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Vol. 141, No. 13 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830
Established in 1882
Wednesday, May 19, 2021 - $1.00
Waynesboro mayor steps down following indictment
ROY F. CHALKER JR.
rchalker@bellsouth.net
Waynesboro Mayor Greg
Carswell has stepped down,
taking a leave of absence
while citing ongoing legal is
sues and the health of his son.
In July of last year, Car-
swell was arrested in States
boro and charged with felony
theft by taking, identity fraud
and theft by deception. He
was also charged with forgery
in the 2nd degree.
The charges were related to
his employment by a States
boro title pawn business.
In December, a Bulloch
County Grand Jury indicted
Carswell on the charges.
At Monday night’s city
council meeting, Carswell an
nounced his decision and on
Tuesday issued the following
statement:
“After continuing to deal
with the legal matter that has
been plaguing me, which I
will fight and prove my in
nocence, more challenging
circumstances arose in my life
with the untimely murder of
my brother, the current chal
lenges of running the city and
making sure we continue the
progress,” he said.
“Last week when I received
the news that my son had to
go back in for another major
surgery, I felt now, in the best
interest of the city and my
family, that I should take a
leave of absence. My family
is my everything, and (with)
the stress I have been under,
and now this information on
Greg III, I want to make sure
all of my attention is in the
right place, and at this time I
cannot focus on the duties as
Mayor.”
“Upon obtaining a favor
able resolution and my son
goes through these series
of issues, I look forward to
returning and completing
my term in office. I want to
thank you all for your prayers
and support,” he said in the
statement.
Following the city’s charter,
Vice Mayor Chick Jones will
become acting mayor until the
situation is resolved.
Mayor Greg Carswell
Elite BBQ Smokers claims The Boss
The Boss Hog State Championship Cook-off returned from a pandemic hiatus with record breaking attendance and
a talented roster of competitors. Snagging the bragging rights as grand champion was Elite BBQ Smokers, led by
Jason Hardee, a familiar name in the competition circuit who also picked up a 2017 GC at Banjo-B-Que. Reserve
grand went to long time Boss Hog competitor Boog-A-Loo Smoke Crew and Mark Zondervan, a team that’s seen the
winners’ circle at The Boss many times. Other top prizes where awarded to Maya Jane BBQ Co. (first place chicken),
Smoke Central BBQ (first place pork ribs), Boog-A-Loo Smoke Crew (first place ribs) and Muttley Crew BBQ (first
place brisket). Smoke Central BBQ was also a big winner on Friday night, taking home the trophies and money in both
the King of the Wing chicken wing contest and the Anything Strawberry competition. The People’s Choice awards
were presented to local team Lick Da Bone BBQ and out of towners Maya Jane BBQ Co.
This photo taken by Ruby Carter June 2020 shows water
spraying Glisson Road.
Farmer promises to
address overspray issue
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Ruby Carter of Girard ad
dressed the Board of Commis
sioners May 11, frustrated that
an irrigation system continued
to spray over on Glisson Road
after numerous requests for
the panel to address the issue.
Carter first brought the mat
ter to the board’s attention in
2014, she said. At the time the
irrigation system was owned
by another dairy farm.
“I took a video because it
kept washing out everything,”
she said.
Children waiting for the
school bus had to dodge the
spray. Additionally, contents
placed in Carter’s mailbox
were threatened, forcing her
to plead with the post of
fice to relocate it. The water
system flooded yards across
the street. Residents had to
assume the responsibility of
bringing in dirt themselves to
fill the flooded potholes.
“We have had to literally
bring in the dirt ourselves and
fill in the mud holes,” Carter
said. “We did it ourselves; the
dairy farmer doesn’t offer to
help repay us.”
After repeated appeals to
the farmer resulted in no
response, Carter sought the
help of Commissioner Allen
DeLaigle, now deceased.
“He told me that they sent
the Sheriff’s Department out
there to speak to the people
who owned it at that time,”
she said.
Over the years, the farm
land was sold to Hart Agri
culture which continued the
watering process.
Nothing changed for the
residents on Glisson Road.
Carter made an incident
report with the Sheriff’s of
fice in 20f4. A neighborhood
group formed and met with
the commissioners in 2016.
In 2017, Carter presented the
board with a pe-
lilion containing FARMER
64 signatures
asking that the
11A
BCPS to receive millions in pandemic relief funds
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Burke County Public
Schools will receive more
than $15 million in American
Rescue Plan funds.
The federal government
is distributing only 65% of
the ARP funds to the states
at this time. Each state will
be required to apply for the
remaining 35% of the funds
at a later date, according to
Administrative Coordinator
Wayne Hickman.
“For Burke County, that
means the school system will
receive an initial allotment
of $9,896,939.00, with the
remaining $5,329,121.00 to
be distributed to us once the
final 35% is received by the
state,” he said in a May 13
email.
One of the requirements
of the grant money, supplied
through the American Rescue
Plan Act signed by President
Joe Biden March 11, is that
education agencies set aside a
minimum of 20% of the total
amount to address learning
loss that occurred due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
BCPS will set aside at
least $3,045,212.00 for this
purpose, Hickman said.
“We are currently working
through the initial planning
phase of determining how
to appropriately utilize these
funds,” he said. “We will be
examining the data that we
have gathered during the
2020-21 school year, along
with input from stakeholders,
to determine our areas of
greatest need for students and
schools. Those data-driven
priorities will inform our
spending decisions.”
The school system created
a COVID-19 Task Force in
July 2020 to address planning
and operation of the schools
during the pandemic.
The task force’s focus
has shifted to include
the ARP funds and how
to move forward next
year. The group meets
again in June.
“We are committed
to engaging our
stakeholders
in meaningful
consultation throughout
this process as well as to
being both transparent in our
decisions and good stewards
of these funds,” Hickman
said.
GRADUA^
2021
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