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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