Newspaper Page Text
Vol. 140
No. 36
24 Pages
2 Sections
rpl WEDi
lf\£ OCTOBE
Commerce News
Wednesday
OCTOBER 26,2016
www.CommerceNewsTODAY.com
50 Cents COVERING THE COMMERCE AREA SINCE 1875
Nicholson
librarian
killed in wreck
Betty E. Brock, 78, of
Nicholson, died last week
following an accident on
U.S. 441 at Hwy. 334 at Cen
ter. Brock was a librarian at
the Harold S. Swindle Public
Library in Nicholson.
She is survived by her hus
band, Marvin Odene Brock,
who was also in the acci
dent. Nicholson Area Fire
Rescue reported that Odene
is still in the intensive care
unit at Athens Regional Medi
cal Center where he remains
on oxygen and is sedated.
Other survivors include
sons, Darrell Brock and
Dennis Brock both of Nich
olson; daughter, Donna
Compton of Comer; grand
children, Casey Brock,
Marley Vaughn, Shannon
Anderson, Derrick Brock,
David Brock, Bobby Comp
ton, Jesse Compton and
Brock Compton; and eight
great-grandchildren.
Funeral services were
held on Tuesday at the
chapel of Little-Ward Funer
al Home.
The crash occurred on
Oct. 16. A vehicle driven
by Walter Debele Bach, 77,
of Chapel Hill, N.C., was
traveling south on U.S. 441
in the right travel lane near
the intersection of Hwy. 334.
A vehicle driven by Mar
vin Odene Brock was in the
left turn lane on Hwy. 441
preparing to turn left onto
Hwy. 334.
Brock turned west
towards Hwy. 334 and was
struck by the front of Bach’s
vehicle in the right travel
lane. According to the Geor
gia State Patrol, it was unde
termined if Brock failed to
yield when turning left, or
if Bach failed to stop at a
red light.
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INDEX
Church News 5B
Classified Ads 6-7B
Crime 6-7 & 12A
Obituaries 1 1 A,
Opinion 4A
School 10-12B
Sports 1-5B
Social News...9-1OA
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Maysville woman and daughter
killed in head-on wreck Sunday
A Maysville woman and her daughter were
killed in a wreck on Holly Springs Road near Dia
mond Hill Church Road on Sunday.
Billie Regina Shockley, 30, of Maysville, was
transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center
following the wreck and later died. Her 12-year-old
daughter, Alexis, who was sitting in the back seat,
died at the scene.
Shockley was the driver of a Kia Optima that
collided head-on with a Dodge Ram, driven by
Octavio Montez, 49, of Pendergrass. Montez was
injured but was not transported from the scene
according to the Georgia State Patrol.
Units from Plainview, North Jackson and Jack-
son County EMS responded to the crash.
Two people were entrapped and extricated,
according to Jackson County Emergency Ser
vices director Steve Nichols. Two other people
were transported to NGMC in stable condition.
This crash is still under investigation by the GSP
Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team.
Homecoming royalty
CHS Miss Homecoming
Karli Loggins was named Miss Homecoming during Commerce High
School’s homecoming ceremony Friday night. For more photos, see Page 12A.
EJCHS homecoming queen
Marley Palmer was named East Jackson’s Homecoming Queen Friday
during halftime of the Eagles’ game against Haralson County. For more
photos, see Page 12A. Photo by Melanie Lawhorn
Over 3,000 cast
ballots so far
in early voting
Over 3,000 Jackson County residents cast their votes in the
first week of early voting. Lori Wurtz, supervisor of the Jackson
County Board of Elections and Voter Registration, reported that
3,142 people voted in Jackson County last week.
“We have not experienced any issues at all,” she said. “The
voters have been pleasant, the poll workers are very knowl
edgeable and have established a great setup; no lines! But still
great numbers of voters.”
The largest turnout was on Friday with 733 people coming
to the polls that day.
Early voting continues this week at the Jackson County
Elections and Voter Registration Office, with polls open from 8
a.m. to 4 p.m. through Friday, Oct. 28. Voting will also be held
on Saturday Oct. 29, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
All Jackson County registered voters can vote at the location
during those times.
Extended early voting will be held from 7 am. to 7 p.m. from
Oct. 31-Nov. 4 at various satellite sites throughout the county.
These include the Braselton Municipal Court, Commerce
Parks and Recreation and at the Jackson County Elections and
Voter Registration Office.
Windstream
plans upgrades for
Internet, cable TV
Windstream has announced plans to upgrade its cable
TV network in North Georgia to provide communities with
Internet speeds of 100 megabits-per-second (Mbps).
The upgrade effort, which is already underway, will allow
more than 67,000 households in communities across eight
North Georgia counties to access 100 Mbps. Work is expect
ed to be complete by mid-2017.
Jackson County is among those to receive the increased
access. The communities included are Commerce, Jeffer
son, Nicholson and Arcade.
Many residents, especially in the City of Jefferson, have
voiced concerns over the past few years about inadequate
service with Windstream.
“We are listening closely to the communities we serve
in North Georgia and making significant changes to give
our customers the experience they deserve,” said Jarroc
Berkshire, president of operations for Windstream in Geor
gia. “We’re committed to expanding access to fast, reliable
See “Windstream” on Page 3A
City planners endorse
annexation request
The first step toward
annexing 8.3 acres compris
ing four lots to be rezoned
for R-l took place Monday
night.
The Commerce Plan
ning Commission gave its
unanimous recommenda
tion that the request of Kyle
and Erin Moore to annex
and rezone the property
located off Hazel Street, be
approved. The Commerce
City Council will act on that
recommendation on Mon
day Nov. 21, at 6 p.m. in
the Commerce Room of the
Commerce Civic Center.
“My wife and I intend to
build our personal home on
this land,” explained Kyle
Moore, a former member
of the planning commission.
They plan to divide the
property into four lots, build
a house for themselves on
the largest lot, sell or deed a
second lot to a family mem
ber and sell two lots, prefer
ably to friends. Moore said
that before the lots are sold,
they will place covenants
on them “just to make sure
what is being built around us
is similar to what we build.”
Moore, who now serves
on the Commerce Board
of Education, said he and
his wife, an attorney “are
Commerce-bom and raised.
We are raising our kids in
Commerce and want Com
merce to be as good as it
has been.”
“I don’t see any nega
tives,” observed vice chair
man Andre Rollins.
Neither did anyone else in
the room.
“If I lived next door, I
would be tickled to death,”
offered Jimbo Stephenson.
“I see no problem,”
added Melinda Davis.
See “Annex” on 3A
o
