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PAGE 2A THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2, 2008 A look back at the JANUARY •After months of discussion, meetings and objections from some citizens, the Banks County Board of Commissioners approved a rezoning request for Joe Craven’s Diamond C Ranch property just outside of Maysville. Clear Creek Communities of Atlanta will develop the property into a large, upscale residential and commercial community. •The Maysville City Council voted 3-2 to approve its new city charter and send it to the legislature for approval. There was disagreement among the council members about whether city elections could be won with less than 50 percent of the vote. •The Baldwin City Council approved water plant upgrades. •The Banks County Board of Commissioners finalized the location for the new county administrative building. While original plans were to locate the new facility in downtown Homer, the location will instead be on Thompson Street on the property referred to as the Banks County Farm. •Banks County High School students excelled on the Georgia High School Writing Test taken this past fall as 96 percent of the students taking the test passed. The school outperformed the state average, as well as the average of other local systems. •Neal Brown was named to continue to serve as chairman of the Banks County Board of Education. •Banks County Elementary School third grade teacher Wendy Fuschetti’s class was awarded a $1,000 grant for the implementation of its “Feathered Friends Furnishings” project. •The Banks County Sheriff’s Office received a $103,800 state grant to be used to purchase computer equipment for patrol cars. •The Paul Rucker murder trial got under way in Banks County with four people, Torrell Young, Roderick Cooper and Carla Simmons being charged. All three were found guilty of murder. Donald Murphy Jr. had pled guilty earlier and agreed to testify against the others. •Baldwin city manager Betty Harper gave notice that she would resign after serving the town for seven years. •Former Baldwin police chief Lamar Clark was recognized for his 34 years of service by the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police. •An 56-year-old Alto man was struck and killed by a train. •The Maysville City Council approved a $190,758 budget. •Rep. Jeanette Jamieson was named to serve as chairman of the ways and means policy committee. •The BOC cleared the way for Metrosite, a company which constructs communication towers, to locate in the county. The BOC agreed to rezone the property in the industrial park for the project. •The BOC gave tax penalty power back to the tax commissioner. FEBRUARY •The three people found guilty in the Paul Rucker murder were sentenced to life in prison without parole. •An Alto couple is facing multiple charges after a resident heard children crying in the woods during the early morning hours when the temperature was in the 20s. •A dedication ceremony was held at Banks County Elementary School, which is in its first year. •Dixie Moore was hired as the Baldwin city clerk. •The BOC, BOE and Homer City Council held a joint meeting to discuss growth issues related to the county. •Eight citizens filed a lawsuit over the Craven rezoning. The lawsuit stated that the PUD is an “abuse of governmental power.” •The Banks County Chamber of Commerce presented the “Citizen of the Year” award to Chris Erwin and the “Entrepreneur of the Year” awards to Sam McDuffie and Mike Duncan. •Homer city officials announced plans to seek a “Tree City” designation. •Banks, Habersham and Rabun coun ties formed a joint development author ity. •The Alto City Council approved a $443,000 budget, which is up 24 percent over last year. •The Lula City Council created a Downtown Development Authority. •Plans for the Homer streetscape were presented at a public hearing. •A team of attorneys already working on other salmonella food poisoning cases in Georgia filed a lawsuit on behalf of a Banks County man who became ill after eating peanut butter. •Banks County officials are in pre liminary talks with Lanier Tech for the possibility of constructing and operating a truck driving school in the area. •Banks County Head Start teacher Sarah Carlan was recognized as the Head Start Support Staff of the Year for the eight states in the region. MARCH •An undercover investigation by the Banks County Sheriff’s Office led to the closing of a health spa off of Hwy. 441 and I-85 for charges of prostitution. An undercover officer was offered various sex acts in exchange for money. •Jennifer Dalton was named the Banks County High School STAR student. •The Georgia Attorney General’s Office is doing an “internal review” to see if a full investigation into the Piedmont Judicial Circuit district attorney’s office is warranted. The move comes following a two-month investigation into the office by The Jackson Herald, a sister newspa per to The Banks County News. •Banks County leaders traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with con gressmen and senators on the needs of the county. •The BOC pulled the business license of CoCo Spa following an undercover investigation at the business. •Banks County High School senior Ashley Blevins died after a wreck on Hwy. 98 in the county. •Three local children were recognized at the state capitol as heroes. Rachel Anderson, Commerce, and Gus Galloway and Nick Parrish, both of Baldwin, were recognized at 911 Hero Day. •The memory of Doug O’Neal was honored with a procession prior to his funeral services. O’Neal was a member of the Banks County Fire and EMS for more than 20 years. He died following a sudden illness. •Jackson County Sheriff Stan Evans called for a state investigation into the financial dealings of district attorney Tim Madison, who serves Banks, Jackson and Barrow counties. •Maysville approved a streetscape plan. •Best Health Spa was cited for not hav ing a Georgia license. No illegal activities were reported at the massage therapy business. •A Banks County Grand Jury recom mended the BOC hire two additional deputies and a new van to transport inmates. The recommendation came after an unannounced inspection of the county jail and sheriff’s office. •The Baldwin City Council applied for a $500,000 Community Development Grant for water, street and drainage upgrades. •The Baldwin City Council named assistant police chief Shawn Rhoades as the city’s new code enforcement officer. APRIL •The 48th annual Garrison egg hunt was held in Homer. •The Georgia Bureau of Investigation confirmed that it began an official inquiry into financial questions surrounding the district attorney’s office. •Randy Failyer was named the county finance director. •The BOC agreed to increase water connection fees. •A grand opening ribbon-cutting cere mony was held at the Lodge at Hammer’s Glen in Banks County. •Banks County commissioner Joe Barefoot called for the form of govern ment to be changed to a five-member board. •Thousands of people attended the Little League opening ceremonies in Homer. •A Jefferson woman died after jump ing from a moving county ambulance on Hwy. 441. She was being transported in a Banks County ambulance from the Banks Crossing area. •Community volunteers in Alto and Baldwin turned out for a day of beauti fication. •Maysville Baptist Church moved into a new sanctuary. MAY •Banks County Sheriff Charles Chapman appeared at the BOC budget hearing to ask for more money for addi tional deputies, jailers and investigators. •An Athens area filming crew was at the historic Banks County courthouse in Homer to tape a pre pilot they hope to sell to a major cable network. •Preliminary planning continues for Banks County’s new administrative building, which has an estimated com pletion date of late 2008/early 2009. •A Banks County School System bus carrying second graders home after a field trip to the Atlanta Zoo was involved in an accident. No serious injuries were reported. •Linn Jones, wife of district attorney Tim Madison, resigned from the DA’s office where she served as victim ser vices director. Assistant district attorney Nick Primm also resigned. Meanwhile, a state probe continued into the district attorney’s handling of public funds. •Leaders of the Banks County Convention and Visitors Bureau began looking at Hammer’s Glen as the pos sible site for its office. •Banks fire/EMS workers were sent to South Georgia to assist and support firefighting efforts against the wildfires there. •Alto adopted the Banks County 911 addressing system. •An open house was held in Maysville for the new police department. •The Baldwin City Council agreed to have city attorney David Syfan send letters to all property owners who owe back taxes to the city for the years, 2003, — Year in Review — •Baldwin agreed to begin handling its own building inspections. •Voters turned down a referendum for Sunday alcohol sales by a 792-453 vote. •The drought led to tougher water restrictions being put in place by the Alto Town Council. •Four area attorneys, Ben Free, Rick Bridgeman, Donna Sikes and Brad Smith, applied for the district attorney’s seat. •Shawn Smith, a former Banks County High School student-athlete, was killed in a car wreck in Alabama while he was driving high school basketball players he coached from a weekend camp. •Due to the extremely dry and drought conditions, the Homer Fire Department cancelled the annual fireworks display. JULY •A public hearing was held with citi zens speaking in favor of a proposed new BJC Medical Center. A crowd of about 75 people attended with several speaking in favor of the $37 million new hospital plan. •A change in the form of government for Banks County was again placed on the table for discussion. The BOC held a work session to continue discussing a possible change in the number of com missioners from three to five. •The Homer Town Council approved the low bid of $587,993 from ASJ Associates Inc., Monroe, for the town’s downtown improvement project. •Baldwin city clerk Dixie Moore was fired after allegations of misappropriation of funds surfaced. •The Baldwin City Council presented plaques of recognition to two children, Karlee House and Maddox Lewallen, on their heroic efforts in saving Karlee’s brother, Taylor, from drowning. •The Banks County BOE approved a $2 million bond resolution. •The BOC approved a $13.7 million budget. •The BOC voted to install a six-inch water line in the area of Hwy. 105 in order to upgrade the water service offered. •Brandy Kyle was named as the city clerk in Baldwin. •Banks County Probate Judge Betty Thomas spoke at a commissioners meet ing and said she is concerned about the number of citations that are being issued by the Georgia State Patrol during rounds in the county. •School leaders announced that two new programs are planned for the school year. The JROTC program and Driver Education/Simulation will be added to the schedule for interested students. •The Banks County School System Cellular Center a Verizon Wireless premium retailer is the place to go You get knowledgeable sales people, a great shopping experience, and free phones after rebate and new 2-year contract. FREt free f a Motorola W3Q5 LGVX 8350 i ru* '.vT INSTANT REBATE Free with Mail-tn HeftatS on new Z-year agreement rale on new Z-yfw agreement pians 539=09 and up’ tiilQ plans 539,90 arid up" VGA i. 1.3 Megapixel carnota Bluetooth Capable Bluetooth Capaite Chaperone Pgfoni'QTiid Cnapgrane Paiwil/uhfid Get II Now V Cast Muse A Video Capable VI Navigator Capabfu v7 N.^wrjalqr Capable Banks County headlines from 2007 2004, 2005 and 2006. According to city records, a total of $62,627 is owed for these years. •Baldwin hired Kyle Reising, Watkinsville, as the new water plant supervisor. •Ed Tolley, attorney for district attor ney Tim Madison, notified the gover nor’s office that his client intended to resign June 4. Once the governor accepts Madison’s resignation, a series of steps will take place to find a replacement DA until the next election. •Some 125 students graduated from Banks County High School in gradua tion ceremonies at the football field. •A Memorial Day program was held in the park in downtown Homer. •Two bridge repair projects have been approved by the Georgia Department of Transportation. Bridges to be repaired are located on Damascus Road over the Middle Ford River and Yonah Homer Road over the Hudson River Tributary. •The Banks County Development Authority sold 10 acres to Scott Ledford of Metrosite Fabricators of Lula. •More than 200 acres was annexed into the city of Lula and zoned as agricultural following action by the city council. •BJC Medical Center, with a 20-acre donation of land by Chatham Holdings Corporation, will seek local govern ment backing to build a new $37 mil lion new hospital. David Chatham, president and chief executive officer of Chatham Holdings, an Atlanta-based development firm, has offered to donate to BJC Medical Center 20 acres of its 266-acre tract located between Old U.S. 441 and U.S. 441 on the north side of Commerce. JUNE •Immigration and Iraq were topics at a local forum for candidates in the June 19 election. •The BOC met with state Rep. Jeanette Jamieson and state Sen. Nancy Schaefer to discuss changing to a five-member board of commissioners. •Plans to locate a family fun center in Banks Crossing were approved by the BOC. •The annual kids’ fishing rodeo was held at Hammer’s Glen in Homer. •The BOC held another meeting to iron out details for the 2008 fiscal year bud get. After spending another four hours studying budgets for each of the county’s departments, the BOC appeared close to finalizing a budget to present to citizens in a public hearing later this month. •A new zoning map and ordinances were approved by the Maysville City Council. announced that it had received 100 per cent on the Adequate Yearly Progress. •A clean up effort is under way at the city park in Gillsville. •David Syfan was announced as the new attorney for the city of Alto. •The 130th Sunday School Celebration was held in the downtown park in Homer. •The Lula City Council recognized Jimmie and Ernest Couch and Jo and Earl Evans for volunteerism. •The Banks County Development Authority approved a $5,200 bid to install a chain link fence around the detention pond at the Industrial Park. AUGUST •School officials began preparations for a new school year with 2,773 students expected on the first day of class. •The first meeting of the Banks County Entrepreneurial Friendly Initiative Program was held with officials with the state economic department speaking. Thirty countians will serve on the eco nomic planning team. •The Banks County Board of Education approved a $33 million budget for the new fiscal year. •While officials of BJC Medical Center are anxious to receive support from Banks County officials when it comes to construction of a new facility, com missioners agreed to take a wait-and-see approach. •Developer Terry Carr appeared before the Baldwin City Council for the second time to present plans for a proposed development on Duncan Bridge Road and Hwy. 23. The council asked Carr to submit additional plans for their review on this project. •Baldwin approved fire contracts with Alto and Banks County. •A break-in was reported at the Chevron station in Homer. During the same week, the theft of a vehicle from Anderson Auto Sales in Homer was reported. •The Gillsville City Council approved the low bid of $20,000 from the Jaegar Company in Gainesville to do the design work for a new street improvement proj ect in the town. Plans include walking trails and other improvements to the downtown area. •Rick Bridgeman was named the new district attorney for the Piedmont Judicial Circuit. •Approximately 1,000 tires were brought to the Banks County Parks and Recreation Department as part of a Keep Our Mountains Beautiful Project. •Plans to locate a Comfort Suites hotel off Hwy. 441 near Banks Crossing were approved by the board of commission ers. •Expenses related to the new police department led to budget concerns for the Town of Alto. The council agreed to cash in a $20,000 CD to help cover costs until tax revenue comes in for next year. •The Banks County School System has already seen an increase of 211 students from the end of the 2006-07 school year to the beginning of the 2007-08 school year. •Former district attorney Tim Madison was indicted on multiple felony theft counts by a Banks County Grand Jury. In addition, the grand jury also indicted Madison’s wife, Linn Jones Madison, and a former Banks County assistant dis trict attorney, Brett Williams, on multiple felony counts related to allegations of financial thefts while all worked for the Piedmont Judicial Circuit district attor ney’s office. •Randy Lynn Rylee, 47, was found dead by his sister in a small trailer he was residing in on Carson-Segars Road. SEPTEMBER •Former Piedmont Judicial Circuit district attorney Tim Madison, as well as his wife and a former assistant dis trict attorney, turned themselves into the Banks County Jail on charges related to financial misconduct while they served Banks County. •The debut album of Echoing Angels, a local Christian band, began to gain national and international notice. •The Banks County Planning Commission denied a request from a health spa owner to locate in Banks Crossing. •The Banks County assessor’s office began their verification review program to ensure that all business personal prop erty in the county will be valued uni formly. Traylor Business Services Inc. was hired to review the personal property of businesses in the county. •The owner of Atlanta Dragway announced plans to upgrade the race strip at Banks Crossing. •The Baldwin City Council voted unanimously to award Allen Pipeline, Clarkesville, the contract on the B.C. Grant Road water line extension. Allen Pipeline submitted a low bid of $200,000 for the project. •A male suspect robbed Regions Banks at Banks Crossing. Banks County 911 received the call at 3:24 p.m. on a Monday that a robbery had just occurred at the bank. As the investigation began, it was learned that the suspect was not armed as originally believed. •The Banks County Board of Commissioners approved a settlement in a lawsuit filed by a group of con cerned citizens over the Craven rezon ing. The civil action was filed in Banks County Superior Court and pertains to the rezoning of 230.56 acres owned by Joe Craven on Hwy. 52 and Bold Road in Banks County. The property was rezoned from ARR, Agricultural Rural-Residential to PUD, Planned Unit Development District. The settlement calls for the county to maintain Bold Road until a new road is built or for at least five years. •A committee has recommended to the Banks County Board of Commissioners that it allow citizens to vote on a change in the county’s form of government. The committee is comprised of various county and citizen leaders. •Lula Downtown Development Authority members elected officers and adopted its bylaws. Jim Grier was elected as chairman, Teresa Myers as secretary and Barbara Moore as treasurer. Other members of the group are: Nita Miner, Clinton Pruitt, John Schwartz and Vicky Chambers who is the Lula City Council representative. •The Lula City Council received a $4.2 million GEFA loan. This loan will be used to help fund the proposed $6.3 mil lion wastewater treatment plant project. The new wastewater treatment plant will be located on Hwy. 52 at Hwy. 365. The new plant will have an 8,000 acre drain age basin. The site contains 27 acres, but only four acres will be developed at this time. The first phase of the plant will provide 380,000 gallons per day of sewer capacity. continued on page 7A Cellular Center verbortwireiess Prwmlunr JMjiiUwr Your neighborhood wireless store Commerce Hwy.441S H05 706-33^9821 JenCF5 0 n IJS-1Z9 SffiA-HS 5 rn Pender^ass Rd. 706-387-0653 Citi nmn-rararn dhri. altar SL«J mal fcn rr.rzn- atnOT apptfrnrta Acwoton lea lot i'A- F5K-- lb*- crccndTt -rmiy inoa P iff MPUttfAHr COfcSJMbH Isl L'FMV UK c Lfiird hi fww CtpHip'M’ A.j-' \ i:mU ' | • I- $1 7fi * -r y r«"ii> j iri (h*, .4 i fT*r ■ F r^< I - Awn A .ihm.kiu Y*fVrtj liy *Mv< m n ff nwyiisi iM >m I dwiPH "i*i' uA LniiBd *• ur cn i taatg -VJ Utr pytMIv. ww Kxxf LA - Avowed If tv Vwvcri WnAiaa FREE Samsung SCH-uAIO Samsung Free with Mail-in Rebels 5 CH-1/340 rtn new ?-yeaf agreement rate j&sn® 539-99 and up' Fres with Mail-in Rebate on new Sf-yoar agreement VGA CfliTtOfa Uiu'j’Dcil! 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