Newspaper Page Text
VOL. 116 NO. 49 Millen, Ga. 30442 LEGAL ORGAN OF JENKINS COUNTY SINCE 1903 Wednesday, June 7, 2023 • 750
Transportation turmoil - trucks and trains
DEBORAH BENNETT
Millen News Editor
(Editor’s note: This is part one of a
3-part series.)
For city and county residents,
blocked railway crossings by Norfolk
Southern trains are just an everyday
inconvenience. For truckers traveling
through the city and county, however,
it is a job-stopping occurrence that
affects their incomes.
Kenny Clarke, owner of By-Pass
Transport Inc. on the Millen Bypass,
has a fleet of 40 trucks that usually
travel locally, and he has in place
a plan that reroutes most of them
to avoid the long delays caused by
blocked rail crossings.
“But, these truckers that come
through here from out-of-town can’t
do that. They don’t know how to do
it. And, they can’t go through Millen
and use the overpass. They will get
a ticket. (Due to weight limits) The
only streets they can legally travel
in Millen are Winthrope Avenue and
Masonic Street as far as Winthrope
Avenue,” he said.
Clarke noted that truck drivers are
only allowed to drive 14 hours the first
day and 10 hours after that.
“I’ve seen the trains stop on the
tracks for up 14 hours out here,” he
said.
Clarke explained that the truckers
log into their rigs electronically when
they start the day, and when they have
logged the allowed hours, whether
driving or sitting at a rail crossing,
they are done for the day.
“So, when the train finally moves
off the tracks, they have to pull over
and stop if they have reached the
allowed hours they can drive. They
can’t drive any more until the next
day,” he said.
He called attention to the fact that
truckers don’t have the option of
an alternate route through Millen,
because the train is usually on the
tracks in town if it is on the tracks at
the by-pass.
Clarke also expressed his opinion
that the long lines of trucks on both
sides of the by-pass crossing is a traf
fic hazard.
“I have seen trucks lined up, double
lane, all the way from the crossing out
onto Hwy. 25 and up the southbound
lane. Motorists traveling south can’t
see them until they top
the hill, and on the other SEE
side of the tracks, I have TRAIN,
seen the trucks lined up 7
Kenny Clarke, owner of By-Pass Transport Inc. is shown with a stopped
Norfolk Southern train in the background, a common occurrence on the
Millen By-pass.
Jenkins County Medical Center
SET TO OPEN NEW FACILITY
Jenkins County Medical Center’s new facility is set to open at end of month.
Jenkins County Medical Center (JCMC) is set
to expand its Outpatient Therapy Clinic at the end
of June. The building will not only increase the
square footage of the outpatient therapy area but
also offer office space to specialty physicians and
public health testing.
“We were awarded funds to improve healthcare
access and infrastructure at JCMC. We have out
grown our current therapy space and needed to
improve the resources we offer our patients and
the community,” stated Antoine Poythress, CEO
of JCMC. “Patients need viable options where
they live to receive treatment, vaccines and spe
cialty physician services.”
The funds to build the new space are part of
the American Rescue Plan act. The design of the
grant was for prevention and mitigation of CO-
VID and to enhance healthcare infrastructure for
rural hospitals. The grant was for all hospitals
licensed with the Georgia Department of Com
munity Health.
The addition of three medical offices and
suites will allow JCMC to invite specialists from
other areas to see the patients where they live.
Patients can do follow up care in a timelier man
ner and continue to recover without the burden
of traveling out of town. JCMC plans to bring
medical services including Pain Management,
Cardiology, Orthopedic, and Urology to Jenkins
County. In addition, JCMC will continue to serve
patients more efficiently by setting up testing and
screening sites for public health issues like the
flu and COVID .
You ask; we get the answer!
DEBORAH BENNETT
Millen News Editor
Occasionally, the newspaper is
asked questions from concerned
citizens about a community issue
or problem. You want the answers,
and we will try and get them for you
through the proper channels of com
munication.
This week, we received the same
question from several citizens who
just received their property tax evalu
ations.
“Why did my property
taxes go up from last year?”
We sought the answer from the Jen
kins County Board of Tax Assessors.
This is their reply.
“Regarding Notice of Assessments,
the notices mailed out in May are
to inform the taxpayer what the fair
market value of their property is. The
estimated tax on the notice is just that,
an estimation of what your taxes may
be. It is based on the previous year’s
millage rate, which may fluctuate
from year to year.”
“According to reports received
from the State of Georgia since
2020, fair market values on homes
in Jenkins County have been on the
rise. The Tax Assessor’s office must
value properties to reflect these in
creases of market value. In an effort
to be in compliance with the State of
Georgia’s Rules and Regulations, the
Jenkins County Board of Assessors
determined that the fair market values
for all residential improvements need
to be raised.”
“This was a difficult decision for the
Board of Assessors to make knowing
it was going to be a hardship on the
citizens by raising values by such a
large amount. Without this increase,
the county could have state funding
withheld which in turn would raise
taxes even more for the citizens of
Jenkins County.”
“If you feel that the value placed
on your property is too
high, whether it is real
or personal property,
you may file an appeal
SEE
YOU ASK,
3
MPD arrests 3 on drug and gun charges
DEBORAH BENNETT
Millen News Editor
On Friday, June 2, Millen Police
Department officers responded to a
call concerning two masked individu
als exiting a truck in the area of Beale
St. and Toby Drive. While investigat
ing the incident, officers heard shots
fired in the area.
During a search of the area, officers
observed two suspects matching the
description given by witnesses. One
suspect fled into the woods. The sec
ond suspect was taken into custody at
the scene and found to be armed with
a semi-automatic pistol with the barrel
still warm from being fired.
That suspect was identified as
Maliek Juan Quentine Davis, 23 of
Augusta. He was taken into custody
without further incident. Charges
against Davis are felony possession
of marijuana, possession of drug re
lated objects, possession of a firearm
during the commission of a felony,
aggravated assault and discharging a
firearm in the city limits.
Following the arrest
of Davis, officers went
to a residence on Old ARRESTS,
Sylvania Road and ar- 3
Maliek Jauan Quentine Davis Jeffery Harris Rene Harris
