Newspaper Page Text
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The Memorial Day program and parade was
held as Millie Smith sang the National Anthem
See page 2A
PIKE COUNTY
ONE DOLLAR
www.pikecountygeorgia.com
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 2021
PIKE'S PEEK
PCFD chief
fired, interim
appointed
Commissioners
issued a notice for a
special called meet
ing on Tuesday, June
1 in order to appoint
an interim fire chief
after chief Rick O’Barr
received a termina
tion letter from county
manager Brandon
Rogers the same day.
O’Barr was fire chief
since December 10,
2014 when he was
unanimously approved
by commissioners.
“A lot of issues with
the fire department
were discussed in
executive session and
1 can’t discuss that
but this was not an
overnight decision,”
said commission vice
chair Tim Daniel. “The
incident on Reidsboro
Road was the straw
that broke the camel’s
back. A young woman
was in a wreck, her
car caught fire and she
was stuck in the car
with zero first respond
ers there.”
See PCFD page 3A
Jobless rate
down in April
The adjusted
jobless rate for the
Three Rivers region,
which includes Lamar
County, dropped by
0.3% in April. The rate
was 3.7% compared to
13.2% after COV1D hit
in April, 2020.
Initial unemploy
ment claims in April
were down by 17%
from March, 2021.
In addition to Pike,
the Three Rivers
region includes Butts,
Carroll, Coweta, Heard,
Lamar, Meriwether,
Spalding, Troup and
Upson counties.
School approves $31 million budget
BY RACHEL McDANIEL
news@pikecountygeorgia.com
Pike County schools
recently approved
their Fiscal Year 2022
budget on June 8. The
$31,750,106 budget pro
posed increases of 4.2%
in expenses and 7.4% in
revenues due to restora
tion of state/QBE funding
and increased local title
and ad valorem taxes.
The school’s budget
revenues will include
$20,970,592 from the
state’s Quality Basic Edu
cation (QBE) funding and
$278,193 from other state
sources, $9,351,321 from
local M&O tax revenues,
$900,000 from title ad
valorem tax and $250,000
from intangible tax. The
FY21 budget was set at
$30,452,273.
The increased expens
es for the FY21 budget
will fund step increases
for all staff (certified and
classified), additional bus
routes for miscellaneous
trips, additional teachers
and paraprofessionals as
required for class sizes
and choices, increased
supplements for middle
and high school athletic
and theater coaches,
additional staff for the
technology department,
classroom furniture and
supplies, the purchase of
buses with state funding
allocations, technology
and software additions
to support online com
munication and record
keeping and professional
development.
The majority of
the proposed budget
-$19,849,222-will go
toward instruction with
pupil services, mainte
nance and operations
and human resources
each budgeted more than
$2 million each.
PHOTOS BY RACHEL McDANIEL / PIKE COUNTY JOURNAL REPORTER
Robin Pressley of Animal Adventures of Georgia shows a summer reading club member a
green iguana and gives her a chance to touch his side during last Thursday’s program.
Library shares tales and tails
Young readers at the J.
Joel Edwards Public Library
learned some tales about
various animals’ tails from
Robin Pressley of Animal
Adventures of Georgia dur
ing the first summer reading
club program on Thursday,
June 3 at the Zebulon City
Park.
Students learned about
reptiles, amphibians and
other animals and were
even allowed to pet many
of them. The animal tails
they learned about dur
ing the program included
the American alligator,
red-footed tortoise, yellow-
bellied slider, box turtle, the
extremely rare Mata Mata
turtle, African hedgehog,
lionhead bunny, the Mada
gascar hissing cockroach,
a green iguana and a blue
iguana.
Children (0-12) and teens
(13-18) can participate by
going to frrls.beanstack.
com on a computer or
smartphone and register
ing, then logging the hours
they spend reading in June
and July.
“The library will host
a combination of virtual
and outdoor programming.
Young children (12 months-
5 years) can find an exciting
and creative story time on
Facebook Live. School-aged
children (6-12) are invited
to join to join Ms. Rosemary
and other storytellers at the
Zebulon City Park featuring
live animals each week such
as Wonky Donkey, unicorn
rides, the Zebulon Police
Department K-9 officers and
much more! The library will
also offer weekly Take &
Make craft kits for children
ages 5-12 each Wednesday
that can be picked up at the
front desk,” said assistant
manager Alyssa Williams.
Summer reading club participants (l-r) Beau Williams, Au-
brea Davis and Bryant Williams got to pet a lionhead bunny
at last week’s Thursday program at the Zebulon City Park.
Above, some animals students learned about during the
program included the African hedgehog (above left), a blue
iguana (above right) and the American alligator (below).
Two arrested after
8 week old suffers
nine broken bones
The Zebulon
Police Depart
ment was
made aware of
an 8 week old
infant child
who had been
taken to Well-
star Spalding
Hospital for
broken bones
on Friday, April
30. Shortly af
ter arriving at
WellStar Spald
ing, the infant
child was
transferred to
Egleston Chil
dren’s Hospital
of Atlanta.
After a very
comprehensive
investigation
involving the Zebulon
Police Department, the
Department of Family
And Children Services
(DFACS) and the Pike
County District Attor
ney’s Office and after
reviewing detailed
medical reports, it was
determined that the
injuries were non
accidental and a result
of child abuse
that occurred
on three sepa
rate occasions
for a total of
nine broken
bones.
The father,
Joseph Tyler
Alexander, 20,
of Zebulon was
charged with
nine counts
of aggravated
battery (felony)
and nine counts
of cruelty to
children 1st
degree (felony).
The mother,
Tarilyn Allie
Lester, 19, also
of Zebulon, was
charged with
the same nine counts of
aggravated battery (fel
ony) and nine counts
of cruelty to children
1st degree (felony),
for a total of 36 felony
charges against the
couple.
The investigation
is still ongoing and
further charges could
be filed.
JOSEPH TYLER
ALEXANDER
TARILYN ALLIE
LESTER
PHOTOS BY JOHN ELLIS
Local talented musicians play in the parking lot of The
Music Bam in Williamson as they prepare for the show.
Music Barn still draws
a crowd on Fridays
BY JOHN ELLIS
news@pikecountygeorgia.com
The Music Barn in
Williamson hosted
three excellent bands
Friday, May 28 starting
at 6:30 p.m. with the
gospel singing group
Pine Grove 5. Next at
7:30 p.m., Wildwood
Grass Band took the
stage, with their out
standing picking and
bluegrass music. They
were followed by The
Colonel Mustard Band
with country and rock
and roll. The dance
floor stayed pretty
much full until the end
of the shows.
The Music Barn first
opened its doors 34
years ago in 1987. It
was founded by the late
John Williams, a Coun
try Music Hall of Fame
member. It became a
place where local musi
cians could come to
gether and play country,
gospel and bluegrass
music. Through good
years and bad and ups
and down, The Music
Barn has always been a
place where musicians
and community alike
could come together for
clean, family entertain
ment and to share a love
for music. Since its be
ginning the Music Barn
has been 100% donation
funded through the sup
port of the musicians,
fans and community.
See MUSIC BARN page 3A
