Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, February 18, 2021
Volume 133 Number 44
Jasper, Georgia
20 pages in two sections
Published Weekly
Dean named
Youth of
Year at Boys
& Girls Club
Jordan Dean was selected as
an outstanding youth in our com
munity and has been named the
Youth of the Year by The Boys &
Girls Clubs of North Ga.
Submitted by Boys & Girls Clubs
The Youth of the Year title is a
prestigious honor bestowed upon
an exemplary young person in
recognition of leadership, service,
academic excellence and dedica
tion to live a healthy lifestyle.
Now in its 74th year, the Youth of
the Year program honors our na
tion’s most awe-inspiring young
people on their path to great fu
tures.
Jordan will go on to contend
for the Georgia Youth of the Year
title and a $2,500 college scholar
ship from Boys & Girls Clubs of
America.
“Jordan, a Club Kid since she
was nine and now a youth em
ployee, has a story of hope and
one that needs to be shared with
the world,” said Jessica Wells,
CEO of BGCNG.
Jordan said, "Growing up,
being the oldest of four girls has
taught me that you sometimes
have to put others before yourself.
That created a passion in me for
caring for others and led me to
BGCNG.”
She continued, that a major
issue in the world today is global
child health. Studies show that
more than 20 million children in
the U.S. still lack sufficient access
to essential healthcare. Malnutri
tion leads to permanent physiolog
ical damage which prevents a
child from developing properly.
“Being a Boys & Girls Club
member and older sister puts into
perspective that we are the future
and I want to better the future for
myself and other youth. While
working with the other BGCNG
staff, and volunteering at nursing
See Dean on 11A
GOP strong
hold remains
solid in Pickens
and north GA
Blue wave only a trickle
above the metro area
with Republicans taking
80 percent of ballots
in region
By Christie Pool
Staff Writer
christie@pickensprogress.com
According to “An Extremely
Detailed Map of the 2020 Elec
tionan exhaustive survey of
America’s voting history pub
lished in map form by the New
York Times recently, Pickens and
its surrounding northern counties
all voted over 80% Republican in
the 2020 election, with Democrats
gain slight ground over the 2016
election.
In 2020, according to the
Times, 82%, or 14,110, of Pickens
voters cast ballots for Donald
Trump while 16% (2,824) voted
for Joe Biden in the presidential
election. Similarly, in Gilmer
County the vote was split 81% for
Trump and 18% for Biden, with
See Voting on 11A
School board conducts
relatively normal meeting
But superintendent issue lingers in background
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@#pickensprogress.com
Despite the continuing turmoil
regarding the superintendent situa
tion, the school board held a mostly
routine meeting Thursday, with the
exception of a blistering rebuke
from a parent over the ongoing con
troversy.
The meeting began at 6 p.m. and
was over in 20 minutes, but the
board had held an almost hour-long
private session during a called meet
ing immediately before it, taking no
action when the private session
ended just in time for the regular
meeting to begin.
Parent Steve Lowe addressed the
board during the public comment
section, saying their clandestine, fi
nancially irresponsible and “demor
alizing” action regarding the most
previous superintendent to be let go
(Dr. Rick Townsend) had created a
“great problem.”
Townsend was the fourth super
intendent to part ways with the
board in the past decade without fin
ishing his contract. The board has
made no comment on why
Townsend was let go, nor did they
ever discuss why his predecessor,
Carlton Wilson, was also replaced in
a three-to-two vote.
Townsend cleaned out his office,
left his county vehicle, and the sys
tem cut off his school cell phone and
e-mail following a lengthy private
session during a called meeting on
January 15. In a meeting the follow
ing Monday, the board voted to au
thorize their attorney to negotiate to
modify Townsend’s contract.
Since that time, no official statement
concerning Townsend’s status has
been made public. Townsend has de
clined to comment as well.
Following the first meeting on Jan
uary 15th, board chair Sue Finley
forwarded an e-mail from their attor
ney Phil Landrum to other board
members concerning “talking
points,” according to two people fa
miliar with the e-mail. But the board
attorney would not release that e-
mail following a Progress open
records request, citing attorney-
client privilege.
Thursday, Lowe told the board
that several educators, who did not
feel comfortable speaking in public,
told him they were “demoralized”
by the board’s actions. “Many in
your staff feel that way,” Lowe said.
“Many in the community feel this
way.”
Lowe singled out board chair Sue
Finley, and members Steve Smith
and Aaron Holland as no longer suit
able to serve on the board, saying
they should resign. For Finley and
Smith, who have been on the board
longer, Lowe said he doesn’t know
their secret agenda, but it is not in
the best interest of the students. He
said Holland, who joined the board
in late 2020, had fallen in with them.
Lowe said a “broad coalition” of
people from the community have
The Hook and Eye Tavern
leases Talking Rock rail car
The town of Talking Rock has signed a lease
on the second of two rail cars that sit along
their main drag (Hwy. 136). One contains a mi
crobrewery, already open. The second will
house a restaurant.
Public meeting in
March to discuss
town’s future
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
The tiny town of Talking
Rock, which its website states
“has not changed much since
its beginning in 1883 when
the train was the lifeline of the
town,” appears to have
change on the radar. City lead
ers recently entered into a
lease agreement that will
bring a restaurant to one of
two stationary railcars in the
heart of Talking Rock; the
other now houses a brewery.
Town leaders want to see
more businesses that fit the
town’s character added in the
future.
“We want to make Talking
Rock peoples’ favorite desti
nation,” said Talking Rock
Mayor Randy Banks, who
worked diligently over the last
year to secure sewer for the
newly-opened Talking Rock
Brewery and the
other train car being leased by
a Florida man who will open
a restaurant there.
The restaurant will be
called “The Hook and Eye
Tavern,” and is a business
partnership between Greg
Roy and Layton Varney who
have both owned restaurants
in the past. One of the restau
rants they were affiliated with,
the Square Grouper in Jupiter,
Fla., was featured in Alan
Jackson’s “It’s 5 ’clock Some
where” music video.
Roy most recently owned
the Flip Flop Sub Shop in
Jupiter, Fla. before he relo
cated to north Georgia about a
year ago. Roy had plans to
open his restaurant concept in
Ball Ground, but after months
of stalled deals with property
owners he jumped on the train
car opportunity in Talking
Rock. He has purchased a
home in Talking Rock and
said his realtor made him
aware that the town of Talking
Rock was leasing the train car.
“I’m hoping we will be
open in the next four months,”
said Roy, who is putting ren-
See Talking Rock on 11A
Fred Anderson talks Smoky Hollow, football,
and growing up Black in Pickens County
Angela Reinhardt / Photo
Fred Anderson was the star football player at Pickens High School in the
late 60s and early 70s, and later known for running “The Shack” in the Black
community of Smoky Hollow.
Here, Anderson goes through newspaper clippings of his athletic accom
plishments over the years.
By Angela Reinhardt
Staff Writer
areinhardt@pickensprogress.com
Fred Anderson is the stuff
of legend in Pickens County.
If a longtime-resident hasn’t
met him, they’ve probably
heard of him. Bom at the
Tate Clinic, Anderson grew
up in the Black community
of Smoky Hollow near the
Tate House. He attended the
all-black Tri-City School
until 6th grade when schools
here were integrated in 1967.
Anderson graduated from
Pickens High School in 1973
with a full football scholar
ship to the University of
Southern Mississippi.
After college graduation,
he joined the Army where he
served for 14 years. He later
worked at Lake Arrowhead
water and sewer department
for 22 years until he retired.
His house in Smoky Hollow,
the next to last one left stand
ing in the community, burned
down a few years ago and he
moved to Nelson. Read the
interview on Page 2A.
signaled their support of his
criticism.
At least one other person had
come to also address the board,
but had belatedly found out that
the board required a written re
quest at least five days in ad
vance to address them.
Prior to Lowe being given
five minutes to address the
See School on 11A
Award
Don Martin
receives Rotary
ethics award
Page 5A
Sports
Ferguson logs
first female win
at state tourney
for PHS
Page 1B
Obituaries - 10A
• Dwight Wilson
• Floyd Reed
• Harold Perry
• Helen DeGolier
• Jean McFarland
• Marilyn May
• Mary Devore
• Randy Gravley
• Richard Blankenship
• Rob Parker
• Robert Low
• Will Rogers II
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