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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2023
• Homer, Banks County, GA 30547 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. • 12 Pages, 1 Section Plus Supplements • Vol. 56 No. 17
Easter egg
hunt planned
in Homer
on Saturday,
April 1
The Town of Homer and
the Homer Downtown De
velopment Authority will
sponsor an Easter egg hunt
on Saturday, April 1, at 145
Oscar Rucker Road. Ho
mer. The gates will open
at 11 a.m. for games, re
freshments and attractions.
The egg hunt will begin at
1 p.m.
The event will include
food, facepainting, helicop
ter rides and games. Prizes
and trophies will be award
ed at the egg hunt.
The egg hunt is being
held “in celebration of
Mack Garrison.”
Republican
women to
meet April 4
The Republican Women
of Banks County will meet
on April 4 at Homer Town
Hall, located at 943 History
Homer Highway, Homer. A
social gathering will be held
at 6:30 p.m.. with the meet
ing to start at 7 p.m.
Rhonda Thomas, presi
dent of Atlanta-based Truth
in Education, will be the
guest speaker.
Alto’s 17th
annual
Spring
Fling
planned
Alto’s 17th annual Spring
Fling will be held from
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Satur
day, June 2.
The parade will start at
10 a.m.
The event will include
live entertainment with
Steve Bryson, antique trac
tors, float contest, car show,
food and craft vendors and
children’s activities.
To sign up to be a vendor
or parade participant, con
tact Alto City Hall at 706-
778-8035 or email altocity-
hall @ windstream.net.
MAILING LABEL
Effort to move out of
Piedmont Judicial Circuit
doesn’t move forward
By ANGELA GARY
angela@mainstreetnews.com
Legislation that would
remove Banks County from
the Piedmont Judicial Cir
cuit and put it in the Moun
tain Judicial Circuit did not
move forward this legisla
tive session.
The bill made it out of
the Senate and went to the
House Judiciary Commit
tee. However, Rep. Chris
Erwin said Monday that a
committee hearing has not
been scheduled.
“The bill to move Banks
County out of the Piedmont
Circuit did not get a com
mittee hearing,” Rep. Erwin
said. “The only way the bill
could move forward this
late in the session would be
to add the language to an
other bill.”
The Banks County Board
of Commissioners approved
a letter in support of the bill.
The BOC has been in favor
of moving out of the Pied
mont Judicial Circuit for
four years.
The judges serving the
Piedmont Circuit are in op
position to the move with
Judge Joe Booth and Judge
Currie Mingledorff speak
ing before legislators on the
issue.
Photo by Hannah Caudell
Crystal Rodriguez performs a serve while going up
against an East Jackson opponent. See more sports
coverage on pages 6 and 12.
Educators from across state visit Banks
County schools for agriculture lesson
Candice Looney speaks about her program at Banks County Primary School when educators across the state
visited to learn about agriculture.
Educators from across the
state recently visited Banks
County schools to learn
about agriculture.
Banks County Elementary
and Banks County Primary
Schools participated in the
Educator Workshop spon
sored by the UGA ALEC
(Agricultural Leadership,
Education and Communica
tion Department), Georgia
Farm Bureau, the University
of Georgia, and the Georgia
Foundation for Agriculture
on Friday, March 17.
The program provides
teacher collaboration and
cooperation to support ag
ricultural education across
Georgia.
Three workshops are
scheduled for the Farm Tour
this year, and Banks Coun
ty Elementary was asked to
represent northern Geor
gia.
Approximately 40 educa
tors from around the state
visited Banks County Ele
mentary and Banks County
Primary Schools to learn
about the agricultural op
portunities K-5 students are
experiencing.
Dr. Wendy Fushetti led
the workshop.
“Our students are learning
about agriculture through
hands-on experiential learn
ing opportunities,” stat
ed Dr. Fuschetti, who has
been instrumental in im
plementing the program at
Banks County Elementary
School.
Bank County students re
ceive ag education in week
ly ag classes and through Ag
in Classroom activities.
“Recently, our elemen
tary students have watched
chicks hatch, planted ro-
maine lettuce in raised
beds, transplanted blueberry
plants, and added flowers to
the pollinator garden,” Fus
chetti said. “K-2 students
have cared for strawberry
plants, lettuces, broccoli,
squash, and cucumbers.”
She adds, “ Our goal is
to teach our Banks County
K-5 students where their
food comes from and how
agriculture impacts our dai
ly lives.”
The team visited Banks
County Primary and Banks
County Elementary School,
concluding the day with a
workshop held at the Geor
gia Farm Bureau.
Some Lula citizens looking to
oust mayor and councilman
By SHERRY LEWIS
A recall is underway for
Lula Mayor Joe Thom
as and Councilman Gene
Bramlett.
Amanda Browning spoke
on the move during the cit
izens’ comments section
of the Lula City Council
March meeting. She stated
the reasons for the recall
are “maleficent and harass
ment.”
“We need 100 signa
tures; that is the first step,”
she said. “Although we are
shooting for 200 and we are
off to a very good start.”
Signatures must come
from people living with
in the city limits in either
Banks or Hall counties.
They must also be a reg
istered voter, she continued.
The recall stems from in
vestigations that occurred
during 2022.
Browning said she has
copies of both investiga
tions on hand so citizens
can make a informed deci
sion.
She is taking signatures
at her place of business:
Amanda’s Farm to Fork in
Lula.
An inmate detail picked up 548 bags of trash on county
roadsides.
Weather will keep Smokey Road near
Alto prison closed for improvements
By ANGELA GARY
Angie@mainstreetnews.com.
The temporary closure of
Smokey Road near Alto, set
to last for two weeks begin
ning March 13, has been ex
tended to April 3.
Anderson Grading &
Pipeline, through a con
tract with Lee Arrendale
State Prison, is replacing
and installing new storm
water pipes, but that work
is behind schedule due to
weather.
Smokey Road is closed
to through traffic between
CM Wilbanks Road and Mt.
Zion Church Road.
Signage has been placed
along the route to detour
traffic around the work area.
Access to CM Wilbanks
Road and Peace Dollar
Drive will be maintained
and remain open to resi
dents of those two roads.
Work will occur from
7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily
through April 3.
The closure affects access
to as many as 50 homes and
buildings during the pro
cess.
Drivers are reminded to
use caution and obey all
construction signs, flaggers,
and crews during the pro
cess.
548 bags of trash
picked up from
county roadsides
The Banks County Sheriff’s Office has completed a 10-
week Banks County Beautification Project. The detail team
picked up 548 bags of trash, 109 yard signs and 17 tires.
In addition, the project manager has directed the facilities
and inmate detail to handle the delivery of firewood to the
needy and the cleaning of Banks County buildings, along
with coordinating and organizing the progression of the
new Law Enforcement Training Center.
