Newspaper Page Text
Every year you make a resolution to change yourself. This year, make a resolution to be yourself.
- Unknown
• Opinions
• Community
Views
• Good Old
Common Sense
The Progress
Editorial
December 29,2022
From the Staff
Looking back; looking ahead
How did we fare in 2022?
For people who have New Year’s res
olutions regarding weight loss, the scale
is the undisputed authority. It produces a
number that either improved or not.
Nothing so definite is out there for
community advancement. For example,
growth? There are some who are excited
about Jasper’s recent spurt in population
and businesses. And there are just as
many - maybe more - worried about
what’s happening to the Jasper they used
to know. Better or worse? Tough call.
Looking back at issues we highlighted
in this space in previous years and others
that popped up in the past 12 months,
here’s our better, worse, or about the
same list for 2022.
1. School Board - Wait and see.
With the exception of a stray event or
two, the schools in this county had a solid
year. Test scores still need work but the
teachers and administrators appear on the
right track. The fate of the system for the
coming 12 months is up to a handful of
new faces - an interim superintendent
and three new board members coupled
with key retirements leave the door wide
open. Here’s hoping the incoming group
will hold a steady course.
2. Jasper sewage - Better. In this
space last year, we challenged the city’s
new manager to put some urgency into
lingering projects. The city gets a big ap
plause for pushing the massive, complex
and crucial sewage project forward. It is
confidence-building to see pipes waiting
to be installed.
3. Other city projects - Worse. Sev
eral smaller projects remain at a peren
nial standstill. Perrow Park, renovation at
the former Peace Park and the downtown
bathrooms haven’t budged. Absolutely
picking at what must be the sorest spot in
Jasper, it’s hard to believe a government
is unable open a bathroom in a building
they have owned since 2016 and that is
already plumbed.
4. Foothills sewage - About the
same. On the surface this one looked
simple - run the sewage line at a private
utility company’s expense from Big
Canoe to serve the Foothills commercial
area. Problem solved. No cost to taxpay
ers to replace an aging septic system to
an important commercial area. But the
devil (uncontrollable residential growth
in a rural corner of the county) is in the
details. The contract would let the private
company recoup their expense by serving
new development. Let’s hope someone
comes up with a good solution.
5. Talking Rock downtown- Better.
The infighting has ended and the small
town is seeing new growth. Let’s hope
they keep the train rolling with their rail-
car projects.
6. Tate Depot - Better. Barely better.
A great model train display, but still no
long-term plan for a permanent use and
ensuring the doors are open on a steady
basis.
7. County parks - Worse. They
aren’t worse in themselves, but it is much
worse when computing the equation of
bigger population + no significant expan
sion = setback. Much like with the city
projects listed above, we strongly urge
the county to put parks on the front
burner. True, there have been some im
provements at Roper Park but nothing to
bring them remotely near par with neigh
boring counties.
8. Homeless shelter - About [ex
actly] the same - A shelter, which faces
code violations for living conditions,
continues to operate in downtown and it
is still needed. Study, an honest assess
ment, and a reasonable plan are needed
more than money or a building. We im
plore our local churches, and civic organ
izations to take the lead. This community
has the resources to do the right thing,
whatever is determined, and to do it well.
Happy New Year
from the Progress
Tell us your thoughts with a letter to the editor. E-mail to news@pickensprogress.com
See letter submission guidelines on the Letters to the Editor page or call us 706-253-2457.
Ponderings of a Simple Man
Caleb Smith
Hillbilly
Cryptozoology
Two things have fasci
nated me since I was a little
boy; fried food, and crypto
zoology. Having dedicated a
large portion of my life
studying the former, I figured
now was the perfect time to
look into the latter.
Cryptozoology, for those
that might not be aware, is
the study of undiscovered
creatures. Now this sounds
perfectly sane and science-y,
but often what it really means
is a bunch of lunatics out in
the woods after dark looking
for bigfoot.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m
not going to start driving
around late at night looking
for a hulking, hair-covered
creature that smells bad and
howls at random campers. I
see uncle Ted every Thanks
giving, after all, and don’t see
any reason to disturb him the
rest of the year.
No, I’m more interested in
how these legends start.
What makes people tell tales
of werewolves and monsters?
Where did it all begin? If I
had to guess, they mostly
originated to keep teenagers
in line. For example, “Don’t
you go fooling around with
that Hutchins boy after dark,
a deranged hookman has
been seen lurking under
bridges!”
Which kind of sounds
silly. What rational person
would actually be deterred by
such an obviously made up
story? I even started to go to
a local location that had just
such a legend, just to prove
how silly it was.
Then I got to thinking. I
was 99.99% sure that the
hookman was a made up
story. There was no possible
way that some, possibly su-
(USPS 431-820)
Published by Pickens County Progress, Inc.
94 North Main Street, Jasper, GA 30143
(706) 253-2457
www.pickensprogressonline.com
DAN POOL
Publisher/Editor
Published each Thursday at Jasper, Pickens County, Georgia.
Entered at the Post Office at Jasper, Georgia 30143
as Mail Matter of Second Class.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS, 94 N. Main St., Jasper, GA 30143.
One Year Subscription: $41.17 for residents of Pickens County
or the cities of Ball Ground, Fairmount, and Ranger;
$52.30 for all other Georgia residents; $62.32 out of state residents.
pernatural, madman was
wandering Pickens County
after dark with a hook for a
hand. Any person with half a
brain would know not to be
worried.
But all the same, it’s better
to be safe than sorry. So I de
cided to conduct all of my
further research from the
comfort of my home.
With the lights on.
And armed.
Coming up dry on any
more backstory to the hook
man, I decided to focus on
werewolves. I got really ex
cited when I stumbled on a
story about the Werewolf of
Acworth, supposedly dating
back over a decade.
After doing a little more
research, though, I found my
self similarly disappointed.
All the legends dated back to
a trailer park, where one cou
ple observed a hairy, naked
figure running through the
woods and screaming.
This struck me as a little
bit less ‘werewolf’ and a little
bit more ‘typical north Geor
gia Saturday night’.
So far I have come up
empty with anything resem
bling an undiscovered crea
ture or supematurally
powered monsters. But rest
assured, I will fearlessly con
tinue my research.
WEATHER
By William Dilbeck
At home. With the doors
locked.
Dec.
20
HI
40
LOW
33
RAIN
.00
Better safe than sorry after
Dec.
21
49
33
.00
all.
Dec.
22
45
08
.00
[Caleb Smith is a resident
Dec.
23
13
01.
.00
of a ramshackle cabin on an
Dec.
24
20
01
.00*
undisclosed mountaintop. He
can be contacted at jcalebe-
Dec.
25
29
13
.00
smith@yahoo.com.]
Dec.
26
35
18
.10**
‘dusting of snow"
1/4 inch snow
#lbc ikljool
&O/VI& ON kCtP>
OUtT f^tOrHPINO* /Vie...
Vl/e O^OJ^TA' OrOO£> F>L-AN
f=0^ YOU .
Ossoff-sponsored bill focusing on
rural opioid abuse signed into law
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
ATLANTA - Legislation
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga.,
introduced last year aimed at
curbing opioid abuse in rural
America was signed into law
in December by President
Joe Biden.
The Senate passed the
Rural Opioid Abuse Preven
tion Act late last year, but the
U.S. House of Representa
tives didn’t follow suit until
this month.
The bipartisan bill,
cosponsored by Sen. Chuck
Grassley, R-Iowa, will steer
federal dollars toward rural
communities experiencing a
high number of opioid over
doses.
“Like so many Georgians,
I’ve lost friends to the opioid
Transportation available
for veterans
The Fannin DAV Chapter
28 van transports veterans to
the Atlanta VA Medical Cen
ter for free. The van’s first
pickup is at the Fannin
County Veterans Conference
Center in Blue Ridge and
stops in Ellijay, Jasper, Can
ton and Woodstock.
Please call John Bailey at
706-851-5204 for transport
and for more information.
Volunteer van drivers are
needed.
Amateur Radio Club
The Jasper Amateur Radio
Club meets on the second
Thursday of each month at 7
p.m. at the Cornerstone
Church Auxiliary building,
145 Cornerstone Drive (off
Camp Road just east of the
Pickens County Community
Center).
. Each meeting has a free
presentation and discussion
of Amateur Radio events or
operating modes, including
Emergency Communica
tions. Come see how much
fun Amateur Radio can be!
Please visit our website at
www.jasperarc.com.
Spot an error,
let our editor
know.
dpool@
pickensprogress.com
706-253-2457
epidemic,” Ossoff said Tues
day. “My bipartisan law will
fund efforts to prevent and
treat addiction and save lives.
I brought Republicans and
Democrats together to ad
dress the opioid crisis,”
“Today’s signing of the
Rural Opioid Abuse Preven
tion Act is a critical step for
ward in our ongoing effort to
curb the opioid crisis,”
Grassley added. “This new
law will help communities in
Iowa and across the country
handle any surge in opioid
overdoses and prevent more
Americans from falling vic
tim to addiction.”
The legislation will iden
tify current gaps in opioid
abuse prevention, treatment,
and recovery services for
rural Americans caught up in
opioid addiction through a
new pilot program. Funding
will go to rural areas to help
implement community re
sponse initiatives focused on
reducing opioid overdose
deaths.
The bill was sponsored in
the House by U.S. Reps.
Conor Lamb, D-Pa., and
Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa.
This story is available
through a news partnership
with Capitol Beat News Serv
ice, a project of the Georgia
Press Educational Founda
tion.
Board of Education
Sue Finley, Chair
Tommy Gartrell, Vice Chair
Tucker Green
Aaron Holland
Steve Smith
PICKENS COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
BOARD MEETING
Board meeting location:
Pickens County Board of Education Central Office
100 D.B. Carroll Street
Jasper, GA 30143
Meetmg Date:
January 12, 2023 - Called Meeting 5:00 p.m.
January 12, 2023 - Regular Monthly Meeting 6:00 p.m.
t
1 r
CLASSIC 22LR!!! HOI DEFENSE 12 GAUGE
tRUGER
10/22
22IR
18'Barrel
10-RndCap.
$299.95
ESCORT
AIMGIMRD
12 GA PUMP
18.5” Barrel
5+1 Capacity
S14IL95
nm
-