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Vol. 140, No. 49 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830 Established in 1882 Wednesday, January 27, 2021 - $1.00
Reward offered in
murder investigation
Brian Carswell
DIANA ROYAL
idianaroyal@gmail.com
The Burke County Sher
iff’s Office is now offering a
reward in the Brian Carswell
murder case.
“We are resolute in our
efforts to solve this heinous
crime that has rocked our
community,” Sheriff Alfonzo
Williams said Monday after
noon. “We are putting forth a
substantial reward of $5,000
in hopes of providing leads
that will culminate into an
arrest of the person or persons
responsible. Persons provid
ing information may remain
anonymous.”
The body of the 33-year-
old victim, also the brother
of Waynesboro Mayor Greg
Carswell, was found just after
5:30 on the morning of Jan. 6
when deputies responded to
Spread Oak Road near Han
nah Lane after a call came
in that someone may have
been struck by a vehicle. Law
enforcement initially stated
they were investigating the
case as a suspicious death,but
within a few hours confirmed
it was a homicide. Authorities
reported Carswell died from
an apparent gunshot wound
but cold not say where he was
shot or how many times.
His 2016 Chrysler 200 was
found abandoned in Augusta.
As the investigation is on
going, no other information
has been provided.
“We believe that with the
community’s help and inves
tigative efforts, this case will
be solved,” Williams went on
to say. “We need to give the
family closure on this portion
of the case and then look for
ward to justice being served
in a court of law.”
Anyone with informa
tion is asked to call inves
tigators at 706.554.6633 or
706.554.2133.
Sara Carter to be
honored byDAR
There are many local community events and institutions
that exist today thanks to the 60 years of work and dedication
of Sara Stone Carter. Some of those include the ongoing
community concert series, the annual Shriners Farm Fest
and Edmund Burke Academy, to name a few.
“These are great organizations for which she has worked
diligently,” says Catherine Chance Fouche, current Regent of
the Edmund Burke Daughters of the American Revolution.
Today she is still actively voting in elections and holding
a membership in the Burkeland Garden Club where she and
her daughter have been working together, arranging flowers,
which has always been a great passion.
“I remember my mother wrapping shoeboxes for Vietnam
active duty soldiers on the kitchen table ... it was a club
event,” said Cathy Carter Harley, her eldest daughter.
Now, the local United Daughters of the Confederacy,
Colonial Dames and DAR have decided to sponsor a yet to
be determined day as Sara Stone Carter Day.
“We want the community to celebrate and honor her
accomplishments,” said Dot Cauley, current regent of the
Richard Warren chapter of the Colonial Dames 17th Century.
Carter born and raised in Waynesboro. Her father was
city councilman for 12 years and also served as mayor for
one term, which she says taught her about leadership roles
in the community.
She graduated from Waynesboro High School in
1954, where she was selected to join the Beta Club and
Outstanding Young Women of America. From there, she
attended Georgia State College for Women, majoring in
business, and continued cooking and floral design post
college because as a friend once told her, “Just because
you’re out of school, never stop learning.”
Carter has been married to her childhood sweetheart,
Tracy Mackenzie Carter, for almost 65 years.
The couple have two children, Cathy Carter Harley and
Leah Carter Chambers, and two grandchildren, Jessica
Harley Shepard and Sarah Chambers.
Early on, Carter worked as a bookkeeper at H.W. Stone
Lumber Company, a family-owned business. She was also
a member of the Burke Historical Association, whose main
goal was to help towards establishing an archives, a safe
place for historical documents.
She single handily organized the ladies Shrine Auxiliary
during her husband’s term as President of the Waynesboro
Shrine Club, unifying the ladies to participate in raising
money for the Shriners hospital.
In 1996, Carter launched a catering business at Wisteria
Hall, where she had luncheons, brunches and weddings. The
business would go on to operate for ten years.
As district director, she organized seven junior clubs for
the Georgia Federation of Women’s Clubs, and many years
later was involved in the formation of the Town and Country
Woman’s Club for local older women as well as the White
Columns Woman’s Club.
She served as president for Burkeland Garden Club for
three two-year terms, and under her leadership, Burkeland
raised money through two “festival of tree” with proceeds
used to create the garden at Liberty and Ninth streets.
“I remember my mom always getting ready for a meeting
for the garden club, using note cards and asking me to come
listen to how this sounds,” said Leah Carter Chambers,
current president of the club.
Carter is a past member of the Margaret Jones Chapter of
the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and she started the
local chapter of the Richard Warren Colonial Dames 17th
Century and served as the organization’s Regent from 2014-
2019. She is also a member and Past Regent of the Edmund
Burke Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution.
While otherwise staying active in later years, she recently
resigned from the City of Waynesboro Planning and Zoning
Commission, a position she held for 25 years.
Now, as a member of the First United Methodist Church,
Carter has been involved in United Methodist Women, the
Sunshine Circle and has worked with the Forever Young
group.
Carter says she has “enjoyed helping these organizations,
staying active in the community, staying happy by bringing
ideas and organizing, having fun and spreading patriotism.”
She urges everyone to participate in their community.
“Be proud of your country,” she says. “Get up, get out
and get involved. Find out where can you help and where
can you lead and what needs doing.”
COVID deaths here
almost one per day
ROY F. CHALKER JR.* rchalker@bellsouth.net
According to The New York Times, Burke County has
had 2,086 COVID 19 cases, with an average of about 20
new cases per day in the last week. The county has also
had an average of almost one death per day in the last
seven days, with a total of 33 deaths here from the virus.
The Times reports that there have been a total of 847,036
cases ofCOVID 19 in Georgia, resulting in 12,890 deaths.
Nationwide, reports of new cases have declined more
than 30 percent in the last two weeks, but deaths remain
near peak levels, with about 3,000 announced each day.
The pace of vaccination continues to increase, with
more than 1 million shots administered on an average day.
Commission weighs
judicial circuit options
BEN ROBERTS
benroberts@bellsouth.net
If the powers that be in
Columbia County and Atlanta
have their way, the Augusta
Judicial Circuit will cease
to exist in its current form
come July.
Instead, Georgia Senate
Bill (SB) 9 would remove
Columbia from the circuit,
establishing its own court
system. Richmond and Burke
would remain as vastly
uneven partners and Burke
County taxpayers would be
on the hook for 10 percent of
what is a currently unknown
cost.
SB 9 is sponsored by seven
Republicans, including Max
Burns, of the 23rd District
which includes Burke
County as well as portions
of Richmond and Columbia.
The legislation is moving
quickly, having been referred
to the Senate’s Judiciary
Committee on Jan. 14th.
Three of the seven sponsors of
the bill include the Chairman,
Vice-chair and Secretary of
the Judiciary Committee.
The bill would need to be
approved in that committee
before heading back to the full
Senate for a vote. If approved,
it would then cross over to the
House for the same process.
If approved by both sides of
the Legislature, the bill would
take effect July 1,2021.
The Burke County Board
of Commissioners will hold a
special meeting this Thursday,
Jan. 28, at 4 pm to consider a
resolution asking that the
bill be slowed down until
some questions about the
newly imagined circuits can
be answered.
Burke County
Administrator Merv Waldrop
said he’s disappointed Burke
County wasn’t consulted in
any way during the bill’s
drafting and only learned
about it after it was completed
and filed. Waldrop is
particularly frustrated with
the bill’s designation that
Burke would be responsible
for 10-percent of the new
circuit’s cost without
providing any basis for how
that figure was determined or
an estimate of what it might
even be.
“I am very concerned
at how fast this move is
going without an adequate
assessment of its impact both
logistically and fiscally on
the counties involved,” he
said. “I’d prefer that SB 9 be
held up in committee until
questions about what the costs
will be are addressed.”
Currently, expenses among
the three member counties are
broken down with Richmond
paying 60 percent, Columbia
33 percent and Burke
covering 7 percent of the
circuit’s expenses. According
to Waldrop, that will amount
to $698,557 in 2021 divided
among Superior Court, the
offices of the District Attorney
and the Public Defender, as
well as Juvenile Court.
Faced with the unknown,
Commissioners are
considering
their options, SEE
including Judicial,
potential moves 7
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