Newspaper Page Text
SEPTEMBER 21, 2023
Merged with The Corner News and The Daniclsvillc Monitor, 2006 4 MadisonJoumalTODAY.com
Vol. 40 No. 33* Publication No. 1074-987* Danielsville, Madison County, Georgia 30633 • A Publication of MainStreet Newspapers Inc. *16 Pages, 2 Sections Plus Supplements $1.00
SCHOOL
CRIME
BOE
presents
updates
for facilities
By Alison Smith
With a teachable mo
ment from principal Aman
da Sailors and media spe
cialist Patricia Carey, the
Board of Education made
several new facilities an
nouncements while meet
ing in the Comer Elemen
tary media center.
Sailors and Carey pre
sented the 50-year history
of the elementary school,
originally funded by the
Gholston family, and assis
tant superintendent Aman
da Wommack reported the
approval from the Georgia
Department of Education
of the site plan for Comer
Elementary. The school is
scheduled for the addition
of four new classrooms
and a cafeteria expansion.
Those plans are not final
ized.
Superintendent Michael
Williams gave an update
on the agricultural center,
which is moving forward
with a draft plan. Those fi
nal plans may be available
as soon as Sept. 27 and will
include a performing arts
center which may hold up
to 1,000 people. The proj
ect is currently planned
in three separate phases.
According to Williams, a
more finalized plan will
be forthcoming in the next
few weeks. The prelimi
nary plans are available for
viewing on the BOE web
site.
Both Hull-Sanford Ele
mentary and Colbert Ele
mentary may have future
See BOE, page 2A
Index
News — 1-3A, 5A
Opinions — 4A
Crime — 6A
Socials — 3A, 5A, 8A, 3B
Schools — 7A
Churches — 3B
Obituaries — 4-5B
Sports — 1-2B
Classifieds — 8B
Legals — 6-7B
Contact
Phone: 706-367-5233
Email: hannah@mainstreet
news, com
Web: MadisonJoumalTODAYcom
MAILING LABEL
COURT HEARING: Melissa Tolbert sentenced
to three years in prison, twelve years probation
Madison County resident and
former county finance director Me
lissa Tolbert has been sentenced to
three years in prison and twelve
years of probation after she stole
roughly $98,000 from the Con
stitutional Officers Association of
Georgia (COAG) while holding a
position there prior to working in
the county.
She pled guilty to five felony
counts of theft by taking and four
felony counts of financial transac
tion card fraud after the Georgia
Bureau of Investigation arrested her
last September.
According to a press release about
the arrest, the Northern Judicial
Circuit District Attorney’s Office
requested that the GBI investigate
the stolen funds from COAG’s bank
account. COAG officers reported
that several unauthorized transac
tions took place while Tolbert was
the executive director from May of
2018 to her resignation in June of
2022, and she had access to the sto
len funds.
Tolbert worked for a few months
as county finance director, but the
county saw no evidence of anything
wrong with the county’s finances or
budget, according to leaders’ state
ments last year.
The sentence involves paying
full restitution, as well as $5,000
in court fines, and Tolbert is not
allowed to hold any position that
involves handling money while on
See Tolbert, page 2A
Photo by Hannah Barron
Representative Mike Collins is pictured with county leaders at a roundtable.
Collins talks at co. roundtable
By Hannah Barron
hannah@mainstreetnews.com
House representative
Mike Collins recently had
a roundtable meeting at
Jackson EMC to meet with
county leaders.
Collins, in his freshman
term of Congress, rep
resents Georgia’s 10th dis
trict. He is also the chair
man of the Subcommittee
on Research and Technol
ogy, part of the Commit
tee on Science, Space, and
Technology.
He said it has been an
“honor and privilege to
serve.” He also said Mad
ison County has a great
team in the district and
D.C. to serve constituents.
Collins spoke on sever
al issues, including recent
legislation for 2023-2024.
Legislation he discussed
included:
• the Testing, Rapid Anal
ysis, and Narcotic Quality
(TRANQ) Research Act,
which is a bill requiring
the National Institute of
Standards and Technology
to conduct research on fen-
tanyl additives. According
to Collins, research would
help better identify the ad
ditives in the field to protect
law enforcement and border
agents.
• the Aviation Workforce
Development Act, which
would expand the qualified
tuition program, or the 529
plans, to allow distributions
to pay for participation in
aviation coursework. It
allows for Americans to
pursue aviation education
with zero increased cost to
taxpayers and addresses the
aviation shortage, Collins
said when he proposed the
legislation.
• the introduction of a hy-
personics amendment to the
Securing Growth and Ro
bust Leadership in Amer
ican Aviation Act, which
would require the Federal
Aviation Administration
(FAA) to research and cre
ate policy to incorporate
hypersonic aircraft into the
national airspace system.
Collins also held a Q and
A with county leaders to ad
dress any concerns Madison
may have.
With a push from the
federal government to use
electric vehicles, county
chairman Todd Higdon
asked if there would be
federal funding and sup
port available for help with
extinguishing electric vehi
cle fires. Higdon said cur
rent equipment to put out
the EV fires is expensive
and Georgia doesn’t have
equipment to keep firemen
safe.
Higdon also discussed
how inflation is hurting
senior citizens. Seniors re
ceived an increase in fed
eral benefits a couple of
years ago, he said, but they
can’t keep up with the in
creasing inflation. Higdon
added that the county has
been lowering the millage
rate to give back to those
on fixed income but could
use federal help because
the county can only do so
much and are about to be
“tapped out.”
Collins said federal
representatives can look
at both issues.
STATE
Governor Brian Kemp again
suspending gas tax collections
By Dave Williams
Capitol Beat
News Service
Gov. Brian Kemp is
suspending the state sales
tax on gasoline and other
motor fuels for the second
time in a year and a half,
citing increasing prices at
the pump.
The latest suspension
will ran until 11:59 p.m.
Oct. 12.
Kemp blamed the Biden
administration for the latest
rise in gasoline prices.
“From runaway federal
spending to policies that
hamstring domestic energy
production, all Bidenomics
has done is take more mon
ey out of the pockets of the
middle class,” the governor
said Tuesday. “While high
prices continue to hit fam
ily budgets, hardworking
Georgians deserve real re
lief, and that’s why I signed
an executive order today to
deliver it directly to them at
the pump.”
See Tax, page 2A
SCHOOL
Superintendent
set to retire in June
By Alison Smith
Michael Williams is
finishing where he start
ed. The Madison County
Charter School System
superintendent notified the
Board of Education last
Tuesday that he plans to re
tire, effective June 1, 2024.
The head of schools is
a 1987 Madison County
High School graduate. He
also holds degrees from
Piedmont College, Clem-
son University and Lincoln
Memorial University.
While he spent most
of his career as a teacher,
coach, athletic director, as
sistant principal and princi
pal in neighboring Banks
County, Williams returned
to work in the county in
2014.
“It’s very personal,
probably for everyone,”
Williams said of his re
tirement. “There’s a lot of
pride in being from here. I
have deep care and concern
for Madison County.”
After serving as assis
tant superintendent, the
BOE selected Williams to
replace retiring superin
tendent Alan McCannon in
2018.
Williams has served in
that position for the last
five years.
During his tenure, Wil
liams was awarded the 2022
Georgia School Superin
tendents Association Presi
dent’s Award for outstand
ing leadership in his system
and the community. He has
overseen improving high
school graduation rates to
the highest in the system’s
history.
Of the most notable sys
tem events in the last five
years, Williams says navi
gating COVID in his second
school year was extremely
difficult.
‘We didn’t have all the an
swers,” he said, mentioning
the positive way staff navi
gated and reacted with resil
iency in that time frame.
The challenge of COVID
has been eclipsed by other
system accomplishments.
The Early Learning Cen
ter with new classrooms
and providing an early
foundation has been one
Williams is proud to see.
The middle school has ex
panded additional courses
for high school credit. The
superintendent said those
additions give eighth grad
ers more options to take ac
celerated courses or explore
interests in high school. The
high school added a Junior
Reserve Officers’ Training
Corps (JROTC) program,
See Williams, page 2A
DANIELSVILLE
City of Danielsville
improves utilities,
maintenance services
By Alison Smith
Utilities and city main
tenance are continuing to
improve in Danielsville.
In addition to the recent
clearing of right-of-ways,
the maintenance depart
ment is looking for a new
side-by-side to complete
work where parking the
city track is difficult. The
city council approved a
capital outlay of up to
$19,000 for the purchase of
that vehicle at its meeting
on Sept. 11.
After an inquiry from a
utility company wishing to
install new lines, the city
has drafted a Utility Ac
commodation Ordinance.
Once approved, the ordi
nance will allow the city to
charge utility companies a
fee for new installations.
Mayor Michael Wide-
man explained that the
purpose of the fee is not to
necessarily incur a profit but
to recoup the ongoing cost
of maintaining new utility
lines in the future.
The council took no ac
tion on the draft ordinance.
It will take up the measure
at a future meeting and
asked the city attorney to
complete more research on
local municipalities with
similar ordinances and fees.
Council member Steve
Russum commented on
signs in the right-of-way
and on power poles. He
asked the maintenance de
partment, police depart
ment, city hall administra
tors and fellow members to
remind the representatives
for events to remove them
after events. He said that the
power polls and the side of
the roads are cluttered with
See Danielsville, page 2A
o