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www.MyMCR.net • Vol. 51 • No. 7
4 Sections, 36 Pages • Wednesday • February 16,2022 • $2.00
INSIDE ► ►►
Mary Persons High School
Spring Sports
MP Spring
Sports Preview
SEE SECTION INSIDE
n i
Sign of times
PAGE 3A
WELCOME
TO THE FAMILY
Darnell Jerkins
Shawn Davey
Jeff McDuffee
Dayna Vannier
Joan Hardy
Dr. Gary Biggs
Blanche Farms
Heather O Pry
NEW SUBSCRIBERS
OF THE WEEK
DEATHS >»6A
Ellen Ham
Eric Redd
Elsie Evans
James Clark
Wanda Johnson
Patricia Woods
Ophelia Monroe
Patricia Woods
Henry Battle
Patricia Edge
oaaas
8
‘0 4879 16264
3
h ‘
commissioners
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3*
Emami: Somebody’s got to be the jerk
By Will Davis
publ isher™ mymcrnet
People living in blight and
illegal RVs and campers in
Monroe County have 90
days to get in compliance or
move out before the county
begins taking legal action
against them, commissioners
agreed on Tuesday, Feb. 15.
Commissioners voted 3-1
to begin enforcing county
laws that bar people from
living permanently in RVs
and campers after a lively
90-minute debate. Com
missioner Lamarcus Davis
opposed the motion. Chair
man Greg Tapley was absent.
Commissioners instructed
code enforcement officer
Jeff Wilson to write warning
citations for the next 90 days
before taking scofflaws to
court.
Commissioner George
Emami, who represents
the High Falls area, has
spearheaded the effort to
clean up illegal housing. He
reiterated on Tuesday that
the county needs to enforce
its laws as more and more
people are trying to set up
shop in make-shift RVs and
campers, sometimes with
sewer lines emptying onto
the ground. Emami, who an
nounced earlier this month
he’s not seeking re-election,
said nobody gets jollies out
of enforcing laws but that
people are living in places
not fit for humans.
“Somebody’s got to be the
jerk,” said Emami. “Were
going to get this done. Were
going to clean up my district
and enforce the law!’
Commissioners sum
moned several nonprofits
including United Way, the
Boys and Girls Clubs and
a local pastor to Tuesday’s
meeting to discuss ways
to help those affected find
somewhere else to live.
After an aborted attempt
last month to pass a new
property maintenance ordi
nance, county attorney Ben
Vaughn told commissioners
that after studying it, the
county already makes living
See BLIGHT Page 4A
First state champ:
Mannella is the fella
By Will Davis
publisher@mymcmet
Mary Persons junior
Anthony Mannella doesn’t
want to sound cocky, but he
told the Reporter he really
wasn’t that surprised when
he became the first Bulldog
in program history to win a
wrestling state championship
on Friday.
“Going into this year I was
pretty confident about it,”
said Mannella.
That may be because Man
nella, who’s in his first year at
MP, has spent the past two
years wrestling at Baylor, a
boarding school in Chatta
nooga, Term, where the team
fields 10 state champions
almost every year.
Mannella said he left
Baylor and returned home
because he missed his mom’s
cooking (an Italian family,
they have pasta every Sun
day) and his dad’s guiding
hand.
“I missed my mom’s cook
ing, that was the big thing,”
said Mannella. ‘And I’ve
always had to have someone
riding me to be straight as an
arrow. I needed my dad to
keep me in line.”
So he returned home
this fall. His family had
moved from Macon to the
Riata subdivision in Monroe
County, so he was able to at
tend Mary Persons. Nobody
is more glad about that than
MP wrestling coach Barron
Hamlin.
“Anthony is a very skilled
wrestler!’ said Hamlin. “He
has been doing this for a
long time and it shows. I
am so proud of what he has
accomplished not only for
himself but for our young
wrestling program. He has
opened a door for these
young wrestlers to see the
possibilities.”
Mannella won his State
Championship in the 160
lbs. weight class. He had a
1st round bye and met Jalen
Darden from Central Macon
in the quarterfinals and won
by a technical fall. In the
semifinals he faced Tyler
Crow from East Jackson
and won by pin in the 2nd
period. In the finals he faced
Diego Jacinto from Gilmer
See CHAMP Page 7A
Report: Druggie
burglars caught
glove-handed
By Steve Reece
stevereece@gmail.com
Two suspected burglars face multiple charges after a
wild chase with deputies in the Lassiter Road area on
Friday, Feb. 11 around 1:42 pm.
According to the report, deputy
Peyton Rodgers was dispatched to
1972 Lassiter Road after Kim Pruitt
reported two men wearing latex
gloves in a Chevy Silverado in her
backyard.
“When you see guys with latex
gloves in your backyard,” said sheriff
Brad Freeman, “get a gun and call
911. They’re up to no good.”
The men got out of a 2008 Chevy
Silverado that had a ladder rack and
with no commercial markings and
walked into her backyard wearing
latex gloves and knocked on her door.
After turning on to Lassiter Road
from Hwy. 87, Rodgers saw the
pickup speeding east towards Hwy.
87 while committing multiple traf
fic violations. Rodgers and Sgt. Stephen Phipps both
tried to stop the truck but the driver, Noah Alexander
Andersen, 24, of Warner Robins continued to flee at
speeds over 123 mph. During the pursuit, Andersen
and his passenger, De Angelo Robinson, 29, of Macon
were seen throwing multiple items such as hats and a
jacket from the vehicle.
See BURGLARS Page 9A
Alexander
Crowd watches as Forsyth council rejects the bitcoin mine.
Emails show city
scrambled to save
the bitcoin mine
By Diane Glidewell
and Will Davis
Forsyth city officials made
a frantic behind-the-scenes
attempt to land a lucrative
bitcoin mine on Berner
Avenue before they were
overwhelmed by opposi
tion, according to emails
obtained by one of the op
ponents.
Darren Latch, a mine
opponent, secured reams
of emails to and from city
officials dating back to
September under Georgia’s
open records act. He shared
them with the Reporter. City
council voted unanimously
on Feb. 7 to reject a rezoning
for the bitcoin mine due to
complaints about potential
noise.
The ball started rolling on
the project on Sept. 13 when
long-time Forsyth power
consultant John Hewitt
emailed city manager Janice
Hall noting that “crypto
customer” Wattum
was in the area looking
for a location. He also sent
the email to the electrical
superintendents of Jackson
and Barnesville, which are
also members of Forsyth’s
power group, the Municipal
Electric Authority of Geor
gia (MEAG). Forsyth power
consultant Mike Leverett
was copied on the email.
Hewitt said the project
needed 5 MW of power, and
Hewitt sounded very excited
about getting the electrical
customer.
“I am unashamedly asking
that you proceed with great
haste. Wattum is spot on
serious,” wrote Hewitt, say
ing he had three phone calls
with the company.
Hewitt said Wattum oper
ated equipment for others
and was working to get the
three documents it needed:
a corporate name registered
in the U.S, proof of U.S.
bank account and corporate
registration or a certificate
of authority in Georgia. He
See EMAILS Page 7A