Newspaper Page Text
The True Citizen, Wednesday, February 3, 2021 — Page 3A
BURKE
COUNTY'S
FIVE-DAY
FORECAST
TODAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
Mostly Cloudy
50% Chance of Showers
Mostly Cloudy
50% Chance of Showers
Mostly Sunny
30% Chance of Showers
63° 41 0 55° 39° 54°I24
Forecast of the National Weather Service
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Editor:
I would like to express some concerns re
garding the recent discussions about the Burke
County Court following Columbia County and
asking to be removed from the Augusta Judicial
Circuit.
As a lifelong citizen of Burke County, I
must wonder what the motive is for wanting
to follow Columbia County in this ill-advised
endeavor. Columbia County did not follow the
established protocol of presenting their request
first to the 10th District Judicial Council for
study and recommendations. This has created
added hardship for the citizens of Burke County
as it is estimated that our costs will rise from 7
percent to 10 percent. And we should not follow
their example.
In addition, I have extensive working knowl
edge of the court system here in Burke County,
especially Juvenile Court. I personally know
many of the juveniles and adults that appear in
court in Burke County must travel anywhere
from 10-40 miles. Some of these families, if
they live within the city limits, walk to court.
Some have to pay someone $20-30 for a ride
to court and back to their homes. Also, many of
the juveniles are being raised by grandparents
or single parents with low incomes. The Burke
County Sheriffs Office and the Waynesboro
Police Department have at least two officers that
travel to the Regional Youth Detention Centers
in Augusta (boys) and Washington (girls) to
transport the juveniles to and from court along
with performing their other duties at least twice
a month. Travel to another judicial circuit for
court is going to cause the victims, witnesses,
juvenile justice staff and the officers to spend
more time away from their jobs and increased
travel expenses. These numbers are not being
considered in your initial estimates.
Therefore, many of the families I have spo
ken with feel it would be more beneficial for
the Burke County to remain in the Augusta
Judicial Circuit and continue to give our youth
and adult offenders the quality court processes
that they are accustomed to. A move to another
circuit would negatively impact the citizens and
families of our county.
Thank you for your time and consideration
in this most critical matter.
Elaine Stokes and
Shemeka Walker, concerned citizens
William Everett Rabon and Bailie Catherine Ruffo
Miss Ruffo to wed Mr. Rabon
Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Ruffo of Statesboro and Mrs. Julie Co
chran Ruffo of Waynesboro announce with pleasure the engage
ment of their daughter, Bailie Catherine Ruffo, to William Everett
Rabon, son of Mr. and Mrs. Rodney Lee Rabon of Aiken, S.C.
The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard
Irby Cochran of Waynesboro and the late Mr. and Mrs. Fred Jo
seph Ruffo of Statesboro. She is a graduate of Georgia Southern
University, where she received a Bachelor of Business Adminis
tration in marketing. She is currently employed as youth director
nf Clemson Presbyterian Church in Clemson, S.C.
The groom-elect is the grandson of Mrs. Elena Lackland and the
late Mr. William Saville Lackland of West Columbia, S.C., and
Mr. Everett and Gerry Rabon and the late Mrs. Loretta Rabon of
Aiken. He received a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineer
ing from Clemson University and is employed as a product safety
engineer with Electrolux Major Appliances in Anderson, S .C.
The couple will exchange vows in Greenville, S.C., in May.
Editor:
(This letter was originally sent to county
administrator Merv Waldrop.)
Recently, the news and print media have re
ported that Columbia County is in the process of
withdrawing from the Augusta Judicial Circuit,
thereby creating their own district attorneys
office and panel of judges. This move possibly
leaves Burke and Richmond counties in the
Augusta Circuit.
I am writing to express my sincere desire to
have Burke County remain in the circuit pro
vided we are able to pay a fair and equitable
amount for the resources based on our popula
tion, case count and other factors relative to this
matter as prescribed in applicable law.
The move to a different circuit would unduly
affect Burke County citizens. Namely, our law
enforcement community has a good rapport
with the judiciary in our circuit. We have been
able to keep our jail costs relatively low as our
judges hold court hearings and trials regularly
Oglethorpe Power submits $27.9
million tax payment to Burke County
to prevent unnecessary extended stays in our
jail. Additionally, the courts have created drug
courts and mental health courts to help ease
the burdens on our jail facilities as it relates to
medical costs, food costs, transportation costs
and overall safety of our citizenry. We believe
a move to any other circuit would amount to a
hostile takeover — one that will have irrepa
rable consequences to those who are already
disenfranchised by the criminal justice system.
We are not able to place a cost on the partner
ships and relationships we have formed in the
Augusta Circuit. The type of synergy we have
created is immeasurable and appropriately ben
efits the citizens we serve.
I submit that we need to slow down this
process and study the impact of this move on
Burke Countians and specifically those who are
charged with protecting and serving. If I can
assist in any way, please do not hesitate to call.
Alfonzo Williams,
Burke County Sheriff
MORE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ON 7A
WHAT'S NEXT?
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THURSDAY, FEB. 4
Burke County Retired Edu
cators Association will meet
at 3 p.m. at Mt. Olive African
Methodist Episcopal Church
on West Seventh Street. Heart
Fund and Volunteer Service
Log are due. Members are
required to wear a mask.
VALENTINES CONTEST
Want to win a delicious meal,
beautiful bouquet and signa
ture coffee for you and your
sweetheart? Look no further;
we’ve got you covered!
Tell us what makes your
relationship extra special, and
you could be the recipient of a
fresh floral arrangement from
The Bloom Room and dinner
for two at Fish Eye Grill. The
lucky pair will also snag some
chocolate covered strawberries
and two strawberry shortcake
lattes from SoulBean Coffee-
House.
To enter, simply send an
email, 500 words or less, to
truecitizennews@live.com de
tailing what sets your romance
apart from the rest.
Finalists will be featured in
The True Citizen’s Valentine’s
edition on Feb. 10, and readers
will vote online for the winner.
Deadline for entry is 5 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 5.
CHAMBER MEETING
The Burke County Chamber
of Commerce will present its
annual meeting this year via
video on Feb. 4. New, current
and out-going board members
will be recognized during this
time as will the recipients of
the Citizen of the Year and
Business of the Year. Chamber
members will receive a video
link through email. The video
will also be posted across so
cial media platforms.
Oglethorpe Power Corp.
recently made its 2020 ad
valorem tax payment of
$27,913,111.28 to the Burke
County Tax Commissioner’s
Office. The payment represents
Oglethorpe Power’s 30 percent
ownership in units 1 and 2 of
the Alvin W. Vogtle nuclear
plant now operating in Burke
County and its 30 percent
ownership of Vogtle units 3 and
4, which are currently under
construction.
Oglethorpe Power is a
wholesale electric power coop
erative owned by and serving
38 electric membership corpo
rations in Georgia, including
Planters EMC and Jefferson
Energy Cooperative, which
provide electric service in
Burke County and other area
counties.
For 2020, Oglethorpe Power
estimates it will pay more than
$47 million in ad valorem taxes
for power-generating facilities
that it owns or co-owns on
behalf of its Member EMCs,
including Jefferson Energy and
Planters EMC.
Oglethorpe Power is one
of the nation’s largest power
supply cooperatives with more
than $13 billion in assets serv
ing 38 Electric Membership
Corporations which, collec
tively, provide electricity to
approximately 4.2 million
Georgia residents.
A proponent of conscien
tious energy development and
use, Oglethorpe Power bal
ances reliable and affordable
energy with environmental
responsibility and has an out
standing record of regulatory
compliance. Its diverse en
ergy portfolio includes natural
gas, hydroelectric, coal and
nuclear generating plants with
a combined capacity of ap
proximately 7,900 megawatts.
Oglethorpe Power was es
tablished in 1974 and is owned
by its 38 Member Systems. Its
headquarters are in Tucker, an
Atlanta suburb.
Planters EMC is an electric
cooperative providing elec
tricity and related services
to 12,700 member-owners in
Burke, Bulloch, Effingham,
Emanuel, Jenkins, Screven and
Richmond counties.
Jefferson Energy Coopera
tive is a member-owned elec
tric cooperative safely deliver
ing reliable and competitively
priced electricity to more than
30,000 members in parts of 11
counties.
CROSSWORD
Wrens Dixie it Youth
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Saturday, Feb. 13th
9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Softball H T-Ball registration will be
held at N Jefferson Family Y
3001 GA Highway 17 N, Wrens, GA
Registration Fee:
$50 - T-Ball (3-4 year olds)
$ 100 - Regular season baseball
(5-8yr) (9-12yr) ) 13-14yr)
$ 100 - Regular season girls softball
(5-8yr) (9-12yr) (13-17yr)
Each player is required to sell
25, $2 raffle tickets before
opening ceremonies
* Registration includes players shirt and hat*
Wrens Dixie Youth allows children to learn the basic fundamentals
of baseball fit softball and have a great time doing so!
Information, contact
President Bryce Amerson
(706)829-0790
Or Gary Smith
(706)339-9515 or
wrensdixieyouih@yahoo.com
■ FreeDailyCrosswords.com
r ACROSS
I) Pressly of "My Name Is
Earl"
6) Successful, in Variety
II) Puppy’s tail movement
14) City near Salt Lake
15) Less available
16) " the ramparts ..."
17) Attractive
19) Miner's profit
20) Cologne water
21) Collection of sayings
22) Do alternative
23) Small racing vehicles
27) Extended a subscription
29) Foreman striker?
30) It’s between black and
white
32) Stretch auto
33) " in Black” (1997 film)
34) Consumer
36) Ringlets
39) Where peat is found
41) Referring to birth
43) Distort, as data
44) Jellied garnish
46) Battery type
48) Suffix with "direct" or
"detect"
49) Yodeler's feedback
51) Like deserts
52) Flanders of cartoons
53) Anglers’weights
56) Asylum seeker
58) U.S. lang.
59) Computer "brain"
60) John's "Blues Brothers"
star
61) Sigma successor
62) The hereafter
68) Hangman request?
69) Cause of many yawns
70) "The King" of music
71) Decimal-system base
72) Horse instructors
73) Apportioned, as cards
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Copyright (c)2015 uclick.com
Edited by Timothy Parker
DOWN
1) One way to run
2) In the past
3) "Don't mind if "
4) Jason's wife, in myth
5) Get bigger
6) Bart, to Maggie, slangily
7) Mighty hardwood
8) Tuck, for one
9) Aromatic herb
10) All-natural
11) Carpentry
12) Eaglet nursery
13) Midas' undoing
18) Defeated, in a way
23) Viola da
24) Toast spreads
25 ) Creature near the Antarctic Circle
26) Evil angel
28) Grounded Australians
31) "Bigfoot" relatives
35) Car built for speed
37) River's border, sometimes
38) One from Mahno
40) Word with "bay” or "pay"
42) Rio Grande city
45) One of two that makes a king?
47) Slung mud at
50) Live-forever plant
53) ease (relieve one's mind)
54) Pointlessly silly
55) Islam branch
57) Brother of your father
63) Beretta, for one
64) "Prove" prefix
65) Macrogametes
66) Cool number?
67) NYC winter clock setting
ANSWERS ON 7