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o O The JANUARY 2, 2020 Merged with The Comer News and The Danielsville Monitor, 2006 MadisonJoumaITODAY.com $1.00 Vol. 36 No. 46 • Publication No. 1074-987 • Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia 30633 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. # 20 Pages, 2 Section Plus Supplements PUBLIC SAFETY Phone issues continue for 911 Madison County 911 Director Brenan Baird has been working for weeks with phone companies to try and clear up problems with poor reception on landline calls to the county 911 center. The problems remain, but Baird said there is a temporary fix with cellular routers. “In summation here’s where we are: Our 911 lines are routed through our backup cellular router numbers.” wrote Baird in an email explaining the sit uation. “The 911 calls are See 911, page 3A TAXES County receives GRP tax check Madison County has received its 2019 property tax payment from Georgia Renewable Power (GRP), which opened a plant in Colbert in 2019. “They paid in full,” said tax commissioner Lamar Dalton. “We were closed Tuesday, so it didn't get processed until Thurs day.” The tax bill was for $1,658,709. That money will be divided between the county government, school system and indus trial authority for use in their 2020 budgets. INSIDE: Index: News: 1-3A Opinions: 4-5A Crime: 6A Socials: 7A Schools: 8A Sports: 9A Churches: 10A Obituaries: 12-13A Classifieds: 11A Legals: 14-15A Contact: Phone: 800-795-2581 Mail: P.O. Box 658, Danielsville, Ga. 30633 Web: MadisonJoumalTODAY.com MAILING LABEL Red Raiders, coach receive MainStreet All-Area honors — Page 8A Two arrested on drug charges on Clements Rd. — Page 6A REVIEW in the rearview MADISON BIOMASS POWER PLANT MAIN ENTRANCE A large supply of railroad ties at the Georgia Renewable Power plant is visible from HV Chandler Road in Colbert. The burning of those crossties as a fuel source is a major cause for concern of many neighbors of the plant. A look back at the year in Madison County news The first day of school in 2019 was also the opening of Madison County’s new Early Learning Center for pre-schoolers. Pictured (L-R) are Cora Rhinehart, Mari Lynn Appling, ELC director Michele Barrett, Khloe Conley and Sarah Speir. Jubilee Partners co-founder Don Mosley stands next to a sign showing where the nearly 4,000 refugees taken in by Jubilee, including those from Cuba, Asia, Central America and Burma. Jubilee Partners cele brated its 40th anniversary in 2019. There was no shortage of news in Madison County over the final 12 months of the decade. Here’s a look back at some of the local stories in 2019: JANUARY •The Journal featured Toni Goodson, Comer, whose personal mission is to send a stuffed animal to every child in the foster care system from Madison, Elbert and Oglethorpe counties. •The Journal featured Jennifer “Jenni” Barwell, a Madison County mom, who has experienced many days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with her children and now offers support to NICU moms. •A body was discovered Jan. 8 in a wooded area near Jot Em Down Road and Bishop Carey Road, not far from the house of William “Kris” Avera, 39, who had been missing since Dec. 11. •Patricia Mahoney was picked to replace Derek Doster on the Madison County Industrial Develop ment and Building Author ity. •County commissioners approved pay increases for 28 employees. This action was included in the 2019 budget — with $120,000 set aside to address salary improvements. The group heard later from other em ployees who wondered why more workers weren’t af forded a bump in pay. •A 20-year old Logan- ville man was transported to Piedmont Athens Regional after his 2005 green Ford Mustang failed to negotiate the roundabout at Madison County’s historic court house in Danielsville and jumped the curbing striking a tree and barely missing the Crawford W. Long stat ue, while destroying a stone bench and damaging the grass and roadway. •State Representative Tom McCall was sworn into of fice from a hospital room following open heart sur gery. •The Madison County Library hosted a “Georgia Artists With DisAbilities” exhibit. •Danielsivlle Mayor Todd Higdon announced that the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has agreed to revise its proposed bridge replacement on Hwy. 29 South at the South Fork of the Broad River to in clude a temporary bridge/ onsite detour that will allow traffic to continue to flow through Danielsville during construction. •Amy Duncan, who has served as a Madison Coun ty 9-1-1 dispatcher for 15 years, took a wrong number at her house, but she recog nized the woman was in dis tress and got her the help she needed. •Pastor Terry Willoughby talked to a crowded Tabors Chapel sanctuary during the annual Madison County Pastors and Layman’s Fel lowship celebration of the life of Martin Luther King Jr. •Harlan Page Brown was sentenced by Judge Chris Phelps in Madison County Superior Court to serve 30 years, with the first 15 years to be served in confine ment, for trafficking meth- amphetamine. •Madison County Assis tant Superintendent Bonnie Knight announced that she would leave her position June 30 to work with Foot hills Education Charter High School •The school board agreed to house all Pre-K classes to gether in a new Early Learn ing Center in 2019-2020 in Danielsville. •Michael Baker was unan imously approved by coun ty commissioners as a new member of the county board of assessors. FEBRUARY Neese-Sanford Volunteer Fire Department told the BOC about plans for a new fire station that they would pay for themselves, but they asked the county govern ment to guarantee the loan for the facility so that banks would be on board with the project. •Journal founder Frank Gillispie passed away at 78. In 1986, he pushed for a traffic light at the precar ious spot in southern Mad ison County, embarking on a journalistic trek that would affect many lives. •County commissioner Lee Allen again proposed that county voters get an opportunity to decide if they want Sunday alcohol sales in Madison County. •The Madison County Board of Education held a day-long planning session with other local leaders. •Ila Elementary School held a night “Under the Stars” pageant Feb. 12 for its special education students to show off their skills. •It was standing room only at the board of educa tion meeting as parents gath ered for an informational meeting on the school sys tem’s new Early Learning Center (ELC) for preschool students slated to open with the new school term in Au gust. •Joseph Christopher Cofer, 28, Hoschton, died in a single-vehicle accident in Madison County south of Danielsville. •County commissioners voted 3-2 to put a Sunday sales referendum on a No vember ballot. •Michael Paul Estes, 42, Hull, was charged with five counts of aggravated child molestation, four counts of aggravated sodomy, three counts of incest, one count of rape and one count of ag gravated sexual battery. MARCH •Retiring Madison County 9-1-1 center pioneers Da vid Camp and Ricky Hix were honored with plaques at a county commission ers’ meeting for leading the county’s emergency com munications for over two decades. •Renee Bonner tried to kill her elderly mother by pump ing her full of morphine and other painkillers in June 2017. That’s what Judge Jeff Malcom ruled, finding the 65-year-old Madison Coun ty resident Bonner guilty of attempted murder and neglect to a disabled person. •Madison County High School senior Madison Car ey Lovelace and her English teacher, Dallas Cowne, were recognized as the school’s “Star Student” and “Star Teacher.” •Danielsville officials dealt with multiple com plaints from Sherwood Sub division residents about road issues within the develop ment due to heavy rains. •Madison County sopho more Kayla McPherson was named the Gatorade “Geor gia Basketball Player of the Year” for 2018-19. •Madison County govern ment officials assessed their own cyber security after the Jackson County government See 2019, page 2A 14 14 4