Newspaper Page Text
Pickens County
Editorial
Quote of the Week
“And now we welcome the new year. Full
of things that have never been.”
- Rainer Maria Rilke
Page
• Opinions • Community Views • Good Old Common Sense
December 29, 2016
From the staff
What we’d like to see
happen in 2017
Give us a sign - For several years we
have editorialized about (and business
leaders have asked for) some type of at
tractive intersection at Highway 515 and
Highway 53. Maybe an improved me
dian with plants, trees, an arrow pointing
to downtown and other features to let
people know they’re in
Jasper when they hit that
spot on the fourlane. Both
Ellijay and Blue Ridge
have these types of medi
ans and they do well for
tourism.
Don’t Facebook, Be
Happy - Several studies
have shown that people
who are heavy social
media users are less likely
to report being happy.
One recent study from the Happiness Re
search Institute found that Facebook
users may be up to 39 percent less happy
than non- FB’ers. Apparently the never-
ending cascade of photos of other people
enjoying themselves make people feel
their lives don’t measure up, according
to a Psychology Today study. Of course,
the cause and effect could be backwards
- people who are already unhappy tend to
use FB more. Either way, this year try
more face-to-face time or read a book.
Cut it out — Commissioner Rob Jones
and Pickens County government, we are
saying it loud and clear and early - we
don’t want another massive tax hike this
year. In fact, we want cuts. Every year at
budget setting time the county trots out
some lame excuse as to why they sure
would like to cut spending, but just can’t
- much like the captain of the Titanic
with that iceberg. Start early this year and
make cuts.
Fewer legend deaths - We’re not
celebrity crazy, but 2016 took the lives of
some of the most iconic, influential per
formers of our generation - Prince, David
Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Gene Wilder,
Glen Frey, Greg Lake AND Keith Emer
son, Merle Haggard, George Michael,
Carrie Fisher and many others - we’d like
2017 to be kinder to our living legends.
Fill the buildings - According to some
regional real estate professionals, Pick
ens is not only falling behind Cherokee
and Forsyth attracting new growth, but
Dawson is quickly advancing while we
spin our wheels. We need a renewed
focus on economic development, partic
ularly looking at what the
other counties offer in
terms of incentives, tax
abatements and perks.
What we are currently
doing in Jasper and Pick
ens County is not work
ing - too many empty
spaces sitting around
Jasper’s main street.
Rain - While things have
been damp lately, we are
still in the midst of a seri
ous drought and only regular rainy days
will do the trick - and we’re talking sev
eral days of deep, drenching rain. Ac
cording to the United States Drought
Monitor, we remain in an “exceptional
drought” and the La Nina weather pattern
we are experiencing this year doesn’t
look good for bringing us rain, but we
can always hope.
Marble Fest revamp - After he was
hired as the Chamber of Commerce Ex
ecutive Director this year, Gerry Nech-
vatal said the Georgia Marble Festival is
stale and he wants to see changes made
to the annual event. We couldn’t agree
more and can’t wait to see what Nech-
vatal and other organizers do to make the
Marble Festival more exciting and a
draw for people who don’t live in the
county. We know all the changes might
not happen in one year but we applaud
them for getting the ball rolling.
Trump to succeed - Not everyone sup
ports President-elect Donald Trump, but
everyone should want him and his team
to do well next year for the good of the
country. We are all counting on it, quite
literally.
We’d also like 2017 to be a year of
more kindness; and for us to have more
concern for the work we need to do close
to home to make our world a better place.
From economic
development to
rain, there is
plenty we would
like to see next
year.
AGREE OR DISAGREE? Tell us your thoughts with a letter to the editor. Letters may
be e-mailed to news@pickensprogress.com. All letters must have a valid e-mail address,
full name and telephone number for verification. 400 word limit on letters to be published.
We still take them by regular mail at Pickens Progress, P.O. Box 67, Jasper, GA 30143
The Essential Bad Attitude
By Alan Gibson
New Fears for the New Year
Find your favorite phobia
and stick with it, that’s my
motto. Forget the old stand-
bies like Fear of Flying or
Fear of Public Speaking.
Here are some new fun -
fears for the new year.
Fear Of Those To Whom
You Say ‘Come See Us’ -
And They Do.
Fear Of Being Served
Rot-Gut Chili At A Banquet
With Limited Restroom Fa
cilities.
Fear Of Helping A Lady
Across The Street When
She’s In Workout Mode.
Fear Of Being Advised
To ‘Be Yourself’ Only To
Discover That You Don’t
Know How.
Fear Of Being Asked
How Much You Weigh. Al
ways answer “None of your
beeswax.”
Fear That Your Longtime
Chum Is Going Bananas. In
dicators: He goes around
saying “There’s a FUNGUS
among us!” with emphasis
on fungus. The meme has
been taken up by vendors at
baseball games.
Fear That Reruns Of The
Brady Bunch will turn you
into a Brady.
Fear Of Road Rage Di
rected At You. More pre
cisely at your bumper sticker
which reads People Are No
Damn Good.
Fear of Being Served Wa
tered-Down Drinks. Say to
the bartender “Don’t be
stingy baby.” It’s from a
Greta Garbo movie, but your
typical bartender won’t know
that.
(USPS 431-820)
Published by Pickens County Progress, Inc.
94 North Main St. P.O. Box 67 Jasper, GA 30143
(706) 253-2457 FAX (706) 253-9738
www.pickensprogress.com
JOHN A. POOL DAN POOL
Publisher Editor
WILLIAM E. POOL
Managing Editor
Published each Thursday at Jasper, Pickens County Georgia. Entered
at the Post Office at Jasper Georgia 30143 as Mail Matter of Second
Class. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE PICKENS
COUNTY PROGRESS, P.O. Box 67, Jasper, GA 30143.
One Year’s Subscription: $29.96 in Pickens County and in Gilmer,
Cherokee, Dawson and Gordon Counties. $39.59 in all other Georgia
Counties; $44.94 out of state.
Fear of Falling In With
The Wrong Crowd. This as
sumes that you are not al
ready a member.
Fear of ‘Barfobia’ Which
Is ‘Excessive Political Dis
course Without Hors D’oeu-
vres.’
Fear Of The Phrase
‘Cheese It; The Cops.’
[Gibson is a regular colum
nist for the Pickens Progress.]
scott.
At least there is
something they can
work on together.
Other Voices
We all like to know secrets
Check out Public Notices in this newspaper and you can learn
By Robert M.
Williams, Jr.
Most of us like
to know something
everyone else
might not be privy
to. I certainly do.
If something
like that interests
you, read on, and
learn where you
can uncover fasci
nating “secrets” every week,
if you’re alert.
They’re not really true se
crets, of course, because,
well... they’re printed in the
newspaper. When informa
tion is put into the hands of
all the subscribers every
week, one thing for certain is
that it’s no longer a secret, if
it ever was.
Much of this falls under
the category of little-known
facts. If you know about
them, the knowledge can put
you “one-up” on many, how
ever, because, like hiding in
plain sight, these facts are
often seen, but not really
read. And what a pity.
It’s our public notices.
The “legals,” as some refer to
them (B-section behind
Sports). That’s right. Those
long columns of legalese
mumbo-jumbo and dowdy
display ads contain interest
ing, and sometimes, enter
taining secrets if you follow
them regularly and under
stand what you see.
Reading these notices can
save you time and trouble,
too. Ever come up on a road
closing, or bridge out and
wish you’d gone another
route? Chances are word of
the closing appeared in the
public notices. You had a
chance to be forewarned, but
may have missed it.
Not all news in these no
tices is good, but what news
is? Turn to the public notice
section in our newspaper, or
any reputable paper, to see
what I mean. What’s that?
First Financial So-and-So is
foreclosing on your first
cousin’s home — the one he
bragged about so much when
he built it. You questioned
I how he could ever
1 afford it at the time.
And there, right
below that, an in
corporation notice
where Mr. Jones,
two doors down, is
starting a business
called “Jones Tax
Service, Dry Clean
ing and Taxidermy,
Inc.” Well, how
about that? And next to it is a
similar notice where the vice
president at the bank is the
registered agent for a new
corporation called “Acme In
vestments and Land, Inc.”
Wonder what he’s buying
and selling now?
On the same page is a notice
where the Smith couple out
on the highway is adopting a
baby. How wonderful! A few
inches away appears the no
tice where the widow John
son is petitioning to settle the
estate of her late husband.
Could it be a year since he
died? My time does fly! And
so on ...
More than once I’ve seen
someone’s name in the public
notices regarding their delin
quency on a bill and learned
not to add their names to my
list of accounts. Other times
have alerted me to interesting
new additions to our commu
nity as fledgling businesses
are incorporated and start a
life of their own in our midst.
The world of business affects
us all. It pays to keep up and
public notices, required by
law since our founding fa
thers envisioned this great
nation, are made easily ac
cessible for a good reason —
our protection.
If they happen to be enter
taining reading at the same
time, all the better.
[Robert M. Williams, Jr. is
editor and publisher of The
Blackshear Times. This col
umn is adapted from one first
published in 2011. Email:
rwi Hi ams @theb lacks -
heartimes.com.]
Support
Community
Journalism
Subscribe to the Progress
706-253-2457
or online at
pickensprogress.com
WEATHER
By William Dilbeck
Dec. 13 - Dec. 19
HI
LOW RAIN
Tuesday
51
41
.00
Wednesday
52
29
.00
Thursday
36
21
.00
Friday
37
27
.00
Saturday
59
37
.33
Sunday
59
27
.15
Monday
41
27
.00
TRADITION
TREE SERVICE
Jasper, GA
Generations of Tree Care
• Free Estimates
• Fully Insured
• Tree Removal
• Tree Pruning
•Brush Chipping
with our new chipper
traditiontreeservice80@gmail.com
Georgia Arborist Association Member
Josh Bail
C: 678-848-1751
H: 706-253-0122
The Pickens County Head Start/Pre-K School thanks
the following Pickens County businesses and orgainzations
that made donations for the annual Christmas party
benefitting 110 students which was held on Thrasday,
December 15, 2016.
Mountain City Auto Parts
Waterfall Custom Homes
Dr. Brenda G. Fritz, DDS
Pickens County Progress
Shottenkirk Ford
John & Georgia Neel
Rocco’s Pub
61 Main
Victor Nails & Tan
Gamer Ace Hardware
Our Lady of the Mountains
Men’s Club
George & Joan Buynoski
Deb’s Bakery
Jasper Discount Cleaners
Roland Tire
Moore Furniture Company
Denson Heating & Air
R&R Trikes, Bikes
& Accessories
The Last Catch
Angel Robinson
Rich & Linda Kumfert
Cagle Funeral Home
Roper Funeral Home and
Crematory
Mary Ann’s Country
Cooking
Parish Lowrie Insurance
and Financial Services
Event sponsored by:
St. Vincent de Paul Society
Jasper Drug Store
Commercial Interiors
Manufacturing, Inc.
Knights of Columbus
Blount Construction Co.
Foothills IGA Market
Clairmont Inn
Royston, LLC
Fatz Restaurant
Quality Synthetic Rubber
Steams Bank