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the Monroe County
Serving the Public Safety Capital of Georgia
www.mymcr.net • VOL. 42 NO. 52 • USPS 997-840 2 sections, 28 pages • Forsyth, GA • Wednesday, December 25, 2013 • $1
Inside
The Year
in Review
See Pages B1 -4
Lady Dogs
remain
unbeaten
See Page 5B
Deaths
Elizabeth Smyer Pace
Elizabeth Cheatham
Hockett VanHoy
Lila Ruth Piper Garrett
Raymond Alton Mize
William S. ‘Bill’
Hodges (Oct.)
See page 9A
WELCOME
James E. Thomas
Amber Dawn Tyner
Martie Brown
Chris Patterson
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Brittney Marie Cole, a 2008 graduate of Monroe Academy, married Brian Kelley of Florida-Georgia Line
on Monday. (Photo courtesy People magazine)
Monroe Academy
graduate marries
Florida Georgia Line
During her senior year at
Monroe Academy in 2008,
Brittney Cole was named
Most Athletic, shown above
from the Reporter’s gradua
tion edition. Last Monday
she married one of the Brittney Cole, left, at her wedding last
biggest stars in country mu- Monday with her bridesmaid and Monroe
SIC - County friend Emily Farmer.
BY WILL DAVIS
Friends say a Cinderella
romance was sealed on
Monday when a 2008
Monroe Academy graduate
married Brian Kelley, one
half of the famed Florida
Georgia Line duo that is
ascending the heights of
country music.
Brittney Marie Cole and
Brian Kelley wed in a low-
key ceremony at Kelley's
new ranch he just pur
chased near Nashville on
Dec. 16, and several of her
Monroe County friends
joined her as bridesmaids.
The couple met about
three years ago but back
then they were both dat
ing other people.
"She definitely caught
my eye [back then],"
Kelley told People maga
zine. "Brittney's the most
beautiful woman I've ever
seen. I always knew in my
heart that if I were single,
then I wanted a chance
with her. She was my
dream girl."
Then in May, Cole was
going to a Florida Georgia
Line concert and they wound
up meeting after the show.
The rest is history.
"The whole process has been
non-traditional," Kelley told
People magazine of the sur
prise nuptials. "There was no
official proposal or exchanging
of rings. We had just fallen in
love, and I knew I couldn't
live without her. It sounds
like a terrible cheesy movie,
but when you know, you
know!"
One of the Cole's Forsyth
bridesmaids, Emily Farmer,
agreed that they are the per
fect fit. Farmer actually went
to Mary Persons but she and
Cole became best friends
when they dated guys who
were friends. Those relation
ships soured but Farmer and
Cole remained close.
While at Monroe Academy,
Cole was a member of the
state championship soccer
team in 2007 and was voted
Most Athletic,
Wittiest and Class Clown as a
senior.
Cole lived with her grand
mother near Flovilla while in
high school until her Nana
died during her senior year,
said Farmer. That's when her
Monroe Academy friend
Whitney Ranew and her fami
ly took her in to live with
them.
After being part of Monroe
Academy's last graduating
class, Cole wound up at the
University of Georgia. She is
expected to graduate with a
degree in psychology in May
before returning to Nashville
to set up home with Kelley.
Farmer said after Cole start
ed dating Kelley, she spent
her weekdays in Athens in
class and then would fly to
wherever Florida-Georgia
Line was playing that week
end to be with him.
Farmer said Monday's wed
ding was "awesome", with just
40 people in attendance,
including the bride's fellow
MA grads Whitney Ranew
and Erin Stephens. Farmer
said the house was all lighted
and the nuptials were com
pleted around 4:30 p.m. as the
sun set. "It was gorgeous,"
said Farmer.
Then the wedding party
retired to a barn on the prop
erty that Kelley had just reno
vated to enjoy dinner and
drinks as well as a deejay.
Farmer said people may
think that Cole is just enjoy
ing the lifestyle of a star's
wife, but she said it's deeper
than that.
"There's nobody else in the
room (for Kelley) when she's
there," said Farmer. "He
caters to her and loves her,
it's just crazy how it all
worked out."
See COLE page 8A
Forsyth
budget
eyes big
hikes on
business
But officials say those
increases to be changed
Goolsby: Special treatment of some
late payers ‘embarrassing’, page 6A
BY DIANE GLIDEWELL
The city of Forsyth is proposing steep
utility rate increases in its 2014 budg
et plan, but city officials now say that
proposal isn't going anywhere.
As of last week the 2014 budget plan
included steep hikes in commercial
rates recommended by city consultant
John Hewitt, including a 181-percent
increase in sewer rates, and a 20-per
cent increase in electric rates. For resi
dential customers, the budget proposed
10 percent rate increases for both
sewer and electric services. There is
also a 30 percent hike in cable rates.
City council discussed the sticker-
shocking budget at their Dec. 17 meet
ing. But on Monday, city administrator
Thomas White said there have already
See CITY page 7A
Public
monies to
pave way
for Tractor
Supply
BY DIANE GLIDEWELL
Tractor Supply is another step closer
to opening in Forsyth after city coun
cil voted Dec. 17 to pay up to $25,000
of the cost to build a new road to
replace a part of East Main Street it
closed to accommodate the new busi
ness. The city also agreed to pay the
city engineer and attorney for their
work on the replacement road.
Meanwhile the Monroe County
Development Authority agreed to
pitch in another $25,000 and develop
er Otis Ingram will fund the other
third of the cost for the new road.
On a motion made by council mem
ber Greg Goolsby, seconded by JoAnna
Banks, to contribute the $25,000
Ingram requested, the council dead
locked in a 3-3 tie. Mayor John
Howard voted in favor to break the
tie.
"I do believe we have $25,000 some
where," said Howard.
Council member Melvin Lawrence
joined Goosby and Banks in voting for
the motion. Council members Mike
Dodd, Eric Wilson, and Jimmy Jones
voted against the motion.
Ingram asked the city for $25,000 as
one-third of the estimated $75,000 to
build the road to replace the one the
city is closing to accommodate Tractor
Supply. The company plans to open a
store in the Ingram Center shopping
See TRACTOR page 8A
Kroger and CVS