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THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. JANUARY 15, 2009 — PAGE 5A Mid-week windstorm damages home Record number of farmers participate in ag census By Margie Richards margie@mainstreetnews.com Allen Collins and his wife, Jo, were watching TV around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in their home on Hwy. 191, when they heard a “ripping sound.” The wind had been kicking up for a while, but this was different. “I remember Jo said ‘well, there goes the roof,’” Collins said. The sound was terrible, but thankfully lasted only a few seconds. Once it quiet ed down they went outside where they saw most of their tin roof, peeled “like a banana skin” draped in strips and shreds over an ancient oak tree in the front yard. More dramatic than that, the wind had driven wooden strips into the tree like stakes. Collins hates to think what would have happened if anyone had been outside when it hap pened. It was a “fluke” since all the tall old trees around their house, which sits on a knoll of their family farm, remained virtually unscathed, as well as an old bam with an ancient tin roof just behind the house. “That old tin is just rotten and it (the wind) didn’t even touch it,” Collins said of the bam, shaking his head. The roofers were busy on Thursday replacing the dam aged tin and removing the Strong winds ripped the roof off the home of Allen and Jo Collins on Hwy. 191 last Wednesday. stripped roofing from the old oak tree. For his part, Collins said he’s just happy no one was hurt. There will however, be one more casualty of the wind storm - this week the old oak tree in the front yard, a tree he grew up under the branches of, is set to come down. Collins pointed to holes around the trunk that indicate the root system is dying and notes that if the wind had been blowing the other way, the old tree might have fell on the house instead of the roof landing in the tree. “I hate to see it go,” Collins said. Two wooden strips were hurled into a tree at the home of Allen and Jo Collins on Hwy. 191. A record number of farmers participated in the 2007 Census of Agriculture. “They will soon see a return on that investment when Census results are released Feb. 4 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS),” the Census press release stated. Doug Kleweno, director of the NASS Georgia Field Office, said the true value of the Census is the information it provides - it charts trends in agriculture over time and provides the only source of uniform, comprehensive data for every county in the nation. The Census, which is conducted every five years, provides facts and figures on virtually every aspect of U.S. agriculture, including the number and types of farm operations, the economic aspects of farm production and the demographics of U.S. farmers. In addition, Kleweno said the information is used by all those who serve farmers and rural communities, including government agencies, community planners, agribusinesses, lenders, trade associations and many others. “They (farmers) took the time to tell us about what’s happening in agriculture on a local and national level. That voice will be heard by policymakers and other agricultural stakeholders now and in the years ahead," Kleweno said. Census results will now be available online and in various pub lications to be issued by NASS. For more information, visit www. agcensus.usda.gov or call 800-727-9540. American Folklife Center seeks recordings of historic sermons The United States will inaugurate Barack Obama, the country’s first African-American president Jan. 20. In anticipation of citizens’ efforts to mark this historic time around the country, the American Folklife Center will be collect ing audio and video recordings of sermons and orations made between Friday. Jan. 16. and Sunday, Jan. 25, that comment on the significance of the inauguration of 2009. It is expected that such sermons and orations will be delivered at churches, synagogues, mosques and other places of worship, as well as before humanist congregations and other secular gatherings. The American Folklife Center is seeking as wide a representation of orations as possible. For more information, visit http://www.loc. gov/folklife/inaugural/. Freeman, Hobbs sworn into new terms on Ila City Council Council members Don Freeman and Nathaniel Hobbs were sworn in by city attorney Pat Graham to serve new four-year terms on the Ha city council in January. The council members qualified for new terms last fall with no opposition. The city council has chosen a site for a back up well on William Smith’s property. Smith and the city recently entered into a con tract for a lease for the well site. The EPD will need to approve the site before the well can be drilled, according to the minutes. The council asked attorney Graham to send a letter to the Dollar General store adjacent to city hall "putting them on notice” that when the city's fence falls, they will be liable for replace ment. since the city maintains that a retaining wall was not properly installed. The council also asked city clerk Susan Steed to send a letter to a property owner on Campbell Street following several com plaints concerning a refrigerated tractor-trailer parking at a vacant residence there. The letter is to request that the truck no longer be parked there. The council also asked Graham to look into a possible storm water mn off ordinance for com mercial development in the city. Councilman Hobbs said he has noticed several areas in town that wash out badly following a heavy rain. The council voted to have a large dumpster brought to city hall for use by city residents, but noted that no metal or household garbage is to be placed there. 0RD& MADISON CHAPEL 963 Hwy. 98 East Danielsville, GA 30630 706-795-5116 EAST: 4355 Lexington Road Athens. GA 30605 (706)546-1587 yFAX (706) 548-7984 WEST: 1211 Jimmy Daniel Road Bogart, GA 30622 (706)549-3342 FAX (706) 549-3499 OGLETHORPE CHAPEL 503 Main Street Crawford. GA 30630 (706)743-5030 FAX (706) 743-3994 Bray Construction, Inc. • New Homes • Remodeling • Vinyl Siding • Masonry Work • Concrete Finishing (706) 789-2313 For the best buys, read The Journal classifieds. To place a classified, call us at 706-795-2567 or visit us online Remember to buckle up. It’s the law. at MadisonJournalTODAY.com 'Ben Vo Benefit Sii Vote: 01124-109 dime: 7-9 ptti 66s nging featuring: Crosswalk The (joss (Brothers (Baptist Church and Cleveland, Cja. The ‘Watkins Family fitly questions: 706-335-9185. l)na6U to attend, please make donations § (Barrett funeral J&rne. dlankffou! FOR ONLY $5 PER MONTH, YOU CAN LIST YOUR GROUP'S MEETINGS! Let your members know when your group is meeting! Call (706) 367-5233 lo advertise your meeting time, place and date in,,, • The Jackson Herald • The Commerce News • The Braselton News • The Banks County News • The Madison County Journal Georgia Real Estate Investors Association, Inc. - Athens Meets the third Thursday each month 6:30 pm at the UGA Conferen ce Center 1197 South Lumpkin Street, Athens, GA 30601 Tom Hewlett - Chapter President thewlettl@charter.net pj 12/09 BANKS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC. meets first Monday each month 7:00 p.m. in the Banks Co. Historial Courthouse at 105 U.S. Hwy. 441 North in Homer pd.-07/09 Citizens Organized for Pipeline Safety investigating the health risks to citizens from underground pipelines and booster stations in Madison Co. Meetings 6:30 p.m. at the Colbert Grove Baptist Church the 2nd Thurs. of each month. 706-783-4702. Pd.04/09 JEFFERSON Ip AMERICAN LEGION Albert Gordon Post 56 Each 3rd Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. Harvie Lance, Commander Phone (706) 654-1274 aio White Plains Baptist Church Pd 02/09 Faith Bible Class meets every Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. It is a place where strangers become friends and friends become family. 706-367-5650 White Plains Baptist Church 3650 Hwy. 124 West, Jefferson, GA 30549 The Jackson Co. Republican Party Would like you to meet us for breakfast the second Sat. of each month, 8:00 at The Jefferson House. For more information, call 706-652-2967 or email fishyglass@yahoo.com Pd.u/08 BANKS COUNTY fgf AMERICAN LEGION Post 215 Meets each 3rd Thursday, 7 p.m. In Homer, GA at the American Legion Building on Historic Highway 441 pd.06/09 VETERANS OF 9 FOREIGN WARS Post 4872, Hurricane Shoals Convention Ctr. Each 4th Tuesdasy, 7:00 p.m. Lamar Langston, Commander Phone 706-652-2627 263 JEFFERSON EIONS CEUB Meets 2nd & 4th Monday Jefferson City Clubhouse 6:30 p.m. *(706) 387-1156 Mack Cates, President 542 JC UNITY LODGE F&A.M. No. 36, Jefferson, GA 1st Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m. Dwayne Potts • 706-367-4449 Borders St. behind Tabo’s 260 JEFFERSON ROTARY CLUB Meets Tuesdays Jefferson City Clubhouse 12:30 p.m. -(706) 367-7696 Gina Mitsdarffer, President 547 Gov’t transparency website launched Governor Sonny Perdue has announced the launch of the Open Georgia: Transparency in Government website. The website can be found at open.georgia.gov. The site allows Georgians online access to agency expenditures on professional services, employee salaries and travel, state financial reports and program reviews from the two previ ous fiscal years. “The Open Georgia website makes state government more transpar ent to its customer, the taxpayer," Governor Perdue said. "By being willing to further open the halls of government to the public, we give citizens more confidence that their tax dollars are being spent wisely." There are numerous ways to search for salaries for anyone employed by state agencies, universities or even local school systems. Users can search by name, title, description and agency. The site allows Georgians to view professional service vendors doing business with the state and view how much they were paid during the two previous fiscal years. Once the information is accessed, it can be exported into Microsoft Excel or Adobe pdf formats. “We Got You Covered” Residential * Commercial * Agricultural • Ship Anywhere In The USA • We Stock Your Metal Needs • Visit Our Showroom Sales • Service • Installation Hwy. 60 / Candler Hwy. Pendergrass, Ga. www.metalroofmg.com 706-654-5836 L&l Tallulah Falls School fif c/r/ra/t tt<y mO cfi/eaKi d.rcp//pncp Admissions Open House Saturday, January 24, 2009 10:00 a.m. • Fully accredited college prep program • Music, arts, drama and sports • 5 and 7-dav boarding’ programs • National leader in providing need-based financial aid • Growing day program witli morning and afternoon bus service in surrounding counties • Class of 2008 - 100% college acceptance Faculty anil student representatives will be on hand to conduct campus tours and answer any questions concerning academics, athletics, admissions and financial aid. Refreshments will be available. Please RSVPhy January 21. Day program grades 6-12 Boarding program grades 7-12 www. tallulahf alls. orgf Office of Admissions • (706) 754-0400