Newspaper Page Text
THE
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ACKSON
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IS 1 iS
H Wednesday, )une 7, 2017
ERALD
VOL. 143 NO. 1
36 PACES 3 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS
Merged in 2017 with
The Commerce News
A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc.
JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549
75c COPY
WORK STARTS AT FUTURE AMAZON SITE
Activity and an Amazon sign, right, were evident at the distribution facility on Hog Mountain Road
last week. A spokesman for the company said Amazon expects the new center to be open next year.
Amazon said it would hire about 1,000 people for the distribution center.
Amazon plans to hire 1,000
Amazon plans to open its second
large distribution center in Jackson
County and it expects to hire 1,000
full-time employees, the company
said in a press release Thursday.
The company will lease the “Jeffer
son Mill Building F’ in the Jefferson
Mill Business Park. It has more than
822,000 square feet.
Amazon's first center in the county
is in Braselton in a building of about
600,000 square feet. That center was
announced just about a year ago. It
was expected to have more than 500
jobs.
“We anticipate the (Jefferson)
building will come online next year,
and we typically begin hiring a month
or two before launch of operations,”
Shevaun Brown, regional operations
PR manager, said by email.
Last week, people were at the
building and Amazon signs were set
up in the drive to the building.
“Georgia has been a great place to
do business for Amazon and we look
forward to adding a new fulfillment
center to better serve our customers
in the region,” said Akash Chauhan.
Amazon's vice president of North
American operations.
The Jefferson facility is expected
to pack and ship large items, such as
household furniture, sporting equip
ment and gardening tools. The Bra
selton center also was announced to
handle larger items.
“Amazon's second investment in
Jackson County in less than a year
speaks to the quality of our work
force and to our strategic location
on the 1-85 corridor,” said Jim Shaw,
president of the Jackson County Area
Chamber of Commerce.
Amazon said full-time employees
receive competitive pay, health insur
ance, disability insurance, retirement
savings plans and company stock.
The company also offers up to 20
weeks of paid leave and benefits,
which give new parents flexibility
with their families.
The company also offers hourly
employees its Career Choice program
which helps train employees so they
can prepare for the future. The pro
gram pre-pays 95 percent of tuition
for courses, regardless of whether the
skills are relevant to a future career at
Amazon. More than 9,000 employees
have participated in the program.
Trammell Crow Co. and Clarion
Partners joined to develop the Jef
ferson Mill Business Park. Colliers
International is the marketing agent
for the park, according to information
on the county's economic develop
ment website.
“It’s a great day in Georgia when
one of the world’s top global brands
announces they will be creating 1,000
jobs in Jackson County,” said Georgia
Governor Nathan Deal. “Not only is
this fulfillment center important to
the community and its citizens but is
a testament to our seamless logistics
infrastructure which is so critically
important to companies like Ama
zon.”
“We feel extremely fortunate for
the investment and jobs that Amazon
brings to our community,” said Jef
ferson Mayor Roy Plott. “Amazon is
a leading-edge technology company
and internet retailer who is a great
corporate citizen in the communities
(where) they locate,”
To learn more about working at
Amazon, visit www.amazondelivers.
jobs.
Buffington named GPA president
Scott Buffington, co-publisher of
Mainstreet Newspapers, was elected pres
ident of the Georgia Press Association last
week at the group’s annual convention held
on Jekyll Island.
Buffington grew up in the family news
paper business, which today publishes five
weekly newspapers in Northeast Georgia:
The Jackson Herald, The Barrow News-
Journal, The Braselton News, The Banks
County News and the Madison County
Journal.
He is a graduate of the University of
Georgia.
Buffington is the fifth GPA presi
dent with roots in Jackson County: Paul
Harbor of The Commerce News served
two terms as GPA president in the early
1900s; Albert Hardy Jr., also a publisher
of The Commerce News, was president in
1949; William Rogers, who was bom in
Commerce, served as president in 1969 as
owner of the Swainsboro Blade newspaper;
and Buffington’s brother Mike served as
GPA president in 1995. The Buffingtons
are the only brothers to serve as presidents
of the association.
Buffington has served on the GPA board
of directors since 2009 and succeeds Don
Bailey of the Macon Telegraph. Joining
him as GPA officers are vice president, Otis
Brumby III of the Marietta Daily Journal
and treasurer, Dan Poole of the Pickens
Progress in Jasper.
The GPA is the state's leading media
organization with roots going back to 1887.
It provides training for its members and
serves as a watchdog of state legislative
actions that could compromise open gov
ernment laws.
SCOTT
BUFFINGTON
Scott Buffington,
Mainstreet Newspapers
co-publisher, was
recently elected pres
ident of the Georgia
Press Association.
Herald birthday is this week
The Jackson Herald beains IS
- — — - ~ '%P
its 143rd year this week. The ”)
first issue of The Forest News,
which was the predecessor to
The Herald, was published on
June 12,1875 under the editor
ship of Malcolm Stafford.
Jackson County Publishing
Company was incorporated in
April, 1875, with 17 owners
putting up a total of $900.
Among those early stock
holders were John Simpkins,
John D. Long, Pendergrass &
Hancock. James E. Randolph. F.M. Bai
ley, J.H. Niblack and the Jefferson Town
Council.
In 1881, the newspaper office burned
and when the newspaper reemerged a
couple of weeks later, it was renamed The
Jackson Herald.
Between 1875 and 1891, the paper went
through seven editors.
In 1891, the newspaper was given to
John N. Holder and his wife as a wedding
present by Holder's father. The Holders
retired in 1950, but maintained ownership
OLD JACKSON
HERALD OFFICE
until Mr. Holder died in 1960.
A group of businessmen
then purchased the paper and
sold it to Herman and Helen
Buffington in 1965. Sons
Mike and Scott Buffington
own the newspaper today.
Over the years, the com
pany expanded by starting or
buying other newspapers in
the area. Today, under the
banner of Mainstreet News
papers, the firm publishes
The Braselton News, The
Banks County News, The Madison County
Journal and the Barrow News-Journal in
addition to The Jackson Herald.
Among The Herald’s editors have been
John Holder 1891-1950, Tom Williams
1950-1959. Floyd Hoard 1959-1960
(Hoard was later solicitor and was mur
dered in 1967), Virgil Adams 1960, Buddy
Hayden 1960-1962. Willa Dean White
1962-1964, James Booth 1964-1965.
Helen Davidson 1965. Helen Buffington
1965-1994, and Mike Buffington who is
the current editor.
Longtime voice
of WJJC dies
O. Grady Cooper,
longtime owner of WJJC
Radio and the first voice
heard on the station, died
on Sunday.
Cooper, 93, of Wat-
kinsville, helped build
WJJC Radio in 1957.
He purchased the station
along with Ellis Cooper,
in 1961.
Cooper was lured to
Commerce by Albert
Hardy, owner of The
Commerce News who
was financially backing
the launching of WJJC.
Bill Anderson, then a
student at UGA, was the
station's DJ and recalled
that first broadcast in a
blog post:
“It was 56-years ago
today (June 22) at 10:22
a.m. that I stood in the
tiny control room of a
wood-frame building a
couple of miles outside
the city limits of Com
merce and watched as
an engineer named Bill
Evans threw the switch
and an announcer named
Grady Cooper signed on
Radio Station WJJC for
the very first time. A little
over an hour later.... at
11:30 a.m. to be exact....
I sat down in front of
a microphone stationed
between two turntables
and welcomed listeners
to the very first edition
of a country music radio
program called The Din-
nerbell Jamboree.”
Cooper eventually
bought 100 percent own
ership in the station and
owned it until 1979 when
he sold the station to
Dallas Tarkenton, father
of pro football star Fran
Tarkenton.
Cooper retired in 1994,
according to his obituary.
He was also associated
with radio stations in
Macon, Cordele and Val
dosta early in his career.
During his time in
Commerce, he was a
member of several civic
and religious groups
and served as president
of the Lions Club and
Chamber of Commerce.
GRADY COOPER
Cooper was also on the
Georgia Association of
Broadcasters board of
directors.
During his retirement,
he was also an ad sales
rep for The Commerce
News.
Cooper enjoyed music
and was a musician him
self.
“Among his hobbies,
Mr. Cooper loved music
as he was a musician,
being a drummer,”
according to his obitu
ary. “In his early years,
he was a member of mil
itary bands and orches
tras. His vast library
consists of religious,
gospel and big band
recordings.”
He was also a deacon
and member of Beech
Haven Baptist Church,
a member of the Fellow
ship Class, and a mem
ber of the Mall Walk
ers at Georgia Square,
according to his obituary.
Services are planned
June 7 at 2 p.m. at Lord
and Stephens West Chap
el with Dr. Stewart Simms
and the Rev. John Walker
officiating. Interment will
follow at Oconee Memo
rial Park.
Cooper was the hus
band of the late Carol B.
Cooper and is survived
by daughters and sons-
in-law: Nancy and Jimmy
Calamia, Kathy and John
Wolfe, and Rebecca Pear
son and Kenneth Lord,
all of Watkinsville: 10
grandchildren and eight
great-grandchildren.
$30K stolen from
closed hardware store
Authorities are investigating a burglary at the closed
Commerce Hardware building on Clyde Short Road. A
second report was completed on the incident on May
30.
The complainant told Jackson County Sheriff’s Office
deputies that approximately $30,000 worth of goods
were taken from the abandoned building.
The suspects apparently loaded up shopping carts full
of merchandise and left them by a side door. Bolt cutters
and pry bars were dropped beside the door.
The complainant said among the items taken were
nail guns, skill saws, sanders, antique two-man saws
and two antique handguns in frames. Additional mer
chandise remained near the door loaded into shopping
carts.
Officers found a hole cut into the fence that surrounds
the property. It led to a trail that connected to Clyde
Short Road.
Around the area, they found some merchandise was
left behind, along with Zaxby’s cups, red-handle pliers,
three antique two-man saws, a Fanta grape drink bottle.
Now and Later candy wrapper and a Domino’s pizza
employee hat. Near the cut fence, officers found a black
glove and a black-handle folding knife.
Officers also saw a barbed wire fence near the road
had been loosened and a single tire track was found in
the grass.
In the first incident, which was reported May 22, the
complainants reported the deceased business owner’s
photo had been removed from the wall and was placed
into a shopping cart.
The front desk cabinet and administrative office had
also been disturbed.
o