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Wednesday, September 28, 2022 - $1.00
Vol. 142, No. 32 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830 Established in 1882
Budget meeting
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Last week’s county budget meet
ing got heated as some of the board
members blasted Sheriff Alfonzo
Williams for the way he runs his
department.
Before Williams began to speak,
Commissioner Evans Martin men
tioned the Sheriff’s concerns about
raises, retaining efforts and educa
tion initiatives.
“I completely agree with you and
I completely understand,” Martin
said. “But I have a few questions
and I just want you to help me see
through them.”
Martin went on to criticize the
Sheriff for paying some long-term
deputies less than deputies employed
for shorter amounts of time. He
pointed out that the Sheriff devi
ated away from the county’s wage
program based on a grade system.
“You didn’t like that,” he said. “You
wanted to do your own thing.”
Martin suggested that retaining
deputies required more fairness
across the board when it comes to
wages. He also criticized Williams
for the number of people the depart
ment employs. Martin scolded Wil-
gets
liams for donations that were made
out of more than $425,000 in grant
money. He specifically mentioned
$10,000 to the Burke County Health
Foundation.
“That is $425,000 that could have
been given to these deputies to give
them a raise,” he said.
Without giving Williams a chance
to respond, Martin went on to ex
press his concern with
nasty
the Sheriff contracting for sepa
rate cyber security and gasoline
services. He also alluded that he felt
the BCSO had enough vehicles and
that $217,000 budgeted toward pur
chasing new autos was an unneces
sary expenditure. Be
fore he was through,
he told Williams he
thought it was also
unnecessary for the
SEE
MEETING,
3
New bird dog shirts have special
touch, benefit health foundation
It’s a tradition 14 years and
counting, and one that’s dedi
cated, even now more than ever,
to seeing Burke County residents
receive the healthcare they de
serve.
Bird dog breast cancer aware
ness T-shirts are on sale now
throughout the county, a fund
raiser that has helped provide
for citizens in a number of ways.
“It continues to humble us
in how our businesses and our
community have embraced this
initiative,” said Gina Richardson,
County Nurse Manager. “Be
cause of their continued support,
we have been able to provide
mammography and cervical
screenings to our underprivileged
women who otherwise wouldn’t
qualify for Georgia’s Breast and
Cervical Cancer Program. This
simple initiative has exponen
tially complemented the care
that our public health nurses are
providing.”
This year’s T-shirts come with
an extra special connection to
the county, outside the famous
bird dog. Artist Sudie Griffin
Langford, a former resident
and Burke County High School
graduate, personally designed the
bird dog, taking fragments of her
most loved sections of previous
paintings.
“These pieces have become a
collection of sorts, and what bet
ter framework to showcase them
than my beloved hometown bird
dog,” Langford said. “Interwo
ven throughout the silhouette are
sections of the color pink which
Sudie Griffin Langford
represent each person we know
affected by breast cancer.”
Additionally, the
Burke County Board
of Health recently quidtq
voted to join the ’
J 3
fundraising efforts
Hurricane Ian prompts
cancellations locally
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
“Hurricane Ian plowed into Cuba
early Tuesday growing in strength to
a Category 3 major hurricane with
a projected path that sees the storm
growing further before making a
likely landfall in Florida between
Tampa and Naples late Wednesday,”
according to the Orlando Sentinel.
The National Hurricane Center
predicts landfall near Venice, south
of Sarasota with 125 mph sustained
winds and 155 mph gusts by 8 p.m.
Wednesday.
Governor Brian Kemp ordered the
activation of the State Operations
Center Monday ahead of Hurricane
Ian, which is expected to make land
fall later this week and may hit parts
of Georgia.
"I urge my fellow Georgians to
monitor this storm as it evolves
and calmly take the necessary pre
cautions to keep their families and
neighbors safe if the storm continues
to intensify," Kemp said in a press
release. "Throughout the week, I
will work closely with GEMA/HS,
the weather service, public safety
organizations and others to ensure
we leave nothing to chance."
Heavy rain and winds in the 35
mph range are expected to reach
the CSRA either late Friday or early
Saturday, according to the Weather
Channel.
Local schools announce cancel
lations
“Homecoming is always a hectic
week anyway but add on a hurricane
and it can be a little chaotic,” said
Edmund Burke Academy’s Head
master Adam Brett in the school’s
newsletter.
EB A announced major changes for
Thursday, September 29 in anticipa
tion of inclement weather on Friday.
The varsity homecoming game is
Thursday at 7 p.m. and the home
coming court will be introduced
during the pregame portion at 6:30
p.m. The varsity softball game with
Pinewood has been rescheduled for
Wednesday, October 5 at home at
4 p.m.
“We are continuing to monitor the
forecast,” Brett said. “If we need to
make additional adjustments to the
schedule, we are prepared to do so.”
Burke County High School an
nounced Friday’s football game
against Wayne County has been
cancelled and the rescheduled date
will be announced in the future.
Thursday night's JV football game
against Effingham County has been
rescheduled for Monday, October
3rd at Effingham at 5:00 p.m.
REAL HEROES DONATE BLOOD
Queensborough Bank heads up blood campaign for October
Queensborough National Bank &
Trust has teamed up with Shepeard
Community Blood Center once
again to help collect life saving
blood.
Throughout the month of October,
which is Breast Cancer Awareness
Month, mobile units will visit vari
ous locations across the county in
an effort to recognize, honor and
support those whose lives have been
touched by breast cancer.
The first blood drive of the month
with take place Monday, Oct. 3, at
Burke Health, from noon-4 p.m..
The blood mobile will also be set
up on Oct. 4, at Burke County High
School from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.; Oct. 13,
at the Burke County Sheriff’s Office
from noon-6 p.m.; Oct. 21, at Burke
County Middle School from 9 a.m-
2 p.m.; and Oct. 25, at Sardis Police
Department from 4-7 p.m.
Presenting donors will receive a
special edition breast cancer aware
ness T-shirt.
To donate blood, you must be
in good health, weigh at least 110
pounds and be at least 17 years old
(or 16 with a signed parent consent
form). Anyone donating should bring
their Shepeard Blood Donor Card or
a picture ID.
For additional information, contact
Queensborough’s Rhonda Burke at
706.554.0460 or Jacqueline Clem
mons of Shepeard Community Blood
Center at 706.737.4551.
DID YOU KNOW:
• Every two seconds, someone in
the U.S. needs a blood transfusion.
• While most people are consid
ered eligible to donate, studies show
that around 3 percent actually do.
• People battling cancer - particu
larly those undergoing chemothera
py - are a prominent population in
need of blood transfusions. Accord
ing to the American Cancer Society,
they use one-quarter of the nation’s
blood supply.
• Some cancer patients will need
multiple units of blood or platelets
per week for the entire course of
their treatment.
• Many chemotherapy drugs can
temporarily impair blood cell pro
duction in the marrow and depress
immune system functions.
• Before cancer patients can con
tinue their life-saving treatments,
they need those cells replaced with
a transfusion.
• People undergoing chemotherapy
or radiation treatment for breast can
cer, will need transfusions in order
to continue to have treatments. The
treatments for cancer can destroy
their existing red cells and platelets,
therefore before they can get their
next treatment, they need those cells
replaced with a transfusion.
• Blood transfusions, in general,
reduce the risk of potentially severe
complications that can occur due to
a low blood count.
• When red blood cells are low, it
can impair the body’s ability to de
liver oxygen from the lungs to other
organs, which can lead to fatigue and
shortness of breath. If severely low,
it can be fatal.
• When platelets are low, people
are subject to severe bleeding is
sues, such as spontaneous bleeding,
anywhere in the lungs, brain, gastro
intestinal tract, etc.
GIVE BLOOD!