Newspaper Page Text
Indians Win Tourney
.-See Page 15
VOLUME CI — NUMBE: = &
Drought, Powell Controversies Top Headlines
(Editor’s Note: Following is
a digest of the news events in
Chattooga County by month
for the period of January
through Jfine, 1986. A conden
sation of the final six months
of 1986 will be published in
next week's edition of The
News).
* * *
JANUARY
* Barbara Jean Padgett
Smith, Lyerly, was killed after
a fight witi her husband,
Milton Reuben Smith, who
then turned the gun on himself.
* A local group hoped to
save the Summerville Junior
High complex for public use
gfl:el:r a new middle school is
uilt.
* Chattooga County of
ficially took over operation of
the ambulance service on New
Year's Day.
* Two men were charged by
Summerville police after the
allegedly threw water on U. g,
Football Games,
Food Highlight
1987 Festival
Chattooga Countians today
joined with Feople all over the
world in celebrating the new
year of 1987.
A large number of party
goers enjoyed traditiona‘]) New
Year's Eve get-togethers
Wednesday evening. Several
area organizations had plann
Powell Taken
To Hospital
Chattooga County Commis
sioner Harry Powell was
undergoing tests Wednesday
at Floyd Medical Center,
Rome, after being taken to the
facility Tuesday night by the
Chattooga County Ambulance
Service.
Center officials initiall
refused to say whether Powefl
was at the hosFital Wednesday
but later confirmed that the
commissioner was a patient.
They said Powell had re
uested that no information be
3isseminated on his condition.
However, The News has
learned that Powell was
undergoing medical tests.
A Rome radio newsman
was at the hos%ital Tuesday
night and saw Commissioner
Powell being admitted for
treatment of what was
reported to be a heart condition
or possible pneumonia.
However, a diafnosis had not
been made Eub ic Wednesday
morning. The commissioner’s
wife, Elizabeth, was at the
hospital.
Bowell was hospitalized in
March and May, 19%6. at Red
mond Park Hospital, Rome,
suffering from a cardiac
condition.
e
REP. CRAWFORD
The Summerville News
Highway 27 during sub
freezing temperatures.
* Prominent Summerville
businessman and civic leader
John Bankson died in a Rome
hosgital.
CHattooga County Com
missioner Harry Powell an
nounced plans for a lawsuit to
regain county ownership of
property deeded to the (Fhat
tooga Hospital Authority by
former Commissioner Wayne
“Pete” Denson. It was never
filed. :
* An unscientific sampling
of opinion indicated that 55
percent of those responding
were opposed to a state prison
being built in Chattooga Coun
ty. ’Fhe same percentage also
indicated support for a five
member board of
commissioners.
* James Stephen Mason,
son of Mr. ans Mrs. Gary
Mason, was the first Chat
tooga baby of the new year.
* Incumbent Hoyt
ed to sponsor dances and other
events while some residents
hosted friends and neighbors
at their homes. It was also a
time for family get-togethers.
Some churches in the coun
ty sponsored watch-night ser
vices with preaching, singing
and graying as the new year ar
rived at a second past mid
night. Many churchgoers en
joyed early morning breakfasts
following the services.
DUI DANGER
Local and state law enforce
ment officers earlier this week
urged residents not to drink
alcoholic beverages and then
drive during the holiday period.
The Georgia State Patrol has
gredicted that eight people will
e killed and 371 injured in 942
accidents before the period
ends at midnight today.
Referring to accidents dur
ing the 1986 New Year's
period, Col. Curtis D. Earp Jr.,
Georgia public safety commis
sioner, said more than half the
deaths and almost half the ac
cidents involved drunk drivers.
“On this basis, we obviously
will make drinking and driving
a priority for enforcement,”
said Colonel Earp. He also urg
ed the use of seat belts.
Chattooga Sheriff Gary
McConnell, gummerville police
Chief Arlen Thomas and Trion
police Chief David Starkey also
pledged that their departments
wouFd be on the lookout for
speeders and drunk drivers in
an effort to reduce the danger
of traffic deaths, injuries and
accidents.
TRADITION
A lot of Chattooga
residents today will enjoy a
traditional Southern New
see FOOTBALL, page 9-A
CRAWFORD ON 1987 SESSION
QBE, Tort Reform To Face Legislature
(Editor’s Note: Following is
an interview with Chattooga
County State Rep. Johnny
Crawford, Lyerly, agout the up
coming session of the Georgia
General Assembly. The 1987
session will convene at 10 a.m.
Monday, Jan. 12, at the State
Capitoly Atlanta).
Wi
Q. What are some of the
major issues you expect to
come before the (.E:eneral
Assembly in 19877
A. QBE (Quality Basic
SUMMERVILLE, CHATTOOGA COUNTY, GEORGIA — THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 1987
JANUARY-JUNE, 1986 ROUNDUP
Williams and Larry Stansell
were elected to Council seats in
Trion. Incumbent Recorder
Deck Brewster is narrowly
reelected. :
* The Chattooga County
Board of Education borrowed
$250,000 to pay on a $500,000
loan.
* Menlo continued its
discussion of a sewerage
system for the town.
* Summerville's City Coun
cil agreed to study ways to ex
pang the city limits and even
tually abolish the city's proper
ty tax. ;
* Tax Commissioner Hugh
Don Hall said tax collections
were ‘‘about normal’’ through
the Jan. 10 deadline. ;
* Police were searching for
a robber who hit a convenience
store on the Lyerly Highway.
* A flu-like illness swept
through the Chattooga and
Trion school systems.
* [t was announced that
former Chattooga High coach
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Staff Photo By Kay Abbott
LAURA BRIGHT, 18 MONTHS, READY FOR NEW YEAR
Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Mike Bright, Trion
Deficit On Menlo Bids Rises
Apparent low bids for
Menlo's proposed sewer
system and wastewater treat
ment plant have turned out to
be $677,000 higher than had
been expected.
That estimate of the over
run is $92,000 more than the
previous high estimate and
$142,000 more than
preliminary figures arrived at
during the bid opening last
Dec. 16.
It had appeared that the
Education Act), the ‘‘no-pass,
no-play,” making the state in
come tax law conform with the
federal law, tort reform, discus
sion of a state water manage
ment policy, a gasoline tax and
parimutuel betting.
* * *
Q. Do you think there’ll be
any cutbacks this coming year
in the state budget, or just not
as large of increases?
A. We won't have any cut
backs. There won't be the in
creases (of last year) and there
New Landfill Sought
.-See Page 3
Thomas C. Jones would be
warden at a proposed new state
prison at Pennville.
* Sheriff Gary McConnell
announced that Chattooga
ranked 13 out of Georgia's 159
counties for the number of ar
rests for driving under the in
fluence of intoxicants (DUI).
* Trion's City Council
voted to buy a 155-acre tract
for use as an industrial park.
* Summerville 'accepted a
low bid to build a speculative
buildin% in the city's new in
dustrial park.
* Seventh District Con
%l‘(:‘SSl]‘lan George ‘“'Buddy”
arden discussed a balanced
budget during his speech to the
annual meeting (??the Chat
tooga County Chamber of
Commerce.
* Chattooga Countians
reacted with horror to the
space shuttle Challenger
tragedy.
* Snow dusted the county
lightly during the latter part of
bids were $535,000 over the
available amount of money for
the projects at the bid opening.
One later estimate put the
overrun as high as $585,000.
Menlo Mayor Theresa
Canada said she had been
notified of the higher figure in
a letter from Herb Barnum of
the city's engineering firm in
Rome.
Additional grant funds are
expected to be sought from the
emergency fund of Gov. Joe
won'’t be new programs. We're
probably talking about a five
or six percent growth and last
vear it was 14 percent.
W h e
Q. What action do you ex
pect the General Assembly to
take during the upcoming ses
sion on &e Quality gasic
Education (QBE) Act?
A. It's still got to be fund
ed and there's some changes to
be made. I know one change
that we're going to make is in
the special education program,
the month.
FEBRUARY
* Commissioner Harry
Powell indicated his
displeasure with operations of
the ambulance service, which
the county took over on Jan. 1.
Powell said he was disturbed
about the payroll and the
number of employees on the
staff.
* Mrs. Betty Wollstein was
named executive director of the
Chattooga County Hospital
Authority, succeeding Steve
Johnson, who resigned.
* A Summerville couple
said they were attacked by a
dog at the Chattooga works
camp when they went to see
about getting chert for their
driveway.
* Sheriff McConnell denied
claims of a former employee
who last December ffie({ a
lawsuit against the county's
top lawman after he was
dismissed by McConnell.
Frank Harris. the Appalachian
Regional Commission, private
sources and a federally funded
Community Development
Block Grant, Mrs. g)anadu
said.
FmHA LOAN
In addition, Joiner Smith,
district loan specialist for the
Farmers Home Administration
(FmHA), from which the city is
already obtaining the bulk of
see DEFICIT, page 9-A
which is already pretty well on
that it will be funded. Another
thing that will be looked at is
the scheduled increase from
four to five mills of tax on local
effort. A lot of rural counties
would like for us to postpone
that increase. A lot ofethe
faster growing areas like Gwin
nett County are having trouble
keeping up with classroom size.
They can't build fast enough to
keep up with the requirements
in the new bill and 1 think
there'll probably have to be
FIRST BILLING CYCLE
Fire Protection
Plan In Effect
Some problems may arise in
implementing a subscriber
based fire protection system
for non-city residents in the
coming weeks, Summerville's
Mayor and Council indicated
Tuesday morning, but the pro
gram was to be placed in effect
as planned.
Several members of the
Council, Mayor Sewell Cash
and City Manager Grady
McCalmon met informally with
Summerville firemen and the
news media Tuesday to res
pond to questions about the
subscriber plan for county
residents outside the cit
limits. Fire protection also wifi
be providers automatically for
non-city residents who are
served by Summerville's
utilities.
The program was to have
fione in effect at 12:01 a.m.
ew Year's Day.
COMPUTER
A computer listing city
utility customers and
subscribers was installed in the
Summerville Police Depart
ment adjacent to Fire Depart
ment quarters Tuesday after
noon. Computer technicians
were working on the program
Wednesday morning.
A concensus of views arriv
ed at during the informal
discussion Tuesday seemed to
be as follows:
* The Summerville Fire
Department will back up the
Menlo, Lyerly and Trion Fire
Departments, as well as the
Cloudland and Subligna
Volunteer Fire Departments, if
they desire assistance.
* Residents of Lyerly and
some adjustments made for
that. Those are just a few of the
big things I think will be taken
care of in QBE.
ROl
Q. What does it look like
the issues will be in regard to
tort reform or insurance
reform?
A. It was right interesting
to me when I was down at the
University of Georgia for a
seminar and the chairman of
the governor's tort reform task
force said that the recommen
Local ‘Drugbusters’
--See Page 9
* The News learned that
the county had paid a Dalton
accounting firm a secret settle
ment in late 1985 after the firm
had filed suit against the coun
ty the previous summer for
non-p;flyment of a bill.
* Menlo's City Council
abolished its one-of);icer police
department.
*A U.S. Federal Court
jury cleared Sheriff Gary
McConnell and several
deputies and jailers of brutali
ty charges filed by Robert De
wayne Thompson. The civil ac
tion took an unusual twist
when attorneys for the coun
ty's insurance carrier indicated
that Commissioner Powell's
cooperation with Thompson's
attorney might cost the coun
ty $60,000. :
" *The Chattooga Board of
Education restored sick leave
benefits to teachers.
- * Summerville's City Coun
cil failed to abolish its recrea
tion board.
Menlo served by Summerville
utilities will not be billed
automatically for fire protec
tion and will not be covered by
the Summerville Fire Depart
ment unless they subscribe
separately. Summerville ex-
Recreation Fees
Next On Agenda?
Charging non-city residents
for use of recreation facilities
and programs is on the agenda
to be discussed at next Tues
day's meeting of the Summer
ville Recreation Board.
The ?lanel will meet at 6
p.m. at the Recreation Center,
Bolling Road.
It voted at its November
meeting to institute a system
of fees to be charged county
residents outside the city limits
of Summerville if Harry
Powell, Chattooga commis
sioner, didn't continue helping
fund the recreation program.
Ralph Stanley, recreation
director, estimated at the time
that 72 percent of the depart
ment's participants were in
dividuals who reside outside
Summerville.
ELIMINATION
Commissioner Powell had
told various city and county
dations they make would make
very little if any difference in
insurance rates. The main
reason for the sudden increase
in premiums is the insurance
com%anies aren't getting as
much money on their in
vestments, along with the in
crease in medica? costs. These
are the two main reasons, ac
cording to unbiased people
who've studied it. There are
some tpeople who say that to
keep from g‘et’.tin%l into these
ups and downs in the insurance
PRICF 20c¢
* Tom Moreland, commis
sioner of the Georgia Dggrt
ment of Transportation (DOT),
approved a number of proi'lects
for the city of Summerville in
1986.
* Chattooga Rep. Johnny
Crawford announced plans to
introduce legislation to create
a five-member board of com
missioners, subject to voter
approval.
* General Telephone Co. an
nounced a number of im
provements for its Chattooga
County system.
* A planned roadway from
U. S. Highway 27 to the site of
a proposed state prison at
Pennville hit a temporary sn':g
due to some unanticipa
DOT requirements.
* A computer voting
system was viewed by county
officials but no action was
taken.
* Trion school and city of
ficials debated the issue of a
see DROUGHT, page 6-A
pects the volunteer fire depart
ments in both cities to be first
responders to such fires. City
Manager McCalmon said those
are the only exceptions to the
automatic coverage planned
see FIRE, page 5-A
agencies last summer that the
county would be unable to con
tinue funding after 1986
because of the anticipated
elimination of federal Revenue
Sharing. «.
The federal program was
eliminated as expected and the
final payment to the county
came last fall. Stanley reported
at the Board's November
meeting that Powell had paid
an nstallment of $6,250 that
fall for recreation services.
Although the county lost
more than $200,000 in Revenue
Sharing by the end of 1986,
Powell raised county taxes by
more than $300,000 in 1986.
The commissioner has said the
county has a massive debt to
be retired and that is the
reason he is unable to devote
more local funds to various
programs.
g)unty records indicated in
see RECREATION, page 5-A
cycle that they shouldn’t be
allowed to reduce the
premiums when interest rates
are high. That would cut out
the cycle but it would cost the
consumer more. I think that
several insurance reform bills
will be introduced but as far as
something that will actuall
l(i»lwer rates, I ggn‘t thinz
there's going to anything
down thgre (itlanta) thg?s go
ing to do that.
see QBE, page 7-A