Newspaper Page Text
VOL. 105, NO. 38, APRIL 8, 2009
LEGAL ORGAN OF JENKINS COUNTY
MILLEN, GEORGIA • 75 CENTS
Famity Tradition
By Deborah Bennett
Millen News Editor
G ail Lans proudly holds the photograph of
her adoptive daughter. Alexcia Marie. 4,
and smiles broadly as she speaks of the little
girl who has stolen her heart.
Alexcia. a liver transplant recipient, came
to Mrs. Lans as a foster child 2Vi years ago. On Jan.
14. she became a permanent part of the family. The
event, however, was bitter sweet. Mrs. Lans’ hus
band, Antonio, died before the adoption was final
ized.
“He passed away in August, but I continued with
the process.” Mrs. Lans said.
Becoming foster parents and later adopting a
child, seemed only natural to Mrs. Lans, who said
that both she and her husband grew up with foster
children in their homes.
“My parents and Antonio’s parents were foster
parents. Antonio was an only child, so the foster
children in his home became his only siblings. We
just decided that maybe we needed to try it,” she
said.
That decision has provided a stable home envi
ronment for 18 foster children over a period of 8-9
years with the length of stay for those children rang
ing from two weeks to two years.
"The biggest problem with fostering children is
giving them back,” Mrs. Lans said. “But you want
what is best for the child, and most of the time that
is going back to their parents.”
"Helping a family in crisis is very rewarding.
You’re taking care of their children while the par
ents are working on getting themselves together.
You’re really helping the whole family. Sometimes
you feel like you’re fostering the whole family, be
cause you also develop a relationship with the fam
ily.” she added.
Following the death of her husband and Alexcia’s
adoption, Mrs. Lans took a short break from the
fostering experience. Recently, however, she has
notified the private agency for which she works that
she is once again ready to open her home to foster
children.
While fostering children eventually led Mrs. Lans
to the adoption of Alexcia, that is not always the
case, she notes. Mrs. Lans still feels, however, that
it is a worthwhile endeavor for caring individuals.
"For anyone who has room in their homes and
hearts, it can be a very rewarding experience,” she
said.
For Mrs. Lans, fostering children is a family tra
dition.
Georgia Certificate of Merit Scholars
Each year the University of Georgia, in conjunction with the State Department of Education, recognize Georgia Certificate
of Merit Scholars across the state of Georgia in recognition of outstanding scholastic achievement throughout the first three
years of high school. To qualify for this prestigious award, students must rank in the top five percent of their junior class and
be enrolled in college preparatory curriculum. Jenkins County High School Merit Scholars are, from left, sitting: Fetima
Jordan, Jessica Head and Dag Gay; and standing: Latranese Sapp and Jena Brach. (Photo contributed)
School system
to receive
Recovery Act
funding
By Deborah Bennett
Millen News Editor
Congressman John Barrow announced last week that the
Jenkins County school system would receive approximately
$976,000 in emergency education funding, $463,000 for Title
I programs and $363,000 for IDEA programs. The funds have
been made available through the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act.
Approximately $42,376,000 in Title I funds and $28,593,000
in IDEA funds have been allocated to schools in Georgia’s
12 th Congressional District to help save education-related jobs
and maintain programs for low income students and students
with disabilities. Nationally, approximately $13 billion in Title
I funds, which help low income students, and $13.5 billion in
IDEA funds, which help students with disabilities, have been
released.
“This bill will help the kids who need it most right now, and
will prepare them better for the future,” said Cong. Barrow.
“At times like these, we need to be investing in our kids, and
that includes saving the jobs of the folks who work in our
schools, not firing them.”
The guidelines of the program allow the states to allocate
the funds but leave it up to local school districts, colleges and
universities to decide how to use the emergency aid, not the
states. The guidelines also state that the funds should be used
to prevent harmful cuts to K-12 and higher education, to pre
vent teacher layoffs and to modernize school facilities, which
could create new jobs.
Funds awarded to school systems in surrounding counties
were listed as follows: Bulloch - $1,614,000 in Title I funds
and $ 1,784,000 in IDEA funds; Emanuel - $ 1,650,000 in Title
I funds and $861,000 in IDEA funds; Johnson, $463,000 in
Title I funds and $386,000 in IDEA funds; and Screven -
$620,000 in Title I funds and $608,000 in IDEA funds.
This is the first of two installments that school districts will
receive. The second installment of funds will be released to
schools this fall.
In addition to the Title I and IDEA funding, the Recovery
Act also created a state stabilization fund to help stabilize state
and local budgets and prevent harmful cuts to education.
No information on the local school system’s budget for 2009-
2010 has yet been released as the planning process is still on
going.
More money for
wage earners
By Deborah Bennett
Millen News Editor
Local wage earners should have seen an increase in their
take home pay as of April 1, thanks to the American Recov
ery and Reinvestment Act that Congress enacted and Presi
dent Barack Obama signed into law in February. Under the
plan, individuals earning less than $95,000 annually will not
see as much federal income tax withheld from their paychecks.
The "Making Work Pay” provision of the Recovery Act
gives working individuals a refundable tax credit up to $400
and up to $800 for married taxpayers who file joint returns
through 2010. Just how much extra cash a wage earner will
get depends on marital status, salary and how many allow
ances — or exemptions — normally taken. It is estimated
that families should see a $65 per month increase in their take
home pay.
The change is retroactive to Jan. 1, which means that some
employees may not have any federal tax deducted in recent
paychecks. The tax credit will phase out for wage earners with
adjusted gross income in excess of $75,000 or $150,000 for
married taxpayers filing joint returns.
The credit is also refundable, which means that even very
low-income families who don’t make enough to owe income
tax can claim it. Self-employed people can also get the credit
by reducing their estimated tax payments or by claiming it
when they file their 2009 tax return.
“One of the most important things we can do for middle-
class families is to get more money in their pockets. For folks
straggling to get food on the table, this is a way to help made
ends meet,” said Congressman John Barrow.
The White House estimates that 3.4 million families in Geor
gia will benefit from the “Making Work Pay” credit which is
good only for 2009 and 2010.
Easter Egg Hunt to
be held Saturday
Millen Better Hometown will sponsor an Easter
"Eggs”travaganza 11 a.m. Saturday, April 11, at the ball fields
by the old Edenfield’s Feed and Seed.
There will be three age groups: walking-3 years old, may
be accompanied by an adult; 4-7 years old; and 8-10 years
old.
Two thousand plastic eggs filled with candy will be hidden
and prizes will be given in each age category of five specially
marked eggs. Each child should bring a bag or basket to hold
the eggs they find.