Newspaper Page Text
SEE PAGE IB
SEE PAGE 6 A
Eagles Vs. Eagles
Friday Night
At Riverside
Financial Woes To Have Local Impact
SEE PAGE 8A
Industrial Prospects Consider Jackson
Vol. 133
No. 32
22 Pages
2 Sections
50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875
Smokers Asked
To Get Butts
Off The Streets
Keep Jackson County
Beautiful received a grant
to help educate smok
ers to get their butts off
streets and sidewalks in
Commerce and Jefferson.
Last week, Commerce
workers mounted seven
cigarette butt receptacles
to light poles in the down
town. A like amount were
due to be installed in
Jefferson.
The aim is to reduce the
number of cigarette butts
littering the streets and
sidewalks.
“We’ve got at least one
on every major block
in the Central Business
District," noted Hasco
Craver, executive direc
tor of the Downtown
Development Authority.
The devices are installed
in the vicinities of H&R
Block, Wing Slingers,
the Risk Reduction DUI
School, the Commerce
Civic Center, Little
Cont. on Page 3A
THURSDAY, SEPT. 25
Partly cloudy: Low, 54; high,
79; 10% chance rain
FRIDAY, SEPT. 26
Partly cloudy: Low, 57; high,
73; 20% chance rain
SATURDAY, SEPT. 27
Partly cloudy: Low, 57; high,
79; 20% chance rain
SUNDAY, SEPT. 28
Battle Shaping Up Over Bear Creek
Attempt To Keep Jackson Out Of
Meeting Could Bring Suit
By Mark Beardsley
Suddenly, the Bear Creek
Reservoir has shrunk, and
the fall-out could lead to
Jackson County suing a
group of which it is a mem
ber.
Jackson County officials
revealed this week that con
sultants hired to review the
capacity of the 505-acre
regional reservoir reached
a startling conclusion: The
capacity of the lake is less
than half of what has been
stated since the reservoir
was completed in 2002.
Those estimates are at the
heart of a possible legal
battle as Jackson County
attempts to protect its allo
cation in the reservoir.
Like Georgia facing off
against Alabama and Florida
over the Chattahoochee
and Flint rivers, Jackson
County is preparing to bat
tle Athens-Clarke, Oconee
and Barrow counties over
just how much water each
of the entities should get
from the reservoir.
The original estimates
placed daily capacity under
the worst drought scenario
at 51 million gallons a day
(mgd). That figure was later
increased to 58 mgd.
But consultant C.H.
Gurnsey says the more
accurate number, based on
data from the 2007 drought,
is 24 mgd.
The first shots of the
water war were due to be
fired today (Wednesday) as
the Upper Oconee Basin
Authority took up Jackson
County’s complaint. Since
Jackson is threatening litiga
tion, the authority’s attorney
notified Jackson County’s
legal counsel — former
Georgia attorney general
Mike Bowers — that the
Jackson County members
of the authority would not
be allowed to participate in
the meeting.
The board of commission-
Please Turn to Page 3A
The Art in the Park Festival, benefitting from perfect fall weather, drew a
large number of visitors Saturday and Sunday to Hurricane Shoals Park.
Among them were, clockwise from top, Herb Nelson of Jefferson, taking a
break from his “Wizard of Oz Tin Man” booth; Aidan Smith, 2, of Athens, who
lipped the cup on his first shot on the new miniature golf course; and Sophe
Crum, 4, of Jefferson, who enjoyed the pony ride. Photos by Mark Beardsley
Gas Stations
Having Trouble
Supplying Fuel
Several Local Stations Run Out;
Await Resupply Of Gasoline
By Mark Beardsley
Ingles ran out Sunday.
The tanks went dry at the
Kangaroo Food Store at
4:30 that afternoon as well.
By mid-afternoon Sunday,
the only regular unleaded
gasoline in town was out at
the interstate.
Like gas retailers in the
Metro Atlanta area, local
stores are struggling to
keep their fuel flowing
due to supply difficulties
caused by hurricanes Ike
and Gustav.
Industry officials say
refineries are still ramping
up after Gustav and Ike,
during which they were
shut down. Some station
owners report they’ve
been told supplies will not
return to normal for a cou
ple of weeks.
“We just had an e-mail.
We should get some
Wednesday morning,"
said Ingles manager James
Nix. His company’s mas
sive fuel station at the
south end of town ran dry
Sunday afternoon.
At most places, the way
Gas pump nozzles
covered with bags are
becoming an all-too-
familiar sight locally.
to tell whether there is
gasoline is whether or not
vehicles are refueling. A
plastic “out of service" bag
over a pump handle indi
cates that, like the motor
ist, the station is out of
Cont. on Page 3A
Jackson Foreclosures
Up By 57 Percent
Partly cloudy: Low, 58; high,
88; 20% chance rain
Reservoir Levels
Commerce: 697.5 (.1 feet above
full)
Bear Creek: 688.51 (6.49 feet
below full)
Rainfall this month
3.00 inches
Rainfall This Year
37.15 Inches
INDEX
Births 7A
Church News 1 1A
Classified Ads 7-1 OB
Calendar 3A
Crime News 7A
News Roundup 2A
Obituaries 1OA
Opinions 4-5A
School News. 1 OA & 6B
Sports 1-3B
Social News 7-8A
4 8 7 9 1 4 1 4 1 ® 9
Foreclosures in Jackson
County are up 57 percent
so far in 2008 compared to
2007. But compared to the
growth year of 2006 before
the housing fall, foreclosures
are up 176 percent.
Through October’s sale
date in 2008, 864 proper
ties have been thrown into
foreclosure. That number
includes residential, com
mercial and raw land prop
erty, some of which have
multiple lots from develop
ers who went bust with the
fall in housing.
The current foreclosure
with October sale dates is
the largest single month
so far with 126 properties
listed.
Last year at this point, 548
properties were under fore
closure and in 2006, only
313 properties were under
foreclosure proceedings at
this point in the year.
It was in September 2007
when the number of foreclo
sures began to accelerate.
Foreclosures in
Jackson County
06
07
08
Jan.
38
46
82
Feb.
37
27
93
Mar.
34
41
84
April
34
40
45
May
26
50
79
June
19
34
77
July
25
35
102
Aug.
38
37
99
Sept.
25
76
77
Oct.
37
76
126
Nov.
34
42
Dec.
33
44
Work Begins On New Gym
School and city officials, along with Charles Black Construction, held a
“groundbreaking” ceremony Monday morning to mark the beginning of
work on the new “practice” gym at Commerce High School. The first order
of business was to raze the concession/restroom area at the end of Tiger
Stadium. New restrooms and a concession area will be built into the gym.
Once the gym is completed, the existing CHS gym can be razed and work
started on the new high school. The 14,000-square-foot facility is expected
to take six months to complete. Photo by Mark Beardsely