Newspaper Page Text
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July 27, 2022
iBeporter
Jonah's Mandi Delp is an Everyday Hero
By Steve Reece
stevereece@gmail.com
Like all everyday heroes
Mandi Delp, server at
Jonahs on Johnston Pizza
Restaurant has more than
just a good work ethic,
she has dedication. She
began working at Jonahs
in November as a parttime
dishwasher and was always
ready to fill in whenever
and wherever needed. Last
week she worked 50 and
a half hours waiting on
hungry customers, work
ing at the cash register, and
helping in the kitchen with
food prep.
Mandi said she loves her
job, and she says the best
part is by far are the cus
tomers and she has yet to
meet a mean customer. She
believes that her goal is to
make her customers happy
and full, and to make sure
they return.
She works her day job
Monday through Saturday
EA
EVERYDAY’ HEROES
but dedicates her Sundays
to helping youth at the
Open Bible Church in
Lizella where her cousin,
Brandon Spillers is pastor.
Mandi was born and
raised in nearby Crawford
County and graduated
from the Crawford County
High School in 1997. After
wards she went to college
for business administra
tion at Macon Tech (now
Central Georgia) graduated
in 2001 but then became
interested in the medi
cal field. She then went
to Virginia College and
studied to be a pharmacy
technician but at the time
there was little demand in
the field for that position,
so she moved on.
She is a single mother
with a 14-year-old son,
Noah who will be a fresh
man this year. Mandi and
Noah enjoy participating in
the “Peaches to the Beaches
Yard Sale” which stretches
down Hwy. 341 from
Barnesville to Brunswick
held annually near the be
ginning of Spring. She en
joys arts and crafts and has
been successfully selling
roadside for 8 years. She
is considering setting up a
booth at a future Forsythia
Festival.
When asked what advice
she would like to give to
youngsters, Mandi said,
“Stay in school. You may
think your mom and dad
don't know everything,
but they do. They tell you
things because they love
you. Continue your educa
tion, whether it's in the
military or college. That's
going to get you farther in
life. And be nice to people.
You never know what type
of day they’ve had.”
Mandi Delp of Jonah s Pizza is this week's Everyday Hero in Monroe County for loyally
taking care of her customers every day. (Photo/Steve Reece)
City, county at odds over
how to share sales taxes
Remember when...
Diane Glidewell
news@mymcr.net
Forsyth rejected Monroe
County’s offer to continue
to divide the 1 percent
Local Option Sales Tax
(LOST) the same way as
it has been distributed.
Forsyth council voted
unanimously at its July 12
meeting to have “delegates”
negotiate distribution of
the LOST funds with del
egates of the county.
Currently 75.1 per
cent of LOST goes to the
county, 22.5 percent goes
to Forsyth and 2.4 percent
goes to Culloden. State
law requires that cities and
counties re-negotiate the
distribution within two
years of the U.S. Census.
The state has sent notice
that negotiation must begin
by July 1 and the Georgia
Department of Revenue
must be notified of the
agreement reached by Dec.
30,2022.
Council members did not
say what they think would
be a fair and appropriate
division of the LOST funds.
Receipts from the tax
increased over the last year.
In March 2021 Forsyth
received 89,734 (the lowest
amount during 2021); in
December 2021 Forsyth
received 123,714 (the high
est amount in 2021).
Mayor Eric Wilson
cautioned that if they didn’t
reach an agreement, “the
tax goes away’ Council
member Chris Hewitt
voted to accept the county’s
MONROE IN
COLLEGE
James Pharo from
Forsyth received a BA in
Writing, Lit & Pub: Lit
erature from Emerson
College, which is based
in Boston, Mass, opposite
the historic Boston Com
mon and in the heart of the
Theater District. Emerson
College awarded more
than 1,000 undergraduate
degrees during its 142nd
Commencement on May 8.
offer to keep the same per
centages; Council members
Julius Stroud, Mike Dodd,
John Howard and Melvin
Lawrence voted against
doing so. Council member
Greg Goolsby was absent
from the meeting.
City manager Janice Hall
said that she and Wilson
met with county manager
Jim Hedges and board of
commissioners chair Greg
Tapley. She said she con
tacted the consultant that
represented Forsyth the
last time LOST distribu
tion was re-negotiated and
that it will cost $ 125/hour
to hire that consultant to
represent Forsyth. Tapley
told the city that the county
has contacted a consultant
but hasn’t entered into a
contract with the company,
yet, and would prefer to
reach an agreement with
out doing so.
The consultant’s email to
Hall listed services that its
research showed were not
equally available/provided
to all residents of Monroe
County: animal control,
fire protection, jail op
erations, library, roads &
bridges, solid waste collec
tion/recycling/landfill, tick
control, water services, law
enforcement.
Stroud asked what the
implications of asking to
move to 25 percent would
be. Wilson said that citizens
of Forsyth pay property
taxes to the county as well
as paying sales tax that
includes LOST but receive
more services from the city
than from the county.
Hall said she would
transmit a letter to the
county informing of the
city’s request to negotiate
by delegates.
In other business, council
approved the request of
Micah Hodges of Queen
Bee Coffee Company to
add a loading door and en
try/exit door on E. Adams
Street. Hall explained that
the application to the city
was required because the
addition is an encroach
ment on the right of way.
The front entrance to
Queen Bee Coffee Com
pany is at 25 N. Kimbell
Street; the building is
owned by George Emami.
As well as being a delivery
entrance, the new door
will also make the store
more handicap-accessible.
Currently the handicap-
accessible entrance is to
come through Fox City
Brewing Company. The
new construction will
include a ramp leading to
double doors.
Stroud asked whether
lighting on the street and
at the new door was suf
ficient for a handicapped
entrance. Hodges said
he plans to add lighting,
and Hall said the city can
upgrade the lighting on
the security pole. Hodges
and Hall also talked about
plans for a four-way stop
to make the area safer for
pedestrians.
1992
Monroe County election
official Margie Baker-Greene
says voter turnout for a
General Primary is usually
35-40 percent of the 7,862
registered voters but more
are expected with the offices
of at-large commission chair
man, tax commissioner and
coroner at stake.
A crowd of about 150 jams
the Mary Persons media cen
ter to quiz local candidates
at the Chamber of Com
merce Public Forum.
Forsyth has heat ranging from
98-104 degrees all week.
Commissioner Larry Evans
warns the county will be out
of money next month because
unbudgetted items and
over-spending have siphoned
down the general fund.
The Meadows Sporting
Clays facility in Smarr is
hosting the Georgia Sport
ing Clays Championships,
featuring about 100 of the
top sporting clays shooters in
the state.
Denise Cox and Elizabeth
Morris of Monroe Academy
attend Girls State at Middle
Georgia College in Cochran.
Record crowds are taking
advantage of Forsyth's city
swimming pools with admis
sion reduced from $1 to
50-cents/day. Frank Picker
ing is managing the Country
Club pool, and Theodore
Redding is managing the
Kynette pool.
Steve's T-Screens, operated
by Steve & Neva Mason,
opens a new location at 16
East Johnston St., just down
from its former location in
the Star Printing Company
building.
Monroe County approves
buying a fire alarm system for
the 96-year-old courthouse
from Wade Services for
$2,450.
2002
The Reporter’s Debra Staples
wins 2nd place in the inves
tigative reporting category
of the Georgia Press As
sociation Better Newspaper
Contest for her story about a
Forsyth couple facing sewage
problems.
Rep. Curtis Jenkins tell the
Rotary Club plans are moving
forward for the state to buy
the Tift College property in
early August with a $5.4 mil
lion bond appropriation.
Neighbors on the west side
of Forsyth are joining with the
Forsyth Police Department to
implement a new Neighbor
hood Watch program after
several homes are hit by
thefts.
The Forsyth Fire Dept, collects
$1,562 in its three-day “Give
Burns the Boot" drive with
Davis Norris, Steven Daniels,
Jason Lott, Bill Urquhart, Mark
Wooley, Chris Andrews,
Wendy Dowda and Brandon
& Tammy Walker volunteering.
Monroe County Board of
Equalization will begin hear
ing approximately 400 ap
peals on property tax values.
Carol Bird of Monroe Coun
ty announces her candidacy
for the District 93 seat in the
House of Representatives.
After a second meeting For
syth and Monroe County fail
to agree on how to split the
1 percent LOST that provides
approximately $4 million in
revenue.
After flying over Searcy
Drive, law enforcement ar
rests a Juliette man for grow
ing nine marijuana plants 5-6
feet tall.
Monroe County Farm Bureau
and its insurance agents are
providing smoke detectors
for the Countywide Smoke
Detector Program.
Farmers Furniture offers
the use of its store front to
community organizations for
fundraisers.
Trio Manufacturing's corpo
rate office at 2 N. Jackson
Street completes a $6,000
painting project, to which the
Better Hometown matching
facade grant contributed a
small part.
Tyler English, son of Lauri &
Mark English, of Boy Scout
Troop 51 earns the distinction
of Eagle Scout. For his Eagle
project he and fellow scouts
built three park benches and
five birdhouses for Forsyth
City Park.
Mercer University School of
Medicine students Jer
emy Goodwin and Kristina
Hawkins will assist Dr. Haley
Manley and Dr. J. Ray Grant,
respectively, for four weeks
and conduct a research proj
ect exploring clinical issues
pertaining to the health status
of the community.
The Backlot Players will hold
a Kids Camp for 4K to 5th
grade from 9 a.m.-1 2 noon
Monday-Friday that will
culminate in a play presenta
tion Friday night. Cost is $10/
child and may be paid to
Judy Hunter.
Tommy Wilson hosts Business
After Hours at Falls View
Restaurant in High Falls with
the Forsyth-Monroe County
Chamber and the Butts
County Chamber teaming up
to sponsor the event.
The 1 1th Annual Ham Slam
BBQ contest will be in
Culloden. The Memphis in
May sanctioned event with
cooking teams competing for
over $4,000 in prize money
will include live entertainment
by Cruise Control Friday and
the Drifters Saturday, a truck
pull, a 5K Road Race, hunter
safety course and fireworks.
Joann & Garnett Woodward
celebrate their 50th wedding
anniversary with a reception
at Mt. Zion United Methodist
Church.
Mary Persons Matt Gay
signs a baseball scholarship
with Brewton-Parker College
as coaches Mike Hickman,
Chris Aldridge, Justin Elder
and MP Athletic director
Steve Chaffin watch.
2012
Mary Persons graduate
Adair Woodward is crowned
Mid-Georgia Cattlemen's
Queen 2012. Charles Floyd
is named Georgia Commer
cial Cattleman of the Year.
Forsyth's annual Indepen
dence Day fireworks at
Monroe County Recreation
Complex is a hit even after
a delay from Tuesday to
Saturday.
23 members of the Youth
Ensemble of Forsyth UMC,
directed by Sandy Watson,
tour the Georgia & S.C.
coast.
Mary Persons hosts 36 teams
for the softball Paw Print
Classic.
Jordan Harbin wins the high
school silver medal in Power
Equipment Technology at the
SkillsUSA National Confer
ence.
Forsyth native Dr. Welton
O'Neal Jr. is named VP of
pharmacy affairs for the
Academy of Managed Care
Pharmacy and executive
directive director of the
Foundation for Managed
Care Pharmacy.
Mark Holloway, Financial Advisor
478.365.0382
mark.holloway@nm.com
www. ma rkhol loway. nm .com
Remember When
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86 West Main Street • Forsyth
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