Newspaper Page Text
Sports: IB
Leopards prepare for
summer schedule
Community: 2A
Memorial Day
programs held
May 28,2008
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. 42
Lula looks
at budget
decrease
BY JUSTIN POOLE
The proposed 2009 budget for the
city of Lula is $91,295 less than the
current budget for the town.
The Lula City Council heard from
city manager, Dennis Bergin, during
a meeting last week.
The general revenue fund for fiscal
year 2009 is estimated at $629,454.
The current general fund budget is
$720,749. Bergin told the council
that a lot of the decrease is due to the
current economy.
The public is invited to attend
three public hearings on the matter.
The first will be June 9 before the
council’s work session. The next two
public hearings will be June 10, with
the first set for mid-morning and the
other for mid-afternoon.
continued on page 3A
Memorial Day
salute planned
Thurs. at BCHS
A Memorial Day salute to the
Armed Forces program and concert
will be presented in the Banks County
High School auditorium at 8 p.m. on
Thursday, May 29.
Northwinds Adult Community
Band of Gainesville will present a
tribute to all veterans.
“Come hear this professional band
play music from the different wars
and familiar American tunes,” said
Jon Congdon, BCHS band director.
“There will also be special pictures
from the wars and from local vet
erans. It will certainly be a moving
experience.”
News - 2-3A
•Chamber holds annual
picnic — page 3A
Op/Ed
• ‘Turning the page for
another year’ — page 4A
•A Day at the Fort
- page 2A
Other news
•Social News — pages 8-9A
•School News — pages 6-7B
•Public Safety — page 6A
• Legals — page 4B
•Church — page 5B
• Obituaries — page 7A
Eighth graders see math CRCT success
Testing system draws criticism state-wide, some results thrown out
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
While an estimated 62 percent of the state’s
eighth grade students passed the math portion
of the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test
(CRCT), the percentage of Banks County
Middle School student passing the test is near
80 percent, according to preliminary reports.
Of the 124,000 students in the eighth grade
state-wide, approximately 50,000 students
failed and will be attending summer school
and retaking the test before becoming eligible
to advance to the ninth grade. BCMS, mean
while, will have only a handful of eighth grade
students having to attend summer school.
“The pay off for me is to see the teachers
and kids happy and successful,” said BCMS
principal Matthew Cooper. “Our eighth grade
math teachers were definitely prepared for the
challenge. The success we have had is the
result of a team effort. Our teachers, adminis
trators and students work well together.”
Only preliminary data is available now from
continued on page 3A
A graduation
moment
SENIORS CHEER
CLASSMATE
Jay Harn brought cheers
and applause from everyone
attending Friday’s gradua
tion ceremonies as he walked
to receive his diploma.
Superintendent Chris Erwin
turned his tassel during the
graduation ceremonies. Harn
had the crowd cheering as he
got his diploma without the
aid of a wheelchair. He was
seriously injured in a hunt
ing accident during the fall of
2005. See page 8B for more
graduation photos.
Photos by Justin Poole
Investigation continues
into BCES incident
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
The investigation continues into
the alleged incident at Banks County
Elementary School earlier this month
which involved fifth grade male stu
dents drinking from a water foun
tain in which a substance had been
poured.
Superintendent Chris Erwin said
Tuesday the investigation is ongoing
concerning the alleged matter involv
ing assistant principal Lori Rylee,
who has been placed on leave. Rylee
allegedly forced the male fifth grad
ers to drink from a water fountain at
the school after a substance had been
poured into it. There is question as to
whether the substance was urine or
Gatorade.
Erwin said he is awaiting lab results
which could take an additional two
weeks.
The incident came to light after
some of the students involved began
talking with their parents telling
them they had been told by Rylee
to drink from the water fountain.
Students said they were told by the
assistant principal to not tell their
parents about the incident as law
enforcement and the Department
of Family and Children’s Services
Superintendent
Chris Erwin said
he is awaiting lab
results to deter
mine if a substance
poured in a BCES
water fountain was
urine or Gatorade.
would be notified.
A group of parents spoke to the
Banks County Board of Education
at its meeting last week demanding
action be taken against Rylee and
that the BCES principal and teachers
receive additional training in how to
handle matters of this nature.
BOE chairman Ron Gardiner told
the parents the matter was being
investigated. A large group of BCES
teachers also attended the May BOE
meeting to show their support for
Rylee, who has been an employee of
the Banks County School System for
13 years. Erwin has said he does not
have a timetable for the investigation
to be completed although some of
the parents who attended the meeting
were asking for a quick resolution to
the matter including the dismissal of
Rylee.
DFACS leaders hope building
project will move forward soon
BY SHARON HOGAN
State funds have been allocated for
a new Banks County Department of
Family and Children Services build
ing and leaders hope the project will
move forward soon.
At a meeting last week, DFACS
director Kenny Jarvis said state lead
ers have visited the current building
and plans have been submitted to
the state on the proposed new facil
ity. Jarvis said he and Joe Watkins,
with the Department of Human
Resources, have presented plans for
the new building to the State Properties
Commission.
“I am hopeful that in the next two
months we will see something hap
pen,” Jarvis said.
In other business at last week’s
meeting:
•Jarvis presented the county expense
report for April. The county budget for
the year is $33,784. Some $26,678,
which represents 78.97 percent of the
budget, was spent through April. Two
months are left and Jarvis said he
expects to come in under budget. “We
should have a surplus of $1,000 to
$1,300 left in county funds,” he said.
continued on page 3A
Lula man builds quail processors
used across the country, world
BY JUSTIN POOLE
Lula residents have an international
businessman right in their back yard.
On first look, Thurston Dodd’s shop
off of Moccasin Gap Road appears
to be a run of the mill welding shop
but it is more than the average weld
ing shop. The building is also a shop
where Dodd builds poultry processing
machines, specifically quail processing
machines.
The machines that Dodd recently
completed will be shipped to a process
ing plant in Australia. Australia has a
growing demand for the birds, which
are only available in restaurants.
When asked exactly how he got into
the business of making quail process
ing equipment, Dodd said it was “a
long story.”
Starting in the mid-sixties, Dodd said
he began researching poultry process
ing equipment after working for other
machine companies.
“In 1965, I started working on some
research and development on some
continued on page 3A
TO SHIP TO
AUSTRALIA
Thurston Dodd
stands next to a
washer machine
that will be
shipped to a plant
in Australia. Dodd
has built three
machines going to
Australia including
the washer, lung
vacuum and crop
remover.
Photo by
Justin Poole