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About Jackson herald. (Jefferson, Jackson County, Ga.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 4, 2023)
o o 28 PAGES 2 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS The Commerce News JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 $1.00 COPY Commerce SK reports some layoffs SK Battery has had some layoffs from its mas sive workforce in Jackson County. The EV battery factory spearheaded the develop ment of electric vehicles and components in Geor gia, which has become a southern hub of the new technology. While the firm continues to employ over 3,000 em ployees, the firm confirmed that it had laid off some workers. “We understand this situ ation is difficult for our val ued employees,” the firm said in a news release. “SK Battery America is opti mistic about the long-term growth of the U.S. EV mar ket and remains committed to the Commerce site.” See SK, page 2A Commerce council ponders future gas needs Usage by SK Battery impacts city gas usage By Alex Buffington alex@mainstreetnews. com SK Battery America’s facility in Commerce has had a large impact on the city and the surrounding area. The announcement that the company was coming to Commerce made big headlines. The firm created jobs in the county and has driven ad ditional businesses to the city and surrounding ar eas. It’s also changed how the local school system re ceives some of its funding. But one impact the com pany has in the community may get overlooked by the public: Its use of utilities. That was part of the dis cussion at the Commerce City Council on Monday, See Commerce, page 1A MAILING LABEL Public safety 33-year old murder cold case linked to Jackson County (EDITOR’S NOTE: Any family, friends or acquain tances of Lisa Coburn Kes- ler are asked to contact alex@mainstreetnews.com ■) Human remains found 33 years ago in North Carolina have been identified as those of a Jackson County woman. The Orange County Sher iff’s Office in North Caroli na confirmed the victim was 20-year-old Lisa Cobum Kesler, of Jackson County. Kesler had been strangled and her body was dumped along the side of 1-40 over 30 years ago. Her body was found by road crews about a week after her murder. Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood noted that investigators are still working on determining who killed Kesler. Kesler was a 1989 gradu ate of Jackson County High School, where she was a member of Future Business Leaders of America, Future Homemakers of America and Students Against Drunk Driving. She was murdered a little more than a year after she graduated from JCHS. According to her engage ment announcement in 1989, Kesler was from Center. She was the daughter of Mr. and Lisa Coburn Kesler in her senior picture in 1989. She was a graduate of Jackson County High School. Lisa Coburn Kesler from her engagement an nouncement in the June 7, 1989, issue of The Jackson Herald. Mrs. Michael Clobum and the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jack Formaz, Mel bourne, Fla., and the late Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Cobum, of Anderson, Ind. She married Danny Kesler on Friday, June 23, 1989, at the home of Kesler’s parents. “We have spoken to the husband and, at this point, he is not a person of inter est,” Sheriff Blackwood said in an email. IMPROVEMENTS IN TECHNOLOGY Improvements in technol ogy and forensic genealogy were key in helping identify Kesler’s remains three de cades after they were dis covered. At the time of her disappearance, DNA science was still in its infancy. The sheriff’s office noted that “although able to con firm someone’s identity or prove someone’s involve ment in a crime, DNA could not be used to identify an un known person.” “Therefore, investigators used traditional methods such as interviewing po tential witnesses, pursuing more hundreds of leads, searching missing persons reports, and creating a bust of the victim by applying fo rensic facial reconstruction techniques to a model of her skull,” according to the Or ange County Sheriff’s Of fice news release. “As the years went by, investigators and skilled See Murder, page 2A Historic courthouse Nov. 7 Election Mealor honored for historical preservation work CHARLOTTE MEALOR HONORED Charlotte Mealor was honored this week by Jackson County officials for her long commitment to preserving historical records and artifacts from the county. October is American Archives Month and the county honored Mealor by naming the county’s archive room at the Historic Courthouse the “Charlotte Mealor Center For Archives.” Mealor is shown with assis tant county manager Gina Roy (L) as Al Westmoreland (R), the former His toric Courthouse restoration committee chairman, looks on. PREVIEW: Election Day a little over a month away Voter registration deadline coming up Election Day is a little over a month away. Seven out of nine municipalities will hold elections during the Nov. 7 Municipal General Election. Arcade and Talmo are the only two municipalities with out contested elections. There are 28 candidates in total for 11 seats across Jackson County’s munici palities. Here are important dates and information regarding the upcoming election: •Last day to register to vote: Oct. 10 • Early voting dates and times: October 16- 21, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; October 23-28, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Oct. 30-Nov. 3 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. All early voting will be held at the Jackson County Elections Office, See Election, page 2A Nicholson Durst withdraws from Nicholson council race Dusty Durst has withdrawn as a candidate for the Nicholson City Council race. Three people previously qualified for two Nicholson council seats, including: Mike Barfield (incumbent), Dusty Durst and Lamar Watkins (incumbent). Durst has withdrawn his candidacy, but due to the late notice, his name will still be on the ballot. The city will need to post signs outside the voting pre cinct indicating Durst’s withdrawal from the race. Nicholson will still have a municipal election due to a contested mayoral race. Incumbent Mayor Jan Webster will face challenger Steve Nichols in that race. piggly wiggly HOME OF THE SLUSHEES n M \
