Newspaper Page Text
The
www.MadisonJournalTODAY.com
SEPTEMBER 10, 2009
Merged with The Comer News and The Danielsville Monitor, 2006
Vol. 24 No. 37 • Publication No. 1074-987 • Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia 30633 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. • 24 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements
INSIDE: Commissioners
deny Broad River concession
stand. PAGE 3A
Commissioners
BOC says ‘no’
to sheriff’s
budget increase
By Margie Richards
margie@mainstreetnews.com
Madison County commissioners
are getting good at saying “no,”
and they said it again last week to
Sheriff Kip Thomas.
Commissioners said they couldn't
see granting any of the
budgetary increases
requested by the sheriff,
and asked him to work
with the budget he had
for 2009.
Nearing the end of
county budget hearings,
commissioners are still
looking at a possible
$1.8 million shortfall for
next year.
Sheriff Thomas turned in
reworked 2010 budgets for his
office, the jail and the CHAMPS
program (formerly DARE) to the
county commissioners last week.
The proposed budget includes
requests for four new deputies,
six new jailers and 12 patrol cars
to replace high-mileage vehicles.
Sheriff Thomas placed the new
jail positions, at least four of the
requested six, at the top of his
wish list.
But commissioners were hard-
pressed to agree to additional
employees for the
sheriff, since they have
recently enacted a coun
ty-wide hiring freeze.
“I’d like to see you
go back to the 2009
budget, take five per
cent off, and work with
it,” Commissioner John
Pethel told the sheriff.
“We’re in some critical,
critical times and we’re
trying to save jobs.”
Pethel added he just doesn't
see how the board can grant any
increase in anyone’s budget at this
time.
“I know you're trying to do
what’s best for the county,” Pethel
said.
— See Sheriff on page 2A ‘
THOMAS
Ginni Edwards prepares fresh flower arrangements for sale at an organic farmers’ market. This is the
Edwards’ first year to grow and market organic flowers from land on a farm along the Broad River which
they jointly own with neighbor Carlo King. Thirty acres of adjacent land have been reclaimed to expand the
farm. Photo by Charles Richards
Local Farm
Local Elections
Municipal
elections ahead
in November
There will be several munic
ipal elections this fall, includ
ing two mayoral races.
Incumbent Danielsville
mayor Glenn Cross will face
councilman Philip Croya for
his seat, while incumbent
Comer mayor Billy Burroughs
will face challenger David
McMickle for his post.
Election day is Tuesday,
Nov. 3.
Other elections to be held
are as follows:
Colbert
Councilman Chris Peck
was the sole qualifier for the
mayor's position. Peck will
replace long-time mayor John
Waggoner, who is retiring.
Council incumbent Roger
Fortson was also the lone
qualifier for his council posi
tion.
However, there were three
candidates who qualified for the
council position vacated by Chris
Peck. They are Ellyn Trinrud,
Timothy Wyatt and Reginald A.
Hunter.
Hull
Incumbent Mayor Paul Elkins
was the only one to qualify for
— See Municipal elections on 3A
Stewards of the land
Scottie Edwards and Carlo King
reclaim polluted land, make
it part of their ‘Fertile Crescent’
By Margie Richards
margie@mainstreetnews.com
C osmos, zinnias, snap dragons, sunflowers, gladi-
olas and Rudbeckia hirta (Black-eyed Susans)
are just a few of the cut flowers grown organi
cally on a Madison County back road these days.
Scottie Edwards may have been a contract carpenter by
trade, but his new vocation as an organic flower farmer is
his passion.
Edwards believes in being a good steward - and for him
that doesn’t just mean being a responsible caretaker of the
land. It also means being a good husband, father, neighbor,
friend and community member.
“That’s something we all need to work on,” Edwards
said.
“I once heard that wealth is not determined by how
much you have, but how much you have to give away.”
And Edwards has given back to the community in many
ways, one of those being to serve on the board of the local
Habitat for Humanity for a number of years.
His wife Ginni Edwards is a media specialist at Madison
County High School and formerly served as branch
manager of the Madison County Library. The two are
childhood sweethearts (they’ve been together since the
eighth grade) and were married in 1987, shortly after they
purchased land on Roy Woods Road to build a home on.
They are the proud parents of 13-year-old Isabelle.
Both Scott and Ginni have always enjoyed gardening
and growing their own vegetables and herbs.
Edwards met his good friend Carlo King (aka Carl
Dietrich) back in 1987 when both of them were on a job
building playgrounds for schools.
“We’ve been friends ever since,” Edwards said. “In fact,
he's like family.”
The two went in together on 40 acres of land for a farm
near the Edwards’ home on the Broad River a dozen years
ago.
King dubbed the farm “Fertile Crescent” after the bibli
cal Mesopotamia (land between two rivers).
More recently, the pair purchased 30 adjacent acres that
had been used for years as a dumping ground for house
hold garbage.
— See Edwards on page 2A‘
INSIDE
Index:
News — 1-3A 5A
Opinions — 4A
Schools — 11-12A
Crime — 6A
Churches — 9A
Socials — 7-8A
Sports— 1-2B
Legate— 3-9B
Obituaries — 10A
Classifieds — 11-12B
Contact:
Phone: 706-795-2567
Fax: 706-795-2765
Mail: P.O. Box 658,
Danielsville, GA, 30633
Web:
MadisonJoumalTODAY.
com
Raiders, in a thriller
Madison County took down Winder-
Barrow 35-29 last week for its first
win of the season. The Raiders now
turn their attention to this week’s
opponent, Monroe Area. 1B
Schools
Rash of illness subsiding at
Madison Co. Middle School
But other schools starting
to see more absences
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
Though he had no official
numbers, Madison County
Schools Superintendent Mitch
McGhee said middle school
attendance is finally stabilizing
after recent illness produced
absentee rates above normal for
this time of year,
“It looks like our middle
school has leveled off,” McGhee said at
Tuesday night’s school board meeting.
He noted that the middle school seemed
to be hit the hardest with recent sickness,
while Freshmen Academy experienced
similar absentee rates.
Though there aren’t confirmed cases,
some of the sickness is believed to be
H1N1.
“If you test positive for type A influ
enza, they’re assuming it’s H1N1
because it’s so rampant right now,”
McGhee said.
McGhee said H1N1 is probably
a little less severe than seasonal
flu. But like the seasonal flu, if
someone has other health issues,
H1N1 can be deadly.
The virus is contagious because
school age children haven’t built
up antibodies to battle it.
Though the middle school and Freshman
Academy seem to over the worst of it,
Madison County’s elementary schools are
now seeing more kids out
— See Absences on page 3A‘
MCGHEE