Newspaper Page Text
SEE PAGE IB
SEE PAGE 5A
Eagles Look
For Third Win
Vs. Patriots
Four Of Five Commerce Seats
To Have Opposition Nov. 3
Vol. 134
No. 30
16 Pages
2 Sections
50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875
Craver
Resigns
To Join
The RDC
See Inside For: Region’s
Gain Is Commerce’s
Loss: Page 4A
By Mark Beardsley
Hasco Craver is moving
on.
The executive director of
the Commerce Downtown
Development Authority
and manager
of the Main
Street pro
gram submit
ted his letter
of resignation
to the DDA
Tuesday.
He will join
the Northeast
Georgia
Regional Commission in
Athens where he will work
with governments in its
12-county area — which
includes Jackson County.
His resignation is effective
Friday Sept. 18.
“My decision to leave
the Commerce Downtown
Development Authority
was made after a long and
careful consideration of all
factors affecting the organi
zation, my family and my
career," said Craver in his
letter of resignation. “While
I have enjoyed very much
working under your direc
tion, I now find that I have
an opportunity to further
develop my career. I thank
you for the training that I
have received under your
supervision. It is largely
due to the excellent experi
ence I gained working for
the Commerce Downtown
Development Authority that
I am now able to pursue this
growth opportunity."
Craver and his wife,
Rebecca, a Commerce
schoolteacher, will remain
in the community. They’re
expecting their first child in
late December.
Craver, 29, will serve as
the project manager in the
RDC’s Department of Local
Government Services where
he will help local govern
ments with grant applica
tions and administer with
local governments projects
already awarded.
Please Turn to Page 3A
CONTACT US
Phone: 706-335-2927
FAX: 706-387-5435
E-mail:
news@ma i nstreetnews. com
mark@mainstreetnews.com
Mail: 1672 S. Broad St.,
Commerce, GA 30529
HALFTIME SHOWMANSHIP
'Performing In The Rain'
Will Campbell, a freshman saxophonist with the Commerce Tiger Marching Band, hits all the
right notes during the band’s rain-themed halftime performance Friday night. Campbell and
the rest of the band will repeat the performance this coming Friday when the Tigers travel to
Franklin County to take on the Lions at 7:30 p.m. Photo by Mark Beardsley
Federal Stimulus Funds 'Huge'
Help To Local School Systems
But What Will They
Do Without That
Money Next Year?
By Mark Beardsley
Millions of dollars in
federal stimulus funds
helped Jackson County’s
three school systems
stay afloat this year in
the wake of sustained
reductions in state fund
ing. But what will happen
next school year if those
funds are not available?
That’s not a question
local superintendents
want to contemplate
right now, but all three
know they’ll likely face
serious budget adjust
ments in the 2010-11
school year.
Actually, they expect
another state funding
cut for the current fis
cal year - and then less
money in the next unless
the economy turns
around.
The Commerce School
System received about
$465,000 in stimulus
funds for this year,
superintendent James E.
“Mac" McCoy said.
“We used it to save
19 total positions," he
said. Without the fed
eral money, “the choices
would have been to
deplete our reserves
and hope the economy
recovered during the
year or reduce staff."
McCoy said raising the
city tax rate “is out of the
question." Asked what
the system will do if the
economy and tax digest
don’t improve, McCoy
hedged: “I will say we
will play the hand that
we’re dealt the best way
possible," he offered.
Jackson County
got about $1.8 mil
lion in federal money.
Superintendent Shannon
Adams said a measure
of what it has meant
to the county school
system can be gained
by dividing that figure
by $80,000 - the average
cost of a teacher and
benefits.
“Without that $1.8 mil
lion, we’d be laying off
that much more person
nel," he said.
While some of the
stimulus money can be
rolled over into the next
school year, if the local
tax digest and state
economy don’t improve,
Adams knows what’s
coming.
“Between now and this
summer we’ll have to sit
Cont. on Page 8A
Jackson
To Shut
Down For
Furloughs
All County Offices To Be
Closed 15 Days Through
2010 To Ease Budget Crisis
By Angela Gary
The downturn in the economy
has led to the Jackson County
Board of Commissioners
approving 15 employee furlough
days through 2010.
In a called meeting Sept. 2,
the BOC approved the 15 pro
posed furlough days in an effort
to save the county $646,000.
The county faces a $3.5 million
shortfall in its 2010 budget.
“The other alternatives are
even more unattractive than
this," county manager Darrell
Hampton said.
The days the county offices
will be shut down this year
include: Oct. 30, Nov. 25 and
Dec. 23. Furlough days for 2010
include: Jan. 4, Feb. 19, March 5,
April 2, May 28, June 25, July 6,
Aug. 6, Sept. 13, Oct. 15, Nov.
24 and Dec. 22.
“Staff has not arrived at this
lightly," said BOC chairman
Hunter Bicknell. “We’ve been
delaying this to see what would
happen with the sales tax rev
enue and the tax digest ... This
is the most painless step we can
take at this time ... I think it is a
Please Turn to Page 3A
Seasonal Flu
Now Available
At Health Dept
Routine seasonal flu vaccines
are available at the Commerce
and Jefferson clinics of the
Jackson County Health
Department. This is a month
earlier than normal.
All health departments in
the 10-county health district
surrounding Athens (Barrow,
Clarke, Elbert, Greene, Jackson,
Madison, Morgan, Oconee,
Oglethorpe, Walton) have flu
vaccine available for the public.
Flu clinics are planned from
8:00 to noon this Friday, Sept.
11, and the following Friday,
Sept. 18, but seasonal flu shots
are also available during normal
operating hours.
The shots are also available
at CVS and Walgreens and at
Commerce Drug Co. starting
Sept. 28, but hours they are
offered vary store to store. Fees
are generally $25, and the stores
will bill Medicare.
The usual high-risk patients
should get the shot as they
have every year, according to
health officials. People over 65
Cont. on Page 3A
Church News 5B
Classified Ads 6-8B
Calendar 3A
Crime News 6A
Obituaries 4B
Opinions 4A
School News 3B
Sports 1-2B
Social News 7A
Rainfall this month
.03 inches
Rainfall This Year
31.13 Inches
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
Partly cloudy: Low, 63; high,
85; 20% chance rain
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
Mostly sunny: Low, 64; high,
87; 20% chance rain
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
Mostly Sunny: Low, 65; high,
86; 10% chance rain
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
Few showers: Low, 65; high,
79; 30% chance rain
o