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BLACK HISTORY MONTH: THE LEGACY OF MARION WALTON-SMTIH/4A Tuesday, February 16,2021 barnesville.com Barnesville, Ga. 30204 HERE’S THE SCOOP VOTE Today is the last day to register to vote Today is the last day to register to vote in the March 16 special election in which Lamar voters will choose a chief mag istrate judge and decide whether to continue the ESPLOST. Early voting in those contests begins Feb. 22 and runs through March 12. Four candidates are seeking the office of chief magistrate. They are (in alphabetical order) Brutz English, Paul Kunst, Jeff Mason and Shannon Wil liamson. Voters will also decide whether to extend the EPLOST which authorizes a one cent sales tax to benefit Lamar County schools. The school SEE VOTING 2A Solar farm verdict could come tonight The Lamar County commission will hold a public hearing tonight on a special zoning exception that would allow the construction of a solar panel array on Crawley Road north of Milner. TMJ Investments, LLC is seeking to locate the operation on 132.61 acres that fronts Craw ley Road and which is bisected by Cottage Road. Tonight’s meeting begins at 7 p.m. The reg istered agent for the LLC is Theresia Hall of Pine Mountain, Ga. Subscribe. Your name goes on the label in this box Rural internet to improve WALTER GEIGER news@barnesville.com Lamar County was on the cutting edge back in 1938 when President Franklin Delano Roo sevelt came to Barnesville to flip the switch to send power surging along lines belonging to Lamar EMC to members in rural areas surrounding Barnesville for the first time. It was the beginning of an era and revolutionized life out in the country. In recent years, the most pressing need in rural areas here has been a lack of high speed internet. Residents had to rely on slow DSL if they could get it or balky satellite in ternet provision systems with somewhat faster speeds than DSL but considerable reliability issues. Nothing brought that pic ture more into focus than the COV1D-19 crisis and the neces sity for distance learning when Georgia shut down its schools. Even when classes resumed, many families opted out and had to deal with the slow internet speeds to try and get school assignments done. Now Southern Rivers Energy has entered into agreements to provide high-speed fiber internet access to its members utilizing existing infrastructure (see related story page 3A). The plan was announced at the state capitol last week with Gov. Brian Kemp in atten dance and garnered headlines throughout the southeast. “1 think SRE has % a great plan for I — 1 tying into existing poles. The lack of reliable internet service has been a ™ major obstacle for WILSON our remote learn ing plans. This impacts not only students but teach ers, administrators and even school board members,” school superinten- 0XF0RD dent Jute Wilson said. Kathy Oxford, executive di rector of the Barnesville-Lamar County Industrial Development Authority, agrees and knows SEE FIBER INTERNET 3A Phillip Luke Norman (left) and Jessica Miranda Cof fey were denied bond by Judge Kathy Martin at their first appearance hearings Feb. 11 in magistrate court. They are charged with first degree cruelty to children. A two-month-old girl allegedly under their supervision THE HERALD GAZETTE/WALTER GEIGER suffered 27 fractures/bone injuries, according to attend ing physicians and is now hospitalized at Scottish Rite in Atlanta. Three other children were removed from their home at Milner Creek Apartments by DFCS personnel. More charges are expected. Baby badly beaten, two in jail without bond WALTER GEIGER news@barnesville.com Two people are being held in the Lamar County jail on child cruelty charges in connection with multiple traumatic injuries suffered by a two-month-old girl. The child was taken to WellStar Spalding Regional Hos pital Feb. 9 and then airlifted to an Atlanta trauma center with a suspected brain bleed. At last report, she was still alive. Phillip Luke Norman, 28, of 111 Milner Creek Drive in Milner was arrested Feb. 9. He was formally charged with one count of first degree cruelty to children Feb. 11. Jessica Miranda Coffey, 30, of the same address was arrested Feb. 11. She is also charged with one count of first degree cruelty to children. More charges are expected as the investigation proceeds. The arrest warrants for the pair are similar. Norman is identified as a ‘person’ super vising the victim. Coffey is described as a ‘parent’ with the same responsibilities. The warrants charge the pair with “willfully and mali ciously” causing the victim “cruel or excessive pain” by not seeking medical attention for the child in the two weeks prior to her being taken to the hospital. The warrants further read, “...Upon medical examina tion of Juvenile Norman, the attending physician found Ju venile Norman to have multiple bruises and abrasions to her body as well as 27 fractures/ bone injuries in various stages of healing.” First appearance hearings for both Norman and Coffey were held Feb. 11. Judge Kathy Martin denied bonds due to each posing a significant risk of committing additional felonies, intimidating witnesses and otherwise obstructing justice if released. Sheriff Brad White reported Monday Coffey took the child to the emergency room in Grif fin due to her right leg being swollen. “WellStar notified us when x-rays revealed multiple broken bones and the inves tigation was opened. DFCS later removed three other children from the apartment. We are still trying to determine who actually injured the child,” the sheriff said. This is not Norman’s first run-in with law enforcement. In 2019, he was arrested for fail ure to appear in court. In July, 2020 he was arrested for theft by taking, burglary and crimi nal damage to property. Those felony charges are still pending in superior court. Both Norman and Coffey are being held in the Lamar County jail. WHITE School board: 15 more instruction days in June KAY S. PEDR0TTI kayspedrotti@gmail.com Plans for assisting struggling students will include 15 more days of school in the month of June, superintendent Dr. Jute Wilson told the board of educa tion at the February meeting. The days will be Mondays through Thursdays, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wilson said that state and federal funding is available to help accommodate those stu dents who are struggling and might be retained in grade. “We will run buses, have breakfast and lunch, just like other school days,” Wilson added. “If retention is antici pated, there may be manda tory attendance for the entire summer extension to avoid repeating a grade. It’s not sum mer school; it’s for the benefit of the students who need it because so many have fallen behind.” Wilson’s COV1D report noted the “sixth decline this year in the number of monthly cases - down to 36 from 112.” Confer ences are underway with the Georgia Department of Public Health to facilitate staff and teacher vaccinations, Wilson said. The system’s January share of ESPLOST funds showed the third highest increase in the history of ESPLOST, at $202,402.12, about $40,000 more than January 2020. Sharonda Bostic, CTAE busi ness pathway instructor, was honored for achieving “Indus try Certification” for the FBLA. Dr. Treesomia Walker, CTAE BOSTIC WALKER director, said the business program certification “is the hardest one to achieve ... we’re already starting on the others and will keep going until every pathway has that certification.” Wilson said the certification re quirements played a part in the build ing of the new high school“because there were crite ria for square footage, phone lines, technology and much more.” Walker said “AG is next in line.” Griffin RESA Academic Bowl SEE JUNE SCHOOL DAYS 2A April 16-17 Barring a severe breakout of COV1D-19 or a shutdown order, the Barnesville BBQ & Blues Festival is a go for April 16-17. There are at least 35 barbecue teams expected for a Georgia BBQ Association sanctioned competition. Taster’s Alley will return. Revelers can pay $7, sample multiple BBQ offerings and vote on which is the best. Ancillary competitions for the teams and the public will include best wings, best des sert and best Bloody Mary. The entry fee is $25. First place will receive $100 with second place getting $50 and third place $25. There will be free live music Friday and Saturday. Volunteers are needed. For more infor mation or to volunteer, call 770.358.5884. Two convicted killers seek new trials March 2 Two convicted killers con victed in Lamar County will appear in court before Judge Tommy Wilson March 2 seeking new trials. Lekievius T. Eleby’s effort to get a new trial has been brew ing for some time and delayed at least twice due to COV1D. Eleby was part of a robbing crew that hit the home of Danavan Bussey on Westchester Drive at 4 a.m. Dec. 5, 2010. Court testimony indicated Eleby and Bussey were com petitors in the local marijuana sales market. Eleby shot Bussey with a .22 pistol. Shameik Spinks then shot him with a shotgun. Both are serving life sentences for murder and multiple additional counts. Eleby is locked away at Telfair State Prison. Spinks is housed at Smith State Prison. A third member of the crew, Bryce Arsenio Smith, cut a deal and testified against Eleby and Spinks. His record was appar ently expunged because he is not listed as a past or current offender by the Department of Corrections. Also seeking a new trial is Ronald Eugene Smith who lay in wait for Charles Graves Adams and shot him in the face with a high-powered rifle on Jan. 30, 2009. Adams died on the front porch of his Grove Street home and was buried in a pauper’s grave. Williams, who got a life sen tence, is now housed at Wheel er Correctional Facility. He testified that he killed Adams after a night of using meth and watching porn with his wife. LCHS business program certified The business program at LCHS has received industry certification thanks to the hard work of instructor Sharonda Bostic. The certification is a stamp of excellence awarded to qual ity programs following rigorous review by business and indus try leaders. Bostic was lauded by the school board for her efforts. “This is not for me, it’s for the kids,” Bostic said. SMITH BBCES' Blues set for ©2021 THE HERALD GAZETTE, BARNESVILLE, LAMAR COUNTY, GA 30204, 770.358.NEWS