Newspaper Page Text
THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS. WEDNESDAY. FEBRUARY 13. 2008 - PAGE 5A
Jim Keinard Announces For Sheriff
Jim Keinard, a former Hoschton
council member, has announced
his plans to run for sheriff of
Jackson County.
Keinard says he has more than
37 years of experience and train
ing in law enforcement.
“As Jackson County contin
ues to grow, law enforcement
demands for police services will
increase," he said. “This demand
for increased services requires
that sheriff departments need
to respond to meet these needs.
With my experience and training,
I can take the sheriff’s office in a
new direction
to help meet
the needs of
our citizens."
Keinard
has been a
resident of
Hoschton
since 1997.
He served on
the Hoschton
City Council for four years.
His formal education includes
degrees of a B.A. in sociology,
B.S. in criminal justice, a mas
ter’s in social administration and
public administration and a juris
doctor in law. He is currently
completing requirements for a
doctorate in public administra
tion.
Keinard is a graduate of the
FBI National Academy and has
worked in law enforcement for
over 37 years at the state, county
and municipal levels of govern
ment. He served eight years with
the United States Air Force and
is a Vietnam veteran.
Keinard and his wife, Carol,
have one daughter and three
grandchildren
Jim Keinard
Qualifying To Be Held April 28-May 2 For
Democratic, Republican General Primaries
JEFFERSON - Qualifying for
elected positions on this year’s
ballot in Jackson County will
begin Monday, April 28, at 9
a.m., and end Friday, May 2, at
noon.
Those running for an elect
ed office must qualify at the
local headquarters of either the
Republican or Democratic pari
ties during that time.
The primary election in
Jackson County will be held
Tuesday, July 15. Voters must
choose either a Republican or
Democratic ballot for that elec
tion.
A run-off election after the
primary, if needed, will be held
Tuesday, Aug. 5.
The general election will be
held Tuesday, Nov. 4. A run-off
election, if needed, is planned
for Tuesday, Dec. 2.
Non-partisan races in Jackson
County will be on the general
election ballot in November.
Recognized For Service
Dr. Claude Burnett, left, director of the
Northeast Georgia Health District, presented
service awards to four Jackson County Health
Department employees during the Feb. 6 meet
ing of the Jackson County Board of Health.
Left to right after Burnett are Nancy Hayes,
administrative assistance, 30 years; Joyce
Lance, secretary, 30 years; Beth Heath, county
nurse manager, five years; and Roshuanda
Merritt, environmental health, five years.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Thanks For Making Tree
Recycling Program Successful
Editor:
Thank you Jackson County
for making Keep Jackson
County Beautiful's 2008 Bring
One for the Chipper a success.
By recycling your Christmas
trees, 868 trees were redirected
from the landfill — 326 trees
mulched and 542 were used for
fish habitats.
We know a number of home-
owners keep their trees as back
yard habitats for birds and wild
life and unfortunately because
we don't know how many, we
are unable to count those trees
as being recycled even though
these homeowners are provid
ing the same benefit.
At a recent conference, a dis
cussion on which was more
environmentally friendly —
artificial trees or those live
trees with that Christmas smell
— was underway That discus
sion reminded us that many
homes use both live and artifi
cial due to a number of deco
rated trees.
We were told that many
regions of the United States
depend on Christmas tree sales
for their livelihood and for
each tree that is cut down,
two or three are planted in its
place. A Christmas tree takes
an average of five to 16 years to
grow to maturity During that
time, those trees support life
by absorbing carbon dioxide
and other gases while giving
off fresh oxygen. Every acre of
Christmas trees planted gives
off enough oxygen to meet the
needs of 18 people.
Also, the farms that grow
Christmas trees stabilize soil,
protect water supplies and
provide a refuge for wildlife
while creating a scenic view.
Many times, Christmas trees
are grown on soil that does not
support another type of crop.
KJCB would like the thank
the city of Jefferson for pick
ing trees up by the curb
and dropping them off for
recycling, the city of Commerce
for mulching their curbed trees,
Hoschton First Baptist Church
for the location, Jefferson's
Better Hometown director
Beth Laughinghouse and her
volunteers and Commerce
Main Street Program's direc
tor Hasco Craver for their help
Saturday, Jan. 5, in distribut
ing seedlings to citizens who
donated their trees, the Jackson
County Transfer Station for
their assistance in picking up
trees from the Jefferson Civic
Center and Jackson EMC for
providing mulching assistance
at all locations.
We look forward to an even
bigger Bring One for the
Chipper Jan. 3, 2009.
For questions about Keep
Jackson County Beautiful,
please call (706) 708-7198.
Sincerely,
Susan Trepagnier
Executive Director
— A Good Time To Time To Remember Milton Hershey
Cont. from Page 4A
account of one of America's
most eccentric visionaries.
Following Hershey's escapades
around the United States dur
ing the turn of the 19th centu
ry, D'Antonio engages the read
er with a wide-ranging social
history that is as intriguing as
Milton's trips to Philadelphia
and its World's Fair in 1876,
seedy get-rich-quick towns in
Colorado, bustling New York
City and back to Lancaster, PA,
where he eventually settled
and perfected his sweet reci
pes.
Milton Hershey's extraordi
nary work ethic, determination
and business acumen brought
America, among many other
things, the five-cent chocolate
bar. But as Valentine's Day
approaches, Hershey's leg
acy should not exclude his
genuine devotion to social
improvement. So, as you pre
pare for another Valentine's
Day, try to remember that the
man behind America's favor
ite chocolate bar was as much
about curing society as he was
about confectionaries.
Hasco Craver is executive direc
tor of the Commerce Downtown
Development Authority, and is
the city's Main Street manager.
He lives in Commerce.
Jackson County Still A Leader
In Teenagers Having Babies
m
a
Reasonable Prices + Quality + Experience
NOW OPEN!
Handcrafted
FRAMING
Beautiful Handmade Gifts and Pottery
Don Byram Art
706-336-8080
249 Pottery Factory Drive, Commerce
Commerce Crossing Shopping Center (Behind Zaxby’s)
Grand Opening Special!
1 5% OFF all Handcrafted Framing in February
by Janice, V.C., and Milli
(formerly of The Pottery Frame Shop)
□
Jackson County leads the
Northeast Georgia Health dis
trict — and the state of Georgia
— in births to girls ages 15-19, the
Jackson County Board of Health
was told last Monday.
If there was a sense of deja
vu, that was because Dr. Claude
Burnett, director of the district,
used the same charts and sta
tistics — for the years 2000-2004
— that he used to make the very
same point a year earlier.
That data indicates that 38
percent of white girls and 43
percent of blacks had children
before they turned 20 during
that five-year period.
Asked by Dr. Shannon Adams,
Jackson County school superin
tendent, for an explanation as
to why Jackson’s rate is higher
than other area counties, Burnett
guessed that the problem has its
roots in Appalachia.
“Madison County, Jackson
County and Barrow County
are all part of that culture," he
speculated. “They (the women)
probably got married early and
had babies early and could have
a job farming or doing things
that did not require an advanced
education, so that may be part
of the tradition, and that’s a slow
thing to change."
While the rate of births to
teens half what it was 20 years
ago, the problem remains signifi
cant in Jackson County.
County nurse manager Beth
Heath thinks kids’ ignorance is a
major cause of Jackson County’s
high rate of births to teens.
“What we’re seeing here is the
vast majority that come in and
are pregnant have not been in
to see us before... and they have
not been using any method (of
contraception), and they feel
In Loving Memory of
Roger “Pete” Rucker
Born: April 30, 1974
And Went To Be With Jesus:
February 13, 2007
like it just can’t happen to them,"
she said. “They’ve been sexually
active but they feel like it’s just
not going to happen. They either
don’t know their body or, like
most teens, are just not thinking
ahead to the future, and when
they get pregnant it’s a shock
to them and they say ‘how can
this happen?’ Very rarely do we
have a teen that’s been in to see
us that has an unplanned preg
nancy."
The fact is, said Burnett, once
a teenage girl becomes sexu
ally active, there is a 90 percent
probability she will be pregnant
within a year without contracep
tion. And, he added, the rate
of sexual activity among high
school students is about 50 per
cent “wherever you are."
That percentage may contrib
ute to an increase Heath says
the Commerce Clinic is seeing
in Chlamydia and gonorrhea —
as many as three or four cases a
week, half of them in teens.
“They have multiple, multiple
partners," she said of the teens.
She reported that one 15-year-
old claimed to have had 15 sex
ual partners.
“And they say ‘how can this
happen?”’ she concluded.
Burnett confirmed Heath’s
observation of an increase in
Chlamydia, saying incidents of
the sexually transmitted disease
are up by 40 percent.
Burnett believes the key to
reducing teen pregnancy and
the spread of STDs is to pro
vide more services to teens.
He points out that European
countries, where clinics are
readily available to teens,
have much lower birth rates to
teens — and much lower abor
tion rates.
“Probably the sexual activ
ity rate is very similar, but
the availability of services is
very different," Burnett said.
“Of course the health depart
ment does provide those ser
vices, but it’s short-staffed
and under-funded. The county
has doubled in size; the health
department has not doubled
in size, so if we want to deal
with this problem, education
is very important, but without
services, we will not have the
results."
Heath said she was invited
by the Commerce High School
nurse recently to talk to stu
dents about STDs and teen
pregnancy. She reported that
the students were interested
and asked pertinent ques
tions.
Member Brad Morris suggest
ed that teens need to know
also of the “very, very serious
criminal consequences" of sex
ual activity when one partner
is under age 16, the results of
which include going to jail and
being listed on the state’s sexual
offender registry.
Never Say Goodbye
As I was on my way to Heaven
I turned and looked behind
I could see the pain and sorrow
And my loved ones state of mind
I could see they mourned my passing
As I watched they began to pray
They dropped down on their knees
This is what I heard them say
I know you’re in Heaven
Because I saw Jesus waiting there
I know He ’ll take good care of you
And give you tender loving care
Someday soon we’ll meet again
In that mansion in the sky
There we’ll be together forever
And never shall we say goodbye
Forever Loved and Missed,
Toya, Brian, Daddy, Kathie, Rikki, Jeff, Bree & Riri
FOR ONLY $5 PER MONTH,
YOU CAN LIST YOUR GROUP'S MEETINGS!
Let your members know when your group is meeting!
JEFFERSON
N# AMERICAN LEGION
Albert Gordon Post 56
Each 3rd Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Harvie Lance, Commander
Phone (706) 654-1274 3io
Call (706) 367-5233 to advertise your
meeting time, place and date in...
• The Jackson Herald
• The Commerce News
• The Braselton News
• The Banks County News
• The Madison County Journal
The Jackson Co. Republican Party
Would like you to meet us for
breakfast the second Sat. of each
month, 8:00 at The Jefferson
House. For more information, call
706-652-2967 or email
fishyglass@yahoo.com Pd.os/os
BANKS COUNTY
®|I AMERICAN LEGION
Post 215
Meets each 3rd Thursday, 7 p.m.
In Homer, GA at the
American Legion Building on
Historic Highway 441 Pd.o6/os
hSh VETERANS OF
FOREIGN WARS
Post 4872, Hurricane Shoals Convention Ctr.
Each 4th Monday, 7:00 p.m.
Mike Buffington, Commander
Phone 706-335-6532 263
JEFFERSON LIONS CLUB
Meets 2nd & 4th Monday
Jefferson City Clubhouse
6:30 p.m. • (706) 367-1400
Mark Bradley, President
260
UNITY LODGE
F& A.M.
No. 36, Jefferson, GA
1st Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m.
A. Ben Wurtz • 706-367-1400
Borders St. behind Tabo’s 260
JEFFERSON ROTARY CLUB
Meets Tuesdays
Jefferson City Clubhouse
12:30 p.m. • (706) 654-2237
Clay Eubanks, President
260
<£& COMMERCE
WAMERICAN LEGION
Commerce Rec. Dept. Post 93
Carson Street - 1st Mon. night
Each Month, 7:30 p.m.
335-6400
BANKS COUNTY
HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC.
meets first Monday each month
7:00 p.m. in the Banks Co. Historial
Courthouse at 105 U.S. Hwy. 441
North in Homer pd -2/2008