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PAGE 2A — THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. DECEMBER 31,2020
2020 ..cont’d from 1A
session.
•The Danielsville City
Council postponed action on
a rezoning for a proposed
facility for the Department of
Family and Children’s Ser
vices.
•Josh Kincaid captured his
second state wrestling tide.
•A federal Racketeer Influ
enced and Corrupt Organiza
tions (RICO) lawsuit against
GRP was dismissed.
•Former Madison Coun
ty deputy Trey Adams, who
admitted to shooting a man
he believed was having an
affair with his wife, was
indicted on felony murder
charges in Clarke County.
•Madison County was rec
ognized by the University of
Georgia Center for Agribusi
ness and Economic Devel
opment for having the top
farm gate value in the state
for 2018.
•National Salvage and Ser
vice Corporation, which man
aged railroad ties at the GRP
plant in Colbert, received a
“notice of violation" Feb.
5 from the Environmental
Protection Division (EPD)
for failure to adhere to state
regulations on handling the
crossties at the GRP’s Colbert
facility.
•The City of Danielsville
offered the county govern
ment its sewer system.
•Edward Lee Wessinger,
Jr., 42, of Amoldsville, was
arrested after allegedly pull
ing a knife on a
bus driver and a store clerk.
MARCH
•County commission
ers considered a proposal
to make Madison County a
"Second Amendment Sanc
tuary” county.
•County elections official
Tracy Dean asked commis
sioners for more storage
space for new voting equip
ment.
•A man suffered a medi
cal emergency and drove his
vehicle into the Bread Bas
ket in Comer. No one was
injured.
•Commission chairman
John Scarborough re-entered
the 2020 race.
•City, county and
school officials met in the
Danielsville City Hall and
discussed a proposed county
DFCS facility.
•Friday the 13 th — the
day it all changed. Businesses
shut down, schools closed,
government offices closed.
Panic buying ensued over the
spread of COVID-19, leading
to toilet paper shortages.
•Madison County had
its first confirmed case of
COVID-19. Citizens were
urged to stay home, keep
their distance and help stop
the spread of the virus.
APRIL
•The Georgia Department
of Public Health (DPH)
reported the first COVID-19
death in Madison County, a
71-year-old man with pre-ex
isting conditions.
•The Journal highlighted
10-year-old Kaytlin Thorn
ton, who worked to sew face
masks for health care work
ers. Trinity Baptist quilters
also busied themselves with
the same task.
•Madison County teachers
discussed the challenges of
trying to educate children in a
completely online way.
•Gov. Brian Kemp
announced a shelter-in-place
order through April 13 and
announced that school would
not return in person through
the end of the school year. He
then extended the shelter-in-
place order until April 30.
•Madison County deputies
discussed policing in a pan
demic with The Journal.
•Primary elections were
pushed back to June 9 due to
the pandemic.
•Danielsville Baptist
Church Pastor Robert Burt
was back home on Eas
ter weekend after battling
COVID-19 in intensive care.
•County commissioners
approved a contract to replace
the leaking roof at the old
county courthouse in the cen
ter of Danielsville.
•Gov. Kemp ordered that
gyms, fitness centers, bowl
ing alleys, body art studios,
barbers, cosmetologists, hair
designers, nail care artists,
aestheticians, their respective
schools and massage thera
pists to re-open their doors
April 24, with theaters, social
clubs and restaurant dine in
services able to open April
27.
•Brian Dellinger, 44, of
Colbert was killed in a skid
steer accident April 22 at a
property off Hwy. 172 in Col
bert.
•The Danielsville City
Council approved a rezoning
for a proposed new DFCS
facility off Hwy. 29 at the site
of the old school board office.
•The Madison County
Journal featured Cortney
Gunter and her COVID-19
experience.
•A staff member at the
Comer Nursing Home tested
positive for coronavirus.
•The Madison County
Chamber of Commerce held
a virtual state-of-the county
event.
•The Journal featured
Danielsville Baptist Church
pastor Robert Burt and his
recovery from COVID-19.
MAY
•The Journal focused on
how businesses search for
normalcy during strange
times.
•The Madison County
Chamber of Commerce host
ed an online political debate
for local candidates.
•The industrial authority
discussed county water sup
ply concerns.
•The Journal featured Mad
ison County High School
valedictorian Taylor Evans
and Salutatorian Aidan Rus-
sell-McCorkle.
•A group of about 20 peo
ple attended a two-mile run/
walk in Comer in honor of
Ahmaud Arbery, who was
shot and killed as he jogged
through a Brunswick neigh
borhood in February.
•A man attacked Broad
River kayakers, threatening
to kill them
•County commissioners
approved a nine-percent
increase over the next year in
insurance premium payments
for county employee health
care coverage.
•Comer Health and Reha
bilitation officials confirmed
that 56 residents and nine
staff members tested positive
for the COVID-19 virus, with
one hospitalized.
•Willie Andrea Howard,
48, Athens, drowned when
his boat sank while he fished
on Seagraves Lake May 12.
•Madison County High
School held a virtual gradua
tion for the Class of 2020 on
May 22.
•State investigators deter
mined that a fire around 2:10
a.m„ Wednesday, May 20, at
a Madison County residence,
was intentionally set.
JUNE
•A Minneapolis police offi
cer was charged with murder
ing George Floyd, who died
with his neck under the
officer's knee. This death
sparked unrest in the country
not seen since 1968.
•The county industrial
authority forgave GRP’s con
struction debt of $346,887
in exchange for $1 million
in escrow money to improve
water system.
•Four Madison County
residents were among 68
people charged in a large-
scale drug trafficking inves
tigation dubbed "Operation
Wu Block,’’ which yielded
the seizure of kilos of meth-
amphetamine and heroin.
Madison County residents
charged included Benjamin
Bray, 23; Ashley Davis, 26:
Bruce Hicks, 39; and Ronald
Kelley, 49.
•County primary elections
were held. Winners of con
tested elections included
Dennis Adams, BOC Dis
trict 1: Katie Cross, Clerk
of Court; and Cindy Nash
and Brenda Moon, county
school board. Runoffs were
set between Terry Chandler
and Grant Gillespie, BOC
GOP District 2; Todd Higdon
and John Scarborough, BOC
chairman; and Tripp Strick
land and Rob Leverett, House
District 33.
•City leaders met in the
Comer Travel Museum and
voiced dismay with a county
bond resolution plan to allo
cate Special Purpose Local
Option Sales Tax (SPLOST)
funds.
•Two Madison County
school mentors, Ryan Melton
and Jane Fitzpatrick, were
recognized for seeing their
mentees from kindergarten
through graduation.
•Madison County depu
ty Mason Bennett and Cpl.
Zach Brooks pulled two teens
from a burning Jeep after they
crashed it head on into a tree
inside Clarke County.
•Colbert icons John Wag
goner, long-time mayor, and
Jack Fortson, former county
sheriff, both passed away on
June 16.
•An in-person graduation
was held for Madison County
Class of 2020 graduates on
the Red Raider football field
June 20.
•The Madison County
Journal featured Eric Keen,
a former shift supervisor for
Veolia, the company manag
ing
GRP plants in Camesville
and Colbert, who spoke of
company practices at the Car-
nesville plant.
•Darrious Showers plead
ed guilty in Madison County
Superior Court to the 2019
murder of retired Marine vet
eran Samuel David Jordan.
He received a life sentence
and will be in prison until at
least 2049.
JULY
•Paul Aaron Poss, 72, died
in a fire at 107 South Sixth
Street in Colbert.
•Legislators unanimously
passed HB857, which bans
the burning of creosote-treat
ed wood as a fuel source
at biomass energy facilities,
such as the ones in Colbert
and Camesville. The action
followed months of protests
from citizens about the nega
tive effects of the practice on
their health and well being.
•The Madison Coun
ty School System released
guidelines on returning to
school. Masks were man
dated in classroom settings
and whenever social distanc
ing was not possible. Online
school options were given to
those who were uncomfort
able returning to in-person
instruction.
•The state cut the Madi
son County School System
budget by $3.4 million for
2020-21.
•Madison County com
missioners voted 3-2 — with
Lee Allen and Theresa Bettis
voting "No” — to purchase
the old Brown funeral home
building on Albany Avenue
in a $325,000 lease/purchase
agreement to be paid over
three years.
•William Martin, who lived
alone at 7668 Wildcat Bridge
Road, died in a fire at his
home July 10.
•The Georgia Supreme
Court extended a statewide
judicial emergency.
•A Commerce teenager,
See ‘Hindsight’ on 3A
Madison Co. BOC
to meet Jan. 4
The Madison County Board of Commissioners will meet
at 6 p.m., Monday, Jan. 4 in the public meeting room of the
county government complex
Social distancing protocol will be followed and masks are
required.
Agenda items include:
•Chairman’s report
•Hearing and actions on zoning matters
•Shirley Lightner is representing Judd Theryl in his request
to rezone his 1.8-acre parcel from B to R-l. The property is
located on Wesley Chapel Road on Map 23 Parcel 127 in
District 1.
•Ken Scoville is requesting to rezone his 7.83-acre property
from A-l to R-R to combine with his adjoining property
where he lives. The property is located off of Lem Edwards
Road on Morris Creek Drive on Map 47 Parcel 85-A in
District 5.
•Amy Dowell is requesting to rezone 1.86 acres of her
11.86-acre property from A-1 to R-1 to give to her niece for a
home site. The property is located on Brickyard Road on Map
84 Parcel 45 in District 5.
•Joshua Pruitt is representing Anita Evans in her request to
rezone approximately two acres of her 4.98-acre parcel from
A-2 to R-R. The remaining 2.98 acres will be combined with
the adjacent property. The property is located on Evans Drive
on Map 52 Parcel 123 in District 2.
•Eugene Knight is representing Debra Hanson in her
request to rezone 2.4 acres to give to her nephew to add to
his adjacent property. The property is located on Della Slaten
Road on Map 102 Parcel 33 in District 4.
•Ned Butler with Reliant Homes is representing Pridgen
Enterprises in their request to rezone 64.419 acres from A-2
to R-l for phase two of Woodbury Subdivision. The property
is located on Spratlin Mill Road on Map 32 Parcel 62 in
District 3.
•Adam Swann is requesting to rezone his 39.3-acre parcel
from A-l to R-l to combine with his adjoining property for
a major subdivision. The property is located on Garnett Ward
Road on Map 31 parcel 12 in District 3.
•Adam Swann is requesting to rezone his 35.3-acre parcel
from A-l to R-l to combine with his adjoining property for
a major subdivision. The property is located on Garnett Ward
Road on Map 31 Parcel 11-01A in District 3.
•Statements and remarks from citizens on the agenda item
•Consider authorizing payment of vacation leave in excess
of 240 hours in year 2020 due to reduced staffing with
COVID-19 pandemic.
•Roads update
•Urgent matters
•Closed session to discuss real estate acquisition, personnel
matters and/or potential litigation
Fatality ..cont’d from 1A
State Patrol Lt. W. Mark Riley, "the investigation found
that a silver Volkswagen Jetta was in operation in the left
travel lane and a gold Chevrolet Traverse was in opera
tion in the right travel lane. While traveling westbound
on State Route 72, the gold Chevrolet Traverse struck
the pedestrian with its front left bumper while operating
in its lane of travel. Shortly after, the silver Volkswagen
Jetta struck the pedestrian, who was lying in the roadway
at that time. The pedestrian did not survive their injuries
and was pronounced deceased on scene. Neither driver
of the vehicles complained of injuries. No charges are
expected to be filed in this investigation.”
Fox, who was the mother of a 9-year-old boy who
was not in her custody, was originally from Florida, said
Harrison. Her address was listed as Watkinsville. but she
had recently living off Jack Sharp Road.
Call 245-2695
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