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THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. DECEMBER 31.2020 — PAGE 3A
Hindsight cont d from 2A
Evan Michael Davis, 17, was
killed in a single-vehicle acci
dent on Hwy. 98 in Madison
County July 15.
•Madison County schools
delayed opening by a week,
from Aug. 7 to Aug. 14.
•County Republicans
hosted an in-person debate
between Republicans Matt
Gurtler and Andrew Clyde,
who were vying for the GOP
U.S. 9th Congressional Dis
trict nomination.
•The Madison County Jour
nal reported on an online can
didate forum for local runoff
candidates.
•Georgia Renewable Power
(GRP) leaders talked to The
Journal about their plans as
GRP neighbors waited for
Gov. Kemp to sign HB857
into law.
AUGUST
•Gov. Kemp signed HB857
into law, banning the use of
creosote-treated wood as a
fuel source at biomass facil
ities.
•County industrial authority
(IDA) members agreed to pro
ceed with a water line project
with an estimated price tag of
at least $1.1 million that will
allow them to purchase more
water from Franklin County
and to utilize water from a
well on Roger’s Mill Road.
•Investigators determined
the fire at a Galilee Holiness
Church metal bam was pur
posefully set.
•Todd Higdon was elected
as the new county commis
sion chairman. Rob Leverett
was elected the new House
District 33 representative.
And Terry Chandler was
picked to face Conolus Scott
for the BOC District 2 post in
November.
•Madison County COVID-
19 cases and hospital admis
sions doubled over the pre
vious month. The Aug. 11
Georgia Department of
Public Health report showed
Madison County with a total
of 417 COVID-
19 cases since March, up
from 162 on July 11.
•Madison County students
returned to in-person instruc
tion Aug. 14.
•Danielsville leaders voted
to proceed with a “letter of
condition” for a $5,986,000
loan/ grant package from the
United States Department
of Agriculture (USDA) for
sewer upgrades and expan
sion.
•The Madison County High
School football team resumed
practice after a 14-day shut
down after a coach tested pos
itive for coronavirus.
•Madison County topped
500 cases of COVID-19 since
March.
•Madison-Oglethorpe Ani
mal Shelter (MOAS) Director
Shaina Knight announced her
resignation.
SEPTEMBER
•Industrial development
authority leaders gave an
overview of the Madison
County Water System at the
local Rotary Club meeting.
•Madison County commis
sioners approved a small roll
back of county tax rates.
•County resident David
Jones appeared before com
missioners and offered his
help in securing good Internet
service for Madison County.
•Stan Elrod was mourn
ed in Madison County and
beyond after the long-time
law enforcement officer lost
his life after being shuck by
a car. Arvil E. Hamons, 31,
Danielsville, faces first-de
gree vehicular homicide and
other charges for the colli
sion that claimed the life of
the 49-year-old Department
of Natural Resources Captain
from Danielsville.
•A Madison County Labor
Day celebration was held at
Madison County Memorial
Park.
•Madison County will get
a new Department of Fam
ily and Children Services
(DFCS) building after all and
should be open in August
2021. The 13,800-square-foot
building will be construct
ed on 7.257 acres formerly
owned by the county school
system.
•The Madison County var
sity football team opened its
season at Habersham Central.
•Madison County schools
declared teachers as “essen
tial workers.” This policy
change means teachers who
have been exposed to coro
navirus have the option of
returning to school following
a three-day quarantine if they
are symptom free and follow
safety guidelines.
•Madison County commis
sioners said they were inter
ested in conducting a noise
study of GRP in Colbert. A
number of neighbors of the
facility have long said the
noise is unbearable.
•Madison County held its
72-annual Agricultural Fair.
•Madison County had 50
new COVID-19 cases in a
week.
•Local citizens angered by
Georgia Renewable Power
(GRP) in Colbert put up a
billboard on Hwy. 72.
•County commissioners
picked nine roads to be resur
faced in with a combination
of state and local funds total
ing roughly $1.4 million.
OCTOBER
•County commissioners
voted 4-0, with Theresa Bet
tis absent, to move hiring and
firing responsibilities to the
district commissioners and
away from the chairman.
•Karen “Kay” Kirk, 64,
Royston, was killed in a
three-vehicle accident on
Hwy. 29 and Moon’s Grove
Church Road Oct. 2.
•A Madison County 7-year-
old second grader, Gus Boy
kin, recovered from compli
cations from COVID-19 that
required a stay at Scottish
Rite. His father, Bo, spoke to
The Journal about his son’s
experience with multisystem
inflammatory syndrome in
children (MIS-C).
•The Madison County
Board of Education heard
from those in favor and
opposed to a mask mandate
in classrooms.
•Emma Ollis was crowned
the 2020 Madison County
High School Homecoming
Queen. Brady Bates was
named Homecoming King.
Pasha West was named the
2020 Madison County High
School Homecoming Prin
cess.
•A man was attacked by a
pack of dogs on Farm Road.
•The Madison County Food
Bank announced it would not
host a Christmas program
this year due to the ongoing
Covid-19 pandemic.
•Andrew Kitchens was
named the new director of the
Madison Oglethorpe Animal
Shelter.
•Secretary of State Brad
Raffensperger met with the
Rotary Club of Madison
County to discuss state voting
policies.
•The Madison County Red
Raider softball team advanced
to the Elite 8 by defeating
Marist two games to one in a
best-of-three series.
•A federal $3,186,000
loan and $2,677,000 grant
were awarded to the City of
Danielsville to upgrade and
expand its sewer system,
which serves the city and also
the county government and
school system in Danielsville.
•The Madison County
School System dropped its
requirement for students to
wear masks while in class
rooms, though a number of
students continued to wear
the face coverings.
NOVEMBER
•Donald Trump was favored
by a 3-1 margin over Joe
Biden in Madison County in
the 2020 Presidential election.
•Terry Chandler was elect
ed BOC District 2 commis
sioner.
•A homestead exemption
for Madison County property
owners over 70 was approved
by 92 percent of county vot
ers.
•The Madison County High
School 2020 graduation rate
was 95.1 percent, up from
94.64 percent in 2019. It
was the highest rate ever at
MCHS.
•A memory card for a bal
lot scanner at the Pittman
precinct in Madison County
didn’t successfully upload on
election night, leaving 231
votes from that precinct off
the county’s election-night
totals. But those totals were
added to the official count for
Madison County and Geor
gia.
•The 17th annual Madison
County Toy Ride was held
Nov. 14, beginning at Madi
son County Memorial Park.
•Hwy. 72 from Hwy. 98 in
Comer to the Elbert Coun
ty line was named the "Bill
Madden Parkway.”
•Madison County High
School basketball star Kayla
McPherson signed a scholar
ship to attend the University
of North Carolina.
•The Journal featured Grant
Belk, who donated a kidney
to his father-in-law, Dwayne
Kidd.
•The industrial authority
agreed to seek grant fund
ing to tie a water line in the
Blacks Creek Church Road/
Mize Road area in western
Madison County to the coun
ty's main system.
DECEMBER
•After months of discus
sions, county commission
ers approved a contract with
Mobile Communication
America (MCA) to install a
new 911 radio system.
•Madison County commis
sioners approved a per-bag
increase. Trash bags of 33
gallons or less will go up
from 50 cents to a $1 fee in
2021, while bags over 33 gal
lons will cost $2 to drop off.
•Madison County COVID-
19 numbers began to sharply
increase.
•The national Center for
Disease Control (CDC)
announced a reduction in
the number of days some
one should quarantine if in
close contact with a positive
COVID-19 case,
•The Journal featured
Patrick Blount and his new
blacksmithing business,
Greenhow Handmade Iron
works in Comer.
•The Journal featured
MCHS running back and
actor Dayton Gresham.
•The Journal featured Mei
Deavers, a sixth-grade Mad
ison County Middle School
student, who plays soccer on
his recreation all star team on
prosthetic legs.
•Madison County High
School and Madison County
Middle School went to dis
tance learning for the final
week before Christmas break
due COVID-19. Elementary
schools remained in person.
•The Rotary Club of Mad
ison County constructed its
800th ramp.
•The 36th-annual Christ
mas Luminaries took place
on Moon’s Grove Church
Road with a Live Nativity
at Moon’s Grove Baptist
Church.
•State school leaders decid
ed to weigh end-of-course
(EOC) tests at .01 percent of
students’ grades for the 2020-
21 school year.
•Three elected officials at
the county commissioners’
table said their goodbyes —
BOC chairman John Scarbor
ough, District 1 commission
er Lee Allen and District 2
commissioner Tripp Strick
land.
•Two hundred and eighteen
needy Madison County kids
had a brighter Christmas this
year thanks to the county
sheriff's office and communi
ty volunteers and donors.
•The Journal reported on
a lawsuit between several
Oglethorpe and Wilkes coun
ty residents against Madison
County's Smith Dairy Farms,
saying their properties are
being used for waste disposal,
not ag production. The Smiths
said their claims lack merit.
•Local elected officials talk
ed about a range of issues at
the Madison County Cham
ber of Commerce's annual
“Eggs and Issues” breakfast.
Gov’t complex closed until Jan. 4
Man dies in chainsaw accident
The Madison County Government
Complex will be closed until Jan. 4 due to
COVID-19 protocol.
Commission chairman John Scarborough
said that approximately 40-to-50 people at
the complex were exposed to a person pos
itive with the vims. He said the complex
will be sanitized during the week.
The complex was already scheduled
to be closed Jan. 1 for the New Year’s
holiday.
“Please if anyone feels sick in anyway,
get tested before Monday Jan. 4,” said
Scarborough in a notice about the closure.
“Hope everyone has a safe and Happy
Holidays.”
A 78-year-old man lost his life in a
chainsaw accident on McCarty Dodd
Road Dec. 22 around 3:30 p.m.
According to county coroner Julie
“Coach” Harrison. Anthony Mazeika and
a family member were working together
on a construction project. Mazeika was
on a ladder using a chainsaw when the
instrument kicked back and hit him in the
neck area. He died at the scene.
The Madson County Journal is your source for
local news. Call 800-367-5233 to subscribe or visit
About the papers
The five MainStreet News
papers publications — The
Madison County Journal,
The Jackson Herald, The
Braselton News, The Barrow
News-Journal and The Banks
County News — are printed
and delivered once a week.
•About delivery: The news
papers are delivered to the post
office and, from there, to sub-
THE STARTER &
ALTERNATOR SHOP
• Starter • Alternator • Generator Repair
.WAYNE, Owner
245-0055 Batteries
481 College Street $40
Royston, GA 30662
HOURS: 8-5:30 M, T, TH, F 8-12 Wed. • 8-11 Sat.
Headmaster’s
Corner
by
Steve Cummings
LOOKING FOR HOPE?
Many would say that 2020
was the most difficult year in
our lifetimes. The virus caused
much sickness, many deaths,
unemployment, business clos
ings, church closings, and loss
of our ability to be together.
We’ve seen political chaos, ra
cial strife, and hatred on display.
As a result, people are look
ing for hope. Some see hope in
a vaccine. Some see it in a new
president. Some see it in gov
ernment assistance.
Hebrews 6:19 says, “We
have this hope as an anchor for
the soul, firm and secure.” What
is this hope? It is God’s promise
to save His children through His
Son, Jesus. For Believers - even
in difficult times - our hope is
Jesus, our anchor for the soul.
ATHENS
CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
“Affordable Quality Education Since 1970”
K3-12TH CALL (706) 549-7586
www.athenschristianschool.org
scribers’ post office boxes or
home mailboxes. The news
papers do not have “paper
boxes” at people’s homes and
are not delivered by carriers.
However, the papers are deliv
ered to newspaper vending
machines in various locations
across Madison, Jackson, Bar-
row and Banks counties.
•About subscriptions: Sub
scribers are sent a renewal
notice before their subscrip
tion runs out. A quick way to
check to see when a subscrip
tion ends is to look for the
expiration date on the mailing
label.
For more information on
the above items, or for other
details about the newspapers,
call the MainStreet Newspa
pers Inc. office at 706-367-
5233.
CITY OF HULL
CALL FOR SPECIAL ELECTION
Notice is hereby given that, in accordance with
O.C.G.A. § 21-2-540, a special election shall be
held in the City of Hull to fill the vacant position of
Council Member previously held by Yvonne Daven
port, which expires December 31, 2023. Qualifying
Fee is $19.50.
Qualifying for the special election shall be held at
the Hull City Hall, 1326 Old Elberton Road, Hull,
Georgia, on January 11th, 12th and 13 th, 2021,
between the hours of 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
All persons who are not registered to vote and
who desire to register to vote in the special
election may register through close of business on
February 16, 2021, at the county registrar’s office.
In the event of an election Early and Advance
Voting Dates will be published at the end of the
qualifying period.
Sandra Pou
Election Superintendent
Qualifying Officer
City of Hull
us online at MadisonJournalTODAY.com
FOR ONLY $5 PER MONTH
you can list your group’s meetings!
Call 706-367-5233 to advertise your meeting date, time and place.
Banks County News • Jackson Herald
Madison County Journal • Braselton News
15786
KIWANIS
OF JEFFERSON
Meetings every 2 ,1C| & 4 th
Monday at 1 p.m.
Beef O’Brady’s
15252
HUDSON LODGE
#294 F & A.M.
1364 Hospital Rd., Commerce
1st Thursday of each month
Meeting 7:30 p.m. • Dinner 6:30 p.m.
Cameron Boswell 706-215-4282
15850
GAINESVILLE CHURCH
belonging to Christ
Meets for Bible study
Wed. 7PM Sun. 9:30AM
Worship Sun. 10:30AM
2815 Wallace Road • Gainesville, GA
Free Home Bible Study • 770-835-4000
For info call (678) 928-9350. GCOC.org
12626
JEFFERSON ROTARY CFUB
Meets Tuesdays 12:30 p.m.
American Legion Post 56
309 Lee St., Jefferson
Les Crane, President
les.crane@bhhsgeorgia.com
HALL COUNTY
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Meetings at 6:30 p.m.
Gainesville Civic Center
OPEN TO ALL
^470-577-0095
Pilot Club of Jefferson
Meets 3rd Tuesday of
each month, 6:30 p.m.
Jefferson City Clubhouse
706-367-9313 or
706-693-4715 12625
12971
MADISON COUNTY
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Meets 4th Sat. @ 10:30 a.m.
Madison Co. Senior Center
706-789-3336
mcgademocrats.wixsite.com/mcdp
BANKS COUNTY
Jfl| AMERICAN LEGION
llpr Post 215
Meets each 3rd Tues., 6 p.m.
In Homer, GAat the
American Legion Building on
Historic Highway 441
~ 12972
J&p ROCKWELL
M LODGE F& A.M.
No. 191, Hoschton, GA
2nd Tues. at 7:30 p.m. • Dinner at 6:30 p.m.
www.rockwelllodgel.91 .com
Two blocks behind Larry's Garage
West Broad at Hall Street
BANKS COUNTY 13004
HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC.
Meets first Monday each month
7:00 p.m. in the Banks County
Historical Courthouse at
105 U. S. Hwy 441 North in
Homer, GA
12623
JEFFERSON LIONS CLUB
Meets 2nd & 4th Monday
Jefferson City Clubhouse
6:30 p.m. • (706) 247-4094
Robert Hall, President
4660
St. Catherine Laboure
Catholic Church
Mass Schedule: Sat. 4:00 p.m. Sun. 10:00 a.m.
Monday ■ Friday 12:10 p.m, Spanish Sun. 8:00 a.m.
Website: www.stcatherinelabourega.org
706-367-7220
fa, 13905 1
UNITY LODGE
F & A.M.
No. 36, Jefferson, GA
1st Tues. of each month, 7:30 p.m.
Tom Hays • 678-316-7492
Borders St. Behind Tabo's
1 “JL BANKS COUNTY
ill AMERICAN LEGION
'•‘"AUXILIARY - Post 215
Meets each 3rd Tues., 6 p.m.
In the American Legion Building
at 1350 Historic Homer Hwy.,
Homer, GA
JEFFERSON AREA 2620
BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
www.jaba-ga.org
Meets 3rd Thursday • 11:45 a.m.
Jefferson City Clubhouse
302 Longview Drive
jk JEFFERSON
AMERICAN LEGION
Post 56 • Meets 3rd Tues., 6:30 p.m.
Joe Ruttar, Commander
Phone (860) 949-4037
309 Lee St., Jefferson, GA
12969 .
Tri-County
J Shrine Club
3rd Thurs. of each month
7:00 p.m.
Rockwell Lodge 191
11067
JACKSON COUNTY
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Meetings at 6:30 p.m.
Meets 3rd Thursday of each month
'■a/jP- Bank OZK
Jr465 Old Swimming Pool Rd.
Meeting is open to all who wish to attend.
www.jcdcga.org