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JULY 14, 2016
Madison County Journal
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Merged with The Comer News and The Danielsville Monitor, 2006
MadisonJoumalTODAY.com
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Vol. 31 No. 27 • Publication No. 1074-987 • Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia 30633 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. • 20 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements
FATALITY
Man dies
in Hwy.
72 wreck
A Dewy Rose man died
in a single-vehicle accident
on Hwy. 72 early Saturday
morning.
According to the Athens
Post of the Georgia State
Patrol (GSP), James Charles
Robertson, 26, died in an
accident at 4:30 a.m. near
Sims Kidd Road. Robertson
was driving his 1998 Honda
Accord westbound on Hwy.
72 when he failed to nego
tiate a right hand curve and
traveled off of the south
shoulder. The vehicle then
struck a tree and overturned
several times. Robertson
was not wearing a seatbelt
and was ejected from the
vehicle. He was pronounced
deceased at the scene.
Alcohol is suspected to
have been a factor and a
toxicology result is pending
through the Georgia Bureau
of Investigation Crime Lab,
a GSP spokesperson said.
COURT
Convicted
murderer
seeks new trial
Convicted murderer
Tracy Lea Fortson, now 51,
wants a new trial.
And she came back to
the Madison County Jail
on July 6 to appear before
Judge Thomas Hodges in
Madison County Superior
Court to plead her case.
Fortson was convicted in
— See “Trial” on 2A
INSIDE
Index:
News — 1-3 A
Opinions —4-6A
Crime — 7A
Socials— 8-10A, 12A
Obituaries — 11A
Sports — 1-2B
Churches — 4B
Classifieds — 5-6B
Legals — 7B
Contact:
Phone: 800-795-2581
Mail: P.O. Box 658,
Danielsville, Ga. 30633
Web:
MadisonJournalTODAY.
com
Mailing
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Want to vote?
Early voting is being held through July 22 for the July 26 Madison County runoff elections. Voters can visit the Madison County
Board of Elections and Registration Office in the county government complex to cast their ballots in the three Republican
runoffs. Anyone voting in the May 24 primaries as a Democrat is ineligible to vote in the Republican runoffs. The races include:
sheriff — Michael Moore and incumbent Kip Thomas: BOC chairman — John Scarborough and Stanley Thomas: and BOC
District 1 — lee Allen and Wayne Douglas. As of Tuesday at 5 p.m., 630 people had visited the registrar's office to vote early,
while another 148 had mailed in absentee ballots. There are approximately 17,000 registered voters in the county.
ZONING
Subdivision rejected
Large crowd speaks against
proposed Colbert development
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
Madison County com
missioners unanimously
shot down plans for a sub
division on Diamond Hill
Colbert Road Monday,
drawing applause from a
room of nearby residents
fiercely opposing the
development.
The proposed subdi
vision by Jason Pridgen
included 20 homes on
18.46 acres. The minimum
lot size for the lots was
.75 acres and the homes
would cost an estimated
$115,000 and be a mini
mum of 1,550 square feet.
Pridgen sought a rezoning
of the property from A-2 to
R-1. The property has been
used in recent years as a
hay pasture.
Attorney Victor Johnson
spoke on behalf of Pridgen
Monday, saying that the
county needs affordable
housing and the subdivi
sion would be a quality
development and “not a
trailer park.”
“This is not a mobile
home park or a manufac-
tured-home subdivision,”
said Johnson. “...This
will be modest, affordable
housing for people in the
average income range in
Madison County.”
Johnson said the plan
falls into the “high-densi
ty” zone on the county’s
land use map, which calls
for the densest residential
growth in a half-mile radi
us of the county’s cities.
Johnson filed a consti
tutional challenge to the
A large crowd attended the county commissioners
meeting Monday night to voice opposition for a
planned 20-lot subdivision on 18 acres on Diamond
Hill Colbert Road.
county zoning ordinance
Monday, a preliminary
move toward possible legal
action to get the property
rezoned.
Johnson was the lone
person to speak in favor
— See “Zoning” on 2A
FACILITIES
REGULATIONS
Madison County commissioners recently received a request from a busi
ness to rent the old Women, Infants and Children Food and Nutrition
Service (WIC) building in the Lakeview Business Center off Rock Quarry
Road by the district attorney’s office and Fine Finish. But leaders plan to
move the county elections office to the building in 2017.
Madison County gov’t won’t
get in the rental business
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
Madison County commissioners
agreed last week not to get into the
rental business.
The group recently received a
request from a business seeking to rent
the old Women, Infants and Children
Food and Nutrition Service ( WIC)
building in the Lakeview Business
Center off Rock Quarry Road by the
district attorney’s office and Fine
Finish.
County commissioners have made
it clear that they intend to move the
county elections office to that building
at the end of the year. But the board
entertained the idea of having a private
business use county property. This
could generate some revenue for the
county.
But there are complications to such
a plan.
County attorney Mike Pruett said the
commissioners must establish what
— See “Rental” on 2A
BOC OKs
noise nuisance
ordinance
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
Madison County com
missioners are giving
local law enforcement
another tool in dealing
with noise complaints.
The group approved a
measure Monday to “pro
hibit harassing noise in
the unincorporated areas
of Madison County.” This
will be in effect in tandem
with the current county
noise ordinance, which
restricts loud noises at
night. The “noise harass
ment ordinance” can be
applied at any time of day
or night.
The commissioners say
they’re concerned with
establishing a balance.
They don’t want normal
activities interrupted by
neighbors with a grudge,
but they don’t want some
one to be able to make
loud noises simply to
harass someone living
nearby.
The new ordinance
will give law officers the
authority to issue a cita
tion if they deem that a
noise is being made sim
ply to annoy a neighbor.
“A birthday party is not
intended to harass,” said
BOC chairman Anthony
Dove.
But commission
er Stanley Thomas said
someone revving up a
chainsaw and not cutting
anything for hours at a
time at the end of a drive
way. Well, that would be
harassment.
Commissioner Theresa
Bettis recently proposed
that the board do some
thing to address daytime
— See “Noise” on 2A
Fortson honored
Former Madison County Sheriff and commissioner Jack Darrell Fortson
(L) was honored by the Madison County Board of Commissioners Monday.
The road from Hwy. 98 to the sheriff’s office has been named after Fortson.
He was presented with a road sign. Pictured with Fortson is commission
vice-chairman John Pethel.
DEATH
Man dies after allegedly
taking part in assault in
store parking lot
Madison County Sheriff’s Investigator Jimmy
Patton said he expects charges to be forthcoming in
the assault of a Banks County man in the parking lot
of the Food Mart on Hwy. 98 last week. One of the
man’s alleged assailant’s reportedly died of a heart
attack following the assault.
Charles Randall Haggard suffered a medical emer
gency after he, his son Clay Haggard, and another as
of yet unidentified man, left the scene. Haggard was
pronounced dead at North Ridge Medical Center in
Commerce a short time later.
According to the incident report, on July 5, Lt. Klint
— See “Death” on 2A