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PAGE 2A-THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. JANUARY 2, 2020 2019 continued from 1A was forced to pay $460,000 in ransom to Internet hack ers who secretly and anony mously infiltrated the govern ment’s computer system and then locked it down, requiring a payment in Bitcoin, a cyber currency, for the county to get access to its own data. •Michele Barrett was named the new Early Learn ing Center (ELC) Director at the March meeting of the Madison County Board of Education. •No one was injured when a bus from Colbert Elementa ry School was hit by a vehicle on Hwy. 72 near Tranquility Mobile Home Park. •County industrial author ity members spoke at length March 20 about engineering work for a water pump sta tion at the Georgia Renew able Power (GRP) plant off Hwy. 72. •Madison County com missioners once again turned down a beer-and-wine license request for Kwik Chek at the corner of Hwy. 29 and Glenn Carrie Road in Hull. •The county school board agreed to sell the old Colbert Elementary School to Learn ing Train Academy. APRIL •County commissioners heard a personal account of one parent’s mental health nightmare with her child and her ongoing quest to improve mental health treatment for Georgians. •The City of Danielsville asked county commissioners to revise the division of spe cial purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) to “more fairly represent the infrastructure needs of its county seat.’’ •County public works di rector Alan Lapczynski told commissioners that asphalt prices were up $9.70 a ton compared to the same time in 2018. •Madison County 4-H in cooperation with local veter inarians held a series of rabies vaccine clinics at different lo cations. •Burger King announced it was opening a store in Dan ielsville. •Renee Bonner, 65, who was convicted in March for trying to kill Couch by over dosing her with morphine and other painkillers in June 2017, was sentenced to Judge Malcom in Madison County Superior Court to 10 years probation for attempted mur der and another consecutive 10 years probation for neglect of a disabled person. She was also ordered to spend 60 days per sentence in jail, with cred it for time served. •Meghann Farmer, an ed ucator from Forsyth County, was named the new elementa ry curriculum director by the Madison County board of ed ucation at its April meeting. •Madison County Jim Perkins Award winners for 2019 were recognized by the school board. Those honored included Robin Jones Walk er, Madison County High School; Pam Hall, Madi son County Middle School; Rhonda Doster, Comer Ele mentary School; and Sherri Osborne, Colbert Elementary School. •Madison County commis sioners approved $1.3 million in road projects. The com missioners awarded a con tract of $1,304,512 to Garrett Paving Company to resur face approximately 11 miles. The roads projects included Brickyard Road, $229,042; New Haven Church Road (considered in two sections), $572,702; Joe Graham Road, $66,623; Piedmont Road, $172,095; McGinnis Chan dler Road, $131,622; Mize Road, $41,375; and Crawford Long Street, $91,053. •Mail carrier Josh Toney narrowly escaped when his vehicle was swept away in a hole on Duncan Swindle Road during a flash flood. MAY •A van that ran out of gas near Clark Circle on Hwy. 29 South resulted in the arrest of three South Carolina men who were found to possess a credit card “skimmer” and numerous stolen mail items from multiple areas, includ ing Madison County. •Red Raider Theatre pre sented Joseph and the Amaz ing Technicolor Dreamcoat May 2-4. •Madison County fire of ficials sought a boost in rev enues for volunteer depart ments through the sales tax renewal referendum in No vember. •Robert B. Hunter of Hull has seen many things in his 99 years, including time in the Marine Corps during WWII. In May, he saw a special quilt made just for him, a “thank you” from Quilts of Valor for his service to the country. •The Danielsville City Council approved the prelim inary plats for two new subdi visions in the city. •The Madison County Board of Education approved a 15-cent across-the-board raise for lunches for fiscal year 2020. •The county industrial au thority announced that Mad ison County water customers can now pay their monthly water bills online. •Wendy Qiu and Ivana Ton-Nu were recognized as the valedictorian and saluta- torian for the Class of 2019. •Madison County commis sioners stayed with Cigna for health insurance coverage for county employees with a sev en-percent premium hike. •Michael Paul Estes, 42, pled guilty and was given two concurrent prison sentences of 25 years without the possi bility of parole by Judge Jeff Malcom. He was also ordered to pay $10,000 in fines. •An Athens man was mur dered in the yard of a home on Woodale Street off Glenn Carrie Road in Hull. Fifty- two-year-old Samuel Jordan was pronounced dead on ar rival at an Athens hospital. JUNE Madison County commis sioners agreed to apply for a $300,000 matching grant from the Georgia Heritage Grant Program, which pro vides money for historic ren ovations, such as old county courthouses. •County commissioners heard complaints from two local citizens, then later dis cussed potentially ending the long-standing “facilities use agreement” between Little League and the recreation de partment, putting youth base ball and softball under the supervision of county staff at the recreation department. •Two Athens brothers were arrested for the murder of a man who was shot multiple times in the yard of a home on Woodale Street off of Glenn Carrie Road in Hull in the early morning hours of Sun day, May 26. Darrious Show ers, 20, and Dykell Showers, 18, were each charged with one count of murder. •Madison County mentors who had one of their mentees graduate in 2019 gathered to celebrate the important mile stone. •The Journal featured Com er’s Jubilee Partners, which celebrated its 40th year of ex istence. The Christian refugee welcoming center has taken in nearly 4,000 refugees. •Board of education mem bers recognized outgoing business operations assis tant superintendent Bonnie Knight for her 12 years of service. •The Madison Oglethor pe Animal Shelter (MOAS) canceled its contract with Oglethorpe County over funding issues. The two sides later resolved the matter with MOAS continuing to serve both Madison and Oglethor pe counties. •The Journal wrote about the efforts by the City of Danielsville to upgrade its sewer pond, which serves the city residents, businesses, the county government and school system. •Members of the Madison County Chamber of Com merce Board of Directors met with the county industrial authority, county commis sioners and school board to discuss the need for someone to lead the Chamber. •County commissioners voiced a desire to have the county elections board look at the number of polling pre cincts in the county. •The board of commission ers approved the SPLOST allocation for the next six years; cities, $1,500,000; firefighting, $1,455,000; sheriff, $885,000; recreation, $365,000; E911, $905,000; EMS, $715,000; IDA, $1,620,000; old Courthouse, $50,000; roads, $5,455,000; coroner, $60,000; facilities acquisition and renovation, $190,000. •County government lead ers learned that anticipated county government revenues were $18.2 million for 2020 without any increase to the county’s tax rates. The gains come from an increase in the county’s tax digest (overall property value). One mill in 2018 was worth $689,700 this past year, but one mill in 2019 generated $764,447, a 10.8 percent increase in val ue. •County industrial author ity members discussed the possibility of deeding Sea- graves Lake back to the Sea- graves family. JULY •Madison County received a $150,000 in state grants to build an agricultural bam on land adjacent to the high school’s track field. •The former Board of Edu cation office located on Mary Ellen Court in Danielsville was sold to MDS-Madison, LLC who plans to build a regional Department of Fam ily and Children Services (DFCS) office on the site. •Two Athens women were charged with robbing an Ath ens man who was murdered on Woodale Street in Hull over Memorial Day weekend. Jennifer Gober Hill, 43, and Shambreka Attrice Johnson, 25, were each charged with one count of robbery in con nection to the case. •City six-year SPLOST allocations were set at Carl ton, $135,783; Colbert, $310,172; Comer, $591,057; Danielsville, $294,197; Hull, $103,834; and Ila, $177,052. •County commissioners agreed to move forward with five new employee positions: an additional uniformed secu rity guard for the courthouse at a projected cost of $27,875; an additional investigator for the district attorney’s office at a cost of $53,333; a part-time probate office position at a cost of $14,300; an additional civil deputy (in anticipation of a fourth superior court judge being added to the circuit) at a cost of about $45,000; an additional paramedic for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) at a cost of $28,080 regular time and about $45,252 overtime pay (due to 24-hour shifts), an activity director for the senior center at a cost of approximately $24,000 and a new recreation department position at a cost of about $32,000. Commis sioners also agreed to stick with a $15,000 donation to the Chamber of Commerce toward a $45,000 salary for a new director’s position. •Georgia Renewable Power (GRP) plant in Colbert neared the beginning of operations. Gina Ward, told the industri al authority that the sound at her home was like a “constant low rumble” or a “dull roar.” •The county recreation department board met with Little League board mem bers July 16 to discuss how to move forward with softball and baseball programs at the recreation department. •The Madison-Oglethorpe Animal Shelter and Ogletho QUALIFYING FEES & DATES Pursuant to O.C.G.A § 21-2-131(a)(l) ; the following qualifying fees were set by the Madison County Board of Commissioners at their November 25, meeting; Sheriff $ 1,943.28 Clerk of Superior Court $ 1,591.05 Tax Commissioner $ 1,591.05 Probate Judge $ 1,591.05 Chairman, BOC $ 1,943.28 District 1 & 2 Commissioners, BOC $ 216.00 Board of Education $ 94.62 Coroner $ 351.81 Qualifying for the offices listed above will begin at 9:00 am, Monday, March 2, 2020 and will end at noon Friday, March 6, 2020. The General Primary/General Election will be held May 19, 2020. All candidates who wish to qualify for ALL races will qualify at the Board of Elections & Registration Office, 94 Spring Lake Drive, Danielsville. For information, please contact the Board of Elections & Registration Office, 706-795-6335, Tracy Dean rpe County continued to talk through their differences over yearly funding for the shel ter’s operations. •A multi-agency river res cue drill was held on the Broad River. •Jarvis Torrence Mack, 45, was charged with aggravated sexual battery and two counts of child molestation. •The Journal featured the Madison County Food Bank and its efforts to feed those in need in the county. •Madison County School System Superintendent Mi chael Williams welcomed school staff members back to work after the summer break. Ila Elementary’s Amy Dobbs was named the Mad ison County School System “Teacher of the Year” and Natasha Walker, a parapro at Madison County High School, was named the “Sup port Person of the Year.” •Tax rates remained steady, but an increase in the county digest (overall property val ues) led to 10 percent more local property tax revenue for the Madison County govern ment in 2019. AUGUST •Madison County’s new Early Learning Center for pre-schoolers opened Aug. 2. •James Marcus Long, 56, was charged with aggravat ed child molestation, child molestation, incest, rape and statutory rape. In a separate case, Amanda Rossi Estes, 40, of Hartwell, was arrested on charges of child molesta tion and cruelty to children (felony). •State standardized testing results for the winter of 2018 and spring of 2019 showed that Madison County schools, for the most part, did better on the battery of tests than the overall state results. •The school system, along with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, held an in formational meeting on va- ping in the Madison County High School cafeteria. •Lois Elizabeth Sorrow was sentenced by Judge Lau ren Watson to serve 30 years, with the first five years to be served in confinement and the remainder on probation, on charges of two counts of second degree burglary, six counts of theft by taking and one count of theft by decep tion. •Madison County School District was ranked 20th best school district in the state for the 2019-2020 school by data compiler Niche. •A hearing on the county tax rate Aug. 12 included dis cussion of Madison County’s financial history and its need for a larger commercial base to relieve the tax burden on property owners. •Long-time Danielsville mayor Todd Higdon an nounced he wouldn’t seek re-election. Meanwhile, council member Michael Wideman announced that he would seek the post vacated by Higdon. Wideman later qualified unopposed for the mayor’s position. •County industrial de velopment authority (IDA) members talked about a wide range of issues at a 2020 bud get meeting, including the need for finding serviceable wells in the county, the Geor gia Renewable Power plant project, sales tax funding, and potentially moving industrial authority employees under county government benefits plans. •The Journal featured Head Start, a program providing services to young children in Madison County. •Marcus Jackson was in dicted on charges stemming from a Sept. 13, 2018 wreck that took the life of 83-year- old Robert Edward Couch on Hwy. 98 in Madison County. •Laura Minish and Tommy R. Appling both qualified to challenge Howard Threlkeld for a Comer City Council seat. •County commissioners voted 4-0 not to renew a “fa cilities use agreement” with Little League. The vote fol lowed a lengthy, and some times contentious, discussion about who should oversee youth baseball and softball in Madison County. County commissioners ultimately de cided to move the programs from Little League to the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association (GRPA). SEPTEMBER •The Rotary Club of Madi son County announced plans to give local youth a new op tion for summer fun: a splash pad at the recreation depart ment. •The Journal featured Mad ison County “Teacher of the Year” Amy Dobbs of Ila El ementary School. •Madison County District 1 Commissioner Lee Allen announced that he won’t seek re-election in 2020. However, Allen said he will complete his term, which ends Dec. 31, 2020. •A threat posted on social media led to a lockdown and a day of rumors and fear at Madison County High School Sept. 9, though no weapons were found at the school. •Danielsville City Council members encouraged resi dents to fill out next year’s 2020 U.S. Census. •The Journal interviewed elections official Tracy Dean about preparations for the 2020 elections. •James Phillip Seagraves was sentenced by Judge Chris Phelps to serve five years, with the first 95 days to be served in confinement and the remainder on probation and to pay a $500 fine on a charge of impersonating a police of ficer. NOTICE OF PITBETC HEARING An application for amendment to the zoning ordinance for Danielsville, Georgia has been filed by Jay Pridgen, Agent for Capital Resource Management, LLC requesting that property owned by Capital Resource Management, LLC, known as tax parcel # D001 256 A located at 63, 85, & 89 Grady Lane in Danielsville, Georgia, be re-zoned from DV-AG (Agriculture) to DV- R1 (Low Density Residential). There is also a variance request associated with this request for rezone. The variance request relates to the requirements of a minor subdivision and the required distance abutting a street and the depth of the lot(s). The Danielsville City Council will hold a public hearing on Monday, January 13, 2020 at 7:00 PM at the Danielsville City Hall to take public comments on this proposed re-zoning and variance request. Anyone wishing to speak in opposition to this re-zoning petition who has made campaign contributions to any City Council member within the past two years must file a disclosure with the City Clerk at least five days before the public hearing as required by O.C.G.A. §36-67A-3.