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Banks County News
www.BanksNewsTODAY.com d Banks County’s Legal Organ
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27,2017
504 • Homer, Banks County, GA 30547 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. • 16 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements • Vol. 49 No. 43
Dinges to serve 20 years
in shootout with deputies
Malcody Dinges, 41, has been sentenced to serve 20 years in
jail in the 2015 shootout with two deputies at a Banks Crossing
shopping center.
Two Banks County Sheriffs Office deputies were involved
in the shooting that occurred when they approached Dinges,
who was wanted on a parole violation warrant, on suspicion
of drug activity.
The deputies reportedly approached Dinges, who was
talking with a female in another vehicle, at 300 Banks Drive in
Commerce, he produced a gun and fired at the deputies. The
deputies returned fire, striking Dinges twice. The deputies and
Dinges fired multiple times.
Dinges was sentenced Friday in Banks County Superior
Court after pleading guilty to aggravated assault on an offi
cer and trafficking methamphetamine. He was also given a
$200,000 fine and ordered to pay restitution.
WINS PEOPLE’S CHOICE
Hadlee Mae Eubanks won people’s choice during
the 45th annual Miss Autumn Leaf Pageant at East
Jackson Comprehensive High School Saturday
evening. The pageant was hosted by the Maysville
Elementary School PTO. Bonnie Grove, Palm
Beach, Fla., was one of the judges. She has been
judging pageants for over 40 years. Teri Lynn
Brock also judged the pageant. She has been
judging competitions for 12 years. See more pho
tos from the pageant on page 8B.
Photo by Wesleigh Sagon
50th annual Maysville
festival coming up Oct. 6-8
The 50th annual Maysville
Autumn Leaf Festival will be
held October 6-8.
The festival will open at
4:30 p.m. on Friday with a
cake walk sponsored by
Maysville Elementary School.
There will be a street dance at
8 p.m. featuring Second Time
Around.
On Saturday, there will be
a parade at 10 a.m. Other
highlights on Saturday will be
a cake walk at 4 p.m. and
MAILING LABEL
a cake walk at 4 p.m.
and a street dance featuring
Hooch Holler at 8 p.m.
On Sunday, Sonja Thomp
son from “The Walking
Dead with Zombieland” will
be signing autographs.
The Maysville Community
Improvement Club sponsors
the festival
FRIDAY
• 12 p.m., festival opens
• 4:30 p.m., cake walk
• 7 p.m., Matt Roper
• 8 p.m., street dance
• 11 p.m., festival closes
SATURDAY
• 9 a.m., festival opens
• 10 a.m., parade
• 11 a.m., opening cer
emonies with National
Anthem by Russ Brown
• 11:30 a.m., Cheer Chem
istry
• 12 p.m., Commerce
School of Dance
• 12:50 p.m., Lucky
• 1 p.m., Raychel
• 2 p.m., Starr Phepps
• 3 p.m., Sean Van Meter
• 4 p.m., cake walk
•5:30 p.m., The Dodd
Brothers
•6:15 p.m., Brittany Wil
liams
• 8 p.m., street dance
• 11 p.m., festival closes
SUNDAY
• 12 p.m., festival opens
• 1 p.m., Starr Phepps
• 2 p.m., Sonja Thompson
autograph signings
•2:30 p.m., The Dyer
Family
PRESENTS TRUCK TO FFA MEMBERS
Representatives of the Georgia Farm Bureau presented the keys to a truck to members of the Banks
County High School FFA. Shown are: (L-R) FFA students Jennifer Sheppard, Madison Campbell and
Shelby Dalton; FFA advisors Scott Wheatley and Kipp Jackson; Georgia Farm Bureau corporate secre
tary John Huffmaster; Banks County Farm Bureau president Jimmy Morrison; and FFA members Rip
Sanders, Ashlyn Payne, Fisher Armour and Zoie Boling. See more photos on page 4A.
Photo by Angela Gary
FFA students win truck from Farm Bureau
BY ANGELA GARY
Banks County High
School FFA student advisors
Scott Wheatley and Kipp
Jackson were presented
with the keys to a tmck Mon
day night from the Georgia
Farm Bureau. The tmck will
be used by the high school
FFA department.
The Georgia Farm Bureau
held a state-wide promotion
with the Banks County High
School FFA being selected
to receive the truck.
The tmck was presented
Monday night at the Banks
County Farm Bureau annual
dinner held at Mt. Carmel
Baptist Church in Lula with
more than 100 in attendance.
Several FFA students
posed for photos with the
tmck prior to the dinner and
the keys were officially pre
sented during the meeting.
Georgia Farm Bureau cor
porate secretary Jon Huff-
master spoke on the presen
tation of the tmck.
“For 80 years, Georgia
Farm Bureau has been the
voice of farmers,” he said.
“One of our policies is to
support vocational educa
tion and FFA. Farm Bureau is
a strong advocate of agricul
ture. This year, we had a pro
gram for every 50 members
signed up that your name
went in a pot for a truck. We
had the drawing two weeks
ago and Banks County won.
I’m here to give you a pickup
tmck.”
The program included
the election of three board
members, an update on
insurance offered by the
Farm Bureau, and a report
on activities of the women’s
committee.
“Thank you for coming
out tonight and supporting
agriculture in Banks County,”
said Jimmy Morrison, pres
ident of the Banks County
Farm Bureau.
The board members
re-elected to another two-
year term are: Henry Banks,
Jerry Gordon and Mark Led
ford. Freddie Dalton spoke
on behalf of the nominating
committee.
Women’s committee
chairman Ann Gordon rec
ognized students who have
won recent contests, as well
as speaking on the “My Plate
is Georgia Grown” program
in schools.
She also recognized Tuck
er Carlan, recipient of the
Albert Ward Memorial Schol
arship.
Gordon also announced
the upcoming Agriculture
Awards Banquet, scheduled
for Nov. 13, and Farm Tour,
to be held May 10. She also
spoke on the “Gardens in
Schools” project and said
potatoes will be harvested
soon.
Farm Bureau agency man
ager Chip Shadburn spoke
on insurance changes and
announced that Matt Bonds
is the new agent at the office.
He also said that the Banks
County vs. Rabun County
game this Friday night will
be the Georgia Farm Bureau
game of the week.
Music was provided by
the Sullens-Wheeler Family.
Kay Reece catered the meal.
Banks County 4-H students
assisted with serving the
meal and handing out door
prizes.
Others on the program
were: the Rev. James Dun
can, invocation; Jerry Gor
don, opening remarks; and
Sammy Reece, introduction
of guests.
Steel going up in Diana Foods development
BY SHARON HOGAN
Steel is going up on the
new Diana Naturals Inc.
building in the Banks County
Industrial Park.
The Banks County Devel
opment Authority, at the
September 19 meeting,
approved several items relat
ed to the development of the
industrial park.
This includes the Geor
gia Department of Econom
ic Development Financial
Assistance Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU),
which commits the Diana
Naturals investment project
for Banks County and the
state and lists the general
economic benefits. This also
details an $150,000 EDGE
award, to be administered
by the Georgia Department
of Community Affairs.
The food processing,
manufacturing and research
and development facility
will produce food flavorings
from meat products, contain
approximately 90,000 square
feet of space, and create 88
new jobs. The average salary
is expected to be $42,058,
plus benefits, for each job.
The company invest
ment is $45,000,000 in real
estate, building materials,
equipment and other capital
expenditures.
In other business related
to the Diana Foods project,
the development authority
agreed to:
• opening a separate bank
account for the $150,000
EDGE grant funds. These
funds will be used to reim
burse Diana Naturals for
some of the grading costs.
• the performance and
accountability agreement
between the Development
Authority and Diana Naturals
to ensure that the company
completes a project that cre
ates the defined number of
jobs and invests the defined
amount of new private capi
tal into the facility.
• the reimbursement
agreement between the
Banks County Board of
Commissioners and the
Banks County Development
Authority for the $700,000
the county has agreed to
provide to the authority as
needed, to help fund the
Industrial Park road proj
ect. Development Authority
chairman Scott Ledford said
the money from the coun
ty will be transferred on an
as-needed basis.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business at the
monthly meeting:
•the authority met in
closed session for approxi
mately one hour to discuss
real estate, but no action was
taken.
•Ledford reported that
the county’s Comprehen
sive Land Use Plan Update
meeting on Sept. 18 was a
good meeting with participa
tion from all involved. The
meeting focused on needs
in the county and possible
solutions on how to meet
those needs. Ledford said
everyone in attendance
agreed that development
is a priority for the county.
He said providing sewer to
the county schools and the
Martin Bridge Road area are
among the top needs for the
county.
•Brad Day Director of
Major Projects, advised that
Banks County would be rec
ognized for the Diana Nat
urals project, on Oct. 4 in
Savannah, and on Nov. 13 in
Atlanta.
DONATIONS
FOR COUNTY
Residents of
Sequatchie, Bledsoe,
Marion and Grundy
counties and Dunlap,
Tenn., donated a truck
load of water and
supplies to Banks
County residents. The
Banks County public
safety team met with
those volunteers who
brought the supplies
and unloaded the
truck. The items were
distributed to those in
need in the communi
ty. Some of the volun
teers are shown.