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Uial&U, ta U& Bvti Pag Established in 1882 ,J Vol. 128, No. 39 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830 Wednesday, January 7, 2009 - $1.00 INSIDE Hoop & Holler A spotlight on senior basket ball players and wrestling - Section B Tmv iev this week online... The True Citizen has added a new feature to its website. “True View” will offer commu nity news exclusively online and will be updated regularly. A preview of “True View” will run in the print edition of The True Citizen. - Page 13A Website reveals state travel, salaries Georgia residents can see exactly how their state tax dollars are being spent, thanks to a new website that allows users to access gov ernment expenditures in cluding state employees’ salaries and travel expenses. - Page 3A Sports Lady Bears start off year with win Their coach said it was exactly what they needed. A come-from-behind 59-54 win over Jefferson County last Saturday gave the Burke County Lady Bears (1-9) their first win of the season and something to feel good about. - Page10A EBA begins region action As 2009 begins, the Spar tans and Lady Spartans start their region play on the bas ketball court. Both teams will face region foe Frederica Academy this Friday in St. Simons, with the girls’ game beginning at 6 p.m. - Page10A From council Retirement complex gets green light By Elizabeth Billips lizbillips@yahoo.com Waynesboro City Council gave a Dunwoody developer the green light to proceed with plans for a 39-unit retirement complex. Monday night, councilmen agreed to rezone the proposed site between Academy Avenue and Shadrack Street from resi dential to multi-family. While the complex is still not a done deal, developer Gary Hammond can move ahead with plans for his $6.4 million project. Two weeks ago, city council tabled a decision after hearing nearly two hours of fears and cheers from around 20 residents who stood on both sides of the fence. Monday, five of the six coun cilmen approved the zoning change while Willie Roy Will iams abstained from the vote. This time, council neither dis cussed the complex nor asked for public comments. SPECS WHAT’S NEXT? • 2.2 acre site on old Waynesboro Elementary campus • 39 units • 18 one-bedroom units, 21 with two bedrooms • Some units in existing two-story building; additional units in newly constructed apartment buildings • Rent from $350s to upper $500s, depending on unit size and in come • All residents must be 62 or older. • Must have incomes between $12,000 and $26,000 • At least six units reserved for occupants on the low end of income bracket Developer Gary Hammond will try to get the historic preservation board’s recommendation before returning to council with a request to construct in the historic neighbor hood. He’ll also appear before the board of adjustments to ask for a variance to the city’s parking and multi-family density ordinances. Right now, existing codes prohibit more than approximately 18 units on a site that size. TUCKERED OUT Ricky, above, was plumb exhausted after the Geor gia Derby Championship finished up Monday after noon at Di-Lane Plantation WMA. He and a mess of other points were brought to the competition by then- handler Randy Sanderson of New Albany, Miss. The derby marked the first of four trials hosted this month by the Georgia Field Trial Association. The Georgia Quail Championship began on the heels of the derby Monday and will likely finish up Friday. Two injured Young veteran killed in accident By Anne Marie Kyzer annemariek@thetruecitizen.com A veteran of the Iraq War was killed in a three-car crash outside Waynesboro last Tuesday night. Senior Airman Judson Lester Farrar, 22, of Harlem died from injuries he sustained when the Chevrolet Camaro he was riding in was struck by a diesel truck with a load of hay in tow. The accident occurred around 8:25 p.m. on Highway 24 South at Clarks Place Road. Farrar was on leave from his duty at Herbert Air Force Field in Florida. He was riding in the car with two Burke County High School students. The driver, Bobbie Ann Williams, 16, of Perkins was transported to MCGHealth Medical Center and has since been released. The other passenger, Elizabeth Lucinda “Lucy” Mercer, 16, of Perkins was also transported to MCGHealth following a lengthy extraction from the ve hicle. She has undergone a series of surgeries since then, and she remains in critical condition. Initial reports indicate that the Camaro turned in the path of the dually truck and was struck on the passenger side, causing both vehicles to flip. The driver and passenger in the pickup, Justin Andrews, 40, and James Phillips, 31, both of Watkinsville, escaped injury. A third driver, Ronnie Lee Overstreet Jr. of Sardis, be came involved when his small sedan ran into the hay that spilled from Andrews’ load. Overstreet was not injured. The accident has been turned over to the Georgia State Patrol’s Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team in Reidsville for investigation, and no citations have been is sued yet. Alcohol is not believed to have been a contribut ing factor. Daniels named ‘RVer of the Year’ by Good Sam Club By Elizabeth Billips lizbillips@yahoo.com Waynesboro resident Rich ard Daniels has been named the first ever Good Sam Club’s RVer of the Year. He is featured in this month’s national Highways magazine, as is his story about finding “Old Fella” on a camp ing trip four years ago and how the skinny old stray spurred an animal rescue movement in Burke County and beyond. While Daniels wasn’t even sure he wanted to keep Old Fella in the beginning, he not only did so but drew on that relationship to establish the Old Fella Burke County Ani mal Rescue. The organization, which is now a state-licensed non profit, has saved hundreds of abandoned animals and estab lished a network of foster homes and “forever homes” all over the nation. Daniels also drew on fellow RVers who watched the story develop on the Open Roads Forum, an online discussion post maintained by the Good Sam Club. Those online friends encour aged the Daniels to take Old Fella in and sent donations to help with his dog’s mounting emergency medical bills. They were also behind Daniels ev ery step of the way as he es tablished the animal rescue group, which was named in Old Fella’s honor. When The True Citizen first covered Old Fella’s story in 2006, more than 85,000 Open Roads hits had already been - RVer, page 9A mployee Pricing Pli) Extended through January /2th!!! Prive a New Ford in 2009! 706-554-2114 www.mizellford.corn