Newspaper Page Text
2A ®jje l)pra(ti <©a?£tt£ Tuesday, October 26,2021
THE HERALD GAZETTE/WALTER GEIGER
Shaking it down on Senior Night
Senior football players, cheerleaders and members of the Marching Trojan Band were honored at Friday night’s Senior Night football game, a 44-14 win over Monticello.
The senior band members responded with a dance routine that brought the roaring crowd to its feet.
Shown performing are (l-r) Sierra Stewart, Jania Penn, Phillip Truluck and Jada Joseph.
Middle school repairs to put all LCSS buildings up to par
KAY S. PEDROTTI
kayspedrotti@gmail.com
Proposals are now
being written for two
separate projects at
Lamar County Middle
School, a new roof and
installation of an up-to-
date HVAC system, the
board of education heard
at its regular meeting last
week.
The board approved
hiring Parrish Construc
tion, managers of the
building process at the
new high school, as
construction manager for
both projects at LCMS.
Dr. Jute Wilson, superin
tendent, said the middle
school upgrades will put
all the system’s facilities
in good shape, after a
series of projects done
during the last few years
as finances permitted.
He added the LCMS
heating-and-air system in
place now is 25 years old,
and “of all our buildings,
it has been the leaki
est.” Finance director
Eugene Herrington said
the proposal process
will take about 30 days;
cost is estimated at $5
million. No loans or tax
rate increases will be
involved, Wilson said. ES-
PLOST funding and other
sources will cover most
of the costs.
ESPLOST collections
for the month of Septem
ber totaled $234,596, Wil
son said. The system’s
three-month average,
he added, is $225,001.
The superintendent also
said that Lamar County
High graduated its larg
est class, 190 students,
at the 2021 ceremonies.
The system has returned
to a five-day school
week, all face-to-face, as
COV1D cases continue
to decline. Wilson also
said that 88 percent of
households with school
children have signed into
the Parent Portal to keep
track of their children’s
progress. Deputy super
intendent Cleve Hendrix
outlined activities for
“Bus Safety Week,” in
cluding practice for safe
emergency evacuations
from buses.
In other business,
the board approved two
policies, one for facil
ity rental rate changes
and the other allowing
discussion of cyber
security issues during
executive sessions, and
a consent agenda that
included one facility
use, 12 fundraisers, one
overnight field trip,
seven recommendations
for positions, four resig
nations and one medical
leave.
WINERY
GRAND
OPENING
Bottles and
Glasses of Wine
Will Be Available
For Purchase
Oct. 29 5-8 p.m.
Oct. 30 1-4 p.m.
OPEN TO PUBLIC FOR
THIS WEEKEND ONLY
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Felicia Giacolone Whatley, 55, (above) remained in her car on her phone following the crash.
She was arrested on charges of DUI (alcohol/drugs), driving on the wrong side of the road and
reckless driving.
High profile defendants face
arraignment November 2
WALTER GEIGER
news@barneville.com
Three high profile
criminal defendants are
due in Lamar superior
court Nov. 2 to be ar
raigned after being indict
ed by the grand jury.
Felicia Giacolone
Whatley, 56, of Thomas-
ton will be arraigned on
three counts of homicide
by vehicle, two counts of
DUI (drugs and alcohol)
and one count of reckless
driving.
Whatley was alleg
edly driving south in the
northbound lane of Ga.
Hwy. 7 March 5 when she
struck a Toyota Tacoma
near Zebulon Road. She
had been in the wrong
lane since leaving the
area of the Griffin Ingles.
A passenger in the
Toyota, Nathaniel Suggs,
38, was mortally in
jured and died March 8.
Neither Whatley nor the
driver of the truck, Jer
emy Ryan Knight, were
seriously injured.
Also to be arraigned
are Jessica Miranda
Coffey, 30, and Phillip
Luke Norman, 28. Each is
charged with four counts
cruelty to children and
three counts aggravated
battery.
A two-month-old girl
living in their Milner
apartment was taken to
Wellstar Spalding Region
al Medical Center Feb.
9 where doctors found
multiple bruises and
abrasions on her
body and 27 fractures/
bone injuries.
Hospital personnel
contacted law enforce
ment upon diagnosing
the injuries. Two other
children living in the
apartment were removed
by DFCS personnel.
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770.358.NEWS
One lifeflighted after
Veterans Pkwy. collision
A 26-year-old man
from Danville, Illinois was
lifeflighted to the Grady
trauma center in Atlanta
after his motorcycle col
lided with an SUV here
Oct. 22.
According to the Geor
gia State Patrol, Dustin
Brown was northbound
on Yatesville Road when
he ran the stop sign at
Veterans Parkway and
collided with a Nissan
SUV driven by Constance
Becker, 69, of Barnesville.
Brown’s injuries were
not thought to be life-
threatening. Becker was
taken to Wellstar Spald
ing with minor injuries.
The crash occurred at
2:50 p.m.
CHURCH NOTE
• A free COV1D 19 &
flu vaccination drive-
thru clinic will be held
on the University of
Georgia Griffin Campus,
1109 Experiment Street,
Griffin, Thursday, Octo
ber 28 from 8 a.m. to 10
a.m. The Pfizer vaccine
is available to those ages
16 and up. The first and
second Pfizer booster
doses will also be of
fered. No registration is
required. Please bring
your identification. Enter
the campus from Experi
ment Street on University
Drive. The drive-thru
clinic will be set up in the
visitor parking lot.
There will be a
giveaway for two UGA
football tickets. For more
information on the clinic,
please call 770-228-7263.