About Pickens County progress. (Jasper, Ga.) 1899-current | View Entire Issue (June 13, 2024)
Pickens County Thursday, June 13,2024 | Volume 137 Number 9 | Jasper, Georgia | 20 pages 2 sections | Published Weekly | $1.50 New DA talks case backload, looks ahead L Photo/Angela Reinhardt Frank Wood is running unopposed as the Appala chian Judicial Circuit District Attorney. By Angela Reinhardt Staff Writer areinhardt@pickensprogress.com After being appointed as District Attorney for Pickens, Gilmer, and Fannin counties, Frank Wood is run ning unopposed for the office. Wood sat down with the Progress to talk about the state of the judicial circuit, case backload, and goals moving forward. On March 1,2024, Wood was ap pointed as Appalachian Judicial Cir cuit District Attorney after Alison B. Sosebee stepped down from the office. In January, Sosebee was ap pointed to the superior court judge seat vacated by John Worcester when he passed away. Wood has worked in the Appa lachian Judicial Circuit as a prose cutor for many years, most recently as chief assistant DA. He plans on continuing to prosecute cases in his new role. “It’s almost like a football coach, there are some coaches that game managers and some head coaches that call their own plays. Mrs. Sose bee always tried cases and I tried a lot with her, and I’m planning on doing that, too.” Wood plans on being active and visible in every court in the circuit and said from his perspective things are in good shape as he takes office, which will be official after the No vember general election. “We are really lucky in this cir cuit,” he said. “We have great judg es. We have great law enforcement. Great sheriffs. We are just lucky in Pickens, Fannin, and Gilmer coun ties. I feel like we have a good dis trict attorneys’ office from top to bottom with people who care about their jobs, and a good defense bar.” Pickens courts work through case backload Earlier this year the Pickens Clerk of Court sent a list of pending cases to judges, which at the time the Progress received it in March had 1,529 total cases that date from 2003 to 2024. Those extremely old cases are not common, the lion’s share of which are after 2015. Of the over 1,500 cases, there are 50 that date from 2003 to 2015, and only nine that date from 2003 to 2009. Pick ens Clerk Jennifer Jordan said those See DA Wood on Page 10A Fire destroys Big Canoe rental; Close call for other homes Photo/Big Canoe Fire Chief Ricky Jordan This cedar house went up quickly, fire officials said. By Angela Reinhardt Staff Writer areinhardt@pickensprogress.com A home in Big Canoe is a total loss after a blaze ripped through the structure just af ter midnight on Sunday, June 9. According to officials, the house at 29 Treetopper Lane was being used as a vaca tion rental property and no one was home when the fire broke out. Pickens County Fire & Rescue Chief Tim Prather said the fire spread quick ly through the house, then caught the woods on fire and threatened nearby properties. See Fire on Page 10A Multiple high -profile developments presented By Dan Pool Editor dpool@pickensprogress.com Monday’s county plan ning commission meeting could be described as a greatest hits album of old tracks. It was filled with three pieces of business making second appearances before the commission. And it was contentious enough that Matt Kinzer, seeking only a very minor change, remarked his more than two-hour wait had been “entertaining” when the commission chair apolo gized for his being last on the agenda. • First up was the Glob- See Planning on Page 10A had listened to that first pi ano teacher, who told them to save their money because Mary Ada had no musical talent whatsoever. Mary Ada went to middle school and switched to flute. For an entire year, she could not make a sound with the flute. However, in high school, she continued to play, and by then sound was emerg ing from the silver shaft. Furthermore, she received superior ratings at state competition and was asked to solo with the Hollywood Florida Philharmonic. Andy, on the other hand, started playing by ear, and by high school he had formed a jazz trio, and they had a standing gig at a Ger man restaurant. So, in his teens he was a professional musician. At the restaurant audition, the trio played the only three songs they knew. “On the way home, we went to a music store and bought some pop music books so we would have something to play at our new gig,” Andy said. Mary Ada and Andy are both retired music teach ers, but not retired musi cians. Playing music is part of their lives; it is their es sence. Andy plays piano and Music is universal language for Mary Ada & Andy Kidd By Lynn Kaiser Conrad Contributing Writer He started playing piano at 8. She started playing pia no at 11. Their musical jour ney took two different paths and somehow converged when they were both gradu ate students in Florida. In fact, Mary Ada Kidd may not have had any mu sical journey if her parents TALKING ROCK More than 500 attend first time event By Max Caylor Progress Contributor Jene Bryant, wife of Talking Rock Mayor James Bryant Jr., with the help of business own ers Mary McDonnell and Mary Hawf produced the first “Bronco Stampede” attracting over 500 visitors including Bronco aficiona dos to downtown Talking Rock. All proceeds will be donated to Save the Hors es and T-Rocks Village. The Friday through Sunday experience was bom six weeks ago fol lowing Ms. Bryant’s purchase of a new Ford Bronco. She told Shotten- kirk Ford’s Sales Manag er Rick Biles she would like to do a Bronco Stam- photo/Max Caylor Mike James of Marble Hill takes his 1996 Ford Bronco through one of the streams at J19 Adventure Park during Talking Rock’s Bronco Stam pede. See more pictures from the weekend on Page 8B. pede. He promptly replied, “Great idea. We want to help.” And the Talking Rock Bronco Stampede was bom. Some 1,148,926 Ford Broncos were sold in a 31-year ran that be gan in August of 1965 and ended the original produc- See Bronco on Page 8B “COFFEE AND TEA,” a.k.a. Mary Ada and Andy Kidd. They have retired as music teachers but music remains an essence of their lives. See Good Vibes on Page 10A Downtown Live drawing regional interest Page 12A Wyldlife club goes to camp Page1B Community Family plans reunion after 34 years Page 2A Obituaries 9A • Ricky Anglin • Dale Davis • Audrea Fountain • Nancy White $1.50 per copy Local Matters
