Newspaper Page Text
Page 2— Wednesday, April 13, 2022, The True Citizen
Local woman needs help
with medical expenses
r
Marsha Neely experienced second and third degree bums
during what was intended to be a controlled burn to dis
courage bobcats from entering her yard.
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
A controlled bum that went
feral Feb. 24 left Marsha Neely
of Waynesboro with second
and third degree burns.
“When we lit the bamboo,
it just went wild,” she said. “It
was like gasoline.”
Neely, 59, said she got
trapped on her 4-wheeler,
unable to do anything but put
the vehicle in reverse. As she
was forced to rush toward the
flames, the wind took the fire to
the left, leaving a path toward
safety.
Doctors told her that it was
to her benefit that she was
screaming. “If I had inhaled,
I would be dead because it
would have burnt my esopha
gus and lungs to black crisp
bacon,” she said.
Still, the intense heat left
Neely with severe burns to
her face, knee, ear and neck.
She has undergone multiple
surgeries. She can’t go outside
without sunscreen as she must
be careful not to bum her new
skin. She suffered an allergic
reaction to cadaver skin treat
ment on several parts of her
body. However, she feels
blessed to be alive.
A benefit was held for
her Saturday, April 9 at the
Waynesboro Shrine Club to
assist with medical and living
expenses.
“I have not been able to
work,” she said. “I’ve been
stuck in the house.”
People interested in do
nating can Cash App dona
tions to $mneely867 or Venmo
Marsha-Neely. Donations may
also be dropped off at Mr. Auto
Parts.
Pay raise for teachers coming soon
ATLANTA — Friday was
payday, of a sort, for 270,000
state, public university and
K-12 employees in Georgia.
For the 100,000 state and
university employees, it was
the first day that a $5,000 pay
raise kicks in. Meanwhile, for
the 170,000 K-12 employees,
a $2,000 bonus is on the way
before June 30.
The more than $800 million
in additional compensation
was pushed into the amended
budget for the remaining three
months of the state budget year
by Republican Gov. Brian
Kemp and lawmakers. They
sought to frontload a pay raise
so cash will reach employees'
pockets quickly in an election
year.
Each state and university
employee will get an addi
tional $1,250 over the last three
months of the budget year, plus
a bonus of up to $3,750. The
pay increases will begin when
state employees get their next
paycheck in mid-April. Kemp
spokesperson Katie Byrd said
state agencies hope to hand
out the bonuses by the end of
April. Employees hired since
July 1 will get a smaller, pro
rated amount.
Liquor
Continued from front
Taylor Bros X-Press Package
Shop.
Chetankumar Patel, Waynes
boro, is proposing a liquor
store at 505 W. 6th Street.
Jennifer Harper, Waynesboro,
is requesting approval to open
up Bird Dog Beverages at
627 Shadrack Street. Nadeem
Hirani, Waynesboro, wants
to open up Burke Beverage
Outlet at 245 Hopkins Corner
Drive.
Carswell
Continued from front
plea of guilty, but before an ad
judication of guilt, a defendant
who has not been previously
convicted of a felony, may be
placed on probation.
In July 2020, Carswell was
arrested in Statesboro on alle
gations related to his employ
ment at a Statesboro title pawn
business. In December 2020,
a Bulloch Grand Jury indicted
him on the charges. Carswell
voluntarily took a leave of ab
sence from his mayor position
in May 2021, the same month
that Governor Brian Kemp
officially suspended him. The
City of Waynesboro has con
tinued to pay Carswell a gross
Teachers and other school
employees are getting less
than state employees because
lawmakers earlier granted them
a $3,000 pay raise. The remain
ing $2,000 will complete the
$5,000 raise that Kemp prom
ised to teachers when he was
running for governor in 2018.
Teachers and other K-12
workers are supposed to get
their payments by June 30, but
some districts are using local
money to send out the bonus
more quickly. The 177,000-stu
dent Gwinnett County school
district, Georgia's largest,
announced Thursday that it
would pay the one-time salary
supplement at the end of April.
That district, like some others,
said it would pay the bonus to
all of its employees, even those
not covered by the state.
For both teachers and other
state employees, bonuses are
supposed to be converted into
regular pay raises beginning
July 1, under the 2023 state
budget that lawmakers are
scheduled to finish by Monday.
Among those getting pay
raises are all the state's elected
officials including the 56 state
senators and 180 House mem
bers. However, they won't
be getting the $3,750 bonus,
because senators said paying a
bonus to elected and a handful
of appointed officials is illegal
under state law.
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Big band music coming
to town on Tuesday
What do you call the fusion of big band
with contemporary pop music? The Shaun
Johnson Big Band Experience, and you’re
invited to witness it live on Tuesday as part
of the Waynesboro-Burke Concert Series’
season.
This high-spirited, energetic ensemble
indelibly stamps vocal jazz and swing with
a contemporary punch. Johnson, an Emmy
award-winning crooner and lead singer of
the internationally known vocal group Ton
ic Sol Fa, brings his show to Waynesboro
on April 19, and tickets are on sale now.
The group has been featured on their very
own nationally televised PBS television
special, “The Spirit of the Season.”
Shaun has shared the stage with Jay
Leno, Jeff Foxworthy and Garison Keilor,
among others.
Musicians have toured with the likes of
Aretha Franklin, Robert Randolph and the
Family Band and New Kids on the Block
as well as Music Hall of Fame inductees.
The show, sponsored by Queensborough
National Bank and Trust Co. and held at
the Burke County Office Park Auditorium,
begins at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:30.
Tickets are available in advance at the
Burke County Library in Waynesboro or
The Shaun Johnson Big Band
Experience will perform in Waynesboro
on April 19.
by calling 706.526.5062. Tickets will also
be available for purchase at the door until
sold out.
Improvements In child safety and cost efficiency the
past 26 years while working in the Transportation
Department
• Improvements in child safety
o Installed two-way radios in all buses
o Installed air conditioning on all buses
o Installed cameras on all buses
o Improved driver training
o Designed express bus routes to Keysvilie, Mi civil I e, and Sardis for
our rural students to arrive home quicker
o Separated high school and middle school students from Pre-K — 5th
grad es on separate buses
Improvements in cost efficiency cmd environment impact to
our county
o Purchased propane buses allowing taxpayers as a whole to
save $734,400 per year
Propane is a dean burning fuel
Help me bring back valuable vocational/trade skills
to students while supporting higher education
Why?
* It helps prepare students to pursue immediate employment
or advanced educational opportunities
* It gives students the opportunity to create
the! r own success and educational pathway
* It integrates academic and vocational
education to expose students to a variety of
career possibilities.
LET'S WORK
TOGETHER TO SET
. OUR STUDENTS _
U PlFjJR SUC-GESSIl