Newspaper Page Text
VOL. 105, NO. 48, JUNE 17, 2009
LEGAL ORGAN OF JENKINS COUNTY
MILLEN, GEORGIA • 75 CENTS
Cavalier to be bought by SE Homes, Inc.
By Deborah Bennett
Millen News Editor
Cavalier Homes, Inc. an
nounced Friday. June 15, that it
had agreed to be bought by
Southern Energy (SE) Homes.
Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary
of Clayton Homes. The pur
chase has been approved by
Cavalier’s board of directors
but still needs to be approved
by Cavalier shareholders.
“Our board of directors unani
mously approved the proposed
merger with SE Homes and be
lieves this transaction is in our
shareholders’ best interests.”
said Bobby Tesney. Cavalier’s
chief executive officer.
Keith Holdbrooks. chief ex
ecutive officer of SE Homes, re
marked, “We are excited about
adding Cavalier’s top-notch re
tailers and expanding their prod
uct offerings. Cavalier has a
dedicated team known for build
ing high-value homes with con
sistent quality.”
The company expects to com
plete the transaction in the third
quarter of 2009, subject to final
documentation and approval of
Cavalier stockholders. Upon
completion of the transaction,
Cavalier Homes. Inc. will be
come a wholly owned subsid
iary of SE Homes.
According to SE Home’s
website, the company’s primary
interest is in the Southeastern
and South Central United States.
It currently operates seven di
visions that produce homes sold
in approximately 20 states.
Clayton Homes, according to
information on its website, op
erates 35 home building facili
ties. 1.800 model home centers
and owns/operates 18 subdivi
sions. It is owned by Warren
Buffet and Berkshire-Hathaway.
Inc.
The local mobile home plant
has been in operation in Millen.
under different ownerships,
since 1967. Cavalier, home-
based in Alabama, began opera
tions in Millen in 1997 when it
merged with Belmont Homes,
which had recently purchased
the local Bellcrest Homes plant.
Cavalier fell upon hard times
over the past two years as the
housing market slumped, and
the local plant has gradually re
duced it workforce, ceasing op
erations at Plant II. The facility
currently employs 105 persons.
It is not known at this time
whether the change in owner
ship will affect local employ
ment numbers.
From tragedy to triumph
‘Anthony DeJuan
Boatwright Act’
By Deborah Bennett
Millen News Editor
R ising above tragedy is a characteristic of faith that of
ten defies logic. It is also something that Jenkins County
native Jackie Boatwright, the daughter of Corine
Boatwright, has exhibited throughout an eight-year or
deal that may soon lead to a change in federal law.
Jackie’s ordeal begin Sept. 9, 2001 when her then 14 months
old son. Anthony DeJuan (Juan) Boatwright, fell head first into
an unattended bucket of mop water at a state-licensed family day
care center in Augusta, sustaining severe brain damage. Faced
with enormous medical bills, Jackie’s initial devastation soon gave
way to disbelief as she learned that Georgia did not require the
day care center to have liability insurance in order to be issued a
state license and no law required day care providers to inform
parents of their insurance status. That discovery led Jackie to
embark on a one-woman quest to change the law.
On March 19. 2004, Jackie’s crusade for change, prompted
Gov. Sonny Perdue to sign “Juan’s Law”, which requires state-
license day care centers in Georgia to inform parents of their in
surance status. Jackie, however, did not stop there. When she dis
covered that most states had a similar practice regarding day care
centers, she began to lobby lawmakers in other states to pass
“Juan’s Law.” Thanks to her efforts. California, Virginia and New
Hampshire did so.
Jackie’s fight to protect children and prevent other parents from
enduring a similar tragedy led her to Washington. D.C. where she
convinced Georgia’s Congressman John Barrow to introduce the
“Anthony DeJuan Boatwright Act.” Last week, the House of
Representatives passed H.R. 1662 which recommends, but does
not require, that day care providers carry liability insurance. It
does require licensed day care centers to disclose to parents with
written notice whether or not they cany liability insurance and
how much.
“The fundamental benefit that this law could have on the lives
of millions of children who attend child care centers around our
country and the unsuspecting parents surpasses any comprehen
sion,” commented Jackie. “Child care should not be done hap
hazardly. Our children are our greatest commodity, and we owe
them our protection.”
“If these requirements had been in place when Jackie Boatwright
enrolled Juan in day care, a tragedy would have been prevented.”
said Rep. Barrow. “Parents need to know whether or not a day
care provider carries liability insurance. Jackie was lulled into a
false sense of security when she chose a state-licensed day care
Jackie
and Juan Boatwright
facility, and it’s just plain wrong that a day care facility would
accept responsibility to care for a child, but not accept the respon
sibility when they fail to do so.”
H.R. 1662 now goes to the U.S. Senate where Georgia Senator
Johnny Isakson has agreed to introduce the bill. If it receives Sen
ate approval, it will go to President Barack Obama’s desk where
it will be signed into law. Jackie Boatwright will then have single-
handedly changed the law across the United States.
“This law doesn’t benefit my son at all.” Jackie said. "I just
hope that it will prevent other parents from going through what I
did. I pray that no other mother or child in our country is deprived
of knowing the truth about the insurance status of their child care
center.”
Jackie credits her faith in God for the strength and courage to
face the ordeal of Juan’s accident and for her success in bringing
triumphant from tragedy.
“My faith was all that I had,” she said.
Jackie also extends a word of “thanks” to a special group of
local people.
“I want to say a special ‘thank you’ to Debbie Williams’ 2001
second grade class for all the inspiring letters they wrote me after
Juan’s accident. I still have those letters today because they mean
so much to me. I will never forget those kids,” she said.
Jackie and Juan currently five in DeKalb County where Jackie
runs her own company. Jackie Boatwright Enterprises. Juan, who
will celebrate his ninth birthday in July, is home schooled and has
reached what his mother calls a “milestone.” He is now a third
grader. In honor of Juan, the city of Augusta has renamed
Lincolnton Parkway, the Anthony DeJuan Parkway.
Unemployment
rate declines
By Deborah Bennett
Millen News Editor
A slight glimmer of hope has begun to shine through in the
local job market as the county’s unemployment rate dropped
February through April. The decrease, however, was not enough
to knock Jenkins County from the number one position state
wide for those months.
Statistics released by the Georgia Department of Labor indi
cate that the county’s unemployment rate in February was 21.0
percent, 20.2 percent in March; and 18.7 percent for the month
of April. Approximately 580 persons were unemployed dur
ing the month of February. This compares to 561 for the month
of March and 506 in April.
Hancock County took the number two spot statewide for the
month of April with a rate of 17.2 percent. Turner and Irwin
counties brought up the number three position with rates of
14.8.
The unemployment rates of surrounding counties for the
month of April were as follows: Bulloch, 8.0; Burke, 10.3;
Candler, 8.5; Emanuel. 9.1; and Screven. 13.1.
The state’s unemployment rate rose from 9.2 percent in
March to 9.3 in April. On the national level, the country’s un
employment rate rose from 8.5 percent in March to 8.9 per
cent in April.
Since the closing of the Jockey International plant in 2005
and MI Windows and Doors in 2007, Jenkins County has con
sistently held the number one and number two spots in the
state for unemployment rankings. Local leaders, however, stress
that they continue to work daily to bring additional jobs to the
county and they remain optimistic that their efforts will be suc
cessful in the future.
SCV #2102 to
dedicate marker
Buckhead-Fort Lawton Camp of the sons of the Confeder
ate Veterans will hold a dedication ceremony for it’s recently
installed commemorative marker at the UDC monument 3
p.m. Sunday. June 28. This marker is placed is recognition of
the monument’s 100 th anniversary.
The keynote address will be brought by Charles Kelly Bar-
row, commander of the Army of Tennessee of SCV Interna
tional Headquarters.
Refreshments will be served, and the public is invited to
attend.
More than $3M available through Recovery Zone Bonds
Congressman John Barrow an
nounced this week that the U.S.
Treasury Department has made
$25 billion in bond authority
available under the Recovery
Zone Bonds program. Of that
money, $32,375,000 will be avail
able to communities in Georgia’s
12th District. The total amount of
money available to Jenkins
County wifi be $3,782,000.
Recovery Zone Bonds were
created by the American Recov
ery and Reinvestment Act of
2009, which Congress passed and
President Obama signed into law
earlier this year. Recovery Zone
Bonds are targeted to areas par
ticularly affected by job
loss. They will help local govern
ments obtain financing for much
needed economic development
projects, such as public infrastruc
ture development, at lower bor
rowing costs.
“The availability of this money
can benefit our communities in
the short-term, and in the long
term,” said Barrow. ’’Right now,
it can put folks back to work,
which is the most important thing
right now. The work they’ll be do
ing will make improvements that
we’ll all be able to enjoy for years
to come.”
“Creating the conditions for
economic recovery requires ad
dressing the challenges facing
state and local governments,” said
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner.
“State budgets have been scaled
back and local services cut at a
time when they are most needed.
Turning things around requires in
novative strategies, which is what
the Recovery Act has provided in
the form of the Recovery Zone
Bonds. The innovative financing
tools provided by Recovery Zone
Bonds will help state and local
governments obtain the financing
needed to revitalize our commu
nities.”
The Recovery Act included $25
billion for two new types of Re
covery Zone Bonds - $10 billion
for Recovery Zone Economic
Development Bonds and $15 bil
lion for Recovery Zone Facility
Bonds. Georgia’s 12th District is
eligible to receive $ 12,950,000 in
Recovery Zone Economic Devel
opment Bonds and $19,425,000
in Recovery Zone Facility Bonds.
Recovery Zone Economic De
velopment Bonds are another
type of taxable Build America
Bond that allow state and local
governments to obtain lower bor
rowing costs through a new di
rect federal payment subsidy, for
45 percent of the interest, to fi
nance a broad range of qualified
economic development projects,
such as job training and educa
tional programs. Recovery Zone
Facility Bonds are a type of tra
ditional tax-exempt private activ
ity bond that may be used by pri
vate businesses in designated re
covery zones to finance a broad
range of depreciable capital
projects.
Junior Boys place second in
Lyons baseball tournament
The Jenkins County (JC) Rec
reation Department was well rep
resented May 30 in the 47 th annual
Lyons Junior Boys Baseball Tour
nament where the 13-14 year-old
brought home the second place
trophy.
The team squared off against the
Metter All-Star team in the first
game and easily defeated them 5-
0. Jake Knight, the winning
pitcher, pitched a shutout no hitter
against the Metter team with 10
strikeouts. The JC team did not fair
so well the second game, losing
12-2 to the Reidsville All-Stars.
Offensively the JC team struggled
while the Reidsville team domi
nated.
Reidsville’s win put the JC boys
in the loser’s bracket, and due to a
Soperton forfeit, the JC team once
again had to face Metter. The boys
easily defeated the Metter team 10-
3 led by pitcher Mitchell Thomp
son, who had seven strikeouts.
JC became the winner of the
loser’s bracket and would have to
face Reidsville twice to win the
tournament. The JC boys came on
sti'ong scoring first in the game but
the lead would not last long.
Reidsville jumped out in front of
the JC team in the second inning
and sealed their fate in the third
and fifth innings, winning 8-1.
Anson Calloway, director of the
Lyons Recreation Department,
presented individual trophies to
each team and encouraged the
boys to always be a winner in fife.
Lyons Recreation Department
hosts the largest youth tourna
ments in the state of Georgia. Over
the next month several other JC
teams will travel to Partin Park in
Lyons to participate in the tourna
ment.
Members of the Jenkins County Recreation Department Junior Boys team are, from left,
kneeling: Will Dasher, Trent Lindsey, Jared Orvin, Drew Allen, Donnie Gay and Cad
Davis; and standing: Justin Reese, Mitchell Thompson, Coach Toby Morris, Jonathan
Brown, D.J. Johnson, Will Griffin, Jake Knight and Coach Craig Griffin. (Photo contributed)