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COPYRIGHT-THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2015 • VOLUME 127 NUMBER 45 • JASPER, GEORGIA • 750
8-U girls
make it
to State
Page IB
Groom in court for
fatal wedding day
crash
Page 10A
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County pays pond owner
$26K for mud in water
Single mother killed
in head-on collision
By Christie Pool
Staff writer
christie@pickensprogress.com
Great-grandson
of Winston
Churchill
to speak
at Big Canoe
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
Runoff from construction of
the parking lot behind the court
house cost the county $26,000 to
satisfy a nearby homeowner
whose pond was filled with silt.
As a result of complaints from
Jasper resident Ken Alston re
garding sediment and mud that
filled a pond on his property on
Laurel Lane, a check in that
amount was made out directly to
Alston.
The Progress requested and
received a proof of the check,
which is dated June 24, 2014.
The $26,000 came from
SPLOST funds earmarked for
the Main Street courthouse reno
vation
Pickens County Commission
Chair Rob Jones said Alston
brought no formal suit against
the county. Instead, he said, the
county entered into an agreement
with the property owner to save
money by settling the matter out
of court.
“We just wanted to handle it
this way to avoid adding more
cost from attorneys and litiga
tion,” Jones said. “We would
have had to pay way more to go
through that process. Mr. Alston
was very nice about it, he just
wanted his pond cleaned up.”
According to county attorney
Phil Landrum III, the decision to
settle with Alston came, in part,
after taking into consideration a
lawsuit the city of Jasper lost in
Man seeks arrest of county officials
for not issuing fine to neighbor
But magistrate
court won’t hear
code violation
Duncan Sandys
Winston Churchill’s great-grand
son will speak at the Big Canoe
Clubhouse on Friday, March 13th
about his famous relative and how
his courage and failures prepared
him for his supreme task in the
1940s.
The Dawson and Pickens County
Republican parties invite you to join
them as they host Duncan Sandys
for his talk.
Sandys is the former Lord Mayor
of Westminster and is an experi
enced communications and relation-
See Sandys, Page 15A
Pickens teen wins
top honors for
state Boys & Girls Clubs
September 2013 over erosion is
sues. The judgment against the
city cost nearly $370,000 and a
second suit over the same ero
sion is still lingering.
Landrum said the county de
termined runoff was from the
site of the courthouse parking
lot.
A look at the flood plain map
overlay on the Pickens County
QPublic website shows that
water would flow from the
courthouse parking lot site to the
Laurel Lane property.
Jones did note that he was
suspicious that runoff from other
areas could have contributed to
sediment collecting in the Laurel
Lane pond.
“This was during that period
where we had all that flooding
and heavy rains,” Jones said,
“and there were blowouts on the
roads near Chattahoochee Tech
and all that. I don’t know if that
had something to do with it, too,
but we got it settled. We didn’t
want to leave the guy hanging.”
Bids were put out to a few
local companies for sediment re
moval.
The Progress also requested
copies of permits for construc
tion of the parking lot. There
have been claims made by some
that the parking lot was con
structed without proper permit
ting. The county provided copies
of permits, including EPD per
mits, engineering inspections
and reports and internal inspec
tion reports.
“Do you think I’d dig a hole
in the middle of Jasper without a
permit?” Jones asked. “I don’t
know who these people are, but
they need to get their facts
straight.”
The Progress attempted to
contact Alston for comment but
he did not respond.
The release signed by the
county and Alston included con
fidentiality provisions for Al
ston, said Landrum.
Described as an outstand
ing person with a big heart,
Kristen Adams died in a car
wreck February 28th while
driving in the wrong direction
on Highway 575 near Airport
Road.
“Customers and co-work-
ers loved her and relied on her
dependability, honesty and
caring character,” said her
boss Amanda Moore.
Kristen Elaine Adams, 28,
of Jasper was killed instantly
Saturday morning when she ran
head-on into a tractor-trailer
while driving the wrong way on
Hwy. 575.
The wreck occurred just
north of Airport Road at 2:03
a.m. in the early morning hours
of Saturday, February 28th.
Georgia State Patrol Post Com
mander Tim Nichols said au
thorities didn’t know where
Adams got on the interstate
going in the wrong direction
but she was traveling south in
the northbound lane of Hwy.
575. Adams’ Toyota Corolla
struck a Kenworth tractor-
trailer.
According to the report, “the
driver of the tractor-trailer
could not avoid the Corolla and
they struck head-on.”
Nichols said Adams was
dead at the scene and had to be
extricated from her vehicle.
Toxicology reports are pending,
See Adams, Page 15A
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
ments. These deserving young
people are recognized for serv
ice to their club and commu
nity, academic performance
and contributions to their fam
ily.
Youth of the Year honorees
are shining examples and liv
ing proof that great futures start
at Boys & Girls Clubs.
For more information about
Boys & Girls Clubs of North
Georgia, please contact
Michele Brackin at
mbrackin@bgcng.org or 706-
253-CLUB (2582).
Obituaries
Page12A
Daniel Flanagan
Mozelle Cavin
Randall Moody
Troy Wingard
William “Willie” Prather
Wyolene Jones
Citizens arrest warrants were
filed last week in Magistrate
Court against two county offi
cials by an Upper Bethany
homeowner claiming they broke
the law by not carrying out their
duties.
Ronald Stanger, who has had
a long-running grievance with
the county and a neighboring
property owner, says that the
current and immediate past di
rectors of planning and develop
ment should face charges after
they failed to fine Stanger’s
neighbor for putting in a drive
way with the proper permit.
Stanger’s complaint cites cur
rent director Alberto Torres and
past director Norman Pope for
See Stanger, Page 15A
Damon Howell / Photo
Bethany resident Ronald Stanger says county officials should be held accountable for not issuing a
fine when the driveway behind him was put in without a permit. Stanger also objects to the lack of
buffer protection offered in county codes.
MiKayla Taylor, speaking at the capitol in Atlanta after being
selected Boys & Girls Clubs of America’s Georgia State Youth
of the Year.
By Michele L. Brackin
Executive Director
of Pickens dubs
A club member for nearly
10 years in Pickens County,
MiKayla Taylor was selected
as Boys & Girls Clubs of North
Georgia’s Youth of the Year.
On Monday, February 23,
Taylor represented the North
Georgia Clubs in Boys & Girls
Clubs of America’s Georgia
State Youth of the Year compe
tition held in Atlanta Georgia.
Competing against over 30
teens from clubs across the
state, she was selected as the
Georgia State Youth of the
Year. Boys & Girls Clubs of
North Georgia is proud to an
nounce that Taylor came home
with the title and college schol
arship awards totaling $8,000.
Next stop - BGCA’s South
east Region Youth of the Year
competition scheduled for June
where she will compete against
state winners from Virginia,
West Virginia, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Alabama,
Florida, Tennessee, and Missis
sippi.
Boys & Girls Clubs of
America’s Youth of the Year
recognition is the highest honor
a club member can achieve.
The Youth of the Year pro
gram celebrates youth who
have overcome enormous odds
and demonstrated exceptional
character and accomplish-
Jasper RV owner takes to road
to spread End Times prophecy
Ely drives 50 miles an hour on highways so drivers
have to pass him and see his Christian message.
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
Sitting in the back room of Jasper RV & Auto,
Donald Ely is dressed like you’d expect a pastor to
be dressed. A golden cross dangles overtly between
the lapels of a sharp black suit.
As Ely sits, he talks passionately about the most
recent message he received from God - one he ex
pects will take him around the world. Ely is brazen
and unapologetic about his Christian faith, but he
sidesteps aggression, often moved to tears as he dis
cusses his relationship with God.
“I love Him so much,” Ely said, describing the
progression of his ministry since he was saved in
1979. From a deliverance ministry of cleansing
demons and spirits, to 27 years as pastor, up to and
through current day when he and his wife advertise
a healing and prayer center at their Highway 53
business, in addition to full RV and auto service,
parts and accessories.
“This is the only time God has commanded me,”
See Prophecy, Page 15A
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