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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