The Banks County news. (Homer, Banks County, Ga.) 1968-current, May 28, 2008, Image 1
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