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VOLUME CVII — NUMBER XI
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Staff Photo By Tommy Toles
SUPT. DON HAYES (C) POINTS OUT SLASHING LOCATION
Sgt. Dan Young (L), Sheriff Ralph Kellett Inspect Scene
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Staff 'hoto By Jason Espy
INV. CHIP WHITLEY (R) TALKS WITH CHS TEACHERS
Floor Of Room 5 Spotted With Victim's Blood
ER Care Costs Increase
Employee Fired For Hitting Patient
By TOMMY TOLES
Editor
Chattooga County
Hospital's emergency medical
service, already a perpetual
money-loser, will cost at least
$34,000 more to operate during
the coming year than in the
past 12 months, the hospital’s
U.S. 27
Pact Due
Friday
A contract on the widening
of U.S. Highwag; 27 from
Taylors Ridge to mmerville
&l”fiafille tone awarded frr:
y eorgia 4
ment of TrmporutionD&Tb
in Atlanta.
Headrick Construction Co.,
Summerville, submitted the
e Pty e
s t morning.
REL’ autered s bid of
$1,664,596.85. The contract
calls for widening the highway
from two to three lanes and
widening the bridge over the
Chattooga River south of Sum
o
to be renovated is
1.756 miles, the DOT said.
C. W, Matthews Construc
we USZI page TA
Accident Deaths
. --See Page 3-A
The ummerville News
governing board learned this
week.
In another financial blow,
the Hospital Authority also
received disappointing reports
that combined hospital and
Oak View Nursing Home
operations lost money in
January and netted only
$1,129 in February.
The authority Monday
night also was told that one
Oak View employee had been
fired for striking a resident of
the nursing home. Other issues
brought to the panel's atten
tion at its Februar{ meeting by
the i)atient's family have been
resolved, the authority learned.
WALKWAY
In other matters, the
authority:
* Awarded a contract to a
Summerville com(gany to build
a walkway and drive-through
carport at the front of the new
nursing home addition.
* Noted that an aiplication
will be filed this week to seek
matching funds to solve the
drainage problem in front of
the ho:rital and nursing home
along ifl’dmd Street between
Farrar Drive and Stockade
Road.
. Deci:tied,ttl:) wrmmw its
agreement with a privaje com
y and transfer housekeep
fl'.: services for the hospital
and nursing home to an in
house operation.
* Reviewed -:d quality
to
B e s
minister fluids to patients
automatically.
Dan Sweitzer, executive
director of the hospital and
nursing home, said Spectrum
Emergency Services Inc., St.
' © Copyright 1991 By Espy Publishing Co., Inc. — All Rights Reserved
SUMMERVILLE, CHATTOOGA COUNTY, GEORGIA — THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 1991
Louis, Mo., had proposed rais
ing its hourly rate from $39.74
to $43.63, effective next
Monday.
The hos%ital's choices were
to accept the increase or ter
minate the contract with Spec
trum and lose the services of
the facility's emergency room
doctors, Sweitzer said. The
$3.89 per hour hike represents
an increase of $34,000 per year
for 24-hour, hseygn-day
emergency room physician ser
vices.gehe %dded. -
*I don't know that we can
absorb $34,000- a year,” said
Eugene McGinnis, authority
chairman.
EXPECTED
He obtained rates from four
other companies last year but
found that Spectrum was the
lowest, Sweitzer said. “A 10
percent increase was about
what 1 was expecting,” he
added.
“1 still wish the county
would helg us with this ser
vice,” McGinnis said.
“*Wishes, wishes . . . "' add
ed Dr. Hugh Goodwin, another
authority member.
McGinnis doubted that the
hospital could obtain the ser
vices of emergency room doc
tors any cheaper than that of
fered by iSlrectrum. “but pay
ing the bill is the problem.”
1 don't think we have any
option but to give them the
amount they have requested,”
Sweitzer said. The emergency
room is the only hospital
department that loses money,
he added.
Dr. Goodwin s:f?ested
that Sweitzer and McGinnis
approach Chattooga County
see ER CARE, page 16-A
Special Olyinpics
_ --See Page 1-B
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Staff Photo By Jason Espy
STRETCHER PREPARED FOR CHS YOUTH
Principal Rodney Allred (L) Helps
CHS Calm After Slashing
Student Survives Knife Attack In Hallway Monday
By TOMMY TOLES
BUDDY ROBERTS
AND JASON ESPY
Classes had returned to
near-normal at Chattooga High
School by mid-week after one
student was critically wound
ed in a hallway by another stu
dent Monday afternoon.
Chris Hardin, 16, 1422 Dry
Valley Rd., Summerville, was
repor{ed in “satisfactory’ con
dition at 10 am. Wednesday in
the intensive care unit of Floyd
Medical Center, Rome.
Hardin suffered two slash
wounds, said Chattooga Coun
ty Sheriff Ralph Kellett. The
first gash ran from behind Har
din's left ear to under his chin.
The second gash was across
the youth's left ear and cheek.
CHARGED
David Williamson Jr., 17,
Summerville Rte. 4, was charg:
ed with aggravated assaull
HE IS RISEN ...
... Services To Celebrate Christ’s Resurrection
Christians in Chattooga County will
pause Friday and again Sunday to observe
the holiest days of the vear —the death,
burial and resurrection of Christ almost
2,000 years ago.
Numerous services have been planned
by churches throughout the county.
A Maundy Thursday service will be
held at the First United Methodist Church
of Summerville at 7:30 p.m. today, follow
ed by a Good Friday service at 7:30 p.m.
Friday. ‘
A church sunrise service will be held at
6:30 a.m. Sunday at Camp Hamby.
CROSSES
Sunrise services will be held at 7 a.m.
Sunday behind Dry Valley Baptist Church
at the site of three giant crosses erected on
a hillside.
The Rev. Tommy Evans, pastor, will
speak while George Richey and Melissa
Adams will present a trumpet duet during
the service. Other singing will also be
featured.
The church will present its cantata at
the 11 a.m. service Sunday.
The church erected the three crosses
behind the church about two weeks ago.
They are spotlighted at night. The center
cross features a giant crown of thorns and
a purple robe. One of the crosses at the side
features a white robe across the cross bars,
representing the thief who refinted of his
sins and was told by Christ that he would
be with Him in paradise.
PRESBYTERIANS
Holy week will conclude with an 11 a.m.
after the incident. It occurred
between 1 and 1:15 p.m. Mon
day during the 10-minute
break between the fourth and
fifth period classes.
Afihough Williamson is
black and Hardin is white, law
enforcement personnel, school
officials and other students
said the incident did not appear
to be racially motivated.
Emergency Medical Techni
cians with the Chattooga
Emergency Medical Service
were first on the scene after the
incident occurred. Officers
l.ydia Robertson and Othell
Stone arrived at 1:14 p.m.
Monday, followed by Sheriff’s
Invs. ¥’. R. Hill and Chip
Whitley and Sheriff Kellett.
School Superintendent Don
Hayes had just arrived back in
his office from a trip to
Calhoun and immediately went
to the high school. -
NORMAL
By Tuesday, classes ap
peared to be back to normal
with students and faculty talk
ing in hushed tones about the
incident.
Sunday worship service at the First
Presbyterian Church of Summerville, PCA,
Rome Boulevard.
The Rev. Robert Valentine, who has
served as an interim pastor, will deliver the
resurrection message as his final sermon
here before the arrival of the Rev. Donald
Howe.
“One Holy Passion,” an Easter cantata,
will also be presented during this service.
It will focus on the gospel —the death,
burial and resurrection and promise of eter
nal life in Jesus Christ. The adult choir will
Rgrform the cantata under the direction of
ichard Mac Lagan, minister of music.
The public is invited.
TELOGA
Beersheba Presbyterian Church,
Highway 337, Teloga, is planning a full
weekendy both for the corfirefi:tion and the
community. The Rev. Archie Davis, in
terim pastor, will lead a service at 7 p.m.
Good Friday where participants will
observe the Last Supper as it might have
been when Jesus broE: bread and served
wine to his 12 disciples.
A Sunday morning sunrise service will
be led by Mr. Davis at Macedonia
Cemetery at 6:30 a.m.
The cfloir will present the musical, “*Vic
tory In Jesus,” during the 11 a.m. worship
service at the church. “This musical is a
reaffirmation of the victory exgerienced
through our risen Lord. It is a celebration
of triumph, an instrument of praise, an
acknowledgement of faith and a proclama
tion of freedom in Jesus Christ!"" said the
see HE IS RISEN, page 15-A
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Staff Photo By Jason Fspy
BLOOD-STAINED SHOES OF VICTIM SET OUTSIDE ROOM
Sixteen-Year-Old Student Critically Wounded
Principal Rodnéy Allred
and Assistant Principal Bill
Bryant said absenteeism was
slightly higher than normal
Tuesday. Some fl;«lrents may
have kept their children home
Tuesday, Allred said, but other
students may have stayed out
of classes because of testing
and spring weather. About 50
more students were absent
Tuesday than is usually the
case, Allred said.
Absenteeism at CHS
Wednesday morning was down
by about 30 stufents from
Tuesday and all was still quiet,
according to Bryant.
Tuesday was ‘‘super
peaceful,” Allred said. He
noted that supervision was
bolstered Tuesday, ‘‘more than
you can shake a stick at.”” One
law enforcement officer remain
ed on campus all day and two
others showed up between
classes. Summerville Police,
the Chattooga Sheriff's Office
and the Georgia State Patrol
had a significant presence at
the school as sc%ool buses
unloaded Tuesday morning
and as they reloaded that
Officer Healing
.-See Page 9-A
afternoon. ¢
WATCHFUL
Allred said he doesn’t ex
pect any further incidents of
the kind that occurred Monday
“but we will be ever-vigilant.”
Random acts of violence are
almost impossible to prevent,
he said, ‘‘but we'll take action
once it occurs and be more wat
chful.”
Hayes blamed an incident
in California for the violence
Monday. ‘... What brought
about all this foolishness is
that blamed thing out in
California,” he said. Hayes
referred to an incident in which
Los Angeles police officers
beat a suspect on a street,
while the beating was recorded
on a video camera without
their knowledge. But Hayes
added, ** ... don't think it's
a black and white deal.”
DISPUTE
The cutting apparently
resulted from a continuing
disagreement between
Williamson and Hardin
throughout the year, Allred
.: 3 ; '\;.
\“' ‘ .‘
hey |
Staff Phot
CROWN OF THORNS, PURPLE ADORN CROSS
Christian Symbol Behind Church
STILL
ONLY
25¢
said. Just prior to-the incident,
Hardin had left the fourth
period class taught by Rebec
ca Tomlin to go to the
restroom, Allred said. On his
way out of the classroom, Har
din “playfully” patted William
son and several other
classmates on the back of the
head, Allred reported.
When Hardin returned, Ms.
Tomlin discussed his behavior
and the youth apologized to the
class, the principal said. The
bell rang for the break prior to
the fifth period class and **3o
seconds later in the hallway,
everything exploded,” he
continued.
Students and teachers
heard cursing in the hallway
and then Williamson allegedly
pulled out a folding knife with
a three and one-half inch blade
and began slashing at Hardin
next to the hall lockers in Hall
A, said Sheriff Kellett. Blood
began pouring from the gash in
Hardin's neck and splattered
on several students, lockers
and the hallway.
see CHS CALM. page 8-A