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DECEMBER 31, 2020
Madison County Journal
Merged with The Comer News and The Danielsville Monitor, 2006
MadisonJoumaITODAY.com
Vol. 37 No. 48 • Publication No. 1074-987 • Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia 30633 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. • 16 Pages, 2 Section Plus Supplements
$1.00
ELECTIONS
Senate
runoffs set
for Tuesday
The eyes of the nation will
be on Georgia Jan. 5 as voters
Peach State voters determine
whether Republicans or Dem
ocrats will control the Senate.
Republican incumbent
David Perdue faces Demo
crat Jon Ossoff, and Repub
lican Kelly Loeffler, who
was appointed by Gov. Brian
Kemp to fill the unfinished
term of Johnny Isakson, faces
Democrat Raphael Wamock.
Republican incumbent
Bubba MacDonald also faces
Democrat Daniel Blackman
for a seat on the Public Ser
vice Commission.
Early voting was scheduled
to continue at the county elec
tions office through 5 p.m.,
Thursday, Dec. 31. Voters will
need to go to their designat
ed voting precinct on election
day between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
A secure drop box is locat
ed at the county office for
absentee ballots and any other
election material.
FATALITY
Hwy. 72
death ruled
suicide
A woman ran into traffic
on Hwy. 72 at Meadow
Lane in Colbert Monday
evening, dying after she
was struck by multiple
vehicles.
The death of Lila Fox,
39, has been ruled a sui
cide, according to Madison
County Coroner Julie
“Coach” Harrison, who
said Fox had been run
ning back and forth in the
east and west-bound lanes
before she ran into traf
fic and was killed shortly
before 6 p.m. Monday.
According to Georgia
See ‘Fatality’ on 2A
Index:
News — 1-3A
Opinions — 4-5A
Obituaries — 6-7A
Sports — 1-2B
Social — 3B
Legals — 4-5B
Crime — 6B
Classifieds — 7B
Contact:
Phone: 800-795-2581
Mail: P.O. Box 658,
Danielsville, Ga. 30633
Web:
MadisonJournalTODAY.
com
MCHS bball
teams back
on the court
— Page IB
Government
complex closed
until Jan. 4
— Page 3A
YEAR IN REVIEW
2020 hindsight
A look back at a tumultuous year
As of Dec. 29, the Georgia Department of Public Health reported Madison County with 1,546 total
COVID-19 cases in 2020, including 16 deaths and 93 hospitalizations. Statewide, there have been
552,712 cases and 9,759 deaths. In the U.S., there have been 19,232,843 cases and 334,029 deaths,
according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). According to the World Health Organization,
there have been 80,155,187 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 1,771,128 deaths worldwide.
for the Class of 2020, but Madison County High
School held an in-person graduation June 20 Danielsville Baptist Church Pastor Robert
on the high school football field. Demyus Watts Burt was back home on Easter weekend after
smiles during the ceremony. battling COVID-19 in intensive care.
The end of 2020 couldn’t get here
fast enough for many. It's been the
year of the toilet paper shortage,
face masks, quarantines, job losses
and political strife. It will be remem
bered as the Presidential election
year when a pandemic altered life
for people across the globe.
Coronavirus affected life in Mad
ison County, too. And there were
numerous COVID-19 stories on the
front page of The Madison County
Journal in 2020, but there was plen
ty of local news not related to the
vims this year.
Here is a look back at front-page
news in The Journal in 2020:
JANUARY
•Madison County commissioners
voted 5-0 to include a referendum
on the 2020 General Election ballot
to allow voters to decide on whether
to give senior citizens a break on
their property tax bills.
•Michael Jason Massey was sen
tenced by Judge Lauren Watson to
serve 10 years, with the first five to
be served in confinement and the
remainder on probation on a charge
of possession of methamphetamine
with intent to distribute (trafficking
in methamphetamine).
•Danielsville officials approved a
significant hike in water and sewer
rates, primarily affecting other gov
ernmental bodies, such as the school
system and county government.
•Seagraves Lake, which was once
seen as a potential water source for
the county, is viewed as a liability
by the industrial authority. The IDA
talked about the matter once again at
its January meeting.
•The Journal reported that Geor
gia Renewable Power (GRP) was
issued an environmental violation
in December by state regulators for
mishandling chipped wood that was
being blown onto neighboring prop
erty.
•Election official Tracy Dean
reported the new election equip
ment with a paper trail was set to
be delivered to Madison County in
early February.
•Timothy Demone Carruth, Jr.,
24, of Colbert, was arrested after fir
ing his gun at a Georgia State Patrol
man, who was uninjured, during a
pursuit on Hwy. 72.
•Retired Madison County Magis
trate Judge Harry Rice spoke of the
need for unity as a polarized
society remains soaked in partisan
hostilities. Rice was the featured
speaker at the Madison County Pas
tors and Laymen's Fellowship host
ed its 16th-annual Martin Luther
King Jr. celebration Jan. 20 at Mt.
Zion Baptist Church in Hull.
•After hearing from constituents
for several months, county com
missioners agreed to support the
push against Georgia Renewable
Power (GRP) to stop burning creo
sote-treated railroad ties.
•Madison County citizens con
cerned about emissions from GRP
protested in front of the power plant
on Hwy. 72.
•BOC chairman John Scarbor
ough announced that he wouldn't
seek re-election.
FEBRUARY
•Two local legislators — Alan
Powell and Tom McCall — intro
duced a bill to ban the burning of
creosote-treated railroad ties as a
fuel source.
•Steve Shaw resigned as the coun
ty's utility director.
•The Journal reported on a law
suit including four Madison County
poultry farmers, who allege that
they were the victims of a scheme
by Pilgrim’s Pride to force small,
family chicken farms out of busi
ness.
•Commissioners agreed to seek
bids on the courthouse roof replace
ment.
•Madison County deputy Gabe
Dalton was charged with meth pos-
See ‘2020’ on 2A
Ba poll workers Kay Bridges, Leigh Anne Myers and Troyce Paw-
lowski wore their masks and checked in voters during the June
9 county primary and non partisan elections.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signs House Bill 857 into law in
August, outlawing the use of creosote-treated wood in electricity
generation. Pictured (L-R) are Sen. John Wilkerson, Gerry Wilson,
Gina Ward, Kemp, Drago Tesanovich, Ruth Ann Tesanovich and
Rep. Alan Powell.