Newspaper Page Text
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TIME CHANGE
Spring forward! Daylight Saving Time
will begin at 2 a.m. on March 14
and will end at 2 a.m. on Nov. 7. Don’t
forget to change your clocks before
going to bed this Saturday night.
PIKE COUNTY
US DA food boxes will be
distributed Friday morning at
480 Second St. in Concord.
See page 3A
JOURNAL REPORTER
ONE DOLLAR
www.pikecountygeorgia.com
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021
PIKE'S PEEK
COVID-19
cases still
decreasing
According to the
Georgia Department
of Public Health,
confirmed COVID-19
cases are continuing to
decline in Pike County,
down to 24 over the
past two weeks as of
March 8. The num
bers dropped from
28 cases the previous
two weeks and show
a steady decline from
41, 67, 86 and 93 in
the previous two-week
periods.
There have been a
total of 989 confirmed
COVID-19 cases in Pike
since last March with
21 deaths, 11 probable
deaths and 66 hospi
talizations.
Cases have dropped
in Pike schools also.
See COVID-19 page 3A
Head Start
programs
accepting
applications
The McIntosh
Trail Early Childhood
Development Council
has started accepting
applications for Early
Head Start, Head Start
and Pre-K programs in
Pike and participating
counties for the 2021-
22 school year.
“As we continue to
go through the COV
ID-19 pandemic, please
know that health and
safety comes first
when serving low-
income children and
families. Since COV1D
began, children are
virtual learning,” said
Felina Foreman of Pike
County Head Start.
See HEAD START page 3A
Vaccine offered to local teachers
BY RACHEL McDANIEL
news@pikecountygeorgia.com
More than 2.3 million
vaccines have been given
in Georgia so far, with
new groups now eligible
for vaccination, includ
ing educators and school
staff (public and private),
adults with intellectual
and developmental dis
abilities and their care
givers and parents with
children with complex
medical conditions.
A total of 1,529 vac
cines had been adminis
tered in Pike County as of
March 8. Of those, 1,070
were given the first dose
and 459 received the sec
ond dose, according to
the Georgia Department
of Public Health.
Around 150 Pike Coun
ty School employees will
receive the Johnson &
Johnson vaccine on Fri
day, March 19 in the Col
laboration Room at our
Ninth Grade Academy.
When vaccine is avail
able, the District 4 Public
Health appointment line
at 762-888-8180 is open
for those who qualify to
schedule their vaccine
appointments. The nor
mal operation hours of
the appointment call cen
ter are from 8 a.m. to 5
p.m. Wednesday through
Friday when vaccine is
available. The call center
does not operate when
all appointments are
booked for the available
vaccine. A drive-thru first
vaccination clinic was
held Tuesday, March 9 by
the Pike County Health
Department.
Vaccine is also still
available for healthcare
workers in clinical set
tings, staff and residents
of long-term care facili
ties, law enforcement of
ficers and fire personnel
and adults 65 and older.
PHOTOS BY RACHEL McDANIEL / PIKE COUNTY JOURNAL REPORTER
The Pike County Backpack Program is now including fresh fruit in bags for local children
along with meals and snacks for the weekend.
Backpack Program adds new items
Pike County Backpack Program volunteers Brian Hood
(left) and Larry Edge (right) help pack the 77 bags of food
with apples so they can be distributed to students who
would otherwise not have enough food for the weekend.
BY RACHEL McDANIEL
news@pikecountygeorgia.com
The Pike County
Backpack Program packs
nearly 80 bags with easy-
to-prepare meals for
the entire weekend so
local students won’t go
hungry. During previous
years, the program has
provided meals for 41
weekends and delivered
around 2,500 backpack
bags for the year.
Recently, fresh fruit
was added to the items
given to the 77 local
students who take the
bags of food home each
Friday. There are many
ways to help with the
program, from laying
out the foods on Mon
day for easier packing
on Tuesday, to donating
financially and spread
ing the word, picking
up foods, delivering the
bags to the schools and
bus barn.
The Backpack Pro
gram has been success
ful thanks to volunteers
from local churches and
civic organizations.
“As the Pike County
Backpack Program has
matured, we’ve realized
that our team has the
capacity and desire to
give the children our
best,” said Mike Cox.
“Several people have
stepped up to provide
nutritious fruit. We are
striving to provide a
unique experience to
the children with fruit
they don’t normally
have in their homes.”
To find out more,
find the Pike County
Backpack Program on
Facebook. To donate
fruit or give financially,
contact Mike Cox at 770-
755-0134 or at mikecox@
christchapelga.com.
PCHS student killed in
ATV accident March 7
Pike County High
School student Riley
Nuce died from injuries
sustained in an ATV acci
dent on Sunday, March 7.
He was a 16-year-old
student and his class
mates and staff at the
high school mourned his
passing Monday.
He was riding a Polaris
ATV in Upson County
with his younger brother
who was riding another
ATV. The Polaris over
turned in a field off An
drews Chapel Road just
after 2 p.m. Sunday.
He was a Team Lead at
Chick-Fil-A in Griffin.
Riley is the son of
Diane and Chad Nuce.
Chad is a partner in the
law firm of Pasley, Nuce,
Mallory & Davis.
Riley is the third PCHS
student to die this school
year including the late
Hayleigh Marie Poole and
Jamori Williams.
Man arrested in Pike
after vehicle, foot chase
A man was ar
rested in Zebu-
Ion after being
stopped on High
way 19 north
near the Pike
County line for
traffic violations.
Ricci Dennard,
41, of Albany, GA
fled from Upson Sheriff’s
Office Sgt. Mario Cromer
and Meriwether County
Sgt. Jay Rogers at a high
rate of speed and trav
elled into Pike County.
Dennard sped from the
officers at speeds of
more than 100 mph.
Dennard pulled down
an embankment south
of Zebulon and fled on
foot after meeting an
oncoming Pike County
Sheriff’s Office deputy.
The suspect was quickly
apprehended by depu
ties with the assistance
of K9 Millie. As
Dennard was
running from
officers, he
was dumping a
white powdery
substance from
the contents of
his backpack.
Dennard
assaulted an officer as he
was arrested, hitting him
in the face. His back pack
contained 4.1 pounds of
cocaine in both powder
and crack form and more
than $3,000 in cash.
The street value of the
drugs confiscated is over
$70,000.
Dennard is being held
without bond in the
Upson County Jail on
charges of fleeing and
attempting to elude,
trafficking cocaine and
obstruction of a law en
forcement officer.
Pike’s probate court gets new website
Under new judge Ginny
Blakeney, the Probate Court of
Pike County has a new website
at PikeProbateCourt.com which
includes important information
about services offered at the
court.
Citizens may look up and
pay traffic citations online, find
out what is needed to apply for
marriage licenses, download an
application for Weapons Carry
Licenses, learn how to request
vital records such as birth
and death certificates and see
general office information. The
site also includes the county’s
traffic court calendar.
Judge Ginny Blakeney set up
the website for the office and
the Probate Court is staffed by
Chief Clerk of 21 years Sandy
Mitchell and Deputy Clerk of
two years Sarah Neath.
The Probate Court of Pike
was constitutionally founded in
1823 and was originally known
as the Office of the Ordinary The
Ordinary was the original county
commissioner, and the office
became known as the “catch
all court” due to the variety of
SPECIAL PHOTOS
The Pike County probate court has a
new website where citizens can pay
traffic citations and learn about other
services offered by the court.
services provided to the public
from the office. Still today, the
original transom window above
the door identifies the room as
the Ordinary’s Office.
Original court records which
are still contained in the vault
date back to 1823, and vital
records date back to 1919. Most
of the items kept in the vault
are public record and citizens
are invited to conduct research
during regular office hours.
The probate court maintains
exclusive jurisdiction over the
probate of wills and the admin
istration of estates of deceased
persons; appointment of guard
ians of the person and property
of incapacitated adults; ap
pointment of guardians of the
property of minors; appoint
ment, in certain circumstances,
of guardians of the person of
minors; and commitment for in
voluntary treatment of persons
addicted to drugs or alcohol
and/or suffering from mental
illness. The court maintains
limited jurisdiction over certain
licenses and permits such as
weapons carry licenses, mar
riage permits, and performing
certain administrative duties;
limited criminal jurisdiction
including traffic cases and game
and fish violations; and vital
records.
Ginny Blakeney was sworn in as the
new probate judge for Pike County. She
was supported by her husband, John,
and children Bowen and Austyn.