Newspaper Page Text
Vol. 24 No. 48 • Publication No. 1074-987 • Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia 30633 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. • 26 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements
HOTJDAY
“Pilgrim” Peyton South enjoys his Thanksgiving feast
last week in Christa Pearson’s kindergarten class at
Ila Elementary School. The class learned all about the
first Thanksgiving in the days prior to the classroom
feast. Margie Richards/staff
Cjiving
Thanks
Kindergarteners share
why they’re thankful
By Margie Richards
margie@mainstreetnews.com
Christa Pearson’s kinder
garten class at Ila Elementary
was filled with tiny Pilgrims
and Indians last Friday,
all ready to celebrate the
Thanksgiving holiday with
a feast of their own. Their
meal consisted of roasted
venison, popcorn, carrots,
grapes and muffins.
The class spent some time
earlier in the week discuss
ing the first Thanksgiving
and how it came to be. Each
child donned either a Pilgrim
costume or an Indian cos
tume to take part in the feast
and Pearson asked each to
write down some of the
things they are most thank
ful for. The following is a
sample of some of them.
“I am thankful for my
God, and Mom and Dad,”
Eli Akins said.
Macy McGinnis echoed
that sentiment, saying she is
thankful for her famle (fam
ily) and for God.
‘‘I am thankful for my
sister,” Hailey Burbage
said, while Clayton Code
and Ashlyn Hicks say they
are each thankful for their
brothers.
Ephram Lewis says he is
thankful for his turkey and
for his mom (in that order).
‘‘I am thankful for my
parns (parents) and buvr
(brother),” wrote Jenna
Miller.
‘‘I am thankful for my
mome (mom) and my sidrs
(sisters),” Brooke Gordon
wrote.
‘‘I am thankful for my
dad,” wrote Tyce Kimsey.
Next door in Marianne
Boggs class, “Peyton” said
he is thankful for Stah uv
Lebrt (Statue of Liberty)
and his clos (clothes).
“I am thankful for my
techechres (teachers) and
— See ‘Thanks’’ on 2A
INSIDE
Index:
News — 1-3A
Opinions — 4-5A
Crime — 6A
Schools — 7-9A
Churches —10A
Obituaries —11A
Classifieds —13-15A
Socials — 14A, 3B
Sports — 1-2B
Legals — 4-12B
Contact:
Phone: 706-795-2567
Fax: 706-795-2765
Mail: P.O. Box 658,
Danielsville, GA, 30633
Web:
MadisonJoumalTODAY.
com
Madison County’s
boys’ basketball team
opened its season
this past week with
two convincing wins.
— See Page 1B
Raiders off
to strong start
ECONOMY
Shelter faces financial crisis
Director says next two to
three months are critical
Madison-Oglethorpe Animal Shelter
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
Facing monetary dire
straights, the Madison-
Oglethorpe Animal Shelter
hopes for a Christmas miracle
to turn its fortunes around.
Simply put, “We’re in finan
cial crisis,” shelter director
Susan Fomash said.
The head of the financially-
strapped facility predicts a
long, cold winter, with MOAS
needing about $15,000 in
donations to get it through
the spring.
“We’re looking at the fact
that we’re broke,” Fomash
said. “I’m a little concerned
about how we re going to get
through the next two-to-three
months especially.”
The shelter receives an
annual contribution of $3 per
capita from the two coun
ties, which totals $78,000
from Madison County and
$38,000 from Oglethorpe, but
the costs are becoming too
great. And the dollar figure
from the two governments,
which is based on the 2000
census, hasn’t changed.
“What the counties are giv
ing us, that has not changed
since the day the shelter
opened,” Fomash said. “And
while I’m extremely grateful
for that, it’s just not enough.”
As the end of the year
approaches, contributions are
substantially down and adop
tions have dropped off. That’s
left MOAS with few dollars
and a full house of animals
to tend to.
Fomash estimates the shel
ter currently houses 90 dogs,
30 puppies and 85 cats.
“We’re full,” Fomash said.
By Dec. 31, she projects
that 2,500 homeless animals
will have passed through
MOAS’s doors in 2009.
Fomash points to that figure
— See “Shelter” on 3A
Ridin 5 for the Kids
The annual Madison Comity Toy Ride was held at Madison Memorial Park in
Danielsville Saturday. There were over 60 bikes and the event raised over $3,700.
Organizers said they appreciate the community’s support of the event. The
money will be used to purchase toys for needy kids in Madison County. Pictured
are Toy Ride organizers David and Dwayne Patton, along with “Santa.”
Margie Richards/staff
GOVT
County budget
talks winding
to a close
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
Madison County com
missioners will soon pass
their 2010 budget with
some painful cuts, but no
job losses.
Next year’s budget will
be down approximately
$900,000, or six percent,
from this year’s $14.1
million budget. That’s the
second straight year of sig
nificant cuts to the county
budget.
Commissioners and
other county tax levying
boards were able to hold
tax rates steady this year
despite revenue shortfalls.
However, the state is also
facing revenue shortages.
And legislators eliminat
ed the Homeowners’ Tax
Relief Grant, which added
roughly $240 to local hom
eowners’ bills. Though the
general assembly ended
— See “Budget” on 2A
THANKSGIVING PROFIT ,E
Veteran gives thanks for a rich life
By Margie Richards
margie@mainstreetnews.com
L ouie Clark will never
forget April 5, 1945.
That was the day dur
ing World War II that a Japanese
Kamikaze plane struck his
ship, the Navy destroyer USS
Haynsworth DD-700.
A young Navy serviceman,
Clark lost many of his friends
and shipmates that day and saw
others badly wounded.
“The Japanese sent several hun
dred suicide pilots after our fleet
for several days,” Clark said. “I
give God the glory for bringing
our severely damaged destroyer
back home.”
Clark, who turned 85
Wednesday (Nov. 25), has led a
long and full life.
He and his wife Ann have been
married 59 years and are the par
ents of four children (Max, Jeff,
Ken and Ceci) and grandparents
of four. They lost their eldest
son. Max, in 1996. “It’s with us
every day,” Clark said of the loss
of a child.
Clark is a descendent of Elijah
Clark and Mrs. Clark recently
discovered that she is a descen
dent of Betsy Ross.
A former state representative
who served a district that included
Madison County in the Georgia
general assembly for 18 years,
Clark began life as the son of a
farmer in the small south Georgia
town of Sale City in 1924.
His dad was a sharecropper and
Clark, the fourth of nine children,
picked his share of cotton and
peanuts while he was growing
up.
When he was 17, World War
II broke out and the following
year, at age 18, Clark joined the
Navy. He attended boot camp
at Bainbridge before heading to
Virginia for training as a mine
sweeper.
Soon, the small town Georgia
boy was shipping out from New
York City on the Haynsworth
headed for war with the Japanese
— See “Clark” on 2A
Ann Clark stands by her husband, Louie, and
their Boston terrier, “Pid.” Margie Richards/staff
