Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, January 12,2017
Jasper, Georgia
Volume 129 Number 38
www.pickensprogress.com
75 cents
Pet cemeteries discussed again - ha Blood donations critically needed - 12A
Gambling, gun
control and pot,
2017 topics at
state house
Page 16A
Mark Twain
coming to
Tater Patch
Theater
Page 11A
Two separate
wrecks at same
spot on Cove
Road last week
Page 11A
Black ice
causes fatal
wreck at
Pleasant Hill
Fatal accidents drop
more than 50 %
over previous year
By Christie Pool
Staff writer
christie@pickensprogress.com
Lucinda Cook, 59, died
Tuesday morning, January
10th just a half mile from her
home when she hit a patch of
black ice while driving her
2001 Dodge Durango, ac
cording to Georgia State Pa
trol Commander Tim
Nichols.
The accident occurred at
6:20 a.m. on Pleasant Hill
Road in Hill City. Nichols
said Cook was travelling
south on Pleasant Hill Road,
negotiating a curve when she
came upon a patch of ice.
“She lost control and trav
eled down an embankment
where she struck a tree,” he
said. “A passerby just hap
pened to come by and see the
tail lights from the vehicle
down an embankment and
reported it.”
Nichols said she was
wearing her seatbelt and
airbags had deployed but
“the force in which she hit
the tree was just too strong to
survive.”
Surveying the road later,
it appeared this was the only
large patch of ice still on
Pleasant Hill and was di
rectly at the steep embank
ment.
Fatalities down in 2016
Nichols reported Tuesday
that car fatalities were down
See Wrecks on 13A
First winter storm hits at good time
Kids enjoyed an extra long weekend because of winter weather that came through town Friday. Much of the county
saw three inches of snow, which was perfect for snowballs, sledding and other outdoor play.
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
The first winter storm of 2017
came at an opportune time - arriving
late on Friday and largely clearing up
over the weekend.
While schools were closed Monday
and Tuesday due to lingering ice, con
ditions greatly improved by mid-day
Monday. Tragically, the only serious
wreck of the storm happened early
Tuesday morning when a driver was
killed after hitting a patch of ice and
losing control [see related story, Page
1A] on a road that was mostly free of
any snow or See Storm on ] 3A
Big change sought by
new council member
Dr. Sonny Proctor, second from left, seeks to separate
the mayoral and city manager position at Jasper’s City Hall.
“Jasper still safe,”
says police chief
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
With just one meeting
under his belt, the newest
Jasper City Council member
has called for “better busi
ness practices” and a separa
tion of the mayoral and city
manager position, which are
both currently held by John
Weaver.
“My objective coming on
to the council is that I think
we’re at a very pivotal time
in our past and history, and I
think that the future looks
bright,” council member Dr.
Sonny Proctor said at the
Monday meeting. “I think
what this council and city
needs to start looking for is
best practices, and I think that
having the mayor and the city
manger as the same person is
probably not deemed to be
the best practice for munici
pal government.”
In general, the mayor is
elected and presides over the
city council. Together with
the city coimcil the mayor de
velops policies that deter
mine the direction of the city.
The city manager is hired by
the city council, carries out
the policies developed by
mayor and council and man
ages the city’s day-to-day op
erations.
According to city code,
the mayor is allowed to be
appointed and serve as city
manger, and the city manager
may be removed from office
at any time by a majority vote
from city council.
John Weaver has served as
mayor of Jasper for 25 years.
He’s been appointed city
manager the entire length of
his service. Prior to Weaver,
Lee Newton served as
Jasper’s mayor for 20 years
and was also appointed as
city manager that entire time.
Though there was a two-
year period (1978-1979) that
divided Newton’s terms,
when Dr. B.H. Lee served as
mayor and a paid city man
ager was employed.
Dr. Proctor said he would
like for council to seriously
consider separating these two
positions.
Proctor addressed Weaver
during the meeting, “It will
give you the opportunity to
select somebody as city man
ager that you could mentor
and pass the baton to. Not
trying to rush you out of of
fice, but it would give you
See Council on 13A
Homeless vet and wife need help
Donations requested for
temporary housing
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
It’s been about two weeks since
John Naves received a text about a
disabled veteran and his wife who
were struggling with serious health
issues and had no place to live.
Since that time Naves, founder
and chaplain of a new charity dedi
cated to serving the poor and hungry
in Pickens, has worked exhaustively
to help the couple. Now Naves and
other Love thy Neighbors volunteers
are reaching out to the community
for donations to help the Johnsons.
“We received a message this
week about Mike and Vicki [John
son] being kicked out of a motel and
so we moved them to the Super 8
and paid for their stay for a week,”
Naves said. “Mike is a disabled Ma
rine on a waiting list for a heart
transplant. He has a lot of health is
sues including diabetes and was re
cently in Emory hospital for nine
weeks with pneumonia. That hospi
tal stay led him and his wife to lose
the place where they were living and
all of their belongings.”
Mike gets $900 a month for dis
ability, but he can’t get help from
other places because he doesn’t
qualify and gets “caught up in red
tape.” His wife also struggles with
health issues, including diabetes.
“Like so many veterans they’ve
got to wait for medical help,” Naves
said. “I’ve worked street missions, I
have seen hundreds of our veterans
living on the streets, sick and desper
ate, because of red tape. He gave up
the prime time See Vet on 13 A
Volunteers with Love thy Neighbor in
cluding the charity’s chaplain John
Naves, left, is on a mission to help dis
abled, homeless vet Mike Johnson and
wife Vicki find permanent housing.
The final trip... done how he’d want it
The family of Pickens resident Norman Mulkey, who passed away on Dec. 25, 2016, asked that he be transported
from the funeral home to the gravesite in his favorite pickup truck. Here, pallbearers unload the casket as survivors,
including wife Becky, look on.
“It was our last ride
together,” said widow
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
It was early afternoon on a Wednes
day when Norman Mulkey was laid to
rest just beyond the crest of a hill at
Sunrise Memorial Gardens.
The December 28th funeral proces
sion that traveled there from Cagle Fu
neral Home snaked down the long
drive that led from the garden’s en
trance to the gravesite, where final,
teary goodbyes were said and hugs
were exchanged.
Up until the procession, Jerusalem
community resident Norman
Mulkey’s See Funeral on 13A
OBITS
PAGE 5A
• Cari Ouderkirk • James Magness Jr. • Tony Haynes
• Cora Bell Chastain • Lisa Waldron
• Hugh Eubanks • Marti Kelley
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