Newspaper Page Text
The
Commerce News
PAGE 2A • JUNE 18,2008
Region Roundup
McLocklin Named
Agribusiness
Council Intern
The Georgia Agribusiness
Council, located on South
Elm Street in Commerce, has
announced that Rachel McLocklin
recently joined the council as an
agricultural intern. In her position,
McLocklin’s primary responsi
bilities will be to assist GAC’s
Director of Communications
Christy Page with a variety of
communication efforts, including
event planning and media rela
tions for the Council and the
Georgia Turfgrass Association.
McLocklin, of Statham, was
raised on a beef farm and is the
daughter of Wayne and Melanie
McLocklin. She attends the
University of Georgia where she
plans to major in agricultural and
applied economics.
Grill's Owner
Files Suit Over
Letter To Editor
Jefferson business owner Mike
Carron has filed a lawsuit in
Jackson County against Chris
Roper claiming that she libeled
him in a letter to the editor she
sent to The Jackson Herald. He is
asking for $750,000 in damages.
Carron contends that the let
ter, which was published May 7,
accuses him of committing “dis
honesty and unlawful activity"
“Defendant clearly states the
plaintiff has a ‘history of provoca
tion and deceit,”' the lawsuit reads.
“Defendant further contends
mere wearing of a firearm is an
illegal activity... Statements made
by the defendant were made with
a callous, malicious and reckless
disregard for the truth."
Carron said the letter caused
him to suffer “humiliation, embar
rassment, degradation and emo
tional and physical stress."
Carron has also filed a second
lawsuit against Roper that deals
with access to his business via a
driveway between his property
and Roper’s. Carron said Roper
has tried to limit his use of the
driveway and has indicated that it
will be closed permanently.
The dispute between the two
apparently stems from complaints
that a tenant in a building owned
by Roper has filed against Carron.
Bobby Patterson, who lives in the
building Roper owns that is adja
cent to Mike’s Grill and Pub, has
filed numerous noise complaints
against Carron’s bar.
Carron recently painted, “F..„
you retard" on his building and
told police officers he was trying
to send a message to Patterson.
That action stirred a stormy pro
test in the community.
Democrats Set
Fomm For
Senate Candidates
All five of Georgia’s democratic
candidates for the U.S. Senate
have been invited to participate
in a forum before the public in
Athens Thursday, June 19. Hosted
THE CITY OF NICHOLSON
Will hold it’s Budget hearings on the proposed 2008-2009
budget. The hearings will be held at the Nicholson
Community Center, 175 Lakeview Drive, Nicholson,
Georgia 30565. The hearings will be held on July 1, 2008
at 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. and July 7, 2008 at 6:30 p.m.
The City of Nicholson’s work session for the month of July
has been cancelled. We will have our regular council
meeting on July 7, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
Bray Construction, Inc.
• New Homes • Remodeling • Vinyl Siding
• Masonry Work • Concrete Finishing
(706) 789-2313
SHUMAKE’S DAYLILY GARDEN
1190 Academy Ch. Rd. • Jefferson, GA 30549
Daylilies Now in Full Bloom
Over 1,200 Varieties
ONE OF THE LARGEST RETAILERS
IN GEORGIA
Every
Customer
Gets A
FREE
Daylily
with
purchase
Approx. 3.5 miles north of Jefferson, Hwy. 129. Follow the signs.
706-367-9175
Mon. - Sat. 9-6 • Sun. 1-6
by various democratic commit
tees in Congressional District 10
and around the Athens area, to
date four of the five candidates
have confirmed — Dale Cardwell,
Rand Knight, Josh Lanier and Jim
Martin.
The event will take place from
7 to 9 p.m. in Masters Hall at the
Georgia Center for Continuing
Education at the University of
Georgia, and will broadcast on
WUGA, 91.7 FM June 25 from 2
to 4 p.m. WUGA’s news director,
Mary Kay Mitchell, will be the
forum moderator.
The format of the forum will
include two-minute opening state
ments by each of the candidates,
then a question and answer peri
od. Each candidate will respond
to each question for no more than
one minute.
“The questions for the candi
dates will come from all over
northeast Georgia," said Clarke
County Democrats chairman
Mac Rawson. “We have asked
Democrats in each county in dis
trict 10 and other counties in our
area to submit questions about
issues they find important."
Each candidate will then have
three minutes for a closing state
ment. “We’ve invited all five of
the candidates to participate,"
said Patsy Harris, chairman of
the Morgan County Democratic
Committee. “Expressing their
views up close and personal
is the best way for voters to
learn about the candidates and
make informed choices in the
Democratic Primary July 15."
Convenient parking is available
at a nominal fee in UGA’s south
parking deck adjacent to the
Georgia Center, or free in other
parking lots nearby. For direc
tions, go to www.georgiacenter.
uga.edu and click on “directions."
For more information call Patsy
Harris, 706-342-1011.
Braselton Council
Approves Budget
For Fiscal Year
The Braselton Town Council
approved its 2009 fiscal year
budget Tuesday, during a brief
called meeting.
Braselton’s general fund bud
get is slated to rise six percent
— from $2.6 million in 2008 to
$2.7 million for the 2009 fiscal
year, which begins July 1 and
ends June 30, 2009.
The town is also slated to make
bond payments totaling $ 780,580
— an amount unchanged from
the previous year. Excluding the
bond payment, Braselton’s gen
eral fund revenue is expected
to top $2.9 million in the 2009
fiscal year budget.
Braselton anticipates that after
paying $2.6 million in expenses
for the fiscal year, it will have
$184,762 available in reserve
after debt service payments.
For its water/sewer fund bud
get, Braselton expects revenue
to slide from $8.7 million in
2008 to $6.7 million. Braselton’s
debt payments for the water/
sewer fund will remain at $1
million.
No one from the public attend
ed Tuesday’s meeting, which
was finished in less than one
minute.
Madison County
Gets Former Cedar
Shoals Principal
As the stormy relationship
between the Clarke County
school board and its superinten
dent played out last week, new
Madison County High School
principal Tommy Craft was
happy to be 20 miles away at a
new job.
“I’m just glad, honestly, to
be out from under the Clarke
County school board," said the
former Cedar Shoals principal
Friday.
In January, the Clarke County
BOE controversially opted not
to renew Craft’s contract after
four years as Cedar Shoals
principal, rejecting the recom
mendation of Clarke County
superintendent of schools
James Simms.
The sacked Craft was picked
up by Madison County High
School last Tuesday when the
Madison County school board
hired him as Wayne McIntosh’s
successor.
CABA Seeks
Georgia-Alabama
Football Tickets
The Commerce Area Business
Association would like to send
some lucky duo to the Georgia-
Alabama football game this year.
CABA President Brad Johnson
reported June 11 that the group’s
board of directors plans to hold a
drawing for a pair of tickets this fall
as a fund-raiser.
All it needs is the tickets.
“We’re still hoping somebody will
come through for us with tickets to
the Georgia-Alabama game," said
Johnson. “We hope to have the
details at the August meeting."
In other business, Johnson called
for volunteers to turn out Saturday,
June 28, to help organize the City
Lights Festival.
“We need help early in the morn
ing to get the ball rolling," added
Hasco Craver, executive director
of the Downtown Development
Authority.
Sarah's
a
L_
On the Jackson/Banks County Li,
In Maysville • Old Maysville Fish House
706-652-0070
Hours:
Mon. through Sat. 6:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. • Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Fri., & Sat. Nights 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
FRIDAY NIGHT
All-You-Can-Eat Catfish / Italian Night
SATURDAY
All-You-Can-Eat Catfish / BBQ
Serving Daily Specials
with a full Breakfast and Lunch Menu
including a Children’s Menu!
Vote For
Hunter
Bicknell
CHAIRMAN
Jackson County
Board of Commissioners
Proven
Leadership
for fackson County
Hunter is a man of:
• Honesty • Proven Leadership
• Fiscal Conservativeness • Integrity
He iS 3 "chairman, of ^
Committee; Chaim ||fe|ong re siden
Paid for by Friends for Hunter Bicknell Committee: Keith Ariail, Chairman; Jim Shaw, Treasurer