StarNews December 2022

StarNews

CARROLL COUNTY, GEORGIA’s ONLY LOCALLY OWNED / LOCALLY OPERATED NEWSPAPER

NEWS REPORTING / NEWS RECAP / NEWS ANALYSIS

Christmas Messages and Short Stories about Christmases Past, Present, and Future see beginning page 7

StarNews monthly traditional print publication / StarNews Online daily local news

DECEMBER 11, 2022 • VOLUME 28 NUMBER 12

Southwire announces new commercial investment For purpose of achieving goal of carbon zero efforts / more sustainable buildings from press release Southwire has announce a new commercial investment with Sinclair Digital Services, Inc. , based in Fort Worth, Texas. It is a designer, equipment reseller and system integrator of advanced connected buildings, with an emphasis on Direct Current (DC) microgrids. Sinclair has designed and implemented several high-profile DC buildings around the nation, including the Sinclair See CARBON ZERO EFFORT page 18

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County government approves using $10M tax surplus to make more surplus through two private bank institutions of their choice that, most likely, will increase banks’ profits American Commerce Bank and Southern States each to receive $5M cash County’s has 60% of budget in cash reserve in the amount of $39.6M story by Sue Horn Evans “need deposits” “so they can loan money At its Tuesday, December 6, 2022, to businesses in Carroll County”. regular meeting, the Carroll County In return, the county government will Board of Commissioners and Chairman collect a profit from the interest of the voted to approve moving $10 million dol- two $5 million Certificates of Deposit lars of tax collections into two banks that See TAX $$ SURPLUS page 6

RUNOFF ELECTION RESULTS Tuesday, December 6, 2022

GA. UNITED STATES SENATOR STATEWIDE RESULTS: Raphael Warnock Incumbent (D) 51.28% Herschel Junior Walker (R) 48.72% TOTAL VOTES: 3,518,244

CARROLL COUNTY RESULTS: Herschel Junior Walker (R) 69.69% Raphael Warnock Incumbent (D) 30.31% TOTAL VOTES: 39,541

Total votes Nov. 8th General Election: Statewide: 3,854,559 Carroll County: 42,420

Senator Warnock to return to Washington

Incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock easily beats out Republican challenger Herschel Walker by 90,134 votes story by Sue Horn Evans Although there were 336,315 less Georgia voters participating in the December 6th U.S Senate Runoff Election race than did for the original three-party November 8th Senate contest, Incumbent Raphael Warnock (D) easily overcame runoff challenger Herschel Walker (R) by 90,134 votes.

Polls closed on Tuesday, Dec. 6th at 7:00 p.m., with tallies steadily being shared the next several hours though various media outlets with See WARNOCK WINS page 31

KidsPeace in Bowdon hires new executive director

Non-politically aligned Guardians of Liberty host year end session with State Senator Mike Dugan (R) and State Representative J Collins (R)

Non-politically aligned Guardians of Liberty hosted their year end with State Senator Mike Dugan (R) and State Representative Jay Collins (R), Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022, Uncorked on Main, Villa Rica. These informal sessions are open to the public with the goal of educating the public on how government works. Left to right: Carrollton City Council Jim Watters, State Senator Mike Dugan, Villa Rica City Council member Leslie McPherson, Carrollton City Council Jacqulene Bridges, State Representative Jay Collins, and Carroll County Commissioner Clint Chance. (Check McPherson’s FB page for next meeting date). Photo by Sue Horn Evans

ThisDON’T issue is ISSUE! also MISS AN READ DIGITAL MONTHLY posted on over PRINT EDITIONS on 100 Facebook www.starnewsgaonline.com community pages, LIKE US at Twitter, facebook.com/ LinkedIn, StarNewsGaOnline & starnewsgaonline.com PINTEREST Sherryreynolds.StarNews Call 770-722-7227 suehorn.starnews FOLLOW US on TWITTER @starnewswga @gmail.com contact us at: waynereynolds.starnews suehorn.starnews@gmail.com waynereynolds.starnews@ @gmail.comgmail.com

from press release KidsPeace has named Dr. Joseph Cox to the position of Executive Director of KidsPeace Georgia, its behavioral health residential treatment program based in Bowdon. Cox replaces longtime director Louis Shagawat, who retired earlier this year. Cox began work December 5th.

Since 2020, Cox was Director of Operations at the Community Foundation of West Georgia See NEW DIRECTOR page 31

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Page 2 December 11, 2022

StarNews www.starnewsgaonline.com

IN S A M T S I R CH N O T L L O C ARR er h t e g o t l a rr y e m

Lights sparkling on the downtown square. Concerts and carols. The aroma of freshly baked treats in the air. A warm cup of cocoa in your hands. The perfect gift found in a unique shop. A wave and heartfelt season’s greetings from a neighbor - or a stranger - passing by on the sidewalk. Raising a glass of good cheer with friends. ‘Tis the season to celebrate Christmas in Carrollton.

Christmas in carrollton chorus concert

Wind Ensemble Christmas Concert

CHRISTMAS WITH THE Carrollton Jazz Orchestra

December 9-10

December 13

December 15

Check out our calendar of events a n d m o r e at c a r r o l lt o n a r t s . c o m

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StarNews December 11, 2022 Page 3

Page 4 December 11, 2022

StarNews

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NEWS RECAP from stories on StarNews Online website at www.starnewsgaonline.com Historic one million-plus citizens vote in Georgia’s Dec. 6th U.S Senate Runoff race between Incumbent Raphael Warnock (D) and Herschel Walker (R) Georgia voters kept adding numbers to their record-breaking turnout for in-person Early Voting in a midterm on Wednesday, November 30th. Wednesday’s single-day total of 280,808 pushed turnout over the million-voter mark. As of Thursday morning, 1,054,605 voters cast their in-person vote in the 2022 Runoff, a pace that far exceeds the number of voters who cast ballots in the runoffs of 2018 and 2016.

“Georgia’s voting system is working well,” said Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

“While some counties are seeing more voter turnout than they anticipated, most have found a way to manage voter wait times, and I appreciate the election officials and workers across Georgia who are doing their level-best to accommodate our record turnout.”

Long lines were reported in some populous counties in metro Atlanta, but several polling locations report little to no wait times. Clayton, Forsyth, Richmond, Gwinnett, Fulton, Dekalb, and Cobb are among the counties that published wait times.

Businesses beware of scamming

by Third Party solicitations for Corporate Annual Registrations Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is once again reminding Georgia business owners to protect their businesses from rip-off solicitations. Out-of-state entities are targeting Georgia business owners with mailers regarding their annual registration that make responses look required and do not include required disclaim-

ers. These companies charge Georgia business owners significantly higher rates to complete their annual registration than required by Georgia law.

“Once again we’re seeing these mailers target Georgians,” said Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. “You can renew your corporate filing with one click and it only costs $50 or less. There is no need to spend $170 on something that isn’t required. Our Corporations Division has helped make Georgia the best state to do business.”

The Secretary of State’s office has received complaints from the public regarding these mailers. Passed in March of 2021, HB 153 required mailings that solicit Georgia businesses to renew their corporate registrations through a third party rather than directly with the Secretary of State’s office include clear language identifying the sender as a nongovernment entity. Such mailings are required to include “16 point Helvetica font at the top of and at least two inches apart from any other text… the words ‘THIS IS A SOLICITATION. THIS IS NOT A BILL OR OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT AND HAS NOT BEEN SENT BY THE GEORGIA SECRETARY OF STATE’S OFFICE.’” Georgia businesses who need to renew their registrations this year must do so between January 1 and April 1, 2023. As a result of legislation passed by Secretary Raffensperger when he was in the legislature and implemented as Secretary of State, Georgia businesses can also renew their registrations for 3 years at a time. The cost to file the annual registration is $50 for corporations, limited partnerships, and LLCs, $30 for nonprofit corporations, and $25 for foreign (out-of-state) limited liability partnerships.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please reach out to the Office of the

Secretary of State, Corporations Division at 844-753-7825 or email corporations@sos.ga.gov FDA recall on Dai One Food brand frozen half shell oysters with harvest date of 2/6/2022 The FDA is advising consumers not to eat, and restaurants and food retailers not to sell, and to dispose of Dai One Food Co. frozen half shell oysters with a harvest date of 2/6/2022 from Designated Area No. II. Consumers, especially those who are or could become pregnant, the elderly, and persons with weakened immune systems, who have recently consumed raw oysters in Alabama (AL), California (CA), Florida (FL), Georgia (GA), Maryland (MD), New York (NY), New Jersey (NJ), Nevada (NV), North Carolina (NC), Pennsylvania (PA), South Carolina (SC), Tennessee (TN), or Virginia (VA) and suspect they have food poisoning

should seek medical care immediately.

The Southern Nevada Health District notified the FDA of two clusters of illnesses from individuals that consumed raw oysters at a restaurant in Las Vegas on 10/28/2022 and 11/5/2022. To date, the Southern Nevada Health District reports one confirmed and nine potential sapovirus illnesses.

Sapoviruses cause a sporadic gastroenteritis, similar to norovirus, in populations ranging from children to the elderly. The infections are more frequent in children under age 5 than in adults. The most common symptoms of sapovirus are diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and stomach pain. Other symptoms include fever, headache, and body ache. Most people infected with sapovirus begin to develop symptoms 12 to 48 hours after infection. Symptoms usually last one to four days.

Consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free (888-674-6854)

Merry Christmas from

Our Lady of Perpetual Help-Carrollton, Our Lady of Ga. •Christmas Eve Masses: 5PM English 7PM Spanish •Midnight Mass: 12AM on the 25th, with a choral concert at 11:30PM •Christmas Morning Mass 10AM English

Perpetual Help Catholic Church Fr. Gaurav Shroff, Pastor Fr. James Akpan, Vicar

Phone: 770-832-8977 210 Old Center Point Rd. • Carrollton Ga 30117

Merry Christmas Carrollton City

Council Jim Member Watters JIM WATTERS Carrollton City Council Ward 3 jwatters@carrollton-ga.gov 770-851-3668

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Luke 2:14

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NEWS RECAP from stories on StarNews Online website at www.starnewsgaonline.com Georgia Department of Public Health urges public to get flu shot now The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is urging Georgians to get protection against the flu right now. Flu activity is already widespread in Georgia, earlier than seen in recent years. The flu shot lessens the symptoms if you should become ill with the flu.

It takes about two weeks after receiving the shot for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against the flu, so it’s important to take preventive measures now.

New for this season, there are three flu shots recommended for individuals 65 years and older. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist about which vaccine is best for you.

However, if you can’t get one of the quadrivalents, don’t delay - any flu protection is preferably to no flu protection.

Flu shots are available at public health departments, doctors’ offices, grocery stores, neighborhood clinics and pharmacies. A flu shot can be administered at the same time as COVID shot, so it’s a good time to get your updated booster, too.

Symptoms of flu include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headache, chills and fatigue. One of the most pronounced flu symptoms is an overall feeling of achiness and malaise that comes on quickly.

In addition to the early arrival of flu, respiratory syncytial virus or RSV is also affecting a high number of Georgians, especially young children and older adults. RSV is a common respiratory virus that causes cold-like symptoms but can lead to lung inflammation and to pneumonia. It is especially serious in infants because of the small airways in their lungs.

Call your healthcare professional if you or your child is having difficulty breathing, not drinking enough fluids, or experiencing worsening symptoms. There is no vaccine for RSV. There are, however, tried and true measures to help prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses like flu and RSV: - Frequent and thorough handwashing with soap and warm water. Alcohol based gels are the next best thing if you don’t have access to soap and water.

- Cough or sneeze into the crook of your elbow or arm to help prevent spread of the flu.

- Avoid touching your face as flu germs can get into the body through mucus membranes of the nose, mouth and eyes.

- It is important to stay home from school or work if you are sick to keep from spreading infections to others. Some people are at higher risk of developing serious complications if they get sick. This includes people 65 years and older, people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease, pregnant women, and children younger than 5 years, but especially those younger than 2 years old. You should be free of a fever, without the use of a fever reducer, for at least 24 hours before returning to school or work.

For information about flu and how to prevent it, log on to dph.ga.gov/flu. More about RSV at https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/index.html.

Georgia weekly influenza reports can be found at https://dph.georgia.gov/flu-activitygeorgia.The reports are updated on Friday.

Georgia Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled launches new ways to access library services The Georgia Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (GLS) has a new website launched this week that makes it easier to sign up or access audio or braille books and other

low vision resources. The redesigned website has improved accessibility features and has been tested for ease of reading with screen reading devices: https://gls.georgialibraries.org Georgia Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled also is launching a new TV and radio PSA that will air statewide to raise awareness of the free services they provide. The state’s public libraries are encouraged to share the PSA with their local media as well.

Through Georgia Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Georgia Public Library Service provides library services for individuals who are blind or whose physical abilities require the use of books and magazines in audio format or in braille. Georgia Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled lends talking books and the easy-touse talking book players needed to use them free of charge and also offers talking books and

StarNews December 11, 2022

Page 5

magazines online and through the Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) Mobile app. Reader advisors are available to help patrons with any questions or to select books via phone.

Georgia Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled isn’t just for those who are blind. Individuals also are eligible if they are low vision, temporarily, or permanently physically unable to hold a book and turn the page, or have reading disabilities such as dyslexia.

Sign up: Application can be filled out by hand or computer and has basic questions such as name, address, qualifying condition, and the types of reading materials that interest the patron. The application includes a place for the certifying authority to sign. After staff receive the application via postal service or email, they will be in touch to provide the service delivery in the way that the patron prefers.

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them . . offering us a very good interest rate, TAX $$ SURPLUS from front page Account Registry Service (CDARS) at rates of three and a quarter to three and a half percent, 3.75% -3.50%. In effect, due to the county which is more than most other banks are government having $10M that is not needed to offering.”

And she said, operate the government or Searcy told the board and “They’re doing that pay for projects over the chairman that American because they need next year or less, it will use that surplus to accumulate Commerce Bank and Southern deposits. And they need deposits so they can more surplus while assistStates “called upon us to do ing two private bank insti- business with them . . offering us loan money to businesses i n Carroll tutions of their choice that will, most likely, increase a very good interest rate, three County. And they have and a quarter to three and a half made a commitment to those banks’ profits.

Approval came in the percent, which is more than most loan that money back if we will put money on form of a one-vote action other banks are offering.” deposit with them. So, of the multi-item Consent Agenda that included the banking items (#8.7 our goal would be to put about $5 million doland #8.8) during the Dec. 6th regular meeting. lars in each bank.”

Southern States Bancshares is headquartered All six commissioners and chairman were in Anniston, Alabama, with 13 locations in present. Vote passed unanimously 7-0.

Carroll County Finance Director Alecia Alabama and Georgia, and one location in Searcy presented to the board and chairman at Carrollton, Carroll County. American the Thursday, December 1, 2022 work session, Commerce Bank is headquartered in Bremen, “We’re asking for permission [from the board with three other locations: one in Tallahassee, and chairman] to do business with American Florida, one in Johns Creek, Georgia, and one Commerce Bank and Southern States, both in Carrollton..

Searcy continued with her presentation to the local community banks who called upon us to board and chairman, “And we going to protect do business with them.”

According to the October 31, 2022 Financial [the cash] through a program called CDARs.” “So, we’ll actually spread that money around Statement for Carroll County, the government currently has a 60% cash reserve in the amount over 20 different banks so we have the of $39.6M ($39,601,192). The 2022-2023 $250,000 FDIC insurance covered,” she said.

CDARS is an acronym for the Certificate of budget is $67,037,386. A cash reserve, “fund balance”, is considered a “rainy day” fund for Deposit Account Registry Service. In short, unexpected emergencies. That fund balance CDARS allows a business to invest in has grown significantly - by $7.5M - since last Certificates of Deposit [CDs] held by many October when the cash reserve was $32.1M. different FDIC insured banking institutions, so This past July, the cash reserve total was at it can achieve full FDIC coverage for the total sum. $41.3M ($41,318,237).

The $10M will be invested in “several difSearcy told the board and chairman that American Commerce Bank and Southern ferent ways. . . portion will be in a money marStates “called upon us to do business with ket account and the other in Certificate of

Deposits of twelve months or less.” ness” “locally” would ensure that these bank According to some commission board mem- institutions would use the $10M for loans for bers that StarNews contacted, it’s generally Carroll County small businesses/people only, understood that the $10M is from more than or also for small businesses/people located near one category of funds the other combined 17 And she said, “They’re doing that bank locations in - a combination of because they need deposits. And sorts of General Fund Florida, Alabama, or taxes and SPLOST they need deposits so they can loan elsewhere in Georgia. collections. [At pressSearcy said, “So, money to businesses in Carroll time, questions con- County. And they have made a com- we felt like this was a cerning the $10M win-win situation for posed from StarNews mitment to loan that money back if we Carroll County to get to the county govern- will put money on deposit with them. a better rate, better ment went So, our goal would be to put about return in the investunanswered.] ment, and for the con$5 million dollars in each bank.”

Searcy continued, stituents in Carroll “Since they [the banking institutions] brought County to have more funds available to borthe money in, they will get to report that money row, you know, for their personal loans or on their balance sheet which gives them the small business loans.” ability to loan that money back to small busiConcerning the county’s cash reserve, nesses in our community.”

District 5 Commissioner Ernie Reynolds told It was not known at presstime if “doing busiSee BANKS NEED DEPOSITS page 15

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www.starnewsgaonline.com StarNews December 11, 2022 Page 7 Christmas Messages 2022 The Season of Advent: the “Coming”, the watchfulness, the expectation

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Father Gaurav Shroff PASTOR Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church 210 Old Center Point Road Carrollton, Georgia 30117 770-832-8977 pastor@olph.org

It is the very beginning of the season of Advent as I write this. Advent – “Coming” in Latin – that season of vigilant watchfulness, and of expectation, that the Church enjoins upon Catholics, precisely to prepare for Christmas; to celebrate both His coming in the flesh in Bethlehem, but also to look ahead to His coming again in glory.

“But know this, that if the householder had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have let his house be broken into (Matthew 24:43, Revised Standard Version). It is a startling image, especially when all around the forces of the market push, frenetically, the consumption of material gifts. Before rejoicing in the coming of the great Gift, the joy of the God-made-flesh, who leaps from His throne in the middle of the night to save fallen humanity (Wisdom 18:14-15), we are asked to be wary of Him, as if He were a thief!

Thieves rip from us that which we value.

They shatter our sense of security, of control.

They certainly do not advertise their coming!

When asked if she was afraid of the thief comparison to the Feast that is prepared for (Hence our various security and surveillance who seemed to be at the door, she replied, us by God, whose foretaste we receive in the systems.) Ask anyone who has been burgled “He’s not at the door! He’s already in! How Divine Liturgy of the Mass. or robbed – what a can I be afraid of one I Advent has a penitential character. We sense of violation there . . . moral conversion is itself a love so much?” She was prepare for the first Advent of the Son of is! Yet the Scriptures alert, she was awake, she God by sorrow for sin, by conversion, fleeing fruit of encounter with Jesus warn us that the Lord was prepared for His works of darkness, and by turning, in love, to Christ, who through His grace, coming. comes like a thief, and the poor, the forgotten, by pursuing transforms hearts of stone, fills that we shouldn’t be In the world around reconciliation and justice. And thus preparing caught off guard by His them with love, for God, and for us, the Christmas season for our own encounter with Him face to face unexpected arrival! neighbor, even for enemies! A has already begun, at at the end of our earthly journey, and for His How are we to heart that loves Christ, doesn’t Thanksgiving (or even coming in glory when He will put all things prepare for the coming earlier!), and the decora- right. fear His coming. of the thief? “Not in tions might last till New Thus prepared, we can truly enter into the reveling and drunkenYear’s Day, when the joy of the God who did not abandon man to ness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, stores will pivot towards hawking Valentine’s death, but rather, entered our horizon, our not in quarreling and jealousy, but put on the Day to us. The rhythm of the Catholic way mess, our frailty, to save us and makes us Lord Jesus Christ!” (Romans 13:13). St. Paul follows a different logic. We prepare for the sharers of His own divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). uses the imagery of clothing, of casting off the Feast first by fasting. This world is not our The Christmas season begins on Christmas works of darkness and putting on the armor lasting home and its baubles pale in See FR. GAURAV SHROFF page 15 of light (Romans 13:12), putting on Christ Himself.

This certainly suggests moral conversion.

However, moral conversion is itself a fruit of encounter with Jesus Christ, who through His grace, transforms hearts of stone, fills them with love, for God, and for neighbor, even for enemies! A heart that loves Christ, doesn’t fear His coming. A heart that loves the world and its allurements inordinately, will look on Christ as a thief, robbing us of security, robbing of us what we consider valuable, and one day, of robbing us of life itself, as we confront our inevitable mortality.

At the end of her short life, the little French nun, Therese of Lisieux, wracked with pain from tuberculosis, which was consuming her lungs from within, started 234 Maple Street • Carrollton relating to Christ as the Thief; as the Thief, HOURS: Mon.-Fri.-8:00-5:00 • Closed Sat however, who had come to steal her heart.

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What Christmas is all about

Justin Richards SENIOR PASTOR Bowdon Baptist Church 205 Mill Street, Bowdon, Georgia 30108 www.bowdonbaptist.org www.facebook.com/bowdonbaptist

Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about? Man, do I feel that!

Charlie Brown and I have a lot in common.

Before I was a follower of Jesus Christ, if you asked me what Christmas was all about, I could give you the pat answers. Christmas was about presents. It was also about getting together with family; especially getting together with my mom’s side of the family and eating my grandpa’s prime rib. We had tons of traditions that I loved.

Then, I met Jesus. The traditions are still a part of Christmas, but I am SO thankful that I know what Christmas is all about.

In the “Charlie Brown Christmas Special” (which also was and still is part of my Christmas tradition) the characters try to find out what Christmas is all about. The Special looks a lot like the world in which I live.

There are a lot of people going through life asking, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”

In the Special, the whole Peanuts crew has talked about cards and presents and trees.

They have especially talked about one tree.

Clint Chance

Clint Chance Carroll County District 2 Commissioner c chanc e@carrollc ountyga.c om

404-313-4990 “Paid for by Chance to Serve Organization”

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The crew seems to think the tree is the key to shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling about the traditions (although they are the perfect Christmas play. Charlie Brown, as clothes, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly wonderful), it isn’t about the presents the director, is tasked with finding the perfect there was with the angel a multitude of the (although they are wonderful), Christmas is tree. He goes shopping heavenly host, praising about the birth of Jesus. That is what I love Linus, too. He tells and finds the saddest God, and saying, ‘Glory Christmas is all about.

Charlie Brown and anyone else tree in the lot. He to God in the highest, Merry Christmas from the Bowdon Baptist thinks with a little love and on earth peace, Church Family! what Christmas is all about. and some decorations it good will toward men.’”

I hope you can join us at Bowdon Baptist During his monologue, Linus would be the perfect That’s what Christmas Church each Sunday as we investigate the drops his blanket. When he says tree. I love Charlie is all about, Charlie powerful truths that the Lord provides for us “fear not” he drops his security Brown because he Brown.” in His word. This year we will look at what always sees the best in blanket - that he never drops.

I love Linus, too. He the Bible reveals as to what Christmas is all people and things. tells Charlie Brown and about: Jesus.

Charlie Brown proudly comes into the anyone else what Christmas is all about.

If you can’t join us in person, check us out rehearsal and the room erupts with During his monologue, Linus drops his online at bowdonbaptist.org, Facebook, or dissatisfaction. Charlie Brown has the right blanket. When he says “fear not” he drops his YouTube. You can also download our app idea. He sees the best. Christmas in his mind security blanket - that he never drops. He through any of the app stores, and join us as is a special time when things that are rejected boldly tells the Christmas story from the we celebrate the birth of the Savior of the and neglected can be restored and celebrated. Bible. Linus reminds us that Christmas isn’t World, Jesus!

Unfortunately, the crew doesn’t see it the same way. They want everything to be perfect in the way that they see things and the way they want things to be.

Everyone laughs at Charlie Brown and his pitiful little tree. Coming to the end of his rope he yells, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”Linus speaks up: “Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about. Lights, please.

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto Christmas Items Limited time only them, ‘Fear not: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye www.AllensFlowersGifts.com

District 2 Commissioner Clint Chance May your heart and home be filled with all the joys the season brings.

Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

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www.starnewsgaonline.com StarNews December 11, 2022 Page 9 Christmas Messages 2022 It’s still true: Immnauel-God, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace is with us

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Ben Bonner LEAD PASTOR Catalyst Church 1103 GA-113, Carrollton, Georgia 30117 678-664-1237 iamcatalyst.net Sunday service: 11:00 a.m.

It’s still true. Immnauel-God is with us. It wasn’t just true then, it’s true now. It’s true every season and every day, not just Christmas. God is with you.

“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah) This was a prophecy about Jesus written around 700 years before Jesus’ birth. It’s not just a prophecy of who Jesus was and would be, but who He’ll always be. And, it’s still true.

The government still rests on His shoulders. The church tends to forget that, so we live and act like it’s on our shoulders. In a time of political and global unrest, we need to remember the promise of Christmas. We do a lot of damage, live with a lot of anxiety, unnecessary fatigue and frustration by trying to control and carry things that aren’t ours to carry.

Jesus is still a “Wonderful Counselor.” He knows you better than you know yourself.

He made you. You don’t have to keep had a bitter dad, Jesus said of himself that He current situation and past scars. It’s still true. abusing substances, staying in and repeating is “gentle and humble at heart.” It’s still true.

In the Old Testament, they called Him, bad or abusive relationships, projecting, He is still the “Prince of Peace.” Jesus said, “Adonai Elroy” which means the God who pretending, pushing I leave you, My sees. He sees you when no one else sees or Jesus is called “The Word” and “Peace people away or doing peace I give you.” When appreciates you. He has not forgotten, nor “The Truth.” You don’t have to whatever it takes to there’s no peace around will He forget. He is still “The God who avoid dealing with your keep looking for clarity and you, you can have His sees”. They also called Him “El Shaddai” unresolved issues. A peace within you. When which means “More than enough.” He is counsel in all the wrong places. good therapist can do You can confide in Jesus, hear His you’re hurt, heart- more than enough when you don’t have surgery with words. It broken, stressed out or enough. He’s more than enough for your hurts, it’s heavy, it’s not voice and be guided by His Spirit. have to start over, Jesus disabilities and depression. He can handle easy, but that’s how Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you can be your peace. your character defects, dysfunction, and the healing happens. who are weary and carry heavy Paul wrote this from messes you’ve made because of bad decisions.

Know the Truth and burdens, and I will give you rest.” a jail cell, “Then you Jesus said, “I have come that they may have the Truth sets you free. will experience God’s life, and that they may have it more That’s still true.

The Bible teaches that peace, which exceeds abundantly.” Abundantly: more than “The Word of God is sharper than any two- anything we can understand. His peace will enough. That’s what He wants for you. edged sword” and “exposes our innermost guard your hearts and minds as you live in That’s who He is. It’s still true. thoughts and desires.” Jesus is called “The Christ Jesus.” Jesus can bring peace to your Jesus didn’t just say it, He did it! He Word” and “The Truth.” You don’t have to home, your heart, your marriage, to your See BEN BONNER page 15 keep looking for clarity and counsel in all the wrong places. You can confide in Jesus, hear His voice and be guided by His Spirit. Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” That’s still true.

He is still a “Mighty God.” The Apostle Paul wrote, “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” The answer is no one. Jesus is bigger than whatever life throws at you. He’s bigger than your mistakes. He’s bigger than what’s breaking you and your heart. He’s Voted Best Salon! bigger than what’s behind you or before you.

He’s a Mighty God. It’s still true.

He’s still an “Everlasting Father.” Your father may have left you, but God promises that “He will never leave you nor forsake you.” You may have had a dysfunctional dad who wasn’t stable and consistent but, “Jesus is Tues & Wed: 9am-6pm•Thurs: 9am-8pm Fri. 9am-5pm•Sat: 9am-3pm the same yesterday, today and forever.” If you

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Christmas Messages 2022 The Maji, seeing His star, start a pilgrimage to find this new baby www.starnewsgaonline.com

Derick T. Newton PASTOR Last Shall Be First Ministries of Villa Rica 113 Commons Way Suite 305 Villa Rica, Georgia 30180 Services: Fridays 7:30 p.m. / streaming live on Facebook

21 And when eight days were completed [g]for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

22 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, ‘A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.’

25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law,

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“28 he took Him up in his arms and It is that time of year where there is a change in family tradition. One change that blessed God and said: 29 “Lord, now You are different mood in the air. The music is geared can really impact a family is a new baby. letting Your servant depart in peace, towards Christmas carols.

Here in this passage is one of many in the According to Your If you have kids, gospels that people see that NEW BABY. The Magi, seeing His star, start a word;30 For my eyes you are collecting Remember, the angels tell shepherds with a have seen Your pilgrimage to find this new baby. . . Three wish lists and heavenly host about the new baby. The Magi, salvation 31 Which things this baby brings: 1) Hope 2) Love 3) working the plan seeing His star, start a pilgrimage to find this You have prepared A Spirit of Generosity. . . This baby, like to hide the presents new baby. (They arrive when HE is a before the face of all that you are wrap- toddler). And here in the temple, two people peoples, 32 A light to many babies, brings hope for the present ping. My poor wife named Simeon and Anna get to witness this and future. This baby being Emmanuel, is figuring what new baby. bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the GOD with us, ushers in the hope that Isabella (our daughThree things this baby brings: 1) Hope 2) glory of Your people there something greater and brighter in the ter’s Elf) is going to Love 3) A Spirit of Generosity.

Israel. do next. There are This baby, like many babies, brings hope world than the misery we witness.

33 [h]And Joseph school events, com- for the present and future. This baby being and His mother marveled at those things munity events, office parties and family gath- Emmanuel, GOD with us, ushers in the hope which were spoken of Him. 34 Then Simeon erings. Churches are having cantatas and that there something greater and brighter in blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, choirs are practicing their songs. the world than the misery we witness.

Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and Some families are saddened by the loss of a Oftentimes, we see gloom and doom. We see rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which loved one; that empty place setting, the See DERICK T. NEWTON page 15 will be spoken against 35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Christmas Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her WHICH IS virginity; 37 and this woman was a widow Peace [i]of about eighty-four years, who did not THE depart from the temple, but served God with Blessing of Christmas fastings and prayers night and day. 38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to WHICH IS [j]the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those Hope who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

FROM THE 39 So when they had performed all things Heart of Christmas according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, WHICH IS Nazareth. 40 And the Child grew and became strong [k]in spirit, filled with wisdom; and www.rwbtax.com the grace of God was upon Him.”

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The Christmas Mission I love to learn about people who have been used by God to make a difference in this world. One such person was a missionary to China named Lottie Diggs Moon, better known as Lottie Moon.

She was called by God to minister to the people of China. Upon arriving in China, she learned the language, culture, and dress of that area. To help her connect to the children and mothers of the community she lived in, she made cookies. The sweet treats were given to the children and relationships with them and the mothers began to form. The mothers invited Lottie Moon into their homes where she had the opportunity to share the love of Jesus with them.

Her love for the people of China was shown by her 39 years of service to them and by how she died. Due to malnutrition and illness during the national famine in China, Lottie Moon died on December 24, 1912 aboard a ship on her way back to the United States. She died of starvation because she had given her beloved Chinese friends the food that she had.

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The birth of Jesus Christ is one of the praising God and saying: “Glory to God in if you are not saved. greatest missions and miracles to ever occur. the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill Oh, friend, we have great news to share God Himself took on human flesh and dwelt toward men!” Luke 2:14. and reason you can celebrate this Christmas. among us in the person Luke 2:11 states, “For God demonstrated His love for mankind by of Jesus Christ. Jesus The Word of God tells us that unto you is born this sending His unique, one of a kind Son to this Christ was born in a day in the city of David earth to die a sacrificial death on the Cross to if we will confess with our place where the animals a Savior, which is Christ pay for mankind’s sin. He was buried and mouth that Jesus is Lord and of those staying in a the Lord.” There is rose again on thethird day and is alive. believe in our heart that God has public shelter were reason to celebrate this The Word of God tells us that if we will kept. No one in that raised Jesus from the dead we can Christmas and it is confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and sleepy village of because a Savior was believe in our heart that God has raised Jesus be saved. Will you turn from Bethlehem realized the born for you! from the dead we can be saved. your sins and place your significance of what had We need a Savior.

Will you turn from your sins and place complete trust in the resurrected happened, except, to a Why? Because the Bible your complete trust in the resurrected Savior, Savior, Jesus Christ today? certain degree, the says that there is no one Jesus Christ today? The night I was saved I Child’s parents. righteous enough to go simply called out to God and asked Him to The Bible states in Luke 2:6-7, “So it was, to heaven without a Savior. We have all forgive me of my sins. I placed my faith in that while they were there, the days were sinned against God, broken His law, and are Jesus Christ as my Savior and only hope to completed for her to be delivered. And she guilty before Him. The wages of our sin is heaven. brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped death, which is separation from God forever See JOHN LEMMINGS page 15 Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them “24 YearsandSteelBuilding” in the inn.”

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StarNews www.starnewsgaonline.com Short Stories about Christmases Past, Present, and Future

Page 12 December 11, 2022

Joann and Joseph “Joe” Jeffries

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story by Wayne J. Reynolds Joann and Joseph “Joe” Jeffries live in Carrollton. Joann, age 81, is a lifelong resident of Carroll County. Joann says, “Everyone called him Joe. Only his late mother and I call him Joseph - kind of neat us being the only two.” Born a Redding, her father sold the property to Hollywood actress Susan Hayward and her husband just off Highway 113 and Centerpoint Road.

Hayward donated some of the property to The Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church. This allowed the church to donate the chapel on White Street in Carrollton to the University of West Georgia where it still resides. (For more information on the chapel see the article on page 14 on Dr. Tressa Kelly.)

Joe, age 88, was born in Baltimore and resided in Tucker, when the couple first met. Joe explains, “I had a subcontractor in Carrollton who said I should call this certain little lady. I said I wasn’t interested. Three weeks later that same guy told me I was to call her that night after her church softball game at 9 p.m. I did, and we talked for about two and a half hours hours. Joann asked me my age and when I told her, she said she had never dated anyone that much older than her! I then asked her to go out to lunch with me after church. So, I drove from Tucker to Carrollton. When I asked her where did she want to eat, she said Red Lobster. I said, great, where is the Red Lobster? Joann said, ‘Douglasville’ I exclaimed that I just drove all that way from Tucker and past Douglasville! Joann said, ‘You asked where I wanted to eat and I said Red Lobster.’ So, we went to Red Lobster. I think that was around the 4th of July, 1994.”

“Getting near Christmas, Joe and I decided to take a cruise,” Joann continues, “my first cruise ever on December 16. My mother said she thought we should get married first before taking a cruise together! “ Joe says, “I loved her Mom, and went and talked to her about getting married, which we did, but we did make the cruise in time. Joann was seasick almost the whole time. She was sick as a dog. I had been in the Navy, so I was okay. I thought, no more cruises. But, Joann, about a month later, asked when were we going to take another cruise?” Joann adds, “We have gone on eight or nine more since that first cruise, and, yes, after that first cruise we made it back home on Christmas Eve.”

Holly Ostander

story by Wayne J. Reynolds Holly Ostander, age 91, moved to Carrollton six years ago from Cummings to be closer to her family and medical care. Holly is a retired school teacher in Cobb County. She grew up in a military family. Her father, Hiram W. Sperry was an army engineer, retiring as a two star general. During his World War II service, he had the opportunity to serve under General Dwight D. Eisenhower. After his retirement, the armory in Panama City, Florida, was named after him. He was also a courier during the Nuremberg Trials. Holly shared this childhood Christmas story as a teenager during WW II. “During WW II, the Japanese invaded the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. President Roosevelt realized we had no air base in Alaska. My father, an engineer and a member of the 106th Engineer Corp, was sent in to help build a base under difficult frozen conditions. I think Dad was a major at the time. We were concerned that Dad would not get home for Christmas.”

My mother, sister, and I were in Panama City. In his letters home from Alaska, Dad wrote about and fell in love with a black dog that belonged to his driver. He loved animals! Mother did not! She didn’t want pets in the house. But Mother saw the love Dad had for this dog and decided to get him a dog as a Christmas surprise gift, which shocked my sister and I as we knew our mother’s feelings toward pets. We never had pets. Mom got him a purebred cocker spaniel. We were carried away with Dad. The next door neighbor kept the dog until Christmas morning. Mother wanted it to be a complete surprise. Dad arrived home three days before Christmas, bringing home pieces of ivory for all of us from Alaska. Mother made a big deal about every Christmas and particularly this Christmas. After exchanging gifts, Mother nodded to me to go get the puppy which I did and came back with Mother announcing, ‘Hiram! There is one more gift.’ He had the most astonished look on his face, holding that puppy. Dad was very military! I had the most wonderful relationship with him, but he was very military. Some years during the war, he wouldn’t come home except for maybe three weeks out of the year. Dad would have taken that dog back to Alaska with him if he could have. His letters back after that were about the dog, seemingly forgetting about us!”

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December 11, 2022 Page 13

Tommy Allen

story by Wayne J. Reynolds Tommy Allen, age 73, was born and raised in Tallapoosa. He opened Allen’s Florist and Gifts in Tallapoosa, October 1977 and is now a Haralson County institution. He joined the Army in June 1970 and was sent to Vietnam December 3, 1970, and left Vietnam exactly one year later on December 3, 1971. “I spent my first Christmas in Vietnam just after arriving in 1970. It was my first time away from home. It was culture shock after being from a conservative, faith-based background, and I learned a whole new language.”

“I sat on top of a bunker, in the moonlight, writing letters home. I spent Christmas Day on the Fire Base which supported the grunts in the jungle. I was a grunt serving in the 1st Cavalry Infantry. On the 26th, I was back out in the jungle. I had that one day out of the jungle.”

“The USO would send packages for the troops. I remember receiving a package from a girls’ group from the Baptist church in Opelika, Alabama. I wrote them back that I appreciated their package. After that, every two or three months while I was there, I would receive packages from them. After the war, probably three years later, I stopped by that church and talked to the church secretary and told her how much those packages were appreciated.”

After returning home from Vietnam, Tommy has kept in touch with those he served with in Vietnam, meeting with them every two years.

Zach Kahler

story by Sue Horn Evans Nine year old Zachariah Adam Horn Kahler can barely hold inside the tremendous anticipation and overwhelming joy he feels as his tenth Christmas season approaches. Well, scratch that. He doesn’t hold it in at all. Waiting while feeling all those feelings is really difficult. The Great Countdown began in August, “Hey, Google! Hey, Google. How many days until Christmas? OH! Hey. Mama. It’s 136 days until Christmas!”

Zach is diligently, patiently homeschooled by mom Hannah, with dad Jacob following up with assignment reviews. Zach has been reading (flash cards and large newspaper headlines) since age two and a half, and has been cooking since he was five. He loves to tell long-winded, winding stories “It’s just my imagination, I can tell it how I want”; tending to his kitten Keller “Who’s the softest kitty? Huh? Who-o-o-o’s the softest?”; drawing and painting, and playing hard, like really hard outside - the swingset shakes as he pushes to reach the sky; and cooking on his own “Hey, Google, how do you make homemade whipped cream?”.

He knows the capitals of all fifty United States, recites a variety of recipes from memory, has an extreme fascination with machinery, and is the family’s go-to-guy for remembering a name, date, or what someone said in a conversation last month. When corralled and interviewed for this Christmas story, Zach responded to questions with concise answers accompanied with the assured confidence of tone of an only child.

What would be your best Christmas ever? Sucking in a quick, excited breath, Zach exclaimed, “Opening presents! And buying some Christmas balloons! And some Christmas signs! And looking at washing machines!”

Uh. Okay. Where would you look at washing machines? “At Best Buy. Low-ees. And Home Depot.”

What was your happiest moment on Christmas that you remember?

“When Larry my Paw-Paw came over on Christmas.”

And what happened? Zach happily feels his strong place of importance in his extended family, and responded with a big, sly smile, “On Christmas, if I didn’t hug my Paw-Paw, if I didn’t hug him, on Christmas, he’d feel sad, you know.”

What is your favorite Christmas food for dinner? “Ham.” What else? “Ham. And chicken.”

What kind of chicken? “Um, um. Chicken croquets.”

What will you cook for Christmas? “Ham.” What else? “Stuffing. Onion stuffing, And mashed potatoes. And orange sweet carrots. And latkes.”

Are you a chef? “Yes.” What makes you a chef?” Question ignored.

“Um, Um, Um. To make latkes, you have to shred the potatoes, add eggs, and flour and then you mix it up and then you fry them and then YOU SERVE.” And what’s that called? “It’s, it’s, um, it looks like, um. It’s a potato pancake.” Are they delicious? “Yes. They are.”

Tell me what your favorite Christmas of all was, when you were little, when you were a baby? Stand still. And we will go look at washing machines.

“Opening my Christmas teddy! And Christmas toy lights! Green, red, orange, yellow. And green and purple and violet - and pink! And a star!

Hey, hey, how many days until Christmas?!”

What were you thinking when you went to bed on Christmas Eve last year?

“About Paw-Paw coming over for Christmas Day.” Is it easy to be good or hard to be good? “Easy to be good.”

How is it easy? “I listen to my mom and dad. They are counting on me.”

MerryChristmasandHappyNewYear

J. COLLINS State R-Villa Rica Representative J Collins Committees

I will continue to be fiscally conservative and pro-business.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Appropriations - Member Governmental Affairs - Member Juvenile Justice - Secretary Public Safety and Homeland Security - Chairman Regulated Industries - Member Special Committee on Access to the Civil Justice System - Member

Capitol Address 408-A Coverdell Legislative Office Bldg.

Atlanta, GA 30334 404.657.1803 Office District Address 206 South Carroll Rd. Villa Rica, GA 30180 j.collins@house.ga.go

770-295-8143

Page 14 December 11, 2022

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UWG’s First Lady is seeking the public’s help in finding information and photos related to JFK Chapel

Small white chapel, constructed in 1893 and dedicated in 1964, is located on university’s front drive story by Wayne J. Reynolds UWG students, faculty, staff, the community, Dr. Tressa Kelly, first lady of the University of West Georgia, and alumni, to know exactly what it means to recently spoke to a capacity crowd of the Carrollton Kiwanis be a “Wolf”.

Club. Dr. Kelly is the wife of UWG president Dr. Brendan This book is entirely a product of the Kelly. university, completed internally to maximize “I wanted to talk to you today about three things. First, I proceeds to capture the university through the thought it might be interesting to learn what eyes of a child. “This The chapel building, which project was so much fun a first lady is at the university, and then I want to share with you two projects that are dates to 1893, was moved to the least stressful project I near and dear to my heart,” Dr. Kelly began. have ever worked on. All the then West Georgia “This is my third time being the first lady at proceeds go back to the College campus 1964, a university, but the first time not teaching. I students. We wanted the donated by Our Lady of taught for 24 years at the college level, but story to be loved by kids Perpetual Help Catholic here there is a nepotism policy, so I am not and alumni with nuggets Church. . . Dr. Kelly permitted to teach. that alumni would say, ‘I “I’m more than happy just being the First researched the history of just know that!’ It tells the story Lady. When people ask me about it, it of what it means to be a how the campus and sounds like it’s from another era. It first Wolfie - with the point came up in the 1600s, in particular, wives community could or did use being you will always be a the chapel? . . . “As you all member of the pack at played a support role to their pastor husbands. It is said about the role, that a know, it is very rare to have a UWG because wolves First Lady should be ‘Camouflaged in Plain chapel on a public campus.” always run together.”

Sight’. Some are uncomfortable in the role, Dr. Kelly and “Wolfie” but I enjoy and embrace the role. I am a cheerleader for the (costumed staff member) have read the story UWG’s First Lady Dr. Tressa Kelly with Kiwanian Johnny Tanner students - a supporter. to over 2,000 elementary students in four “I am the sponsor of the Blue Coats, the student organization counties, and have had requests from as far as away as Marietta. that part of the church’s property. The chapel was memorialized bridging the gaps between students, alumni, and donors. I also The idea is to reach the hearts and minds of the students. as the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Chapel after the president’s want to continue to bridge the gap between the campus to the Her third project - which she said has not been told very well assassination in November 1963. Students voted to rename it in community, Carrollton, and the region, forging a stronger in the past - concerns the chapel located the front of the his honor. His brother, former U.S. Attorney General Robert relationship. campus. She said, “As you all know, it is very rare to have a Kennedy (1965-68), accepted an invitation to the 1964 “And I want to do a better job of telling our university story. chapel on a public campus.” memorial event in Carrollton.

But it is kind of weird being the First Lady, but my husband and Dr. Kelly researched the history of just how the campus and The small chapel was located near the property of Our Lady I are good partners,” she said. of Perpetual Help Catholic Church (OLPH), Old Center Point community could or did use the chapel? What are the rules Dr. Kelly shared that a children’s storybook about the Road, Carrollton. The chapel building, which dates to 1893, concerning the small building? Initially, Dr. Kelly thought university mascot “Wolfie” was authored by her and some staff was moved to the then West Georgia College campus 1964, perhaps the university should publish a brochure about the members. She said that from “conception to distribution”, donated by Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church and chapel. She became more curious and dug deeper into the “Wolfie Finds His Howl” was designed to inspire pride in the the community after Hollywood actress Susan Hayward bought See JFK CHAPEL page 15

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www.starnewsgaonline.com DERICK T. NEWTON from page 10 the presence of sin. We endure the hardness of a fallen, imperfect world but this new baby brought hope. Simeon said that his eyes have seen God’s salvation.

The second thing I mentioned was love.

This is a love that comes in redemption. We know how it feels to fail or to have loss. The Prophetess Anna, who spent her time as a widow in devotion to GOD and HIS temple experienced redemption by being able to wit-

ness the new baby that was destined to redeem Israel. Often, widows were not held in high regard in her day, but she was blessed to experience the inclusiveness of GOD’s Love with her seeing the new baby.

Lastly, we receive GOD’s generosity. For GOD so loved the world, that HE gave HIS only begotten son, for whosoever believes in HIM shall not perish but have everlasting life.

GOD gave us a new baby. Enjoy HIS gift to all.

BEN BONNER from page 9 Jesus didn’t just say it, He did it! He became one of us “so he could be our faithful and merciful high priest.” He emptied himself. He gave up all privileges. He came in a manger- a cave- with animals, not the extravagance and security afforded to a king.

He didn’t just speak to your pain, He felt it.

There’s no story like it. It’s not just a nostalgic holiday or folklore. It is a true story.

It is the personification of love and hope in the best and darkest of times. A God who loves us all, who is love and His love is more than enough. It’s still true.

FR. GAURAV SHROFF from page 7 Eve and lasts till the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord in early January, and in fact, till Candlemas, the Presentation of the Lord, on February 2nd.

Though our society still bears the hallmarks of a Christian culture, in that our holidays are marked by this central pole of

BANKS NEED DEPOSITS from page 6 StarNews, “With the ACCG’s [Association County Commissioners of Georgia] benchmark of four to six months of operating budget in reserve, I find it acceptable, and it is an okay financial cushion, especially in these uncertain national and international market times.

“So, from that standpoint, I am not averse to having that amount in reserve, given recent inflation, the talk of a possible recession looming, and the Russian war going on that causes uncertainty in the market, instability in availability and pricing, and continues to impact gas prices.

“The other thing is that we have ongoing projects, including substantial SPLOST projects, and it seems prudent to have a financial cushion and take advantage of the best interest rates from those banks that offer it,” Reynolds said.

According to the Georgia Corporations Division, Southern States Bank (Corp) is a “Foreign Profit Corporation” with its Principal Office Address at 615 Quintard Avenue, Anniston, Alabama. The Registered / Designated Agent is Lynn Joyce.

According to the Georgia Corporations Division, American Commerce Bancshares Inc. is a Domestic Profit Corporation, with its Principal Office Address at 400 US Highway 27 Bypass, Bremen, Georgia. The Registered / Designated Agent is Robert Daniel Koncerak.

Southern States Bancshares, headquartered in Anniston Alabama, has 13 banking facilities in Alabama and Georgia and an LPO office in Atlanta. The following locations in Alabama: Anniston, Auburn, Birmingham, Huntsville, Opelika, Roanoke, Sylacauga, and two in Wedowee. Five locations are in Georgia: one in Carrollton, two in Columbus, one in Dallas, and two in Newnan.

Southern States lists the following 26 people as part of their paid management group, and board members: 1. Stephen W. Whatley, Chairman of the Board & CEO of Southern States Bancshares, Inc. 2. Mark Chambers, CEO & President 3. Lynn Joyce, Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer 4. Greg Smith, Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Risk Officer 5. Jack Swift, Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer 6. Jason Alderman, President of Calhoun &

JOHN LEMMINGS from page 11 The shepherd’s went with haste to Bethlehem to see firsthand the birth of Jesus Christ. Think about the peace, joy, and wonder of that night. They were so moved that they returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

Let’s celebrate this Christmas the good news that a Savior is born, died on a Cross, and resurrected the third day. The Bible tells

StarNews

December 11, 2022 Page 15

us to share the good news of Jesus Christ to the entire world. Let’s be on mission this Christmas.

I would like to invite you to the Journey Fellowship Baptist Church Christmas Adult Musical, Song of Joy, on Sunday, December 11 th at 6pm. The church is located at 409 Centerpoint Road, Bremen, GA 30110.

For more information please visit our website at journeyfbc.com.

Have a Merry Christmas!

JFK CHAPEL from page 14 from the book will again go to student universities archives. She read letters from scholarships. It is projected to be ready in Robert Kennedy and saw photos with him and September 2023.”

For more information on the University of the Carroll County community. She wanted to know what happened to the building after West Georgia go to westga.edu.

For more information on the Carrollton 1964.

She and staff then decided to write a coffee Kiwanis Club go to Carrolltonkiwanisclub.org. The club meets Christian festivity, we celebrate cognizant of table book instead, and produce in-house. every Friday at noon on the campus of the “I am looking for stories and photos from the fact that in a pluralistic and secularizing world, fewer and fewer of our fellow citizens the community about the chapel. All proceeds University of West Georgia. share our convictions.

“24 YearsandSteelBuilding” To all, however, we extend the invitation to rejoice in the great gift, and promise, of the God who is known as the “desire of nations” and who makes Himself helpless, and little, to win our hearts.

Cleburne Counties, AL 7. Brad Arnold, President of Muscogee County, GA 8. John McDaniel, President of Paulding County, GA 9. Dennis E. Elliott II, President of Talladega County, AL 10. Scott Jenkins, President of Jefferson & Shelby Counties, AL 11. Brett Johnston President of Coweta & Fayette Counties, GA 12. Dan Rajczyk, President of Carroll County, GA 13. David Ridgeway, President of Metro Atlanta, GA 14. David Sears, President of Randolph County, AL 15. Jason Smith, President of Lee County, AL 16. Mark Thomsen, President of Cobb County, GA Board Members: 1. Lewis Beavers, Managing Partner, Lawrence, See & Beavers 2. Mark Chambers, CEO & President, Southern States Bank 3. Alfred J. Hayes Jr., Community Volunteer and Business Development, Southern States Bank 4. Brent David Hitson, Partner, Burr & Forman LLP 5. Brian Stacy Holmes, President, Holmes II Excavation, Inc. 6. Cynthia S. McCarty, Professor of Economics Jacksonville State University 7. Jay Florey Pumroy, Partner, Wilson, Dillon, Pumroy & James LLC – Lead Director 8. J. Henry Smith, IV, Owner, Interstate Sheet Metal Company, Inc. 9. Henry Turner, Executive Director, Alabama Minority Business Opportunity Center.

10. Stephen Woods Whatley, Chairman of the Board & CEO, Southern States Bancshares American Commerce Bank has four locations: Bremen, Carrollton, and Johns Creek, in Georgia, and one in Tallahassee, Florida.

American Commerce Bank lists three management employees: David Tate, President / CEO; Kevin Thrash, Executive Vice President; Robert Koncerak, Executive Vice President/ Chief Operating Officer.; Gary Lochbaum, Executive Vice President / Chief Credit Officer; and Christine A. Swanson, Executive Vice President/Chief Financial Officer.

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Suggested tips for safe onlineCompare shopping this holiday season our CD Rates

(BPT) - Shopping online during the holidays can simplify gift giving but also leaves you vulnerable to potential fraud. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, thousands of people become victims of holiday scams, robbing them of their personal information, money and holiday spirit.

While you know that online scams happen, you may think it’s unlikely to happen to you.

You’re not alone. According to a recent fraud research report, nearly half of those surveyed were confident they could recognize a scam.

However, nearly 3 in 4 people typically responded to common terms and phrases fraudsters use in scam emails and texts.

Make sure you’re shopping safely this holiday season by using the following online shopping security tips.

1. Pay securely online: As you shop online, take a moment to look at the website’s URL to ensure that it begins with “https.” The “s” at the end confirms a secure connection. You can also look at the corner Bank-issued, FDIC-insured of the address bar for a padlock symbol, which shows there is a secure connection between your browser and the website’s 6-month server.

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M erry C hristmas 2 022 Merry Christmas 2022

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Subject to $1000 $1000 Bank-issued, FDIC-insured $1000 availability and price change. CD values are subject to interest rate risk such that when interest (BPT) - While it’s the season for festivities rates rise, the prices of CDs can decrease. If CDsdeposit are sold prior to maturity, the investor can lose and numerous joyous activities, a lot of misMinimum APY* Minimum deposit Bank-issued, FDIC-insured Call or visitthe your localfrom financialCall advisor today.

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FDI-1867K-A © 2022 EDWARD D. JONES & CO., L.P. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. before lowering the turkey in oil, then turn it Chantrice Swint Financial Advisor Financial Advisor on. Always place fryers away from garages Financial Advisor 921 Moores Ferry Rd Suite B 921 Moores Ferry Rd. Suite B and trees and off decks. See here for more tips 801 Old Newnan Rd. Ste. C Villa Rica, Ga 30180 770-462-1333 Villa Rica, Ga. 30180 770-462-1333 FDI-1867K-A © 2022 EDWARD D. JONES & CO., L.P. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. before frying.

Carrollton, GA. 30116 770-834-0570 Mind the glow of candles: It’s hard to resist the ambiance that candles create during the www.edwardjones.com Member SIPC holiday season. However, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 7,400 home fires last year that were started by candles.

These fires cause $291 million in direct property damage annually. It’s important to burn candles in short increments and in safe places, keeping them away from kids, pets and holiSee STAY SAFE page 20

Charles Shiver Financial Advisor 102 Trojan Dr Suite B Carrollton, GA. 770-834-4311

❄

M erry C hristmas 2 022 Merry Christmas 2022

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December 11, 2022 Page 17

Need a holiday gift idea? Teach your child a do-it-yourself skill (BPT) - It’s true at any age: The more do-it-yourself skills we can develop, the better control we’ll have when it comes to maintaining our homes, vehicles and the other material assets that help us lead productive and enjoyable lives.

That’s why it’s so important to keep teaching our children such practical skills as they grow into adulthood. As kids learn how to handle their own tasks surrounding home maintenance, small engine repair, auto mechanics and other elements of day-to-day life, they develop confidence in their own abilities and hone the problem-solving skills that will help them succeed. And, when you take an active role in imparting such valuable “garage logic,” you can create bonding experiences that strengthen intergenerational relationships.

“Sharing a mutual goal, combining strengths, helping each other and negotiating decisions together can foster a sense of teamwork and bring people closer,” advises Kristen Mosier on BobVila.com. “And, of course, admiring a finished project is sweeter when shared.”

This holiday season, you may wish to invest in your child’s future by giving them the gift of practical DIY knowledge.

Here are suggestions for making that happen.

Explore their areas of interest. Be proactive by talking to your child ahead of time about the skills he or she would most like to learn. Your teenager may wish to seize independence by learning how to repair her own car, while your greenthumbed youngster may be most enthusiastic about mastering the mechanics of your yard and garden equipment.

Share your area of expertise. If you’re skilled in a certain category, you might feel especially proud and happy to pass that specific knowledge on to the next generation. Tell your child the story of how you acquired your own abilities, and explain why you’re excited to be sharing them with the next generation.

Establish good cleanliness and safety habits. Teach kids to prioritize a safe work environment by insisting on protective gear such as safety glasses, earphones, masks and gloves.

Make sure everyone involved in the project participates in keeping floors, counters, tools and other elements cleared off, hazard-free and well organized.

Make tools part of your gift. When the majority of your lesson is finished, consider passing the tools you’ve used on to

your child - or, buy them their own new set they can continue using once they leave your household. With its huge span of machinery, tools and equipment, Northern Tool + Equipment is a great place to walk the aisles and explore tools to help your child fill up their tool belt.

“We’re in the business of providing the essential tools and gear that people need to handle any tough job that comes their way, whether they’re pros or DIYers,” said Suresh Krishna, President and CEO of Northern Tool. “The gift of high-quality tools is one that can keep on giving for years to come, and can help instill pride in working with one’s hands at an early age.”

Create maximum fun. Make sure to create positive memories by making your experiences enjoyable for everyone involved. That means anticipating mistakes, remaining

patient, explaining how errors can be corrected and making sure your child knows they’re not expected to know everything right away. Ideally, you’ll both look back on your experience with fondness, not confusion or regret.

Celebrate your achievements. Once your child has mastered a skill, praise them for having the patience and attentiveness to see it through. Remind them of how the knowledge they’ve learned can serve them well in the future, and celebrate their new achievement as a family however and whenever that’s appropriate.

This holiday season, helping your child learn a new and practical skill could be a wonderful alternative to a more traditional gift. Consider a present of your time and expertise that could make your child more knowledgeable, confident and self-sufficient as they face life’s everyday challenges.

(BPT) - Are you excited about the holiday season or are you dreading it? While this time of year can be filled with cheer and joy, it can also be incredibly overwhelming. In fact, 2 in 3 Americans are stressed about this holiday season. What exactly are they stressing about? Their budgets, according to the latest Consumer Spend Report from Affirm.

Affirm’s survey found that 9 in 10 Americans plan to shop for the holidays this year, yet 1 in 3 will do so without saving money beforehand.

Budgeting and buying gifts for friends and family are at the very top of Americans’ lists of concerns this holiday season.

So, it’s no surprise that Americans reported to be nearly just as stressed out about Black Friday and Cyber Monday (38%) as they are for Thanksgiving (43%).

Money isn’t the only pain point when it comes to holiday shopping. Stressed gift shoppers pointed to waiting in long lines (68%) and getting stuck in traffic or crowded transit (54%) as the things they dread the most.

“While the burden of gifting, budgeting, long lines and holiday traffic may take away some of your holiday cheer, Affirm can help bring it back. A valuable budgeting tool, paying with Affirm is one smart choice you can make this holiday season to stay in control of your finances,” said Ashmi Pancholi, Affirm’s Trends Expert.

Whether it’s attending the mandatory office gift swap or a crowded road trip to Grandma’s, it’s no secret that holiday obligations can be anything but jolly. The result? 1 in 5 Americans admitted to getting out of their unwanted holiday plans. Of the guilty ones, 36% have lied about their availability, 24% have faked an illness and 22% ghosted without any excuse.

Nearly 1 in 10 have gone so far as to intentionally miss a flight. Some people are even willing to spend money to get out of their holiday obligations. 70% of men would spend more than $50 to avoid unwanted to-do’s like the obligatory holiday party or awkward family dinner, compared to 51% of women.

Gen Z & Millennials are especially stressed, but they are focused on the future. 75% of Gen Zers are stressed about the holidays, compared to 67% of Boomers and 65% of Millennials.

But, many are especially focused on improving their financial health: almost half of Gen Z (42%) and over a quarter of Millennials (28%) say saving money is their #1 New Year’s resolution.

To learn more, visit Affirm.com. Results are based on a survey of 1,007 respondents conducted by Suzy on behalf of Affirm November 2, 2022.

Stressful time of year: a look at how Americans are feeling

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M erry C hristmas 2 022 Merry Christmas 2022

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Don’t let the end of 2022 sabotage your New Year’s resolutions (BPT) - Have you ever thought that, since you’re starting a healthy new lifestyle tomorrow, you may as well throw all your healthy goals out the window - just for today? If so, you’re not alone. As one year ends and a new year approaches, many people considering health-related resolutions are already “writing off” the end of the year.

According to Herbalife Nutrition’s fifth annual “Writing Off the End of the Year” survey, 60% of those planning to postpone starting their healthy habits until the new year have already begun doing so - admitting that mid-November is their cut-off. And unfortunately, one-fourth of Americans are still carrying weight they gained at the end of the previous year, perpetuating a cycle of selfsabotage that’s hard to break.

The study, which surveyed 2,000 Americans and 2,750 international respondents from five different countries, revealed that over half (53%) admitted to breaking their diets at the end of the year, with 37%

saying that was specifically due to holiday food temptations. The average respondent said they expect to gain five and a half pounds before 2023 - on top of any weight they’re still carrying from last year’s holiday season.

According to the survey, people thinking ahead to next year’s resolutions are still putting health, nutrition and wellness at the top of their list.

Top New Year’s resolutions for 2023: 1. Save more money - 57% 2. Eat healthier - 55% 3. Exercise more - 54% 4. Focus on self-care - 49% 5. Improve work/life balance - 42% But unfortunately, indulging in the excesses of the holidays at the end of 2022 could set you up for a harder climb to reach your lofty health goals. In fact, nearly half of those surveyed (49%) said they planned to wait until the new year to try and lose weight.

Just how far do people go when “writing off” the end of the year?

(BPT) - Looking forward to the holidays?

This time of year provides plenty of opportunities for fun gatherings, but even if you love entertaining, it can also bring some stress.

The good news is, you can help everything go more smoothly by planning ahead. Here are some practical tips to help keep your holidays full of joy.

1. Have a plan B: You may be a stickler for planning menus to the last detail - then discover the grocery store is out of one crucial ingredient. With these occasional hiccups,

you may feel your stress meter start to climb.

To prevent last-minute monkey wrenches, make sure to have a plan B menu, so you can swap out one dish if you can’t find (or forget!) a single ingredient. Same goes for things like seating arrangements - always leave an extra place (or have extra chairs handy) for someone’s unexpected “plus one.”

2. Build in time cushions: Think you need X hours to do your errands or prep food before guests arrive? Add an extra hour - minimum in case you get waylaid by unexpected events.

Construct your schedule starting when guests arrive and work your way backward, listing when you need to do what - always erring on the side of allowing more time than you think you’ll need. Your future self will thank you!

3. Upgrade your food storage: There’s nothing worse than shopping for meals, then finding you don’t have room in the fridge - or discovering your icemaker no longer works, or

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Here are the top survey responses that a day - 35% were offered regarding just how far people * Eaten more than three meals in a day admit to having let themselves go at the end 35% of the year: * Eaten an extra-large midnight snack - 26% * Eaten more than one dessert at a meal * Eaten so much I’ve had to undo a button 41% on my pants or loosen a belt - 24% * Eaten more than one of the same meal in See NEW YEAR’s RESOLUTIONS page 20

Carroll EMC

Ways to make holiday entertaining easier

CARBON ZERO EFFORT from front page Marriott in Ft. Worth and the Hotel Marcel in New Haven, Conn.

“We are very excited to join Sinclair Digital in the growing space of DC powered intelligent buildings that bring clear benefits in terms of energy efficiency and integration with renewable energy sources and battery storage systems,” said Norman Adkins, Southwire’s president of Wire and Cable and chief operating officer.

Sinclair is currently partnering with Southwire on its newest office space at The Battery Atlanta in Cobb County adjacent to Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves. In late March, Southwire signed a deal for roughly 23,000 square feet of offices, meeting rooms, workstations and multipurpose space, and Sinclair is responsible for the design and implementation of the Power over Ethernet (PoE) lighting at the location.

“The future of sustainable development is safe, DC power, and we are excited to be working with Southwire on these new opportunities,” said Farukh Aslam, CEO of Sinclair Digital Services.

In July 2020, Southwire announced its Carbon Zero goal to eliminate or offset 100% of the company’s Scope 1 - associated with fuel combustion - and Scope 2 - associated with electricity consumption - greenhouse gas emissions by 2025. Through its partnership with Sinclair Digital Services, Southwire plans to implement more sustainable buildings in the future, further reducing the company’s carbon footprint.

“Our Carbon Zero goal is one that we are confident we can achieve, and in the near future, we expect to announce a Scope 3 objective to reduce indirect emissions in the company’s value chain,” said Burt Fealing, Southwire executive vice president, general counsel and chief sustainability officer. “With an extensive focus to be a leader in sustainability, Southwire is pleased to announce its partnership with Sinclair Digital Services. Together, we will implement more sustainable buildings in the future and reduce overall carbon emissions.”

See EASIER ENTERTAINING page 20

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A comprehensive employee benefits package

MARCY

HEATH

678-821-3508

marcy@beinoventive.com The key to any organization’s success is the quality of its people. By employing the most qualified people, organizations ensure their employees are passionate about the work they do, understand their client base, and respond quickly to any needs that arise.

One of the ways organizations attempt to attract and retain the most talented individuals is with a comprehensive employee benefits package. Sadly, most employees find themselves financially exposed in terms of health insurance.

Deductibles have risen so much that employees now pay for insurance they can’t use aside from illness and real emergencies where they have no choice such as cancer, heart attacks and stroke. With just 23% of Americans able to cover a $1,000 emergency expense with savings, many employees find a $1,500, $3,000, or $5,000 health care deductible simply insurmountable to accessing needed care.

A joint study from Harvard Medical School and Harvard Law found that over half of bankruptcies in this country involve unpaid medical bills. Of those who filed bankruptcy over medical debt, 75% had health insurance when they became ill or injured.

While the “status quo” practice is to shift more health care costs to employees, companies that take control of their second largest expense, health insurance, and manage the costs, can provide healthcare to their employees with lower or even zero out-of-pocket expenses. Imagine an organization’s competitive advantage in recruiting and retaining top shelf talent with low insurance premiums and “free health care.” What is the result of CSuites managing their health care supply chain?

More affordable and sustainable health care spending for the employer; much better beneBILL BOURIS from page 24 starts with the electric car. In particular, an electric car that becomes driverless when it senses a sizable traffic jam. From recent news stories, we in Georgia may very well experience such developments earlier than other states, since we are inviting at least two major manufacturers in the electric car business to set up shop here.

There is a Wikipedia article about driverless cars. It describes the 7 levels of car-control, from 0 (only the driver is in control) to 6, where the driver doesn’t pay any attention (and there might not even be a steering wheel). There have been experimental successes from levels 1-6. Personally, I wouldn’t trust any system, other than myself, i.e. level 0. But, if you limit the driverless stuff to 5-10 mph or less, reliable technology may already be here!

However, this kind of progress is no excuse for those working for us in the public sector to forget about improving our roads and traffic controls. But it gives them, and all of us, some breathing space.

P.S.:While writing this piece, I recalled a movie from France that I saw back in 1968. It is by a guy named Godard, titled “The Weekend”, in which a married couple go to the country for the weekend and get stuck in an endless nationwide traffic jam. In his review of that movie, which was full of praise, the great film critic Roger Ebert pretty much said it was an allegory for the end of modern civilization. Well, such a thought never entered my mind when we were stuck on Peachtree, but it was, nonetheless, something worth thinking about.

fits for the employees; and an ROI measurable in easier recruitment, higher retention and greater productivity.

The secret to making health care a controllable cost and lowering that cost is as simple as treating your health care spend as a capital allocation, providing oversight of the health care spending by an Executive with P&L responsibility, moving to alternative funding to take control of your health care plan and spending, and managing your health care supply chain to reduce the frequency and severity of claims.

This concept of managing health care costs is no different than how you manage the cost of raw materials or office supplies although the process is a bit more complex.

Why have major carriers failed to stem the growth of healthcare costs or even address the dysfunctional pricing in the system? It’s not that they are incapable of reducing the cost of

health care; the carriers certainly know how to bring down health care costs. The two middlemen in health care, the insurance carriers and the insurance brokers, financially benefit from rising health care costs. Carrier revenue is largely the health insurance premium dollars paid by employers and individual policyholders. Rising health care costs force carriers to increase the premiums they charge to reflect the higher cost of goods and services.

As medical trends drive premiums higher, the higher premiums boost carrier revenue exponentially. A carrier’s profit margin on a higher revenue number is...MORE PROFIT! Insurance brokers who are compensated with a per member per month fee instead lack aligned incentives with zero financial incentive to do the additional work necessary to control and reduce their client’s healthcare cost. Both of health care’s middlemen – carriers and brokers

December 11, 2022 Page 19

– have financial incentives misaligned with the employer that is paying the healthcare bills for its employees.

Inoventive Benefits Consulting is part of the largest Nationwide Partnership with benefit firms located across the United States. With a national footprint, we service employers across the nation with exemplary service that is second to none.

Our team makes decisions that add value to your employee benefit and risk management programs with the result being outstanding customer service at a reasonable cost from talented people you can trust. We pride ourselves on delivering the highest quality, client-focused service which has led to creating a meaningful, positive employer/employee relationships. I welcome the opportunity to discuss your employee benefits package!

Call Marcy at 678.821.3508!

Southwire

Page 20 December 11, 2022

StarNews

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M erry C hristmas 2 022 Merry Christmas 2022

Do you have the winter sniffles? Ways you can manage indoor winter allergies (BPT) - Do you suffer from itchy eyes, a runny nose or a scratchy throat during winter? Do you often find yourself coughing, sneezing and having trouble breathing?

Chances are you may have indoor allergies.

Allergens are not just found outside in trees or grass. You don’t have to accept indoor

allergies as an inevitable fact of the winter season. Using these five tips from the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), you can be proactive and manage your winter allergies.

1. Clean regularly: It may seem like a simple solution, but cleaning house is one of the

(BPT)- Experts at Kiddie Academy Educational Child Care recommend using children’s excited anticipation of the holiday season to engage them in activities that will encourage skill building. Opportunities to focus on motor skills, character development, creativity, focus, memory and more are present through many different activities we do to celebrate the season each year.

Baking cookies: Not only is this activity the most delicious of them all, but baking and decorating cookies is a great way to increase children’s upper body strength, pincer grasp, hand/eye coordination and more. Invite your children to stir, roll, touch, smell, feel, count and (safely) taste your cookie creations for a full sensory experience.

Making homemade cards and decorations: Creative growth can be realized by making crafts like homemade holiday cards or wrapping paper. Let your children color, cut out shapes, glue and write on the cards to practice dexterity, handwriting and visual processing skills. Take stamps and decorate plain brown paper and ask your children to help you wrap

gifts in it. Build a popsicle-stick kinara, Christmas tree or menorah. Use a hole punch to allow tree lights to shine through cardstock ornaments while building hand strength.

Building a countdown chain: No matter which holiday is celebrated in your home, you can create a countdown chain to build anticipation for it. Use strips of construction paper and tape or glue to build a chain with a pattern of alternating colors and one link for each day until the big event. Your children’s brains will have to access memory to remember to remove a link each day and you can prompt them to practice counting the remaining chain links as well.

Giving gifts and volunteering: Character values are a very important and easy skill to practice during the holiday season. Let your children see how it feels to select and give a special item to a family member or neighbor to build kindness and generosity. Gratitude and good citizenship can be developed by even our youngest children through helping others within the community by volunteering or donating to a toy or food drive.

EASIER ENTERTAINING from 18 the food isn’t kept cold enough. Now is the ideal time to upgrade to a 27 cubic feet Smart Counter Depth Max French Door Refrigerator from LG Electronics. This refrigerator’s counter depth design provides all the storage you need without sacrificing design aesthetics.

Since today’s kitchens are entertaining hubs for gathering with friends and family, you can have the best of both worlds - attractive design plus smart functionality.

If you’ve ever had a fridge with uneven cooling power, you’ll also appreciate that this model provides a Door Cooling+ vent that extends the reach of LG’s Smart Cooling system - allowing blasts of cool air to reach all

areas of the refrigerator to help maintain consistent temperatures, keeping all foods fresh and flavorful.

Even better, you can use the LG ThinQ app to make ice for a party while you’re at work or on the go, adjust temps with a voice command and even receive mobile notifications when the water filter needs to be replaced. And with ThinQ Care, you can receive proactive smart alerts about fridge usage and maintenance on your smartphone to help prevent potential problems and keep your fridge running at its best.

4. Don’t be afraid to delegate: Face it, one person can’t do everything. Break larger items on your do-to list into smaller steps, or find specific, easy-to-delegate tasks for family

easiest ways to deal with indoor winter allergies. Dust, mold, pet dander and dust mite and cockroach droppings can hide anywhere and cause sneezing, coughing and congestion.

To limit your exposure to these indoor allergens, keep a regular cleaning schedule.

Dust and vacuum frequently, especially under and behind furniture, where allergens can easily build up. Wipe down counters and other surfaces that you use often. During the holidays, wipe off holiday decorations, especially if you’ve stored them in areas where dust and mold proliferate.

2. Reduce pet allergy triggers: It can be difficult to balance your love for your pets and indoor allergy management. Just like you, your pets are spending more time indoors, increasing your exposure to pet dander and saliva. While you may enjoy snuggling with your pets before bed, keeping them out of the bedroom will help with any allergies you experience at night that can disrupt your sleep. During the day, keep the door to your bedroom closed, so your furry family members aren’t tempted to go in.

When petting your cat or dog, make sure to wash your hands afterward, so you don’t accidentally touch your face and provoke an allergic reaction. Finally, remember to groom your pets regularly.

3. Protect your bedding from dust mites: according to the ACAAI, dust mites live and multiply in warm, humid places and are often found in pillows, mattresses, carpeting and upholstered furniture. Even if your home is

visibly clean, dust mite allergen particles are too small to be seen.

Use mite-proof zippered cases for your mattress and pillows to limit your exposure to dust mites. Every week, wash and change your sheets, blankets and other bedding in hot water to eliminate any lingering dust mite droppings.

4. Find and prevent indoor mold: Did you know that there are roughly 1,000 species of mold in the U.S.? Many molds aren’t visible to the naked eye, and mold spores can cause allergic reactions when they become airborne. Because mold can grow in your basement, bathroom and under the sink, avoiding mold allergens can be difficult.

If you suspect you have indoor mold, it’s best to contact a professional who can find and clean up existing mold in your home. To prevent mold related to water leaks, quickly stop and clean up any standing water. Also, make sure to reduce moisture and humidity in bathrooms and kitchens. If humidity control is a problem, consider a dehumidifier.

5. Find an allergist: Consulting an allergist is the best way to identify and treat your winter indoor allergies. “Allergists are the best trained medical professionals to treat allergies and asthma,” said Kathleen May, M.D., ACAAI president. “They can help you get tested, get treated and get better so you can enjoy the holiday season and beyond.”

To learn more about indoor allergies and find an allergist, visit ACAAI.org/Locate-AnAllergist

members, friends or even helpful guests. Most people enjoy helping out, especially when they know exactly what they need to do - and when their job is done. Let go of the need to manage every step so you’ll have more time to relax and have fun.

5. Make cleanup a snap: One easy task to delegate is doing the dishes, which is even easier when you have the best tools for the job.

With LG’s Smart Top Control Dishwasher with 1-Hour Wash and Dry, QuadWash Pro, TrueSteam and Dynamic Heat Dry, you can tackle the toughest jobs like a pro.

High-pressure jets with 38% more cleaning power spray dishes from multiple angles - and Flex Zone lets you customize cleaning to target different zones inside the dishwasher. The interior provides ample space for lots of lights on trees or on other decorations when dishes and stemware - fitting up to 15 place you go to bed or leave the house. They could settings. short and start a fire. Plus, if you’re planning EasyRack Plus lets you fit more dishes, so to decorate outdoors, make sure that you use you can run fewer loads and make short lights and decorations intended for outdoor use.

NEW YEAR’s RESOLUTIONS from 18 Update auto insurance and drive safe: Over * Deliberately worn stretchy clothes to the river and through the woods - many people take road trips during the holiday season accommodate overeating - 19% * Hid favorite holiday foods/treats to save to visit friends and family. If you’re hitting the road, make sure you check the weather for later - 18% * Eaten until I feel sick/unwell/full to before heading out and take any necessary precautions to stay safe if inclement weather bursting - 17% From this list, you can see why writing off is expected. Pack essentials in the car should the end of the year could add up to a lot of you get stuck so you can stay safe. Always mind speed limits and be aware of other peo- habits to change after the New Year’s party is ple on the road. Plus, make sure your auto over.

This year, instead of writing off the end of insurance is up to date and you have access to the roadside call number for help should you the year, you could change the cycle of endof-year excess with a little smart planning and need it.

Be a good neighbor: The holidays should be common sense moves. The result? Your New a joyous time to reconnect with loved ones. If Year’s resolutions will be starting from a you’re hosting for the holidays, respect noise position of strength, with that much less weight to lose or habits to change come levels in your community.

Be courteous by shoveling the sidewalks January 1st.

Here are a few tips from Dr. Kent Bradley, for your neighbors. Lean on your trusted friends, neighbors, or a Neighborhood Watch chief health and nutrition officer at Herbalife member to watch your home if you’re leav- Nutrition, to help you get through the holidays and avoid that end-of-year health ing for the holidays.

work of after-dinner cleanup. With three height settings, the upper rack adjusts effortlessly to make room for tall stemware on top or oversized pans below. You can even make a convenient spot for hard-to-fit items like flatware or long-handled utensils.

Another benefit: You’ll be able to turn around multiple loads of dishes when you need them with the one-hour wash and dry cycle, so you can keep everything running smoothly and be ready to entertain guests without a long wait. And you can start the dishwasher remotely from anywhere, anytime, using the ThinQ app, so no matter where you are, the dishes will be ready when you need them.

These tips and tools should help you prepare everything for the holidays, allowing you more time for what matters most.

Visit LG.com/us to find products to help everything run more smoothly over the holidays - and all year long.

Developmentally appropriate ways for children to celebrate the holiday season

STAY SAFE from page 16 day decorations. What’s more, make sure your home and renters insurance is up to date so if something happens, you have the peace of mind that you’re financially protected.

Protect your pets: While family and friends flood your home for the holidays, the increased noise levels and new faces can cause anxiety for your pets. Discuss with guests how your pet prefers to be touched and separate your pet from crowds if a break is needed. Additionally, get pet medical insurance ahead of your gatherings as pets can become overwhelmed and aggressive, nipping, biting and scratching unexpectedly.

Total cost of pet claims in 2021 was $161.7 million and the average cost per claim was $49,612, according to State Farm research.

Protect yourself, your assets and your furry family member with Trupanion® pet insurance.

Understand electrical fire risks: Electrical distribution and lighting equipment was involved in nearly half (45%) of home tree fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Holiday decorations overall cause more than 770 house fires every year! To lower your risk and keep your family and home safe, make sure you don’t leave

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sabotage: * Have a protein-rich snack before going to a holiday party to reduce your feelings of hunger - and the chance that you’ll overeat when you get there. * Enjoy a small bite of an indulgent food you love, since most of the enjoyment is often in the first bite - thus avoiding the discomfort of overeating. * Plan for smaller portions if you’re hosting, or choose smaller portions from a buffet or dinner - to reduce overeating and also cut down on food waste.

These tips show that it’s still possible to enjoy the holidays without throwing all of your health goals out the window. If you’re planning to start 2023 with a “new year, new you” attitude like 63% of the survey respondents, avoid the sabotage trap now by being more aware of your habits over the holidays. Your 2023 self will thank you.

Learn more about good health habits at IAmHerbalifeNutrition.com

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Merry Christmas!

From Our Family To Yours

548 Newnan Street Carrollton, Georgia 30117 770-832-7056 www.almonfuneralhome.com

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“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

Matthew 1:23

Page 22 December 11, 2022

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In this current season of fat governments - think covid cash/ increased property assessments - how much extra cash is simply too much extra cash?

It’s definitely a matter of opinion, as the experts will only offer recommendations, as to how much extra cash reserve a government entity can hoard away before it’s considered ‘too much extra cash’. Our front page story “County government approves using $10M surplus to make more surplus” tells clearly, if nothEDITOR/ ing else, that the Carroll County governPUBLISHER ment has $10M dollars that has no current use in the upcoming year or less other than to utilize it to make more money. Let’s stick with this one point: This money is not needed elsewhere for at least a year, or six months, or less (depending on these CDs commitment time; penalty for early withdrawal).

It’s been determined that this $10M chunk of money is “extra/surplus” and is not needed for at least half of the upcoming annual budget period of six months or one full budget time period of one year. The money is now to be committed, and out of the hands - use - for any governmental need.

This money has been determined to not be needed to make payroll, or employee health insurance, or fuel, or utilities, or . . . if tax collections, equipment, or equipment repair, or uniforms, or office supplies, or grass seeds, or workman’s for whatever comp, or county vehicles, or vehicle repair, or emergency reason, insurance of any kind - I could go on (county’s stopped completely financial report usually has around 50 pages).

So, still sticking with the point: extra cash on June 30, 2023, clearly indicates current taxes are too high: more the Carroll County money has come in than is currently needed for government could this budget year which follows that more money than is needed will be coming in for the next continue to fully budget year, too. So, stated directly: in the comoperate in the black ing six months to a year, in the same time frame until Februrary 2024. that THIS unneeded $10M is squirreled away making a profit, more of the more-taxes-thanHow much extra needed will also be collected. cash is too much The county has a cash reserve total of just extra cash? under $40 million representing 60% of the current annual budget, meaning that it has 60% more money than is needed to meet the stated budgeted financial needs of the county government, meaning that if tax collections - for whatever emergency reason - stopped completely on June 30, 2023, the Carroll County government could continue to fully operate in the black until Februrary 2024! How much extra cash is too much extra cash?

If I were ‘Evil Superhero Sue’ whose superpower was ‘Growing Money’, I would take all the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) cash that voters approved to build all the Special Purpose Things and not build those Special Purpose Things! Like, say a new administration building. Or at least delay building those Special Things for a long, long, long, time so I could take all that extra-not-needed-now cash and put it into money-making things for a long, long, long time, like CDs. Growing money! Or I could overtax people and then, maybe then loan all that extra not-needed-nowmoney back to them - with interest, of course, cuz my evil superpower IS Growing Money. Loan them their own money back while making a profit on the interest. Wow, I’m really good at this Growing Money Evil Power!

Okay, sarcasm aside. Point: the Carroll County Commission chair, who is responsible for crafting the annual county budget and presenting it to the board for a vote next spring, should craft a millage reduction into that budget.

Or, give the taxpaying-property-owning Carroll Countians a rebate check, similar to what Governor Kemp did this year ($250 per income tax filer).

Merry Christmas to all our readers, subscribers, and advertisers. And let’s tell the Grinches to give back what wasn’t theirs to take in the first place.

SUE

HORN EVANS

Case against Carroll County Board of Commissioners on illegal immigration laws sent to district attorney “The Governor shall take care that the laws are faithfully executed and shall be the conservator of the peace throughout the state.” Section ll, Paragraph ll of the Georgia Constitution.

Another month, another column, and another reminder that Georgia has a significant illegal immigration problem. And that nobody in state government is checking on compliance with laws put in place to fight that organized crime.

There is an old saying that “no good deed goes unpunished.” It is difficult to convey the level of frustration this writer has experienced in the process of simply trying to warn the Carroll County Board of Commissioners and the county attorneys that they are in violation of state laws aimed at protecting public benefits, tax dollars and deterring illegal immi-

Raised by a river

Have you read “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer, self-described “mother, scientist, decorated professor, and enrolled member of the Citizen Potowatomi Nation?” Early on in this transformative work, which weaves indigenous wisdom and scientific knowledge with the teachings of plants, Kimmerer briefly mentions “a boy that was raised by a river.” That got my attention.

Did the man who introduced himself as such mean that he was raised beside a river? Or did he literally feel like he was reared by its waters, rivertaught the lessons he needed to thrive body and soul? As Kimmerer points out, they are one and the same; you can hardly be raised by a river without living on it.

No river ran beside our lawn in Lynchburg, Virginia, where I was born. A milltown of the Piedmont, the city sprang up along the James River

D.A. KING

PRESIDENT The Dustin Inman Society 404-316-6712

gration. I started my Carroll County project early in 2022. As I write on November 29th, they are still in violation.

To review, the simplified, short version is that the state legislature has put in place multiple laws over the years that essentially require applicants for public benefits to swear under penalty of felony false swearing that they are not illegal aliens.

And offices that administer these benefits collect the standardized paperwork on which these oaths are

SYBIL

ROSEN THOMAS

River Rambles syllabil@aol.com wending its way east from the Appalachians to the Chesapeake Bay. In 4th grade history, we learned the river was named by 17th-century British settlers for their King James 1.

No one taught us what Pocahontas called it, which I with chagrin only learned today from Google.

The Powhatan River was named for her father Wahunsenacawh in Algonquin language, or Powhatan in colonist English, Chief of the Powhatan Confederacy extending through Virginia’s Tidewater. And certainly my teachers never men-

Why do people run for office?

If you followed this year’s elections, at some point the question probably occurred to you: Why do people do this? The endless campaign events, the constant scrutiny… and increasingly, the very real and alarming threat of political violence. What drives someone to put up with it all?

I suspect that if you asked a roomful of politicians, you’d get a roomful of answers. For many people, there’s no single motivation, and in all my years of talking to other politicians, I’ve never found one reason that predominates.

But I have found some common threads. For one thing, it’s hard to find a more challenging job. The range and complexity of the problems an elected official faces are astounding; I’ve never met a politician with a short to-do list.

Politics is as intellectually challenging as any occupation I can imagine, and when you succeed at somehow changing your community or state or country for the better, it’s also

LEE

HAMILTON PROFESSOR Indiana University Center on Representative Government as satisfying. One thing I can certainly say: I’ve encountered plenty of accomplished people in other professions who’ve told me that, after a certain point in their careers, they got a bit bored. Not once have I heard a politician say that he or she was bored. Stretched for time, certainly.

Frustrated, often. But bored? Never.

I suspect part of the reason is that few other professions put you in touch with as many people of different viewpoints, lifestyles, backgrounds, and convictions. If you’re really serious as a politician in the United States, you engage with conservatives, liberals, voters of every

given along with “secure and verifiable ID” from the potential benefit recipient.

Some business owners are supposed to swear to use of the no-cost federal E-Verify system before they are issued or renew a business license as are public contractors who want to bid on taxpayer-funded jobs. Carroll County isn’t following the law.

Yes, I am aware of how dull a topic all of this can be. The alternative to having a system in place to try to keep illegals from accessing the jobs and benefits meant for legal residents creates a place that looks a lot like California. Voters who don’t want to press their state officials to audit and enforce these laws should get accustomed to Georgia becoming more and more like that declining state out west.

See D.A. KING page 25 tioned the river for the eons it went nameless, as if nature’s story can only begin with our own.

An eight-year-old in the 1950s, I remember wanting to see the hills I called home without the concrete bridges spanning the waterways, the crisscross of telephone lines and newfangled TV towers. Though I couldn’t articulate it, I longed to know the mountains and rivers as wilderness, without the visual and spiritual obstructions of civilization. Even then I was bent toward wildness without yet being fully conscious of the need.

Whitesburg, GA-born Imogene Richards Frazier was also eight when she lived on a farm bordering the Chattahoochee. Unlike me, she wasn’t wishing for the wild, she was holding onto the back of her father’s bateau, a small flat-bottomed rowboat he used to fish the trotline he set across the river. A strong fishing line See RIVER RAMBLES page 25

station in life, people of deep faith, people of no faith, and every possible ethnic identity. It’s one of the great attractions of the job: the chance to meet an unforgettable array of citizens.

In recent years, it’s sometimes seemed to me that more people each election are getting involved because they’re angry: They’re motivated by something the Supreme Court did, or they believe the people in power are taking their towns or states or the US in the wrong direction. But then I remember that negative feelings have always been a strong motivator - after all, we have a United States because people rose up against policies imposed on them by the king and British politicians.

Over my time watching politics, I’ve met plenty of people who were motivated to get involved because something happened at some level of government that angered them.

At the same time, though, I’ve also See LEE HAMILTON page 25

Page 24 December 11, 2022

StarNews

COMMENTARY

www.starnewsgaonline.com

Finding joy this holiday season

PATRICK

YURAN

Headmaster OAK MOUNTAIN ACADEMY

As we head into the holidays, let us remember to find the joy in the season and celebrate the little moments with our loved ones.

Over the past few years, our traditional holiday celebrations have been different for a variety of reasons. For many years, we were

I like the idea of planning many small surprises throughout the season for those special people in our lives. Maybe texting an unexpected video message, delivering a “knock-and-drop” gift, or secretly putting a “magic message” card from an elf in a mailbox could help to celebrate your loved ones and friends throughout the holiday season.

Don’t most people truly love and appreciate a surprise? What a perfect way to connect with our family and friends who we do not see on a regular basis! We should not underestimate the power of an unexpected act of kindness and expression of love, as it may just be what our friend or loved one needs to help them find their joy during this season.

The Christmas Holiday is one of the most

magical times of the year – making connections with friends and family results in making memories – memories that become the “magic” of the season!

I encourage you to spend some time carefully considering how to combine some of your historical traditions with a few newer traditions, making this holiday season extra magical for your family. Be creative, involve your friends and family in finding and creating new traditions and experience the “magic” together!

It is my hope that we all find and experience joy in the magical season while celebrating those little moments with our loved ones and friends – making connections and making memories to last a lifetime.

presents are mounting around our Christmas trees. Well, to be honest, most of our presents are still hidden in closets, upstairs storage areas, and in extra bedrooms. You get my point and can relate; I’m sure you’re doing the same thing at your household!

Anyway, in the spirit of Christmas, I’d like for us to revisit an old story. One which you have surely heard before. In fact, I would dare say you have heard it a hundred times or more.

Yes, I want to talk about the Christmas story.

But my hope is that you hear the story in a little different light this time. Today, I want to show you how the story of Christmas is openly, and unapologetically a pro-life miracle! So, go with me and let’s travel back in time, some 2000+ years! The year is 1 B.C. . . .

Gabriel, an angel of the Lord, is sent from the

very presence of God to a small, rural town called Nazareth. There, he finds a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name is Mary.

Luke 1: 28-32 KJV: “And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed are thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with God And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shalt be great , and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David.

And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for-

ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end” So, here we have the scene. Mary is a young, unmarried, marginalized girl who is illprepared to be a mother. I can’t imagine the thoughts now going through her young mind: What would her parents think? Would they understand? Would they be supportive? And what about her fiancé? Would he believe her, or would he think she was unfaithful? Would he even stay with her?

She is scared. And let’s be honest, we would be asking the same questions today. When the troubles and “headwinds of life” slap us right in the face, we have internal dialog with ourselves with the “what ifs” on how to handle the situations we are now faced with.

There is a good chance the stigma of being See DUANE HACK page 27

that I never ever wanted to face. Occasionally, throughout our almost forty year marriage we would talk about the inevitable: death separating us. Reality hit home and the power of the word in my situation is about to be tested. This is not like having a cough that you take cough syrup for. The love of my life preceded me in death. Could I handle what I preached to so many in the pass? His grace being sufficient is the rubber meeting the road.

The Lord who is rich in mercy and loving kindness comforted me right through this devasting and heart wrenching time! Oh, I cried, I had sleepless nights, I screamed, I threw things, and ask God why, and then cried some more.

The Lord spoke to me one afternoon in a gentle voice. He said, baby girl I want you to

begin to track and document in a journal. I didn’t respond right away because even though I love writing, journaling was just like high school girl stuff to me. Needless to say, I surrendered to the tight grip of knowing everything, but knowing nothing. It literally changed the trajectory of my life forever. I knew his sheep hear his voice, but journaling showed me what the scripture means when it says, my sheep hear my voice (continually) I know them, and they follow me (John 10:27) Of course, mourning or grieving the loss of a loved one isn’t sin. Jesus wept when his cousin John the Baptist died. But, God challenged the way I was going about it. He said, if you continue in the way in which you are going you will come out bitter instead of better. Some

may ask, can one come out better after going through such affliction?! I am here to tell you absolutely!

God didn’t stand outside when Daniel was in the lion’s den or when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were in the fiery furnace. He led the procession. He didn’t leave me, not for one moment! Herb and I are very much alive, but in different dispensations for a time such as this. So I chose not to grieve as an unbeliever who has no hope (Thess.4:13) I have attached a few of my entries I documented in my book “Good Mourning.”

Glean, taste, and see just how magnificent our God can be! Enjoy, be refreshed and remember God gives us fresh, dynamic, new, living, See SHARON GAINES LEE page 27

car. The officer wasn’t about to get out into the downpour. Luckily, we were in the lane to its left, and were able to creep past the scene. The auto in trouble either suffered from a dead engine or driver; couldn’t tell, and for the 15 seconds it took to pass that pair of vehicles, I could only see that each had somebody in its driver’s seat and no passenger. This potentially tragic scene, in no way whatsoever, did it account for that total city-long traffic-clog.

Instead, it just felt like some-thing that made no difference.

Considering the traditionally wealthy neighborhoods, and the surrounding newer up-scale and chic developments that comprise the surroundings of this stretch of Peachtree, it felt like we were stuck in a swarm of high-income hard-working professionals, all of whom could be of so much more use to society, even making more money. Who, for an hour or two were made to behave like north-bound or

south-bound bananas, spending their money to breathe each other’s toxic fumes. Given the circumstances, I hope the reader can sympathize with such a frame of mind. After all, we’ve been living outside of Whitesburg, sort of in the woods, for fifty years.

The next morning, at 5 a.m., we did the trip in reverse, down Peachtree, from Pharr to Collier. The streets were wet and empty. We zipped to our destination. Then I zipped back to the motel to wait for a pick-up call, which came at about 8 a.m. Now, there was some traffic. It was brisk, rather refreshing driving.

Each car seemed to have the attitude, “I know exactly where I’’m going and don’t make me late!” This kind of driving was a pleasure and the situation felt far from mindless. But, in an hour or less, the Great Clog would develop and each driver would turn into a banana.

So, as a society, here we are, each day, stuck in the Daily Traffic Jam. The kind of jam in

accustomed to celebrating family traditions that historically played a big role in shaping our spirit and joy throughout the season. In more recent years, we were forced to change our family traditions, who we gathered with, and how we celebrated.

However, even among the many changes, choosing to find joy in this special season while also celebrating each moment is still attainable.

I have been encouraged to look for ways to celebrate the season by searching out new and different traditions this year. By combining some of our historical traditions with some of these newer traditions, we can shift the focus to celebrating those little moments with our loved ones, no matter if the tradition is old or new.

Aren’t you glad Mary was pro-life?

DUANE

HACK

West Georgia Right to Life PRESIDENT “The Heartbeat of Georgia” Duanehack46@gmail.com 470-370-2452

It’s starting to look a lot like Christmas in our West Georgia community! Christmas is finally upon us. Most of the leaves have fallen off the trees. The smell of wood burning in fireplaces; FEX, Amazon, UPS and USPS are driving through our highways and neighborhoods at speeds similar to those found at the Daytona 500! The lights are hung, the

Good “mourning”

SHARON

GAINES-LEE

My dear husband and best friend went home to be with the Lord on August 25, 2021. Herb had renal failure, but caught covid when he went into the hospital to have a port adjusted in which he received dialysis. This knocked the breath right out of me. I was shocked, but not shocked, stunned, numb, and perplexed at the same time. Suddenly, I’m faced with a reality

From Collier to Pharr. . . and back. . . and forth, or the seven levels of car control

BILL

BOURIS digi@mindspring.com It’s about two miles to go up Peachtree Street, from Collier Road to Pharr Road. We did it at several times of the day. The first time was at Going-Home Time, 5 p.m. It was raining and there was packed traffic, literally bumper-to-bumper in all lanes (often ten of them, counting access and turning lanes).

It took much more than a half-hour to make it to Pharr Road Along the way, we encountered one auto that was stuck, thankfully in the right-hand lane. Directly behind it was a police

which just about the entire working population (at least it feels that way) becomes helpless, no matter a person’s wealth, I.Q., or station in life.

Picturing it, as well as being in it, brought on a more philosophical frame of mind: Traffic jams that make the most productive among us into the least productive, for several hours, each day. And, one is helpless during that time.

Remember, on a bus or train, one can at least read, do a puzzle, meditate...Is there some kind of glitch in our social design?

More broadly, do all societies, from the bareessentials grass-huts to our modern algorithmicly-driven post-Industrial bee-hives, each have their own inescapable glitches? My guess is that the answer is “Yes”, and I’m going to leave it at that. Instead, let’s be a bit more upbeat.

I want to say that we are probably on-track to a “solution” to our Daily Traffic Jams. It See BILL BOURIS page 19

www.starnewsgaonline.com RIVER RAMBLES from page 23 secured on both banks, the trotline was strung with shorter lines hung with baited hooks two or three feet apart. Imogene’s daddy would leave the trotline in place for a couple of days, returning to gather the caught fish, his small daughter in tow.

“He’d stay to the right of the line to keep the bateau clear of the hooks,” she tells me. “I’d be hangin’ on and paddlin’ with my feet.”

At 97 years old now, Imogene is a member of the Friends of the Whitesburg Public Library. She has a cumulous cloud of milky hair, an ageless sparkle, and an enduring local drawl, pronouncing river as RUH-vah, thus distilling the cadence of the current in two saturated syllables. Widowed in her 50s, Imogene served as Whitesburg’s Postmaster - she corrects me when I use the title Postmistress D.A. KING from page 23 Last month I described the fact that Carroll County had sent me a completely unrelated document when I filed an open records request to see a sample of a contractor E-Verify affidavit. Later in the month, I received an email note from a county attorney, Ms. Stacey Blackmon, along with a different form she said was actually what the county was using. It was wrong as well. It was taken from a 2007 format and version of the law that has been changed four times since 2007. She said she has been using it since 2016.

Ms. Blackmon’s note and my reply can be read on the ImmigrationPolicitsGA.com website under “Article roundup - Carroll County government in violation of state laws on illegal immigration/public benefits.” My previous columns on this are also posted there for readers who want to catch up.

As I have written here before, I have filed a complaint against the BOC with Sheriff Langley and asked him to forward it to the

from 1979 into the 21st-century, a job she praises as a “great, great blessing.” Yet she can still taste the fish her father tossed into a bucket in that bateau. They would go into fish baskets waiting on the shore.

“There was channel cat and mudcat. I preferred channel cat. Oh, and bream.” Channel cat is a kind of catfish as is mudcat, also called flathead or shovelnose catfish. This was circa 1934, the depths of the Great Depression.

Eating fish from the river wasn’t questioned; it was necessity, not luxury.

Asked how she felt about the Chattahoochee then, she replies, “I never thought about it. I was happy to have it and eat catfish.” She mentions a time she wanted to go down to the RUH-vah and Roosevelt Robinson, an AfricanAmerican man who worked on their farm for 75 cents a day, came to bring her back. “I’m

GBI. I am told he sent it to the District Attorney Mr. Herb Cranford. We’ll see what happens.

While we wait, let’s all make a list of the laws we are allowed to violate without any consequences repeatedly and publicly.

I close by repeating my educated warning to voters from my previous columns on this topic: While the District Attorney for Carroll County may prosecute this case, there will be no meaningful change in the attitude of “business first” state officials on auditing compliance and enforcing the many illegal immigration related state laws unless and until voters raise their voices to their state legislators and the governor. The powerful anti-enforcement lobby under the Gold Dome has seen to that fact.

I have complied a long list of these laws that are ignored by Gov. Kemp. There is more of this coming.

D.A. King has assisted state lawmakers with related immigration legislation under the Gold Dome since 2005. This column went to press on November 29, 2022.

told I went kickin’ and screamin’,” she adds drily.

Today, Imogene lives in a modestly elegant house in Whitesburg and I am in this ramshackle cabin built on the riverbank some 15 years before Imogene was born. Her life went on to embrace family and honorable service to her community, while mine has grown more solitary in an unshakable pursuit of immersion in wildness. As a girl, Imogene wasn’t wistfully observing nature, she was just in it; she wasn’t reflecting on the river, she was living intimately with it.

An inclination for observation and reflection drove me deeper into urban landscapes as I strove as an adult to turn myself into a writer.

It wasn’t till I fled New York City in my 40s that I landed by a river. Two actually: the

LEE HAMILTON from page 23 met plenty of people who were motivated by idealism. I was one of them: I first ran for office because I wanted to make a contribution to my country. It was nothing fancier than that.

That is still true of many politicians.

Though as anyone who’s run for office knows, it is a bit more complicated than that.

For one thing, it takes money. It’s not like you’re handed a check by the government to run for elective office.

It’s been many decades since this happened, but I still remember that, when I decided to run for Congress in the early 1960s, I went to visit a community leader in a part of southern Indiana. At the end, he wished me luck and gave me a check for $100. It was a splendid moment. I later told him how crucial that had been- giving someone who had nothing to spend on a campaign some funds. His act of generosity gave me hope that I might be able to pull it off.

Then, too, I think many people who run for

StarNews

December 11, 2022 Page 25

Rondout Creek, which begins as a brook in the Catskill Mountains, ultimately flowing to the mighty Hudson; and the Little Beaverkill, a rushing tributary of the trout-filled Esopus, both in upstate New York.

For the past 20 years I’ve had the good fortune to live along the Chattahoochee. I name them all here out of gratitude, as author Kimmerer maintains.

If growing your spirit is a lifelong endeavor, these rivers surely reared mine, teaching me to enter wilderness with an awareness beyond thought, relying instead on the vividness of the senses, daily doses of beauty, and a wholehearted expansion of joy.

Like my good neighbor Imogene Frazier, I’m just happy to have the river, an unrequited appetite for catfish notwithstanding.

office—and certainly those who get elected— are driven by a search for power. From afar, you can see what holding elected office allows: the chance to change things. But once you’re in office, you come to recognize that progress is measured in inches: You might be able to get a new bridge or library built, but just as often, obstacles stand in the way that make it impossible.

Yet somehow, people keep running. In the end, I think it’s because they understand a simple thing: There’s no United States without democracy, no democracy without politics, and no politics without people willing to become politicians.

Lee Hamilton is a Senior Advisor for the Indiana University Center on Representative Government; a Distinguished Scholar at the IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies; and a Professor of Practice at the IU O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years.

DUGAN State Senator Mike Dugan Senate District 30 Republican mikedugan@senate.ga.gov

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year PAID FOR BY DUGAN FOR STATE SENATE

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Shirley F. 72, Alexander, Dawne “Tiff” F. Shedd, Alexander, age March 71,age Tiffanee Dawne “Tiff” Cook, Shirley Alexander, age 71, Cook, Tiffanee Dawne “Tiff” Cook, Master Danny Joe Edward Jones, Jr., Rickey Blaine Callan, age born 3,71, 1950,F.F.Tiffanee Linda Carolyn Redding Hamrick, age 81, born June Master Danny Joe Jones, Jr., Jerry Shedd, Scott age Master Danny Joe Jones, Jr., Jerry Master Scott age 53, JerryShirley Scott age 53, Shirley Alexander, age 71, Tiffanee Dawne “Tiff” Cook, Joseph Nowak, age 69, Shedd, born August 27,53,Jr., Danny Joe Jones, born November 27, 1947, died age 45, born October 12, 1973, born November 27, 1947, died age 45, born October 12, 1973, born November 27, 1947, died age 45, born October 12, 1973, age 2 months, born May 16, 2019, age 2 months, born May 16, 2019, died Monday, July 8, 2019 age 2 months, born May 16, 2019, died Monday, July 8, 2019 died November 29,July 20228, 2019 7, 1941, November 202245, born October 12, died Monday, born November 27,died 1947, died18,age 1973, age 2 20, months, 1953, died November 2022 born May 16, 2019, Sunday, 14, 2019age died Friday, 12, 2019 died Sunday, July 14,July 2019 died Friday, July 12,July 2019 Sunday, July 14, 2019 diedThursday, Friday, July 12,2019 2019 died July 4, 2019 David died July12, 4, died Thursday, July 4, 2019age David Ronald Simpson, Ronald Simpson, age David Ronald Sunday, July 14, 2019 Friday, July 2019 Margie Ruth (Adams)Simpson, Carter, age 73, born August Leroy Harbin, age 81, born August 20,Thursday, 1941, died died Thursday, July 4, 2019 Iris Dawn Robinson, age 82, December 5, 1939, age Dwight Bishop, Jr., age 62, James B. Dean, age 92, Dwight Bishop, Jr., age 62, James B. Dean, age 92, Dwight Bishop, Jr., age 62, James B. Dean, age 92, “Marjorie” Nell Lovvorn, age “Marjorie” Nell Lovvorn, age “Marjorie” Nell Lovvorn, 70, born July 21, 1948, died 70, born July 21, 1948, died July born July 21, 1948, died July Dwight Bishop, Jr., age 62, James B. Dean, age 92, “Marjorie” Nell Lovvorn,July age 3,70, 1949, died December 2, 2022 November 22, 2022 died November 26, born September 28, died 1956, died born September 02,died 1926, born died born September 28, 1956, died born September 02, 1926, died born September 28, 1956, born September 02,1956, 1926, died 86,August born August 3, 1932, died 86, born August August 3, 3, 1932, 1932, died died 86, born 3,02, 1932, died 09,2022 2019 09, 2019 09, 2019 born September 28, September 1926, died 86, born Lee Ann Miller Capps, age 66, born June 30, 1956, Janice Lee Honea, age 80, born January 20, 1942, Tuesday, July 9, 2019 Tuesday, July 9, 2019 Wednesday, July 3, 2019 Wednesday, July 3, 2019 Tuesday, July 9, 2019 Wednesday, July 3, 2019 Wednesday, July 10, 2019 Wednesday, July 10, 2019 Wednesday, July 10, 2019 Zellie Fred Sprewell, age 94, Zellie Fred Sprewell, age 94, Mollie Dean Skinner, age 70, born November 19, Zellie Fred Sprewell, age 94, Tuesday, July 9, 2019 Wednesday, July 3, 2019 Wednesday, July 10, 2019 Donald Brasseal “Don”Bonner, Bonner, Barry Dixon Bushon Dickerson, age “Don” BarryNovember Bushon Dickerson, age Donald Brasseal “Don” Barry Bushon Dickerson, age died November 27,Donald 2022 Andra Dixon McGill, age 76, died 15, 2022 Andra Dixon McGill, age 76, February Andra McGill, age 76,died born 28, 1925,age died76, born 28, 1925, died born February 28,Brasseal 1925,Bonner, diedBonner, 1952, December 2, February 2022 Donald Brasseal “Don” Barry Bushon Dickerson, age Andra Dixon McGill, age 76, born June 05, 1943, died 68, born September 7, 1950, died age 76, born June 05, 1943, died 68, born September 7, 1950, died age 76, born June 05, 1943, died 68, born September 7, 1950, died born October 18, 1941, died born October 18, 1941, died born October 18, 1941, died Saturday, July 27, 2019 Saturday, July 27, 2019 Karen Lynnette born76, June 5, June Michele 56,born born June 17, 1966,7, 1950, Saturday, July Davis-Crump, 27, 2019 age 67,age born 05, Karin 1943,Howe, died age 68, September died born October 18,April 1941, died James Thomas Taylor, age 89, born 21, 1933, Wednesday, July 10,19, 2019 Friday,Wednesday, JulyJuly 19,17, 2019 Wednesday, 10, 2019 Friday, 2019 Wednesday, July 10,July 2019 Friday, July 19,July 2019 Wednesday, July 17,2019 2019 July 17, 2019 Wednesday, 2019 Daniel Walker, Lance Walker, age 40, Daniel Lance age 40, Lance Walker, age 40, Wednesday, July 10, 2019 July 19, 2019 1955,Daniel died November 30, 2022 died November 24, 2022 Friday, Wednesday, July 17, diedage November 29, 2022 John D. Bobbie Brown, Jr.,Dodderer, age 53,age 84, Bobbie Jean Dodderer, age 84, D. Brown, 53, Jean John D.John Brown, Jr., ageJr., 53,age Bobbie Jean Dodderer, age53, 84, Eugene Parker Mullis, Jr., age Eugene Parker Jr., Mullis, Jr., age September Eugene Parker Mullis, born September 18, 1978,Jr., died born 18, 1978, died born September 18, 1978, died John D. Brown, Jr., age Bobbie Jean Dodderer, age 84, Eugene Parker Mullis, age Patricia Briggs Dean, age 69, born March 21, 1953, George Edward Hurst, age 88, born October 5, born August 18, 1965, died July born July 9, 1935, died Monday, Jack Benson Whitaker, age 85, born February 19, born August 18, 1965, died July born July 9, 1935, died Monday, born August 18, 1965, died July born July 9, 1935, died Monday, 70, born December 31, 1948, died 70, born December 31, 1948, died 70, born December 31, 1948, died Sunday, July 21, 2019 Sunday, July 21, 2019 Sunday, July 21, 2019 born August 18, 1965, died July born July 9, 1935, died Monday, 70, born December 31, 1948, died died November 19, 2019 2022 1934, 22, July 2019 July 22, 2019 22, 22, died 2019November 21, 2022 22, 2019 22,July 2019 Monday, JulyHarold 8, 2019 July 8, 2019 Monday, July 8, 2019 Deborah AnnWhite, West, Deborah “Debbie” West, 1937, died November 24, 2022 Bruce Deborah “Debbie” Ann West, 22, 2019 July 22,Monday, 2019 Monday, July“Debbie” 8,Ann 2019 Marie Elizabeth Phillips Bryce, Anna Marsella Fazio, age Marie Elizabeth Phillips Bryce, Anna Marsella Fazio, age Marie Elizabeth Phillips Bryce, Anna Marsella Fazio, age Randy Lee Nichols, age 66, Myra Edna Callaway Folsom, Jeffrey Richard Miller, age 58, born May 15, 1964, Randy Lee Nichols, age 66, Randy Lee Nichols, age 66, age 58, died July 22, 2019 age 58, died July 22, 2019 age 58, died July 22, 2019age 86, died age 74, born July 16, 1948, died November 22, 2022 66, Marie Elizabeth Phillips Bryce, Anna Marsella Fazio, age Randy Lee Nichols, age age 89,born born September 14, 1929, 85, June born on Jan 1, 1934, died age 89, born September 14, 1929, 85, born on Jan 1, 1934, died age30, 89,2022 born September 14, 1929, 85, on Jan 1, 1934, died born June 24, 1953, died Friday, born June 24, 1953, died Friday, born 24, 1953, died Friday, Wallace Allen Worthan, age Wallace Allen Worthan, age November died November 23, 2022 Wallace Allen Worthan, age age 89, born September 14, 1929, 85, born on Jan 1, 1934, died June 24,born 1953, died Ronald Alanborn Wilson, age 71, January 26,Friday, diedMonday, Saturday, July 20,8,2019 Monday, July 8, 2019 died Saturday, July 20, died 2019 Monday, July 2019 died Monday, Saturday, July 2019 JulyJuly 8, 2019 July 26, Monday, 2019 July 26, 8, 2019 July 26, 2019 56, died 15, 2019 56, died Monday, July 15,July 2019 56, died July20, 15, 2019 Saturday, 20, 2019 Monday, July 2019 1951, died Franklin Madison Franklin, age 66, born December Luther Leonard Moody, Jr., 78, born March 20, July 26, 2019 November 30, 2022 Earl Wayne Carden, age 80, Harris Nell Griffin Jennings, Earl Wayne Harris Nell Griffin Jennings, Earl Wayne Carden,Carden, age 55, 80,age Harris NellCarden, Griffin Jennings, Ara Bell D. Sanders, age 79, Bell D. Sanders, Ara BellAra D. Sanders, age 79,age 79, Carol Judith 55,79, Carol Judith Chapman, age 55,age Carol Chapman, age Earl80, Wayne age 80, Harris Nell Griffin Jennings, Ara Bell D. Chapman, Sanders, age 9, 1955, diedJudith November 19, 2022 1944, died November 17, 2022 born October 29, 1938, died age 83, died Tuesday, July 2, born October 29, 1938, died age 83, died Tuesday, July 2, born October 29, 1938, died born August 06, 1939, died July age 83, died Tuesday, July 2, born August 06, 1939, died July born August 06, 1939, died July born June 24, 1964, died Sunday, 1964, died born June 24, 1964, died Sunday, October 29, 1938, died age 83, died Tuesday, July born 2, June born24, August 06, Sunday, 1939, died July Anna Florence Morgan Hatfield, ageborn 81, born Barbara age 24, 89, 2019 born Friday, June 28, 2019McGinnis Newman, 2019 Friday, June 28, 2019 2019 24, 2019 Friday, June 28, 2019 2019 24, 2019 July 7, 2019 July 7,24, 2019 July 7, 2019 Friday, June 28, 2019 2019 2019 March 13, 1941, died November 16, 2022 September 15, 1933, died December 3, 2022

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CARROLL COUNTY, GEORGIA’s ONLY LOCALLY OWNED / LOCALLY OPERATED NEWSPAPER

NEWS REPORTING / NEWS RECAP / NEWS ANALYSIS

monthly traditional print publication

APRIL 11, 2021 • VOLUME 27 NUMBER 4

by Janice Daniel The Carroll County Mental Health Advocates will be hosting their 2nd annual community event “Miles for Mental Health - Running Over the Hurdles Together” 5K and 1-mile Fun Run on Saturday, May 15th, 2021, at the Greenbelt at Hobbs Farm, 1147 Rome Street, Carrollton, Georgia.

Registration begins at 2:00 pm, Fun Run begins at 3:00 pm, and 5K Run begins at 4:00 pm. Proceeds will benefit the Carroll County Mental Health Advocate programs. Additional information can be obtained at the Carroll County Mental Health Advocates office at 306A Bradley Street, Carrollton, Georgia 30117, phone 770830-2048.

The story of the CCMHA is one of true commitment to their mission. In 2008, then Carroll County Probate Court Judge, Betty Cason (now Mayor of Carrollton) brought together a group of concerned citizens for a con-

Dr. Julie Post will begin job April 16th from press release Dr. Julie Post, Vice President of Student Affairs at Gwinnett Technical College, has been selected at the next president of West Georgia Technical College (WGTC), as announced by Technical College System of Georgia Commissioner Greg Dozier. She will begin her duties at West Georgia Tech April 16, 2021. Pat Hannon has been interim president of West Georgia Tech since Dr. Scott Rule retired as President December 31, 2020.

See WGTC NEW PRESIDENT page 8

daily local news

www.starnewsgaonline.com

Governor removes mask mandate, eliminates ban on large gatherings, reduces social distancing to 42 inches in some cases, moves mask wearing decision to the local levels Effective for time frame of April 1st through April 30th

eliminated (but “strongly encouraged” by the

by Sue Horn On Thursday, April 1, 2021, Governor Brian governor) and replaced with a Local Option Face Kemp signed three executive orders, of which Covering Requirement (LOFCR) giving a city, one (temporarily) eliminates the year long CoVid county, or other government entity the authority large gatherings ban and any remaining to continue to impose the requirement of wearing sheltering-in-place for the time period April 8th a mask “when not able to maintain Social though April 30th. And although the mask wear- Distancing from non-cohabitating persons”.

Social distancing has been reduced from 6 feet ing requirement has been (temporarily) eliminated at the state level, it was moved to a local to 3.5 feet (42 inches) of separation between level decision. Specifically, for the time period seating/parties at restaurants, bars, and movie April 1-30, 2021, the mask mandate has been See LOCAL OPTION FACE COVERING page 5

Gentry BeckyBecky Gentry

STARNEWSAparticipated scant 0.039% of Carroll County voters Travel Agent Travel Agent in SPLOST Referendum

P.O. BOX 680 Carrollton, Ga 30112

Name Address

Becky Gentry Gentry Becky Travel Agent Travel Agent

•Granite •Marble •Bronze •Statues •Mausoleums •Private Estates •Civic Memorials 404-291-1187

404-291-1187 404-291-1187 404-291-1187

by Sue Horn The March 16, 2021 Carroll County SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) passed by an 81% margin with only 3,368 citizens participating. Of those,

85,888

Number of Carroll County citizens voted in the Nov. 2020 Election

b.gentry@magicalvacationplanner.com Hulsey Monument Company County commission approves b.gentry@magicalvacationplanner.com b.gentry@magicalvacationplanner.com b.gentry@magicalvacationplanner.com amendment increasing spending by $191,433 to match extra revenue See 0.039% VOTED page 19

3,368

Number of Carroll County citizens who voted in the March 2021 SPLOST Referendum

See FUNDRAISER page 7

Georgia Labor Department issued more in unemployment payments in last 12 months than prior 82 years

by Sue Horn At the 3:00 p.m. Thursday, April 1, 2021 Special Called Meeting of the Carroll County Board of Commissioners, an amendment was passed 6-0 (one commissioner was

Zip

1911-2019: $20.024 Billion paid 2020 alone: $20.218 Billion paid

from press release The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) recently surpassed a major milestone in the organization paying claimants more in the past 12 months than in all of the combined years that GDOL has been in existence.

Georgians have received $20.218 billion in unemployment insurance (UI) See $20.218 BILLION page 27

$20

$10 Senior Citizen

Life going forward, and out of the pandemic As pandemic restrictions have eased (3.5 feet now for some social distancing/mask use encouraged but not mandated), civic clubs are returning to more normal functioning, including the Carrollton Kiwanis Club who recently hosted Carroll County’s fire chief Tim Padgett. See story page 6. Photo by Sue Horn

absent) to increase the budget by $191,433 to match increased revenues. Three categories received the bulk of the cash: $53,000 has been assigned to increased “salaries”; See $191,433 page 11

CoVID-19 statistics for Georgia and Carroll County one year: March 23, 2020- April 5, 2021 GEORGIA

As of APRIL 5, 2021: 856,340 total confirmed cases 16,749 total deaths Estimated state population: 10.6M

CARROLL COUNTY

As of APRIL 5, 2021: 7,271 total confirmed cases 129 total deaths Estimated county population: 122,000

Death total represents Death total represents 0.00158% of population 0.001% of population Source: Georgia Department of Public Health dph.georgia.gov/covid-19

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DUANE HACK from page 24 pregnant out of wedlock would follow Mary her entire life. And in the ancient Middle East, that is no small stigma! If Mary chooses to have this baby, there is a very real chance she will lose her family, her friends, her community, and the man she loves. Kissing her child will mean kissing the future she has dreamed of goodbye. And what kind of future could that child have anyway? Surely, not an easy one. She could not afford to give him a good life. And no doubt, the scandal of all this would plague him through adulthood.

What decision will Mary choose to do? Luke 1: 38: “And Mary said, behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.”

And miraculously, in what can only be described as the most unplanned pregnancy in history, Mary chooses life for her baby, our

Lord and Savior Christ Jesus.

It is hard to miss the overtly pro-life message here. While some of the details are certainly unique, Mary’s situation is not unfamiliar.

Every day in America and across the world, thousands of young women wrestle with the same fears and doubts, trying to work through a million questions in their head, all in an attempt to answer that one same question: “Should I move forward and have this baby?”

Mary had every reason in the world not to carry Jesus full term and through delivery. But she does. And little does she realize the impact this one single choice will have on all humanity and for generations to come. She chooses life - and this life is “the way, the truth and the life, the Savior of the world”.

Obviously, this is in one sense unique.

But in another sense, it is not. The glory of parenthood is that our children have the

SHARON GAINES LEE from page 24 life changing mercies every morning!

My Open Journal (Day 1) 9/2/2021 Oh death, where is your sting?

Early on, I felt the impact of the pain and the poisoning of the venom that tried to invade my body, soul, and mind! Suddenly, I’m faced with something that I saw coming but didn’t want to face! Who does? Even though death is inevitable for every person who resides on the planet earth, accepting and embracing its call is non-the-less hard.

My constant source of peace is the fact that “my love” Herb, resides in the presence of the living God, we served for a small portion of our lives separate, and the meat of our lives personally and collectively. God even the journey you so graciously and tenderly orchestrated. You comfort me when my emotions want to get lost in the valley of “WHY”! You gently pull me up and out reminding me that his death is not like the

death of an unbeliever. He’s very much alive but simply in a different dimension. The place of no friction, no pain, no conflict, no questions…

Herb’s race was stamped with success and completion! Lord, you and I know that this journey for me is far from over. One thing I do know for sure is that what the enemy tried to uproot and destroy will work against him.

Death your stinger pricked my skin, but it didn’t penetrate into my blood. The place where my nourishment and strength comes from. I am convinced that he who began this good work will complete it.

Sorrow may last for a night, but your joy will surely breakthrough in the morning sayeth the Lord. You allow me to have as much of you as I want, at the pace I’m willing to run or walk.

Each morning is different and personal! I’m not completely there yet but I will be. I got some spoil to retrieve for sure!

www.starnewsgaonline.com StarNews December 11, 2022 Page 27 potential to surpass us. Just as Mary did not risk to his way of life. His name is King Herod, realize how her child would grow up to change and his solution to the problem is simple: Kill the world forever, no mother truly knows the him. Through God’s providential direction, impact that her child will Herod is unsuccessful.

For Joseph, this baby means And this is in large part have. They may be the a significant life change. . . next Mozart, Einstein, due to another character, president of the United Many men today face this same one to whom Jesus poses States, or the next a similar problem: dilemma. . . When faced with physician who will Joseph, Christ’s earthly the opportunity to take develop a cure for Father! responsibility, they instead cancer. And even if that For Joseph, this baby pressure the mother child does not change the means a significant life world for everyone, they change. If he chooses to into forfeiting the life of their will undoubtedly change support Mary and her child. Herod used soldiers; the world and have an baby, everything will be they use doctors. impact on someone. And different. Many men that someone can be a “generational game- today face this same dilemma. And sadly, changer” that has long term effects for years to many take the route of Herod. When faced follow! What an honor and opportunity, to be with the opportunity to take responsibility, they part of that! instead pressure the mother into forfeiting the Of course, Mary had some idea that her baby life of their child. Herod used soldiers; they use was special. But she was not the only one. doctors.

Shepherds, prompted by a host of angels, But, not Joseph. Even though the baby is not visited Jesus the very night of his birth. And his biologically, he takes responsibility for him. wise men, astrologers from the East guided by Even though the culture says he has every right a star, traveled hundreds of miles to pay him to walk away, he stands by Mary. Not joining homage. Though he was just an infant born to a in with the selfish ambition of Herod, Joseph poor couple from a backwater town, seemingly gives us an image of manhood worth striving insignificant in every obvious way, they all towards. recognized in him extraordinary value and Joseph is a reminder that real men honor worth. women and defend children.

That, in essence, is the anthem of the pro-life So, regardless of who you identify with most movement: We recognize that every person, no in this Christmas narrative, remember that this matter how seemingly insignificant, is of value season is not just about colorful lights, warm and worth, from conception to natural death. cocoa on a cold night, burning wood in the This is the new battle cry for the Pro-Life fireplace, presents around a tree or times or Movement I have been writing about for over a fellowship with family and friends. Nor is it year now: proclaiming personhood for the about yule logs, Christmas carols, or mistletoe. unborn and the aged!

Christmas, at its core, is about the This is a principle not shared by every celebration of life. Blessings to all and Merry member of this story. There is one character Christmas from West Georgia Right to Life. who does not recognize the value and worth of “Being a voice for those who have no voice, this newborn king. To him, this child poses a the preborn and the aged.”

Matt Brass

Matt Brass

State Senator

“Solid conservative common sense policies to ensure Coweta, Heard, Fulton and Douglas counties prosper”

May your hearts and home be filled with all the joys the season brings.

Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

MATT.BRASS@SENATE.GA.GOV

StarNews www.starnewsgaonline.com Carroll County Department of Public Health

Page 28 December 11, 2022

To view complete inspection details:dph.georgia.gov/environmental-health

restaurant health inspections scores 11/15/2022: Burger King 906 South Park Street Carrollton 100 previous 99 100 previous 95 11/01/2022: Jones BBQ 1081 Hwy 78 West Temple 100 previous 91 11/23/2022: Subway/Dunkin Donuts 95 Liberty Road Villa Rica 100 previous NA 11/10/2022: La Estacion 1018 Main Street Whitesburg 11/04/2022: Chick-fil-A 89 Hwy 27 Bypass Bremen 99 previous 100 11/28/2022: Sprinkles 312 Newnan Street Carrollton 99 previous 95 11/02/2022: Jammin Cafe 4921 Carrollton Villa Rica Hwy Villa Rica 99 previous NA 11/02/2022: Bella Coffee 206 Adamson Square Carrollton 99 previous NA 11/30/2022: Rosie’s Cafe 819 Bankhead Hwy Carrollton 98 previous 98 11/22/2022: McDonald’s 1303 Maple Street Carrollton 98 previous 96 11/04/2022: GC Feathers 883 W Bankhead Hwy Villa Rica 98 previous 95 11/03/2022: U Know It Catering 1633 Bankhead Hwy Carrollton 97 previous 91 11/30/2022: Popeye’s 100 Hickory Level Road Villa Rica 96 previous 100 11/17/2022: Smokin Pig 409 West College Street Bowdon 96 previous 100 11/28/2022: Big Chic 910C South Park Street Carrollton 96 previous 95 11/22/2022: Dairy Queen 300 South Park Street Carrollton 96 previous 92 11/17/2022: O’Berry’s Pies 208 East College Street Bowdon 95 previous 98 11/08/2022: Los Cowboys 113 Main Street Villa Rica 95 previous 95 11/16/2022: KidsPeace 101 Kids Peace Drive Bowdon 95 previous 95 11/17/2022: Osaka Japanese 808 Maple Street Carrollton 95 previous 95 11/28/2022: Angels in Kitchen 814 W Bankhead Hwy Villa Rica 94 previous 96 11/28/2022: Pine Knoll Nursing 156 Pine Knoll Drive Carrollton 94 previous 90 11/02/2022: Watering Hole 123 Tri-County Plaza Villa Rica 94 previous 83 11/07/2022: Fairfield Clubhouse 7500 Monticello Drive Villa Rica 94 previous 80 11/21/2022: El Mezcal Mexican 108 City Hall Avenue Bowdon 94 previous 74 11/03/2022: Olive Tree 150 Stone Street Villa Rica 93 previous 90 10/04/2022: Kentucky Fried Chicken 155 Hwy 27 N Bremen 92 previous 92 11/16/2022: Pita Mediterranean 1435 Hwy 27 Carrollton 92 previous 91 11/28/2022: McDonald’s 1101 South Park Street Carrollton 92 previous 83 11/28/2022: New Evergreen 1004 Bankhead Hwy Carrollton 91 previous 94 11/21/2022: McDonald’s 1116 North Park Street Carrollton 91 previous 85 11/08/2022: AMVETS 99 816 Old Bremen Road Carrollton 90 previous 98

End of the Year Moore’s Discount Storewide Markdowns!!!

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11/16/2022: Krystal 130 Hwy 61 Connector Villa Rica 90 previous 95 11/02/2022: Winggers 4720 East Hwy 166 Carrollton 90 previous 92 11/02/2022: Moe’s 700 Hwy 61 Connector Villa Rica 90 previous 90 11/03/2022: LocoMex 412 Adamson Squre Carrollton 90 previous 90 11/01/2022: McDonald’s 593 Carrollton Street Temple 88 previous 91 11/14/2022: El Ranchito 606 Carrollton Villa Rica Hwy Villa Rica 87 previous 93 11/04/2022: Trading Post 664 West Bankhead Hwy Villa Rica 86 previous 94 11/16/2022: Southern Lady 112 Shirley Street Bowdon 76 previous 86 Violations: Observed many foods in walk-in freezer uncovered allowing potential corss contramination. Observed many TCS foods in front line service buffet unit holding temperatures below 135F observed pork chops at 112F, 121 fried okra 895F baked beans 120F. All food for hot holding must hbe held at 135F or above.

Observed healing ointment treatment stored next to food in sheld above prep top table. Observed multiple boxes of foods in main kitchen stored directly on floor.

11/30/2022: Dockside Marina Restaurant 10234 Lakeview PKWY Villa Rica 70 previous 99 Violations: Observed raw chicken breast stored on top of raw fish. Observed old food debris present on clean knives stored on magnetic strip. Observed dish washing machine not dispensing correct amount of sanitizer. Observed prep top cooler next oven holding temps above 41F with ham at 45F, mushrooms 45F, pineapple 47F and feta cheese 47F. All TCS foods stored for cold holding must be held at 41F or below. Observed split gasket and many gaskets with heavy food debris accumulation in reach in cooler.

tourist accomodation inspections scores

11/14/2022: Holiday Inn Express 100 Cooley Way Villa Rica 11/10/2022: Courtyard by Mariott 180 Barnes Avenue Carrollton 11/14/2022: Holiday Inn Express 1545 Hwy 27 South Carrollton 11/16/2022: Best Western Plus 104 S Cottage Hill Rd Carrollton 11/14/2022: Hampton Inn 102 S Cottage Hill Rd Carrollton 11/15/2022: Holiday Inn Express 125 Hwy 27 Bypass Bremen 11/17/2022: Quality Inn 128 Hwy 61 Connector Villa Rica 11/18/2022: Quality Inn 1077 Alabama Avenue Bremen 11/09/2022: Comfort Inn 132 Hwy 61 Connector Villa Rica 11/15/2022: Motel 6 35 Price Creek Road Bremen 11/16/2022: Econolodge 124 Hwy 61 Connector Villa Rica 11/17/2022: Hometown Lodge 120 Hwy 61 Connector Villa Rica 11/15/2022: Hampton Inn 28 Price Creek Road Bremen 11/22/2022: Western Inn 180 Centennial Road Carrollton 11/15/2022: Microtel Inn 104 Price Creek Road Bremen 11/21/2022: Super 8 Motel 881 South Park Street Carrollton

98 97 96 95 94 94 94 93 91 91 91 88 88 87 86 85

previous 99 previous 93 previous 99 previous 92 previous 95 previous 92 previous 90 previous 99 previous 93 previous 95 previous 90 previous 86 previous 94 previous 85 previous 90 previous 90

Smith Brothers

10 City Hall Avenue, Carrollton, GA

(770) 832-6341 Hours: Mon. - Fri. 7:30am - 5:30pm • Sat. 8:00am - 12pm

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Advice can help when making charitable gifts

FRED

O’NEAL

FINANCIAL ADVISOR

Now that it’s the holiday season, gifts are probably on your mind – and you might intend for some of those gifts to go to charities. Although your intentions are good, you could be shortchanging both your recipients and yourself with your method of giving. But with some guidance, you can make choices that work well for you and those charitable groups you support.

Of course, you could simply give money to these groups. However, by donating other types of assets, can you increase the value of your gift and gain greater tax benefits, too?

It’s certainly possible, but your ability to gain any tax advantages depends somewhat on whether or not you can itemize deductions on your tax return. Due to legislation passed a

few years ago that significantly increased the standard deduction, many people may no longer be itemizing. But if you still itemize, you can generally deduct up to 60% of your adjusted gross income for cash donations to IRS-qualified charities.

Another contribution strategy involves donating other assets, such as stocks. You could donate stocks directly to a charitable group, but you might gain more benefits by making an irrevocable contribution to a donor-advised fund (DAF). Again, assuming you can itemize, you can deduct the full fairmarket value of the asset, up to 30 percent of your adjusted gross income, and your contributions can be invested in mutual funds or similar vehicles. The contributions have the opportunity for growth, and distributions to the charity are tax-free. You can then decide, on your own timetable, which IRS-qualified charitable groups you would like to receive the money. Furthermore, if you donate stocks that have risen in value, you won’t incur potential capital gains taxes that you would

Carroll County marriage licenses

have when you eventually sold the stocks.

These taxes can be considerable, especially if you’ve held the stocks for a long time. (You’ll want to consult with your tax advisor on how charitable gifts can affect your taxes, especially if you’re thinking of using a donoradvised fund.)

These charitable donation methods are not secrets, and they are available to many people – you don’t have to be wealthy to employ them. Yet, here’s an interesting statistic: Those who work with a financial advisor on charitable strategies are more than three times as likely to donate non-cash assets such as stocks than those who contribute to charities but don’t work with an advisor, according to an August 2022 survey from financial services firm Edward Jones and Morning Consult, a global data intelligence company. These findings suggest that many more people could be taking advantage of taxsmart charitable giving moves – if only they had some help or guidance.

Also, by getting some professional financial

NOVEMBER 1-30, 2022

StarNews

December 11, 2022 Page 29

assistance, you may find it easier to implement your charitable giving decisions within your overall financial strategy, which is designed to help you meet all your important long-term goals, such as achieving a comfortable retirement.

Your instinct to help support charitable groups is a worthy one – and by getting some help, you can turn this impulse into actions that may work to everyone’s benefit.

Fred O’Neal, financial advisor, 410 College Street, Carrollton, GA 770-832-2141

Carroll County pistol permits

Number of Weapons Carry Permits applied for: NOV. 1-30, 2022: 132

Concerning Weapons Carry Permits: On April 12, 2022, Governor Brian Kemp signed into law the Georgia Constitutional Carry Senate Bill 319 and the License Reciprocity Measure House Bill 218 which now allows a lawful weapons carrier to carry a concealed weapon without a gun permit requirement. A background check is still required in order to purchase weapon and the applicant must pass the background check - but a permit to carry is now longer required.

Georgia is one of 24 states that now has CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY which follows the intent of the Second Amendment of the Constitution allowing the right to bear arms.

Carroll County births NOVEMBER 1-30, 2022: Tanner Medical Center, Carrollton: Girls: 66 Boys: 50 Tanner Medical Center, Villa Rica:� Girls: 33 Boys: 38

Carroll County cattle receipts Carroll County Sales Barn 225 Sales Barn Road, Carrollton November 28, 2022: 862 November 21, 2022: CLOSED November 14, 2022: 656 November 7, 2022: 857

Carroll County jail population Total population as of DECEMBER 2, 2022: 441 Males: 373 Females: 68

(The Jack T. Bell Detention Center, 1000 Newnan Road, Carrollton)

Carroll County prison population Total population as of DECEMBER 2, 2022: 239 Capacity: 246 Males: 100%

The Carroll County Correctional Institute is a separate entity from the Carroll County Jail (which houses males and females on a temporary basis)

Carroll County general stats Carroll County General Statistics 2020 U.S. Census population: 119,148 Employed Population: 53,011 2022 Feb. Employed Population: 57,772 2022 Oct. Employed Population: 57,582 Median Age: 34.8 years old Poverty Rate: 17.3% Median Household Income: $53,737 Median Property Value: $139,900

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www.starnewsgaonline.com NEW DIRECTOR from front page (CFWG), with responsibility for administering the organization’s extensive grant funding efforts and securing support for its activities.

Previously, Cox had worked at the Rapha Clinic of West Georgia.

Kim Jones, president of CFWG said, “Speaking on Dr. Joseph Cox behalf of the Community Foundation, we will certainly miss

WARNOCK WINS from front page the official numbers being posted on the Georgia Secretary of States’ website as the 2711 statewide precincts reported in their results.

Around 11:00 p.m., the S e c r e t a r y ’s website website showed Incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock as the clear Warnock winner.

Georgia voters showed up in record strong numbers during each day of Early Voting during the final week before for the runoff.

As of Saturday morning, Dec. 3rd, 1,712,651 (1.7 million) Georgia voters had cast ballots Walker during Early Voting.

Friday, December 2nd’s total of 352,953 broke the previous one-day record for Early Voting in the 2016 Presidential Election, where 252,715 voters cast their ballots.

Monday and Tuesday both showed totals above 300K ballots cast, with the lowest total of 286K voters going to the polls on Wednesday. Thursday’s total of 298K nearly broke the 300K mark.

In-person turnout throughout the week reached 1,712,651 with total turnout reaching 1,852,593 including Absentee and Military voters.

The final tally of voters for the Senate Runoff was 3,518,244, a close split - a 90,134 gap - between Democrat votes at 1,804,189 and Republican votes at 1,714,055.

“Georgia has struck the perfect balance between accessibility and security,” said Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. “These historic turnout levels emphasize that any lawful voter who wants to cast a ballot can do so easily.

“Turnout and voter participation was excellent. Our elections division will work with county election directors to expand early voting opportunities in the future.”

In Carroll County, 39,541 voters participated in the December 6th Senate Runoff race, 2879 fewer (42,420) than had participated in the November 8th three-party Senate race.

In Carroll County, candidate Walker received 27,556 votes for a 69.69% share; Warnock received 11,985 votes for a 30.31% share.

Carroll County has 28 precincts.

Joseph. However, we are excited that our community will still benefit from his many talents and experience by positively impacting the lives of children in his new role at KidsPeace.”

Dr. Cox earned his doctorate in Ministry and Organizational Leadership from Beacon University in Columbus, GA. In addition, he holds a bachelor’s degree from Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL, and a Master of Science in Education degree from Nova University in Fort Lauderdale.

For 140 years, KidsPeace has had the goal of helping people connect, transform and overcome their challenges to ensure a stable future, transition to adulthood and gain independence. Since its doors opened, nearly 300,000 children have participated in one of the multitude of programs KidsPeace offers. www.kidspeace.org

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December 11, 2022 Page 31

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