Newspaper Page Text
O
WE REMEMBER
Local businesses honor those lost
during attacks of Sept. 11,2001.
See page 1B
T
PATRIOT DAY *
WE WILL NEVER FORGET
PIKE COU
eoco
Homecoming parade, pep rally is this
Friday, Sept. 9. The homecoming
football game is Friday, Sept. 15.
NTY
JOURNAL REPORTER
ONE DOLLAR
www.pikecountygeorgia.com
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2023
PIKE'S PEEK
Pike, state
sees uptick in
COVID cases
For the week of
Aug. 30, Pike had 13
confimed cases. There
had been 86 con
firmed deaths related
to COVID since the
start of the pandemic
and 25 probable
deaths with a total of
3,156 confirmed cases
since March 2020.
According to in
terim superintendent,
Pike schools have
not seen a significant
enough number of
COVID cases to be con
cerned at this time.
“In polling our
school nurses, we
have not seen a spike
in cases to the point
where we feel the
need to start track
ing as we did during
the pandemic,” said
interim superinten
dent Ross Iddings.
“Of course, that could
change, and we are
watching for that time.
Right now, however,
our reported cases
remain very low.”
Recently, the
Georgia Department
of Public Health has
seen an uptick in new
COVID cases and hos
pitalizations.
“The numbers
remain relatively
low, compared to
the state’s peak in
January 2022,” said
Natalie Shelton. “The
increases DPH is cur
rently seeing are likely
a combination of a
new COVID variant,
people not prioritizing
prevention measures,
more summer travel
and people at large
gatherings, and some
waning of immunity
from vaccination or
prior infection.”
The new variant,
EG.5, which has been
nicknamed “Eris,” is
the dominant COVID
variant spreading in
the U.S.
See COVID page 2A
Citizens outraged over possible changes
PHOTO BY RACHEL McDANIEL / PIKE COONTY JOURNAL REPORTER
Citizens packed the main courtroom for the Aug. 20 planning
and zoning meeting and the commission meeting.
Citizens expressed
outrage at the Aug. 29
commission meeting as
rumors circulated social
media about changes to
the county’s ordinances,
including a change that
would limit the number
of chickens on A-R zoned
property.
“We addressed a lot
of these concerns in our
workshop before this
meeting,” said chairman
Briar Johnson. “We have
not yet approved any
changes and it will be
a while down the road
before we get the ordi
nance changes approved
and we are currently
going through and mak
ing changes. Also, we are
required by law to have
two public hearings after
we talk through all the
needed changes. Then
we will have two public
meetings and we wel
come your input.”
Several citizens spoke
during the town hall por
tion, 15 minutes before
the start of the meeting.
Pike’s extension agent
Brooklyne Wassel ad
dressed commissioners
as well during the public
comment portion at the
end of the meeting.
“Agriculture is at
the very heart of this
community. Every year,
county extension agents
report what is called a
‘Farm Gate’ value for the
previous year to show
the economic impact of
agriculture within their
county. Pike County’s
2021 Farm Gate Value
was over $22 million.
This speaks volumes as
to the footprint and fab
ric of this community,”
she said. “1 am passion
ate about the job 1 do
and the people 1 serve.
As we continue to move
forward, I would like to
encourage the board,
county manager, plan
ning and zoning board
and anyone else who has
questions related to agri
culture to please contact
me so 1 may provide re
sources and facts related
to the matter at hand.”
The county has held
several workshops to dis
cuss ordinance changes
as has the planning and
zoning board. At an Aug.
10 meeting, planning and
zoning director Jeremy
Gilbert addressed several
proposed changes.
See CHANGES page 2A
PHOTOS BY RACHEL McDANIEL / PIKE COUNTY JOURNAL REPORTER
In just over a year since commissioners approved funding for paid firefighters, the Pike
County Fire Department has greatly increased the number of responses to help protect
citizens. The PCFD now has two firefighters on duty seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Paid firefighters'hours expanded to 7 days a week
Above, deputy chief Steven Poss (left) and PCFD fire chief
Bobby Wilkerson outside Station 7 in Zebulon.
BY RACHEL McDANIEL
news@pikecountygeorgia.com
It’s been just over a
year since Pike com
missioners approved
limited paid staffing for
members of the Pike
County Fire Department.
Since July 22, 2022, two
paid firefighters have
been on duty at Station
7 in Zebulon from 6 a.m.
to 6 p.m. each Monday
through Friday.
According to PCFD
fire chief Bobby Wilker
son, the fire department
added weekend hours
this July so the county
is covered seven days
a week from 6 a.m. to
6 p.m. Chief Wilkerson
said the number of
calls handled by the fire
department has risen
significantly since the
paid firefighters have
been on duty. In 2021,
the fire department
handled around 680
calls, compared to 1,280
calls in the first year of
paid firefighters.
“This year, we have
already answered
around 1,150 calls and
we are on average to
hit around 1,750 calls,”
said fire chief Wilkerson.
“In two year’s time, we
have almost tripled the
calls the fire department
answers.”
On the day he was
interviewed by the
Journal Reporter
around 1 p.m., the
fire department had
already answered five
calls that day, includ
ing fires, wrecks and
medical calls all across
the county - from near
the Meriwether line in
the Pedenville area to
Williamson and north of
Zebulon as well.
“We know fund
ing is an issue for the
county but we have
come a long way as a
fire department and the
commissioners have re
ally supported us,” said
chief Wilkerson.
The chief noted the
county is rated around
a 5 in most aresas and
there are just a few
places where residents
are not within five miles
of a fire station. He said
having paid firefighters
definitely helps keep the
ISO rating low and the
unscheduled ISO inspec
tion started shortly
after paid firefighters
officially started.
See FIRE page 3A
Honor POW/MIAs in
Pike, across the nation
Pike County Ameri
can Legion Post 197 will
conduct the Prisoner of
War / Missing In Action
Recognition Day obser
vance on Friday, Sept.
15. A POW/MIA Memorial
will be on display from
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the
public to view.
“The National Prisoners
of War (POW) and Missing
in Action (MIA) Recogni
tion Day Observance
Program honors our cur
rent MIAs, and past and
current POWs around the
nation,” said Post 197’s
Bryan Richardson. “Pike
has four known MIAs:
Seaman 2nd Class David
E. Ledford, Staff Sergeant
Joel M. Matthews and
Private Marion B. Smoot
from WWII and Chief Petty
Officer Willie L. King from
the Vietnam War. Pike has
six known former POWs.
Now deceased from
WWII are Major Marvin
H. Campbell, and Private
James J. Dickerson from
the Meansville area, Pri
vate Herman Nelson from
Zebulon and Corporal
John N. Scott and Private
Marion B. Smoot from the
Molena area; and former
PHOTO BY CHAD MOORE/
BURSTMODE.SMUGMUG.COM
Post 197’s Bryan Richardson
places an American flag on
the POW/MIA table at last
year’s POW/MIA recognition
program on the courthouse
square. This year, the table
will be set in honor of the na
tion’s POW and MIA at hourly
intervals from 10:45 a.m. to
2:45 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15.
POW Specialist Sixth Class
Lenard E. Daugherty from
the Vietnam War who
currently resides in Wil
liamson.”
See POW/MIA page 2A
Flashback: 1929 bank
robbery in Concord
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was
originally published in the Pike
County Journal on Sept. 13,1929
with the headline ‘Concord Post
Office Dynamited, Robbed.’
Employing a power
ful explosive to crumble
the door of a steel vault,
robbers late Tuesday
night looted the Concord
post office of $2,200 in
cash, and took a six-hour
lead over the pursuit
organized Wednesday
morning.
Postmaster R.E. Lee
stated Wednesday that
the safe-blowers obvi
ously had knowledge of
the contents of the safe,
which included $2,000 in
cash, en route from the
Atlanta Federal Reserve
Bank to the Bank of Con
cord. The currency was
in several packages, all
insured.
Most of the remaining
$200 stolen, the post
master said, belong to
him personally, only a
few dollars being in the
institution’s treasury at
the time. The robbers
disdained stamps and
money orders, taking
nothing but cash.
See BANK ROBBERY page 2A
Patriot Day display at southside of courthouse Sept. 11
It’s been 22 years
since terrorist attacks
against the United States
were carried out.
On Monday, Sept. 11,
Pike County American
Legion Post 197 will set
up a Patriot Day static
display in memory of
those lost on Sept. 11,
2001. The 9-11 Memorial
will be on display from
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the
south side of the Pike
County courthouse.
“The Patriot Day
Memorial will honor the
2,977 individuals who
perished that fateful day
22 years ago, including
343 firefighters, 60 law
enforcement officers,
eight emergency medical
service and 55 military,”
said Post 197’s Bryan
Richardson. “The memo
rial will also honor those
individuals who perished
with no trace of their
remains found and no
closure to their families;
and those service mem
bers who died defending
our nation in the result
ing war on terrorism. The
event of Sept. 11, 2001
was the largest loss of
life by a foreign attack on
American soil. The pub
lic is highly encouraged
to stop by and see the
9-11 Memorial and reflect
on this tragic event that
affects our country even
today.”
PATRIOT DAY