Newspaper Page Text
NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS?
Rep. Tommy Benton has heard no talk about the need for a special
session of the legislature to deal with the budget crisis: Page 12A
SOFTBALL STARTS
The Lady Tigers will host a 6-team soft-
ball tournament Saturday: Page IB
Vol. 134
No. 27
20 Pages
2 Sections
50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875
Meetings
Set For
Input On
Pouring
Maysville has
announced three “town
hall meetings" to take
public comment on a
proposed ordinance that
would allow the sale of
beer and wine by the
drink at restaurants in
the city.
Stephan Lewis will hear
from his Ward 4 constitu
ents from 6:30 to 7:15
Tuesday Aug. 25, at the
Community Club build
ing. Voters in Ward 1 can
express their opinions to
Councilman Clay Dorsey
at the same location from
7:15 to 8 p.m., while Ward
3 councilperson Rebecca
McNeely will take citizen
input Tuesday Aug. 25,
at 7 p.m. at the Maysville
Public Library.
Maysville will hold
a public hearing at 7
p.m. Monday, Sept. 14,
for the first reading of a
proposed beer and wine
pouring ordinance.
The council will not
vote at this meeting.
msm
THURSDAY, AUGUST 20
Isolated T-storms: Low, 70;
high, 91; 30% chance rain
FRIDAY, AUGUST 21
Scattered T-storms: Low, 66;
high, 87; 40% chance rain
SATURDAY, AUGUST 22
Isolated T-storms: Low, 63;
high, 88; 30% chance rain
SUNDAY, AUGUST 23
T TL
r -Sr
Mostly sunny: Low, 64; high,
87; 10% chance rain
Precipitation this month
1.47 inches
Precipitation This Year
29.08 Inches
Welcome Corporate Jets
The completion of the 900-foot, $3 million runway extension project
means the Jackson County Airport can safely handle corporate jets.
That improvement is viewed as key toward future economic develop
ment in Jackson County. Submitted photo
Longer Runway Means
Jets Welcome In Jackson
The Jackson County Airport can now
accommodate corporate jets.
Its $3 million project to extend its
runway to 5,000 feet is completed and
open.
The project was jointly funded
by Jackson County, a grant from
AirGeorgia, the Georgia Department of
Transportation and the Federal Aviation
Administration and includes a new east
side taxiway to support the runway
extension, accompanying runway/taxi-
way lights, and new approach lighting
system.
New instrument approaches have also
been developed and will be published
in October.
“The new runway and approaches
will make the airport safer and allow
increased accessibility to more aircraft
than ever before, providing instrument
approach access in nearly all weather
conditions," airport authority chair
man Shannon Sell said. “The runway
improvement which is designed to
accommodate most corporate aircraft
is the catalyst for future develop
ment of the airport. This runway is
our off-ramp from the National Air
Transportation System. It opens up
access of Jackson County to all busi
ness aircraft."
The airport’s five-year capital improve
ment plan includes acquisition of addi
tional land for airport development and
construction of additional hangars.
“The Jackson County Airport
Authority is committed to the develop
ment of a state-of-the-art, safe airport
to support Jackson County’s economy
growth, to provide an increased tax
base for the taxpayers, while being
sensitive to its citizens and the environ
ment," Sell added.
No Contest:
With Just 1
Candidate City
Cancels Election
Clark Hill Is Only Candidate For Sept. 15
Ward 4 Commerce Election; Qualifying
Starts Aug. 31 For Biennial Elections
Scratch one Commerce
election.
Dr. Clark Hill was the
only candidate to qual
ify for the Sept. 15 spe
cial election to fill the
unexpired term of Bob
Sosebee for the Ward 4
seat on the Commerce
City Council.
Qualifying closed at
noon Wednesday, Aug. 12.
With only one candidate,
the city can cancel the
election.
Hill has practiced inter
nal medicine in Commerce
since 2001 and has lived
in Commerce since
September 2000.
He owns Hill Medical
Group, an internal medi
cine practice in both
Commerce and Homer
with Dr. Milene Argo
and a nurse practitioner.
He also owns J.C. Hill
Enterprises LLC, a com
pany that develops pro
fessional office space in
Commerce and Homer
and is medical director
of BJC Nursing Facility
and Hill Haven Nursing
Home. He serves as chair
man of the Commerce
Downtown Development
Authority. Hill and his
wife, Dorine, have three
daughters.
The term of office
expires Dec. 31, 2011.
Regular City
Election Coming Up
Commerce will elect
three city council mem
bers and two school board
members Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Qualifying for that election
will be held from 8:30 a.m.
to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Aug.
31, through Wednesday,
Sept. 2, at City Hall.
The election will fill the
seat of mayor pro tem,
council seats for Ward 1
and Ward 2 and school
board seats for District 1
and District 2. The seats
up for election are cur
rently held by Dusty
Slater, Archie Chaney,
Donald Wilson, Arthur
Lee Pattman and Mary
Seabolt, respectively.
The qualifying fee for
mayor pro tem is $90,
each council seat is $81
and each school board
seat is $72.
Swine Flu Confirmed
At Jackson Co. School
By Kerri Testement
A Jackson County stu
dent has been diagnosed
with the novel H1N1
“swine flu" virus, accord
ing to the school system.
Superintendent Shannon
Adams issued a statement
late Thursday evening say
ing that a student at Kings
Bridge Middle School has
been diagnosed with the
contagious disease that
has flu-like symptoms.
The school’s principal,
Debra Morris, was told
that evening about the stu
dent’s diagnosis.
“Dr. Morris has made
arrangements for her cus
todial staff to come in and
| SWINE FlU
■
conduct a thorough clean
ing of the entire building
consistent with the rec
ommendations of public
health officials," Adams
said in a statement.
The sixth grade student’s
Cont. on Page 3A
Theater Group Finds A Home
Health Officials: H1N1
A Mild' Flu Strain
INDEX
Church News 3B
Classified Ads 6-8B
Calendar 3A
Crime News 6A
News Roundup 2A
Obituaries 1OA
Opinions 4A
School News 1 2A
Sports 1-2B
Social News 9A
4 8 7 9 1 4 1 4 1 " g
By Mark Beardsley
Entering its sixteenth little
theater season, The Cold
Sassy Players theater group
finally has a home.
The Commerce theater
group just closed on the pur
chase of the 12,000-square-
foot building that was once
the cable television head
quarters for Windstream.
And the location couldn’t
be better.
The building, which comes
with a sizeable lot, is on the
corner of Cherry Street and
State Street right next door
to the Commerce Cultural
Center, where the Cold
Sassy Players perform.
“It will be nice to be right
there so close," observed
longtime CSP actor (and
current secretary) Dannette
Flint. “We can have every
thing housed in one place."
According to Flint, the
building will not only
enable the group to store
all of its costumes, props,
set-building equipment and
Cont. on Page 5A
By Mark Beardsley
Because the H1N1 flu
virus is less virulent than
the seasonal flu, public
health officials are not
tracking individual cases.
Steve Dumpert, risk
communicator for the
Northeast Georgia Health
District, said he could
not confirm the report
that a case of swine flu
was diagnosed at Kings
Bridge Middle School or
whether a case at East
Jackson Comprehensive
High School was actually
H1N1.
Cont. on Page 3A