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THIS WEEK'S INSIDE DEALS ► ►•AMERICAN PROFILE • FAMILY DOLLAR • WALMART • CVS • SEARS • BASS PRO INSIDE» On the Porch 4A INSIDE ►►► m$t£/ fcur OtfiH fa? fo^owe PfcuVgizsf A YEAR IN RE 'Top \£) List of 2017 Reporter Stories 1. ) Hurricane Irma Hits Monroe County 2. ) Christopher Calmer Convicted of Murder 3. ) 12-year-old Drowns at High Falls Park 4. ) Sheriff Bittick a Finalist for U.S. Marshal 5. ) Voters Save Monroe County Hospital 6. ) Rowland Defeats Ham by Eight Votes 7. ) Bulldogs Win Third Straight Region Title 8. ) BOE Leader Grant Dies 9. ) Swingers Invade Forsyth Motel 10. ) City Splash Pad Saga Complete Head heads to Louisville page IB to the Family... Bobby Hicks Ann Jones Phillip & Courtenay Bunn Tony & Kathy Anthony Virginia Liles Anita Cravens Belinda Ward NEW SUBSCRIBERS OF THE WEEK DEATHS ►►► 6A Elizabeth Croft Garvin Lula Mae Perkins Jan. 4 • Several hundred Forsyth citizens ring in the new year at the city’s inaugural midnight ball drop on the courthouse square. Despite rains that, limited turnout, the city vowed to continue the Forsythia Ball drop annually. • New Culloden mayor Lynn Miller is sworn in after winning election as the town’s first-ever female mayor in December 2016. Miller won a runoff over Melvin James after the initial election ended in a tie. Jan. 11 • Three teenage duck hunters spend more than 90 minutes in the 43-degree waters of Lake Juliette clinging to their upside-down boat before being heroically rescued in dense early morning fog by two Monroe County EMTs. The EMTs, paramedic Jesse Suggs and Cpt.. Eric Tully, later received Georgia Governor’s Public Safety Awards from Gov. Nathan Deal. • In new Monroe County commis sion chairman Greg Tapley’s first, meeting, commissioners name county administra tor Anita Buice as the county’s first, manager. Commissioners also remove the interim tag for road superintendent. Junior Watts, making him the department’s permanent, head man. Jan. 18 • Six candidates qualify to run for the District 2 county com mission seat, vacated in December 2016 upon the death of longtime commissioner Jim Ham. The candidates include: Georgia Power retiree Chris Ham, store owner Earl Jackson, communi cations specialist Jimmy Jones, railroad retiree John Martin, attorney Jay Patterson and real estate and small business owner Eddie Rowland. • Monroe County Commissioners approve holding a referendum on March 21 for citi zens to decide whether to impose an addi- VIEW t.ional $1.2 million in taxes annually to keep open Monroe County Hospital. About. 71 per cent. of citizens approved the tax, and the hos pital remains open with Macon’s Navicent Health managing opera tions. Jan. 25 • The National Weather Service con firms a tornado sliced through Monroe County, tearing down trees and cutting power to dozens of homes. The EF-1 tor nado traveled northeast, first, appearing in the Maynards Mill Road area before continu ing through Smarr and into Juliette. Among the damage, the storm destroyed a bam on Hill Road and turned over a pump house on Old Macon Road. • Monroe County Schools celebrate the grand opening of their new $8.3 million Fine Arts Center. In addition to the many school con certs and productions, the Fine Arts Center has played host, to many major recording art ists during its first, year of existence, including John Berry, Peter Noone and the Ten Tenors. Feb. 1 • Forsyth eatery Ann’s Deli owner Ann Mat.ich announces her popular restaurant will close its doors later in the month after serv ing customers at. the corner of North Jackson and West. Johnston streets for more than 15 years. Forsyth coun cilman Greg Goolsby later reopened his own restaurant at. the same location called “Pickled Okra.” • Save A Pet. founder Pat. Corley is named Monroe County Citizen of the Year at. the Forsyt.h-Monroe County Chamber of Commerce’s annual banquet.. Corley, who has lived in Monroe County most, of her life, started her non-profit, in 1998, spending many years raising funds for a new dog shelter that, became a reality in 2016. Feb. 8 • Monroe County Sheriff John Cary Bittick travels to Washington, D.C. to meet, newly-inaugurated President. Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Bittick, the head of gov ernmental affairs for the National Sheriffs Association, has met. five of the past, six presidents but. had never before been inside the Oval Office. See REVIEW. Page 2A INDEX MCRVENT. 3A Opinion & Letters 4A Sports 1B Community Calendar. 4C Church News 5D Public Record 6C Classified 1D Legals 2D Ofl 05 341b ‘0 4879 16264 3 County weighs Dollar General in Rum Creek on Tues. By Richard Dumas forsyth@mymcr.net Monroe County Commissioners are expected to decide at. 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 2 whether to allow the rezoning of a 3.55-acre tract, at. the intersec tion of Hwys. 18 and 87 to make way for the county’s fourth Dollar General store. The landowner, Jonathan Carver, first, asked commissioners on Aug. 1 to rezone a por tion of his 23.59-acre tract, at. 8738 Hwy. 87 from agricultural to commercial in order for a 9,100 square-foot., full masonry Dollar General to be built, at. the site, which is just north of Hwy. 18 and west, of Hwy. 87. After a contentious Aug. 1 public hearing that, lasted more than an hour, District. 3 commis sioner John Ambrose, in whose district the proposed store would be built., motioned to table commissioners’ vote until all five commission seats were filled. The District. 4 seat., held currently by George Emami, was vacant, at. the time of the initial hearing, but. Emami took office last, month after winning a special election. More than 100 per sons, mostly opposed to the proposed store, attended the first, public hearing. Members of the public are also invited to attend the Jan. 2 meet ing. While no Dollar General representatives were present, at. the Aug. 1 hearing, three representatives from the proposed store developer, Teramore Development., LLC, of Thomasville were on hand as was A standing-room-only crowd attended the last time the county considered a request to put a Dollar General in Rum Creek. Teramore’s attorney, John F. Kennedy, a state senator who rep resents Monroe County. Teramore representa tive Tom Hodges said in August, that, the proposed store is pro jected to generate about. $24,000 in annual sales taxes and about. $17,000 in annual property taxes for Monroe County. The Monroe County Planning & Zoning board previously approved Carver’s request, at. a July 24 meeting, but. commis sioners have the final say on the matter. Cut out this Free Ticket Good for four (4) complimentary general admission tickets! Can be claimed at Arena Box Office starting 90 minutes prior to game. Or email athletics@mercer.edu to request your tickets No cash value. j!0