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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3,2024
Homer, Banks County, GA 30547 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers, Inc. • 12 Pages,1 Section Plus Supplements
Vol. 58 No. 3
Past
N e wsmakers
of the Year
Past Newsmakers of the
Year include:
2022 Lula Ladies com
munity group
2021 Scott Ledford,
Banks County Develop
ment Authority chairman
2020 Ann Hopkins,
Banks County School Sys
tem superintendent
2019 Tim Harper, Banks
County clerk of court
2018 Hannah Mullins,
Banks County economic
developer
2017 Bob Waldorf, Banks
County extension
2016 Jimmy Hooper,
BOC chairman
2015 Leslie George, Keep
Banks County Beautiful
2014 Brad Day, economic
developer
2013 Carlton Speed, sher
iff
2012 J.H. Brooks Family/
Farm
2011 Deidra Moore, 911
director
2010 Jerry Neace, Bald
win mayor
2009 Milton Turner, Lula
mayor
2008 Jim McLendon, Ho
mer UMC pastor
2007 Robin Trotter, Fam
ily Connections/Generous
Hearts
2006 Gene Hart, BOC
chairman
2005 Doug Cheek, Ho
mer mayor
2004 Rep. Jeanette Ja
mieson
2003 Chris Erwin, super
intendent
2002 Jack Banks, Devel
opment Authority
2001 Bonnie Johnson,
CVB
2000 Charles Chapman,
sheriff
1999 Mark Reed, Bald
win mayor
1998 Gary Freeman and
Danny Maxwell, BOC
1997 Bo Garrison and
Dock Sisk, BOE chairman
and superintendent
1996 Milton Patterson,
BOC chairman
Inside This
Issue
News—Page 2-3
Opinion-Page 4
Sports-Page 5
Crime—Page 6
Church/Social-Page 7
Obits-Page 8-9
Classifieds-Page 10
Legals-Page 11
MAILING LABEL
Newsmaker of the Year
Kipp Jackson leads students to state, national honors
Kipp Jackson (first on right) is shown with one of his award-winning student FFA teams.
Banks County High
School agriculture teacher
Kipp Jackson has led many
student teams to state and
national championships
during his time as an edu
cator.
Over his career, Jackson
has been a part of over 33
FFA state-winning teams
spanning from forestry to
poultry judging and has also
received national recogni
tion with a forestry career
development team.
Jackson, who is the Dis
trict Teacher of the Year, has
been named Newsmaker of
the Year for the impact he
has had and continues to
have on young people in
Banks County.
Superintendent Dr. Ann
Hopkins states, “Mr. Jack
son’s honor is not only a
reflection of his agricultural
expertise but also the mag
nitude of his character.”
She adds, “His dedica
tion, underlined by humility
and integrity, has been piv
otal in shaping our students.
We are fortunate to have
him in the Banks County
family.”
Assistant principal Will
KIPP JACKSON
Foster emphasizes Jack
son’s significant role in the
Banks County High School
faculty.
“The impact Mr. Jackson
has on our students is monu
mental,” he said. “He serves
humbly and is a valued part
of our school and com
munity. His impact on our
students daily is evident in
how much our students and
faculty admire him.”
Paycee and Payton Jack-
son, Jackson’s daughters,
shared their excitement over
his recognition, “Our father
has always been our guid
ing star. His unwavering
commitment to his students’
welfare resonates in and out
of the classroom.”
Jackson’s passion for ag
riculture is not just a profes
sion but a mission to ensure
every student recognizes
its importance, not just for
today but for future gener
ations.
His goal, as an educator
and now as a contender for
the state-level Teacher of
the Year, remains to amplify
the significance of FFA and
agriculture to each student
across the state and the na
tion.
Jackson, a teacher at the
high school, has been an ed
ucator for 23 years, with 19
of those being in the Banks
County system.
After graduating from
Jackson County High
School, he pursued his
Bachelor of Science in Ag
riculture Education at the
University of Georgia and
obtained his Masters in
Agricultural Leadership.
Furthering his education,
Jackson secured a specialist
degree in Curriculum and
Instruction from Lincoln
Memorial University.
Jackson is a member of
the GVATA (Georgia Voca
tional Agricultural Teach
ers Association) and PAGE
(Professional Association of
Georgia Educators).
Jackson will compete at
the state level for Georgia
Teacher of the Year. The
state-level Georgia Teach
er of the Year Banquet is
scheduled for May 30 and
31 in LaGrange, Georgia.
News Story of the Year
County leaders push for move out of Piedmont Judicial Circuit
Banks County Board of Commission chairman Charles Turk speaks on the reasons to move
out of the Piedmont Judicial Circuit. Rep. Chris Erwin is also shown.
Banks County leaders
have not backed down in
their push to move out of
the Piedmont Judicial Cir
cuit and into the Moun
tain Judicial Circuit. The
board of commissioners has
sought legislation to make
the change, passed a resolu
tion in support of the action
and even cut county funds
allocated for the Piedmont
Judicial Circuit.
The effort by Banks
County leaders to leave the
Piedmont Judicial Circuit
has topped the headlines
throughout the year. It is
likely to be in issue when
the legislative session kicks
off in January.
Several meetings and
hearings were held on the
matter including a state
committee hearing that
was held in Banks County.
Banks County leaders say
this is the first time such a
hearing has been held in the
county. State leaders also
said it is rare for legislative
committee hearings to be
held outside of Atlanta.
This effort by the BOC
to move into the Mountain
circuit has been named the
News Story of the Year.
The hearing in Banks
County was the second
state committee hearing
on the proposed legislative
bill to take Banks out of the
three-county Piedmont cir
cuit.
Ten people spoke in sup
port of the plan, including
Rep. Chris Erwin, Sen.
Bo Hatchett, Banks Coun
ty Board of Commission
chairman Charles Turk and
Sheriff Carlton Speed. Gina
Roy, assistant county man
ager for Jackson County,
and Pat Graham, chairman
of the Barrow County Board
of Commissioners also of
fered their support to Banks
County leaders in making
the change.
No one spoke in oppo
sition to the move at this
meeting. However, at the
earlier legislative commit
tee meeting in Atlanta, Pied
mont Judicial Circuit judges
Joe Booth and Currie Min-
gledorff spoke in opposition
to Banks moving out of the
circuit. They did not speak
at the hearing in Banks
County, however Judge
Mingledorff and district
attorney Brad Smith were
present in the audience.
Rep. Erwin said on the
issue, “Banks fits in better
in the Mountain Circuit. It
is more like our systems.
We are looking at where we
fit best as a slow-growing
county. It is nothing person
al” but that Banks County
citizens feel their voice is
not heard.”
“He added, “There has
never been a Banks County
citizen elected as the district
attorney or judge,” he said.
“The people feel like their
voice isn’t heard. Banks
County is a better, natural
fit, geographically and cul
turally, to the Mountain cir
cuit.”
Sen. Bo Hatchett said he
has talked to judges in the
Mountain circuit and they
are willing to take on Banks
County’s court caseload.
State leaders said if the
action is taken it would be
“precedent-setting” because
there has never been action
to take a county out of one
circuit and put it into anoth
er one.
Among the comments
made by BOC chairman
Turk was to compare the
population to the counties in
both circuits. He pointed out
that Banks is more similar
to Habersham, Rabun and
Stephens counties. He also
spoke on Banks not having
a “voice” in the Piedmont
circuit. “We can’t swing an
election one way or another
so they don’t care about us,”
he said. “...I don’t think
they care if we are here or
not.”
Sheriff Carlton Speed
said, ‘This has been going
on for a long time. Citizens
of Banks County feel like
their voices aren’t being
heard.”
While the circuit change
didn’t take place in 2023,
the Banks County BOC did
cut funds for court services.
At the budget hearing,
Turk told a representative
of the Piedmont Judicial
Circuit: “We had legislation
to get into the Mountain Ju
dicial Circuit. Y’all fought
it. It passed the Senate. It
didn’t get out of the House
committee. It would have
cost $180,000 to go into
the Mountain circuit. Your
cost (Piedmont circuit) is
$388,420. The commis
sioners are willing to give
$180,000 and that is it.”
SHOPPING WITH A HERO
One of the shoppers in the Shop With A Hero program looked through clothes. See Page 6 for
article and more photos.
Extension Office offers tax help
The Banks County Extension Office is offering tax assis-
tance.The process consists of two appointments.
In the first, you will meet with the tax preparer and give
them all the documentation and information they need to
prepare your return.
About a week later, you will return for your second ap
pointment, in which you will review, sign, and file your
return.
Appointments will begin February 1. Schedule by call
ing the Banks County Extension Office at 706-677-6230.
There are limits on which kinds of returns we can prepare,
so be sure to call ahead of time. Questions can be directed
to susie.burton@uga.edu.
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