Newspaper Page Text
Sports: IB
Gridiron Leopards to
hold spring game
Community: 3A
Cancer survivor
of the week
May 14,2008
The Banks County News
504^ Homer, Banks County, Georgia 30547 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. • mainstreetnews.com • 22 Pages, 3 Sections Plus Supplements • Vol. 39 No. 40
Lula Railroad
Days coming
up Saturday
The 32nd annual Lula Railroad
Days festival will be held Saturday,
May 17.
The festival begins with the parade
down Main Street at 10 a.m. and
continues throughout the day with
entertainment, rides, crafts, food and
drinks at the historic Railroad Park.
Entertainment begins at 11:30 a.m.
Saturday with Betty Rogers and the
Georgia Star Twirlers; 12:30 p.m.,
The Stancils; 1:30 p.m., The Stephens
Sisters; 2:30 p.m., Clemons Chapel
Choir; 3:30 p.m., Raffle Drawing;
4:30 p.m., Allison Medlock; and
5:30 p.m., The Lanierland Boys with
Marion Merck. There is no admis
sion charge and parking is free for
the event.
For more information, contact city
hall at 770-869-3801.
Relay for Life set
for this weekend
The Banks County Relay for Life
will be held May 16-17 at the old
Banks County high school football
field, located behind the new elemen
tary school.
“It’s not just
for cancer sur
vivors and fam
ilies of cancer
victims, but it
is for everyone,
whether you have been touched with
cancer personally, or not,” states Anita
Bonds, one of the volunteers. “But
most people, if they will be perfectly
honest, know of someone with can
cer or have known someone with
cancer. The committee plans on it
being a fun-filled night for all ages.
Please come out and support those
with cancer and remember those who
have fallen to cancer. We would love
to see the elementary school parking
lot around the school filled with cars
that night.”
The event begins at 5:30 p.m. on
Friday, May 16, at the survivor tent,
which will recognize the survivors in
attendance.
At 6:30 p.m. on Friday, a welcome
will be given, as well as a presentation
of the American flag colors by the
Banks County High School Jr. ROTC
Club. The pledge of allegiance to the
continued on page 3A
Celebrate
Life i6-i7
News - 2-3A
•Banks County Middle
holds career day — page 2A
Op/Ed
• ‘Going against the
grain for November vote’
— page 4A
Other news
•Social News — pages 7-8A
•School News — pages 5A, 8B
•Public Safety — page 6A
• Legals — page 4B
• Church — page 7B
•Obituaries — page 5B
All the way to state
BANKS COUNTY HIGH
SCHOOL AT STATE
Athletes from Banks County High
School competed at the state’s high
est level this past week. (Above)
Jay Harn represented the BCHS
track team at the state meet in
Jefferson competing in three events
in the wheelchair competition. Harn,
shown celebrating one of his two
state titles with coach Rob Moffett,
took first in the 200 and 800-meter
events and was second in the shot
put. (Left) Kasey Hudgins and the
BCHS Diamond Leopard baseball
team qualified for the Class AA
state playoffs and faced defending
state champion Holy Innocents in
an opening-round series in Atlanta
on a hot Friday afternoon. See more
details in today’s sports section.
Photos by Lyn Sengupta
Reed resigns as
Baldwin mayor
Special election set Sept. 16
BY SHARON HOGAN
Mark Reed has resigned as mayor of
Baldwin to run for a seat in the Georgia
House of Representatives.
In a 3-2 vote at this week’s meeting,
the council agreed to hold the special
election to fill the mayor’s seat on Sept.
16. Council members Jeff Murray and
Rodney King voted against that date.
The qualifying dates will be from July
21 through July 23 during normal busi
ness hours at city hall. The qualifying
fee for the mayor’s seat was set at $35.
At a meeting on May 8, the council
had a lengthy discussion about how to
fill the mayor’s position. City attorney
David Syfan said the city has three
choices on dates to hold a special elec
tion: July 15, the date of the general
primary election; September 16; or on
November 4.
Syfan said calling the election for July
15 would mean that both a county and a
city election would be held for Baldwin
residents. Syfan said this could mean
voters would have to vote in two differ
ent places and that could be confusing.
But several Baldwin residents spoke
out in support of holding the election on
July 15, at the same time as the coun
ty elections. Baldwin resident Linda
Caudell said she had contacted Ann
Jarrells, Habersham County Election
Superintendent, and was told that if it is
60 days prior to the July 15 election, it
can be included on the county election
ballot.
Caudell said, “If you let this linger,
Mark Reed has
stepped down
as mayor of
Baldwin as he
prepares to
run for a seat
in District 10
of the Georgia
House of
Representatives.
you get into the national election.”
Council member Robert Bohannon
made the motion to approve the ordi
nance to hold the special election on
Sept. 16.
“I’ve been a council member for 26
years,” Bohannon said. “I have lived
in Baldwin since 1961. If people are
interested in the city and what goes on
they’re going to attend meetings and
get involved before election time.”
Reed is running as a Republican for
the House District 10 seat currently
held by Ben Bridges. He has been
mayor since November 1995 and has
presided over 300-plus council meet
ings.
At his last meeting on April 28, Reed
said that his position as mayor has
been the most rewarding experience
of his life.
Reed stated that he has seen a lot of
progress in Baldwin, including the con
struction of the wastewater treatment
plant, the 4-lane expansion of Hwy.
365, and the construction of the public
safety buildings for Baldwin.
— Economic Development —
Banks gets 'entrepreneur
friendly' designation
BY ANGELA GARY
Banks County is the state’s new
est designated ‘Entrepreneur Friendly’
Community.
The designation means the com
munity has developed an environment
that is welcoming to small businesses
and entrepreneurs. Ninety-two percent
of Banks County’s 350 companies are
small businesses with fewer than 20
employees.
“I want to say thank you to our
entrepreneur friendly team that worked
so hard to accomplish this goal for
Banks County,” chamber director Tara
Fulcher said. “The Banks County
chamber is proud to be named the first
point of contact for small business,
entrepreneurs and start-up companies
in Banks County.”
Fulcher led a committee in gather
ing information on current businesses
and developing a strategy to promote
new business development. The com
mittee met for eight months and inter-
viewed 18 business owners.
Last week, state leaders, chamber
members and county business own
ers gathered in Homer for the offi
cial announcement that the county
had received the designation. Before
the afternoon ceremony, state leaders
traveled to several Banks County busi
nesses, including Grove River Ranch.
Presentations were given from other
county business owners, including Joe
Book of PakMail and Jerry Boling of
Document Destruction.
As part of the process to earn the
designation, Banks County completed
the entrepreneur friendly program with
the assistance of GDEcD’s regional
representative Suzanne Browne. The
county analyzed its entrepreneurial
and small business environment and
developed strategies to help foster its
growth.
Banks County also underwent a full-
continued on page 3A
Chamber plans May 22 picnic
The Banks County Chamber of Commerce will hold its seventh annual
picnic on the lawn at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 22, on the lawn of the
historic courthouse in Homer.
Entertainment will be provided by Jared Clark. Drawings will be held
for door prizes.
The deadline to make reservations is May 20.
For more information, call the chamber at 706-677-2108.
Driver indicted for vehicular homicide
March 07 accident
resulted in death
of BCHS student
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
A 19-year-old has been indicted in
the death of a fellow Banks County
High School student following a one-
vehicle accident during March of last
year.
Chase Poole, of 321 Borders Road,
Commerce, was indicted by a Banks
County Grand Jury last week for homi-
cide by vehicle in the first degree in
addition to reckless driving. Banks
County sheriff Charles Chapman
said Poole turned himself in Saturday
morning to the county jail and has
since bonded out.
The accident, which occurred on
Hwy. 98 between Homer and Maysville,
resulted in the death of Ashley Blevins,
a senior at BCHS at the time. In addi
tion to Blevins’ death, Poole was also
injured in the accident as was another
passenger, Trace Lamfier, also a BCHS
student.
Blevins was reportedly ejected from
the vehicle. According to the Georgia
State Patrol investigation, Poole, who
suffered head injuries in the accident,
attempted to overcorrect the vehicle and
lost control.
Piedmont Judicial Circuit District
Attorney Rick Bridgeman said he could
not comment on the case since it is
ongoing. He did say vehicular homicide
in the first degree carries a maximum
sentence of three to 15 years,while the
reckless driving charge carries a maxi
mum sentence of 12 months.
Poole’s arraignment is set for May
29.
— Election Update —
Voters encouraged to
get absentee ballots
Registered voters may request an
absentee ballot from their county
registrar by completing an appli
cation available on the Georgia
Secretary of State’s website.
The website is: www.sos.ga.gov/
electionsMectionCenter08.htm.
Voters may then submit the form
to their county registrar by mail or
fax. Contact information for county
registrars is available at www.sos.
ga.gov/elections/ElectionCenter08.
htm.
“We will likely see high turn
out in this year’s general primary
and general election. That could
mean extended wait times at some
precincts,” secretary Karen Handel
said. “Absentee voting is a conve
nient way for voters to exercise their
civic duty without having to visit a
polling place on election day.”
Voters can request an absentee
ballot beginning 180 days prior to
continued on page 3A
Vandalism at
Gillsville park
BY SHARON HOGAN
Vandals recently damaged a picnic table
and broke a window at the Gillsville Park.
Council member Todd Dale reported at a
city council meeting last week that someone
had spray painted all over the tables under the
picnic pavilion with blue spray paint. A name
is painted on the tables, Dale said. A window
was also broken at the park building.
City clerk Paula Whiting said that Dwight
Miller said he would open and close the gate
if he is the one chosen to do the grass cutting.
Keeping the gate closed at night might help
cut down on the vandalism at the park, lead
ers said. However, the council agreed there
is no need to lock the gate if the fence is not
going to be put back up because someone
could drive around the gate and get in.