Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY. APRIL 22. 2004 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 3A
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Deputy paid $40,000
by county
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City/School Board
sewage conflict
cated and faithful service as Sheriff
for the citizens of this county,” the
sheriff said.
County Attorney Bill Pickett said
he advised the county to pay the
amount as a settlement, but couldn’t
elaborate on what type of suit or
charges were made.
No suit was ever filed in Pickens
Superior Court relating to the case.
Pickett said, “This is the settle
ment of a claim on a personnel
issue. There are things we’d like to
say but our hands are tied.”
Pickett said he had reviewed the
case and advised the county to settle
rather than litigate.
“Although the county’s insurance
company would have picked up the
claim [if they had lost in litigation],
the county would have been out the
lawyer’s fees,” said Pickett. “You
don’t ever know when you litigate.
It could have ended up any multi
tude of places. My advice was to
settle rather than pay the lawyers.”
Pickett said he would have been
involved as a lawyer for the county,
but there could have been other
lawyers required as well.
In a prepared statement Wofford
said the check was directed to be
issued by the attorney and will be
reviewed in the yearly audit.
Wofford said with an election
approaching he found it odd that
someone would raise the issue now
instead of sixteen months ago when
it was first paid.
“I would hope that this is not
being motivated by politics,” Wof
ford said.
The original Freedom of Infor
mation request to bring the check to
light was filed by Don Ware, Jr.,
Wofford’s opponent eight years ago.
The story was then picked up by an
Atlanta television station.
Efforts to contact Amy Trantham
have been unsuccessful.
Hall said the original deal was
negotiated between Jim Smith for
city hall and Rick Little for the
school system. Both men have since
retired.
“We didn’t foresee any contro
versy, so we thought there was no
point in getting anything in writ
ing,” said Hall.
The city had already connected
the system to the forced main before
the March 17 school board meeting.
Hall said they may have discussed
an attempt to seek compensation
from the city for tying on in the
right of way, as the school installed
that main several years ago.
Hall said he doesn’t think the
board should have closed the meet
ing.
“It’s the public’s sewer system,
and it’s the public’s money,” he
said. “I don’t understand what they
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Art for Heart this Saturday
fight against heart disease and
stroke. Cardiovascular disease,
including stroke, is the number one
killer in Pickens County and the
nation, accounting for 40 percent of
all deaths. Last year heart disease
and stroke was responsible for the
deaths of more than 25,000 Geor
gians, more than all of the deaths
from cancer -- AIDS, traffic acci
dents, homicides and suicides com
bined. This year the American Heart
Association will invest $32.7 mil
lion in the Southeast in direct grants
to hear research and support proj
ects in seven institutions in Georgia.
Melinda Edwards (692-5057) is
president of the local chapter and
Deborah Goodrum (692-2141) is
the Gala chair. They encourage your
participation in this very important
event and will be happy to answer
any questions.
Consumer Q’s
Sudden Oak
Death
Consumer Qs are prepared by
the Office of Public Affairs, Ga.
Dept, of Agriculture, Tommy Irvin,
Commissioner. If you have ques
tions or problems with products or
sendees regulated by the Ga. Dept,
of Agriculture you may write the
Office of Public Affairs, Room 224,
19 Martin Luther King Drive,
Atlanta, Ga. 30334 or call 800-282-
5852.
Q: What is Sudden Oak Death or
“SOD?”
A: SOD is a fungal disease. The
scientific name of this pathogen is
Phytophthora ramorum. There is lit
tle known about how this disease
will affect trees in Southern and
Eastern forests. SOD is damaging to
forest and shade trees and is most
commonly spread by the movement
(interstate trade) of ornamental
plants. The disease does not usually
kill ornamental plants. Common
symptoms of this disease are leaf
spots and branch dieback on orna
mental hosts.
Q: What are the symptoms of
SOD on nursery plants?
A: Unfortunately, the symptoms
of this disease are very non-specific
and look like many common dis
had to talk about in secret.”
He added that city ordinances
allow the city to tie onto a sewer
main that is in the right of way, and
the school board did not follow the
correct procedures to receive com
pensation for such a tie-on.
Girl Scout Troop 815
Food Drive
Saturday, April 24
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Ingles, Jasper
Collected food will go to North Georgia
Community Action Food Bank.
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eases found on plants in Georgia.
Symptoms vary greatly from plant
species to plant species and depend
on the severity of this disease on a
given plant. On camellia leaves,
SOD symptoms appear as a tan to
brown, zoned, “water-soaked” or
oily-looking lesions that begin at
the leaf tip and moves progressively
down the leaf towards the petiole.
Phytophthora ramorum cannot be
diagnosed in the field based solely
on visual inspections for symptoms.
The only way to detect and identify
this pathogen is by culturing a sus
pect plant sample in a laboratory.
Potentially, any leaf spot, tip burn,
dieback, leaf lesion or bleeding
canker could be considered to be a
symptom of this disease. Only by
laboratory testing can the disease be
correctly identified.
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