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DECEMBER 10, 2020
Madison County Journal
Merged with The Comer News and The Danielsville Monitor, 2006
MadisonJoumaITODAY.com
Vol. 37 No. 45 • Publication No. 1074-987 • Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia 30633 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. • 16 Pages, 2 Section Plus Supplements
$1.00
SCHOOLS
CORONAVIRUS
Required
quarantine
days reduced
Madison County stu
dents who must quarantine
for COVID-19 exposure
won't sit out of class for
as many days following a
federal policy change.
On Dec. 2, the national
Center for Disease Control
(CDC) announced a reduc
tion in the number of days
someone should quaran
tine if in close contact with
a positive COVID-19 case.
“Under the new guid
ance, quarantine can end
after day 10 without test-
See “Quarantine” on 2A
FESTIVITIES
Christmas
in D’ville
set for
Saturday
The third-annual “Christ
mas in Danielsville'’ will
be held from 3 to 6 p.m.,
Saturday, Dec. 12 at Mad
ison Memorial Park in
Danielsville.
There will be music,
free hot dogs, popcorn, hot
chocolate and water. Chil
dren can visit with Santa.
There will be live Nativity
animals thanks to Michelle
Kaye.
“All food, drinks and
extras are while supplies
last,” said organizers.
The event is hosted by
the City of Danielsville,
the Danielsville Police
Department and the
Danielsville Volunteer Fire
Department.
“Due to COVID, we
ask all that come to wear
a mask,” organizers said.
“We will have a limited
supply for children and
adults if needed."
Cases on the rise
Madison Co. and NE Ga in a COVID-19 hotspot
GEORGIA
COVID-19 MAP
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
Madison County and North
east Georgia are hotspots for
COVID-19, with cases on the
rise.
The Dec. 8 figures from the
Georgia Department of Public
Health show Madison Coun
ty at 603 cases per 100,000
people. That’s up from 249
per 100,000 on Nov. 8. There
have been 302 new cases in
the county in that time period,
with the total Madison Coun
ty cases since the pandemic
began increasing from 853 to
1,155 over the past month.
Georgia has shown a sharp
See “COVID” on 3A
INSIDE
MCMS
sixth grader
doesn’t let
disability hold
him back
— Page IB
BUSINESS
Ironwork
Comer welcomes blacksmith
Blount plans to open
school at his business
By Zach Mitcham
zach@ mainstreetnews.com
The first time Patrick Blount walked
into the old metal building on Madison
Street in Comer that is now his busi
ness, Greenhow Handmade Ironworks,
the blacksmith had a thought: “Man,
this place is a mess.”
But then there was a second thought:
“I can feel the spirit."
The place had character to it. And
Blount ripped up the rotting floor and
started working on a dream, a black-
smithing retail store and school, where
he can sell his work and also pass
knowledge on to others interested in
blacksmi thing.
Blount, who went to farrier school
to learn to shoe horses, stood in front
of his business Friday morning telling
Blacksmith Patrick Blount is pic
tured at his anvil at Greenhow
Handmade Ironworks at 1939
Madison Street in Comer.
a crowd about his plans. He then held
ceremonial oversized scissors and cut
See “Blacksmith” on 2A
ELECTIONS
Mailboxes are flooded
with election materials
ahead of Senate runoffs
By Zach Mitcham
zach @ mainstreetnews.com
The eyes of the nation are
on Georgia’s two Senate
runoffs set for Jan. 5. That
means Madison County
mailboxes and phones are
getting flooded with elec
tion messaging.
Madison County Board
of Elections and Registra
tion Chair Tracy Dean said
none of that is coming from
her office unless the voter
has contacted her office to
request an absentee ballot.
But her office has been get
ting messages from angry
citizens who think it’s her
office that is bombarding
them with mail and mes
sages.
“They think it’s us, but
it’s not,” said Dean.
Within the deluge of
advertising materials and
messages are actual ballot
applications, which can be
sent by organizations seek
ing to boost their own can
didate. Dean said she hopes
the law will be changed
to disallow this practice,
which she said, creates
confusion.
“I would like for applica
tions to come directly from
us,” she said.
When Dean and her staff
do receive a ballot applica
tion that doesn’t originate
from the elections office,
they check the informa
tion against what is in their
voter database to verify that
it is an actual registered
county voter. They do this
with all applications. And
if this is verified, a ballot
is sent to the voter. If that
voter then shows up to vote
in person, then they can
only cast a ballot after the
elections office has voided
the absentee ballot.
Dean said that as of Fri
day, 2,300 citizens had
requested absentee ballots.
The last day absentee bal-
See “Runoff” on 2A
Madison County Fine Arts
Index:
News — 1-3A
Opinions — 4-5A
Crime — 6A
Obituaries — 7A
Social — 8A
Sports — 1-2B
School — 4B
Classifieds — 5B
Legals — 6-7B
Contact:
Phone: 800-795-2581
Mail: P.O. Box 658,
Danielsville, Ga. 30633
Web:
MadisonJournalTODAY.
com
Gridiron
to stage
Running back can act
Gresham is returning ‘best
actor’ for Region 8-AAAA
Wyatt Herndon (L) and Dayton Gresham (R) are pictured in the Madison County
High School one-act play, “Ordinary People.” Gresham won the Region 8-AAAA
“best actor” award last year for his performance.
By Zach Mitcham
zach@mainstreetnews.com
Madison County Red Raider running
back/linebacker Dayton Gresham remem
bers his first acting role. He was a plant.
“I was a puppeteer my first show: I was
just a big old plant for Little Shop of Hor
rors, because I was the only guy that could
lift it up, because I play football,” said
Gresham with a smile.
The 17-year-old Madison County High
School senior has earned a reputation on
the football field as a hard-nosed runner,
not easily taken down. He's also known for
his acting chops.
“Dayton is certainly one of the most
gifted actors we’ve had at MCHS in my 14
years here, but his work ethic, attitude and
desire to always improve truly set Dayton
apart,” said Madison County drama teacher
Brian Jones. “When he came in as a fresh
man, I knew that he was talented, but he
hadn’t developed a passion for acting yet.
I knew once that happened, he would be
something special.”
Jones said the light switched on for
Gresham in his sophomore year and that
What's next?
The Madison County Drama Department is
rehearsing its one-act play, 110 Stories, a
documentary-style play about 9/11, which it
will perform in January. (The Georgia High
School Association has moved the one-act
competition from the usual October date to
late January/early February.) MCHS is also
planning a musical, "Guys and Dolls," in early
May.
“since then, he’s grown exponentially as
an actor.”
“In his first leading role, he tackled a
very tough role and completely nailed
it,” said Jones. “I had parents from other
schools come up to me at one act competi
tion and rave about his performance. Since
then, Dayton has continued to find ways to
learn and grow as an actor.”
Gresham is the second Red Raider foot
ball player to perform on stage in recent
years, with MCHS graduate Christian
Shupe also taking turns between shoulder
See “Gresham” on 2A
Dayton Gresham is pictured against East Hall in
the Red Raiders’ 38-6 home win over the Vikings.
The senior led Madison County in that game with 18
carries for 129 yards and two touchdowns, while also
picking off a pass on defense.