Newspaper Page Text
VOLUME CII- NUMBER XXXVIII
Times
Even the Associated Press
can make a mistake.
A clipping of an Associated
Press wire story published in
The New York %imes on Sept.
1 has been making the rounds
throughout Chattooga County
because of an unusual statistic
involving the county.
AP said the Census Bureau
had reported that Chattooga
was the 29th fastest growing
county in the United States
between 1980 and 1986. The
growth rate was listed at 42.8
percent during that six-year
period.
WRONG
“No, that’s wrong. It’s not
see TIMES, page 19-A
State Patrol Praised
Earp Says Retail Market Cause Of Drug Trafficking
The Georgia State Patrol
(GSP) will continue to have its
hands full fighting drug traf
fickinE] until society does
something to end the “‘tremen
dous retail market’ for the il
licit chemicals, the state’s top
law enforcement official said
Monday.
Col. Curtis Earp, commis
sioner of the Georgia Depart
ment of Public SaFeLy, outlin
ed some of the activities and
problems of the Patrol in an ad
dress Monday to the
Summerville-Trion Rotary
Club at The Tavern, Trion.
LAWMEN
Several area lawmen were
present to hear Earp, including
Chattooga Sheriff Gary
McConne%l, who is a member of
the Georgia Public Safety
Board; Summerville Police
Chief Arlen Thomas, Trion
Police Chief David Starkey,
The News’ Annual Survey
Chattooga Residents Asked To Score 21 Cate'gories
It's that time of the year
again.
The Summerville News this
week is ‘presenting its opinion
survey for Chattoo%a County
residents to complete on a
variety of issues and
institutions.
This year's form is the same
as the one used in the fall of
1986. It covers 21 issues.
Anyone who subscribes to the
paper or buys it on newsstands
may participate in the non
scientific sampling of opinion.
1983
The News first ran the
survey in the spring, 1983,
featuring 16 categories. It pro
ved so popular that it was ex
panded to cover more issues or
areas of interest. Five
catefiories of residents are
listed: county residents who
live outside any city or town;
Summerville, Menlo, Trion and
Lyerly residents.
The residencg categories
are not binding but they will
help in scoring the survey.
%‘hose responding are asked
to rate each category from one
to 10, with 10 being the
highest. For example, if you are
unhappy with your school, you
might want to give it a 3 but
if you are h.afipy with your
roads, you might want to %{ve
them an 8,9 or even a 10. The
same method should be used in
all categories.
NO PHOTOCOPIES
No photocopies of the
survey will be allowed. The
News also discourages mass
purchases of the newspaper in
an effort to ‘‘load' the
responses in any area. Be fair
No New Cable TV
R o --See Page 7-A
Che Summeruille News
Sl T I VT
- { A"
‘& o 2{ 2 { ,’ . Y ."‘ ‘ ( 5 .‘:{f
! i ? TR X W A ey
e Y Y - \ pie YRy ‘W T ‘
TR X A .e;' ¥ .f o e '
Bl eA s A ; g
WYL ; ; —
COL. EARP TALKS WITH LAWMEN, COURT OFFICIALS AFTER ROTARY MEET
: Al Palmour, Col. Earp, David Starkey, Arlen Thomas, Mike King
Trooper Mike King, and Sgt.
Joe Gossett, commander of
Rome Patrol Post.3B, which
gatrols Chattooga and Floyd
ounties. Other Patrol officials
from the LaFayette post and
from Patrol headquarters in
Atlanta also were present for
Earp’s address.
garp said he decided to
abandon his prepared remarks
about 30 minutes before leav
ing Atlanta by helicopter Mon
day morning.
DEA
The district director of the
federal Drug Enforcement Ad
ministration (DEA) that mor
ning honored 10 Georgia
troopers for their efforts in
fighting drug trafficking in
Georgia, the colonel said. Each
of the troo(f)ers had recently
confiscated more than 50
kilograms (over 31 pounds) of
cocaine or more than $50,000
to other folks who respond and
fill out only one survey per
person.
No more than two survey
forms (for a husband and wife,
for example) should be mailed
in any one envelope. If more
than two are included in an
envelope, the third one will be
: = ¢ o
= © P
1987 o| 2 g b o g 1 8 z -
Opinion Survey 3| 8 Eled a 2 g2l $lB | &1 D
‘ Er: IS E E)E L o B S S 21 3 2R el
&N2=O2oo0& 5 = = 2 = o - £ e
nDo)e==n=ga 2 = o o = 2 @ e > ©
RETURN TO: s 2| B Sl fete LEITITLESSGTE]I ST EE BT E TSNS
Opinion Survey & S 3 @ CT e © n 5 © € © E g 1 & o S 3 ¥ 9
The Summerville News " L 4 g 'g ® o < e g 2 ® w a @ 2 < K - o *E ©
P.O. Box 310 _ 3 © o £ s £ ° @ 9 8 2 2 2 @ E 5 > S = a §
Summerville, Georgia 30747 & S & - O & g| o a| » T 4 i = 01 S = | O 0168
e T L ET T
RESIDENTS SHOULD VOTE EACH CATEGORY AT TOP ON A SCALE OF 1:10, WITH 10 BEING THE HIGHEST SCORE
SUMMERVILLE, CHATTOOGA COUNTY, GEORGIA — THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1987
cash from drug-related deals,
Ears pointed out.
... Rather than discuss, every
agency within of the Public
Safety Department, the colonel
said he then decided to outline
some of the reponsibilities, ac
complishments and problems
of the Patrol.
While the GSP hasn'’t slack
ed off on its duty to J)atrol the
state's roadways, drug traf
ficking is ‘‘of great concern,”
Colonel Earp said. Cocaine
trafficking is of particular con
cern because ‘‘cocaine is
poison.”’
POISONING
Older members of society
are rreparing to turn the reins
of local, state and federal
government over to younger
people, he said, but the vast
quantites of cocaine pouring in
to the nation represents ‘‘the
poisoning of our society’’ and
thrown away and not
considered.
The forms may also be
dropped by The News office on
Rome Boulevard but no more
than two per person will be ac
cepted at one time. .
Comments are welcomed in
see SURVEY, page 19-A
Battery-Powered Truck
--See Page 1-B
of those people who will be ex
pected to assume leadership
roles in the future, . -
“'As of Aug. 15, the GS¥F
ranked first among the Stdte
police of all 50 states in infer
dicting narcotics on interstate
highways, Earl continued. As
of last week, the Patrol had
made 444 major narcotics
felony cases, seized about 1,300
kilograms (over 800 pounds) of
cocaine and $1,872,529 in drug
related cash, he said. It also
confiscated about one and one
half tons of marijuana.
COCAINE
A trooper last week con
fiscated $26.5-million worth of
cocaine, Earp iointed out,
while at almost the same time
on another highway, another
trooper intercepted $230,000 in
drui-related cash enroute back
to the distributor.
Georgia's troopers earned
the number-one rankin
without having a dru, tasfi
force or special units deiicated
to drug interdiction, Colonel
Earp emphasized. The drug
cases represent ‘‘troopers do
ing their jobs every day
statewide.”
While making the drug ar
rests and confiscations, the
GSP has not neglected any of
its patroling duties, Earp said.
It is making thousands more in
misdemeanor traffic cases than
12 to 15 months ago and more
felony cases than at anytime in
its history, the colonel pointed
out.
INDICATORS
Since last fall, the Patrol
see STATE PATROL, page 11-A
Powell Appeals Ruling
. Seeks To Overturn Court Order Favoring Wesson
Chattooga County Commis
_sioner Harry Powell has filed a
notice of appeal on a court rul
ing ordering him to iay abody
shop owner for work done on
count{;evehicles.
~ Albert Palmour, attorney
for Powell, filed the notice in
the office of clerk of court last
Thursday. Court officials said
earl¥ 'l‘uesdag' afternoon that
the filing fee had not been paid
so the notice had not been plac
ed on permanent record as of
that date.
STATE COURT
Powell would be appealin
to Chattooga State Cogr?tea ruf
ing by Chief Magistrate Albert
C. Kirby of Floyd County. Kir
b{ last Aui. 12 heard the case
filed by Larry Wesson of
Teloga against the commis
sioner. A ruling was handed
down in Wesson's favor on
Au%. 21,
t ordered Powell to pay
Wesson, who operates a body
shop, a total of $2,083 for
storage and for work done on
several county vehicles up to
more than a year ago.
» The controversy began in
the summer, 1986.
A sheriff's department
patrol car was damaged in a
traffic accident and after being
repaired’ by Wesson, was
P{Q@g&d in’ another wreck a
g-.t;:time later. Powell paid
P ion 894803 for repairs
“adeaiter one of the mishaps
sbut refused to pay the other
$804.50 ‘repair bill. Wesson
wouldn't let the county have
the car back until the bill was
paid and placed it in storage.
. NEW CARS
Commissioner Powell
bought two new white patrol
cars for the sheriff’s office last
fall and Sheriff Gary McCon
nell told Wesson to paint them
brown, the same color as all
other patrol cars. Wesson, on
McConnell's instructions, also
installed “‘cages’ and placed
sheriff's department decals on
both vehic?es. The commis
sioner also refused to pay those
bills.
At one point, Powell offered
to pay Wesson SI,OOO if he
would turn the patrol car over
to the county public works
department instead of Sheriff
McConnell. However, the com
missioner stopped payment on
the county check, saying that
the car hadn't been turned over
to the county by his deadline.
Wesson filed suit against
Powell in Chattooga
Magistrate's Court.
Jon Payne, chief magistrate
for Chattooga, then asked Kir
by to hear the case.
ORDER
The Floyd magistrate
ordered Powell to pay Wesson
$1,604.50 for repairs and work
done on the wrecked patrol car
and the two new cars, as well
as $435 for storage and $43.50
court costs. Kirby cut
Wesson's storage bill in half,
s‘:]ying ‘“to some degree,
(Wesson) was a participant in
the dispute that resulted in his
initiating storage, and
therefore, in fairness to the
county, must compromise on
the question of storage.”
Wesson at the time indicated
Powell Writes ‘Hostile’
Letter To Head Of DCA
Asks DFCS To Keep J;zry Foreman ‘At Home’
Harry Powell, Chattooga
County’s lone commissioner,
complained at least twice this
summer to state officials about
what he perceived as personal
attacks against him, 'lfi News
has learned.
Powell wrote an angry let
ter to Jim Higdon, commis
sioner of the Georgia Detpart
ment of Community Affairs
(DCA), after Higdon had
spoken in Chattooga about the
noed fi p!‘(E?BSSWE Jlocal
leadership in Georgia. Powell
included a copy of an editorial
from The News with his letter.
PULL FOREMAN?
The county commissioner
Chattooga Child
Abuse Increases
The number of child abuse
cases in Chattooga County in
creased dramatically in
'August, pushing the county’s
already high rate to a record
level so far this year.
The News reported last
February that the child abuse
rate in the county fell
dramatically from 1985 to 1986
but that it was ‘“‘severe’” in
comparison with the state
average.
A total of 155 child abuse
referrals was investigated by
the Chattooga Department of
Family and Children Services
(DFCg) in 1986, an average of
almost 13 per month, accor
ding to DFPCS records. That
was down from the 185 cases
probed in 1985 and the 181
Prison Contract
--See Page 8-A
satisfaction with the overall
ruling.
The body shop owner was
out of town on vacation earlier
this week. However, The News
has learned that Powell sent
Wesson a letter last week say
ing he wouldn’t abide by Kir
by’s order.
also aiparently attempted to
get the employer of the
ebruary term Chattoog:
Grand Jury foreman to pull t
foreman off a Jury investiga
tion of Powell, The News
learned.
A ‘“‘new breed” of local of
ficials is needed in Georgia if
pr(:igress is to be made, Higdon
told the Summerville-Trion Og
timist Club on Aug. 7.
L. . Bickering g;qc;:g
particularly between city and
county governments has
created a poisoned atmosphere
hardly conducive to growth or
new investment,”’ Higdon also
Special Report
By The News
CHILD ABUSE
cases reported in 1984.
INCREASE
But during the first nine
months of this year, the DFCS
has already investigated 168
child abuse cases, or an
average of 21 per month. If
that trend continues, a total of
252 referrals will be probed in
the county by the end of this
year.
PRICE 25¢
WRECKED
The 1983 Ford patrol car
that was wrecked twice last
summer had been bought late
in the spring: 1986 by Sheriff
McConnell from the state of
Georgia for $2,500. At that
time, the sheriff was authoriz
ed by Powell to make such pur
see APPEAL, page 11-A
said. l;:vev;fll;s x;{ame was never
menti y Higdon.
A news accougd of Higdon's
speech was published in the
Aug. 13 edition of The News.
An unsigned editorial in
The News on Aug. 20 quoted
Higdon’s remarks about city
county bickering and asked,
““Harry Powell?"’ That was the
only direct reference to Powell.
Later in the editorial, the
mspa%er sa;id, “Chattooga
as a few good leaders
MISINTERPRETED
“The commissioner
see POWELL, page 11-A
Using methodology
developed by the Georgia Ex
tension Service to determine
the extent of a county’s abuse
problem, The News é,etermin
ed that Chattooga’'s rate was
7.09 per 1,000 people in 1986,
a drop from 8.46 in 1985. The
1984 rate was 8.28 per 1,000
peo'Fle.
he Extension Service said
a rate of 5.32 to 9.44 would be
‘‘severe.”
If the 1987 average holds to
the end of the year, the coun
ty’s rate would be 11.78, which
could be the highest in the
state.
DROPOUTS
The county already is noted
see CHILD ABUSE, page 10-A’