Newspaper Page Text
THE
ACKSON
H Wednesday, May 5, 2010
ERALD
www.JacksonHeraldTODAY.com
VOL. 135 NO. 46 48 PACES 4 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 75c COPY
— Inside —
Area news:
•Two named for SJES
principal spot
page 2A
•Plant Dahlberg gets
permit to expand
page 3 A
Op/Ed:
•'Arizona law mis
guided'
page 4A
Sports:
•Dragons snare fourth
region title
page 1B
Features:
• Nicholson holds
Daisy Festival. .page 1 C
•The $8,000 quarter
page 1C
Other News:
•Public Safety
pages 6-7A
•Legals
pages 8-28C
•Church News
page 7B
•Obituaries
page 11A
•School News
.pages 8, 9, 10, 12A, 6B
Two children killed in murder-suicide
BYANGELA GARY
A JACKSON County man killed two
young children before shooting himself
Monday afternoon.
Murder-suicide has been ruled in the
death of Keith Gresham, 36, and two
children, Keion, age 7, and Keionte, 4.
Gresham apparently shot himself after
killing the two children. Gresham was
found inside a vehicle in a secluded area
off of Old Woods Bridge Road, a dirt road
between Maysville and Jefferson.
Family members became concerned
Monday after receiving text messag
es from Gresham. Investigator David
Cochran with the Jackson County Sheriff’s
Office said family members went to Old
Woods Bridge Road because it’s an area
where Gresham went.
“He frequented this area a lot.” Cochran
said.
Gresham was found inside a vehicle on
the road and the two children were outside
the car.
Law enforcement officers believe the
shooting was the result of a domestic
dispute between Gresham and the moth
er of the children. Both children had
Gresham’s last name, but only the young
est was his biological child.
“Apparently Keith Gresham and the
children’s mother were in an ongoing
domestic dispute,” Cochran said. “She
had filed a temporary protective order
against him with the courts. He had been
angry over this. That is what we think is
the motive of this.”
Gresham’s former girlfriend - the moth
er of both children - had summoned
Commerce police to her Wesley Way
residence because of the nature of the
text messages after Gresham had failed to
appear for a probation revocation hearing
that morning.
Their mother said she’d let them go with
Gresham so he could see them before he
went to jail, according to the Commerce
incident report.
WORK CONTINUES
Work continued Tuesday on the historic Jackson County courthouse, which is
being restored to its 1908 appearance. Hard hat tours of the structure will be offered
Saturday during “A Day at the Historic Courthouse.” Photo by Jana Mitcham
‘A Day at the Historic Courthouse’ set Sat.
THE Jackson County
Historic Courthouse
Restoration Committee
(JCHCRC) will hold
“A Day at the Historic
Courthouse” on Saturday,
May 8, from 10 a.m. to 5
p.m. on the grounds of the
Jackson County Historic
Courthouse in downtown
Jefferson.
All proceeds will go
towards the restoration
of the courthouse, which,
when completed, will
appear as it did in 1908. The goal is to make it as
historically accurate as possible, leaders state.
The highlight of the day’s events will be an auc
tion featuring such items as courthouse artifacts,
Highlights:
•Auction of historic
items at 12:30 p.m.
•Tours of the
courthouse given
throughout the day
•Vintage cars, kids’
activities, period
music, food booths
— see page 3A
for a schedule
an 1876 Mason Hamlin organ, and the #10 brick
from the original 1879 building. This brick was
originally auctioned at the Heritage Celebration
in 2009.
Activities throughout the day will be: Local
musicians playing period music; food vendors with
foods that would have been available in 1908; an
exhibit of automobiles from the early 1900s; chil
dren’s booth featuring age appropriate activities;
and tours of the courthouse ($5/person). Because
of the ongoing construction, no children under 12
will be allowed on the tour. No open toe shoes or
loose fitting clothes either, leaders state.
Gene Barrington, architectural consultant in
charge of the restoration project, will be leading
the tours. He will provide an architectural history
of the courthouse, give an update on the exterior
restoration and explain plans for completion of
the inside.
McNeely resigns from Maysville council
BY KATIE HUSTON
MAYSVILLE CITY Council member Rebecca
McNeely submitted a resignation letter to the city
Monday afternoon.
The act follows months of controversy surround
ing her whereabouts at meetings and the possible
misuse of city funds. City Clerk Barbara Thomas
said that the city is still pursuing the issue of the
$1,084 in question.
In addition, McNeely was arrested in December
on drug-related charges after she allegedly gave
prescription pain medication to a friend to sell.
In the resignation letter, McNeely cited “medical
and other personal reasons” for abandoning her
Ward 3 post.
She also said it took much “soul searching” and
“it was a pleasure serving the citizens for the last
six years.” ,. , ,,
J continued on page 3A
MCNEELY RESIGNS
Maysville City Council member Rebecca
McNeely resigned from her post as
Ward 3 representative for the city.
Photo by Katie Huston
BOC considers increasing garbage fee
BYANGELA GARY
A proposal to increase the
fee for solid waste dispos
al at the county transfer sta
tion is being considered by
the Jackson County Board of
Commissioners.
At a meeting Monday night,
the BOC discussed increasing
the per ton disposal charge from
$45 to $46.14. If approved, this
would be effective as of June
1. The BOC will vote on the
proposal when it meets at 6
p.m. on Monday, May 17, at the
courthouse.
Other items discussed at the
meeting this week that will be
on the agenda for a vote at the
May 17 meeting include the fol
lowing:
•approval to conduct a well
impact and soil survey before
issuing a building permit for
a gasoline station and conve
nience store at West Jackson
Crossing.
•approve a software contract
for the Emergency Management
Services department.
•authorize the chairman to
execute a not-to-exceed pro
fessional services agreement
with Moreland AltobeUi in the
amount of $175,000 to prepare
an interchange justification
report for 1-85 and Hwy. 60.
This would be funded with the
2008 economic development
road and sewer program.
continued on page 3A
Race set for BOE seat;
no opposition for others
BYANGELA GARY
WHEN qualifying ended
Friday, only one of the contested
seats in the July 20 election had
more than one candidate.
In the District 5 Jackson
County Board of Education
race, Steven Bryant. Hoschton,
and Randall Skelton qualified.
Incumbent Jill McEver is not
seeking re-election.
In the District 3 county BOE
race, Celinda Wilson was the
only one to qualify. Incumbent
Kathy Wilbanks, who serves as
chairman of the BOE, is not
seeking re-election.
In the county BOE District
2 seat, incumbent Tim Brooks
was the only one to qualify.
In the District 3 seat on
the Jackson County Board of
Commissioners, incumbent
Bruce Yates was the only one
who qualified.
In the District 4 BOC race,
incumbent Dwain Smith was
the only one who qualified.
Both of Jackson County’s
state House of Representative
seats are up for election: District
31. currently held by Tommy
Benton (R); and District 30,
held by Tom McCall (R).
Benton was the only one to
qualify in District 31. In District
30. McCall and Marilyn MJ.
Bridges (D) qualified.
The State Senate District 47
seat that covers Jackson County
will also be on the ballot. Those
to qualify were: Kelley Gary,
Shane Coley, Doug Bower and
Frank Ginn, all Republicans,
and Tim Riley, a Democrat.
Incumbent Ralph Hudgens (R)
is running for state insurance
commissioner.
In the State Senate District
49 seat that covers a portion of
Jackson County, Butch Miller
and Jimmy Norman, both
Republicans, qualified.
U.S. senator Johnny Isakson
is up for re-election, as is
District 10 U.S. Congressman
Paul Broun. Broun (R) and
challenger Russell Edwards
(D) qualified for the District
10 seat. As for the senate race,
Isakson (R) and challengers R. J.
Hadley and Mike Thurmond,
both Democrats, qualified.
QUESTION ON
REPUBLICAN BALLOT
The Republican ballot will
also have the following ques
tion on it: “Do you support an
amendment to the Georgia State
Constitution so as to provided
that the paramount right to life
is vested in each human being
from the earliest biological
beginnings until natural death?”
STATE-WIDE RACES
Those to qualify for state
wide races include:
Governor: Jeff Chapman, 50
(R) Alpharetta: Nathan Deal,
67, (R) Gainesville; Karen
Handel, 48, (R) Alpharetta; Eric
Johnson. 56. (R) Atlanta; Ray
McBerry. 42. (R) McDonough;
Otis Putnam, 35, (R) Brunswick;
Roy Barnes, 62, (D) Marietta;
Carl Camon, 41, (D) Ray City;
Randall Mangham, 54, (D)
Decatur; DuBose Porter, 56, (D)
Dublin; David Poytbress, 66,
(D) Atlanta.
Lieutenant Governor: Casey
continued on page 3A
Wilbanks: No plans to
close Benton school
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
THE JACKSON County
School System isn’t planning
to close one of its schools due
to budget cuts, according to one
official.
Board of education chairper
son Kathy Wilbanks said Friday
that the school system has no
plans to close one of its facili
ties — as has been proposed as
a cost-cutting measure for some
other districts in Georgia, such
as DeKalb and Hall counties.
Rumors recendy started
that Benton Elementary
School — which has the few
est enrolled students among
Pre-K-5 schools in the district
— would be closed.
Wilbanks said that’s definite
ly rumor and even if the district
wanted to close BES, there’s no
room at South Jackson and East
Jackson elementary schools to
handle the additional students.
There has been no discussion
to close a school and there are
no plans to shut a school in the
near future, she added.
Special election set Tues.
To fill Senate District 49 seat
A CALLED ELECTION will be held Tuesday to fill the Senate
District 49 seat held by Lee Hawkins, who resigned earlier.
Those on the ballot are: Brandon Givens, Gainesville, a Libertarian;
Butch Miller, Flowery Branch, a Republican; and Jimmy Norman,
Flowery Branch, a Republican.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Senate District 49 covers Hall County and a portion of Jackson
County.