SAT, APRIL 26, FAMILY FUN DAY AT URMC

 FAMILY  FUN  DAY   SATURDAY,  APRIL 26,  AT  UPSON  REGIONAL MEDICAL  CENTER  PLUS  AUTISM  AWARENESS &  CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION--kids ABC  RIBBON  CUTTING  IN  FRONT OF  THE  E.R.  WITH  THE  ALLIANCE FOR  BETTER  CARE. BOUNCE  HOUSES,  FOOD,  A  CLOWN, FACE PAINTERS, FUN  AND  GAMES,  AND HEALTH  INFORMATION.

APRIL MEETING UPSON HISTORICAL SOCIETY

 Monday, April 28th @ 7:00pm, at the Upson Senior Center. The Upson Historical Society will be hosting a Free program with special speaker,  Mr Jeff Sanders, a local retired fireman who will tell historical fire stories that blazed through Thomaston and the beginnings of how the Upson Fire department originated.

Don’t miss it!

FUN 101 WANTS ENTRIES FOR WORLD'S BEST MOM

 FUN  101  IS  LOOKING  FOR  THE  WORLD'S  BEST  MOM  OF   2025.  ENTER  YOUR  MOM  FOR  OUR  MOTHERS  DAY  GIVEAWAY--  BE  SURE  TO  INCLUDE  CONTACT  INFORMATION.  SUNDAY  MAY  11TH  IS  MOTHER'S  DAY

SPALDING CO BOC BAIN PROCTOR LIFETIME SERVICE AWARD

 THE  SENIOR PASTOR  OF  CITY  CHURCH--JOSH  ABERNATHY  WAS   PRESENTED  THE  BAIN PROCTOR  LIFETIME  SERVICE  AWARD  AT  MONDAY'S  MEETING  OF  THE  SPALDING  COUNTY  COMMISSIONERS.   THE  COUNTY'S LEISURE  SERVICES  DIRECTOR KELLY  CARMICHAEL  SAID  PASTOR  ABERNATHY  HAS  ORGANIZED  OTHERS  TO  VOLUNTEER  THEIR SERVICE  TO  IMPROVE  THE  LIVES  OF  OTHERS.  THE  AWARD  NAMED  FOR  UPSON COUNTY  NATIVE  BAIN  PROCTOR  IS  PRESENTED  ANNUALLY  DURING NATIONAL VOLUNTEER  WEEK.

TRAVON WALKER KEEPS GIVING BACK TO THOMASTON

  THOMASTON'S   AND  NFL  JAGS--  TRAVON  WALKER FOUNDATION   FUN  FEST  FOR     YOUTH  AND  FAMILIES  --  TWO      SPECIAL  EVENTS  SAT.  JUNE  14TH  AT  MATTEWS  FIELD.   4  TO  9PM  FAMILIES  AND  FRIENDS  INVITED  FOR  BOUNCE  HOUSES.  FACE  PAINTING,  FOOD  TRUCKS   AND  MORE --   PLUS  CURRENT    UGA  FOOTBALL  PLAYERS WITH  A  ONE  HOUR  PHOTO  SESSION. ALSO    A  FREE YOUTH  FOOTBALL  CAMP 6;30  TO  9PM  BOYS  AND  GIRLS  AGES  11  TO  18-REGISTRATION  REQUIRED.

UPSON BOC PUBLIC HEARING ON UPSCALE SERENITY SB

  DEVELOPERS  OF  THE PROPOSED  UPSCALE   SERENITY   LAKE  SUBDIVISION  ON  OLD  ALABAMA  ROAD  IN  WESTERN  UPSON  COUNTY  HUDDLED WITH   THEIR   GRIFFIN   ZONING  ATTORNEY  NEWTON  GALLOWAY  OUTSIDE  THE  GOVERNMENT  COMPLEX  AFTER  THE  UPSON COUNTY  COMMISSIONERS  DECLINED  TO  REZONE  THE  266  ACRES   WITH  124  SINGLE  FAMILY  LOTS  BY  A   4-1  VOTE--TUESDAY.   THE  PLANNING  COMMISSION  ALSO  VOTED  UNANIMOUSLY  NOT  TO  RECOMMEND IT  TO  THE  BOC-BUT  PLANNING  DIRECTOR  DOUG  CURRIER RECOMMENDED  APPROVAL  WITH  CONDITIONS.  CHAIRMAN   DAN  BREU  MADE  A  MOTION  TO  APPROVE  BUT  IT  FAILED  TO  GET  A   2ND  AND  COMMISSIONER  JAMES  ELLINGTON   FOLLOWED  WITH   A    MOTION  THAT  PASSED. NEIGHBORS  WHO  SPOKE  AGAINST  WHAT  WOULD  BE  THE  LARGEST  SUBDIVISION  IN  COUNTY  HISTORY -- LOUDLY  APPLAUDED.  THE  COMMISSIONERS  HAD  SEVERAL  QUESTIONS  FOR    DEVELOPER  DAN  SPRINGETTI  ABOUT  WATER SERVICE  FOR  THE  SUBDIVISION--WHICH  COULD  BE  INDIVIDUAL  WELLS  FOR  EACH  HOUSEHOLD--HE  SAID.  AND  THE  COMMISSIONERS  QUESTIONED  IF   ADDED   CUSTOMERS  WOULD  AFFECT  WATER PRESSURE  IN  THE  AREA.

OVER  HALF A  DOZEN     SPOKE  AGAINST  THE  PLAN   INCLUDING  ANN  CAROL  DANIEL  WHO  OWNS  A  FAMILY  FARM  NEAR-BY,  WHO  COMPARED  HER   NEIGHBORHOOD  WITH   "MAYBERRY."

COMMISSIONER  ELLINGTON    WHO  SERVES  THE  DISTRICT   STATED  EARLY  IN  THE  MEETING--HIS  CONSTITUENTS  EXPECT  HIM  TO  REPRESENT  THEM  AND  HE  IS  COMMITTED  TO  DOING  IT.  LATER , STATING   OBJECTIONS    ELLINGTON  SAID  THE    PROPOSED  REZONING  FROM   A-R  TO  P-M   PLANNED MIXED  USE  IS  SPOT  ZONING AND  IT  DOES  NOT  JIVE  WITH  THE  COUNTY'S  COMPREHENSIVE  PLAN  AS  A   LOW  DENSITY  PROJECT. 

REZONING FAILS FOR NEW UPSCALE SUBDIVISION IN WESTERN UPSON

  

FOLLOWING   A  PUBLIC  HEARING  APPROACHING      TWO   HOURS  TUESDAY  --THE  UPSON  COUNTY  COMMISSIONERS  VOTED  TO  DENY  A  REZONING  FOR  A  GATED  UPSCALE  SUBDIVISON  ON  OLD  ALABAMA  ROAD  BY  A  4-1  VOTE.  CHAIRMAN  DAN  BREU  MADE  A  MOTION  TO  APPROVE  THE  REZONING  BUT  IT  FAILED  TO  GET A   2ND.  COMMISSIONER  JAMES  ELLINGTON  WHO  REPRESENTS  THAT  DISTRICT   MADE  THE  MOTION  THAT  PASSED.

DELAY IN UPSON TAX ASSESSMENT NOTICES

 THERE  IS  A   DELAY  IN  UPSON  COUNTY  TAX  ASSESSMENT NOTICES--ACCORDING  TO  CHIEF  APPRAISER  CHARLES  MCKEEHAN.  CHARLES  SAYS  THE  VENDOR   HAS  SOME  UPDATING  ISSUES  AND  NOTICES  SCHEDULED  TO  BE  MAILED  ON  APRIL 25TH  WILL  INSTEAD  BE  POSTPONED  UNTIL  THE  UPDATES  ARE CORRECTED.  THE  COUNTY  TAX    ASSESSORS  OFFICE  IS HOPEFUL  NOTICES  WILL  STILL  GO  OUT   BEFORE  MAY  IST

ATTENTION SENIORS - APPLY FOR THE DR. KEITH B. HUCKABY-TUAC SCHOLARSHIP GRANT 2025

 ATTENTION ‘25 SENIORS!

You are invited to apply for The Dr. Keith B. Huckaby - TUAC Scholarship Grant for 2025.

Simply go by the TUAC Gallery at 201 South Center Street to pick up an application. Deadline for returning your application is Friday, May 2, 2025 by 5pm. No submissions will be accepted after this date.

* Scholarship grant is for $1,000.00.

* If, in the opinion of the scholarship committee, there are two or more equally qualified students, the grant may be divided.

* The grant is for students who have demonstrated an interest in and dedication to music, visual, performing or other fine arts, or to the technical aspects of theater arts. The student does not have to be studying one of these areas at the next level.

* The grant is to be used for tuition, course materials, gas, housing, etc. related to the costs of college or technical school.

For more information call 706-647-1605

UPSON-LEE HIGH NJROTC AWARDS NIGHT

 2025 NJROTC Awards Night to Honor Excellence in Cadet Leadership and Achievement The Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) program of Upson-Lee High School will host its annual Awards Night on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at 7:00 p.m., at the Upson-Lee Fine Arts Center. Parents, faculty, military representatives, and local community leaders are invited to attend and celebrate the achievements of these young leaders.

CITY OF THOMASTON FARMERS MARKET PROJECT TO BE REBID

THE  THOMASTON  CITY  COUNCIL  DECIDED  TO RE-BID  THE  PROPOSED  FARMERS  MARKET  PROJECT  AT    THE  VACANT  LOT   AT   EAST  GORDON  AND  HIGHTOWER--AT  TUESDAY'S  MEETING.   THE LOW  BID FROM  QUALITY  CONSTRUCTION  BY  MCLEROY OF  ZEBULON  AT $2.6   MILLION  AND  COGGINS  CONSTRUCTION  CO   OF  THOMASTON   THE HIGH  BID  AT $2.64  MILLION.  BOTH  BIDS  EXCEEDED  THE  STATE  GRANT  AMOUNT  OF   $2.3  MILLION 

GRIFFIN YOUTH SHOT IN THE HEAD

 On April 16nd 2025 shortly after 9pm Griffin Police were called to the 100 block of Georgia Avenue in reference to shots fired. A canvas of the area led officers to find a male juvenile suffering from a gunshot wound to his temple. The victim was flown to an area trauma hospital to be treated for his injuries and is in stable condition. Updates will be given as they become available. Griffin Police Criminal Investigations Division is actively investigating this case at this time. Anyone who has information is asked to contact Griffin Police at 770.229.6452 or jspears@cityofgriffin.com

RABIES CASE IN PIKE CO

 PIKE   COUNTY  TIMES .  COM  REPORTS  THE  FIRST  RABIES  CASE OF  THE  YEAR  IN  PIKE COUNTY. A  RACCOON  THAT  TESTED  POSITIVE  FOR  RABIES    CAME IN  CONTACT  WITH  A  CAT  NEAR   1300 BLOCK OF  COUNTY FARM  ROAD,  ACROSS  FROM  THE  BALL  FIELDS.

GORDON STATE NEWS

 BARNESVILLE, Ga., – Gordon State College education students hosted a group of seventh graders from Lamar County Middle School for a series of Socratic seminars on building positive student-teacher relationships, followed by a Q&A session and campus tour on Tuesday, April 8.

This marks the third year of the event, which began as a collaboration between Dr. Julie Little, GSC associate professor of education, and Heather Davison, LCMS 7th grade science teacher.

“These events provide younger students with the opportunity to not only explore a college campus but also engage with current college students in a meaningful way,” Little said. “Meanwhile, my [GSC] students gain valuable insight into the perspectives and needs of the students they will one day teach.”

Little and Davison taught together at LCMS for several years, with Davison introducing Little to Socratic seminars, a method now integral to all of Little’s courses. A few years ago, they decided to bring the seventh graders and Little’s teacher education students together for a seminar, with the middle school students compiling a list of topics for the education students to choose from.

“The [LCMS] students were incredible during the seminars. I particularly enjoyed watching and listening to my [GSC] students during the Q&A, as they offered advice on the importance of performing well in school now and how to navigate college in the future,” Little said. “It was as though they were speaking to their younger selves or to their younger siblings.”

Dr. Jessica Watson, superintendent of Lamar County Schools, also visited to observe the seminars, which were held simultaneously in three separate classrooms. Little said some of the middle school students were initially apprehensive but soon became comfortable and engaged in sharing their experiences with the [GSC] students.

“I value the opportunity for my education students, who will soon be teachers, to engage in meaningful conversations with students outside the classroom. It allows them to gain valuable insight into the perspectives of the younger generation on school and life,” Little said.

PIKE COUNTY STRUCTURE FIRE UNDER INVESTIGATION BY STATE FIRE MARSHALL

 THE  STATE  FIRE  MARSHALL'S  OFFICE IS  INVESTIGATING  A  STRUCTURE   FIRE  THAT  RESULTED  IN  THE  DEATH  OF  A  FORMER   THOMASTONIAN  IN  PIKE  COUNTY.   IN  THE  EARLY  MORNING  HOURS  OF APRIL 5TH,  MAXINE  BAILEY CIRINO, AGE  77  PERISHED IN  AN  EARLY  MORNING  FIRE  AT  478  LIFSEY  SPRINGS.

UPSON PLANNING COMMISSION THUMBS DOWN ON SERINITY LAKE SUBDIVISION

 )THE  UPSON  COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION   UNANIMOUSLY   DENIED  TO  RECOMMEND  TO  THE  UPSON COUNTY  COMMISSIONERS THE PROPOSED   REZONING  FROM   A-R  TO P-M   OF   SERINITY  LAKE  SUBDIVISION  AT  OLD  ALABAMA  AND  WILLIAMS  ROADS--AT  MONDAY'S  APRIL MEETING.  THE   124  LOT  RESIDENTIAL  SUBDIVISION  FROM  10  ACRES  LAKE  LLC WAS  PROPOSED  ON 266  ACRES  .  PLANNING  COMMISSION  CHAIRMAN  PHILLIP  FALLIN  SAID  THE    PROJECT  DOES  NOT  COMPLY  WITH  THE  COUNTY  COMPREHENSIVE  PLAN  FOR  LOW  DENSITY  HOUSING--ITS  A  HIGH  DENSITY PROJECT.

CHAIRMAN  FALLIN   ANNOUNCED    THE  BOARD  WOULD  NOT  HEAR  ANY  TESTIMONY DURING  THE  MEETING  --ALTHOUGH  WISCONSIN  DEVELOPER  DAN  SPRINGETTI  AND  ONE  OF  THE PROPERTY  OWNERS  AUDRA FAULKNER  OF  THOMASTON  HAD  SIGNED-UP  TO  PROVIDE  TESTIMONY  IN  FAVOR OF  THE  PROJECT.

THE    ITEM   NOW    GOES  TO  THE  UPSON  COUNTY  COMMISSIONERS  APRIL   22ND  VOTING  MEETING  FOR  A  PUBLIC  HEARING .