The Herald-gazette. (Barnesville, Ga.) 1981-current, January 05, 2021, Image 1

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> THE YEAR THAT WAS OR WASN’T /4A Tuesday, January 5,2021 barnesville.com HERE’S THE SCOOP Lamar elects its first leaders The election results were in and voters had chosen the first elected officials from the new county of Lamar. They were J. E. Bush, representa tive; B. H. Hardy, ordi nary; S. J. Childers, clerk; Z. T. Elliott, sheriff; Gus Smith, tax collector; E. Luther Butler, tax receiv er; W. C. Jordan, trea surer; Roger H. Taylor, surveyor; B. K. Crouch, coroner. As soon as the results were certified and the new officials could make their bonds, the county could start doing busi ness. Centennial Monument will be unveiled Friday The Centennial Monu ment on the courthouse lawn will be unveiled Friday, Jan. 8. The ob servance will begin at 11 a.m. Commissioner Nancy Thrash will welcome those in attendance and the LCHS Junior ROTC color guard will present the colors. Commissioner Ben nie Horton will lead the Pledge of Allegiance and offer the invocation. Com mission chairman Charles Glass and commissioner Robert Heiney will speak on the history of the county. Commissioner Ryran Traylor will read a proc lamation and the monu ment will be unveiled. Glass will deliver closing remarks. The event is open to the public. BUTLER Subscribe. Your name goes on the label in this box General Election Runoff Polls open today 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. Lamar County voters go to the polls today to cast ballots in the general primary runoff with Georgia’s two US Senate seats on the line. Incumbent Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler is being chal lenged by Democrat Raphael Warnock. Sen. David Perdue, another Republican incum bent, faces off with challenger Jon Ossoff. Lamar has 12,846 voters who are registered to vote in today’s runoff. Of those, 3,358 have already voted by in Vote person advance ballot. Early voting ended Dec. 31 at noon. Elections supervisor Anita Reid and her staff mailed out 1,746 absentee ballots of which 1,311 had been returned. They also issued 24 electronic ballots and 10 have been returned. Polling places are open throughout the county today from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. Those polling places are District 1: Barnesville library; District 2A: Parker Branch fire station; District 2B: Senior Citizens Center; District 2C: Redbone Community House; District 3: Lamar County Service Center; and District 4: Milner library. For up to the minute lo cal results tonight, monitor barnesville.com. THE HERALD GAZETTE/WALTER GEIGER Muscle in the middle Trojan sophomore CJ Allen (3) takes on four Strong Rock defenders as he nets two of his 10 points in a 65-61 win last week at the Lamar gym. The LC teams have seen schedule upheaval due to COVID-19 but are getting in as many games as they can. LC was to host Locust Grove Monday night with a trip to Bleckley County set for tonight. They are off the rest of the week. Six full time firefighters sought Fire chief: "We're hiring!" WALTER GEIGER news@bamesville.com Lamar County is growing, adding homes and the people who live in them. Fire chief Douglas Matthews and his team have to plan to grow their department to meet the ever expanding needs that growth brings. “As the number of struc tures increases and our population increases, our call volume grows,” Matthews said. So, the county fire department is looking to hire six full time firefighters and is currently taking applications. “We are making history. We hired the first three full time firefighters in 1998. Last year we added three more. Now we are looking to add six more to make a total of 12. Four will be on duty at all times with two at station one and two at the Parker Branch Road station,” Matthews continued. Applicants must have a high school diploma or GED equiva lent. Certifications are desired but not necessary. Applicants will have to pass a basic agil ity test prior to being offered employment. Applications are available at station one on Hwy. 36 West and the county commission office. They must be turned in by Jan. 22. More information is avail able on the county website at lamarcountyga.com. Fire chief Douglas Matthews plans to expand the department. Vaccinations accelerated; those over 65 eligible soon WALTER GEIGER news@barnesville.com Two weeks after admin istering its first doses of the COV1D-19 vaccine, the Lamar County Health Department had vaccinated a total of 157 people as of Monday morning. Those receiving the vaccine thus far have been law enforcement offi cers, first responders, front line medical personnel and nursing home residents and staff. The first people to get the Pfizer vaccine here two weeks ago will be due for the second of two injections starting next week. Georgia’s Department of Public Health (DPH) terms the first rounds of vaccinations Phase 1A. Last week, Gov. Brian Kemp and DPH commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey added adults over 65 to the 1A group. DPH District 4, of which Lamar is a part, does not currently have enough vaccine for those over 65 but that is expected to change. “We are waiting on the date on which this will open up for those 65 and over. Most likely, that will be next week,” nurse/ manager Sherry Farr of the local health department said Monday. As of Dec. 31, District 4 per sonnel had administered 1400 doses of the vaccine. With the Moderna vaccine now available and those from other compa nies nearing rollout, the pace of vaccinations should pick up rapidly in the coming weeks. Farr and other health officials are hopeful the supplies will ar rive in that the virus is surging here at present with 101 new cases reported last week alone. Texts about carry licenses are a scam A few Lamar County resi dents who have applied for firearms carry permits have gotten scam texts asking for money to complete the process. The scam is far more widespread in other areas of Georgia and locals should beware.”We will call people when their licenses are ready. We do not send texts. Do not answer these texts,” probate judge Kathy Martin warned. There has been no breach of the carry license database, Martin added. It is unknown how the scammers got the phone numbers of ap plicants. If you have received such a text or desire more informa tion, call the probate court office at 770.358.5155. COVID-19 postpones Game & Fish Banquet Due to the COV1D-19 crisis, the 25th annual Game & Fish Banquet which is normally held in January has been post poned until later in the year in hopes of better condi tions. The banquet crowd usually fills the First Baptist gym to overflowing. “We will give at least one month’s notice of the banquet through The Herald Gazette when the date is set so folks can purchase their tickets,” pastor Garth Forster said. FARR ©2021 THE HERALD GAZETTE, BARNESVILLE, LAMAR COUNTY, GA 30204, 770.358.NEWS