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VOLUME XCIV NU •X ^«®Z Happy New Year 1 • ®\ - a x e ®\ /^®®®^sr-si® ® S m r\ «? 6^ W x® toBbL'A £r ®@Z—<^ ■ ilwi* (C a \ u WA 5 ^\Wy \ / // «.Wi f/AW fSUnf jL .O^X/1 ' W f" / w >wA /w-mh ’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 f ki,?" t, / A S Ba / Ba >/ JI al ■ 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.