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THIS WEEK’S INSIDE DEALS ►►► ingles • smartsource . save
INSIDE ►►►
Hot Dogs: MP
No. 2 in state
after 21st
straight win
SEEPAGE 1C
Marrow 41 in
Bolingbroke
marks first
birthday in
SEE PAGE 1B
Meet the BOE
candidates
SEE PAGES 6-7A
WELCOME
TO THE FAMILY
Tyler Potts
Angela Neal
Mike Dodd
Judy Smith
Michael Biers
Renfroe Watson
NEW SUBSCRIBERS
OF THE WEEK
DEATHS m6A
Elizabeth Passmore-
Meeks
Roy Middleton
Harold Glasco
William Raines
Yikes: County sold Juliette
water plant at $600,000 loss
Tapley ‘ducks’ accusations
he wanted hunting rights
By Will Davis
publisher™ my mcr.net
Monroe County has sold a
103-acre tract that includes a
dormant water treatment plant at
the former Plant Camellia on the
Ocmulgee River for a fraction of
what it paid for it 13 years ago.
The county sold the 103-acre
riverfront tract last July for
$103,750 to Camilla Partners of
Bolingbroke. The partners are
Ronald Woodford and Greg Jar
rell, the latter of which owns the
adjacent Plant Camellia and silt
fence maker Gro Green, which
inhabits part of the plant. Dollar
See PLANT Page 5A
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• , GT;
This pond sits on the riverfront 103-acre tract that Monroe County sold last
year for just $1,000 per acre and has been known as a good duck hunting
spot. (Photo/Steve Reece)
Juliette
couple
rallies to
Ukraine
churches
By Will Davis
publisher™ my mcr.net
A retired Juliette busi
nessman is raising and de
livering money to a Ukrai
nian pastor to strengthen
churches ravaged by the
Russian invasion.
“It’s how God made me,”
Ben Hinson of Juliette told
the Reporter. “When there’s
a problem, I am drawn to
it.”
And not just figuratively
either. With the banking
situation shaky in Ukraine,
Hinson has just returned
from Poland, along with
John Wright, formerly of
Macon, where he hand
delivered funds and cloth
ing to his Ukrainian pastor
friend. More on that later.
A long-time Maconite,
Hinson moved to his home
along the Ocmulgee River
seven years ago after selling
his ambulance company,
Mid Georgia Ambulance.
Members of Ingleside
Baptist Church, Hinson
and his wife Vicki started
taking an interest in mis-
Ben Hinson of Juliette, right, visits with Ukrainian pas
tor Sergei Goots and his wife Lily last month in Poland to
deliver money and clothes. (Special to the Reporter)
sions to Ukraine more than
a decade ago. In 2010 they
met Ukrainian pastor Ser
gei Goots, who started with
nothing but began planting
Christian churches in Kiev,
Ukraine. Hinson began
offering financial support
and even hosts Goots and
his wife Lily for rest and
recovery in Juliette when
they come to the U.S. to
raise support. Four years
ago Ben and Vicki, encour
aged by their son Shae with
Accordus.com, formalized
this work by starting Light-
forukraine.org, a 501c3 to
raise money from others to
help support the ministry.
Goots now over
sees 15 churches in
Ukraine, 3 in the capital of
Kiev and 12 in the Donbass
region, the first area the
Russians invaded in Febru
ary. The Ukrainian army
has been able to push the
Russians back and Goots
has been working to keep
the churches there fed and
encouraged. The Goots’
actually now live in the
church basement in Kiev,
recently made into a bomb
shelter where church mem
bers have joined hands in
a circle every hour on the
hour since the start of the
war Feb. 24, to offer praise
songs and prayer.
Through Light for
See UKRAINE Page 5D
Cromer cries
foul' (ball)
after being hit
A Forsyth grandfather urged Monroe County commis
sioners on Tuesday to shutdown simultaneous baseball
and softball games on 4 fields at the rec department until
nets can be
installed after
a foul ball
struck him in
the head and
caused him
to crack his
smartphone
over the
weekend.
Long-time
local pharma
cist Hugh
Cromer was
watching his
grandsons
play in a
baseball tour
nament at
the Monroe
County Rec
Department
on Saturday when an apparent foul ball from a nearby field
struck him in the head and sent him to the ground. A physi
cian’s assistant who was there watching her son play checked
out his eye and helped him apply ice. Cromer resisted calls
to go to the hospital and stayed to watch the rest of the game.
Ironically, just 45 minutes earlier, Cromer had gone to rec
director Landon Sparks to complain that safety nets draping
over spectators had been removed. Sparks noted that the
nets had to be removed when the rec department installed
$200,000 worth of new lights in late March. Sparks said they
discovered the nets had rotted and he’s been trying to find
a company that makes replacements rather than putting
them back up.
Cromer was watching a game at Fields 1 -4 at the back of
the rec department, which has a concessions and bathroom
This screen capture from a rec depart
ment video shows Hugh Cromer of
Forsyth, in blue next to the post, just
before he was struck with a foul ball on
Saturday. (Courtesy MCRD)
See BALL Page 6A
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Burdette brothers leaving MP
Mary Persons head football coach
Brian Nelson said he’s already
interviewing candidates after he lost
defensive coordinator Kip Burdette
and linebackers/strength coach Dan
“Dano” Burdette to other schools
last week.
“You hate to lose them, but you
know they have to do that for their
families,” Nelson said of the Bur
dette brothers. “I hate it that they’re
going, but I’m happy for them.”
Kip, who’s been with Nelson the
past five years, has been named the
new head coach at MP rival West
Laurens. Dano, who has been with
Nelson since he was named head
coach at MP nine years ago, will be
the new strength coach at Newnan
High. Their dad, Pat Burdette, will
continue to help the Bulldogs, said
Nelson.
Nelson said he’s known that Kip
wanted to be a head coach and actu
ally called West Laurens to encour
age them to consider him.
“That’s part of being a head coach,”
said Nelson. “It isn’t just about win
ning games on Friday nights. It’s
also getting people you hire where
they need to be, helping them along
that path.”
Nelson noted that Kip is the fourth
assistant he’s had to become a head
coach, the others being Jamarcus
Johnson, Ricky Ross and Biff Par
sons. Nelson was at the beach for
spring break this week but said he
hopes to have some new coaches in
place before spring practice starts on
May 4.
Kip, meanwhile, replaces West
Laurens coach Kagan McClain, who
resigned after going 32-24 in six
years with the Raiders, including 5
wins in each of the last two years.
Kip said he thinks McClain had
burned out on being a head coach.
MP strength coach Dano Burdette,
above, and his brother, defensive coor
dinator Kip Burdette, right, are leaving
MR Kip is shown at right with his wife
and child when he was introduced last
week as the new head coach at West
Laurens.
Kip said McClain has been very
helpful to him.
While Kip said he’s applied for
other head coaching jobs before,
See BURDETTES Page 4A