Newspaper Page Text
504 •
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2016
Homer, Banks County, GA 30547 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. • 28 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements • Vol. 48 No. 18
Index
•Crime
— 6A
Sports
•Obituaries
— 6B
All-Area
•Classifieds
— 8B-9B
wrestling team
. fir c-j
•Legals
•Sports
— I0B-IIB
— IB-4B
named
1 / 3®
Community
Local candidates
attend meet and
greet 5A
Opinion
How far to the
right will we go?
4A
Career coach coming to Banks County library
The Georgia Mountains Region
al Commission Workforce Devel
opment Mobile Career Coach is
coming to the Banks County Pub
lic Library.
The Mobile Career Coach will
be at the library from 12:30 to 4
p.m. on Thursday, April 21.
The unit will be available to
assist individuals with searching
for and/or applying for jobs online,
writing a resume and/or cover let
ter, discerning career interests, or
to assist those who would like to
learn about tuition assistance and
on-the-job training programs.
“Please share this event with
anyone you know that might ben
efit from our services,” said Micah
Thomas, MTU Instructor, Geor
gia Mountain Workforce Develop
ment.
The library is located at 225
Highway 51 South, Homer.
Fire destroys Baldwin pawn shop
A fire destroyed the Diamond Jewelry & Loan on Highway Fire Marshal’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
365. The fire has been ruled as electrical by the Georgia State Firearms. Photo courtesy of Rob Moore/Access WDUN
Fire destroys Baldwin business
Pinwheel
ceremony
planned
A pinwheel planting
ceremony in observance
of child abuse awareness
month is scheduled for
Thursday April 14, at the
Banks County historic
courthouse at 4 p.m.
Tea Party
to meet
May 22
The Tea Party of North
east Georgia will hold its
monthly meeting on Tues
day, May 22, at 7 p.m. at
the Holiday Inn Express at
Banks Crossing.
Local candidates who
are running for state offices
have been invited. Those
who have confirmed so far
are Dan Gasaway, Tommy
Benton, John Wilkinson
and Roy Benifield,
For more information,
call 706-654-8292.
Chamber to
host political
forum April 19
The Banks County
Chamber CVB will host its
meet-and-greet and politi
cal forum on Tuesday, April
19, at 6 p.m. at the Banks
County Recreation Depart
ment.
Attendees will be able
to meet with candidates
running for office in Banks
County.
BOC holds
hearing
on alcohol
violations
The Banks County
Commissioners had a
hearing scheduled Tues
day, April 12, to consider
alleged alcohol and busi
ness license ordinance
violations by La Hacienda
Mexican Restaurant & Koji
Japanese Steakhouse &
Sushi Restaurant.
Results of the hearing
will be in next week’s
issue.
Space below reserved
for mailing label
A fire on April 9 destroyed
Diamond Jewelry & Loan in
Baldwin.
The fire at the 3840 Ga.
Highway 365 business
owned by Steve Diamond
has been ruled electrical by
the Georgia State Fire Mar
shals Office and the Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms (ATF).
Baldwin fire chief Joe Roy
said the fire at the pawn
shop was reported at 5:02
p.m. The fire was contained
at 1 a.m. on Sunday morn
ing, Roy added.
Fire units from the City of
Baldwin, Habersham Coun
ty, City of Cornelia, White
County and Lee Arrendale
State Prison responded to
the structure fire.
Roy said Highway 365
was shut down, both north
and south bound, for
approximately four hours.
The Georgia Department of
Transportation helped with
rerouting the traffic, Roy
said.
Roy said other units
responding to the fire scene
included the City of Baldwin
Police Department, Haber
sham County Emergency
Management Service, the
Alto Police Department
and the Habersham County
Sheriff’s Office.
Several local businesses
including Subway, McDon
ald’s, Kangaroo, Papa
John’s Pizza and Wendy’s
provided food for person
nel, Roy stated.
Roy said Baldwin fire
units stood by at the scene
until 10 a.m. on Sunday
when the fire scene was
turned over to the State Fire
Marshal’s Office and the
ATF.
“I would like to thank
each and every one that
was involved in the incident,
without the help we could
not have controlled the fire
in the safest way possible,”
Roy said.
Gillsville residents will get the
chance to speak on alcohol sales
BY SHARON HOGAN
Gillsville residents will soon get a
chance to voice their opinion about
the sale of alcoholic beverages in
the City of Gillsville.
The council plans to hear from
local residents during the May 3
council meeting.
The owners of the downtown
convenience store, Mike Kana-
bar and Bob Patel, made another
request to the city council, during
the April 5 meeting, to sell packaged
beer and wine at their business.
City attorney David Syfan
explained how the process to
approve alcohol sales has to be
handled since there isn’t one law in
the state that deals with this issue.
Syfan said in order for the store
owners to obtain a state license
they first had to have a local license.
The council will need to pass an
ordinance to allow packaged beer
and wine sales - except on Sundays
- and a referendum is not required
for this. However, a referendum
is required to approve the sale of
distilled spirits by the package or by
the drink.
Syfan said the city could combine
a referendum with the November
election and give voters a chance
to vote on the sale of distilled spirits
by the drink or package and also
the sale of packaged beer and wine.
“We will have to check with both
the Hall County and Banks County
election offices to make sure this is
agreeable,” Syfan said. “The coun
ties certainly have the right to say
no.”
The council plans to vote on
whether or not to allow the citizens
to vote on the issue at the May 3
council meeting.
The council members were all in
agreement that the residents of the
City of Gillsville should be able to
vote on the issue.
Council member Greg Ferguson
voiced concern about what the
expense would be to the city.
Syfan said he would check to see
if the city could pass an excise tax
on the packaged sale of beer and
wine.
Ferguson asked who would be
responsible for ‘policing’ this new
tax, if approved.
During the May 3 council meet
ing, only city residents will be able
to voice their opinions on the issue
and there will be a time limit for
each speaker.
“This is not just a monetary gain
for us,” said Kanabar. “We will cer
tainly abide by whatever the citizens
decide.”
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at the meeting:
•council member Wade Dale
advised the council that there was a
serious fire ant problem at the city’s
ball fields. Dale said it would cost
$360 to treat the ball fields and the
playground area with a commercial
treatment. The council unanimous
ly approved the $360 expense.
•Mayor Larry Poole reported
that council member Roy Turpin
is expecting some additional infor
mation in the next couple of weeks
from the Coca Cola Company con
cerning the old Coke sign on the
downtown buildings.
• Poole said work is being done
to replace the sand in the brick pav
ers in the downtown area.
• Poole advised that the barriers
would be going up in a few days
to close off Wilson Drive. He said
Hall County is loaning the city the
barriers.
• Syfan advised the council at the
city’s fireworks ordinance needs
to be revised. He said the hours
approved by the state have been
cut back, so the city’s ordinance
needs to be ‘tweaked’ to reflect the
changes.
• Syfan said the federal laws had
changed on wireless antennaes
and they can now be placed on
existing poles on city rights-of-way
and the city can now charge a
fee to the wireless providers. He
advised the council that the Geor
gia Municipal Association (GMA)
has a department that deals with
wireless providers. Syfan said the
city’s ordinance would need to be
updated on this.
•Syfan also discussed the pro
posed House Bill 370 that would
allow a grace period (2010-2014) for
elected officials to file their financial
statements. If approved, elected offi
cials have from July 1 through Dec.
31, 2016, to file their financials for
2010-2014.
•Syfan also advised the city’s
sign ordinance needed to be updat
ed.