Newspaper Page Text
I
STILL WINNING!
; Lady Bears are on a streak sa
'VIOLENT BROTHERS
OUT OF SCHOOL
6A
O
CM,
O
CM
CM
CO
Vol. 136, No. 30 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830 Established in 1882 Wednesday, September 14, 2016 - $1.00
AUTOPSY ORDERED
Skeletal remains
found in trailer
By Elizabeth Billips
lizbillips@yahoo.com
A missing person report
led deputies to a grisly dis
covery.
Burke County investiga
tors are awaiting autopsy
results after skeletal remains
were discovered in a trailer
on Prairie View Drive near
Lake Crystal.
According to Sgt. Dan
Lowe of the Burke County
Sheriff’s office, deputies
searched the mobile home
earlier this month after the
60-year-old homeowner
was reported missing by his
stepdaughter, who lives in
Illinois.
The power to the resi
dence had been turned off,
and officers, along with a
relative of the missing man,
went through the trailer with
flashlights.
“The trailer was extreme
ly messy and in a state of
disarray,” Sgt. Lowe said,
describing piles of clothing,
boxes and household items
in every room.
In one of the rooms, they
discovered “skeletal re
mains” beneath a blanket.
“We don’t suspect any
foul play at this point,” Sgt.
Lowe said, confirming that
the victim had been de
ceased for some time. “But
we are still waiting on the
autopsy results.”
The Georgia Bureau of In
vestigation is assisting with
the case, and the identity
of the victim has not been
confirmed.
Investigators said the
man’s dog had been shut up
in the mobile home. It was
left in the care of an animal
rescue group.
COME
ON
COUNTY!
BURKE
See page 7A for full story and
more photos. Above, Bear fans
showed up and showed out in
support of what is happening
in the Bear Den.
General Election absentee
ballots go out next week
By Elizabeth Billips
lizbillips@yahoo.com
Next week, Burke County voters will begin choosing their
next president, their next sheriff and their next magistrate
judge.
Voters in northern Burke County will also pick their next
commissioner.
On Tuesday, Sept. 20 the Board of Elections will begin
mailing absentee ballots for the Nov. 8 General Election.
In addition to the big Clinton vs. Trump decision, Burke
County’s 14,025 registered voters will be weighing in on some
big local matters, including whether or not to renew the exist
ing Special Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST).
If residents vote “no,” the total sales taxes paid in Burke
County will roll back one penny on every dollar spent (from
7 percent to 6 percent) effective April 2018.
If voters give SPLOST a “yes,” the optional 1-cent sales tax
will remain in effect and generate an estimated $30 million
over the next six years for capital projects that might otherwise
be funded through higher property taxes.
Some of the larger projects include road and bridge improve
ments, completion of the 911 center, the purchase of new law
enforcement equipment, an animal shelter and improvements
to the Westside Industrial Park in northwest Waynesboro.
The latter project is aimed at recruiting industries and jobs
See Election, continued on page 5A
$800,000 GRANT
Waynesboro gets funds
for neighborhood rehab
By Elizabeth Billips
lizbillips@yahoo.com
One of Waynesboro’s blight
ed neighborhoods is about to get
more help.
The City of Waynesboro has
won an $800,000 grant to con
tinue rehab in the Rosemont
Heights area.
Last week, Gov. Nathan Deal
announced that $37.7 million
in federal funding would be
split among 74 Georgia com
munities.
Waynesboro's $800,000 is the
single largest share, and, like the
other grants, will be funded by
the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD)
and distributed through Geor
gia’s Community Development
Block Grant (CDBG) program.
All of Waynesboro's grant
See Grant,
continued on page 9A
Rev. Darius Roberson of Cornerstone Christian Center Church discusses the negative ef
fects of abandoned and dilapidated homes in the Rosemont Heights neighborhood. This
home is one of several on Savannah Avenue that is attracting vagrants and criminal activity
FORD CREDIT
Slop By Fof
Details
DH A HUGE SELECTION OF CARS, TRUCKS AND 5UY5'
330 US HWY. 25 NORTH, WAYNESBORO - 706-554-2114 - www.mizellford.com