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The Commerce News
JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 $1.00 COPY
Past
newsmakers
of the year
Those previously
selected as “News
makers of the Year”
were:
•Jon and Jenn
Langston, Reboot
Jackson
•2021 Fallen JCSO
deputy Lena Nicole
Marshall and previ
ous fallen officers
•2020 Jennifer Lo
gan, Jackson County
Elections director
•2019 Hoschton
Recall Committee
•2018 Marty Clark
and the ag facility
steering committee
•2017 Warehouse
growth
•2016 Mark Beard
sley, Commerce
News editor
•2015 Steve Nich
ols, director of public
safety
•2014 John Jack-
son, Jefferson City
Schools superinten
dent
•2013 April How
ard, Jackson County
Schools superinten
dent
•2012 Brantley
Gilbert, country mu
sician
•2011 Shannon Ad
ams, county school
superintendent
•2010 Shane Short,
chamber of com
merce president
•2009 Katherine
Rintoul, Scott Rog
ers and Bill Garner,
Pendergrass “whis
tleblowers”
•2008 Shaun
Whitehead, solider
killed in Iraq
•2007 Darren
Glenn, Jefferson po
lice chief
•2006 Kathy Wil
banks, county BOE
chairman
•2005 Pat Graham,
Braselton mayor
•2004 Stan Evans,
sheriff
•2003 Concerned
Citizens of Jackson
County
•2002 Scott Mar
tin, IDA chair
•2001 Emil Besha-
ra, BOC
•2000 Jerry Wad
dell, BOC chair
See Newsmakers, page
MAILING LABEL
Newsmaker of the Year: Janis Mangum
Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum begins her last year in office after
announcing plans to retire at the end of 2024.
By Mike Buffington
mike@mainstreetnews. com
When Jackson Coun
ty Sheriff Janis Mangum
leaves office at midnight on
Dec. 31, 2024, it will be the
closing of an era.
Mangum announced in
2022 that she wouldn’t seek
re-election for another term.
For a public official to
retire isn’t unusual, but few
bridge the gap of past-to-
present the way Mangum
has done.
A 1975 graduate of Jef
ferson High School, Janis
Griffith Mangum grew up in
an era when Jackson Coun
ty was little more than a ru
ral backwater known for its
organized crime gangs that
stole cars and bootlegged
booze — and murdered a
district attorney.
It’s a troubling history,
one that hasn’t been far
from Mangum’s thoughts
over her 35-year tenure
with the Jackson County
Sheriff’s Office. In fact, she
was a part of the depart
ment when it began to tack
le the county’s lingering or
ganized crime in the 1980s.
Mangum credits former
Sheriff Stan Evans, who
took office in 1985, with
cleaning up the county they
both grew up in.
“He paved the way for
me,” Mangum says of Ev
ans’ crime-busting.
Mangum came to work
for Evans in 1985, first as
a radio operator at a time
when the department had
its own dispatch apart from
the 911 system. A couple of
years later, she became a
deputy and was then put in
charge of the jail.
After a three-year break,
she came back to the JCSO
in 1993 and became an in
vestigator in 1994.
“I loved investigating,”
she recalled during a recent
interview.
Much of Mangum’s work
at that time involved inves
tigating crimes against chil
dren.
“I like holding people
accountable when they vic
timize children or the elder
ly,” she said.
When Evans retired,
Mangum ran for the sher
iff’s seat in 2012 and has
held the office ever since.
“Being sheriff has been
very rewarding to me, I love
it,” she said. “I’m in a po
sition to help people more
than I ever have been.”
2023 A BANNER YEAR
The past year has been a
whirlwind for Mangum as
she has garnered several
noteworthy honors.
She was named the Law
Enforcement Officer of
See Mangum, page 2A
Top headlines from 2023
Take a look back at the top stories from
2023:
1. BODY FOUND ALONG ROADSIDE
IN JEFFERSON IN JANUARY
The number one most viewed story online
reported on a body that was found along a
roadside in Jefferson in January.
The body of Joshua Wick, 19, of Hall Coun
ty, was found on Holder Siding Road between
Benton Road and Long Farm Road in Jeffer
son on Jan. 20 around 6 p.m.
At the time, officials said the death was not
due to an accident and that they didn’t believe
Wick died at the scene where his body was dis
covered.
Authorities later named Willie Tremaine
Nikholas Evans, 27, of Winder, as the suspect.
Evans faces charges of malice murder, aggra
vated assault and possession of a firearm by a
convicted felon.
The story about the body being found had
more than twice as many views as any other
story dining the year.
Dillow, a candidate running for Jackson Coun
ty Sheriff, who was terminated from his em
ployment with the Jackson County Sheriff’s
Office in October. Dillow allegedly entered the
office of Kevin McCook, another candidate for
Sheriff, without permission.
The incident was captured on camera inside
McCook’s office.
4. WELL-KNOWN COMMERCE
MAN SHOT AND KILLED IN MAY
The third most-read story reported on the
shooting death of a well-known Commerce
man outside of Hardee’s in May.
Calvin Vamum, 72, was gunned down on the
morning of May 21, around 7:30 a.m., outside
of Hardee’s in downtown Commerce.
Xavier Clark, 23, of Commerce, was arrest
ed in connection with the shooting and was
charged with felony murder, malice murder,
aggravated assault; two counts of cruelty to
children (2nd degree); and possession of a
firearm by a convicted felon or felony first of
fender.
resulted in the death of Tracy Tuggle, 56, of
Winder. A 13-year-old Winder boy sustained
life-threatening injuries.
A 23-year-old Jefferson man, Joshua Weeks,
was arrested in connection with the wreck. He
was charged with reckless driving, passing in a
no-passing zone, seatbelt violation, driving un
der the influence, serious injury by vehicle and
homicide by vehicle in the first degree-felony.
Weeks reportedly tried to pass the other ve
hicle (that contained Tuggle and the 13-year-
old boy) in a no-passing zone and struck the
other vehicle in the rear.
7. DILLOW TO RUN FOR
JACKSON COUNTY SHERIFF
Coming in 7th was Dale Dillow’s announce
ment that he is running for Jackson County
Sheriff.
Current Sheriff Janis Mangum previously
announced she would not seek re-election in
2024.
8. ALLIGATOR SPOTTED
IN JEFFERSON
The 8th most-read story was about an alli
gator that was spotted in the Jackson Parkway
area in the City of Jefferson in June.
9. COMMERCE TEACHER RESIGNS
FOLLOWING PHOTO ALLEGATIONS
The 9th most-read story was a late Decem
ber story about a Commerce Primary School
teacher who resigned following accusations
she made sexually-suggestive photos of her
self while on a school campus.
10. SK BATTERY FURLOUGHING
SOME EMPLOYEES
Another story about SK Battery was among
the top 10.
The SK Battery plant in Commerce
See Headlines, page 2A
2. RESULTS FROM THE NOV. 7
MUNICIPAL ELECTION
The second most popular story was a report
on the results from the Nov. 7 Municipal Elec
tion.
Two new mayors were named during that
election. Steve Nichols ousted incumbent Jan
Webster in Nicholson and Debbie Martin won
in a landslide in Hoschton over two other can
didates for that town’s open mayor’s seat.
But perhaps the biggest news of the night
came in Commerce where voters narrowly
approved a bond referendum to pay for new
athletic facilities for the town’s recreation de
partment.
3. CANDIDATE FOR SHERIFF
TERMINATED FROM JCSO
The third most-read story was about Dale
5. SK REPORTS SOME LAYOFFS
Coming in 5th for most-read was a report
that SK Battery had some layoffs from its mas
sive workforce in Jackson County.
The EV battery factory spearheaded the de
velopment of electric vehicles and components
in Georgia, which has become a southern hub
of the new technology.
While the firm continues to employ over
3,000 employees, the firm confirmed that it
had laid off some workers.
6. WINDER WOMAN KILLED,
CHILD CRITICALLY INJURED
IN JEFFERSON WRECK
The 6th most-read story was about a wreck
that killed a Winder woman and seriously-in
jured a 13-year old boy on Oct. 18 in Jefferson.
The crash happened on MLK Jr. Dr. and
