Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, May 14, 2020
Volume 133 Number 4
Jasper, Georgia
Local News Published Weekly
A look at hunger
in Pickens County
CARES Exc. Dir. Chris Rumble explains
that perishables like meat and produce are
not as available with current food shortages.
CARES Volunteer Kenton Baggs loads a
box of groceries into a client’s vehicle.
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
The flow of vehicles at
CARES Food Pantry Mon
day morning was intermit
tent, but fairly steady. Every
few minutes a car or truck
would drive through the des
ignated path marked off by
cones, up to the front door. A
volunteer walked out, asked
how many people were going
to be fed, returned with a box
of food and loaded it in the
vehicle.
While the local food
pantry is feeding around 225
households a week right now
with around 40 pounds of
food per family, they have not
experienced the massive
surge other communities are
reporting. CARES Executive
Director Chris Rumble said
after COVID-19 restrictions
began they had a slight bump,
but those numbers are now
more or less similar to aver
ages from 2019. He did note
that around January of this
year they experienced an un
expected drop from regular
numbers to around 175
households a week.
“The best we could tell
was that the economy was
See Hunger on 15A
Rash of auto break-ins at
Hunter’s Ridge investigated
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@piekensprogress.com
Pickens Sheriff’s Office is
investigating a series of auto
break-ins that occurred in the
Hunter’s Ridge subdivision
over the weekend, late Satur
day, May 9.
According to Pickens
Sheriff PIO Kris Stancil, five
vehicles in the subdivision
were entered between the
hours of 12 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Two guns were stolen out of
two of the five vehicles. No
other items were missing, ac
cording to the sheriff’s office.
“Mostly the vehicles were
rummaged through,” he said.
All vehicles were unlocked,
which Stancil said makes
them an easy target. He noted
that some people believe they
should leave their cars un
locked so thieves don’t resort
to breaking the window out to
get to belongings, but he said
See Break-ins on 15A
No improvement with Tate speeding
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
Speeding hasn’t gotten
any better along Highway 53
in Tate based on the most re
cent figures from the flashing
sign/recorder used there from
April 13 to April 27 com
pared to data collected in De
cember 2018/January 2019.
The figures supplied by
Nathan Jones with Pickens
County government showed
many drivers are still going
far faster than the posted 35
mile per hour speed limit in
the section of Highway 53
between the Tate Clinic and
Old Tate Gym. Figures in the
test were from the westbound
lane only.
The average speed of the
45,247 drivers who passed by
the flashing signs over the
two weeks was 40.67 miles
per hour, five miles an hour
over the posted limit. The
fastest driver to pass in front
of the sign was traveling 83
miles per hour recorded
around 4 p.m. in the after
noon on one of the days.
During a previous test pe
riod with the sign (December
7, 2018 through January 4,
2019) the average speed was
See Speeding on 13A
Pop-up COVID-19test she here
welcomes all who are interested
Drive up testing at the North Georgia Health District’s pop-up COVID-19 testing last
week at Mt. Zion Baptist Church. While hosted by the Georgia Department of Public
Health, several local agencies including the Pickens Sheriff’s Office, the Pickens County
government, and Pickens County emergency sendees were also on site.
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
According to North Geor
gia Health District Public In
formation Officer Jennifer
King, 37 people were tested
at Mt. Zion Baptist Church
last Wednesday, May 6 dur
ing a pop-up COVID-19 test
ing initiative of the Georgia
Department of Public Health.
Another pop-up test was held
at the same location the fol
lowing Wednesday, May 13
just after press time.
“We want to make testing
as accessible and easy for
people as possible,” King
said, “and break down those
barriers and get people tested.
The best part about this is
these are free to the public,
which is not the case if you
have these tests done other
places.”
King said while the first
pop-up test in Pickens was re
served for people who were
symptomatic or other priority
groups like healthcare work-
See Testing on 15A
June 9th Primary
candidates respond
Sample ballots. Page 8&
(See commission chair and tax
commissioner in next week's paper)
Sheriff
Tell us about your
background. What
do you consider the
top qualities you
have for this office?
I joined the Pick
ens Sheriff’s Office
in February of 1992
and ascended
through the ranks
which enabled me the Pohhie Craig
opportunity to gain (incumbent)
knowledge and experi
ence in the law enforcement profession.
I worked and super- See Craig on 15A
Tell us about your
background. What
do you consider the
top qualities/experi
ence you have for
this office?
I believe I’m
uniquely qualified to
be the next sheriff of
our community for Chris
many reasons. I grew up fucker
here in Pickens County
and attended K-12th grade in our school sys
tem. My parents were addicts and were in and
out of jail or prison, so See Tucker on 12A
School Board Post 4
Tell us about your
background. What
qualifies you for the
office?
I have a Bachelor
of Science degree in
psychology from
Liberty University
and a Master’s of Ed
ucation degree from
North Georgia College
and State University. I
was a classroom teacher See Finley on 12A
Tell us about your
background. What
qualifies you for the
office?
I am a long-time
resident of Pickens
County, having been
raised here and then
choosing to raise my
family here. I have been Christopher
married to my high Pence
school sweetheart,
Heather, for 20 years. We have two teenagers,
Alex, a 2020 graduate of PHS, and Bayleigh,
an upcoming sopho- See Pence on 12A
School Board Post 1
Sue Finley
(incumbent)
Tell us about your
background. What
qualifies you for the
office?
I am a graduate of
Pickens High School.
I spent 30 years as a
teacher and coach,
educating and nurtur
ing hundreds of young
people prior to my re
tirement in 2017.1 hold
a bachelor’s degree in See Enis on 13A
Donna Enis
(incumbent)
Tell us about your
background. What
qualifies you for the
office?
I am uniquely
qualified for this po
sition because as a
parent,
taxpayer/property
owner and the spouse of Tommy
a career educator (An- Cartrell
drea teaches in Chero
kee County and has See Gartrell on 14A
Tell us about your
background. What
qualifies you for the
office?
I like when I get
this question because
it gives me an oppor
tunity to point to the
unique position I am
currently in. I am a
product of the Pickens
County school system,
and at 27 years old my
Mathew
O'&ryant
See O’Bryant on 14A
Inside:
PHS Bands
wrap up the
year, Zoom-
style Page lB
Is backyard
birding the
sport for the
pandemic?
Page 16A
Memorial Day
tribute series
begins Page 7A
Obituaries - 5A
• Carlton Hughes
• Donald Gaddis
• Gertrude Hanzi
• Janice Layne
Index
Editorial 3A
Letters to the Editor . ,4A
Church 2B
Kids 4B
People 3B
Classifieds 10-11B
Legals 9B
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