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SEPTEMBER 23, 2021
Madison County Journal
Merged with The Comer News and The Danielsville Monitor, 2006
MadisonJoumaITODAY.com
Vol. 38 No. 34* Publication No. 1074-987 • Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia 30633 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. • 12 Pages, 1 Section Plus Supplements
$1.00
STATE
State lawmakers
sign amicus
brief ahead of
abortion hearing
By Tim Darnell
Capitol Beat News Service
Abortion-rights advocates
in the General Assembly
have opened up a new front.
Fifty-eight Georgia law
makers signed onto a “friend
of the court” — or amicus
— brief filed on Monday
in a case before the U.S.
Supreme Court involving an
abortion law in Mississippi.
That was the most signato
ries from one state among
the nearly 900 lawmakers
who signed the brief.
The case, scheduled to be
heard by the high court on
Dec. 1, bans abortions after
15 weeks in Mississippi,
nine weeks fewer than the
24-week precedent estab
lished by the 1973 Roe v.
Wade decision.
The amicus brief was orga
nized by the State Innovation
Exchange's Reproductive
Freedom Leadership Coun
cil, which describes itself as
a “network of state legis
lators working to advance
reproductive health, rights
and justice.”
The brief argues the
Supreme Court’s failure to
uphold the rule of law and
precedent would result in
disastrous consequences for
women seeking abortions, as
well as for their families.
“State legislators are the
first line of defense against
policies that deliberately
roll back progress on abor
tion rights and reproductive
health across the country, and
the overwhelming majority
of the public agrees we must
protect Roe v. Wade,” said
the organization’s Jennifer
Driver. "With this amicus
brief, nearly 900 legislators
are sending the Supreme
Court a clear message: We
cannot go back. You must
uphold 50 years of legal
abortion in all 50 states.”
The amicus brief in the
Mississippi case comes on
See ‘Brief’ on 2A
Index:
News — 1-2 A
Crime — 3A
Opinions — 4-5A
Church — 5A
Social — 6A
Sports —6A, 10A, 12A
Classifieds — 7A
Obituaries — 8-9A
Legals —11A
Contact:
Phone: 706-367-5233
Web: MadisonJournal
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6 Oh look, the fair!
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Marisa Roberts, 2, points out something to her mother, April Roberts, on
the Merry Go Round at the Madison County Agricultural Fair in Comer
that continues through Saturday. Photos by Zach Mitcham
Demetrius Brewer (L) and Amber Willingham (R) enjoy a funnel cake at
the Madison County Fair Tuesday.
Meghan Langley (L) of Franklin County and Will Tolbert (R) of Madison
County show off their pigs Tuesday at the swine show, picking up first and
second place ribbons.
Fair continues through Saturday
The 73rd Madison County Agricultural
Fair will continue through Saturday.
The annual event, which is sponsored
by the Comer Lions Club and held at the
Comer Fairgrounds, includes livestock
shows, music, rides, exhibits, nightly
drawings, a variety of food and more.
The remaining entertainment schedule
is Country River Band 7 p.m., Sept. 23:
Ronnie Pittman and Big Daddy’s Band
7:30, Sept. 24: Grains of Sand Band
7:30 p.m., Sept. 25. The livestock show
schedule nightly at 6 p.m. is as follows:
Thursday, dairy cow show; Friday, beef
show. The open beef show will be at
noon Saturday.
All shows are included in gate entrance
fee of $5.
“Be sure to keep your ticket stub and
deposit half in the barrel at the prize tent
for nightly drawings,” organizers said.
“You must be 18 or older and you must
be present to win.”
The Saturday matinee will open at
noon and close at 4 p.m. Gate admission
is $1 for ages 15 and under.
The Madison County Fair Association
is currently accepting applications for
vendors for this year’s fair.
“Please come out and support your
local vendor,” fair officials said.
For more information, call Angie
McGinnis at 706-540-0404 or email her
at Angie.McGinnis@piedmont.org.
Red Raiders
in hunt for
region title
— Page 12A
TRANSPORTATION
A penny
for roads?
Vote ahead on T-SPLOST
Madison County voters will say “Yes” or “No” Nov. 2 on the
county’s road future — either more funds for improvements or not.
A referendum is set for that first Tuesday in November on a five-
year, one-cent sales tax for county transportation improvements.
County commissioners put the referendum on the ballot this year,
noting that several surrounding counties have a transportation special
purpose local option sales tax (T-SPLOST) to fund improvements.
If approved, one penny from every dollar spent in Madison County
over the next five years will go toward transportation improvements
in the county, mostly paving and resurfacing. Madison County has
limited tax dollars to make improvements as it is. with nearly $5.5
million coming through a separate county sales tax that funds vari
ous projects, not just roads, and roughly $700,000 coming per year
coming through the state's Local Maintenance and Improvement
Grant (LMIG).
Madison County is geographically large and has 568.53 total road
miles, including 456.28 paved miles and 112.25 dirt miles. The esti
mated cost for resurfacing a mile of paved road is $150,000, while
the cost of paving a mile of dirt road is $425,000.
A one-cent tax over five years would generate roughly $13 mil
lion to spend on the county’s 568 miles. That funding would go to
both the county government and municipalities for transportation
projects.
The breakdown between the entities is determined by popula
tion as set in the 2010 Census — the 2020 Census had not been
released when the commissioners approved the resolution for the
referendum. The allocation of funds would be as follows: coun
ty, $11,425,700; Carlton. $132,600; Colbert, $302,900; Comer,
$577,200; Danielsville, $287,300; Hull, $101,400; and ha, $172,900.
EDUCATION
MCHS SAT
scores up in 2021
Madison County High School SAT scores were up in 2021
compared to 2020.
In 2020, 155 Madison County students averaged 1039 on
the test, with an average 529.6 on reading and 509.7 in math.
In 2021, 209 students took the test, with an average score of
1061.9 in reading and 546 in math.
The scores of just high school seniors were also up over the
past year, with 106 members of the MCHS class of 2021 aver
aging 1071 (554 reading, 517 math) compared to 86 seniors in
2020 who averaged 1053 (529. 515). The 2019 MCHS senior
class had 159 members take the test with an average score of
1069 (548, 521).
The Georgia Department of Education released 2021 SAT
results on Friday, Sept. 17. The mean score of 1077 Georgia
students recorded was 39 points higher than the national aver
age for public-school students.
COVID
Surge may be slowing,
but cases remain high
The good news: the covid case graph is pointing down
not up in Georgia. The bad news: cases remain high.
Meanwhile, Madison County has seen a slight dip in
numbers over the past couple of weeks, but cases remain
high, with 120 reported new cases between Sept. 14
and 21, including 12 hospitalizations and one death, a
50-year-old white female with no cormobidities, accord
ing to the Georgia Department of Public Health's daily
report.
Madison County's case rate is 1,067 cases per 100,000
people, down from 1,229 the previous week. Anything
over 930 per 100,000 receives the darkest red color cod
ing on the state’s covid heat map.
Madison County schools saw cases drop by seven
over the past week, with the Sept. 10 school covid report
showing 42 total active cases in the system (34 students
and eight staff members). The Sept. 17 report showed 35
total cases (28 students and seven staff members), with
eight cases reported at Hull-Sanford Elementary School,
six at Madison County High School, Madison County
Middle School and Colbert Elementary, three at Comer
Elementary and two at Ila Elementary, Danielsville Ele
mentary and the Early Learning Center.
Statewide, there have been 1,197,182 cases since the
pandemic began and 21,563 deaths.
Forty percent of Madison County residents are fully
vaccinated. The state average is 46 percent.
