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Page 4 — Wednesday, June 10, 2009, The Millen News
Opinions, yours and ours
The Chatter Box
By Deborah Bennett
“Kudos” to all involved in last Saturday’s Anthrax Exer
cise. The activity was a huge success, thanks to extensive
planning of the sponsors, the Jenkins County Health Depart
ment and East Central Health District, and tremendous sup
port from the public.
The Millen News is a recent recipient of the third place
award in the “Education Coverage” category of the Georgia
Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest. The award
was presented during the organization’s annual meeting
which was held this past weekend.
The poll question on our website last week was, “How do
you feel about having to have a ticket to attend commence
ment exercises at Jenkins County High School Friday, May
29?”
Responses, as of Monday morning, were as follows: Good
Idea - 17; Bad Idea - 12; Don’t Understand - 4; and Don’t
Care - 3.
To participate in this week’s poll, go to http://
www.themillennews.com.
Happy birthday this week to: Otis Becton, Allyson Will
iams, Trevor Weathersby, Susan D. Godbee, Gayla Landing,
Bryan Weatherford, Brian Richards, Rew Herrmann, Chuck
Richardson, Ray Boynton, Bryce Cranshaw, Sarah Jenkins
and Vincent Troisi.
Celebrating wedding anniversaries this week are: Mr. and
Mrs. David Gay.
Military Active Duty List: Ronnie Perryman, Charlie
Troop, 108 th Calvary Division, 4 th Platoon, Afghanistan;
Lance Cpl. Adam Lanier, U.S. Marines, 8 th & I Marine
Barracks, Washington, D.C.; E-4 Sr. Airman Roy Davis, U.S.
Air Force, RAF Molesworth, United Kingdom; Lance Cpl.
Patrick Barnette, U.S. Marines, Twenty Nine Palms, CA;
Sgt. Adam Demshar, 44th Signal Battalion, Baghdad, Iraq;
Cpl. Lee Ogden, U.S. Marines, Camp Pendleton, CA; E5
Petty Officer 2 nd Class Eric B. Kelsey, U.S. Navy, NSA
Naples, Italy; Senior Airman Charles F. Woods, Moody Air
Force Base, Valdosta, GA; Stuart Burrus, U.S. Air Force,
Barksdale AFB, Bossier, LA; SPC 4 Travis D. Motes, 1st
Calvary Division, T. Hood, Texas; Capt. Donald Slade
Burke, 735th Air Mobility Squadron Detachment 1 Com
mander, Richmond Royal Australian AFB, Richmond, Aus
tralia; Staff Sgt. Gilbert C. Sheppard III, 48th Brigade,
118th Field Artillery, Iraq; Petty Officer 3rd Class Jamie
A. Yager, U.S. Navy, Marine Corps Base Hawaii; Petty Chief
Officer Andy D. Crosby, U.S. Navy, Elroy Destroyer, Nor
folk, Va.; Stephanie Crosby, R.N., U.S. Navy, Lafayette De
stroyer; Jimmy Cooper, U.S. Army National Guard, 878th
Engineering Battalion-Augusta, Persian Gulf ; 1st Lt. J.R.
Taylor, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division,
Iraq; SPC. Daniel Stuart, 18th MEDCOM, 121 General Hos
pital, Seoul, Korea; Jeffrey Sweat, U.S. Navy, USS
Kauffman, MM3 59/E-Division, A-Gang, Norfolk, Va.; Cpl.
Larry Lamont Clark, U.S. Marine Corp, 2nd Marine Ex
peditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Bagdad, Iraq; Khan
Young, U.S. Navy, U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, Persian Gulf; Rob
ert Milton Jr., E-3, U.S. Army, Ft. Stewart, Hinesville, Ga.,
Mission Kuwait; Arnold R. Mosley, 2nd Lt., U.S. Air Force,
Randolph AFB, Texas; and Debra A. Mosley, Tech. Sgt.,
U.S. Air Force, Randolph AFB, Texas; and SPC Charles
“C.J.” Amerson, U.S. Army, Camp Adder, Iraq.
Letters policy
Letters to the editor of The Millen News are welcomed and
encouraged. These are pages of opinions, yours and ours.
The unsigned editorials generally appearing on the left side of
the editorial page represent the opinion of the newspaper and not
that of any one person on our staff. Personal columns represent
the opinions of the writers whose names appear on them and are
not to be considered the opinion of this newspaper, its manage
ment or owners. Letters to the editor voice the opinions of the
newspaper’s readers.
The Millen News reserves the right to edit any and all portions
of a letter. Unsigned letters will not be published. Letters must
include the signature, address and phone number of the writer to
allow our staff to authenticate its origin. Letters should be lim
ited to 400 words.
The deadline for letters is Friday at noon. You can email letters
to themillennews@yahoo.com.
Chartered 1903
The Millen News is published weekly by Chalker
Publishing Company, 601 E. 6th St., Waynesboro, Ga.
The Millen News
856 East Cotton Ave. • Millen, Ga. 30442
Phone: (478) 982-5460 • FAX: (478) 982-1785
Periodical postage paid at Millen, Georgia.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to:
The Millen News
P.O. Box 909
Millen, GA 30442
USPS No. 349-660
Walter Harrison Frank M. Edenfield
Editor 1946-1985 Editor
1985-1998
Roy F. Chalker Jr Publisher
Bonnie K. Taylor General Manager
Deborah Bennett Editor
Lavonna Drawdy Advertising Composition
Subscription Rates (Includes tax):
In Jenkins County $23.00
Elsewhere in Georgia $26.00
Outside of Georgia $29.50
Jim Hite
CONTROVERSY BREWS OVER FOOTBALL UNIVERSITY
An interesting news article came to my attention some time
ago that may be worth a comment.
We’re all aware of the various summer camps available to
youngsters, from church to art to athletics. But here’s a twist.
An honor student at Woodward Academy in Atlanta works
out daily to pursue his dream of playing football for Florida.
He has a personal trainer, attends football camps throughout
the summer, and has played in a national all-star football game
in which he made a catch witnessed on the Internet by thou
sands.
He is 14 years old.
Thousands of like youngsters are being cultivated by a com
pany called Football University (FBU), the organizer of the
U.S. Army High School All-American game broadcast on NBC.
FBU holds an underclassman all-star game the same week
end.
FBU was in Henry County earlier this month searching for
the nation’s top sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade talents. The
cost for the three days: $549.
From Henry County, a few will be invited to a select camp
in Orlando next month. From there, a select few will be in
vited to participate in the all-star game in San Antonio.
Controversial? You bet!
Northview Football Coach Jim Showfety calls this “utterly
preposterous. It’s ridiculous.” He says the kids are too young,
adding that it will cause conflict between high school coaches
and scouts as is now so evident in AAU basketball. From the
private coaches’ point of view, Oscar Dillard charges $50 per
session and $250 for three-day football camps, adding that
such programs will help get a child noticed by recruiters. He
adds: “Why would you put your child’s future solely in the
hands of his high school coach?”
Obviously, high school coaches bristle at this attitude, see
ing such programs as FBU undercutting theirs as happens in
AAU. Youngsters become spoiled, think they are above coach
and teammates —All this with parental support!
Speaking of parents, what about kids not chosen to advance?
If parents put out so much money and their child is left off
the roster for the next step, what happens?
Pick your own scenario.
I’m well aware my attitude is colored by experiences as
athlete and coach in a different time. When I retired from
high school coaching, changes had already come, especially
AAU basketball. I saw the controversy up close: I was Geor
gia AAU President in the mid-1980s.
Didn’t like it then. Still don’t.
HAWK & ASSOCIATES, RC.
Victor C. Hawk Melissa Detchemendy
Need Help? Call:
478-982-4226 (day) or 706-294-4447 (night)
American Trial Lawyers Association
Southern Trial Lawyers Association
Georgia Trial Lawyers Association
Office located in The Millen News Building
856 E. Cotton Ave., Millen, GA
FOR SALE TO HIGHEST BIDDER
The building known as the Dr. Abreu Building and the land behind,
will be sold oy sealed bid by the Jenkins County Hospital Authority.
The building may be inspected by contacting the administrative
office at Jenlcins County Hospital.
The bids will be opened at the Jenkins County Hospital Authority
meeting on June 15th, 2009.
A minimum bid of $85,000.00 will be required.
Mail bids to Jenkins County Hospital Authority, 931E. Winthrope
Ave, Millen, GA. 30442.
Mark on outside of envelope, "BID ON ABREU BLDG"
Jenkins County Board of Commissioners
Single
Economy
Denture
$195
Augusta
Dental Center p.c
J. Michael Scott DMD
Locally Owned • We accept Cash, Visa, MC, Discover, AmEx, GA Medicaid
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Surgical Extraction $75. 00 Starting at $350.°°
Partials Starting @ $395. 00
Porcelain Crowns
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done in our office
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(across from Greyhound)
Fees Valid Thru 2/28/09
706-721-4288
The Millen News
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