Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

P ION: NEW PROBLEMS VISIT OLDER PEOPLE NOW / 4A leralii <§aiette Tuesday, September 26,2023 barnesville.com Barnesville, Ga. 30204 HERE’S THE SCOOP Finley Eubanks of the LCMS Lady Trojans sets a ball during last week’s cham pionship tournament here. SEE PAGE 9A Input sought on comprehensive plan If you are interested in future growth and development plans for Lamar County, you will have a chance to gather information and provide input Sept. 28. Planning and de velopment director Anita Buice will host an information and listening session at the court house at 5:30 p.m. For more information, call 770.358.5364. Subscribe. Your name goes on the label in this box WTF PROJECTS Audit looms if SWA units not operational by Dec. 1 WALTER GEIGER news@bamesville.com After an arduous, five-hour meeting before a crowd of about 160 citizens Sept. 19, the Lamar County commission voted unanimously to place a forensic audit of the solid waste authority (SWA) on its agenda for Dec. 22. The SWA is operating under a Dec. 1 deadline to begin operations at its waste to fuel (WTF) operation at the old Enercon building. “There is ample reason for a forensic audit,” noted commis sioner Jason Lovett who made the mo tion. Lovett and fellow commissioner Ashley Gilles spoke at length, bringing a laundry list of accusations against the SWA and contract manager Johnny Poore who made a presenta tion to the board. “We started this in 1993 and we are going to finish it,” Poore de clared. When the smoke cleared after the meet ing, that goal seemed seriously in doubt. Both Gilles and Lovett had power point presentations illustrat ing their allegations but the meeting was moved to the main courtroom due to the crowd. The projection system there faces the jury box so the two commissioners used printouts of their slides. Gilles presented a bar graph which ac companies this story that tracked all SWA spending approved by the Georgia Environ mental Finance Author ity (GEFA). The SWA borrowed $27.5 million from GEFA for its WTF SEE AUDIT 2A The Queen and the Queen Mother Friday was a night for homecoming royalty at Trojan Field as the Trojans dispatched the Social Circle Redskins 19-7. Olivia Ogletree (left) was named homecoming queen. She and her mother (and escort) Sherelle Ogletree responded with big smiles when her name was called. Photos of the entire homecoming court are published on page 8A. 96852 78853 Lamar Gives 365 seeks new members for banner 10th year Time is running out to join the donors as they celebrate the 10th year of Lamar Gives 365. “The campaign only runs six weeks. It is all over by Oct. 6 and nobody can join after that and everyone who joins just does a world of good in our commu nity,” said Pat Edwards. “Over the past 10 years, we have raised more than $258,000 because sometimes members of the community fund good causes themselves when the grants are exhausted. Everybody who joins Lamar Gives 365 gets to vote on how the funds are used. Because it’s the 10th anniversary we really would love to have a record number of people join. The theme this year is Ignite the Spark. Members give $365 per year - one dollar per day - and half the money is given to local non-profits and the other half is invested through the Barnesville- Lamar County Commu nity Foundation. Each member gets to vote on which non-profits are funded and in what amounts. You can join or donate at lamargives. org. Checks can also be mailed to 577 Mulberry St., Suite 1600, Macon, Ga. 31201. “If you’re part of this community, then why not support it? You can do couple membership or club membership. Has to be at least $365. It’s $1 a day and it’s just such a good way to give back to things like hearing test to be used at the schools. By joining, you are helping your neighbor, helping people who live in this county, helping seniors at the senior center, those who need the food pantry and lots of groups at the schools, fire departments and more. It’s just a world of things that it has benefitted in our com munity. You come away from that meeting in February feeling so good about your county and knowing you are a part of it.” For more informa tion, call 770.358.3270. Iamargives.org CHRISTOPHER WELLMAKER Shooting suspect arrested WALTER GEIGER news@barnesville.com A teenager was gunned down on Matthews Street in Barnesville late Sunday afternoon and a juvenile male was taken into cus tody Monday morning and charged in connection with the murder. Christopher (CJ) Well- maker was shot near a residence at 245 Matthews Street at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday. He was mortally injured and an air life chop per was summoned but later canceled. Walker was taken by ambulance to Spalding Regional Medical Center where he died. On Monday morning, BPD and LCSO personnel traveled to Griffin where they arrested one suspect. District attorney Jona than Adams said Monday it is too early to tell if the suspect will be charged as an adult. “Georgia law allows us to charge SEE SHOOTING 3A Barnesville native Leaks to be honored in Washington Linda Leaks, who was born in Barnesville and spent her early years here, will be in ducted into the Coop erative Hall of Fame in Washington DC on October 5. She lived in public hous ing in Washington in the early 1980s when gentri- fication threatened her apartment home and those of many others. Leaks organized the ten ants and helped them buy their building using their TOPA rights. The tenants were able to turn the build ing into a cooperative. Leaks was then hired by Washington Innercity Self Help (WISH) as a ten ant organizer where she helped tenants save 15 other buildings. One was a crack house converted into a cooperative. Leaks will be inducted in ceremonies to be held at the National Press Club building in Washington. For more information, visit honoringlindaleaks.com. LEAKS D2023 THE HERALD GAZETTE, BARNESVILLE, LAMAR COUNTY, GA 30204, 770.358.NEWS RE-ELECT ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ BILL CLAXTON forcity tosra@w D n COUNCIL