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VOLUME XCIV NU
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’7 9 Newsmakers Reviewed
Here's a roundup of the important news
events of 1979 in Chattooga County. The first
six months are covered this week; next week’s
installment will cover the balance of the
year.—Editor
* ♦ ♦
JANUARY
* Miss Rachel Nicole Hawkins, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. John Hawkins of Teloga, was
the first Chattoogan born in 1979. She was
born at 6:27 a.m. Jan. 1 at Floyd Medical
Center.
* An estimated 200 people jammed the
Courthouse Tuesday, Jan. 16, for a public
hearing to get community reaction to a preap
plication the city and county governments
planned to submit for a federal grant of
$500,000 to develop an industrial park. The
grant was later turned down by the U. S.
Department of Housing and Urban Develop
ment. The application ranked 92nd out of 96
communities seeking federal funds.
* The water in the well drilled on Leroy
Massey 's land by the City of Menlo was found
to contain too high of a bacteria count to be
suitable for public use. The City was granted
$30,000 to supplement the city’s existing
water supply.
* The Allgood house, once the oldest house
in Trion, was demolished to make room for
more housing.
* Kathryn Camp was elected by the Chat
tooga County Hospital Authority to fill the
unexpired term of Norman Bryant. Kris Con
nelly was appointed as the authority's at
torney to replace Joseph "Bo” Loggins, who
had been appointed to the Superior Court.
♦ Mrs. Lucille Gamble Espy, the wife of
the former publisher and owner of The Sum
merville News, passed away Tuesday, Jan. 23,
at Floyd Medical Center.
FEBRUARY
* A head-on collision near Menlo claimed
the lives of two Alabama teen-agers and in
jured three others, including a Menlo man.
• The News published a special in
vestigative report focusing on the details sur
rounding the disappearance of local resident,
Foy Mae Brady, in the late 19505.
* Garner Fabrics Inc., a local firm, pur
chased the old Montgomery Knitting Mill in
Summerville.
* The U. S. Corps of Engineers issued a
preliminary sketch of the Town Branch widen
ing project and announced its construction
contract is scheduled for award in the spring
of 1980, if it wins city council approval. The
City has yet to formally adopt the project.
• Sheriff L. D. Ragland defended his policy
of allowing some convicted prisoners in the
county jail to occasionally operate
automobiles and other county equipment, a
situation which drew criticism from the Chat
tooga County Grand Jury.
• The county was reminded that winter
time is still alive and well here when some 6 in
ches of sleet and snow accumulated in one
weekend.
♦ Beth Ware of Trion and Jon Wyatt of
Summerville were selected as STAR students.
STAR teachers were Mrs. Donna Herring of
Summerville and Danny Strickland of Trion.
* Two local dentists urged fluoridation of
water in the county. A survey taken by The
News indicated that most county residents
©he ^ummeruille New
favored fluoridation. A committee was ap
pointed to evaluate the costs and procedures
involved in fluoridating the water supply. The
City of Summerville later voted to include
fluoridation in its water project.
MARCH
* Bobby Lee Throneberry was appointed
as the new administrator of Chattooga County
Hospital to replace John Boatwright, who
resigned to accept a job with J. L. Todd Auc
tion Co. of Rome.
• Warner S. Hale was named Farmers
Home Administration supervisor for Chat
tooga County. He replaced Willard C. Jones,
who was transferred to the LaFayette FmHA
office.
* Some 5.22 inches of rain was dumped on
the county in one weekend, causing flash
floods.
* Tax Commissioner Larry Durham resign
ed his post to accept a position with Trend
Mills in Rome. In a special election, Jerry
Money was elected to fill the unexpired term.
He was unopposed.
♦ The Town of Trion and a group of citizens
filed a complaint against Clear-Vu Cable Inc.
seeking an injunction to prevent the cable
company from continuing its three-channel
blackout to Trion cable TV subscribers. Clear-
Vu took the action beginning Feb. 1 after rate
increase negotiations broke down. The Trion
Town Council and Mayor under a franchise
agreement must approve all rate increases.
Clear-Vu said it took the action to save money.
Town officials charged the blackout was aim
ed at pressuring the council and mayor into
giving up its rate setting powers. Later the
Superior Court granted the order which Clear-
Vu appealed to the Georgia Supreme Court.
The order was upheld unanimously and on
Dec. 13 the blackout was lifted.
• Miss Annie Pitts’ 100th birthday was
celebrated by Summerville First Baptist
Church during the morning worship hour and
an afternoon reception at Oakview Nursing
Home.
* Chattoogans began feeling the effects of
the curtailment of Iranian oil as "Out of Gas"
signs began popping up at several local gas
stations.
APRIL
* A heated debate over an employee's pay
cut dominated the monthly meeting of the
Menlo City Council. The controversy concern
ed a motion to cut City Clerk Mary Hum
phrey’s salary by 6 percent. Ms. Humphrey
resigned and Mrs. Pat Shipley was hired to
replace her.
* A half-million dollar federal lawsuit was
filed against Sheriff L. D. Ragland and two
former deputies stemming from alleged im
proprieties in connection with the search of a
15-year-old Chattooga girl two years ago. The
suit is still pending.
* The Cnattooga County Follies was held
at the Summerville Junior High School
Auditorium. This year's theme was
"Nashville Sounds—Then and Now." A large
crowd turned out for the annual event.
MAY
* The Chattooga Linebackers Club
presented its annual rodeo and traditional
rodeo parade through downtown Summerville.
(Continued On Page 3)
APRIL
SUMMERVILLE, CHATTOOGA COUNTY, GEORGIA 30747, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1979
Amoco Leasing Mineral Rights
On Thousands Os County Acres
Amoco Oil Company has
leased mineral rights of
thousands of acres of Chat
tooga County in recent weeks,
several local attorneys con
firmed here.
According to Jim Bowie,
an independent oil lease
broker out of Shreveport, La.,
his company is representing
the large oil company as it
Lyerly Election Is Postponed
The Lyerly city election
has been postponed until Jan.
14 due to the fact that the
election date set a week earlier
isn’t in compliance with the
town charter, according to Ci
ty Clerk Gwen Bentley.
The election was originally
set for Jan. 7, but according to
the charter the election must
be held the second Monday in
January.
Crawford: Ga. House Passage
Os Farm Tax Break Bill Is Likely
By TOM KIRWAN
State Rep. John Crawford
said in a recent interview a bill
he is sponsoring, which if ap
proved would reduce the tax
burden of small farmers
through Georgia, has a good
chance of winning the
necessary two-thirds majority
in the Georgia House during
the 1980 session.
The bill, if adopted by the
General Assembly and signed
into law by the govern >r
would mandate that much of
Georgia’s farmland be taxed
on use value rather than the
current system of fair market
value.
Crawford said the bill is
“designed to protect small
farms" from seeing the valua
tion of their property soar
because of speculation. The
bill, he said, is aimed only at
helping the small family
operated farm and excludes
large corporate operations.
"The principals must be ac
tive in the farm’s operation,”
he explained.
The bill provides that
qualified farms be a minimum
of 10 acres and grow at least
SI,OOO worth of crops annual
ly. The bill excludes hor
ticulture and timber opera
tions.
According to Crawford, 43
states give small farmers pro-
Ktax relief similar to what
ill he is proposing would
allow.
Crawford needs 120 votes
on the House floor for
passage; he said last Thurs
day he has already collected
119 signatures as co-sponsors.
"If those who have signed
don't shift, I think it will
pass,” he said. "I have talked
to some legislators who sup-
Center Turns Newsprint Into ‘Logs’
The clients of the Chattooga County Training Center for the
Developmentally Disabled have found away to recycle
newsprint, keep people’s homes warm and earn some spending
money all at the same time.
The project, dubbed "Hot Log," involves two classes at the
center where old newspapers are being rolled, specially treated
and tied into paper logs.
In all, some 15 clients in the men and women’s classes at the
c® nte r are working on the project. They plan to market the
“logs’ locally and profits will be divided for spending money.
Mary Young, program supervisor at the school, explained
Thursday that the center started the program because the staff
wanted to get clients into adult-vocational activities.
“We are hoping the project is lucrative and they will be able
to earn some spending money," she continued. "It makes them
feel good about themselves and what they are doing.”
Instructors Len Finster and Violet Murdock oversee the
work, noted Mrs. Young, who called the operation "amazingly
simple."
'The clients are almost independent doing it," she said.
Two log rolling machines were bought from Sears &
Roebuck. 'Hie machines are simply metal troughs with a long
double rod. The rod is coated with burned motor oil (to make it
easier to slide off the finished log) and newspapers are inserted
between the rods. With a wooden handle, tne rods are turned
slowly. The process allows the paper to be wound tightly, which
helps the log to last longer when burned. Following the unit’s
directions, a small amount of detergent is added to the water,
presumably to help it pack more solidiv. Also added to the
water are three tablespoons of copper sulfate, which when burn
ed creates a blue-green flame in tne fireplace.
The log rolling operation is a combined effort, with students
each assigned to a task-one feeds the winder, another turns the
crank, another mixes the water, and another cuts the paper, for
example.
Much of the paper used in the process was donated by The
Summerville News in the form of end rolls of newsprint. The
rolls are cut and then hung on dowels over the log rolling
machines to facilitate quicker production, a device designed by
center director, Louise McCollum.
After the tight, wet log is taken off the rods, it is bound with
(Continued On Page 3)
spends thousands of dollars to
le^o the mineral rights on
acreage in northwest Georgia
aad northeast Alabama.
According to local at
torneys, basically only the
owners of large tracts of
land—soo acres or more—are
being contacted about option
offers. Under the standard of
fer, Amoco buys a mineral
The office of mayor and
five council seats are up for
grabs. As of Wednesday, no
one had qualified for any of
the positions, said Mrs.
Bentley. The qualifying
deadline is Monday at 6 p.m.
Persons wishing to qualify
should contact Mrs. Bentley.
The new officials will take
office on Jan. 15.
port it but don’t want to co
l sign the bill.”
I Currently the bill,
• HBIOB6, is being studied by
: the House Ways and Means
i Committee, where Crawford
I said the bill has drawn some
> opposition, but he added he
’ believes there is “too much
I support in the House for the
measure not to allow it to
i come to the floor for a full
1 vote."
« While he is confident the
!. measure would pass in a full
I House vote, Crawford said he
। is uncertain how the bill would
fare in the Senate. "I feel like
there will be some support in
the Senate, although it’s hard
to tell when you’re talking
about another body.”
Another bill Crawford said
he is considering to sponsor is
a piece of local legislation that
would increase the county’s
commissioner salary to
$19,600 from $15,000. He
noted that the General
Assembly recently increased
the annual salary of the
state’s sheriffs to $19,600.
“The county commissioner
has a major responsibility,”
said Crawford, "and it's only
fair that he be paid on the
same basis (as the sheriff).”
BUDGET, TAXES
Crawford, who has in re
cent weeks been preparing for
the opening of the General
Assembly in mid-January,
predicts the state budget and
taxes will be the focal point of
the 1980 session.
He noted that state
government employees and
Georgia teachers are deman
ding pay raises, adding "it
looks right now that we’re not
going to have the money to
deal with the raises (at the
lease for one year at $3 per
acre, with an option to renew
the lease at a dollar an acre for
each of the next nine years. If
oil is found, the property
owner would be given a
percentage.
“As it stands now, we’re
here (in northwest Georgia)
for an indefinite period,
though in this business things
can change quickly,” Bowie
was quoted as saying in
yesterday's LaFayette
Gazette. “As long as I’m here,
I ’ll be buying leases, and the
company has given me a sum
of around a million dollars to
buy with.”
He said the company is
seeking oil, natural gas and
other liquid hydrocarbons in
the area and that the lease
option arrangements for
potential test-drilling sites.
Independent brokers have
been in the area since this
I summer. Parts of eastern
level) they’re requesting.”
But he added that there
might be a “rebellion” in the
General Assembly, that a ma
jority of the legislators
“might not follow the gover
nor and leadership’s recom
mendations and may give the
teachers and employees more
than has been recommended.
“It’s a question this year of
whether the legislators will
stick with the leadership,” he
said.
He added that proposed in
creases in welfare payments
are bound to draw controver
sy as the state budget is for
malized.
Crawford said he is confi
dent the current local option
sales tax legislation in force
Trion Election Nears
The Trion election is a
week away with eight )
residents running for five city
offices, including mayor, city
recorder and three council
seats.
Incumbent Mayor Jake
Woods is opposed in his bid
for re-election in the Jan. 3
election by Councilman Don
nie Hayes.
In the race for the three
council seats, incumbents
Hoyt Williams and Don
Henderson are running for re
election. Also in the race for a
council seat is Steve Dyer, a
former Trion policeman, and
Doug Wilson, a former city
recorder.
Last week’s paper er
roneously reported that
Williams and Henderson are
unopposed and that Wilson
and Dyer are vying for the
111
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■ l V ,
Teamwork Produces ‘Logs 9
Mike Payne (L-R), David Dawson,
Harold Wooten and Frank Harris work
together making newspaper logs last
Alabama have been heavily
leased already, as well as
parts of Walker, Dade,
Catoosa and Chattooga coun
ties.
The reason for the interest
in the area is that a vein of
hydrocarbons—coal and the
like—along the Georgia-
Alabama state line is an in
dicator that liquid hydrocar
bons may be present also. As
a result, some test-drilling
may be worthwhile.
According to a local
realtor, several years ago oil
was discovered in the
Subligna area, but apparently
it was so deep that it would be
difficult and expensive to ex
tract. But with the gasoline
crunch deepening, such hard
to-get oil is becoming increas
ingly more attractive.
“There has been very little
exploratory drilling in this
area in 25 years,” according to
Bowie. “But the small.
will be set asideby the courts,
leaving the General Assembly
to grapple with the thorny
issue of what mechanism to
use to keep tax revenue at or
above current levels.
The General Assembly, as
a result, is bound to focus this |
year on whether to adopt
another local option sales tax
bill or to go another taxing
route. Increasing state taxes
to 4 percent has been the most )
widely-mentioned avenue.
Such £ tax would probably be I
returned by population to the
counties, with revenue ear
marked for education, allow
ing school taxes to be rolled |
back.
“Assuming you don’t in- I
(Continued On Page 3)
same seat. In fact, all four j
men are in the race for the
three council seats: the three i
highest vote getters will win
the posts. The error in last i
week's paper was the result of
the fact that Trion uses the
plurality election system in
stead of the much more com
mon majority election pro
cedure in which runoff elec
tions are used when no can
didate nets a majority of
votes.
In the race for city
recorder, incumbent M. D.
Brewster is opposed by Carl
“Chesty” Ragland, a former
council member.
Brewster was appointed
earlier this year to replace the I
late Tom Grubbs.
The election will be held at
Town Hall in Trion next I
Thursday from 7 a.m. until 7 j
p.m.
week. A special device allows newsprint
to be tightly wound and treated before
beintr hound with wire.
PRICE 20 c
wildcat drillers couldn’t go as
deep as the larger companies
with the top-of-the-line equip
ment.”
He added that he doesn’t
know when, if ever, test
drilling might begin. That’s
not his job, ne said, and his on
ly goal is to sign up as many
large property owners as he
can.
(Jh attoogans Will
See A Tax Slice
Trimmed In*Bo
Federal excise tax on
telephone service will be
reduced again in 1980, as it
has been in each of the last
eight years, according to Ken
neth McPeak, Summerville
District service manager for
General Telephone Company.
McPeak said that the
federal tax on local and long
distance service had been at 3
percent during 1979, but will
be reduced to 2 percent effec
tive Jan. 1.
The U. S. Congress
enacted legislation in 1970 to
reduce the tax by 1 percen
tage point each year until it is
eliminated on Jan. 1, 1982.
The excise tax on
telephone service was first im
posed as a “temporary”
measure during World War I.
It was repealed briefly after
the war, but was reinstated
during the depression and has
continued ever since.
McPeak said that from
1954 to 1971 the tax stood at
10 percent, but in earlier days
it had been as high as 15 per
cent on local telephone service
and 25 percent on long
distance calls.
The tax reduction will
amount to 10 cents of each
10 dollars on telephone bills.
New Year’s
Closings Are
Set Here
Local city, county and
state offices will be closed
Tuesday for the New Year’s
holiday.
The Summerville City Hall
and Recreation Department
will be closed Tuesday in
observance of the holiday.
Offices in the county cour
thouse will also be closed for
the holiday Tuesday.
Trion Town Hall and Trion
Community Center will both
be closed to celebrate the holi
day Tuesday. Garbage nor
mally picked up on Tuesday
will be picked up on Wednes
day.
All post offices will also be
closed Tuesday.