The Monroe County reporter. (Forsyth, Ga.) 1972-current, February 17, 2021, Image 1

Previous Issue Next Issue

Clip Visible Area View Page Text View PDF

Newspaper Page TextTHIS WEEK’S INSIDE DEALS ►►► CVS . INGLES . RETAIL-ME-NOT The Mary Persons Competition Cheer team won its first-ever state title as this newspaper went to press on Tuesday, beating out perennial Class AAA powerhouse Pierce County. It’s the first state title in any sport for MP since the boys track team won state in 2004. The only other state title at MP was of course the football teams 1980 title. Congrats to coach Kyle Ward and the girls. See more details in next weeks Reporter. the Monroe County BICENTENNIflL * CELEBRATING 2DD YEARS * E5T. 1821 www.MyMCR.net • Vol. 50 • No. 7 STILL JUST $1 IN RACKS BUT ONLY 77 CENTS FOR HOME DELIVERY 4 Sections, 32 Pages • Wednesday • February 17,2021 INSIDE ► ►► MONROE COUNTY SCHOOLS Mary Persons High School 2021 PREVIEW , AJ. MP Spring Sports Preview INSIDE Forsyth’s block history PAGE 8A WELCOME TO THE FAMILY Richard Martin Stephanie Campbell Tammy Selman Brad & Keri Smith Sheila Kendrick Erica Lewis Ashley Carroll Robert Tungett Kelly Walker Steven Brewer Sabastian Hobbs Jay Thompson NEW SUBSCRIBERS OF THE WEEK DEATHS »>6A Robert Morgan Betty Harris Felitia Singleton 6 OfiflOS “1341b 6 '0 4879 16264 3 MP bars baseball announcer over his Facebook opinions Mary Persons has banned a parent from being the PA announcer at baseball games because he posted criticisms of superintendent Mike Hickman on Facebook. Chris Soule has been the Bulldogs’ volunteer public address announcer for the past three years and was planning to start a new season behind the microphone in MP’s home opener on Monday. His son Xavier graduated last year and now plays baseball for Piedmont College in Demorest. But MP baseball coach Clae Mathis told Soule on Friday, Feb. 12 that the administration told him that Soule could not return to the job. Soule said he was told that his posts on Face- book this summer criticizing Hick man speaking at a Black Lives Matter protest against the Monroe County Reporter and owner Will Davis was the reason he was banned. Soule seemed to have fun with the PA job. Two years ago, an umpire threw him out of a post-season game for playing the song “Three Blind Mice.” MP baseball parents told the Reporter on Monday they want Soule to keep the job. They asked to speak anonymously for fear of reprisals. Because he had fun with it, Soule said he wasn’t totally surprised to lose the volunteer job, but he said he was surprised at the reason given. “This kind of thing could make people scared to speak out,” said Soule. “You’re starting to live in an age of‘follow our way of thinking or else’. We just take free speech and throw it out the door.” Soule said he was criti cal of the superintendent for participating in the protest against the Reporter last June, and the school system’s decision to stop or limit face-to-face learning several times this school year. Soule still has a junior at Mary Persons. But he said he didn’t think he had to give up his First Amend ment right to express his opinions when he volunteered to help the baseball program. The Reporter asked MP principal Jim Finch if he barred Soule from being the PA announcer. Finch first pointed questions to athletic director Robert Lindsey. “I don’t know the guy [Soule],” said Finch. “I ain’t gonna talk to you about that, Will.” Asked point blank if he was the one to decide that Soule wasn’t welcome back, Finch said “no comment.” Asked if parents should be afraid to express opin- See BANNED . Page 2A SOULE Forsyth man hits road in Free Speech bus By Griffin Hicks griffinhicks75@gmail.com Browning Sandusky, a Monroe County native, has been traveling to various college and high school campuses across the South East these past couple weeks in a makeshift “free speech bus”, which he hopes will change the hearts and minds of young people at universities. The idea first came about after Sandusky got into a motor vehicle accident and totaled his car. Near that same time, Sandusky’s landlord called and told him he had to move out. So, instead buying a new car with the insurance he accrued from the wreck, Sandusky decided to get a bus and turn it into a livable tiny home. At the time, Sandusky was living in Florida and involved with “Turning Point U.S.A.”, a conservative non profit that does on-campus outreach. “I needed a place to stay and a vehicle to drive, so I decided to knock out two birds with one stone.” The idea for the free speech bus came from an activity Turning Point would do on college cam puses, where Sandusky and others would inflate a giant beach ball, roll it around campus and get students to write on it in promotion of free speech. Sandusky thought, ‘why not do the same thing with a free Page 7A See FREE SPEECH Browning Sandusky of Forsyth in front of his Free Speech bus that he lives in and takes to college campuses around the U.S. to encourage freedom. (Photo/Griffin Hicks) JULIETTE WATER SYSTEM Monroe County thanks the support of the Citizens and looks forward in completing the other phase on the neug water system. Grading) Excavatin' Municipal Utility Division By Steve Reece stevereece@gmail.com Lee King Road resi dent Charles Grizzard on Tuesday became the S first Monroe County resident to have county a* 'GGsli.' ""KJiSi water as part of a $20 million project to extend water to Juliette residents who’ve complained about suspect well water. Monroe County of ficials held a ceremony on Tuesday to celebrate the completion of phase manager Jim Vfc.i - one of the Juliette Water System at 768 Lee King Road on Tuesday, Feb. 16. Monroe County commission chairman Greg Tapley thanked commission ers and county Hedges for getting a plan after listening to the people and finding out what they needed. Juliette residents began See WATER • Page 2A - G* & f ’ first tap for county water.

Georgia Historic Newspapers

The Monroe County reporter. (Forsyth, Ga.) 1972-current, February 17, 2021, Image 1