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THURSDAY. MARCH 31.2022 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 5A
Letters H
totM Editor \
To the Editor:
I’m writing to you in the
hopes you can help us. For
the last six months Marble
Hill has been dealing with a
contracted mail carrier. In
the beginning we went
about six weeks without re
ceiving regular mail. After
two weeks I started calling
like many of my neighbors.
We were told he was a con
tractor and they would talk
to him.
Since he’s a contractor
nothing they can really do. I
personally had multiple
missing packages. I was told
to call the shipper even
though the carrier flagged
them as delivered.
Next we got damaged
packages. Contacted the
post master and he said he
would again talk to the car
rier.
Next was him shoving
packages too big for the box
in there. We had to use box
cutters on three occasions to
get them out.
After this he started put
ting packages in clear plas
tic bags and either tying
them to the mail box post or
leaving them on the ground.
I live on Hwy 53 so this is
ridiculous. He continues to
leave other peoples’ mail in
my box. I have countless
photos of this. He leaves
the mailbox lid open and the
flag up almost daily. Today
was no different and our
mail was soaked which isn’t
good since I had a check in
the mailbox.
When he leaves the
wrong mail, we put it back
in the box. He leaves it for
weeks and just throws new
mail on to while leaving the
flag up.
We started noting it so he
would take it. He left me a
sarcastic note threatening
me with a federal offense.
He was speeding down a
side street up from us. When
asked to stop he became
angry and the police were
called. I have filed countless
complaints with USPS, the
post master, consumer af
fairs and the post master
general. Today I
have reached out to news
stations, Rick Jasperse and
Andre Clyde. I also started
an online petition for his re
moval. I can’t even get the
information on the contract
so we can contact them and
file a complaint.
We just want our mail
and no drama.
Sandy Harshbarger
To the Editor:
One question I've asked
for almost 20 years and
never got a sufficient an
swer is why the city and
county haven't requested a
draw permit from Carter's
Lake to supplement the
water system. As it's "only"
three miles from the Pickens
County line, you would
think the water lines would
come in from the northwest
end. Providing sufficient
water supply. I've also
heard stories of Georgia
Power was to build reser
voirs in the past but not
come to fruition.
Considering the growth
that all the counties around
us are experiencing. "Real
growth" we're going to have
to find ways to be self suffi
cient, kind of like the cur
rent oil and gas crisis. Not to
mention when we get a se
vere drought again.
Not as much to encour
age growth but to support
the current population up to
around a max of 45,000 in
the county and a max of
10,000 in the city.
Thank You,
Greg Moore
To the Editor:
This is in response to
Andy Kippenhan's letter
about the abortion issue. He
seems to disregard pro-
choice reasoning with just a
flick of the wrist. They are
simply dismissed out of
hand. I will try to avoid
that.
His moral reasoning
chain is actually a logical
reasoning chain. If you ac
cept premise 1, then the
conclusion follows from the
truth of statement two. His
first premise is that "All
people have boldly auton
omy" which means a person
has a right to decide what
happens to their body. I as
sume he means that right is
absolute and as he says
"trumps all other considera
tions."
I would argue that his
proposition #1 is false. I
know that I have certain in
alienable rights endowed to
me by my Creator but as
Mr. Kippenhan doesn't be
lieve in a deity, where does
this right come from? If it
comes from the state, then
the state can take it away.
That's not an absolute right.
Also, for most of human
history, the overall good of
the community was the con
sideration that trumped all
else.
I agree that you can't
force a parent to donate
body parts to save their
child, but at the same time,
the state will hold you re
sponsible if you leave that
same two year old alone as
you take a three week vaca
tion. Also, the state will step
in if you are considered a
danger to yourself.
Let me give you another
logical reasoning chain:
1) The entity, as you call it,
is a living growing thing.
2) It has human parents.
3) Conclusion - It is a
human person.
It is simply at a different
stage in it's life than you or
I.
TJ Keegan Jr.
Letters welcomed -
No letter more than 450 words;
Send to news@pickersprogress.com
or Pickens Progress 94 N. Main,
Jasper, Ga. 30143; All letters must
have a full name that will be pub
lished, and contact info.
(Email Address or Phone Number),
which will not be published.
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JIEEinEHni
GBI investigates
officer involved
shooting in Canton
J
\
From the Progress files
Turning Back
The Pages
From March 27, 1997
V
Canton, GA (March 26) —
The GBI is investigating an
officer involved shooting in
Canton, GA. The Canton Po
lice Department requested
that the GBI conduct an inde
pendent investigation on
March 26. One man was shot
and has died. No officers
were injured.
The preliminary informa
tion indicates that on Satur
day, March 26, 2022, at
approximately 1:19 a.m., the
Cherokee 911 Center re
ceived an unknown trouble
call from a residence on
Parkbrook Way by a woman
caller about a male resident
with a gun. Canton Police
Department officers re
sponded and were told by the
woman that the man was in a
room with a gun. As the offi
cers approached the room
where the armed man was lo
cated, they heard gunfire. An
officer fired his weapon at
the man, striking him. Pre
liminary evidence suggests
that one of the gunshot
wounds on the man is self-in
flicted. The man was pro
nounced dead at the scene.
The man will be taken to the
GBI Medical Examiner’s Of
fice for an autopsy.
The GBI will conduct an
independent investigation.
Once complete, the case file
will be given to the Blue
Ridge Judicial Circuit Dis
trict Attorney’s Office for re
view.
This is the 32nd officer in
volved shooting the GBI has
been requested to investigate
in 2022.
—
Report from
fl?
the Capitol
By State Representatiue
Rick Jasperse
As I type this, we have
about eight days left in this
year’s session. This is when
there are long days and into
the evening, trying to come
to agreements with our bills
and Senate bills and vice
versa. It is good we have
them check our bills, and we
theirs; we find unintended
consequences in the bills al
most always that we don’t
pick up on the first time we
look at them. Some bills are
long and very legal, and as I
sit at night and read through
them, my highlighter gets
used a lot. If you ever watch
us on TV, you will see lots of
people with papers pointing
to them while talking with
others. That’s a member ask
ing a bill sponsor a question
and trying to understand it
before a committee meeting
or a vote on the floor of the
Chamber. We get in some
pretty heated discussions and
attempts to change bills. I
was in one this week on
school zone traffic cameras
and how the bill sponsor, a
senator, wanted to expand
them in Georgia and loosen
the regulations around them.
Well, I fought hard, but I lost
as the committee didn’t agree
with me and voted the bill out
...Yes; I voted no. I think I
will send all of them the com
plaints I get from the cameras
at Fairmount Elementary.
In the House committees
we are hearing the Senate
bills that passed their body
last week and putting our
touches on them (or trying
to). The bills then are heard
on the House floor if the
Rules Committee allows
them on the floor. Most are,
but every now and then some
fail at this point.
A bill we passed will
make a few parents happy in
our state. Senate Bill 226
would require local boards of
education to create a com
plaint resolution policy for
local schools by January 1,
2023, to allow parents or
guardians to submit com
plaints to the school about in
appropriate content that is
harmful to minors and avail
able to the students at the
school. This bill would also
require the school's principal
or designee to investigate a
complaint and meet with the
parent/guardian in a timely
manner; SB 226 also in
cludes requirements for an
appeals process, and it would
make any material deemed
harmful to minors available
online for parents to review.
We passed Senate Bill
493, which authorizes non
judicial foreclosures of time-
share estates by an owners'
association, and this bill out
lines requirements for these
foreclosures. This is one
many Georgians hope the
Governor signs.
The Senate passed an up
dated version of House Bill
911, for the Fiscal Year 2023
Budget. House and Senate
will now continue to work to
wards a final version of FY
2023 Budget before it re
ceives final passage this
week.
Governor Kemp also
signed House Bill 1302 into
law this week to create a one
time tax credit for Georgians
using $1.6 billion in undesig
nated surplus funds from the
Amended Fiscal Year 2022
Budget. Eligible Georgia tax
payers can expect to receive
a tax credit based on their
2020 tax filer status. Single
tax filers will receive a $250
refund, head-of-household
filers will receive $375, and
those who file jointly will re
ceive a $500 refund. The Re
publican-led General
Assembly and Governor
Kemp did not spend that sur
plus money, although the de
mocrat party suggested
numerous ways to spend
those dollars. We trusted you
to know best.
During these last days the
internet is full of what-ifs and
rumors as we work on per
fecting bills. I encourage you
to reach out if you have any
questions or concerns regard
ing legislation that has been
discussed or passed so far.
You can reach my Capitol of
fice at 404-656-7153, or you
can email me directly at
rick.jasperse@house.ga.gov.
As always, thank you for al
lowing me to serve as your
state representative and leg
islative voice here at the
Capitol.
Denton
family Clinic
— ©
New primary care clinic opening
in Jasper with provider Elaina
Averett, FNP-BC. We will start
seeing patients on April 11th and
are currently accepting Blue
Cross Blue Shield, Cigna and
Medicare. We also have a self-pay
rate for those without insurance.
Please call our office today at
706-253-3000
for all you medical needs.
We are located at 12 Sammy McGhee Blvd.
Ste, 204, Jasper, Ga. 30143
YEARS
aao
Cracking down on attendance
While students may get detention
for skipping school, parents will now
get jail time. Last week, local court of
ficials allowed warrants for the arrest
of parents who fail to see that their
children attend school, according to
School Attendance officer Shelly Fountain. The mission of
the Attendance Support Team is to get chronically absent
kids back in school on a regular basis via contracts between
the children, their parents and the team. According to
Shelly Fountain the group has heard 30 cases thus far and
of these, some parents still haven’t seen to it their children
go to school.
Big Canoe singer has first recording
Pat Layton (formerly Kostelnik) who has sung in various
venues at Big Canoe is in the process of releasing her first
official recording. Since her divorce some time ago Pat has
taken her maiden name. She has titled her recordings
“Healer of my Heart” — apparently referring to her strong
spiritual base in handling personal problems in life. There
are eight songs, many original by Pat, and others including
John Mallory and Jim Mallory, both sons of Dr. James Mal
lory. Pat is engaged to Jim Mallory Jr.
The title piece was written by Pat and her daughter, Sarah
Kostelnik. The recording has been dedicated to her late sis
ter-in-law, Jan Davis Layton, who passed away at an early
age in 1991. When asked to describe the nature of the
music, Pat replied that it was easy listening with healing
lyrics — relationship type songs. They are being produced
in cassettes and CDs. Although this is her first recording
effort Pat is already making plans for the next one. Mean
while, she says the first recording will be available through
the Big Canoe Chapel and through small shops and Chris
tian book stores in the area.
SO
From March 30, 1972
YEARS
Retail sales soar in Pickens and Ga.
Retail sales in Pickens County
and the total sales for Georgia showed
an impressive increase in 1971 over
1970. Retail sales in Georgia during
1971 amounted to a little over twelve
billion dollars as compared to ten and one-half billion dol
lars in 1970.
In Pickens County retail sales amounted to over twenty-
one million dollars in 1971 as compared to eighteen million
dollars in 1970. All the counties adjoining Pickens, except
Dawson, showed an increase in 1971. Dawson decreased
slightly. Sales in Cherokee were up from forty-two million
dollars in 1970 to forty-six million dollars in 1971. Gilmer
had an increase to eighteen million from sixteen million.
Gordon had sales of forty-eight million dollars in 1971 and
forty-one million dollars in 1970. Over one-fourth of all re
tail sales in Georgia were made in Fulton County. DeKalb
was the only other county with over a billion dollars in re
tail sales.
Award winning twirler
Having exhibited outstanding talent with twirling, Miss
Katie Pickett has won over 30 trophies and medals during
her three years of extensive study, 20 of which are first
place honors. Competition has not been limited to the state
of Georgia in that she has traveled throughout the southeast
for her honors, and on to the University of Notre Dame this
past summer to compete in the Miss Majorette of America
contest, winning a medal in Group Work and Fancy Strut
ting. Having always wanted to be a majorette, Miss Pickett
started twirling in the 3rd grade learning some basic fun
damentals until losing her teacher. Instead of being defeated
by lack of a teacher, Katie kept working diligently until
being chosen a full-time majorette, in the Pickens High
Band in the 7th grade. A year later she resumed her formal
training and has only enhanced her inbred talents during
these brief years. Miss Pickett is to be commended for her
perseverance and abilities.
From March 27, 1947
Mr. and Mrs. Carter Low buy
Jasper Home Supply
Last Saturday Mr. Clarence V.
Nalley sold the Jasper Home Supply
to Mr. and Mrs. Carter Low and the
new purchasers have taken charge.
The Jasper Home Supply opened for business in September
1945 with Mr. Nalley as owner and Mr. Sig Mosley man
ager, in the new Grady Jones building next to the Post Of
fice. They had built up a nice business, carrying a large
stock of furniture and home furnishings together with a
popular line of electrical goods. Mrs. Low will manage the
new firm and she is a young lady of unusual business abil
ity. For several years she successfully operated the Jasper
Theatre. She is very progressive and the public may be as
sured of the very latest in furnishing their homes. Mr. Olen
Nichols will continue to work as salesman.
Pickens’ cotton crop off 519 bales
Census report shows that 1,150 bales of cotton were
ginned in Pickens County from the crop of 1946 as com
pared with 1,669 bales for the crop of 1945.
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