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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