South Metro's News Leader
THE GA. DOT SAYS THE TWO NEW TRAFFIC SIGNALS ON 19 NORTH ARE OPERATING, ONE IN FRONT OF HOME DEPOT , THE OTHER AT 19 AND COUNTY ROAD AT MCDONALDS.
WEDNESDAY MORNING AROUND 8AM, A TWO VEHICLE ACCIDENT BLOCKED ONE LANE OF TRAFFIC FOR A WHILE. THOMASTON POLICE TOLD 101 NEWS NO ONE WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE E.R. BUT ONE OF THE CARS COULD BE A TOTAL LOSS.
UPSON COUNTY SHERIFF DAN KILGORE CALLED A PRESS CONFERENCE FRIDAY TO ANNOUNCE OFFICERS SEIZED $430,000 CASH, SUSPECTED DRUG MONEY, AT 717 U.S. 80. IN CULLODEN.
ALSO SEIZED POWDER , CRACK COCAINE , AND MARIJUANA WITH A STREET VALUE OF $4000, HANDGUNS AND THREE VEHICLES.
ARRESTED; ADRIAN GRAY, 36 AND DEXTER FAGAN, AGE 39 . SHERIFF KILGORE SAID THE INVESTIGATION IS ON-GOING. HE THANKED THE THOMASTON P.D., SPALDING COUNTY S.O., MERIWETHER COUNTY S.O. AND UNITS FROM THE STATE K-9 UNIT FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE IN CONDUCTING THE RAID FRIDAY MORNING.
THE SHERIFF SAID THE CASE IS THE RESULT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND THE COMMUNITY WORKING TOGETHER.
A COLLEGE PROFESSOR LISTED THE TWO COMMUNITIES AS HEADED FOR ZOMBIEDOM AT THE ANNUAL MEAG ELECTRIC CITIES MEETING LAST WEEK.
THE PROF FROM CHAPEL HILL SAID MORE FOLKS ARE DYING AND MOVING AWAY THAN ARE BEING BORN AND MOVING TO UPSON AND LAMAR.
THE DATA ALARMED THOMASTON MAYOR HAYS ARNOLD SO MUCH HE TOLD THE IDA ABOUT IT MONDAY, AND THEY ENGINEERED AN EMERGENCY MEETING WITH THE UPSON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AND THOMASTON CITY COUNCIL FOR AUGUST 5, TO MAKE A PITCH FOR ONE MILL OF TAX ANNUALLY TO BE DEDICATED TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
SPALDING COUNTY WAS LISTED IN THE STAGNANT CATAGORY IN THAT STUDY OF MEAG CITIES IN GA.
THE EVENT WILL BE HELD FRIDAY, JULY 26, 6PM AT THE LINCOLN PARK SPEAKING GROUNDS. REV. ROBERT WALKER II, GUEST SPEAKER.
THE PUBLIC IS ASKED TO BRING A RED, GREEN, OR BLACK BALLOON TO BE RELEASED AT THE END OF THE TRIBUTE.
SPONSORED BY THE THOMASTON UPSON SCLC, THE EMANCIPATION COMMITTEE, THE NAACP AND OTHER LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS.
THE GA. DOT DISTRICT OFFICE IN UPSON COUNTY TOLD 101 NEWS, MONDAY, A TEAM FROM ATLANTA WILL BE IN THOMASTON TUESDAY TO EVALUATE THE PROPOSED NEW TRAFFIC SIGNAL AT HOME DEPOT ON U.S. 19 NORTH.
THE CONTRACTOR ON THE WIDENING, BRIDGE PROJECT IS BEING FINED $500 PER DAY EFFECTIVE JULY I, FOR MISSING THE CONTRACT DATE—C.W. MATTEWS CONSTRUCTION CO. WORK HAS BEEN SLOWED DUE TO WET CONDITIONS.
THE BARNESVILLE GAZETTE NEWSPAPER REPORTS A 2ND THREAT LETTER WAS RECEIVED FRIDAY, BUT THE OFFICES REMAIN OPEN AND POLICE DID NOT SHUT DOWN STREETS NEAR THE BUILDING ON GREENWOOD STREET.
A CHEMICAL THREAT LETTER WAS RECEIVED THURSDAY AND THE OFFICES CLOSED AROUND NOON AND BARNESVILLE POLICE BLOCKED-OFF THE STREETS, BUT LATER ISSUED AN ALL CLEAR.
THE BARNESVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT TOLD 101 NEWS, A CHEMICAL THREAT SHUT-DOWN THE OFFICES OF THE BARNESVILLE HERALD-GAZETTE AROUND LUNCHTIME THURSDAY.
STREETS IN THE AREA WERE BLOCKED-OFF WHILE AN INVESTIGATION WAS CONDUCTED.
UPSON EMA DIRECTOR MARTHA ANN MCCARTY TOLD 101 NEWS , DANNY PRYOR OF CONCORD NOTIFIED AUTHORITIES HIS WIFE, BELINDA PRYOR, 48, SON JOSHUA PRYOR,18 AND DAUGHTER, DANYA PRYOR, 16 SET OUT TO FLOAT THE FLINT RIVER WEDNESDAY, SOMETHING HIS WIFE HAD NOT DONE IN 25 YEARS.
BAD WEATHER AND DARKNESS HINDERED THEIR PROGRESS AND THEY FOUND A SANDBAR IN THE SPREWELL BLUFF AREA OF NATURAL DAM AND STAYED IN TOUCH WITH DANNY BY CELL PHONE. A GSP HELICOPTER WAS DISPATCHED FROM PERRY AND THE PILOT FOUND THEM AND THEY WERE RESCUED BY SEARCHERS ON ATV’S AROUND 4AM, THURSDAY. NO INJURIES.
ACCORDING TO A PRESS RELEASE , TEST SCORES FOR GRADES 3-8 HAVE BEEN RELEASED AND THOMASTON-UPSON STUDENTS IN ALL GRADES SCORED IN THE 90TH PERCENTILE IN READING AND IN ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS. IN ADDITION, STUDENTS MEETING OR EXCEEDING STANDARDS OUTPERFORMED THEIR PREDECESSORS IN 18 OF THE 30 CONTENT AREAS AND TIED LAST YEAR’S SCORES IN 3 OF THE CONTENT AREAS. T-U STUDENTS OUTPERFORMED STATEWIDE AVERAGES IN 23 OF THE 30 CONTENT AREAS.
THE CRCT COVERS READING, ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS, MATH, SCIENCE, AND SOCIAL STUDIES. STUDENTS IN GRADES 3,5,8 MUST MEET OR EXCEED STATE STANDARDS IN READING TO BE PROMOTED. 5TH AND 8TH GRADE STUDENTS MUST ALSO MEET OR EXCEED STATE STANDARDS IN MATH TO BE PROMOTED.
AT MONDAY’S MEETING, THE APPLICATION BY FORMER MANAGER JUSTIN WYNNE AT 2700 NORTH EXPRESSWAY WAS APPROVED. THE COUNTY REVOKED THE LICENSE FOR ONE YEAR MARCH OF 2012 FOR SELLING ALCOHOL TO MINORS AND FIRE CODE VIOLATIONS.
AT A TUESDAY WORK SESSION THAT LASTED ALMOST 2 HOURS, THE BOARD VOTED TO FRONT $50,000 PENDING APPROVAL OF THE GRANT. THE COUNTY’S PORTION WOULD BE 15% BUT EMA DIRECTOR MARTHA ANN MCARTY SAID THAT MIGHT BE DONATED.
AS PART OF THE PLAN TWO SIRENS WOULD BE RELOCATED.
A DECISION ON TUAC FUNDING AND VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT FUNDING DELAYED.
AT 6PM DR. TODD GROCE, PRESIDENT AND CEO GA. HISTORICAL SOCIETY WILL PRESENT THE ROGER K. WARLICK LOCAL HISTORY AWARD TO ARCHIVIST CLAUDE BURGESS FOR HIS AWARD-WINNING PROJECT “FINDING THE GREATEST GENERATION ACROSS THE OCEAN.”
CLAUDE WILL GIVE A BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF HIS PROJECT AND THEN DR. GROCE WILL PRESENT A PROGRAM “SAVING PRIVATE RYAN--WORLD WAR 11 HISTORY AND MEMORY.” FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
AT TUESDAY’S MEETING OF THE UPSON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, CHAIRMAN RUSTY BLACKSTON SAID A TAX MILLAGE HIKE MIGHT BE NECESSARY. PROPERTY VALUES ARE DOWN 15 TO 20% AND THAT MEANS COUNTY REVENUES ARE DOWN, HE SAID.
COMMISSIONER STEVE HUDSON ADDED SOME BAD NEWS ABOUT SPLOST COLLECTIONS. HE SAID SALES TAX COLLECTIONS HAVE BEEN SOFT SINCE THE FIRST OF THE YEAR AND THE 2011 SPLOST OF $16 MILLION OVER 5 YEARS MIGHT ONLY YIELD $14 MILLION. SOME SPLOST PROJECTS MIGHT HAVE TO BE SCALED BACK, HE TOLD THE BOARD.
UPSON COUNTY S.O. SAID KELLY THORTON OF HENDRICKS CHURCH ROAD WAS FLOATING THE RIVER WHEN HER KAYAK FLIPPED OVER AND SHE COULD NOT RETRIEVE IT DUE TO THE HIGH WATER LEVEL. SHE WAS NOT INJURED.
MINISTER JOHN YARBROUGH TOLD 101 NEWS, MONDAY, JENNI ROWE, 29, WAS STILL HOSPITALIZED IN MACON, BUT HER CHEST WOUND IS BETTER , A WOUND THAT CAUSED CONPLICATIONS WITH HER LUNGS.
MS. ROWE IS THE DAUGHTER OF JULIE YARBROUGH OF THOMASTON. HER FAMILY WAS ON THE FRONT PORCH WATCHING FIREWORKS WHEN SHE SUFFERED THE GUNSHOT WOUND, A SHOT THAT APPARENTLY WAS FIRED STRAIGHT-ON, NOT A SHOT FIRED UP IN THE AIR— THE ORIGINAL SPECULATION OF THE BIBB COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE.
ACCORDING TO BIBB COUNTY S.O. JENNY ROWE, 29, THE DAUGHTER OF JULIE YARBROUGH OF THOMASTON WAS SHOT IN THE CHEST WHILE SITTING ON THE PORCH OF HER EAST MACON HOME, THURSDAY NIGHT. HER FAMILY HEARD SOME FIREWORKS AND POPPING AND SHE REALIZED SHE HAD BEEN WOUNDED.
MS. ROWE IS RECOVERING AT A MACON HOSPITAL AND FRIENDS ARE REQUESTING PRAYER FOR HER. HER MOTHER, JULIE YARBROUGH IS THE WIFE OF THOMASTON MINISTER JOHN YARBROUGH.
ACCORDING TO A PRESS RELEASE FROM THE BARNESVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT, TWO PERSONS, A MALE AND FEMALE HAVE BEEN CHARGED AFTER ALEXANDRA NOEL DESIR OF LOCUS GROVE, A STUDENT AT GORDON STATE COLLEGE WAS STRUCK AND KILLED IN BARNESVILLE JUNE 30.
BOBBIE JO SUMNER, 39 OF 222 ROGERS CIRCLE, BARNESVILLE WAS ARRESTED FOR THE HIT AND RUN DEATH AND HER EX-BOYFRIEND, ROBERT KING OF 2175 OLD ATLANTA ROAD WAS ALSO CHARGED IN THE CASE.
THE 2004 SATURN VUE WAS RECOVERED AT KING’S RESIDENCE IN GRIFFIN AND PROCESSED BY THE SPALDING COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT.
THE GA. STATE PATROL IS PREPARING CRIMINAL WARRANTS FOR SUMNER AND KING. MS. DESIR WAS WALKING TO HER JOB AT HUDDLE HOUSE WHEN SHE WAS STRUCK AND KILLED.
ACCORDING TO THE ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE , INTERNATIONAL FOREST PRODUCTS LIMITED OF CANADA , HAS ACQUIRED THOMASTON-BASED KEADLE LUMBER ENTERPRISES FOR APPROXIMATELY $45 MILLION.
KEADLE’S 75 EMPLOYEES JOINED INTEFOR OF BRITISH COLUMBIA WHEN THE COMPANY ASSUMED OWNERSHIP THIS WEEK.
THE KEADLE MILL CURRENTLY OPERATES ON ONE SHIFT, BUT INTEFOR PLANS TO ADD A 2ND SHIFT.
ACCORDING TO FOX NEWS, MARK OSTERMAN ,44, TESTIFIED, TUESDAY, A FEDERAL AIR MARSHALL WHO DESCRIBED ZIMMERMAN AS THE BEST FRIEND HE HAS EVER HAD.
OSTERMAN’S FATHER, MARK OSTERMAN SR. WORKED AS A JAILER FOR THE UPSON COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT FOR SEVERAL YEARS BEGINNING IN 2000. HE WAS A RETIRED DETROIT POLICE OFFICER WHO WROTE SEVERAL POLICE MYSTERY NOVELS. HIS SON HAS WRITTEN A BOOK DEFENDING ZIMMERMAN, CHARGED WITH THE MURDER OF AN UNARMED TEEN , TRAYVON MARTIN IN FEB. 2012.
