South Metro's News Leader
THE UPSON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS REVERSED TWO SPECIAL EXCEPTION APPLICATIONS THE PLANNING COMMISSION RECOMMENDED DENIAL AT TUESDAY'S MEETING. MATT SMITH APPROVED FOR MINI WAREHOUSES ON 74 WEST NEAR THE ENTRANCE TO SPREWELL BLUFF PARK AND PASTOR DONALD HAMILTON FOR A NEW CHURCH BUILDING ON 19 SOUTH NEAR MARTIN CHURCH ROAD.
DETAILS ON 101.1 LOCAL NEWS AT 6;45AM, 7;45AM, 8;45AM, 12 NOON, 1PM AND 5PM.
ACCORDING TO POST 26 GA. STATE PATROL THE FEMALE PEDESTRIAN FATALITY SUNDAY NIGHT ON TRIUNE MILL ROAD IN THOMASTON WAS 30-YEAR OLD MELISSA HILL OF 274 TRIUNE AVE. A ONE-YEAR OLD CHILD WALKING WITH HER WAS INJURED AND LIFE FLIGHTED TO ARTHUR BLANK CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF ATLANTA AND IS LISTED IN STABLE CONDITION.
SGT. NATHAN TRUITT, GSP , TOLD 101 NEWS THE MOTORIST WAS DAVID ANDERSON OF TRIUNE MILL ROAD DRIVING A 2013 JEEP PATRIOT SPORT SUV. SGT. TRUITT SAID MS. HILL AND THE CHILD WERE THREE FEET IN THE ROADWAY WALKING IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS THE VEHICLE, NEAR DALLAS DRIVE AT 10.42 PM. HE SAID THE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES, BUT AT THIS TIME NO CHARGES HAVE BEEN FILED AGAINST THE DRIVER.
FORMER UPSON COUNTY COMMISSION CHAIRMAN RUSTY BLACKSTON TOLD 101 NEWS VOLUNTEERS DELIVERED OVER $200,000 WORTH OF RELIEF SUPPLIES TO HELENE VICTIMS IN ECHOLS COUNTY IN SOUTH GEORGIA , SUNDAY-- COLLECTED FROM A 53 FOOT TRAILER THAT HAD BEEN PARKED AT THOMASTON WAL MART. RUSTY SAID THE TRAILER WAS 90% FULL AND A FARMER IN STATENVILLE,GA. VOLUNTEERED HIS MIGRANT LABOR TO UNLOAD IT.
THE ECHOLS COUNTY SHERIFF WAS INVOLVED IN THE EFFORT IN A COUNTY WHERE MANY SECTIONS ARE STILL WITHOUT POWER -- BUT POWER CREWS WERE EVERYWHERE AT WORK. ONE LADY WHO FINALLY GOT POWER TOLD RUSTY SHE GOT HER FIRST HOT BATH IN 9 DAYS. HE DESCRIBED THE DEVASTATION TO THAT AREA AS UNBELIEVABLE.
RUSTY WENT ON TO THANK ALL THE THOMASTON CHURCHES, VOLUNTEERS, AND THOSE WHO DONATED SUPPLIES.
Shedding light on HB 581:
HB 581, an amendment to property tax legislation, will be on the ballot in November’s election. It’s also known as the “Save Our Homes Act” and it addresses longstanding issues with local property taxes and would go into effect on Jan. 1st, 2025 should it pass. It’s part of an effort to lower property tax costs for Georgia families in response to the major increase in property values we saw in 2022 & 2023. It will particularly help homestead property owners by limiting increases in home value to 3% each year. Want to emphasize, this applies to homestead property only. However, the County & City governing authorities have a one- time opt-out clause in this amendment which they will have choose to do so by March 1st of next year. Why would they choose to do so? Because the 3% limit increase on homestead property value would cut into property tax revenue for their budget needs which could possibly result in a millage increase to make up for the loss of tax revenue. But another major component of this bill will give the governing authorities an option of not having to go up on the millage rate to make up for that loss. It will give them the opportunity to add a 1 cent sales tax for the purposes of rolling back on property tax, which in my opinion is a great thing. Last year, we rolled off just over $5 million between the County & City in sales tax revenue for property tax purposes. As it’s been explained to me, this would benefit all taxpayers that own any property here in Upson County whether it’s real or personal property. Adding the additional sales tax would require the governing authorities to approve it through referendum which most likely would take all of next year to do and taxpayers would not see the benefit of this relief until 2026 at the earliest. The only concern is that we need leadership in place that would not use this extra revenue as a reason to spend more and not use it for it’s intended purpose of helping the taxpayers. Regardless of your opinion on this bill, it’s important you let your local governing authorities know your feelings about this legislation. There are several other components in this bill that aid in simplifying local tax legislation and they all serve to better help our taxpayers. More detailed info about this bill may be found online at: HB 581 Summary and Guidance – accg.org Andy Chastain Upson County Tax Commissioner
The City of Thomaston will be holding three City budget work session meetings. The meetings are open to the public and will be held on the following dates: Friday, October 25, 2024, at 9:30 p.m. Friday, November 1, 2024 at 9:30 a.m. And Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. All meetings will be held in the City Manager’s Conference room on the second floor of the Thomaston-Upson Government Complex (106 E Lee Street, Thomaston, Georgia 30286). Should you have any questions or need additional information, please call the City Manager’s Office at 706-647-4242 Ext. 4.
UPSON COUNTY HAS ANNOUNCED WALLER ROAD WILL BE CLOSED FROM HIGHWAY 19 NORTH TO HARRELL ROAD UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. NO THRU TRAFFIC. RESIDENTS WILL HAVE ACCESS TO THEIR HOMES
FORMER UPSON COUNTY COMMISSION CHAIRMAN RUSTY BLACKSTON HAD AN UPDATE ON COLLECTION OF GOODS FOR HELENE VICTIMS LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON--THE BIG RIG PARKED AT THOMASTON WAL MART WAS ABOUT 25% FULL. VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED TO SORT THROUGH COLLECTIONS AND SATURDAY IS THE TARGET DATE TO TRANSPORT THE ITEMS TO SOUTH GA.
ANOTHER UPSON COUNTY COLLECTION POINT IS THE KINETIC FACILITY IN NORTHSIDE NEXT TO THOMASTON PEST CONTROL.
UPSON EMC AND SOUTHERN RIVERS ENERGY DISPATCHED CREWS TO HELP RESTORE POWER TO CUSTOMERS OF LITTLE OCMULGEE EMC BASED IN EASTMAN, GA. UPSON EMC SENT 4 LINEMEN AND SRE HAS SENT TWO FOUR MAN CREWS.
IN A JURY TRIAL IN UPSON SUPERIOR COURT THAT STARTED SEPTEMBER 23RD AND CONTINUED UNTIL MONDAY DUE TO HURRICANE HELENE-- THE DEFENDANT, BRYAN ADRIAN CALHOUN WAS FOUND GUILTY OF CRUELTY TO CHILDREN IN THE FIRST DEGREE AND JUDGE RHONDA B. KREUZIGER SENTENCED CALHOUN TO 40 YEARS , SERVE 10 YEARS IN PRISON --REMAINDER ON PROBATION.
Upson Historical Society
Part Time Position Available
Job Description:
16 Hours per Week Total, 12 Hours On-Site
Update the Membership, Donations, and Gift Shop
Inform Treasurer of Income and Expenses
Learning about WWII Homelife in Thomaston and Upson County
Give Tours to Visitors
Write the Newsletter, email or mail to members
Preferable:
Interest in History and Education
Background in Non-Profits
They went missing Thursday, 9/26/24, near Trice Road and Knight Trail area
2024 UPSON COUNTY TAX BILLS ARE IN THE MAIL WITH A DUE DATE OF NOVEMBER 25, 2024.
EDDIE EDENFIELD UGA GRIFFIN BROADCAST METEOROLGIST MEASURED 8.86 INCHS OF RAINFALL FROM HURRICANE HELENE THURSDAY AND FRIDAY, 2.9 INCHES FRIDAY.
UPSON EMC PRESIDENT/CEO KEN SIMMONS SAYS THIS AREA OF GA. DODGED A BULLET AND HIS SYSTEM WAS BLESSED , WHEN HURRICANE HELENE TOOK A TURN AWAY FROM US. AS OF LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON, UPSON EMC HAD 300 SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES ON ITS SYSTEM FOLLOWING A PEAK OF AROUND 2000.
UPSON EMA DIRECTOR RICHARD HICKMON REPORTED THERE WAS LIMITED DAMAGE IN THE COUNTY, WITH TREES DOWN ON SEVERAL ROADS , BUT ALL WAS CLEAR BY EARLY IN THE AFTERNOON. HE SAID THE BIG ISSUE WAS A TREE DOWN AT THE GA POWER SUB-STATION 2 ON VETERANS DRIVE AND THAT LEAD TO ONE OF THE LONGEST ELECTRICAL OUTAGES IN RECENT HISTORY, 11 HOURS. FUN 101 RADIO WENT OFF THE AIR AT 5;30AM AND POWER WAS RESTORED AT 6;30 IN TIME FOR THE PRE-GAME SHOW FOR UPSON-LEE AND MARY PERSONS.
AS OF 7AM FRIDAY CITY MANAGER RUSSELL THOMPSON REPORTED THESE KNOWN OUTAGES--PEACHBELT ROAD, NELSON DRIVE, MALLORY STREET , ALL OF JOHNSTON HEIGHTS, AND THE SOUTHWEST PART OF THE SQUARE. GA. POWER UNITS HAD TO BE DISPATCHED FROM MANCHESTER.
THREE TRAFFIC LIGHTS WERE OUT IN DOWNTOWN THOMASTON--CHURCH AT GORDON AND THE TWO ON LEE STREET AT CENTER AND CHURCH. POWER WAS ON NORTH OF THE COURTHOUSE SQUARE BUT SLICES PIZZERIA, THE MEXICAN RESTAURANT NEXT DOOR AND BIG CHIC UPTOWN HAD NO POWER AND COULD NOT OPEN FOR BUSINESS.
Mary Persons' football team is having to forfeit its first four games this season after the GHSA determined the Bulldogs used an ineligible player who had transferred from Upson-Lee, this Friday’s homecoming opponent.
Mary Persons announced on Wednesday, after the newspaper went to press, that it would have to forfeit its first four games of 2024 and pay a $1,500 fine for the violation. The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) determined that MP failed to submit proper paperwork and failed to determine the player’s academic eligibility before letting him play. A scan of the roster shows that sophomore receiver Chauncey Powell transferred to MP from Upson-Lee this past year. Powell has 5 catches for 87 yards and 2 touchdowns so far this year.
Upson-Lee High School Principal Mr. Ricky English has announced Mr. and Miss Upson-Lee for the Class of 2025.Congratulations to Miss Upson-Lee High School, Kennedi Prater, and to Mr. Upson-Lee High School, Nytraevion “Trae” Jones. Mr. and Miss Upson-Lee High School are nominated and selected by their peers.
Nominees must meet election/selection criteria detailed in the ULHS Student Handbook.
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| Pictured l-r:ULHS Principal Mr.Ricky English,Mr.Upson-Lee High School,Trae Jones, Miss Upson-Lee High School, Kennedi Prater, and Superintendent Dr. Larry Derico. |
