TWO GUILTY PLEAS IN WALKER MURDERS

IN  UPSON  SUPERIOR  COURT, MONDAY  MORNING,  THE  REMAINING  TWO  SUSPECTS  IN  THE  OCT. 2009  MURDERS  OF  MICHAEL  AND  DOROTHY  WALKER  OF  SALEM  COMMUNITY,  ENTERED  GUILTY  PLEAS. RONALD HART  AND  HIS  COUSIN,  OCTAVIOUS  HART  WERE  SENTENCED  TO  TWO  LIFE  SENTENCES   WITH  THE  POSSIBILITY  OF    PAROLE   FOR  THE  MURDERS  PLUS  TWENTY  YEARS  FOR  BURGLARY.  IN A  JURY  TRIAL  LAST  WEEK,  JEREMY  SAFFOLD  WAS  CONVICTED  OF  THE MURDERS,  PLUS  BURGLARY  AND  ARSON  AND  JUDGE  FLETCHER  SAMS  SENTENCED  HIM  TO  TWO  LIFE  SENTENCES WITHOUT  PAROLE  PLUS  55  YEARS.  DISTRICT  ATTORNEY  SCOTT  BALLARD  SAID  THE  WALKERS  WERE  SHOT  AND  KILLED  WITH  ASSAULT  RIFLES  AND  THEIR  BODIES  PLACED  IN   THEIR  MOBILE  HOME  WHICH  WAS  SET  ON  FIRE. THE  THREE  CAME  TO  THE  WALKERS  RESIDENCE  LATE  AT  NIGHT  WITH  INTENTIONS OF  ROBBERY,  ACCORDING  TO  THE  D.A.

THOMASTON UPSON BD. EDUCATION STAYS WITH LOTTERY FOR PRE-K.

AT  A  CALLED  MEETING,  THURSDAY,  THE  THOMASTON-UPSON  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION  ELECTED  TO  STAY  WITH  A  LOTTERY  FOR  REGISTRATION  FOR  PRE-KINDERGARTEN NEXT  SCHOOL  YEAR.  THE  BOARD  VOTED  FOR  A  LOTTERY  LAST  MONTH,  AND  AT  THURSDAY’S  MEETING  THERE  WAS  NO  MOTION  TO  CHANGE.  ON  A  4  TO 3  VOTE THE  BOARD  PASSED  A  MOTION  TO  ALLOW  UP  TO  20  TEACHERS IN  THE  SYSTEM  TO  BE  GUARANTEED  PRE-K  ENROLLMENT  FOR  THEIR CHILDREN.

GUILTY VERDICT IN MURDER TRIAL

IN  UPSON  SUPERIOR  COURT,  WEDNESDAY,  A  JURY  STAYED  OUT  JUST  OVER  AN  HOUR  BEFORE  FINDING  JEREMY  SAFFOLD  GUILTY OF  THE  MURDER  OF  MICHAEL AND  DOROTHY  WALKER  OF  SALEM  COMMUNITY. JUDGE  FLETCHER  SAMS  SENTENCED  SAFFOLD  TO  LIFE IN  PRISON WITHOUT PAROLE. SAFFOLD  WAS  NOT  CALLED  TO  TESTIFY.  DISTRICT  ATTORNEY  SCOTT  BALLARD  SAID  THE  WALKERS WERE  SHOT WITH  AN  ASSAULT RIFLE AND THEIR  BODIES  DRAGGED  INTO  THEIR MOBILE HOME AND  IT  WAS  SET  ON  FIRE,  LEAVING ONLY  CHARRED  REMAINS.  BURGLARY  WAS THE  APPARENT  MOTIVE. THE  2ND  OF  THREE SUSPECTS  WILL  GO  ON  TRIAL  MONDAY.

MURDER TRIAL CONTINUES

IN  UPSON  SUPERIOR  COURT,  TUESDAY,  THE  GIRLFRIEND  OF  JEREMY  SAFFOLD, ON  TRIAL  FOR  THE  MURDER OF  DOROTHY  AND  MICHAEL  WALKER  OF  SALEM  COMMUNITY, RECANTED  A  PORTION  OF  A   SIGNED  STATEMENT, DURING  HER  TESTIMONY.   KATRINA  CORBIN  TESTIFIED  SHE  WAS UNDER  DURESS, FIVE  MONTHS  PREGNANT  WITH  SAFFOLD’S  CHILD  WHEN  SHE  SIGNED  THE  STATEMENT. SHE  SAID  A  PORTION  ABOUT  SAFFOLD  TELLING  HER  HE  SET  A  HOUSE  ON  FIRE  WAS NOT  CORRECT. THE  STATEMENT  QUOTES SAFFOLD AS  SAYING  HE  WENT  UP  HIGHWAY  80, GOT  IN  AN  ALTERCATION WITH  A  MAN  , GUNFIRE  WAS  EXCHANGED  AND  A  HOUSE  WAS  SET  ON  FIRE.  THE  CHARRED  REMAINS  OF  THE  WALKERS  WAS  FOUND IN  THEIR  BURNED  RESIDENCE  IN  OCT.  OF  2009. THERE HAVE  BEEN  ALLEGATIONS  MICHAEL  WALKER  WAS  A  DRUG  DEALER,  TARGETED FOR  ROBBERY.  TWO OTHERS  ARE  CHARGED WITH  THE  MURDERS.

Letter to the Upson County Commissioners

OPEN LETTER TO UPSON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

When I first learned of the buried garbage on my property, I notified EPD. Their
recommendation for resolving the issue was to encase it in a modern MSW landfill. My
next call was to Chad Jacobs, Upson County's head of planning and zoning. When Mr.
Jacobs met with me at the site, I asked him specifically if Upson County had a Solid
Waste Management Plan (SWMP). He said he didn't know but would look. I phoned
him twice after that requesting that he find out about the SWMP.

Without the benefit of ever seeing or knowing of the SWMP, I applied for a zoning
change on the property with the intention of building a modem, high-tech, lined MSW
landfill, which would have eliminated the current groundwater infiltration. Mr. Jacobs
raised some questions to which I responded, but my answers were never relayed to the
planning commission, and I was not given time to answer them at their meeting.

My application caused considerable controversy for which I was vilified and peI1iOnally
attacked at the 14 February 2011 planning commission meeting. When I complained in
an email to one of your members the following day, Mr. Jacobs received a copy of that
email. Within a few hours, I received a copy of Upson County's SWMP. The date on
the email in which Mr. Jacobs received this document was 13 January 201 I, over A
MONTI.I before the meeting. Mr. Jacobs' refusal or negligence in sending me this much-requested document caused considerable consternation and bad feelings within the
community.

Had I received a copy of Upson County's SWMP in a timely manner, I would have never
applied for a rezoning to build a landfill. It is obvious from the SWMP that Upson will
have decades of landfill usage from two adjoining counties. I know that it would be
nearly impossible to get a landfill permitted in Upson County with that out-of-county
usage available. Mr. Jacobs owes me a public apology (newspaper and radio) and $300.
One problem still remains. The groundwater in and around Kings Mountain and Salter
Mountain is still being affected from the buried garbage on my property. While it is
perfectly legal the way it is, Upson County has a duty to mitigate the damages they
caused by operating and subsequently permitting this dump. I realize how much it would
cost 10 cure the issue, and I have asked EPD if there is funding available for such a
project. I request that the County aid in the formal requests to EPD as well and in some
percentage of matching funds should that be required.

Sincerely,

Ron Anderson

DICKEY WINS HOUSE SEAT 136

MUSELLA  PEACH  FARMER  ROBERT  DICKEY  WON  THE   STATE  HOUSE  SEAT  FOR  THE  136TH  DISTRICT  IN  A  SPECIAL  ELECTION TUESDAY,  THE  SEAT  HELD  BY  THE  LATE  TONY  SELLIER,  WHO  DIED  LAST  YEAR.  ACCORDING  TO  THE  SECRETARY  OF  STATE’S  OFFICE,  DICKEY  RECEIVED  1914  VOTES,  50.4%, JUDYE  SELLIER,WIDOW  OF  THE  LATE  TONY  SELLIER,  POLLED  1643 VOTES,  43.3% AND  THE  ONLY DEMOCRAT IN  THE  RACE,   SHARON HOWARD GOT  237  VOTES,  6.2%. IN  UPSON  COUNTY,  85  VOTES    CAST    IN  SALEM  AND  JUG  DISTRICTS,  54  FOR  DICKEY,  9  FOR  SELLIER  AND  19  FOR  HOWARD.

City Manager Responds to SPLOST statement

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CITIZENS OPPOSE LANDFILL—FIRETOWER ROAD

  AT  MONDAY’S  MONTHLY  MEETING,  THE  UPSON  COUNTY  PLANNING  COMMISSION  VOTED  TO  DENY  A  REZONING  PETITION  TO  BUILD  A  SANITARY  LANDFILL AT  THE  OLD  KERSEY  TIRE DUMP  ON  FIRETOWER  ROAD.   THE  CROWD  WAS  SO  LARGE,  THE  MEETING  WAS MOVED  INTO  THE LEE  AUDITORIUM,  AND  OVER  A  DOZEN  CITIZENS  SPOKE  AGAINST  THE  LANDFILL. THOMASTON  NATIVE  RON  ANDERSON  OF  HENRY  COUNTY  FILED  FOR  THE  REZONING, AND  TOLD  THE  PLANNING  COMMISSION, THE  LANDFILL  WOULD  CLEAN-UP  THE  OLD  KERSEY  TIRE  DUMP. BOARD  MEMBER  JOEL  PITTS  LISTED  THE  OBJECTIONS  FROM  THE  ZONING  STAFF ,  WHO  RECOMMENDED  THE  REZONING  BE  DENIED.  THE  UPSON  COUNTY  COMMISSIONERS  WILL  MAKE  A  FINAL  DECISION  ON  THE  ISSUE  MARCH  8TH. 

GOOD NEWS FOR UPSON’S ECONOMY

AT  TUESDAY’S  MEETING  UPSON  COUNTY  COMMISSION  CHAIRMAN  MAURICE  RAINES  SAID  HE  HAD  A  RECENT  CONVERSATION  WITH  THE  CHIEF  EXECUTIVE OF  VALERO  ENERGY  AND  HE  INDICATED  A  PROJECT  IN  THE  OLD  MAGNA  FAB  BUILDING  ON  36 EAST  IS  MOVING  FOWARD.  VALERO  AND  AMERICAN  PROCESS  INVESTED  SEVERAL  MILLION  DOLLARS  IN  A  TRIAL  WOOD CHIP/BIO-FUEL   EXPERIMENT, OVER  A  YEAR  AGO.

ANNUAL REPORT SOUTHWEST WATER

SOUTHWEST  WATER   COMPANY  GAVE   ITS  ANNUAL  REPORT  ON  THE  CITY  OF  THOMASTON  WATER/WASTE  WATER  DEPARTMENT  AT A  MEETING  WITH  THE  MAYOR  AND  COUNCIL,  THURSDAY.  SOUTHWEST  SAID  CITY HALL  HAS  SPENT  $75,000  ON UPGRADES  AT  THE  WATER  PLANT  SINCE  PROBLEMS  FORCED  THE  WATER  SYSTEM  TO SHUT  DOWN  TWICE,  LAST  YEAR. CITY  MANAGER  PATRICK  COMISKEY  BLAMED  THE SITUATIONS  ON  PERSONNEL  NOT  TAKING  PROPER  ACTION.

UPSON S.O. NABS BURGLARY SUSPECTS

MAJOR  DAN  KILGORE  ,  UPSON  CO.  SHERIFF’S     OFFICE    SAYS  TWO  SUSPECTS  FROM  THE  ATLANTA  METRO  AREA  ARE  IN  THE  DOUGLAS  COUNTY  JAIL, SUSPECTS  IN  THREE  COMMERCIAL  BURGLARIES  IN  UPSON  COUNTY. DEC. 4TH ,19  NORTH  AND  DEL RAY  ROAD,SABRINA’S  BP, JAN.  20TH  SUNNYSIDE  GROCERY ON  74  WEST  AND  COUNTRY  CORNER  ON  WEST  MAIN  STREET IN THOMASTON. UPSON  S.O. HAS  PLACED  A  HOLD  ON  THE  SUBJECTS  WANTED  FOR  20  COMMERCIAL  BURGLARIES INCLUDING  PIKE  AND  SPALDING  COUNTIES.

UPSON LEE HIGH STAR STUDENTS

TWO  UPSON-LEE    HIGH  SCHOOL  SENIORS TIED  FOR  STAR STUDENT  HONORS  THIS  YEAR, AS  BEN  BLEVINS  AND  WILL  ELLERBEE  POSTED  THE  HIGHEST  SAT SCORES AMONG  THE  GRADUATING  CLASS OF  2011. BLEVINS SELECTED ULMS BAND  DIRECTOR KATIE  SOSEBEE AS STAR  TEACHER, WHILE  ELLERBEE  SELECTED ULMS SOCIAL  STUDIES TEACHER  CHIP  CLARK AS  STAR  TEACHER.  THE  THOMASTON  KIWANIS  CLUB  IS LOCAL  SPONSOR OF  THE STAR PROGRAM.