote
for president, as well as decide several
state races and local issues.
Polls at precincts across the county
will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. A
large turnout is expected.
With a full month of early vot
ing held for the first time ever, a
record number of voters — more than
6,500 — have already cast a ballot in
Jackson County.
Advance voting will be offered
through Friday of this week in the
Administrative Building, located at 67
Athens Street in Jefferson. Early bal
lots may also be cast at the Commerce
Recreation Department, located at
204 Carson Street, and the Braselton
Municipal Building, located at 5040
Hwy. 53.
The hours for advanced voting are 9
a.m. to 7 p.m.
RACES
In addition to voting for presi
dent, voters will also decide the
United States Senate seat held by
Saxby Chambliss (R) who is facing
Democrat challenger Jim Martin, and
United States Representative District
10, where incumbent Paul Broun (R)
will face Nicholson resident Bobby
Saxon (D).
continued on page 10A
2008
— See page I0A
for sample ballots
Count Dracula takes to the Jefferson stage
A HALLOWEEN PRODUCTION AT JHS
Jefferson High School drama students, under the direction of Roger Bright, will present “Dracula” Thursday
through Saturday, Oct.30-Nov. 1, in time for Halloween. Thursday and Saturday shows at the JHS performing
arts center will be at 7:30 p.m. with a special late show on Friday, Halloween night, at 10 p.m. Tickets at $7 for
students and $10 for adults will be on sale at the door. Pictured are: (L-R) John Harker as Sawyer Brant; Matthew
David Sparks as Dr. Seward; Paige Keane as Lucy; Harrison Waldron as Renfield; Josh Daugherty as Dracula;
Megan Powell as Miss Wells; Andrew James as Butterworth; and Josh James as Professor Van Helsing.
Photo by Jana Mitcham
Jefferson Halloween
Walk planned for Fri.
Thousands expected downtown
THE ANNUAL down
town Jefferson Halloween
Walk is set for Friday,
Oct. 31, from 4 to 6 p.m.
Thousands of children will
once again descend upon
downtown to make the
candy trek from downtown
Jefferson to Tabo’s Food
Mart.
This year’s event will
again feature a children’s
area, co-sponsored by
McDonald’s of Jefferson.
Face painting will be done
by the Health Occupation
Students of America from
Jefferson High School.
The $1 charge will ben
efit a local food bank, The
Pantry, located at Living
Word Worship Center.
A storefront decorating
contest will be sponsored by
the Jefferson Area Business
Association with a $100
first prize award going to
the best decorated business.
Judging will take place at 2
p.m. on Friday.
Parking is available at the
Jefferson Civic Center, the
parking lots at the Jackson
County Historic Courthouse
and Real Deals. Hay wag
ons will be running to and
from the parking lots begin
ning at 3:30 p.m.
Merchants do not have to
be located in the downtown
area to participate in any of
these events.
Call Beth Laughinghouse
at the Better Hometown
office at 706-367-5714 for
more information.
BIG CROWD
Thousands of children and parents are expected in
downtown Jefferson Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. for the
annual Halloween Walk. The trick-or-treaters line up the
hill last year. Photo by April Reese Sorrow
Sheriff calls for two-day furlough by year’s end
Department heads
make budget cuts
BYANGELA GARY
FOLLOWING A request from the
Jackson County Board
of Commissioners to
cut each department’s
budget by five percent.
Sheriff Stan Evans has
called for a two-day
furlough for all of his
employees.
The employees will
take two days off with
out pay before the end
of the year.
“The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office
understands the current financial situ
ation that our county government is in
and we intend to do our part and take
measures that will aid the county com
missioners in their quest to trim five
percent of budgeted spending for the
remainder of this year,” Evans said.
On October 23, Evans ordered an
immediate freeze on all new hiring,
overtime and training, as well as a two-
day furlough of all hourly employees.
“These measures will be monitored to
ensure the planned cost savings,” Evans
said. “It is my hope that the services we
provide to the public will be affected
as little as possible. Longer waits for
assistance for non-emergency requests
for service can be expected and I ask
for our citizens’ understanding in this
regard. The Jackson County Sheriff’s
Office is part of the Jackson County
team and we will be at the forefront dur
ing this challenge in which all Jackson
County Departments are being asked to
sacrifice.”
Evans also plans to return two days
of his own pay to the county as part of
the cut back.
“This will be in line with the sacrific
es that are made by our employees at the
sheriff’s office,” he said. “I have also
asked the county manager to close the
courthouse on two specified days adja
cent to the Thanksgiving and Christmas
holidays to aid in our budget cutbacks.
Our furloughs could be much easier if
we did not have to provide security for
the courthouse for two days.”
EMS CUTS
Emergency management services
director Steve Nichols reports that five
percent has been cut from the EMS,
EM A and E-911 budgets. This includes
cutting $4,500 from the replacement
equipment account in the EMS fund;
$3,000 from the processional fees,
travel and training funds from EMA;
and $6,000 from the telephone service
account for E-911.
“For emergency service, we have
returned from our budget $13,500,”
continued on page 10A
Summaries of
amendments
found online
SUMMARIES OF three
proposed amendments to the
Georgia constitution are avail
able at: www.sos.ga.gov/
Elections/2008_amendments.
htm, according to secretary of
state Karen Handel.
The amendments will be on
the general election ballot on
Nov. 4.
The first proposed amend
ment would encourage the
preservation of Georgia’s for
ests through a conservation
use property tax reduction pro
gram.
The second proposed amend
ment would authorize local
school districts to use tax funds
for community development
purposes.
The third proposed amend
ment would authorize the cre
ation of special infrastructure
development districts providing
infrastructure to underserved
areas.
Murderer
loses appeal
A CONVICTED murderer
from Jackson County has lost
an appeal to the State Supreme
Court.
Charles Randolph Thomas’
appeal argued that statements
made by the victim to several
people shortly after she was
shot, which implicated him,
should not have been admitted
into evidence at his trial.
The victim was Thomas’
ex-wife, Annette Thomas, who
died several days after she was
shot at her Commerce home
two years ago.
The Supreme Court’s ruling
rejecting the appeal was unani
mous.
DQ, hotel,
warehouse
get approval
BYANGELA GARY
THE JEFFERSON City
Council approved rezoning
requests Monday night that
will lead to a Dairy Queen res
taurant, a hotel and warehouses
locating in the city.
The council approved two
variances from David Gillespie
to locate a Dairy Queen on
Hwy. 129 and Panther Drive.
The council agreed to reduce
the 50 feet of required cor
ridor buffer to 25 feet and to
allow seven additional parking
spaces.
In other zoning business,
the council agreed to a request
from Jefferson Hospitality Inc.
to annex 0.94 acres at 5221
Hwy. 129 North to locate a
hotel and retail shops.
The council also agreed to
continued on page 10A