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Who has the best Irieri chicken in Monroe County? Who's the best dentist? Ballots are due on Friday. Jan. 31 lor the the 71h Anneal Best of Monroe County
contest. Readers are encouraged to vole lor any categories they choose in the ballot on page 7B of this week's Reporter. The contest gives readers the
opportunity to recognize those people and businesses who are doing excellent work in the county. The top vele-gellers will he honored at tire annual
Best ol PAonroe County Winners Banquet and will he honored in our special “Besl op' edition of the Reporter later this year. Readers can drop Idem off at
30 N. Jackson Street or mail to P.D. Box 795. Forsyth. GA 31029.
The Best Little Paper in Georgia
the Monroe County
www.mymcr.net • VOL. 43 NO. 3 • USPS 997-840
2 sections, 24 pages • Forsyth, GA • Wednesday, January 15, 2014 • $1
Inside
Just how wet
was 2013...
...and how
cold was
last week?
See Page 11A
Stroud joins
city council
See Page 3A
Deaths
Milton Allison
‘Al’ Brown
Earline Jackson
Casteel
Jack Denzil Cook
See page 6A
WELCOME
Jt/o £hsM
Mark Mimbs
Odis Clark
Bennie & Jeanette Bunn
Judy & Davis Minshew
Jeff Hawthorne
Get your name on this list
by subscribing today.
52 issues just $35
in Monroe County.
Call 994-2358 or go to
wvm.mymcr.net.
Walmart, Dollar General
P>
a
Kroger and CVS
‘In view of some of the comments, I would like to not have to do this again in my tenure.’ - Supt. Anthony Pack
Parents: We want Option A
But few attend hearing as new elementary zone vote looms Jan. 14
What parents said
BY DIANE
GLIDEWELL
Only five parents took
the opportunity to speak
to the Monroe County
Board of Education at its
public hearing Thursday
night on plans for new
attendance lines for its
three elementary
schools. The board had
prepared for a larger
response, scheduling the
hearing for the BOE
auditorium and moving
it from Tuesday night to
Thursday when weather
conditions threatened to
keep attendees away.
The board's well-publi
cized guidelines of allow
ing each person three
See MAP page 7A
Susan Mabry, parent of a
second grader at T.G. Scott
who will be in the Hubbard
Elementary zone if Option
D is adopted, addressed
the board first at Thursday’s
hearing. Both Mabry's sec
ond grader and her 16-
See PARENTS page 7A
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‘Real-life 7 dwarfs’ moving to Forsyth
The real-life seven dwarfs, thought to be the largest family of achondroplasia dwarfs in the world and probably the only
ones with their own nationwide TV show, are moving to Forsyth. Amber and Trent Johnston said they are moving to town
from Barnesville next month because they have heard wonderful things about the Monroe County school system. That's
important since the Johnstons have five biological and adopted children, Jonah, Elizabeth, Anna, Emma, and Alex. All of
them are dwarves as well. The Oprah Winfrey Network aired a television show "The Seven Little Johnstons" about the
family last year that won nationwide acclaim, and the family was interviewed by Barbara Walters for "20/20". None of the
Johnstons stand more than four-feet tall but they have a can-do attitude that makes them an encouragement to others.
As parents, the Johnstons work hard to make their children's lives as normal as possible, using regular-sized furniture in
their homes and attaching sticks to light switches so they can be reached. Mr. Johnston is a grounds supervisor at Gor
don College while his wife is a stay-at-home mom. Mrs. Johnston said they're excited about moving to their new home
at the corner of Lee Street and Newton Memorial Drive next month. "We embrace the idea of Forsyth still being a small
town, but close to many necessary amenities such as the interstate, shopping, doctors, and of course plenty of excellent
eateries," said Mrs. Johnston. "Our family is extremely excited to make the move, but at the same time a tad nervous.”
On behalf of Monroe County, the Reporter welcomes the Johnstons to town. (Special to the Reporter)
House
blaze
called
arson
BY RICHARD
DUMAS
New Monroe County
fire chief Donnie
Mercer hadn't been in
office one week before
he had to rule a
Charles Johnson Road
house fire on Jan. 7 as
arson.
According to the inci
dent report, at about
1:12 p.m. on Jan. 7,
Dep. Kevin Powell of
the Monroe County
Sheriff’s Office went to
a Charles Johnson
Road home about a
structure fire. Powell
met with Mercer who
said the county fire
department had also
been called to the home
See ARSON page 11A
The fire that destroyed
this home on Charles
Johnson Road has been
ruled an arson. (MCR)
Mercer named new county fire chief
BY RICHARD DUMAS
It was one of the worst-
kept secrets
over the past
year, but on
Tuesday com
missioners
made it official,
hiring Donnie
Mercer as the
new fire/emer-
gency services
chief.
See MERCER page 7A
MERCER
Retired
chief
Ron
Norris
re-
cieves a
framed
photo
of Fire
Station
14 at
his re
tirement
Satur
day.
Friends, family toast
retiring chief Norris
BY RICHARD
DUMAS
More than 100 friends
and family members came
to the Comfort Inn and
Suites Saturday afternoon
for a retirement party for
outgoing Monroe County
fire chief Ronald Norris.
Norris, who retired on
Dec. 31, 2013 after seven
years as chief and 35
years in full-time Monroe
County fire service,
See NORRIS page 6A
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