Newspaper Page Text
SEE PAGE IB
The Tigers
Enjoying Late
Season Surge
SEE PAGE 8A
Education 'Bus
Tour' Stops At
E.J. Elementary
Vol. 133
No. 38
20 Pages
3 Sections
Nicholson
To Revisit
Starting A
Police Force
By Sharon Hogan
Once again, the Nicholson
City Council is being asked
to start a police depart
ment.
Deloris Chambers made
an emotional plea to the
council last Thursday night
to form a police depart
ment.
She said the city has a
problem with kids being out
at all hours of the night.
“Little girls unescorted,
kids on 4-wheelers, 2-wheel-
ers, motorcycles are out at
night," Chambers said. “I
think we need to see some
laws in our little town. I don’t
want to be someone’s next
victim."
A meeting was set for 7
p.m. Nov. 10 with city offi
cials and residents to dis
cuss the matter further.
Chambers said she could
Please Turn to Page 3A
THURSDAY, NOV. 6
Sunny: Low, 47; high, 76;
0% chance rain
FRIDAY, NOV. 7
Showers: Low, 47; high, 71;
60% chance rain
SATURDAY, NOV. 8
Partly cloudy: Low, 38; high,
65; 20% chance rain
SUNDAY, NOV. 9
.
Sunny: Low, 36; high, 64; 0%
chance rain
Reservoir Levels
Commerce: 697.6 (full)
Bear Creek: 686.49 (8.51 feet
below full)
Rainfall this month
0 inches
Rainfall This Year
40.27 Inches
INDEX
Births
7B
Church News ....
6B
Classified Ads....
.. 1-4C
Calendar
3 A
Crime News
6A
News Roundup ..
2 A
Obituaries
5B
Opinions
4A
School News ....
...7-8 A
Sports
...1-4B
Social News
..7-8B
50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875
McCain. 17.772
Obama, 4,947
Burchett, 49
Chaney. 65
Hill, 34
No Surprises: Jackson Solid For McCain;
Broun Bests Saxon, Chaney Wins Ward 1
America may have elected Barack
Obama president in a landslide
Tuesday, but the Democrat’s coat
tails did not extend to Georgia, and
certainly not to Jackson County.
The county remained overwhelm
ingly red, handing John McCain a
17,772-4,947 win. Jackson County
backed incumbent GOP Senator
Saxby Chambliss 15,765-5,414 over
Democratic challenger Jim Martin
and helped incumbent State Rep.
Paul Broun beat challenger Bobby
Saxon 16,166-5,964 as Broun carried
61 percent of the vote districtwide.
State Senator Ralph Hudgens won
Jackson with a 13,275-4,715 margin
over Democrat Tim Riley as he
carried the 47th District with 65
percent of the vote.
More than 65 percent of Jackson
County voters went to the polls.
Former Commerce resident
Lauren “Bubba" McDonald finds
himself in a runoff for the Public
Service Commission. McDonald
won 48 percent statewide, with
Democrat Jim Powell at 47 percent.
Libertarian Brandon Givins’ five per
cent put McDonald (R-Cumming)
into the runoff with Powell.
Commerce Special Election
Former city councilman Archie
D. Chaney Jr. won the Commerce
City Council special election to fill
the unexpired term from Ward 1.
He won with 65 votes in a race that
drew only 34 percent voter turnout.
Keith Burchett received 49 votes
and Aretha Hill 34.
City voters approved the increased
homestead exemption on school
taxes for low-income elderly resi
dents by a 290-91 margin.
Eat Mor Suckers
Ridge Love, 2, of Nicholson took a break from
Downtown Trick-or-Treat activities Friday afternoon
to enjoy a sucker. He came dressed as a cow.
Photo by Mark Beardsley
DOT Re-Evaluating
Local Road Projects
Local road projects are
on hiatus as a result of the
economic slowdown and its
effect on state funding.
Department of
Transportation spokesper
son Teri Pope said that all
projects in the preconstruc
tion process “are being
reviewed based on a cost
benefit analysis."
Among them are the addi
tion of two lanes to Interstate
85 and the improvements to
the intersection of Maysville
Road, B. Wilson Road and
W.E. King Road near the
Quality Foods Shopping
Center.
According to Pope, the
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Blood Drive Next Tuesday
The American Red Cross will hold
a blood drive Tuesday, Nov. 11, from
noon to 6:00 p.m., at the First Baptist
Church of Commerce Family Life Cen-
ter, 1345 S. Elm Street.
The American Red Cross provides
blood services to all area hospitals, including BJC
Hospital, Athens Regional Medical Center and the
Gainesville and Atlanta hospitals.
Potential donors must be 17, weigh at least 110
pounds and be in good health.
All donors will receive a Chick-Fil-A coupon and
have their names entered in a drawing for a $1,000
shopping card.
Nicholson Approves Its
First Zoning Ordinance
By Sharon Hogan
The Nicholson City
Council approved its first-
ever zoning ordinance
Monday night but not before
it changed the proposed
zoning on 11.43 acres.
City attorney Rob Russell
said at Thursday’s work
session the city’s new zon
ing ordinance has four clas
sifications, and the map
leaves all property zoned
in accordance with how it’s
currently being used, he
said.
“We are not asking anyone
to change the use of their
property," Russell added.
The zoning classifications
are: ARR1, agricultural; R2,
residential-manufactured
homes; Rl, residential-stick
built homes; and commer
cial/business.
Russell said one reason the
council is adopting the zon
ing is because the county
could object to any annexa
tion into the city without the
zoning in place.
In a related move, Larry
Farmer asked the council
to change the zoning on his
property on Cabin Creek
Drive at J.S. Williamson
Court from ARR1 to allow
him to subdivide the prop
erty.
“I am asking for the change
before the zoning becomes
law," Farmer said. “There is
no zoning at this time, cor
rect?"
Mayor Ronnie Maxwell
said, “I don’t see any prob
lem with changing the map
before it is adopted."
When asked by council
man Howard Wilbanks
what his plans were for the
property, Farmer said he
intended to sell a portion
to his nephew for a manu
factured home or a site-built
house.
Wilbanks said he would
rather see a zoning change
for a site-built house. But
Farmer said it wouldn’t be
fair to limit it to a site-built
house because manufac
tured homes are already in
the area.
The zoning ordinance
was approved with the
stipulation that Farmer’s
property be changed from
ARR1 to R2.
Mayors Would like To See County
Oversee All Municipal Elections
Should Jackson County
be in charge of all municipal
elections in the county?
The mayors of the county’s
nine municipalities appar
ently think so.
Commerce Mayor
Charles L. Hardy Jr. report
ed to his city council last
Monday night that the
mayors will “start pushing"
for the county assuming
that role.
Currently, each municipal
ity conducts its own elec
tions. For example, while
the county was conduct
ing the General Election
Tuesday, both Jefferson and
Commerce had separate
special elections.
The issue came up at the
monthly “mayors’ meeting,"
said Hardy, where some
one pointed out that in
Barrow County, the county
is responsible for all elec
tions.
Hardy said all of the
mayors present expressed
interest in having Jackson
County take care of all elec
tions.
Erecting A Gymnasium
The floor has been poured and the steel is going up on the new “practice
gym” at Commerce High School. The building, which will provide conces
sions and rest room areas for Tiger Stadium as well, is the first phase in the
construction of a new high school. The practice gym will be used by the wres
tling and basketball programs until a second and larger gym is built adjacent
to where the tennis courts are currently located.