Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, April 9, 2020
Volume 132 Number 51
Jasper, Georgia
Local News Published Weekly
Domestic issues rise as
quarantine continues
Not needed yet, but Piedmont Mountainside has added a tent and
mobile unit to handle a projected sharp increase in coronavirus cases
later in April.
Caseload holding
steady, but hospital
CEO says surge
still expected
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
Shelter-in-place and social dis
tancing appear to be keeping coron
avirus case numbers manageable
here according to the local hospital
CEO while law enforcement agen
cies reported the quarantine is run
ning up the calls for domestic
disputes.
Speaking to government leaders
from Pickens and Gilmer counties in
a teleconference Monday, hospital
CEO Denise Ray said she breathes a
sigh of relief every time there is a
negative result on a COVID-19 test
performed on someone here.
As of Monday, Ray said they had
tested 37 people at Piedmont Moun
tainside and had 32 negatives. She
told the government leaders that they
had two people who had tested pos
itive in the local intensive care.
It was also reported earlier this
week that Mike Setser, a 70-year-old
Jasper resident, had died of coron
avirus. Setser and his wife, who also
tested positive for coronavirus, were
included in a Progress story two
weeks ago on the medical challenges
of treating the COVID-19 symp
toms. Setser was the second person
from Pickens who has died from
coronavirus. He was being treated at
Northside Cherokee Hospital at the
time of his death.
While the numbers held steady
over the last week, the hospital CEO
Ray emphasized they are still pro
jecting to see a surge in cases be
tween April 13 and April 30 and are
continuing to look for ways to ex
pand treatment capacity, including
adding a tent to the hospital grounds
which could handle overflow and
bringing beds to the hospital from
the nursing instruction area at Chat
tahoochee Technical College in
Jasper.
Ray told the conference that at
least one case of suspected COVID-
19 in Gordon County is from a resi
dent of The Oaks assisted living
facility in Fairmount. She said this is
obviously a big concern, and that the
See Virus on 11A
Quilters & seamstresses to the rescue
Family Photo
Nelson resident Rhonda Standi, right, is usu
ally busy with prom dresses this time of year, but
like many seamstresses has turned her efforts
to making face masks. She is pictured with
daughter Valerie Boehm. Unlike the medical
masks, homemade masks like these can be col
orful with a variety of patterns.
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@piekensprogress.com
Mid-morning Tuesday, Bent Tree resident
Regina Martin spoke with someone regarding a
request for 1,500 face masks for an organization
outside of Pickens, “but at this point that is a big
order for us and we have such a great need right
here in our own community,” she said.
Martin, a member of the First Mountain City
Quilters, is part of a network of quilters and
seamstresses in Pickens See Masks on 11A
Don Martin / Photo
Regina Martin is one of many quilters who have donated their time and materials to make pro
tective face masks as a spike in demand due to the COVID-19 outbreak has caused a shortage.
Happy Easter
from the
Progress
County’s
COVID-19
ordinance
hotline
706-253-8978
Confusion
continues
over election
issues Page 7B
Jobless claims
skyrocket
Page 8A
Hwy. 136
roundabouts
planned Page 10B
Business owner
shoots tire of
escaping burglary
suspect
Gun, pipe, hammer aid
business owner & son
in stopping burglary
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
Sheriff deputies responded to a
business that sits a short way off Cove
Road Sunday after the owner reported
spotting someone going through his
supply area. To detain the suspected
burglar, the business owner shot the
tire of the sus
pect’s car as he
tried to flee.
According
to the incident
report filed by
Deputy Tyler
Cantrell, the
owner of a
plumbing com
pany saw some
one park and
enter a gated area
where he keeps
See Burglary
on 11A
Book-in Photo
Suspect Bryan
Silvers
Board names finalist for
superintendent position
Pickens County School District Press Release
On April 7, the Pickens County Board of Educa
tion voted to name Dr. Rick Townsend as the single
finalist for the position of superintendent. As re
quired by Georgia statute, a 14-day public comment
period is now in effect since a finalist has been
named.
The Board decided to name Dr. Townsend as fi
nalist for the position after a thorough three-month
search process. The search process included consid
eration of 34 applicants from across Georgia and
several other states, initial interviews of 14 appli
cants, collection and review of extensive reference
information, and in-depth follow-up interviews of
four applicants. During the search process, the
Board surveyed over 200 school system employees
and over 500 members of the Pickens County com
munity to determine the qualifications and charac
teristics that those groups thought most important in
the selection. The Board utilized the survey results
in selecting Dr. Townsend as the single finalist.
Dr. Townsend currently serves as chief executive
officer of the Golden Isles College and Career Acad
emy in Brunswick, Ga. and has served in that role
since 2010. Dr. Townsend began his education career
in 1991 at Winder-Barrow Middle School as a
teacher and coach. He served as assistant principal
at Jefferson High School from 1997 to 2002 and was
principal of Banks County Upper Elementary School
from 2002 to 2005. He was then named principal of
E. T. Booth Middle school in Cherokee County and
then worked as a princi
pal, assistant superin
tendent, and acting
superintendent in Ap
pling County Schools
prior to assuming his cur
rent position at the
Golden Isles College and
Career Academy.
Dr. Townsend grew up in
Lithonia, Ga. He has
been married for 29 years
to Carolyn Townsend,
who is a kindergarten
teacher. Dr. and Mrs.
Townsend have three
children, Haley, Emily,
and Molly. Dr. Townsend
is a graduate of Reinhardt
College, the University
of Georgia, and the Uni
versity of West Georgia.
He earned the Doctor of Education Degree in School
Improvement from the University of West Georgia
in 2011.During the coming weeks, the Board will fi
nalize terms of employment for Dr. Townsend. It is
the Board’s intent to formally employ Dr. Townsend
as superintendent after the 14-day period of public
comment. The Board anticipates that Dr. Townsend
will begin work as superintendent as soon as possi
ble, and will closely coordinate his work with Dr.
Charles Webb, the current interim superintendent.
Dr. Rick Townsend,
of Brunswick, has been
named finalist for
school superintendent.
He was named in a 4-1
vote with Sue Finley
voting in opposition.
Obituaries - 10A
• Jack Borders Sr.
• J.M. Heath
• Julia Ann Mooney
Index
Editorial 4A
Letters to the Editor . 5A
People 2B
Church 3B
Kids 5B
Legals 6-7B
Classifieds 8-9B
Follow Us Online
emu
|fl You |]j@
Contact Us
94 North Main Street
Jasper, Ga. 30143
706-253-2457
www.pickensprogress.com
Open for business during
these hours: Mon-Thurs,
9-5, and Fri, 9-4:30