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Serving the Public Safety Capital of Georgia
4 sections, 44 pages * Forsyth, GA * Wednesday, December 19, 2012 *
Inside
Community
invited to
Christmas
worship at
Tift College
See page 9A
Rowland
signs with
Berry
See page 1B
Deaths
Blanche Parham
Hux
Catherine Joslyn
Tom Rogers
See page 6A
WELCOME
jto /Ac J
Carolyn V. Brown
Napoleon Mays
MC Health Department
Amanda Hartman
Brent Allen
Cindy Gould
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Edge named
county rec
director
BY RICHARD DUMAS
Monroe County com
missioners have selected
a Forsyth native
as the county's
new recreation
director.
Keith Edge, 53,
was officially
named the coun
ty's new recre
ation director on
Friday.
Commissioners
voted 4-1 on
Tuesday to hire
Edge as the county's
recreation director.
Commissioners said
Edge won them over in
part with a written plan
to improve the
department.
Edge worked
for Coca-Cola
Enterprises
(later Coca-Cola
Refreshment)
for over 25
EDGE
years prior to
retiring in
2011. After
working in
Griffin for his
EDGE page 8A
Evans opposes, claims racism
BY RICHARD DUMAS
While four Monroe
County commissioners
expressed enthusiasm
about their pick to lead
the rec department, com
missioner Larry Evans
was the lone dissenter and
accused fellow commis
sioners of using race in
their decision.
Commissioners voted 4-1
on Tuesday to hire Keith
Edge as the county's recre
ation director. Edge is
retired from Coca-Cola,
where he served as
district sales man
ager until 2011. He
is currently
employed at
Ingles.
Evans listed sev
eral reasons for his
vehement opposi
tion, firstly saying
that Edge does not
have prior experience in
recreation.
Commissioners inter
viewed four candidates,
Jodie Roquemore,
a Forsyth resident
who works at the
Lamar County
recreation depart
ment, Michael
Coleman, Ben
Dillard and Edge
out of a list of
more than 40
applicants on
Tuesday prior to the com-
See EVANS page 15A
EVANS
Drug ad
diction
leaves
many at
their wit’s
end, but a
Monroe
County
couple re
minds
readers at
Christmas
time that
there is
hope for
recovery
and free
dom.
(Stock
photo)
Local couple finds hope
in overcoming addiction
Editor’s note: The follow
ing story is about a Monroe
County couple which has
overcome drug abuse and
addiction. They are husband
and wife and asked that
their last names not be used
to protect their families.
Anyone wanting to talk to
them about getting help for a
drug problem can call the
Reporter at 994-2358.
BY RICHARD DUMAS
aryl remembers
sitting on a couch
in a funeral home
about five years
ago as many of
his family members were
mourning the death of a close
relative.
Daryl was talking to a
friend not long before the
funeral was scheduled to
start. Almost instantaneous
ly Daryl began to shake vio
lently. In mere seconds, he
turned blue and could not
speak. In fact, Daryl could
n't even move the right side
of his body.
When Daryl, who was just
in his late-20s at the time,
reached the hospital, doctors
feared he had had a stroke.
Fortunately, the doctors
soon determined it was not
a stroke. Instead, Daryl had
suffered a seizure that was
so violent it caused him to
dislocate his shoulder. He
was given Benadryl, and his
mouth, which had locked
open, finally closed properly.
Daryl knew immediately
what had caused the
seizure. He had tried to stop
drinking alcohol and taking
Xanax anti-anxiety tablets
cold turkey, and he had suf
fered from potentially dead
ly withdrawal symptoms.
Daryl knew he had to
clean himself up, but several
years later he still hadn't.
And in January 2010, Daryl
had a second seizure while
he was at work, causing him
to have stitches inserted.
By early 2010, Daryl's life
was in turmoil. He had lost
his house, lost his job, and
his wife Elaine was also
struggling with her own
addiction to methampheta-
mine and Xanax. All the
while, Daryl and Elaine had
four children for which to
care. Fearing for their
grandchildren's safety, the
couple's parents banded
together to take protective
See DRUGS page 10A
Opposition
sinks mug
bogging in
High Falls
BY RICHARD
DUMAS
Organized mudbogging
will not be taking place in
High Falls after the
owner of the motocross
track at High Falls with
drew his application to
rezone the track from
agricultural to industrial
Tuesday.
Danny Adams, co-owner
of Thunder Creek SX
Motor Park off of Blount
Road, had applied for
conditional use for indus
trial in order to hold
mudbogging events at the
track. Adams said the
process had been very
educational for him and
added he would not reap
ply until he had "learned
more."
Adams was told by com
missioners at an Oct. 4
meeting that racing could
continue at the track
under its present agricul
tural zoning because rac
ing was occurring prior to
the county's zoning regu
lations being established
in 1987. Therefore
motocross racing was
grandfa
thered in as
a usage of the track.
However, mudbogging
could not occur in an
agricultural zone because
it is not a permitted use,
according to commission
ers. Therefore, Adams
made the rezoning
request.
On Dec. 3, Adams went
before the county's
Planning and Zoning
board, and the request
was not recommended for
approval.
Although Adams with
drew his rezoning
request, commissioners
allowed neighbors of the
track to weigh-in on the
venue. There were about
a dozen nearby neighbors
of the track in atten
dance.
Kenneth Reynolds, a
Riverbend Road resident,
said he lives a quarter of
a mile from the track.
Saying the track is loud,
he asked commissioners
for noise restrictions on
the track.
He said, "We have been
having discussions about
the motocross since Moby
See MUGBOG page 7A
Lawson and Cromer sold to U Save It
A landmark on the Forsyth courthouse square, Lawson and
Cromer has been sold to U Save It pharmacies.
Was last locally-owned pharmacy in town
BY WILL DAVIS
Forsyth's long-time phar
macy Lawson & Cromer
has been sold, and it
opened on Monday under
the new name U Save It
Pharmacy.
Jimmy Lawson, 72, said
he and partner Hugh
Cromer, 62, both decided it
was just a good time to
sell. Lawson has been bat
tling a blood clot in his leg
in the past few months
and that led to discussions
about future plans. With
the federal government
adding regulations and
about to raise taxes, they
agreed it was time to sell
the business.
Based in Albany, U Save
It specializes in buying
small-town pharmacies
and keeping that home
town service and feel.
Lawson said customers
with charge accounts will
be able to continue using
them. U Save It will keep
all of Lawson and
Cromer's employees,
including pharmacist in
charge Jane Hall, who's
been with the company for
17 years.
Hugh Cromer said Hall,
named the county's
See SOLD pg 7A
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