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Sports: IB
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BCHS sends five to
All Region team
Amelia Island: A
few days in paradise
— www.BanksNewsTODAY.com —
504* Homer, Banks County, GA 30547 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. • 18 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements • Vol. 40 No. 3
Health spa license pulled for 90 days
Banks Crossing business to be on probation for another six months
Christmas
at the Depot
set for Fri. at
Lula square
The first annual Christmas at
the Depot will be held December
19 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the
square in Lula.
Plans include: Pictures with
Santa Claus, holiday carolers,
storytellers, cookies and hot
chocolate with Santa, bonfire
and marshmallow roast, lots of
children’s activities and a raffle.
“We are happy to announce
that thanks to The Lula Area
Betterment Association and our
local sponsors, we can offer this
magical night at no charge to
you,” organizers state.
The raffle will be held 7:30
p.m. Tickets for it can be pur
chased for $2 each or five for
$8. Organizers have an assort
ment of prizes ranging from
toys to gift certificates to jew
elry. Tickets can be purchased
at the depot starting at noon on
Dec. 19. You do not have to be
present to win.
Early deadlines
set for holidays
Due to the Christmas and New
Year’s holidays, the deadlines for
submitting church, social and
school news to The Banks County
News have been moved.
The deadline to submit items
for the Dec. 24 issue is Friday,
Dec. 19, at 5 p.m. The deadline
to submit items for the Dec. 31
issue is Friday, Dec. 26, at 5
p.m. Any items received after the
deadlines may not be published.
The newspaper office will be
closed on Thursday, Dec. 25, for
Christmas, and Thursday, Jan. 1,
for New Year. The offices will
be open on Friday, Dec. 26, and
Friday, Jan. 2.
Items may be e-mailed to
angela@mainstreemews.com or
faxed to 706-387-5414.
•Santa Claus and
reindeer visit Homer
— page 2A
•Baldwin approves
hiring freeze — page 3A
•‘“Success” can
describe Hart’s term
in office’ — page 4A
Other news
• Social News — 6A
• School News — 8A
• Public Safety — 5A
•Legals — 4-5 B
•Church — 9A
•Obituaries — 7A
BY ANGELA GARY
The Banks County Board
of Commissioners revoked the
business license of “Best Health
Spa” for 90 days in a called
meeting on Dec. 10 and placed
the business on probation for an
additional six months.
The action comes after sever
al alleged violations, including
“a massage of areas prohibited
by the county ordinance” and
the employee not being prop
erly clothed.
The violations were cited by
an undercover investigator with
the Banks County Sheriff’s
Office who went into the busi
ness on Sunday, Dec. 7. He was
sent into the spa after it was
noted by the sheriff’s office that
the open sign was in place on
the business on a Sunday. The
county ordinance states that
health spas can not be open on
Sunday.
The investigator, speaking
at the BOC meeting on Dec.
10, said a female, dressed in a
bikini and wearing high heels,
gave him a massage. He also
noted that she massaged his
“buttocks” and crawled onto
the massage table with him.
He paid $40 for the 30-minute
massage.
Kyung Cha Oliveira of Best
Health Spa also spoke at the
hearing and said she had on
a bikini because the spa also
offers "body showers.” She said
she wears high heels so that she
will be tall enough to reach her
client’s back. She said opening
on Sunday was a “misunder
standing” on her part. She did
not say why she climbed on the
table during the massage.
Commissioner Rickey Cain
asked the investigator if he was
“offered sex.” The officer said
no.
The “Best Health Spa” is
located at 152 Dallas Drive,
below MVP Cafe, and it opened
on Dec .1.
VIOLATIONS AT SPA
The violations include the
following:
•Massage of specific ana
tomical areas prohibited. No
owner, operator or employee
shall intentionally touch or
massage or offer to touch or
massage specific anatomical
regions.
•Proper owner, operator,
employee clothing required.
Each owner, operator and
employee of a spa/massage
and bodywork therapy busi
ness shall wear clothing of an
opaque material and it shall be
unlawful for such person to fail
to fully conceal his or her spe
cific anatomical regions.
•Patron coverings required.
Each spa/massage and body
work therapy business shall
provide to each patrol clean,
sanitary and opaque coverings
capable of covering the patron’s
specific anatomical regions. No
massage and body work shall
be administered unless the
patron is covered by such cov
ering of the specific anatomical
region.
•Hours of operation. A spa/
massage and bodywork therapy
business shall be closed between
the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
and closed on Sunday.
•Application. The business
application must be accompa
nied by a certificate or diploma
from a recognized school as
defined for each person work
ing in the business of perform
ing massage or reflexology.
One Superior Court
judge in ICU; another
facing surgery Thurs.
TWO SUPERIOR Court
judges serving Jackson and
Banks counties are facing
serious medical issues.
Joe Booth, Commerce, is
in the intensive care unit at
Athens Regional Medical
Center, while David Motes,
BOOTH
MOTES
Jefferson, faces surgery on Thursday.
Booth went to the hospital Thursday with flu-like symptoms.
The problem was later found to be related to his colon and he
had emergency colon removal surgery. He also has a blood
infection.
Motes will undergo surgery Thursday at Athens Regional
Medical Center related to a bone infection.
NEW BUILDING
Farm Bureau will move to this new building at the
corner of McDonald Circle and Hwy. 164.
Farm Bureau office relocating
Maysville approves Banks
County service agreement
BY JUSTIN POOLE
During a called meeting
on Dec. 15, the City of
Maysville approved a reso
lution confirming the Banks
County service strategy.
The strategy for Banks
County affects Alto,
Baldwin, Gillsville, Homer,
Lula and Maysville.
Council member Stephan
Lewis made a motion to
Christmas concert at BCHS
The Banks County Farm Bureau office is relocating to the
newly-constructed office located at 1337 McDonald Circle.
The new building is only two miles from the current location
and more convenient to Hwy 441. It is located at the comer of
McDonald Circle and Highway 164.
The move will take place on Tuesday, December 30, and
Wednesday, December 31. The office will close for the transi
tion to the new building and should be ready to resume normal
operations on Friday, January 2.
In addition, the office will be closed on Thursday, December
25, and Friday, December 26, in observance of the Christmas
holidays and Thursday, January 1, for New Year’s Day.
approve the resolution as
presented. Lyn Villyard sec
onded the motion, which
was approved.
The service strategy
defines where boundar
ies are for utility services
between the municipalities
and the county, how each
municipality’s borders con
nect to the county and pos
sible overlap.
SANTA AT CONCERT
A guest appearance by jolly Santa topped off the night last Thursday at Banks
County’s Christmas Concert at the high school. The band and chorus renditions of
new and old Christmas songs delighted a packed auditorium.
Photos by Justin Poole
HOLIDAY CONCERT AT BCHS
The Banks County High School and Middle School bands performed a holiday
concert last Thursday. The performance brought in approximately 600 people and
featured the band and chorus from both schools. Band director and conductor Jon
Congdon said the Christmas concert was a build-up of what to expect in the spring
performance.