Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A
June 8, 2011
ISO
www.mymcr.net/vent.
School board members, I
work for the school district.
Can I talk to you? The king
said I can't, rank: 27
EMS and local law enforce
ment are underpaid for what
they undergo. God knows
what they have to deal with on
a daily basis. Bless you all.
rank: 25
MPHS was being cleaned
daily until the past year and I
will say they did a good job by
a cleaning co...then one of the
BOE employee's had their un
employed husbands in to do
it..and the lunchrooms have
gone to crap... rank: 22
As for cleaning MPHS: The
unemployed husband of the
BOE employee is "GOOD"
friends with Mr. Pack. He got
the job because he got the
King's special treatment, rank:
19
I think we should just throw all
the commissioners out and let
DJD run everything. He does
know EVERYTHING about
EVERYTHING, rank: 15
We really was hoping and
praying that Fletcher Johnson
would become the new Sut
ton principal, rank: 15
Sutton Elem. wanted Mrs.
Brown because they know
her work ethic and love of the
children. She is a great Assis
tant Principal and has proven
she can do the job of Princi
pal. She will continue to do a
great job because she is a
special person. Hopefully we
will not lose her to another
county anytime soon, rank: 14
I find it rather interesting that
a liquor license was issued to
the Pizzeria across the road 1
week before the closing of
Nashville Sounds and the
owner's picture just came out
in the paper as a sex offend
er! rank: 12
Our new year's resolution is to
attend more school meetings
and ask bold questions to the
board members. Like...when
are we going to put soap and
paper towels back into the
bathrooms? rank: 12
All other State of Georgia em
ployees pay for their own den
tal, vision and health insur
ance. The school system em
ployees aren’t better than the
rest of us and should have to
pay for their own too. rank: 11
How long will Monroe County
continue to attract excellent
teachers with all the cuts?
Please look at the budget and
note the excessive amount
spent on administration.That
is where cuts should occur.
Please do not hurt the stu
dents. rank: 10
A suggestion to the Reporter.
Because of my work schedule
I am unable to attend school
board meetings. I would like
to know what is being dis
cussed and voted on. I would
like to know how board
memebers voted and I would
like you to interview them,
rank: 9
Hope the new Sutton princi
pal will challenge MC BOE
just as Mr. Parlier. He was a
good man and great principal
because he cared about our
children, rank: 9
Mr. Pack works for the citizens
of Monroe County. If you have
an issue with him, contact the
governor and schedule a
meeting, rank: 9
Please explain or comment
on how and why retired white
male friends of Monroe Coun
ty commissioner "Teflon” Jim
Ham are being hired to run
the recycling centers over all
other persons, black or white,
who have applied, rank: 9
^Reporter
Drought returns with a vengeance
Forsyth bars outdoor
watering ’til June 14
Forsyth has banned outdoor watering
until June 14 to conserve its supply while
the city upgrades its water treatment plant.
Water plant manager Craig Helms said
they’re installing new filters at the
Russellville plant, so
it doesn’t have its
usual 3 million gal
lons per day capaci
ty. Taking one filter
down for repairs
cuts the plant’s
capacity to about 2
million gallons per
day normally, said
Helms. However, the
city did get a waiver
from the state to fil
ter more water than
usual in the remain
ing two filters to
keep its capacity
near normal levels.
Despite the
drought, the city’s
Tobesofkee Creek
reservoir, which sup
plies the Russellville
plant, is holding up
pretty well, said
Helms. But with one
filter down it’s hard
to process enough of the wet stuff to meet
demand. With the drought, more people are
watering outdoors. But Helms said since the
outdoor watering ban has been publicized,
the tanks, and supply, have remained full.
While the outdoor watering ban only
applies to city of Forsyth customers, a new
state law curbs the outdoor watering of any
one on a government system. The law,
which went into effect last year bans all
outdoor watering between 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Outside those hours, it permits residents at
odd-numbered addresses to water only on
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Those
living at even-numbered or unnumbered
addresses are permitted to water only on
Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Forsyth water plant
superintendent Craig
Helms says the city’s
water supply should
be fine now that resi
dents are heeding the
outdoor watering ban.
(Photo/Will Davis)
BY LAURA
CORLEY
Monroe County just had
its driest month in four
years there appears to be no
end in sight as the late
spring drought continues to
parch the soil .
“We're having to ween our
calves two
months earlier
than we would
normally do
because there
is no vegeta
tion for them
to eat, so
we're feeding
them grain.”
Monroe
County cattle
farmer, Jim
Ham, said.
Ham, like
many other
farmers, is
working hard
to keep his cows healthy
during this time of arid heat
in Monroe County. Cattle
that normally graze on the
county's lush green fields of
grass, are left to dry bales of
hay.
Forsyth Feed and Seed
owner David White says
that his business is being
impacted a great deal by the
drought. He expects people
to buy more grain for their
cows later during the year
because there will not be
any hay, but does not expect
to make much profit due to
its increasing price. The
increasing price of diesel
fuel is also a hindrance to
farmers, making it more
costly to run the tractor on
the field.
“No one is planting any
thing.” White said, in the
arid heat of Feed and Seed,
“There is no grass.”
How dry has it been? Well
in the month of May, the
county registered just .12
inches of rain for the whole
month, according to the
Monroe County Extension
Service’s rain gauges.
Forsyth has not seen a
month that dry since May
2007, when the total rainfall
for the entire month was .13
inches.
Seth Peed of Deer Creek
Farms put drip irrigation
systems on his tomatoes and
blueberry bushes, claiming
they conserve water and
work efficiently. Drip irriga
tion systems are made of
hoses and allow water and
nutrients to be pumped
directly to the plant’s root
system. The system uses
less water and yields
healthy and normal crops,
but according to Peed, there
is nothing like natural rain
water.
“We just haven't had any
rain [and] it's hurting us.”
Peed said.
White, who talks with
farmers in Camilla, Ga, and
Peed, who knows farmers in
Statesboro, both sympathize
with South Georgia farmers
who feel the pinch more
than anyone because it’s
their livelihood.
Local dairy farmer Jim
Peters says that he expects
for his cows to produce less
milk this year due to heat
stress.
The drought has been a
trial for farmers all over
Georgia, but Monroe County
farmers are dealing with it
in the ways that they can.
“Rain is the answer right
now.” White said.
This arid field shows how the drought is affect
ing Monroe County. (Photo/Laura Corley)
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Elder is new
Sutton principal
BY RICHARD DUMAS
The Monroe County
Board of Education (BOE)
voted unani
mously Tuesday
in a special
called meeting
to name Alicia
Elder as the new
principal at K.B.
Sutton
Elementary
School.
Elder has been
principal of
Upson-Lee South
Elementary School in
Thomaston for the past
three years. Prior to that
she served as assistant
principal at Samuel
Hubbard Elementary
School (SHES) in Forsyth
for four years.
Elder succeeds Joe
Parlier, who resigned
effective at the end of the
2010-11 school year to
enter private business.
Parlier had served as K.B.
Sutton's principal since
the school opened two
years ago.
Monroe County School
superintendent Anthony
Pack said the selection
committee, which was
composed of 12 teachers,
parents and staff mem
bers, including Parlier,
interviewed 11 candidates
for the position.
Elder, who was in atten
dance at the meeting
Tuesday, said she was
exited to be the choice.
"I just want to thank
you (BOE) for giving me
the opportunity to come
back to the school sys
tem," she said. "I had a
wonderful experience at
Hubbard, and that's
where my leadership
skills began. And I just
appreciate the opportunity
to come back and serve
the students and the
teachers."
Elder will be moving to a
smaller school. Upson-Lee
South, which ran from
kindergarten to third
grade has about 1,400 stu
dents and almost 200 staff
members. In con
trast, K.B. Sutton,
which runs from
kindergarten
through fifth grade,
has about 500 stu
dents and 45
employees.
Elder is married
to husband Justin,
the offensive coor
dinator at Upson-
Lee High School.
The Elders, who live in
Monroe County, have two
daughters, Charleigh and
Olivia.
"As a mother, I just
think it's wonderful to be
able to be at a school
where I can be with my
girls through fifth grade,"
Elder said. "That just
means more to me than
anything. Being a mother
first, and being able to be
a good principal and to be
a good mother at the same
time. And a good wife to
balance everything. We
live in this community.
And it's home. And I want
to be a huge asset to this
community. I'm very hon
ored to be back."
Angie Dillon, the execu
tive director for teaching
and learning for Monroe
County Schools, served as
principal at Hubbard
Elementary when Elder
was assistant principal
there.
Dillon lauded Elder in a
school system news
release.
"Mrs. Elder was an out
standing assistant princi
pal during her tenure at
SHES,” Dillon said. “Her
knowledge of the curricu
lum, ability to model effec
tive instructional strate
gies and ability to build
strong relationships with
students, parents and
staff made her a valuable
asset to the Monroe
County school system."
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