Newspaper Page Text
Welcome To Dogpatch
Tater Patch Players’ Li’l Abner opens this week • p ag e5B
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Briefly ...
Live From Iraq
Hometown hero Army
Private Ben Gable speaks
live via satellite from the
war zone to the crowd
attending the Army
Ground Forces concert
here last week. Pvt. Gable
looked to be in good form
and spirits while the Army
musicians lavished an out
standing performance for
local listeners. Page 3B
Some Like
WHAT Hot?
The weather? Salsa? Their
music? Artists should get
to work now so they’ll
have a really hot entry for
the next Sharptop exhibit,
“Some Like It Hot.” In
the meantime, an exhibit
called “Pickens Past and
Present” opens at the Art
Center this weekend.
Page 6A
Introducing
Poochie Pickens
Pickens Animal Rescue
has a new mascot,
Poochie
Pickens.
Watch out
for him
making
appearances
around the
county
promoting
events like the Fur Ball
and Spay/Neuter Days.
Page 8A
History of Jasper
In conjunction with the
City of Jasper celebrating
its Sesquicentennial this
summer, local historian
Mimi Jo Butler has pre
pared a history of the
town that begins in this
issue and will continue in
coming weeks. This first
installment covers the
early years, from the
incorporation of Jasper in
1857 up until the War
Between the States.
Page 11B
Weather
By WILLIAM DILBECK
HI
LOW
RAIN
Tuesday
77
66
.00
Wednesday
83
64
.00
Thursday
86
61
.00
Friday
85
65
.00
Saturday
77
68
.07
Sunday
82
67
.11
Monday
88
67
.52
Deaths
E.D. “Josh” Fitts
Bessie Mulkey
Ola Byess
Ruby Ellis
Ruby Murray
Mary L. Jones
OBITUARIES . ..See Page 9A
Visit Us
On The Web
www.pickensprogres s .com
The Progress is
printed in part on
recycled newsprint
and is recyclable
THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2007 • VOLUME 120 NUMBER 10 • JASPER, GEORGIA • 500
Part of Jasper’s 150th celebration
Music festival
and duck race
this Saturday
By Dan Pool
There will be plenty of local
bands, local vendors, local
groups and rubber ducks
Saturday at the Jasper Music
Festival.
Beginning at noon in Lee
Newton Park, Jasper’s 150th
anniversary celebration will
continue with a music festival
and duck race.
The festivities, including
special events for kids, will
continue until 8 p.m. with the
race of 500 rubber ducks down
the small park creek at 3 p.m.
Mayor John Weaver said, “It
will all be local, performers and
vendors. We made a point of
keeping it local.”
The ducks, however, are
imported.
The highlight of the day will
be a race of 500 rubber ducks
down the small stream in the
center of the park. All the ducks
are numbered with the owner’s
name recorded. The top four
finishers win cash (first prize
$500) and the top 20 finishers
win prizes including Braves
tickets, food and tools donated
by sponsors.
Weaver said they have
backed up a small pond of
water to be released at race time
helping the yellow-winged rac
ers bobble down the course.
Weaver said he, and every
one he has talked to, seem
excited about the race. “It’s
going to be a fun family event,”
he said. As of
Monday, all the ducks were
either sold at $10 a piece or
spoken for. If there are any left,
they will be available prior to
Continued on page 16A
Air search of county finds
large marijuana operation
Chief Deputy says “tis the season”
for marijuana growing and busts
A helicopter sweep by the
Governor’s Drug Task force
found 188 marijuana plants
being grown around a Ball
Ground home, leading to the
arrest of one person and seizure
of the plants last week.
Deputies and drug force
agents made some smaller, pos
session busts last week with
marijuana being seized.
Chief Deputy Allen
Wigington said now is the prime
time for marijuana growing and
related selling.
Local agents and the state
helicopter crew were doing a
routine sweep as part of a mari
juana eradication program when
they spotted the plants being
grown from the air. “It just hap
pened this was a very successful
day,” he said.
According to arrest reports,
Nathan L. Reynolds, 27, of
Continued on page 16A
Motorcyclist dies
following Hwy. 515 wreck
A 64-year-old motorcyclist
was killed after he rear-ended
another vehicle on Highway
515, near the Ingles entrance
July 4th.
Bertram Vinson, 64, of
Cuthbert, GA, was pronounced
dead at Piedmont Mountainside
after the 10:49 p.m. wreck of his
1997 Harley Davidson LTS. No
other injuries were reported.
Jasper Police Chief Harold
Cantrell said there didn’t appear
to be any evidence of typical
factors contributing to holiday
crashes — alcohol or speed.
Vinson was driving alone, not
as part of any riding group.
“There was no evidence of
alcohol, no evidence of exces
sive speed,” Cantrell said. “Just
driver inattentiveness. He
apparently didn’t see the car
that was stopped. He didn’t ever
slow down.”
Damon Howell / Photo
Mayor John Weaver tends to his flock of 500 racing duckies that will make their debut at
the city’s Sesquicentennial Celebration activities on July 14 at Newton Park.
Chamber to revive
Citizen of the Year award
Community to get final
The Pickens County Chamber of Commerce
will begin accepting nominations for the 2007
“Citizen of the Year” award July 1, 2007.
Deadline for nominations is August 1.
A Selection Committee will be appointed each
year by the President of the Pickens Chamber of
Commerce and Government and Civic Relations
Committee Chair. To ensure credibility the names
of those on the Selection Committee will not be
divulged.
The responsibility of this Selection Committee
is to review all nominations and select the top five
vote on our top resident
to announce for community vote.
Top five nominees will not be based upon num
ber of nominations but on the credibility of the
nomination.
Voting begins September 1 and ends October
15. Community members can vote three ways:
• online at www.pickenschamber.com
• mail: 500 Stegall Drive - Jasper GA 30143
• voting boxes located throughout the commu
nity (locations to be announced)
Continued on page 11A
Fairmount guardsman sues Holly Springs
Claiming discrimination over overseas military service
By Michael Moore
Fairmount resident and Georgia Army
National Guardsman Michael Wells is suing the
police department where he worked for nine
years, under a federal law that protects the civil
ian employment opportunities of active duty mil
itary personnel.
Wells was a sergeant at the Holly Springs
Police Department before his employment there
ceased in April. He is also a staff sergeant in the
National Guard, and served in support of
Operation Iraqi Freedom from May 2005 to June
2006, according to the complaint for damages
filed in the United States district court in
Atlanta.
Having been employed with the Holly
Springs Police prior to his service in Iraq, Wells
returned to his job as a police sergeant when he
returned to Georgia.
Almost immediately after his return, Wells
said he was treated with a series of “retaliatory”
actions by the new police management, who
took command while he was in Iraq. He claims
the new administrators, whom he calls “anti-
American,” discriminated against him because of
his overseas absence during National Guard
duty.
“I didn’t have any problems with my Guard
duty under the previous administration,” said
Wells.
He added, “I want to make sure this doesn’t
happen to another soldier.”
When it became evident to Wells that he was
being treated unfairly, he hired Jasper attorney
Ed Marger. The police department and the City
of Holly Springs are now being sued by Wells
for violating the Uniformed Services
Employment Continued on page 11A
Safety in Numbers: Emergency Response employees hold Safety Day
Daniel Cumming / Photo
All manner of emergency response vehicles showed up for Safety Day in Roper Park on
Saturday, ranging from Army Humvees to a police helicopter. Pictured here, some of the
participants inspect a Humvee.
By Daniel Cumming
Dozens of police cars, fire
trucks, and ambulances bathed
Roper Park with flashing lights
Saturday, but the only emer
gency was a light drizzle.
Folks young and old gathered
for Pickens County’s first Safety
Day to learn tips such as how to
safely board a school bus as well
as get close-up inspections of
the emergency equipment and
Army Humvees.
Despite the sprinkling, chil
dren jumped in a Moonbounce
castle and then ran around to
ogle at police cruisers, motorcy
cles, a helicopter, and even a
police Segway.
Officer Mike Sellers drove
from Rockdale County to show
off his motorcycle and Segway,
a two-wheeled scooter that
drives whatever direction the
driver leans at up to 14 miles per
hour. It can even stand up on its
own.
He hasn’t put lights on it yet,
but it’s not generally for chasing
criminals anyway, Sellers said.
He could drive off of a curb, but
going up onto one presents a
problem. He uses it for crowd
control at festivals, he said.
Safety Day had the feeling of
a festival, with different stations
for children and adults to learn
about the government employ
ees that serve them. A
Dalmatian hung around fire
trucks with extended ladders.
Two replica cars, one of The
General Lee from The Dukes of
Hazzard and the other a police
car straight out of The Andy
Griffith Show, were displayed
proudly next to each other. Both
had signatures of numerous cast
members from the shows on
their dashboards.
A remote-controlled robot
looking like a Muppet sheriff in
a Power Wheels cruiser drove
around the parking lot playing
the song, “Bad Boys,” and blast
ing a full-volume siren occa
sionally. Children took turns
with the remote, good-naturedly
trying to run over each other’s
toes.
Chandler Adams, 8, adjusted
his Sheriff’s Department
nametag as he walked around
inspecting the different emer
gency response vehicles. His
mother works at the Sheriff’s
Office, and had the tag printed
specially for today.
Brenda Folsom and Connie
Essary, both school bus drivers
for six years, were there to make
sure that kindergartners who
have never ridden a bus knew
how to next fall. The number
one safety rule is listen to bus
driver, explained Folsom. As the
bus pulls up, Essary said, chil
dren should wait 10 feet back
from the door.
In the baseball field next to
the parking lot, Shawn
Kendrick, active duty National
Guardsman, sat with his wife
and baby next to two desert-col
ored Humvees. He told stories
from his service and showed off
his camouflaged garb.
Continued on page 16A
