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HERE’S THE
SCOOP
Letters to
Santa wanted
Santa’s helpers at the
The Herald Gazette want
to make sure your letters
get to the North Pole
before Christmas. Let
ters may be mailed to:
P.O. Box 220, Barnesville
30204, dropped off at
our office located at 509
Greenwood St., Barnes
ville or emailed: missy@
barnesville.com. Letters
will be published in the
Tuesday, Dec. 19 edition.
The deadline for letters
is 5 p.m., Friday, Dec. 8.
Woman
with local
ties
killed in
West Point
shooting
A woman with mul
tiple local ties was one of
two people found shot to
death Sunday at a home
in West Point, Ga. West
Point police found the
bodies when they did
a welfare check at the
home at 8:15 p.m.
Kylie Ashlyn Womack
was deceased at the
scene. An unidentified
Hispanic male was also in
the apartment deceased.
GB1 crime scene techs
were called in to work
the scene.
Womack was the
daughter of Lamar sher
iff’s deputy Mike Womack
and the late Ginger Hill
Middleton and the grand
daughter of Valerie Hill.
Funeral arrangements
are pending. Monitor
barnesville.com for
updates.
Subscribe. Your name goes
on the label in this box
Former VFW commander jailed,
charged with stealing over $37,000
WALTER GEIGER
news@barnesville.com
Former VFW Post
commander Richard
Wright, 44, was arrested
Nov. 30 on two counts
of felony theft by taking.
The arrest stemmed
from a GB1 investigation
into funds missing from
the VFW Post.
The warrants were
presented by GBI agents
and signed by Judge Bill
Fears Nov. 28.
A team of Lamar
deputies and a
GBI agent took
Wright into cus
tody at his Harris
Drive home. He
was denied bond
by chief magis
trate Paul Kunst
and remains in
the Lamar County
jail pending
further proceedings in
superior court Dec. 7.
Count one alleges
that, between July 16,
2020 and June 1, 2022,
Wright took $5176.75
from the post’s
coffers to pay off
a personal loan
without permis
sion or authority.
Count two al
leges that, during
the period Aug.
21. 2020 and April
25, 2022, Wright
transferred over
$32,000 from the VFW’s
bank account to his per
sonal account at United
Bank.
According to a news
release from the GBI,
the investigation into
Wright’s activities while
post commander is
active and ongoing.
Anyone with further
information can call the
LCSO at 770.358.5159
or the GBI regional of
fice in Milledgeville at
478.445.4173.
Anonymous tips
can be called in to
1.800.597.TIPs or sub
mitted through the GBI
website at gbi.georgia.
gov.
WRIGHT
THE HERALD GAZETTE/WALTER GEIGER
AMPS owner Austin Woods shows off the latest in forklift battery technology during the grand opening of the com
pany’s new 20,000 square foot building here Friday. The company will soon be hiring.
Barnesville’s latest industry is both unique and innovative
96852
78853
WALTER GEIGER
news@barnesville.com
Ribbon cutting and
grand opening ceremo
nies were conducted
Friday at Atlanta Motive
Power Service (AMPS),
Barnesville’s newest
industry. Owners Austin
and Kayla Woods, along
with their young son
Beau, welcomed a large
crowd of well-wishers
who enjoyed coffee,
doughnuts and a barbe
cue lunch.
AMPS is located in
a section of the Kenny
Roberts Legacy indus
trial park and is the
number one reseller of
Eternity Technologies
batteries in the south
east. The company also
services all makes of
forklift batteries and
chargers. AMPS person
nel do onsite cleaning
and maintenance of
all types of industrial
batteries and chargers
which increases pro
duction and eliminates
downtime for custom
ers.
AMPS started up nine
years ago in a build
ing near the Yancey
operation in Griffin
but quickly outgrew
that space. Its crews
service forklifts and
other equipment at 19
Coca-Cola plants among
other customers.
“Batteries gets ser
viced every two weeks.
We go in and water the
batteries, clean them
and service chargers
and other equipment
all in an evironmentally
sound manner. We will
be nine years old in
January and have never
had an accident,” Aus
tin Woods said.
There is consider
able new business on
the horizon with all the
warehouse facilities
springing up along 1-75
so the future is bright.
The new AMPS build
ing is 20,000 square
feet and Woods hopes
to build another of the
same size right across
the street soon. The
building is in an area of
the park being devel
oped by Lester Ranew.
Austin reported a large
battery manufacturing
concern could locate
nearby in the near
future.
“We are a zero
debt company. Lester
stepped up and made
sure this building was
done right and we are
so thankful for him,”
Woods added.
Ranew said four
more buildings are
planned in the area
which could be home to
100 or more jobs in the
near future.
AMPS will soon
launch a service for the
everyday consumer as
well.
“Instead of going to
Autozone or someplace
like that, you will be
able to pull up here in
your car, truck or golf
cart or pull your boat,
tractor or other heavy
equipment in and we
can professionally clean
and service your bat
tery. If you need a new
one, we will have it in
stock and install it for
you right here,” Woods
said.
SEE INDUSTRY 2A
ESF money
is running
low;
after hours
benefit is
Thursday
WALTER GEIGER
news@barnesville.com
Empty Stocking Fund
volunteers Vicki and Glenn
Forsyth are scrambling
around to make sure no
Lamar County kids go
without something under
the Christmas tree this
year. Complicating things
is a shortage of funds.
“We have 331 kids from
64 families who we will be
assisting. We are getting
calls daily and, so far,
no one has been turned
away,” Vicki said.
Rock Springs Church
has adopted 125 of the
needy children while
First Methodist Church of
Barnesville has adopted
another 25.
Vicki, who has just
recovered from her eighth
bout with COVID, relied on
Glenn to do much of the
shopping at the Thanksgiv
ing weekend sales. “Funds
are running low after Black
Friday,” she lamented.
Customers at Buggy-
town Auction have been
generous in providing
toys and will have another
opportunity at this Satur
day’s sale.
The annual After Hours
event to benefit ESF at
United Bank is set for
Thursday at 5 p.m. at the
main bank office down
town.
“That is our biggest fun
draiser every year. We are
looking forward to it and
hope our supporters will
turn out and be generous,”
Vicki concluded.
Christmas parade
launches holiday
season Saturday
Barnesville-Lamar
County will officially
usher in the Christmas
season Saturday when
the Rockin’ Around the
Christmas Tree Parade
winds through the streets
of Barnesville.
Staging will begin at
the Gordon parking lots
off College Drive at 4 p.m.
with preliminary judging
beginning at 5 p.m. The
parade will start at 6:30
p.m. and follow the usual
Buggy Days parade route.
Both golf carts and
floats will be judged. Entry
forms must be submitted
to city hall by 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday.
The top float will win
$250 with second place
getting $150 and third
place getting $100. The
first place golf cart will
win $120 with second
place receving $75 and
third place taking home
$75.
Entry forms are avail
able at city hall or by click
ing on the parade ad on
barnesville.com.
For more information,
call 770.358.2789.
©2023 THE HERALD GAZETTE, BARNESVILLE, LAMAR COUNTY, GA 30204, 770.358.NEWS