Newspaper Page Text
THE
ACKSON
r ',y
H Wednesday, February 16, 2011
ERALD
www.JacksonHeraldTODAY.com
VOL. 136 NO. 36 54 PACES 4 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 75« COPY
— Inside —
Area news:
•Short talks of coun
ty's successes
page 3 A
• EJMS honored by
state page 2A
Op/Ed:
•'Will wasteful spend
ing in county school
system hurt E-SPLOST
vote?' page 4A
Sports:
•Dragons aim for 11th
straight traditional state
title page 1B
Features:
•A Jackson County
soldier's letters to his
sweetheart
page 1C
Other News:
•Public Safety
pages 6-7A
•Legals
pages 6-26C
•Church News
page 8B
•Obituaries
page 9B
•School News
pages 8-14A
O -S
Sports bar coming to Arcade?
BYBENMUNRO
THE ARCADE city council condition
ally gave a businessman the go-ahead to
move forth with plans for a sports bar on
Athens Highway.
The council on Monday approved a
business license for Harry's Sports Bar and
Grill for proprietor Harry Lee Damons,
contingent upon Damons bringing the
dilapidated building he wishes to use up
to code. The health department must also
grant a certificate of occupancy before the
business license is handed over.
Arcade leaders also OK’d a pouring
license for Damons once the business
license is issued.
Damons wishes to locate the business
at the former location of Shelia's Biscuit
Bam. He said a crew is ready to begin
renovating the site.
He noted that the business would be
more of a restaurant than a bar, pointing
to Applebee’s as the format he wishes to
use.
Arcade leaders reminded Damons that
no alcohol can be served before 11 a.m.
and that all patrons must be gone by 12:30
a.m. Saturday night/Sunday morning and
2 a.m. Monday through Friday. No alco
hol sales are permitted on Sunday.
In other action involving other busi
nesses in Arcade, the city approved a busi
ness license for Jason C. Hoard to operate
Bulldog Package, Inc. — already an exist
ing business on Athens Highway. The city
also OK’d a business license for Shazia
Punjwani to operate Arcade Liquor Store
on Athens Highway.
SMITH ACKNOWLEDGES
LAWSUIT, STRESSES POLICY
Councilman Ron Smith pointed to sev
eral newspaper articles last month report
ing threats of legal action against the city.
Smith acknowledged that a lawsuit has
been filed, but reiterated that it’s the city’s
policy “to make no comment concerning
pending or current litigation.” Smith said
any questions regarding litigation can be
directed toward Arcade’s attorney, Jody
Campbell.
ARCADE ENDS 2010
IN THE BLACK
In its first meeting in 2011,
Arcade leaders heard some good
news Monday to wrap up 2010.
Councilman Dean Bendey, who supplies
the financial report, said Arcade closed the
books with an $8,000 surplus.
“Congratulations,” he told the council.
Bentley said the city has a $2,000 sur
plus in 2011 so far, while also collecting
$2,000 in SPLOST money.
continued on page 5A
►•Uo**
i C»o»*
STUDENTS DONATE BLOOD
Blakeley Whitmire is shown making a donation at the East Jackson Comprehensive
High School HOSA Club’s recent blood drive. This second drive of the year was the
most successful in the school’s history of donating. The students and faculty who
volunteered to donate helped to bring in 119 pints of blood which will save the lives
of more than 350 children and accident victims.
Greene to resign from JCSS
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
THE JACKSON County
School System’s long-time
personnel director will resign
in June, according to changes
approved by the board of educa
tion on Monday.
Sarah Greene’s last day with
the county school system will
be June 30 — the last day of the
current fiscal year. She has been
with the Jackson County School
System for at least 33 years.
“Weappreciatehermanyyears
of service in Jackson County
schools,” said Jackson County
Board of Education chairperson
Lynn Wheeler. “She’s been with
us through the good years and
the challenging years and I truly
appreciate what she’s done for
education and for the students
here in Jackson County.”
Greene, who has been work
ing part-time, handles personnel
matters for the district’s estimat
ed 1.300 employees.
Last month, the board of edu
cation named North Jackson
Elementary School principal
Kathy Elrod its new assis
tant superintendent of human
resources. The new position
took effect immediately for
Elrod, while district officials
searched for another principal
for the school.
Jamie Hitzges — assis
tant principal at West Jackson
Intermediate School — was
named the new principal of
North Jackson Elementary
School on Monday.
Before serving at WJIS,
Hitzges was a former teach
er of the year at Maysville
Elementary School — where
his wife, Laurie, is now assis
tant principal. The couple has
been married for 19 years and
their two children attend West
Jackson Middle School.
Hitzges earned his bachelor’s
degree in elementary educa
tion from Florida International
University, and taught kinder
garten and third grade for three
years in South Florida. He later
took a job with Motorola and
moved to Georgia, where he
worked his way up the corporate
ladder to become a senior busi
ness planning analyst.
Hitzges returned to educa
tion with a job at MES, and
later earned his master’s in
education and specialist degree
in education administration
and leadership.
OTHER PERSONNEL
CHANGES
Other personnel changes
approved by the Jackson County
Board of Education on Monday
included the following.
New hires: Ken Aldridge,
health/PE teacher. EJCHS:
Blakely Crumley, special educa
tion paraprofessional, EJCHS;
and Frances Graham, special
education paraprofessional,
KBMS.
Transfers: Dean Hogan,
custodian, GSC (100 percent
to 63 percent): Elaine Trunk,
custodian. WJMS (100 percent
to 63 percent); and Marlene
Wilkerson, bus driver. BES to
special education paraprofes
sional, EJCHS.
Resignations/terminations:
Lydia An. social studies teach
er, EJCHS (FY 2012); Connie
Griffeth, special education para
professional, WJIS (effective
Jan. 28, 2011); Tracy Johnson,
special education paraprofes
sional, SJES (effective Feb. 11,
2011); and Jayson Williams,
special education paraprofes
sional. EJCHS (effective Feb.
9,2011).
Meeting on E-SPLOST proposal ahead Tues.
A PUBLIC meeting to discuss the proposed
Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax
(E-SPLOST) for the county’s three school systems
will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 22, at 6:30 p.m.
The event will be held at the Jefferson Clubhouse,
located on Memorial Drive, across from Memorial
Stadium.
The three school systems in Jackson County
are asking voters to approve another round of
E-SPLOST funding on Tuesday, March 15.
Were the tax to yield the full $100 million, the
county system would collect about $62 million.
Jefferson $24 million and Commerce $12 mil
lion. However, it is generally anticipated that five
years of the tax would generate far less than that
amount.
A majority of the funds will be used to pay for
existing debt for the school systems.
Jefferson considers
10 % fine increase
To vote Feb. 28
BYANGELA GARY
JEFFERSON leaders are
considering a request from
police chief Joe Wirthman to
increase fines by 10 percent to
be more in line with surround
ing cities.
The city council heard the
request from Wirthman at a
meeting Monday night. The
issue will be on the agenda for
a vote when the council meets
at 6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 28,
at the civic center.
“There has not been an
increase to the Jefferson fine
and fee schedule in the four-
plus years that I have been chief
of police,” Wirthman said. “I am
requesting a 10 percent increase
across the board for all traf
fic violations and misdemeanor
crimes. This increase will make
the Jefferson fine schedule com
parable to other area agencies.
This increase only affects those
who want to violate the law and
not the law-abiding citizens.”
Councilman Roy Plott spoke
on his concerns with increasing
the fines.
“The economy is still down,”
he said. “I know these are
offenders,but...”
continued on page 5A
School flagged for ‘moderate
concern’ on CRCT analysis
BY KERRI TESTEMENT
A STATE REVIEW of era
sures on a standardized test has
cleared all schools in Jackson
County — with the exception
of Jefferson Academy, accord
ing to the Governor’s Office of
Student Achievement (GOSA).
The agency last week released
its results of a spring 2010 era
sure analysis on the Criterion
Referenced Competency Test
(CRCT) — which is given to
elementary and middle school
students to determine how well
they understand the state’s cur
riculum.
CRCT results are used to
determine whether schools have
made Adequate Yearly Progress
(AYP) and are also the criteria
by which some student promo
tion and retention decisions are
made.
Last year, the agency’s
CRCT erasure analysis showed
an unusually high number of
wrong answers were replaced
by correct answers at several
schools in Georgia — most
notably among Adanta Public
Schools. That has led to a state
investigation into possible crim
inal misconduct at the district.
But statewide, the number
of schools flagged because of
their CRCT erasure marks has
dramatically decreased, accord
ing to GOSA.
“This analysis done on the
2010 CRCT answer sheets,
which is identical to that done
last year on 2009 answer sheets,
paints a very different picture,”
said GOSA executive director
Kathleen Mathers in a state
ment. “Far fewer classrooms
were flagged across the state
this time, and those flags were
generally much smaller than
flags seen a year ago. That’s
certainly good news.”
In the analysis. CTB-
McGraw Hill psychometricians
scanned answer documents to
identify total erasures per class-
continued on page 2A
County inmates moved
to former state facility
BYANGELA GARY
INMATES IN the county
correctional institute were
moved this week to the former
I.W. Davis Detention Center,
which was closed last year as a
state facility.
The 174 inmates were
moved with the assistance of
the Jackson County Sheriff’s
Office and the Hall County
Correctional Institute.
County manager Darrell
Hampton said the I.W. Davis
Detention center is larger than
the county correctional insti
tute.
“I. W. Davis is a larger facil
ity and it can house 200 pris
oners,” he said. “The current
facility can house 174. This
gives us more inmates that
could be used in work details.
I.W. Davis is a single level
building, where the current is
multi-floor.”
Hampton said the county is
looking into placing several
offices in the former county
correctional institute building.
“This is being finalized and
will be presented to the com
mission very soon,” he said.
“Part of the space will serve as
a new location for parks and
recreation. The majority of the
building will have an active
service. A portion of the lower
level may be used for records
storage.”