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THURSDAY. OCTOBER 29. 2020 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 11A
Community Responds:
Holiday plans during a pandemic
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@piekensprogress.com
With holidays fast ap
proaching - Halloween,
Thanksgiving, and Christmas
- health experts are warning
people about the possible
dangers of large holiday
gatherings to prevent a surge
of COVID-19 cases. We
asked our Facebook follow
ers how their families will be
changing - or not changing -
their holiday plans. Here are
some responses (see Face-
book page for all responses):
Barbara Collage Villa -
It’s celebration of Thanksgiv
ing and Christmas at mom’s
and grandma’s house as
usual. Not changing a dam
thing.
Deborah Pinyan Waters
-For larger family get togeth-
ers, thinking of outdoor bon
fires, hayrides, outdoor
movies, etc.
Wanda G. Fowler - Our
families on both sides have
postponed family reunions
until maybe next year. We
don't want to lose more fam
ily members.
Darlene Strickland - No,
we will not have holidays as
usual. It is not worth any
one’s health or the possibility
of a loss of someone I love
for a bite of turkey and a little
time together. I love my fam
ily and I can wait.
Kelly Ann - 1.25 million
people die in car accidents
every year. You all still drive.
We will be celebrating the
holidays the same as always.
Kate Vaughn -1 suspect
our small family “pod,” who
have been wearing masks,
distancing and being tested,
will gather. Hoping for pretty
weather so we can be outside
a bunch.
Christy Myerscough -
Our elderly are really suffer
ing and are in rapid decline
due to this long isolation.
This may be the last holiday
season many of them have -
regardless of COVID. Be
safe. Stay home if you are
sick. But embrace what time
you still have with your fam
ily. No one is guaranteed to
morrow.
LJ Burton - I’m being re
spectful of others and not
putting their lives or health at
risk. Kindness is caring, not
fear. And I bet I’m the only
one on here who isn’t a
Christian.
Harry Miller - We have
Coronavirus slamming
Georgia music industry
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA - Georgia’s
music industry has been par
ticularly hard hit by the coro
navirus pandemic, music
artists and industry profes
sionals said Thursday.
The highly contagious
virus has forced the cancella
tion of hundreds of music
festivals and tours, while
artists have delayed releases
of musical recordings, Daryl
Friedman, chief advocacy of
ficer for the Washington,
D.C.-based Recording Acad
emy, told members of a state
Senate study committee at its
kickoff meeting.
“The music industry was
the first to close and probably
will be the last to reopen,”
said Friedman, whose organ
ization puts on the annual
Grammy Awards.
The Senate Music Work
force Study Committee was
formed earlier this year to
look for ways to take advan
tage of Georgia’s historic
roots as a cradle of American
music and grow the industry.
But the first order of business
is weathering the impact of
COVID-19.
Georgia native Chuck
Leavell, a keyboardist who
was a member of the Allman
Brothers Band during their
1970s heyday and is now
with The Rolling Stones, said
the cancellation of live shows
has had such a huge impact
on musicians because music
streaming technology has de
prived them of the income
they used to derive from al
bums and CDs.
“It’s the live performances
most musicians depend on
for a living,” Leavell said.
Friedman said the Coron
avirus Aid, Relief and Eco
nomic Security (CARES) Act
Congress passed last March
has helped not only musi
cians but the many workers
at musical venues that have
been forced to close. The leg
islation provides unemploy
ment compensation to
independent contractors and
free-lancers for the first time.
However, a provision in
the CARES Act reduces the
benefits of independent
workers who have other part-
time jobs that generate W-2
forms with the Internal Rev
enue Service.
“Congress knows this is a
problem,” Friedman said. “If
there is another COVID [re
lief] bill, they’ll fix it.”
Chris Albrecht, a partner
at Johns Creek-based Dou-
ble-A Productions, said his
company has found a way to
recoup some of the revenue
lost from cancelled live
shows by staging perform
ances at drive-in theaters.
“Not many people are
ready to go to an indoor
show,” he said. “Safety is in
the outdoors.”
Albrecht said Double-A
Productions also is making
use of baseball fields that
otherwise would be shut
down. The company also will
be putting on a pregame
party outside the Georgia-
Florida football game in
Jacksonville, Fla., next
month, he said.
Sameed Afghani, vice
president and general man
ager of the Atlanta Sym
phony Orchestra, said the
orchestra has been forced to
reduce the salaries of its 85
full-time musicians. How
ever, no one has been laid off
because the orchestra is pro
viding in-studio perform
ances for downloading, he
said.
“We’ve had to come up
with creative solution fo
cused on digital content,”
Afghani said. “I’m confident
this year we can weather the
storm. But I’m only confi
dent about this year.”
Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-
Chickamauga, the study
committee’s chairman, said
the General Assembly has
passed three bills during the
last dozen years that together
have made the Peach State a
center for film production.
“The same thing can hap
pen with the music industry,”
he said.
Mullis said the committee
plans two more meetings this
fall. It is due to make recom
mendations by the end of the
year.
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already decided to scrap the
holidays. Zoom and Face-
Time on our menu until this
virus is handled. Just not
worth endangering our rela
tives this year. Technology at
least keeps us as close as we
can be. Not worth risking
anyone getting sick or dying
because of a gathering. Al
ways is next year.
April Lirpa - My family
plans will not be changing,
people need to quit living in
fear and get on with their
lives.
Carly Sharec - “My fam
ily means everything to me;
let’s roll the dice and poten
tially give them a deadly
virus.”
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The Pickens County Board of Commissioners have
scheduled FY 2021 Budget Meetings with Elected
Officials- Judicial Offices- Department Heads at
the Pickens County Administration
Building, Suite 168, as follows:
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Wednesdav.October 28.2020
Fire, EMS, E-911
10:00 a.m.
District Attorney
11:00 a.m.
Marshal
1:30 p.m.
Planning & Development
2:00 p.m.
Recreation Dept.
2:30 p.m.
Tax Assessor
3:00 p.m.
Tax Commissioner
4:00 p.m.
Thursdav. October 29. 2020
Human Resources
10:00 a.m.
County Clerk
10:15 a.m.
Finance & Accounting
10:30 a.m.
Animal Shelter
11:00 a.m.
Airport
11:30 a.m.
Sheriff
1:00 p.m.
County Extension
2:30 p.m.
Probate Court
3:00 p.m.
Building Maintenance
3:30 p.m.
Economic Development
4:00 p.m.
Library
4:30 p.m.
Friday. October 30.
2020
Water Department
10:00 a.m.
Public Works
10:30 a.m.
Maintenance Shop
11:00 a.m.
Solid Waste, Recycle
11:20 a.m.
EMA
11:45 a.m.
Coroner
1:30 p.m.
Public Defender
2:00 p.m.
Magistrate Court
2:30 p.m.
Clerk of Court
3:00 p.m.
Superior & Juvenile
3:30 p.m.
Courts, Grants
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T Y *>N
Pickens Co. Commission Choir
Kris Stoncil
U.S. President
Donald Trump
U.S. Congressman
Andrew Clyde
U.S. Senator
David Perdue
GA State Representative
Rick Jasperse
GA State Senator
Steve Gooch