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Page 12, Wednesday, December 29, 2021 —The True Citizen
Year in review
Continued from front
law by Gov. Brian Kemp, Co
lumbia County would become
its own judicial circuit as of
July 1, 2021, leaving Rich
mond and Burke counties as
the Augusta circuit’s remaining
members.
Former Waynesboro mayor
and state senator Jesse C.
Stone has been appointed as a
Superior Court Judge by Gov.
Brian Kemp.
He replaces former Judge
Michael Annis, who resigned
early last year.
Obituaries included Ger
trude (Gert) Roberts Walker,
Mary Mathis Flakes, Betty
Jane Pulliam West, Dale Carl
Allen, Danny T. Jones and Wil
lie Jordan, Jr.
FEBRUARY 10
On behalf of the B. Lamar
Murray Public Health Center
and healthcare workers all
across Burke County, County
Nurse Manager Gina Rich
ardson was presented with the
Citizen of the Year award by
the Burke County Chamber of
Commerce.
Obituaries included Jason
Dexter Quick, Doris L. Walk
er and Harriet McCullough
Locke.
FEBRUARY 17
The Burke County Hospital
Authority unanimously voted
Tuesday to enter into a lease
agreement with a medical
group to run all operations of
Burke Medical Center.
The facility will become a
specialty center for orthopedic
surgeries and procedures, but
will continue to offer all cur
rent services.
Obituaries included Andrew
Franklin “Frank” Williams,
Sr/. Harold Overholt, Elizabeth
Bonnell Elliott, Mildred Red
dick Buxton, Dean McClellan
Hall and Lillie Mae Hill-Parks.
FEBRUARY 24
Taylor Brothers Express, a
well known restaurant and con
venience store on Highway 25
North, was extensively dam
aged by a hre early Saturday
morning.
The Burke County Emer
gency Management Agency
responded to a 911 call at
12:48 a.m. Saturday and found
heavy smoke coming from the
building.
A total of four engine com
panies responded to the hre and
were on the scene until almost
4:30 a.m.
Obituaries included Queenie
Bell Moore, Debra Sasser and
James Hayden Machino.
MARCH 3
After a career that’s spanned
nearly 48 years, Waynesboro
Fire Department Chief Ronnie
Baxley has decided to retire.
Baxley began volunteering
at the WFD on Nov. 4, 1973,
and worked his way through
the ranks over the next sev
eral decades until he became
chief — a position he held for
27 years.
In 1994, Baxley hired the
man who is now taking his
place at the helm of the WFD,
Robert Parrish, who, like
Baxley, also began as a vol
unteer.
Obituaries included Calvin
L. Mills, Oliver Russell, Rae
McClellan Marchman, Jerry
Thomas Brookins and William
(Bill) Devoty Hammett, Sr.
MARCH 10
According to the Georgia
Department of Public Health,
as of Tuesday, March 9,4,138
doses of the COVID 19 vac
cine have been administered
in Burke County. The total
includes 2,396 first doses and
1,742 second doses.
The county has had a total
of 2,414 COVID cases since
the beginning of the pandemic.
This number includes 1689
confirmed cases and 725 in
stances in which antigens were
found which indicated an ear
lier infection.
The agency also reported
Tuesday that there had been a
total of 52 confirmed and prob
able deaths here from the vims,
including one in the last week.
Obituaries included Johnnie
Ruth Wright-Gunn and Merdis
Jackson.
MARCH 17
More time and money will be
needed to resolve the lingering
drainage problem on Shadrack
Street, which has been partially
closed for several months. It
will cost more to make the re
pairs than the city anticipated.
At Monday night’s regular
city council meeting, Public
Works Superintendent Robert
Seamans said the bidding pro
cess is behind by 30 days due
to higher than anticipated costs
of petroleum-based pipe manu
factured in Texas. The city is
waiting to allow construction
companies to bid on the proj
ect, originally estimated to cost
$1.4 million. The current price
of the pipe raises the cost of
the repairs to as much as $1.8
million.
Obituaries included Con
stance “Connie” Smith, Don
nie Gail Hickman, James R.
“Bubba” Williams, Sr. and
Estelle Martin Moses.
MARCH 24
The Burke County Health
Department has shifted its
focus from testing and mitiga
tion to vaccination efforts as
the number of COVID cases
decreases.
County Nurse Manager Gina
Richardson talked about the
shift. “In the beginning we
were very very fmstrated with
testing because quite honestly
we felt like we were just spin
ning our wheels with mass test
ing , data collection and contact
tracing,” she said. “It just
didn’t feel like what we were
doing was really effective.”
Richardson expressed opti
mism for the decrease in cases
attributed to local vaccination
efforts. Burke County reported
58 cases from March 1 through
MarchlS.
Obituaries included Betty
Ann Quick, David W. Lowe,
Robert Lee Anthony, Sr., Alice
May Carter Auvenshine Mar
tin, Sarah Hunter Fail, Thomas
Lee Whitfield and Thelma
Lariscy Harron.
MARCH 31
Two men have been arrested
in connection to the Jan. 6 mur
der of Brian Carswell.
Darius Savage, 23, of Hep-
hzibah was booked on March
17, and Tommie Tennyson ,19,
of Augusta turned himself in
to the Burke County Sheriff’s
Office on March 24.
The City of Waynesboro’s
administration office will re
open to the public on Monday,
April 5th at its new location,
615 N. Liberty Street.
Obituaries included Thomas
Lee “Bobby” Whitfield.
APRIL 7
Georgia Supreme Court
Chief Justice Harold D. Melton
issued an order that lifted the
suspension of jury trials in
Georgia, “effective immedi
ately.”
Courts may resume jury tri
als “if that can be done safely
and in accordance with a final
jury trial plan developed in
collaboration with the local
committee of judicial system
participants and incorporated
into the court’s written operat
ing guidelines for in-person
proceedings,” the order said.
Court officials must now
contend with a backlog of
cases.
Obituaries included Josie
Mae Herrington, Frank F. Tin-
ley, Donnie Lee Green, Vienna
Denard and John Carter,
APRIL 14
Developers Brian Brookins
and Jorge Ungo of Vida Prop
erties Texas acquired a condi
tional use permit to allow resi
dential housing at 538 Liberty
St., property formerly known
as the Waynesboro Armory.
“We want to breathe new
life into this building through
loft-style living,” Brookins
told the planning commission
via telephone The panel also
approved a request from Scott
and Jacquelyne Telgren to
rezone just over two acres of
property on Woodland Road
for the construction of a facil
ity with a skating rink, bowling
alley with concessions and a
gaming arcade. The Telgrens
own an office building next
to the proposed project area
which lies just outside the city
limits.
Obituaries included Virginia
Aubrey Bargeron and Terry
Tyrone Foreman.
APRIL 21
After a contentious evening
April 13, Rep. Barry Flem
ing retained his job as Burke
County attorney.
Before the monthly Burke
County Commission meeting,
a crowd of approximately 80
protesters gathered on the cor
ner of Liberty and 6th Streets to
voice their opinion that Flem
ing should be fired as county
attorney after sponsoring a
bill that some believe restricts
voting.
Local television stations in
terviewed Michael Searles of
the Burke County Voter Proj
ect. Searles voiced his concern
about a part of the legislation
that gives the General Assem
bly the right to dissolve local
election boards.
Obituaries included Curtis
Green.
APRIL 28
A panel of eleven addressed
the proposal to lease Burke
Medical Center, Monday, dur
ing a public hearing.
Hospital Authority Chair
man Chris Collins said the
hospital’s current operating
losses average $5.6 million per
year, covered by $30 million in
County subsidies at tax pay
ers’ expense since 2016. “The
proposal from Burke Hospital
(Company) was a unique pro
posal that included engaging
physicians to support the leas
ing and overall operations,”
Collins said.
Obituaries included Deloris
Jones, Wyvonnia Kent, Lata-
sha M. Staten, Susan Kirchner
Johnston, Jaxxon Kyle Rogers
and Frances J. Weeks.
MAY 5
The closing is pending on
a 12.23-acre land transaction
between the Burke County
Development Authority and
Hart Dairy.
Executive Director Molly
Olson said the dairy company
that purchased the speculative
building on Ritz Ave., with
plans to manufacture its prod
uct in Waynesboro, has been
sending its milk to a processor
in Alabama.
“They need a pre-treatment
facility on-site,” Olson said.
“The best location for that was
the remaining 12 acres of that
property.”
Obituraries included Joseph
Miles, Shirley Garvin Flakes,
Barbara Hill and Musetta Tay
lor.
MAY 12
Even as the number of CO-
VID-19 cases decreases, local
businesses are experiencing
the lingering effects of the
pandemic.
Crystal Preston is the man
ager at Phinazee and Son Fu
neral Home. The pandemic has
caused a shortage of vaults and
headstones, due to the lack of
available raw materials mixed
with a large number of deaths,
she said. Many headstones are
created overseas and increased
shipping costs have raised the
prices up to 5%.
Preston said the time it takes
to receive headstones has tri
pled.
Tommy Powell, owner of
Capital Furniture, said he
didn’t see a decrease in fur
niture availability during the
height of the pandemic like he
is experiencing now.
“Since December, it’s all
gone to hell in a handbasket,”
he said.
Obituaries included Toni
Jean Carter, Irene “Rene” Boyd
Morgan, Pamela Stone and
Beatrice Freeman Gaines.
MAY 19
Waynesboro Mayor Greg
Carswell has stepped down,
taking a leave of absence while
citing ongoing legal issues and
the health of his son.
In July of last year, Carswell
was arrested in Statesboro 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.
Obituaries included Daniel
Boatwright, Michael “Mike”
Joyner, Elizabeth “Lisa” Kaiser
and Wade H. Skinner, Sr.
MAY 26
U.S. Secretary of Commerce
Gina M. Raimondo announced
last week that the Department’s
Economic Development Ad
ministration (EDA) is award
ing a $1.5 million grant to the
city of Waynesboro to establish
a water well and water treat
ment facility needed to accom
modate local business needs.
This EDA project, to be
matched with $1.5 million
in local funds, is expected to
create nearly 200 jobs and
generate $60 million in private
investment. The match will
be funded through SPLOST
revenue, according to City
Manager Valerie Kirkland.
As part of the application
process, the Development Au
thority requested the funding
be directed to the city, which
supports both community and
industrial utility needs.
Obituaries included Mar-
trice Bernard Council, Juanita
Denise Harris and Manton
Franklin Horton, Jr.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
A petition for zoning amendment has been filed with the Burke Coun
ty Board of Zoning Appeals, requesting the zoning a portion of this
property: 2942 Highway 56 N. Waynesboro (Map-Parcel : 080-
018T) be changed from zone R1 to zone Al. A public hearing will
be held at The Burke County Court House, located at 602 North
Liberty St. Waynesboro GA. 30830 on 01/25/2022 at 7:00 p.m. All
those in favor of or objecting to this petition should be present to
voice their support or objection. For more information call
(706) 554-8758
Burke County Planning Commission
DO NOT REMOVE UNDER PENALTY OF LAW
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
A petition for zoning amendment has been filed with the Burke
County Board of Zoning Appeals, requesting the zoning a portion
of this property: 1813 Old Wadley Rd. Midville GA Rd. (Map-
Parcel : 013-001) be changed from zone Al to zone Rl. A public
hearing will be held at The Burke County Court House, located
at 602 North Liberty St. Waynesboro GA. 30830 on 01/25/2022 at
7:00 p.m. All those in favor of or objecting to this petition should be
present to voice their support or objection. For more information call
(706) 554-8758
Burke County Planning Commission
DO NOT REMOVE UNDER PENALTY OF LAW
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