Newspaper Page Text
SLAIN FLORDIA PRIEST
"Signed Declaration of Life"
BCRD MITES MAKE
THE BIG TIME 2
A trainer wins a battle at a Waynesboro Pokemon gym.
By Elizabeth Billips
lizbillips@yahoo.com
They’re in our homes, streets
and even our shopping carts.
Pokemon are popping up all
over town and creating lots of
new foot traffic in the process.
The walkers come in all ages,
but they’re all after the same
thing - capturing the little crea
tures so they can earn points and
status in Pokemon GO.
Around noontime Tuesday,
a small crowd ambled into the
parking lot of the Burke County
Library and stood in a pack with
their smart phones.
They had been "lured” there
by Jake and Michele Byrnside,
an Augusta couple who were
waiting for their son to get out of
class at nearby Augusta Techni
cal College.
Several days earlier, they had
joined more than 10 million
Americans in downloading the
Pokemon GO app and joining
a team in the “augmented real
ity” game.
The library, like a long list of
other landmarks in the county,
is geo-tagged as a "Pokestop,”
meaning players, or “trainers,”
can stop to pick up Pokeballs
and other virtual goodies.
The Byrnsides decided to put
out a “lure,” which essentially
attracts an array of Pokemon to
the stop for 30 minutes.
Halfway through, more than a
dozen trainers had come over to
capture those Pokemon, includ
ing seven Burke County Recre
ation Summer Camp counselors
who were taking a lunch break
next door at Citizens Park Gym
when Pokemon began popping
up on their screens.
“This is what I really like
about the game,” Jake said as the
teens took off on foot for their
next Pokestop. “They are out
side in the sun and not on their
couches playing video games.
After thirty years, we finally
have the technology to do this.”
Across the highway, Taylor
Funeral Home director George
DeLoach had been noticing
more traffic than usual at Burke
Memorial Gardens, especially
in front of the three statues.
What he didn’t know was that
two of the statues are Pokestops,
and the third is one of only three
Pokemon Gyms inside the city
limits.
There, trainers can battle their
Pokemon against other players’
Pokemon and pick up points to
make theirs stronger.
Eighteen-year-old Tareon
Brown, a rising freshman at
East Georgia College, won a
battle to take control of the gym
before falling to Paul Billips,
14. Within minutes, Kadarion
Ellison, 19, made a few swipes
and taps on his phone and stole
control for his own team.
The competition was friendly
and face-to-face.
Zach Cobb, a rising senior at
Burke County High School, said
that is precisely what drew him
to Pokemon GO.
“When, you’re playing Xbox
or PlayStation, you’re commu
nicating with your competitors
over a headset,” he explained.
“With Pokemon GO, you’re
actually seeing them.”
While rural communities like
Waynesboro cannot compete
with urban areas when it comes
to geo-walking trails laden with
Pokemon and prizes, all of the
teens and adults who were inter
viewed said the game has defi
nitely got them up and about,
especially considering exercise
is the only way to incubate
“eggs” and hatch into Pokemon.
—Continued, see
Pokemon, page 2
craze alive in The ‘Bo
’’Unruly gathering"
ordinance planned
By: Michaela Carter
mcarter.truecitizen @ gmail.com
Waynesboro City Council is considering the possible
adoption of an ordinance to help control unruly gatherings.
During Monday night’s City Council meeting, a request was
made to review an assembly ordinance that has been adopted
by Narragansett, Rhode Island to help eliminate the type of
neighborhood disturbances which have led to violence here
in recent months.
The ordinance outlines the protocol to be followed if a
gathering of five or more people becomes a disturbance to
the surrounding neighborhood. It also includes guidelines
on dealing with repeated calls to one specific location in
which the property owners would then become liable. The
ordinance presents a clear definition of what is "unruly" and
what process is used to notify the property owners of the
consequences. A copy of the ordinance will soon be available
online as well as in the City Hall so that public feedback can
be given to the council.
A decision on adopting the ordinance will not be made until
the next meeting. The council will develop a working draft
and bylaws for a proposed ordinance that will be customized
to fit the Waynesboro area. City Administrator Jerry Coalson
said, "the City of Waynesboro is taking steps to improve com
munity life by making necessary changes to the way unruly
gatherings are being handled."
PHOTO/MICHAELA CARTER
The Waynesboro Police Department was presented with
a plaque recognizing the agency's recertification by the
Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police. The award was
presented to Chief Augustus Palmer by Louis Dekmar who
serves as the Chief of Police and Chief of Public Safety for
the City of LaGrange.
Where's "The Walking Man?"
By: Michaela Carter
Mcarter.truecitizen @ gmail .com
Many of you may be won
dering, where is “the walking
man” who takes strolls about
twice a day with his white hat
and his cane? Good news! He
is still here and kickin’! Mr.
Calvin C. Gaines, a Burke
County native born in 1924, is
known within the community
for his daily walks around
town. Unfortunately, he is no
longer capable of taking these
walks, but he is still the same
ol’ Mr. Gaines that everyone
loves.
His habit of walking de
veloped while living in New
Jersey with his wife and kids
for about 50 years where
he used to take walks in the
Weequahic Park, a three-mile
park in Newark. After mov
ing back to his hometown in
2004, he continued his walks
around town which allowed
him to meet so many people
who are truly missing his
presence in the area. His son,
Kenneth Gaines, is not sur
prised that people are drawn
to him simply because of his
love for the community and
his genuine spirit. “I thank
God for my mother and my
father because they were great
parents,” says Kenneth. Even
one of his two caregivers,
Lee Blunt, can vouch for his
unwavering love for people of
all races and backgrounds. He
describes Mr. Gaines as being
a “good Christian man” and a
“community icon” that is not
afraid to express his love for
everyone.”
Mr. Gaines now spends his
free time relaxing, reading his
Continued on page 2
CARTER JOINS CITIZEN STAFF
Burke County native Mi- May from Georgia State Uni-
chaela Carter has joined the staff versity. She plans to further her
of The True Citizen as a reporter/ education by attending graduate
feature writer. A 2012 graduate school in the spring of next year,
of Burke County High School, She is the daughter of Monica
Carter received her Bachelor's Payton and the granddaughter
Degree in Journalism this past of Jackie Payton.
AW RNANCING