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Sports: IB
BCHS completes
summer baseball
Community: 3A
Lula Post Office named
in honor of fallen soldier
— www.BanksNewsTODAY.com —
Banks voters go to polls Tuesday
Advance voting continues at courthouse through Friday this week
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
Months of hand shaking, mass mail
ings and speaking at forums will all
come down to one day for local can
didates.
Voters in Banks County will go to
their respective polling places next
Tuesday between the hours of 7 a.m.
and 7 p.m. and cast their ballots dur
ing the July 15 primary election. Early
voting continues this week through
Friday in the Banks County Registrar’s
Office, located on the second floor of
the courthouse. Any registered voter
may cast their ballot during the early
voting period from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
and those doing so must chose either a
Democrat or Republication ballot. The
same is required for those voting next
Tuesday.
The Republican ballot is expected to
be chosen more often in Banks County
since more local races are involved.
The battle for sheriff, county chairman
and a school board seat will be decided
in the Republican primary.
In addition, a contested primary
for the District Attorney seat for the
Piedmont Judicial Circuit will be decid
ed in the Republican primary although
with three candidates there is the pos
sibility of a runoff. Rick Bridgeman,
Donna Sikes and Brad Smith are seek
ing the DA's seat. Bridgeman was
appointed to the position by Gov.
Sonny Perdue in late 2007.
Locally, commission chairman Gene
Hart will seek a second term on the
Republican ballot against primary
challenger Milton Dalton.
Sheriff Charles Chapman, who
switched to the Republican Party for
this year’s election, faces challenger
Carlton Speed in the primary. Chapman
has been sheriff since 1996.
In the Post 4 Board of Education race,
Republican incumbent John Williams
faces challenger David Martin. This
race has been extremely low key as
neither candidate has addressed voters
at any of the local forums.
Also on the Republican primary bal
lot, 10th District Congressman Paul
Broun will look to hold off challeng
er Barry Fleming in a primary battle
which has seen both candidates try to
“out-conservative” one another. The
winner faces Democrat Bobby Saxon,
an Iraq War veteran, in November.
Banks voters will also help deter
mine the 50th District state senate race
as two-term incumbent Nancy Schaefer
has two Republican challengers in Jim
Butterworth and Terry Rogers, both
of Habersham County. There is no
Democrat in the race.
There are two state-wide Public
Service Commission seats up for vote
this year as incumbent H. Doug Everett
faces Rick Collum in the Republican
primary in one race with Lauren
McDonald, Jr., a former Commerce
resident and candidate for governor,
facing Pam Davidson in another race
where there is no incumbent.
For those who vote in the Democratic
primary, the most appealing race is for
U.S. Senate as five candidates look
to challenge incumbent Republican
Saxby Chambliss this fall. Dale
Cardwell, Vernon Jones, Rand Knight,
Josh Lanier and Jim Martin are com
peting in the Democratic primary for
the U.S. Senate seat in Washington.
Bob Indech and Jim Powell are run-
continued on page 7A
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Voters can vote between 7 a.m.
and 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 15, at
their respective polls. Advance
voting continues 8 a.m. to 5
p.m. at the registrar’s office in
the Banks County courthouse in
Homer through this Friday.
■ Meet the candidates:
Candidate Q&A - pages 6,7&M
GETTING READY FOR EARLY VOTING
At top, Fred Wendt of the Banks County Registrar’s Office sets up a voting machine for early voting
Monday morning. Above, Marion Jordan and Judie Wendt help a Banks County voter prepare to cast his
ballot during the first day of early voting. The early voting period continues through Friday at 5 p.m.
Photos by Chris Bridges
Lula mother
sentenced in
fraud scheme
Molly A. Smith, 50, Lula, was
sentenced to prison by United States
District Judge William C. O’Kelley on
tax-related fraud charges. The sentenc
ing of her daughter, Maykie Blevins,
29, also of Lula, was scheduled for
July 16, on related charges.
United States Attorney David E.
Nahmias said of the case, ‘Taxpayers
placed a significant amount of trust
in Molly Smith. Her business was
responsible for seeking reimbursement
to day care centers for meals served to
children from low income families. It
is shameful how she violated that trust.
Instead of performing this important
work in an honest way, she repeat
edly altered documents and submitted
false information to the North Carolina
Department of Health and Human
Services in order to receive excess
funds. She then took that money
for herself and her daughter, Maykie
Blevins.”
In Raleigh, North Carolina, IRS
Criminal Investigation Acting Special
Agent in Charge Betty N. Stewart said,
“We will aggressively pursue tax fraud
wherever it is identified. IRS-Criminal
Investigation is proud to provide its
financial expertise to investigations of
these schemes to defraud the United
States and its taxpayers.”
Smith was sentenced to four years,
nine months in prison to be followed by
three years of supervised release, and
ordered to pay restitution of $413,847
to the IRS and $777,901 to the State of
North Carolina. Smith pleaded guilty
to program fraud and tax fraud on
February 27, 2008. Blevins pleaded
guilty to tax fraud on March 17,2008.
According to United States Attorney
Nahmias and the information present-
continued on page 10A
STORM FATAILITY
Several family members and friends of Loyd Echols, 70, Hickory Flat Road, Gillsville, work Wednesday
morning to clear debris off the mobile home were Echols lived with his wife Mary. Shown (L to R) are:
Mark Whitfield, Jerry Griffin, Gary Tanner and Kenneth Parsons working to clear the tree and retrieve
personal belongings of the couple. Mr. Echols was killed when a large oak tree fell onto the home as
he slept in the bedroom during a storm on Tuesday night. Mrs. Echols escaped from the home unin
jured. Photo by Sharon Hogan
Banks man dies as result of Tuesday storm
Baldwin approves tax hike
In split vote, council OKs one mill increase
BY SHARON HOGAN
Baldwin qualifying
ahead July 21-23
The City of Baldwin will hold quali
fying for the Sept. 16 special election to
fill the unexpired term of mayor begin
ning on Monday, July 21, and continu
ing through Wednesday, July 23.
Qualifying will be held Monday
through Wednesday from 8:30 .m. to
4:30 p.m. with a one-hour lunch break
beginning at 12:30 p.m. The qualifying
fee is $35.
The last day to register to vote in the
election is August 18. Qualifying and
the election will be held at the Baldwin
City Hall, 130 Airport Road, Baldwin.
The election follws the resignation of
long-time mayor Mark Reed.
News -2-3A
• July 4 fire damages
Maysville home — page 2A
• ‘Voter turnout should
be much higher*
— page 4A
Other news
• Social News — pages 8-9B
• Public Safety — page 8A
• Legal s — pages 6-7 B
•Church — page 5B
• Obituaries — page 4B
BY SHARON HOGAN
A 70-year-old Banks County
man was killed Tuesday around
10:00 p.m. as storms blew through
the county. A large, 100-year-old,
oak tree fell on the mobile home
of Loyd and Mary Echols, Hickory
Flat Road, Gillsville, in the north
ern part of the county.
Banks County Board of
Commission Chairman Gene
Hart said Loyd Echols was killed
instantly when the tree fell on the
bedroom portion of the mobile
home.
“The tree blew down in the yard
and fell on his bedroom,” Hart
said.
Billy Whitfield, Mr. Echols step
son, said it took rescue crews two
to three hours to get Mr. Echols
out of the rubble. Mr. Echols was
asleep in the bedroom of the home
when the storm hit. The couple’s
Chihuahua, Dolly, was also in the
bedroom, but she was rescued
unharmed.
Whitfield said there was heavy
rain, hail and
lightning with
the storm.
He said the
power went
off in the area
before the
storm real
ly got bad.
Whitfield said,
“It was still lightning while the
rescuers were working to free Mr.
Echols.”
continued on page 7A
In a 3-1 vote, the Baldwin City
Council approved a $1.77 million
general fund budget and a one mill
increase in the city’s millage rate at
a called meeting on Tuesday night,
July 1.
Council member Rodney King
voted in opposition to the action.
Council members Beverly Holcomb
and Robert Bohannon and Interim
Mayor Ray Holcomb voted in favor
of the morion. Council member Jeff
Murray was absent.
The general fund budget gives the
city’s employees a three percent raise
for this year. However, city employees
will not receive a Christmas bonus.
The one mill increase in the millage
rate will bring the total to nine mills.
The council has discussed the pro
posed general fund budget and the
millage rate increase at two public
hearings held recently.
At the meeting on Tuesday, when
Holcomb called for a motion on the
proposed budget, Phyllis Marshall,
Baldwin property owner, said, “I have
some additional information that I
think you need to see.”
Holcomb said it was a voting item
and not an open discussion.
“You are out of order,” he said. “We
have already had the public hearings
on this.”
Marshall said, “I think Mr. King and
Mr. Murray would like to see this.”
“We have held two
public hearings on
this and heard folks
comment on this.”
— Interim mayor
Ray Holcomb
Marshall continued to state she
had information they needed to
see. At this time, Holcomb asked
Baldwin Police Chief Daren Osborn
to escort Marshall out of the build
ing. Osbom walked Marshall to the
door. As she was leaving and some
other residents were entering the
meeting, she stated that she had been
kicked out of the meeting.
After the meeting was officially
adjourned, Baldwin resident Jeff
Harris said, “I myself was not aware
of the public hearings on the budget.
This appears to have been a cut and
dried situation.”
Holcomb explained that the meet
ing times were published in the local
newspaper.
“We have held two public hearings
on this and heard folks comment on
this,” Holcomb said.
Harris said, “You know what that
makes it appear like? You don’t want
to hear what the people have to
say.”
Holcomb said, “You come to one
meeting a year and you can’t solve
everything in one meeting.”
LOYD ECHOLS
