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Forsyth, Ga. 31029 • Wednesday, July 2, 2008 • 4 Sections, 46 Pages • 75$
Inside
Monroe County
Horizons
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porter
New Horizons
Welcome to
Monroe County
special section
Schools make AYP for
third straight year
For the third year in a row, the Monroe
County School System is one of a small num
ber of school systems in Georgia in which all
of its schools met 100 percent of the targets
set by the Georgia Department of Education
to satisfy the requirements of the federal No
Child Left Behind legislation.
Each school had to meet standards in aca
demic achievement and test participation. In
addition, elementary and middle schools had
to meet attendance criteria and the high
school had to meet a certain graduation rate.
These standards have to be met by each
school as a whole and also by the sub-groups
within the school. The subgroups defined by
the legislation are based on ethnicity, special
education, English language learners and eco
nomically disadvantaged students.
Mary Persons High School posted an impres
sive gain of 5.6 percent over last year. This
spring 76.3 percent of seniors graduated on
time and the number will increase slightly
when the summer graduates are included.
The state standard for graduation is currently
70 percent.
Academically, all of the subgroups met and
exceeded the minimum standards in Reading,
English Language Arts and Math.
Last year Monroe County was one of only 29
out of 181 school systems in Georgia that
made AYP for two or more years in a row. The
state department of education has not
released all the data regarding which school
systems made AYP this year. That information
is expected in about three weeks.
Man on a mission
SEE PAGE 8A
Outdoors
The most
beautiful flower
in the county?
SEE PAGE 2B
Deaths
Ruby Carlisle
Larry Gean Chandler
SEE OBITUARIES
PAGE 2A
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Bruce Everett gladly takes a dollar for an item at the benefit yard sale at his home at 464 Loblolly
Lane. He says the yard sales will continue as long as there is stuff to sell and Jason Burns is in
need. (Photo/Gina Herring)
64
firefighter who serves his community well. The least we can dqi
him back.” - Billy Mattingly, friend of Jason and Katie Burns.
Friends indeed
Co-workers and friends
rally to help injured
firefighter Jason Burns
BY GINA HERRING
When Bruce Everett got the call that
his friend Jason Burns had been severe
ly injured in a motorcycle crash, he knew
things needed to be done. He made a few
calls and people responded.
“Jason is in bad shape. There is not
much we can do to help him physically,
but he will need financial help too,” said
Everett. “There is something we can do
about that.”
Everett and Billy Mattingly organized
a yard sale at their home at 464 Loblolly
Lane in Lake Wildwood subdivision, the
same neighborhood where Jason and his
wife Katie live. Along with help and
donations from
numerous friends,
including fellow
firefighters and
EMTs, the yard sale
began to take shape
Saturday.
“A lot of people
have been making
donations, even if
they don’t buy any
thing,” said
Mattingly. “It’s been
going real well.”
It’s the least they can do, says Everett,
for such a good friend.
Burns is going to need friends for a
while.
Around 8 a.m. on June 24, Burns, a
Monroe County firefighter and EMT had
See FIREFIGHTER page 7A
Bittick Sheriff of the Year
Monroe County Sheriff
John Cary Bittick has
been selected as the
2008 recipient of the
Ferris E. Lucas Award
for Sheriff of the Year.
The recipient of the
Sheriff of the Year award
was decided at the
National Sheriffs’
Association Winter
Conference in New
Orleans in January.
Bittick received the
award at the NSA sum
mer conference on
Monday in Indianapolis,
Ind.
See BITTICK,
page 7A
Sheriff John Cary Bittick (far right) accepts his award from the Na
tional Sheriff's Association for the 2008 Ferris E. Lucas Award for
Sheriff of the Year. Pictured with Bittick are (l-r) Executive Director
of NSA Aaron D. Kennard, President Sheriff Craig Webre, Pam
Bittick, and Col. (ret) Kenneth Allard.
Cook back on
death row
Ga Supreme Court reinstates
murderer’s death sentence
BY GINA HERRING
Monday the Georgia Supreme
Court reversed the decision made
by a lower court last October and
said that Andrew Allen Cook does
deserve to die for his crimes.
That was welcome news for Mary
Hendrickson. Her son Grant and
his girlfriend Michele Cartagena
were brutally murdered by Cook
near Lake Juliette on January 3,
1995. She believes Cook should die
for the murders and the Georgia
Supreme Court agreed, saying
arguments that Cook’s attorney failed to investigate
and expose his mental illness had no merit.
“It’s been 13 years but it’s still so hard. [Grant]
would have been 35 by now,” said Hendrickson. “But,
now I feel justice is back on track.”
In 1998 Cook was convicted of the double murder of
the two Mercer students and was sentenced to die.
However, last October Rockdale County Judge David
See MURDERER page 7A
COOK
Candidates
face off in
High Falls
BY GINA HERRING
Over 50 people attended the High Falls Civic Club’s
candidate forum last Thursday. Candidates in Monroe
County’s upcoming primary had a chance to tell a lit
tle about themselves and field questions from the
group.
One big concern for voters present at the forum is
the constant infighting between the county commis
sioners. James Green, who is running as a Republican
See CANDIDATES page 6A
Over 50 people packed into the High Falls fire station Thursday
to hear what several local candidates had to offer. Amidst the
discussions, George Hartwig, a candidate for district Attorney,
claimed that DA Richard Milam is spreading lies about him.
See full story on Page 6A.(Photo/Gina Herring)