Newspaper Page Text
JULY 6, 2023
Merged with The Comer News and The Daniclsvillc Monitor, 2006
MadisonJoumalTODAY.com
Vol. 40 No. 22* Publication No. 1074-987* Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia 30633 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. *16 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements
$1.00
EDUCATION
LAMPE:
Response to
vote against
BOE budget
Editor’s Note: The fol
lowing is District 2 Board
of Education representa
tive Dan Lampe s response
to a question he received
about his vote against the
FY24 school system bud
get.
Hey Ms. “X”, thanks for
addressing this question
on my voting position on
the “weight room!”
We didn’t have an indi
vidual vote on the weight
room, but a vote on the
budget which contained
the wt. room in it.
The local portion col
lected from property tax
has increased considerably
over the last two years. If
you look at the historical
data from 2017-2022, our
local portion from proper
ty tax has gone up rough
ly 1 million dollars (12
million to 13 million, ap
proximate 1.7% increase
over 5 years), however
over the last two years it
has gone from 13 million
to 16.3 million (25.4% in
crease over 2 years). This
increase has been realized
through the increased as
sessed value on homes and
its subsequent increase in
the individual property
tax bill. During last year’s
mill rate hearings, there
was an elderly lady that
spoke, she basically said
that she is on a fixed in
come and with last year’s
increase she was having
to make the hard decision
on groceries, and coupled
with gas prices, she had to
also plan wisely to limit
trips to the store. Her basic
premise was that she want
ed to know that the school
was spending money as
See Lampe, page 2A
INDEPENDENCE DAY
Red, white and blue: County celebrates 4th of July
Cullen and Killian Moore celebrate the Fourth of July decked out in patriotic tie-dye.
Photos by Hannah Barron
14
One of Madison County’s four-legged residents is all smiles and decked
out in “paw-triotic” attire during Colbert’s festivities.
A parade attendee blows bubbles. See more photos of the county celebrating
Independence Day on 5A and at MadisonJournalTODAY.com.
Index
News — 1-2A and 7A
Opinions — 4A
Crime — 6A
Socials — 3 and 5A, 3B, 8B
Schools — 8A
Churches — 3B
Obituaries — 5B
Sports — 1-2B
Classifieds — 6B
Legals — 7B
Contact
Phone: 706-367-5233
Email: hannah@mainstreetnews.
com
Web: MadisonJoumalTODAY.com
MAILING LABEL
WEATHER
WEATHER: Fourth-wettest June on record
By Mark Jenkins
With one summer month down
and two to go we started out sum
mer 2023 on the mild and very wet
side.
We just had our fourth-wettest
June on record since 1982 when
I began keeping records. 9.11” of
rain fell which was almost double
our normal. Most of the rain fell in
the middle 2 weeks of the month
from the 11th to the 25th. Look
ing back in the rainfall records
for Athens (which go back consis
tently to 1885), there were only 4
Junes with 9 or more inches prior
to 1982. While everywhere across
our area didn’t have 9 inches last
month, most of Georgia had above
normal rainfall. A persistent ridge
of high pressure over the southern
plains brought a brutal heat wave to
Texas and neighboring states. An
other ridge of high pressure over
the Atlantic kept a trough of low
pressure over the eastern states.
This is where the majority of our
rain came from. The heaviest rains
came on the night of the 16th as
training thunderstorms dropped
2.43” here in my community with
1-3 inches common across the
county. Most of this rain was wel
come as May and early June had
been on the dry side.
Because of the trough and the
resulting clouds and rain, tempera
tures were mild for most of the
month. Our mean temperature of
74.2 was about 2 degrees below
average and was the coolest June
since 2003.
All of that coolness is in the rear
view mirror now, however. The big
heat dome that baked Texas for 3
weeks has grown and shifted east
ward as of this writing and we are
now having real summer. After
only 4 days in the 90’s in June, cur
rent forecasts keep the 90’s over us
for at least the first week of July.
June, 1997 (which was a year
similar to this one that we men
tioned in last month’s article) was
also cool and wet (just not as wet),
with only 4 days in the 90’s. July,
1997 brought us back to reality,
however, with 19 days in the 90’s.
But rainfall was still generous,
with over six inches that month.
A good chunk of that rainfall was
from a tropical storm, however,
which is an unknown in any sum
mer forecast. Of the 3 summers
most similar to this one (a devel
oping El Nino), 1982, 1997, 2009,
this one has started more like 1982
or 1997, since summer of2009 was
quite dry. In fact we’ve already
had more rain in June than fell the
entire summer of 2009. So even
though we are having a mini heat
wave now (temperatures in the low
to mid 90’s really aren’t far from
our normal), long-range forecasts
don’t keep the heat going for the
rest of the summer. There are in
dications that some troughing and
cooler, wetter conditions return by
the middle of July. But I wouldn’t
bet the farm on it. Expect normal
July heat, humidity and haze with
normal chances of storms. If some
thing tropical comes our way then
rains would be heavier. June was a
good gardeners month so July may
be for the pool-lovers.
Weather averages for June, 2023:
Avg. low: 64. Lowest: 54. Avg.
high: 84. Highest: 91. Mean: 74.2
(-1.9). Rainfall: 9.11” (+4.49”).
2023 rain total to June 30: 35.47”
(+9.95”). Trees were downed in the
area from storms on the 25th.
Mark Jenkins is Madison Coun
ty’s cooperative weather observer.
EMC
Jackson EMC offers homeowner tips
to lower energy use during summer months
With the official arrival
of summer, Jackson EMC
is offering tips for lowering
energy use and minimizing
the impact of summer heat
on monthly bills.
Cooling homes and busi
nesses is typically one of
the largest demands for
electricity during warmer
months.
To best manage the addi
tional energy needs caused
by higher temperatures and
humidity, Jackson EMC
takes steps to reduce the co
operative’s electric demand
and encourages members
to do the same. To assist in
reducing energy consump
tion, here are some simple
and cost-effective tips that
members can follow.
Implementing these mea
sures will not only lower
your energy use but also po
tentially reduce your power
bill:
•Adjust your thermostat
to 78 degrees when you’re
at home and set it to a high
er temperature when you’re
away. Avoid turning off
See Energy, page 2A
o
