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HOMECOMING
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See page 2A
PIKE COUNTY
mHNAL
www.pikecountygeorgia.co
PIKE'S PEEK
COVID cases
declining
but deaths
jump to 42
Active cases of CO-
VID-19 in Pike County
continue to decline but
deaths due to the virus
jumped from 37 to 42
in a week as of Monday,
Sept. 27, according to
the Georgia Depart
ment of Public Health.
The number of con
firmed cases dropped
to 106 for the past two
weeks, compared to
136 for the previous
two-week period.
The Pike County
school system has seen
a significant decrease
in confirmed cases and
quarantines, dropping
to a total of nine cases
with only 19 under
quarantine as of Sept.
27 according to data at
pike.kl2.ga.us. The con
firmed cases decreased
by 10 from the week
before and those under
quarantine decreased
by 30 compared to the
week before.
Since the pandemic
started, there have
been a total of 1,801
confirmed cases, 42
deaths, 17 probable
deaths and 111 hospi
talizations.
More than 10.3 mil
lion Georgia residents
have received the
COV1D-19 vaccine with
more than half a million
residents fully vac
cinated at 54% of the
population.
In Pike, 31% of resi
dents are fully vaccinat
ed as of Sept. 27 at 5,639
vaccinated citizens and
35% of residents having
at least one dose of the
vaccine.
To make an ap
pointment to get the
vaccine at the health
department, go to dis-
trict4health.org or call
888-457-0186 Monday
through Friday from 8
a.m. to 8 p.m. and Satur
day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
ESPL0ST to improve facilities
Pike County voters will
decide whether to con
tinue the county’s sixth
ESPLOST on in the Nov.
2 election. The school
system said the fund
ing would improve the
school’s auditorium, up
grade the middle school
HVAC, provide kitchen
equipment where needed
as well as paving and re
surfacing, new buses, an
elementary school roof,
land for a future campus,
floors, bleachers, goals
and scoreboards for the
high school gym, field-
house and weight room
improvements, tennis
courts and softball and
baseball bleachers.
“The Education
SPLOST is not a property
tax. It provides a method
of funding the cost of
educational improve
ments and retires bond
debt to which everyone,
not just property owners,
contributes,” said super
intendent Dr. Michael
Duncan. “Additionally,
the sales tax is paid by
everyone who shops or
stays in Pike County, in
cluding visitors.”
The ESPLOST exten
sion would be for five
years or $14.6 million,
whichever comes first.
An Education Special
Purpose Location Op
tion Sales Tax (ESPLOST)
allows local school
districts the option to
ask voters to continue
the one penny sales
tax to help fund school
improvements. It can be
used to pay for capital
projects or to retire debt,
but cannot be used to
pay operating expenses,
such as salaries. ES-
PLOSTs are enacted by
a ballot referendum.
According to the school
system, ESPLOST funds
have been used recently
to purchase new com
puter hardware, new
HVAC systems at the pri
mary school, elementary
school and high school
and new roofs were in
stalled at the high school
and primary school.
See ESPLOST page 3A
PHOTO BY RACHEL McDANIEL / PIKE COUNTY JOURNAL REPORTER
Rick Rickerson of Meansville (left) in the Mellow Yellow demolition car rams into his son
Josh Rickerson (far right) and grandson Caleb Rickerson in the Orange Crush demolition
car. If either of the two win the Demolition Derby at the Spalding County Fair, they have
already agreed to share the $1,000 in winnings with the Pike County Animal Shelter.
Demolition Derby ready!
Pike resident Rick
Rickerson has spent
extra time in his garage
with his son and grand
son over the past month
as they prepared for the
Demolition Derby at the
Spalding County Fair
set for Tuesday, Sept.
28 with a rain date of
Thursday, Sept. 30.
“I’m 60 years old
and this will be my first
demolition derby. A lot
of people have asked me
why I’d spend all this
time and money on these
cars and then tear them
up in 20 minutes. My
answer is, if you could
see the wonderful hours
I’ve spent in my shop
with my son and grand
son working on these
cars, you will understand
exactly why,” said Rick.
“We are going to have
these cars all torn up
and crumbled up.”
Rick and his son Josh
and grandson Caleb
have been working most
evenings on the cars
and Rick will drive #60
Mellow Yellow with Josh
in #14 Orange Crush.
Caleb won’t be able to
ride but he did a lot of
work with his dad and
grandfather.
“I basically painted
the yellow car. My favor
ite part was busting out
the windows.”
Caleb broke all the
glass, broke off the mir
rors, took the trim off as
well as the lights, head
lights and taillights.
Both Rick and Josh
have agreed to donate
the $1,000 in winnings to
the Pike County Animal
Shelter if they prevail in
the demolition derby.
See DERBY page 3A
Add fruit plants to
your property, help
Pike County extension
The Pike County
Extension office will hold
the third annual Fall Fruit
Plant Sale in the coming
weeks. This fundraising
event helps to support
Pike County Extension’s
agriculture and natural
resources programming
and educational efforts
including but not limited
to program supplies, ma
terials, and equipment.
“These locally raised,
high-quality plants are
sold at a low price. The
extension office encour
ages everyone to take
advantage of this amaz
ing deal,” said extension
agent Brooklyne Wassel.
All plants must be
pre-ordered and paid for
by the Nov. 1 deadline.
Orders can be picked up
Nov. 9 from 4 to 6 p.m. at
the Pike County Exten
sion office. Any plants
not picked up at the des
ignated time are donated.
Available plants
include Vernon, Powder
and Baldwin variety
blueberries for $8 per 1
gallon plant; Arapaho,
Ouachita and Navaho
variety blackberries for
$8 per 1 gallon plant;
Caroline and Fall Gold
raspberries for $8 per
1 gallon plant; Dwarf
Everbearing Mulberry
for $8 per 1 gallon plant;
Noble, Lane, Magnolia
and Triumph muscadines
for $8 per 1 gallon plant;
Italian Honey and Celeste
figs for $8 per 1 gallon
plant; and Robinson and
Prairifire crabapples for
$25 for 5 gallon plants.
“All proceeds benefit
the Pike County Exten
sion office, so please
consider supporting local
programs by adding fruit
plants to your landscape
this fall,” said Wassel.
Truck rips through building in Concord; SUV
hits person, wrecks into home in Meansville
A full size pickup truck
traveling west on Hwy.
18 between Zebulon and
Concord ran off the road
Friday afternoon and
went completely through
an outbuilding. The
outbuilding was located
on the property of Jimmy
Hatchett.
The driver of the truck
was taken by ambulance
to an area hospital, ac
cording to Anita Neath,
public information officer
for the Pike County Fire
Department.
Additionally, at 4:36
p.m. Friday, deputies
responded to Hwy. 19
near the Upson County
line where the driver of a
Chevy Suburban ran off
the road, striking a power
pole and a homeowner on
a lawn mower.
See WRECKS page 3A
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE PIKE COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT
At left, a pickup truck drove through Jimmy Hatchett’s outbuilding on Highway 18 (at left) on
the same day that a Suburban struck a person on a mower and then plowed into the Means
ville home (at right). Both drivers and the person on the mower were taken to area hospitals.