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Sports: IB
Young Leopards
learn at camp
Community: 6B
Couple travels to
Alaska by RV
— www.BanksNewsTODAY.com —
50<t • Homer, Banks County, GA 30547 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. • 24 Pages, 3 Sections Plus Supplements • Vol. 39 No. 51
DA, State Senate
votes set Tues.
BY CHRIS BRIDGES
Banks County voters will be
able to return to their respec
tive precincts Tuesday to help
decided two key races on the
Republican ballot.
There is a runoff in the district
attorney’s race in the Piedmont
Judicial Circuit between Donna
Sikes and Brad Smith. The cir
cuit covers Banks, Jackson and
Barrow counties.
Sikes was the top vote earn
er in the July 15 primary but
did not gain 50 percent of the
total. Smith finished second in
the three-way race while Rick
Bridgeman, who was appointed
to the position last fall by the
governor, was third and elimi
nated from the race.
Bridgeman actually won the
most votes in Banks County with
1,083 followed by Sikes with
1,038 and Smith with 448.
Banks County voters will also
help decide the runoff for the
State Senate 50th District race
between Republican incumbent
Nancy Schaefer and challenger
Jim Butterworth. Schaefer has
served two terms in the State
Senate.
With no Democratic candi
date, the runoff winner between
Schaefer and Butterworth will
win the race.
Voters who cast a Democratic
ballot locally on July 15 will get
to take part in the U.S. Senate
runoff between Vernon Jones
and Jim Martin who finished
as the top two vote earners in a
five-candidate primary.
The winner between Jones
and Martin will face Republican
Saxby Chambliss and Libertarian
Allen Buckley in November.
If a person voted in the July
15 primary, he or she must vote
in the same party in the runoff.
A registered voter who did not
take part in the July 15 primary
may select either ballot Tuesday.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m.
to 7 p.m.
Early voting continues through
Friday this week at the Banks
County Courthouse in the
Registrar’s Office.
SINGING CELEBRATION
The 131st annual Sunday School celebration was held Saturday
in Homer. The Homer Presbyterian Church is shown at right
performing Saturday morning, and a choir from Glory Baptist
Church is pictured above. Groups from area churches performed
throughout the day. The celebration has been held in downtown
Homer since 1888. See additional photos on page 3A.
Photos by Lyn Sengupta
A joyful noise
131 st Sunday School Celebration
features singers from local churches
Three of four Banks schools make AYR
BCHS misses mark in area of graduation rate
— Baldwin special election —
Four candidates qualify
for mayor’s seat in Baldwin
Each of the schools in the Banks
County School System made AYP
(Adequate Yearly Progress) in all cat
egories with the exception of the high
school which missed on the graduation
rate which currendy is at 60 percent in
two areas, the overall subgroup and the
economically disadvantaged subgroup.
However, according to school offi
cials, that rate should increase to 70
percent, the state target number, after
summer graduates are calculated.
The state raised the bar for the gradua
tion rate this year to 70 percent, and the
percentage will continue to rise yearly.
“I am proud of the primary, elementa-
News -2, 3, 5A
•Comprehensive plan
hearing held — page 2A
•BJC may end year in
the red — page 2A
•Homer plans budget
hearing Aug. 13 — page 5A
Op/Ed — 4A
• ‘The clock ticks
toward the November
vote’ — page 4A
• ‘Explaining the num
bers’ — page 4A
Other news
• Social News — page 7A
•School News — page 11A
• Public Safety — page 6A
•Legals — pages 4-5B
•Church — page 10A
• Obituaries — page 9A
ry and middle schools for having made
AYP for four consecutive years putting
the schools in an elite group in the
state,” said superintendent Chris Erwin.
He further commented on what an
accomplishment the status is for the
students and staff.
Data released Friday by the Georgia
Department of Education show just
69 percent of schools made “adequate
yearly progress,” compared to about
82 percent last year. AYP is measured
based on math and reading test scores,
attendance and graduation rates among
other factors.
The Adequate Yearly Progress
“I’m proud of the
primary, elementary
and middle schools
for having...put the
schools in an elite
group in the state.”
- Superintendent
Chris Erwin
requirements are part of the No Child
Left Behind (NCLB) law requiring
states and school systems to meet spe
cific goals based on student achieve
ment.
States are mandated to increase per
formance for AYP each year in order
to meet the NCLB goal of having all
students proficient in reading and math
by the 2013-2014 school year. The
law also requires each school system to
sort test results by ethnicity, disability,
limited English proficiency, and socio
economic status. Each group with 40
or more students must also meet AYP.
Other factors determining AYP status
include the graduation rate, student
attendance, and school safety.
Summer CRCT and GHSGT retests
and summer school scores were not
included in this round of AYP determi-
BY SHARON HOGAN
Four candidates qualified last week
to seek the mayor’s seat in the City of
Baldwin.
Baldwin residents Mike Kelley, Jerry
Neace, Thomas Loudermilk and Mark
Reed qualified last week for the special
election to be held on September 16.
Reed served the city as its mayor
until April 28 of this year. At this
BY SHARON HOGAN
Development Authority member
Dennis Brown has resigned his posi
tion.
Banks County Board of Commission
Chairman Gene Hart said at Tuesday’s
meeting, July 22, a letter of resigna
tion has been received from Brown.
Commissioner Rickey Cain said the
letter cited his reason for resignation as
personal reasons.
Development authority chairman
Wayne Abernathy met with the com
missioners at the meeting on Tuesday
to discuss a proposed agreement on
time he resigned to run for a seat in
the Georgia House of Representatives.
Reed lost his bid for this seat in the July
15 primary.
The last day to register to vote in the
Sept. 16 election is Monday, August
18.
The special election will be held at
the Baldwin City Hall located at 130
Airport Road, Baldwin.
distribution of industrial development
funds.
The agreement deals with funds to
be used in the event the county hires a
full-time economic development coor
dinator to promote economic develop
ment in the county. The agreement
says, “if the county hires an economic
development coordinator his/her salary
and expenses shall be paid from indus
trial development funds and the eco
nomic development coordinator shall
have a budget of $ , approved
continued on page 5A
continued on page 5A
FOOTBALL MENTORING
Fourth grader Zach Lehotsky takes a break during Friday’s Gladiator Wars with football mentor Billy
Dunn, a member of the Banks County High School varsity football team. The older Leopards have
served as role models this summer for younger football players in the Banks County School System.
See today’s sports section for more information on last week’s Gladiator Wars. Photo by Lyn Sengupta
Students start school Aug. 8
The first day of class for students in the Banks County School System is set for
Friday, Aug. 8.
In addition, the Banks County School System Transportation Department will
hold its annual “practice run” for the morning bus route on Thursday, Aug. 7, the
day before school begins.
Buses will begin routes at 6:30 a.m. Parents and students should note approxi
mate times that buses arrive at respective stops.
If parents have questions regarding routes or times, they should contact Clay
Hobbs, director of transportation, at 706-677-2224.
Dennis Brown steps down from
development authority position