Newspaper Page Text
Vol. 141, No. 20 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830
Established in 1882
Wednesday, July 7, 2021 - $1.00
Real estate market booms in Burke County
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Burke County houses and
parcels of land are selling like
hot cakes.
Max Boswell of Mary Yel-
ton Realty said he has wit
nessed a substantial increase
in sales of houses and land
over the last 18-24 months.
“Especially land in the 50
acres and below,” Boswell
said and pointed out the ap
peal of such parcels for people
looking to build new homes.
“It’s a very competitive mar
ket and the inventory is down,
so you have more buyers
in the market then there are
properties available.”
Boswell speculates that a
combination of high-priced
building materials, COV-
ID-19 and extremely attrac
tive interest rates have created
a renewed interest in home
purchasing, that in-tum, has
created a shortage of houses
to buy. Sellers have the luxury
of evaluating different offers
from prospective buyers and
getting good prices for their
homes.
Burke County is not un
like other housing markets.
Turnover is quick and buyers
are often purchasing homes
without seeing the properties
face-to-face. Two years ago,
the average time it took to sell
a house was 60-75 days.
“Now we have houses that
sell in a day,” Boswell said
of the current market. Homes
that fit into the mold of what
a large portion of buyers are
looking for are, on average,
sold about a week after they
are posted. “They are looking
at them,but we have also sold
some that are sight unseen.”
The buyers are not just
local residents looking to
relocate to another area of
the county.
“We are seeing people from
all over the country,” Boswell
said and attributed some of
the influx of new residents to
Plant Vogtle and Fort Gor
don’s Cyber Center.
Other newcomers are capti
vated by the county’s charm.
“I think a lot
of people are SEE
looking to REAL ESTATE
come into an 2
This 72-acre parcel located in Keysville found a new owner
only 24 hours after it was listed for sale.
Friends and Fireworks
Siblings Samuel and Charlotte Story enjoyed pre-fireworks festivities playing with their friend Stella Neidlinger during the
City of Waynesboro Downtown Development Authority’s annual Mad Anthony’s Big Boom. The children were all giggles as
Winnie the dog provided entertainment leading up to the big event.
30 year sentence
for role in murder
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Antwan Tukes, 30, told the
court yesterday that a 2019
murder charge involved the
death of his best friend.
Harry Fleming Jr., 27,
was found dead on a neigh
bor’s porch April 5, 2019,
after walking back from Del-
mac Convenience Store with
Tukes. The two of them rou
tinely went to the store for
coffee.
Around 8 a.m. that day,
officers responding to a 9-1-
1 call, found Fleming’s body
lying dead on a neighbor’s
porch. He had been shot in
the temple. Tukes was at the
scene when officers arrived.
Initially, Tukes told three
different stories accounting
for Fleming’s fatal injury. Fi
nally, he admitted that Cyrus
Mincey pulled the trigger of
a .380 pistol that he received
from Antonio Haynes earlier
that morning. Mincey was
apprehended in Macon and
Haynes was arrested in Au
gusta after his vehicle was
found hidden in a Grovetown
backyard. The two co-defen
dants will face Flythe in a few
months.
“I was scared,” Tukes ex
plained in court. “I thought
they would come do me.”
Judge John Flythe sen
tenced Tukes to a total of 30
years, including 20 years of
confinement, for a reduced
charge of Felony Attempt to
Antwan Tukes
Commit Armed Robbery. In
exchange, Tukes will testify
against Mincey and Haynes
on murder charges.
“Tukes is not the one who
pulled the trigger that ended
Fleming’s life,” the prosecut
ing attorney said in court, but
also pointed out that approxi
mately three days before the
murder, Mincey and Haynes
asked Tukes if he wanted to
“hit a lick,” slang for robbing
someone. Tukes admitted he
told the two men what time he
and Fleming would be walk
ing to get coffee.
Tukes said he knew there
were tensions between Flem
ing and Haynes concerning
a stolen TV, marijuana and
money owed. He told the
court he did not realize his
sister was engaged in af
fairs with both
men. He said he ggg
did not know of TUKES
any plan to kill ^
Fleming that
BCPS looks at partnership with the County to solve broadband issue
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
The Burke County School
System tentatively decided
how to spend approximately
$15 million in American Res
cue Funds.
Part of a $2 million chunk
of the ARF money geared
toward purchasing educa
tional technology, will likely
help solve Burke County’s
broadband issue. BCPS is
in serious talks with Burke
County Commissioners about
partnering to expand connec
tivity and broadband through
out the county. The Board of
Education is firmly behind the
discussions and realize that it
is in the best interest of the
students and their families,
Administrative Coordinator
Wayne Hickman said.
“We have not settled on
an amount at this point as to
what we will be able to take
out of our ARF funds and pair
with the County Commission
ers ARF funds, but the total
project looks to be around
$20 million,” he said. “There
are three pots of money that I
am aware of, the ARF funds
that the County Commission
has received, the ARF funds
that we have received and
then there is another grant the
county commission may well
be pursuing.”
BCPS will not receive the
$15 million in one lump sum.
Initially, they will receive
65% of the grant funds, but
a recent ARF application, as
required by state officials,
included their intention of
how the school system will
apply the total amount. They
are not locked in however,
except for the amount that
addresses learning loss. BCPS
hopes to adopt an official
line-item budget prior to the
new school year. If there are
amendments to the line-item
budget then the school system
must update its ARF applica
tion with the government. The
funds must be spent either
in response to pandemic-
related impacts or to address
future pandemic
concerns. SEE
“The state is BCPS,
required to make g
application to the
Administrative Coordinator Wayne Hickman explained how
BCPS tentatively intends to spend approximately $15 million
in American Rescue Funds during a COVID-19 Task Force
meeting June 29.
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