Former Carroll County Mental Health Advocates (CCMHA) director receives long probation for felony crimes of
160+ thefts of CCMHA funds
Jodie Goodman, age 43, pled guilty and received sentencing Tuesday, June 18, 2024 for “misappropriating funds” from the Carroll County Mental Health Advocates (CCMHA) over a two year period that included at least 160 individual thefts using the CCMHA’s debit card. Goodman received probation of 30 years for two felony theft counts and must pay $21,000 in restitution.
The investigation by the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office began in January that uncovered repeated usage of the card for items not used by CCMHA such as softball uniform, electrical con-
tractor items, THC gummies, and a hotel rental in Savannah.
According to the sheriff’s incident report, Goodman “blamed the issues on a mental health crisis” while her husband Taff Goodman “suggested that all the issues were due to her mental health status and addiction to sex.”
The investigation continues for other(s) possibly involved in more thefts.
Shown above is the Carroll County Cattlemen’s board of directors who gathered at the recent steak dinner and informational program Thursday evening, June 20th at the Ag-Ed building, Carrollton. Left to right: Kim Hagen, vice president; Randy Coggins; Gary Castleberry, treasurer; Vinny Spitzer; Eric Brown; Angie Stober; Neil Hendrix, president; Lauren Holland, West Georgia Cattlewomen’s president; and Paula Burke, secretary. (Not shown are board members Josh Hollingsworth and Preston Hendrix.) The Cattlemen meet on the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m., Ag building, 900 Newnan Road, Carrollton.
story by Wayne J. Reynolds
On September 9, 2021, Austin Walters, age 30, of Lowndes County, purchased Xanax from the street, unaware that it was laced with Fentanyl. Austin died almost immediately after ingesting. His mother, Beth Walters, explained to WXIA 11Alive News that her son had struggled with anxiety, depression, and the stigma that surrounds mental illness. She said this eventually led him to buy Xanax off the street to help ease his overwhelming anxiety.
County commission adopts new budget at a 9.13% increase
story by Janice Daniel
During Carroll County Board of Commissioners work session, May 30, 2024 at 4:00 p.m., and regular monthly meeting, June 4, 2024 at 6:00 p.m., the public was informed that while most Georgia counties prefer to keep cash on hand to operate three to six months, Carroll County has surplus tax dollars to the amount it can operate up to nine months even if all sources of revenue ceased.
Following is a comparision of its FY2023/24 Budget to the FY2024/25 Budget which has now been adopted by the board.
Previous General Budget July 1, 2023June 30, 2024: Total Revenues and Expenditures: $73,227,341 ($73.22M).
Current, newly adopted General Budget for FY2024-2025 which began July 1st was adopted as follows: Total Revenues and Expenditures budgeted and expected are $79,913,344 ($79.91M) for 9.13% increase
See COMMISSION BUDGET
$79.9M page 11
Walters and her husband Gus expressed their belief that they had everything they would need to hold someone accountable for selling these illegal pills to Austin, including a Venmo transaction and an address. But a detective informed them the evidence was enough for only a misdemeanor charge because of how the law is written. This sparked the idea of how the parents could honor their child.
“I can’t change what the law was when
New “West Georgia Judicial Circuit” to be composed of Carroll and Heard County Senate Bill 424 created the long awaited split of current 5 county Coweta Judicial Circuit: takes effect January 2025 SB 424 was proposed by Senators Matt Brass of 28th and Randy Robertson of 29th see SB 424 details page 17
Notice of property assessments have been mailed: 45 days from June 20th to
appeal
public notice from the Carroll County Board of Tax Assessors Under Georgia law, each Georgia county’s Board of Tax Assessors is required to issue annually an “Annual Notice of Assessment” to the owner of every parcel of taxable real property located within that county. Most taxpayers are familiar with these notices, which containa the valuation of that taxpayer’s property for tax year 2024 (for example, the valuation “as of” January 1, 2024), and based upon that
See TAXASSESSORS page 13
Carroll County Cattlemen’s Association Board
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story by Wayne J. Reynolds
Merriam-Websters defines a gratuity - a “tip” - as payment given voluntarily or beyond obligation, and usually for a service. Voluntarily is the key word. On June 15th, this reporter noticed a Facebook post by local Carroll County resident Gerald Johnson describing having a meal at Rosie’s Cafe in Carrollton where a 20% gratuity was added automatically, and then on the bill, he saw where it asked if he want to add another gratuity. Also, his bill included a 3% charge for using his credit card. Johnson stated that there was indeed a sign posted upon entering the res-
taurant advising customers that a “20% gratuity would be included to all dine-in guest checks”, but he didn’t notice it before ordering - and consuming - his meal at the table.
There were more than 100 comments to Johnson’s Facebook post, with none mentioning having experienced a restaurant in the West Georgia area adding an automatic 20% gratuity to their meal bill total.
fee, that is becoming more and more common. Every time I travel, most of the restaurants are adding it as well as any of the gift shops now. We discussed adding it to our bills, but quite frankly, I just raised my prices to cover that cost which is how we used to do it all along.”
At La Trattoria, an upfront gratuity is only added on large parties.
So, StarNews then reached out to local attorney Craig Hardegree who has more than 35 years of legal experience. Hardegree response was as follows: “Since they [the restuarant] label it as a ‘gratuity,’ by it’s very nature it should be optional, regardless of the fact that it appears on the bill. However, if their menu The
dine in guest checks.”
So,
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StarNews contacted Rosie’s Cafe and inquired about this gratuity. LaTisha Told, office manager at Platt Restaurant Group which owns three Rosie’s Cafes in the metro Atlanta promptly responded: “Thanks for contacting Rosie’s Coffee Café. If you and your staff haven’t had the chance to stop in and smell Rosie’s, please do so very soon; we would love to elevate your dining experience. In reference to the 20% gratuity, it goes to our staff, and it was implemented sometime last year. Let me know if you have any other questions.” This statement is also posted on their website.
StarNews contacted numerous other estaurants in the area about an automatic 20% gratuity and the 3% credit card charge. Not one restaurant said they add either automatic charge to a customer’s bill.
Tano and Cristi Phommasith of Little Hawaiian restuarant in Carrollton stated, “We take reservations and we will charge credit card fees but only for a large catering contract. Our gratuity is for a larger party and only if our manager checks with our customers regarding our quality and service. If we deliver what our customers expect, we then add a gratuity.”
James Gross, owner of La Trattoria: A Classic Italian Kitchen, downtown Carrollton, said, “As far as the three percent credit card
you think your back
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Another long time restaurant owner in the area (who asked to not be identified) commented that gratuity is not super common at all. In Carrollton, adding 20% on top and then charging a 3% credit card fee is an “optics nightmare”. He went on to say tipping is also a thing people should do when they have good service, “A tip is earned, in my opinion.”. And, despite the bad tippers, he stated that at his restaurant, they do not add gratuity, even for big parties.
So what do you do when faced with a gratuity added automatically to your bill? We asked Coweta Judicial Circuit District Attorney Hugh Cranford, who replied, “Mr. Reynolds, I’m hesitant to give an opinion about a hypothetical situation, but I think it is very unlikely that this factual scenario would allow for a criminal prosecution of the customer. This strikes me as a civil matter, but you’d need to ask a civil lawyer about whether the restaurant would have any other legal avenues to pursue.”
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A notice greets customers at Rosie’s Cafe, Carrollton that a “20% gratuity will be included to all
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that happened in our case,” Beth said. “My goal here is to change it for someone else.”
To honor their son, the Walters contacted State Senator Russ Goodman and spearheaded the drive that led to “Austin’s Law”. It was written and passed as Senate Bill 465. Governor Brian Kemp signed “Austin’s Law” into law on April 30, 2024.
Among those who assisted in writing the law was Coweta Judicial Circuit (which includes Carroll County) District Attorney Hugh Cranford and Assistant DA Jack Winne. This law created the new offense of Aggravated Involuntary Manslaughter. The law states: “A person commits the offense of aggravated involuntary manslaughter when he or she causes the death of said human being by intentionally manufacturing or selling any substance that contains fentanyl, after representing that such substance was any controlled substance.” This crime is punishable by 10 to 30 years or life in prison.
The new law had an immediate impact here in Carroll County as the Aggressive Criminal Enforcement Unit (ACE) became the first law enforcement agency in the state of Georgia to make two arrests under Austin’s Law. ACE services Carroll County and is a collaborative effort of the Carrollton Police Department, Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, and the University of West Georgia Police Department.
Luitentant/ Detective Chad Taylor of the Carrollton Police Department and who leads the ACE unit explainned, “Austin’s law is an enhancement charge. Before, you had to go under a felony murder charge and had to meet almost insurmountable points including that they had to know it had fentanyl in it and prove intent. This new law says that if we can link you selling a controlled substance with fentanyl to a death you can be charged with aggravated involuntary manslaughter. Also, it can’t
be merged with other charges to receive a lighter sentence. This law has teeth.”
Sergeant Jeremy McCormick with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department and an ACE unit member added, “For example, if you face multiple charges and sentenced to 5 years and you are also convicted under Austin’s Law of the aggravated involuntary manslaughter charge, the sentences run con - one after the
other, not at the same time.”
Taylor said, “What is unique about the fentanyl epidemic is that it is not race-based or age specific. It is across the board, touching every aspect of society.”
McCormick said, “One person told us that fentanyl is like a blanket, it shields you from your reality, your problems. We are also seeing users who have overdosed so often that they now have a tolerance to NARCAN.”
McCormick said, “One person told us that fentanyl is like a blanket, it shields you from your reality, your problems. We are also seeing users who have overdosed so often that they now have a tolerance to NARCAN.”
The ACE unit made the first arrests under the new law. Sargent McCormick was the case manager on the arrests. McCormick looked into the overdose death of a man using technology and interviews that led them to Britney Ridley and her arrest and that she was a part of a chain in the distribution of the drug. The Sargent and the unit used a host of tools including videos, interviews, technology, and conversations to prove the elements. They are able to go a couple links up the chain. “This arrest was successful because these guys (members of ACE) were willing to chase these leads,” Taylor commented. “It also led to the arrest of Stacy
See AUSTIN’S LAW page 13
Whiten Pools
Shown above in a dated photo are seven of the nine member Aggressive Criminal Enforcement Unit (ACE) which services Carroll County and is a collaborative effort with the Carrollton Police Department, Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, and the University of West Georgia Police Department. Some members work undercover so they are photographed with their face blacked out to protect their identity.
Villa Rica citizens,
once again, speak out strongly
against city manager, council members decisions
“Ya’ll gotta get it together” “It’s
story by Janice Daniel
The Mayor and Council of the City of Villa Rica met for their Regular Monthly Meeting on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. All Council members were present. Most of the Public Comments were about the easements on Cleghorn and Anderson Streets.
Jackie Childress of 1050 W. Highway 78 thanked Council Member Momtahan for coming to look at the Cleghorn/Anderson area, for getting boots-on the ground and trying to educate the people in his Ward. She urged all the Council Members, “meet with your people, bring correct information to them, and listen to what they have to say.” She said she knows the City has to move forward, but “taking any portion of a person’s property is wrong. Know your people, walk your ward.”
Peg Taylor of 2112 Osprey Cove agreed with Childress about the Cleghorn/ Darden/ Anderson neighborhood, and said, “don’t take their land.” She also mentioned traffic problems and stated that a “No Left-Hand Turn” sign should be put at the new shopping center, and that the left-hand turn onto Mirror Lake Blvd. needs a permanent light rather than a flashing light. Taylor also said that since the City has an opening for a City Engineer, they should hire one rather than contract with a consultant. She also informed everyone that, years ago, the City of Fairburn had Tom Barber removed as City Manager, and paid him $60,000 left on his contract to get rid of him.
Ryan Clark (no address given) said the citizens of Villa Rica want change within their government, that they are tired of lies and halftruths, and not being represented by their Council Member. He stated that he is sick of not being heard, and that the Council Members’ actions affect people’s lives, and protests will increase unless “you represent your people, resign, or accept the protests”. Clark also said the Council should buy out Tom Barber’s contract, and advised that “the former Mayor and City Manager Barber, last September, weaponized the City to come after me and my business for a personal conflict that the former Mayor and I had.”
Pamela White of 102 Anderson Road said she has family members, neighbors, friends, people from neighboring wards and members of other counties there to stand in solidarity “with our community against injustice, deception, deceptive government practices and deliberate attempts of the City and some of its officials to take our land and destroy our historically black community - African/American community.” She added, “to have such a malicious and greedy Council and City Manager
and anyone in the capacity of government is a threat to democracy globally.” White said this panel of government has failed not only Ward 1, but Villa Rica as a whole.
“Elected Officials took an oath to refrain from unethical conduct or actions with adverse effects on society and the public welfare, abuse of authority, dishonesty or negligence that harms the public interest. You all have failed us tremendously when you all unanimously voted to take our land, and no one wants to give us clarity on our questions. We done found some dirty hands. It’s improper and illegal to make any vote for personal gain.” And she added, “cease and desist coming on our properties.” She thanked Momtahan and said to him, “you know what you need to do”
To Council Member Marchman she said, “you know the area, but you didn’t come and take care of us, and Mr. Carter was absent as well.” She praised Council Member Warmoth who took the time and came out to Cleghorn/Anderson and did what “a real Council Member should do,” and Anna [McCoy] came out as well and did measurements for herself. “Y’all know it’s not right.” She also said that Mr. Barber is very dismissive to residents in that area, and the Mayor needs to know more about the people’s business, not about what you personally think.
Speaking of Tom Barber, Ms. White said, “he is not an elected official. The power and authority is in the City Council. They have to do right. We will make them be held accountable. We pay taxes, you ain’t giving us nothing. We paid for what we have.”
Joshua Evans (no address given) said, “You can walk all over this City and see things that aren’t right.” He also mentioned that the City is allowing fire hydrants to be painted white, which to a fireman means it is not operational. “There is prison time and a fine for not painting fire hydrants correctly.”
Evans said the fence on the park across from City Hall is encroaching on a State stream buffer, that spraying is done there illegally, there’s grease running across parking lots into retention ponds and the water supply. “Y’all gotta get it together,” he finished.
Christy Chastain of 239 Berkely Drive said that transparency in government should be the base line. “What does Mr. Barber do?” she asked. “Why can’t he prepare a project report with information about the status of each project? If the citizens had transparency, the mess on Cleghorn/Anderson/Darden wouldn’t have gotten this far.”
Elita Dobbs Farmer was representing her
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father at 215 Anderson Road and spoke of her experience with members of the City Council, the lack of respect and care. She said council members responsibilities are to provide leadership and guidance; facilitate communication between the communities and council, determine policy, plan for the future, manage assets, govern finances, be informed and aware of local issues, follow up on problems, and be accountable to the community. “I don’t know what community this Council has been accountable to, but it hasn’t been Ward 1,” she declared. She said to Council Member Shirley Marchman, “we would have expected you to communicate. We would have come up here and stood with you on your one vote.” She said, “Y’all are not children. Y’all know right from wrong. It’s time for y’all to do what you’re supposed to do.”
Trey Farmer of 116 Cleghorn Street told the Council Members they don’t value the voice of the Lord, nor what’s right. “You have people whose lives are in shambles. They are stressed, they’re depressed, losing sleep having to worry about money to defend their homes, their land.” Farmer said he is going to work to make sure his generation is registered to vote and educated about what is going on with the citizens of Villa Rica. “Now is the time to do what’s right for the people,” he asserted. “We will work with the media to make sure this is not swept away.”
Amy McCoy, [no relation to Anna McCoy] a real estate agent from Douglas County, said she is a “Fair Housing” advocate, and that many of the residents of Cleghorn/Anderson have owned their homes long before that law was even passed. “Other routes could have been taken,” she told the Council. “These people are struggling with their home values and are being told their home is worth nothing. You should be doing better.”
Lucinda Augustin (no address given) told the Council, “You are poking a bear. Everybody is pouring their heart out to you and you think it’s a joke. Everybody [the Council] has a blank stare, while we’re staying up at night.” In addition she assured the Council, “our parents may be old, but the children are young and educated. I don’t think you guys understand the battle that is about to take place.”
Augustin said she can’t go into Mirror Lake without getting funny looks, like you don’t belong here, but “they can come and take their golf cart down my street like we were a tourist attraction. I don’t want your money, I want my land. We’re gonna take it all the way to the top, and I don’t mean the Governor.”
Douglas Lang (no address given) said the prior comments are “heartbreaking to hear.”
“We all have trials and tribulations in life, but to think about generational homes, and you got
to be, besides all the other problems of life, now have to wonder ‘will I have a home for my family tomorrow.’”
He said, “the vast majority of this Council has dithered, delayed, changed their votes, and seemingly done everything humanly possible to avoid addressing the concerns of the citizens. Why do you feel that the four of you can hold 20,000 of us hostage? This is our town and you want to take a part of our community. We’re all in this together and this is our town and we’re not gonna have it just molested this way. You hear and see us at these meetings. We’re pouring our hearts out to you and it seems like it’s just falling on deaf ears.” Lang listed four points that council needs to pay heed to:
1. Tom Barber must be removed from office
2.Existing roads in Cleghorn/Anderson need infrastructure to be repaired, but “we do not want any new wider road, and we do not want any private property being touched.”
3.it’s time for these Tisinger vans to disappear from Villa Rica
4.“You represent your constituents, resign or be recalled.”
Mr. Steele of 101 Cleghorn, a business owner, said he had looked at the maps created by the City, and the maps cut right through to Darden, and why? He reported that when he asked this question of Tom Barber, Tom’s answer was “It’s already been done, it’s already been priced out, it’s a done deal.” So cavalierly, Mr. Steele said. He admitted he knows golf cart paths are needed from Mirror Lake to downtown, because the City is trying to grow and bring people downtown. But “could it have been done differently? Just be honest. Bring it to the people and look at other possibilities. Look at the map again.”
Dr. Jennifer Johnson of 143 Pin Oak Trail said, “Tom, you are on notice, and Shirley [Marchman] you are definitely on notice. You will not run unopposed next time. Believe that.”
Melba Arnold of 5008 Serenity Point Lane said that she was surprised when she learned that a road was going through that community. She said she was retired, but has lived in places all over the United States, and she has seen this happen in different states where she lived, always the black communities. “The evidence is out there, and it’s not right. I’m just sharing that I grew up with this. I do know it turned up to be in predominantly black communities that became just nothing.”
Public Comments portion of the meeting was haphazard, the 3-minute rule not observed, people from the audience calling out they’ll give their 3 minutes to a particular speaker, people not reminded to give their address, etc. The Mayor admitted at the start that she has a hard time interrupting people who are speaking, and she was right.
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restaurant health inspections scores
RESTAURANT NAME
JUNE score previous
K&D Hotdog Stand 153 Governors Lane Temple 100100
Starbucks in Ingles 1124 N Park Street Carrollton 100100
Starbucks in Kroger 1355 S Park Street Carrollton 100100
The Corner Mexican 901 Adamson Street Carrollton 100100
The Gallery Cafe 689 Fairfield Road Villa Rica 100NA
The Bridge Carrollton Academy 259 Tom Reeve Drive Carrollton 100Satisfactory
Lakeshore Park Pool 116 Lumpkin Drive Carrollton 100Satisfactory
Magnolia Lake Apts. 717 Burns Road Carrollton 99Satisfactory
Club Fitness Pool 830 Maple Street Carrollton 98Satisfactory
Residences at Villa Rica 701 Hickory Level Villa Rica 97Satisfactory
Sportsplex 106 Somerset Place Carrollton 95Satisfactory
Lakeshore Park Training Pool 116 Lumpkin Drive Carrollton
Comfort Inn 104 S Cottage Hill Road Carrollton
KidsPeace 101 KidsPeace Bowdon
Historic Banning Mills 205 Horseshoe Dam Road Whitesburg 91Satisfactory The Foundry 318 Columbia Drive Carrollton 90Satisfactory
God’s Farm Tent Pond 284 Chalkley Road Temple
Wyndham Resort Fairfield Plantation 1602 Lakeview Pkwy Villa Rica
Fairfield Plantation Recreation Center Pool 6195 Lakeview Pkwy Villa Rica85 Unsatisfactory Quality Inn 700 S
The Blue Group
County commissioners approve second State Court: will not cost county taxpayers
story by Janice Daniel
The Carroll County Board of Commissioners met for a regular monthly meeting Tuesday, June 4, 2024 6:00 p.m., with all commissioners present. The Agenda was amended to add the purchase of an outdoor freezer for the Correctional Institute.
A Special Presentation was made to Danny Bailey, District 6 Commissioner, and Matt Clotfelter, E911 CAD Manager, in recognition of over 100 hours training at the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia. They attended this training to learn more about county government, how to work with other county officials, and how to better serve the citizens of Carroll County.
The following Public Comments were made: - Wanda Cooper of 3135 Sweet Briar Drive, Villa Rica, and also candidate for the 30th District Senate Seat, was there to discuss issues she is having with the County Magistrate Court. Cooper was requesting an investigation of Deputy Clerk Brenda Knight whom she said had outside communication with Residential Attorney Matthew Totten which is prohibited in court cases. Cooper stated that she is a dispossessory single mother fighting to keep a roof over her children’s heads. She also said that for Knight to have a privileged conversation in a Judicial Review is interfering with that process, and she is asking the commissioners and other judicial agents to investigate this matter. She advised the board that she will be filing an open records request for a possible bond, and an in litem notice for Knight’s violation of her oath as Clerk of the Magistrate Court. Cooper declared herself a victim of predatory leasing agents since she has moved from Douglas County to Carroll County.
2.Tima Humphries of 1483 Hickory Level Road, Villa Rica, was there to commend the board for consideration of a Second State Court. Humphries stated that she works with Carroll and other counties for the privately funded Victims Assistance Program, and that Georgia has the second highest backlog of cases
COMMISSION BUDGET $79.91M from front
over last budget that ended June 30th.
In comparing revenues between the two fiscal years, one line item of interest for this 9.13% increase is Fines, Fees and Forfeitures, which went from $2,884,000 in FY 23/24 to $3,997,000 in FY24/25, a 38.59% increase. The reason for this is fines and fees expected to come in from the newly approved seconnd State Court for Carroll County.
On the Expenditures side, judicial went up 14%, but is explained in the June 4th meeting story (see story this page) nine (9) full-time positions were added in the courts, and one part time position became full-time in the Probate Court, all due to adding the Second State Court
in the state, and some are many years old.
3.Sheila Kilgore of 2002 Church Lane, Villa Rica, said she also is having issues with the Magistrate Court and primarily Carroll County Animal Control because they came onto her property on Good Friday with an order to seize her horses, and she has evidence to prove what she says. She said her lawyers asked for a State Court hearing because they didn’t feel like she would get a fair trial in the Carroll County Magistrate Court.
There were no zoning issues, and the Consent Agenda was approved unanimously.
Judge Michael Hubbard was at the meeting to talk about the Second State Court. He said the problem is actually not a measure of the backlog, but a measure of the total number of incoming cases divided by the total number of State Courts. He said the size and population of Carroll County causes their backlog to be double the State average. He also told the board that the State Court “does not cost the county a dime”, and it would be the same for the Second State Court, so no burden on the taxpayers. The Second State Court was approved 7-0.
Newton Jennings was back before the board to answer a question District 2 Commissioner Clint Chance asked at the work session: Does the Liberty Mutual Umbrella Liability cover the Greenwich Public Of ficials, Law Enforcement and Employment Practices Liability?
Newton’s answer was “no”. However, he did say the aggregate for Greenwich is $3,000,000 rather than $1,000,000 and he didn’t think it would be worth the money to buy additional umbrella coverage for Greenwich. “The county can save $165,000 versus a claim that is likely not going to happen,” he said. The total proposed premium effective 7/1/24 for General Liability, Property, Crime, Umbrella, Commercial Auto, Pub lic Of ficials, Employment Practices, Law Enforcement and Cyber is $1,587,719, which the board approved 7-0.
Dr. Phyllis Snipes and Julie Dobbs were
and the 5th Floor to the Courthouse. Two fulltime people were added for the Sheriff’s Office and one for the Animal Control Department and there was a part-time to full-time for one employee in Elections and one part-time to full-time for an employee for the ADR Coordinator. One part-time Case Manager was added to the Mental Health Court.
An amendment was made to the General Fund to move various land and capital purchases into the correct place, as well as revenues that came in over what was budgeted and expense accounts which were increased as well.
This amendment was published in the county’s legal organ.
appointed to the Carroll County Library Board. Carrolll County Prison Warden Otis Wilson was at the meeting to request that funds be moved from the Sheriff’s HVAC repair fund in order to replace a non-operational outdoor freezer.
Wilson asked for $37,880 from Bush Refrigeration for the outdoor Expandable Walk-in Storage Freezer with Floor, but Commissioner Chance said he noticed the other quote from Polar King has a larger HP on the motor components, a better insulation warranty, and less prep work, so he said he would be okay with getting the more expensive freezer for the additional benefits and the brand name.
Board voted 7-0 for the Polar King freezer at a price of $53,975 to be paid from the $90,000 left in the Sheriff’s HVAC fund.
The FY2024/2025 Budget Resolution was
Jer 23:4
presented by Alecia Searcy who informed the board that the last public hearing was held at 10:00 that morning (June 4th). It was noted that Public Safety and Public Works together make up 67% of the Budget. District 5 Commisioner Ernie Reynolds thanked Searcy for the $8,000 added for the Whitesburg library, and the $500,000 added to reduce the county debt, as discussed in the work session. With these changes, the final FY2024/2025 General Fund Budget came in with Revenues and Expenditures at $79,913,344 and the General Fund FY2023/2024 Budget Amendment total came to $16,417,937. Reynolds also said he had had a conversation with the Animal Control Manager, who is working to acquire and retain top performing employees to improve the Customer Service which was also discussed in the May 30th work session.
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Shepherd’s Corner
Corner
9am-5pm Check
A StarNews Special Series Honoring the Legacy and
Highlighting
The four H’s: Heart for
service, Head for clearer thinking and critical thinking, Hands for loyalty, and Health for better living
story by Wayne J. Reynolds
4-H in Carroll County is a department of UGA Extension, with the Carroll County office under the direction of 4-H Agent Rebekah Claar. Today, we will find out what, exactly, 4-H is and its objective.
4-H Clubs began in 1904 at a time when the majority of the American population lived on farms. These farms were of varying sizes. The first 4-H clubs were known as “Corn Clubs” for boys and “Tomato Clubs” for girls. Boys in the Corn Club would compete as to who could grow an acre of the largest ears of corn. The girls would grow, harvest, and can tomatoes from their family’s vegetable garden. Growing corn and canning tomatoes was not a game to these young people, as their learning and, ultimately, producing food benefited their entire family.
Agent Claar explained what the four H’s represent in the club name. “4-H has four foundational goals in their pledge: Heart for larger service, Head for clearer thinking and critical thinking, Hands for loyalty, and Health for better living. It is an educational program teaching leadership, citizenship, public speaking, and practical life skills. The goal is to make learning fun! It is the youth phase of UGA Extension for youths ages 9 to 19. We reach the youth through in-school activities, after school clubs, and other activities and events.”
“4H is now found in all 159 counties in Georgia. Each county’s 4H is designed to reflect the interest and needs of that county. For example, Coweta County or Fulton County’s 4H Club will look different than ours here in Carroll. Here, ours is still very agriculture based. A lot of our teachers want STEM and STEAM based activities,” said Claar.
In Georgia, STEM and STEAM education is an integrated curriculum that is driven by exploratory project-based learning and student-centered development of ideas and solutions.
“We may do an activity involving live chickens, as too many children have no idea where their food comes from! We also do activities in forestry, wild life - we even have a horse club. We try to base the activities on the needs in that
submitted by Paula J. Burke UGA Extension Carroll County
Many parts of Georgia are suffering through some degree of drought conditions. This can be a double, maybe triple, whammy effect on producers because not only do they not have pastures to graze this summer, but they also may not be able to harvest enough hay to get through the winter, and they are currently having to feed what little hay they have.
Deciding what to feed can be tricky. Do you buy more hay or a consider a hay replacement ration? It is important to maintain the nutrient requirements of the herd through a drought so that animal performance is not compromised in the current and upcoming seasons. Here are a couple of questions you may be asking and some considerations.
Meat Processing
community’s school. And some activities are volunteer-led so they will naturally go in the direction of the volunteer’s expertise.”
4-H has evolved during the last decades to teach computers, recycling, photography, nutrition, violence prevention, teamwork and many other topics relative to Carroll County and Carrollton City youth.
One of 4H’s key concepts is project achievement. “It is a public speaking contest and in the beginning is a hard sell. But, it can be so beneficial,” said Claar. “One example was a timid 4th grader at Bowdon Elementary. During his first time to speak was in front of his classmates, but he broke down during his speech. The other students rallied around him and clapped when he got done. He has now come out of his shell, attended 4H camp, and is now the
The 4-H Livestock Camp will be held July 22nd through July 26th at the Ag-Ed Center. This long camp gives the kids a hands-on experience of learning to take care of something themselves.” Shown above are campers from the 2023 camp. Contact 4H Agent Rebekah enroll your child or for more information: 770-836-8546.
What if hay is not available?
The key is to develop a ration that meets the nutrient requirements of the cows. The stage of production of your herd is critical to knowing exactly what to feed. Consider early weaning to reduce the nutrient requirements of the brood cows.
Also consider culling cows that or open, old, or are producing smaller calves.
Utilize a roughage source such as wheat straw, conttonseed hulls, crop residue, grazing drought stressed crops, or gin trash.
Examples of energy and/or byproduct feed include: grains such as corn, oats, etc., soybean hulls, citrus pulp, wheat midds, hominy.
Examples of protein feed include: soybean meal, cottonseed meal, corn gluten feed, dried distillers grains, whole cottonseed. Is buying hay the economic choice?
ALWAYS ask for a forage analysis and/or test the hay before purchasing it. If not, you may be paying a premium for something that will not meet the requirements of your cows. If you need to purchase the hay quickly, then pull samples and analyze as soon as possible.
Take into consideration the cost of the supplement AND hay. Also, take into consideration the method of feeding hay. If hay is not fed in a ring or other way to minimize lost, hay losses can be as high as 30%, or more. Compare the cost of buying hay versus feeding a hay replacement diet. The amount fed per head is held constant at 25 lb, but this may change for both feeds, depending on how it is fed. Producers should price feed resources locally to make the comparison.
Note that if hay is being wasted, it is more economical to buy a
Agrimerica
president of the 4H club there! He is just “What you find is, we are all 4Hers no full time program assistant Natalie Moncus
Information and Education to Create Connections”
Highlighting the Enduring Impact of Our Farming Communities
a sweet little boy.”
matter which school you attend,” 4H Moncus added. “4H is an all in leveler and that is a beautiful thing - we are all 4Hers.
This week “besides Claar to
Summer camp options for Georgia’s 4Hers include Burton 4-H Center on Tybee Island, Fortson 4-H Center (Hampton, GA), Rock Eagle 4-H Center (Eatonton, GA) and Wahsega 4-H Center (Dahlonega, GA), and Georgia 4-H at Camp Jekyll. Each camp is a little different in focus.
“But they all emphasize belonging,” Claar stressed. “It encourages each camper to try things they never tried before in a very engaging atmosphere. We also have sponsors who can help with paying for camp when needed. After covid, we are seeing our numbers grow again, this year twelve from Carroll are going.”
This past school year more than 1800 kids participated in school activities and after school clubs. When Claar first started here in Carroll in 2022 it was 650, so it has really grown.
“The two of us are full time, and along with Krystal Zenefski, our part time AMERICORP member, we are maxed out. We do 80 students plus in-school club meetings per month and that just in-school club meetings,” Claar added. “
But we are not complaining. We love what we do. It is simply growing pains and that is a good thing!” Moncus sAID.
Currently, Carroll 4H is in 11 schools: all of the Carrollton City schools; Central Middle School, and the following county elementary schools in Bowdon, Roopville, Ithaca, Sandhill, Whitesburg, and Providence.
Classroom activites are strongly influenced by the individual teacher. Typically, the first class is an introduction to 4H explaining what 4H is. “Activities will have a background in science combined with hands-on learning. 4H is all about handson learning. For example, this year we will do lemon volcanoes. We explored as to how many drops can fit on a penny. We built pumpkin catapult for pumpkin chunking! You can imagine how popular that was,” Claar stated.
Claar emphasizes giving kids exposure is one of the keys to learning. For example, city school students get to see and touch a live chicken and learn about them. They learned about egg candling. They have lessons coming up on the layers of soil with worm experiments called ‘Let’s Think Poop’ where they learn about the food they eat and the impact on their health. They learn what farmers are producing, and where do your clothes come from?”
Livestock Camp will be held July 22 through July 26 at the Ag-Ed Center, Newnan Road, Carrollton (just off the bypass). Libvstock Camp gives kids a true hands-on experience. They will have a craft project to build a fence for a farm. They learn, for example, how many cows you can have on an acre. They must take care of an animal, changing out the water and
what to feed your herd can be tricky
something and is
replacement ration. This is point is not necessarily to steer you towards the feed, more so, to show the value of proper handling of purchased hay.
Hay Replacement Rations
A webpage with several resources for drought is available at: UGABeef.com/drought
Paula J. Burke, UGA Extension Carroll County, Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent, County Extension Coordinator, Carroll County Ag Center Department Head, Carroll County Cattlemens’s Association Secretary, Carroll County Chamber of Commerce Agribusiness Committee Chair, NACAA Southern Region Director 900 Newnan Road, Carrollton, GA 30117 770-836-8546 pjburke@uga.edu http://extension.uga.edu/county-offices/carroll
Carroll County
Cattlemen’s Association
feeding them. 4H will pair an older child with a younger child giving the older one an opportunity to show leadership skills. “And they learn to take care of something besides themselves. With 4H, they can learn skills they can’t get elsewhere.” On July 26th, 4Hers will put on a mini show for their parents and the public.
Other events 4H is participating in is the Arts and Crafts Fair on July 18 and 19 at the Ag-Ed Center. On July 23rd from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. the Extension Office will host Extension Fest to educate the public on all that the Extension office offers.
Rebekah Claar graduated from Kennesaw State University in 2003 in Early Childhood Education. She taught in both public and private schools. She, her husband, and children moved to Roopville in 2015 to a 25 acre farm where they grow and process their own food. Claar became the Carroll 4H agent in January 2022.
Natalie Moncus is moving to Cummings in the next couple of months. If you are interested in applying for this position, contact Rebekah.Claar@uga.edu or call her at 770-836-8546.
For more information on 4H in Carroll County visit the office, located at 900 Newnan Road In Carrollton at the Ag-Ed Center, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ( closed for lunch from noon to 1p.m.) For more information, call 770-836-8546 or visit extension.uga.edu/carroll or on Facebook.
Your local Carroll County Farm Bureau has been busy educating children about where their food and fiber comes from!
In June, Little Buckaroos Childcare Learning Center brought their summer camp to our office for a field trip. Students learned about pollinators and took a fun walk through all the flowers, vegetables, and fruits we have growing. The kids watched as the bees pollinated the flowers! We also did a fun lesson about dairy that included reading “Tales of a Dairy Godmother Chuck’s Ice Cream Wish”; watched a dairy farmer video; then made our own vanilla ice cream! We also read “I Love Strawberries”. The kids and their parents became ‘scientists’ by showing them how to extract strawberry DNA! If you like what we are doing with our local children, their parents, and our community, please consider becoming a member of Carroll County Farm Bureau for just $35/year. Call us today to get your membership! We can tell you all about the many discounts and perks available to you as a member! Call Jennifer Dixson 770-832-9089
Villa Rica’s contract with City Manager Tom Barber is, finally, terminated in a vote of 3-2
story by Janice Daniel
The Mayor and Council of the City of Villa Rica meeting of June 11th was an hours long marathon. The room was packed, and citizens continued to take to the microphone with their concerns and criticisms especially of the Cleghorn/Anderson issue.Also, the contract of the city manager was discussed.To which, the meeting concluded with the termination of City Manager Tom Barber in a vote of 3-2.
During Public Comments, a citizen mentioned the letters of support that go into grants, to which Mayor Leslie McPherson asked, “How can you promise what you don’t own?” referring to the contracts already signed by the city with other entities regarding the Parkway. Once the pathway of the road is agreed upon, if the city can’t get the easements they have to get in order to build the road as agreed upon, any other entity that entered into a contract with the city for the path of the road will then be able to sue the city for breach of contract (which
Council Member Anna McCoy previously mentioned.)
Mayor McPherson said city staff knew council has no stomach to pass eminent domain, but on the other side of the coin, or contract if you will, if the city doesn’t live up to its obligations regarding the bonds issued to pay for the Parkway, then the debt belongs to the city alone and the city would be obligated to raise millage rates and pay for the bonds with property taxes.
Council Member Stephanie Warmoth’s question about an alternate route is one that needs to be considered to avoid disaster.
However, council is still trying to work with the residents of Cleghorn/Anderson, and Council Member McCoy asked City Manager Tom Barber, “Since the water line is going from six-inch pipe to ten-inch pipe, can the road be ripped up, the water line put in, and the road replaced as it is now?” to which Barber replied, “We would have to ask Carter & Sloope [who designed the road]. I don’t know for sure. The water line is on the east side of Cleghorn and the north side of Anderson, but beneath the road.”
Council Member McCoy, speaking directly to the citizen at the podium, “are the residents okay with the water line?” and the answer was “yes.” Then “do you want it placed back exactly as it is?” and the answer was also “yes”.
“What about lighting?” Citizen responded, “lighting would be nice, but the main thing is to make all the residents aware that the city no longer owns the basketball court, and children playing there are not to be approached by any adult, and residents need to see improvement for the taxes they’ve been paying all along.”
At this point City Attorney Kevin Drummond intervened as it seemed council was amenable to accepting the residents’ wishes, “Before a motion is made, as far as the Parkway is concerned, we can’t tell the legal consequences if the Parkway is changed.” Drummond advised council to explore what the consequences would be with everybody the city has entered into agreements with.
Mayor McPherson said council needs to know the exact route that has been agreed upon, because “something was wrong from the beginning. We promised property we didn’t own.” Council Member Warmoth responded “we’ll have legal issues no matter which way we go.” Drummond reminded them that the council made these agreements, and although Warmoth may want to look at alternative routes, his advice was to pause and look at alternate routes, pause but not stop yet. Council needs to meet with the concerned people soon.”
Council Member Momtahan said, “we could
pause on the Parkway and pause on Cleghorn/Anderson, and also with correct information, new negotiations might be possible.” Mayor added, “and make sure we don’t get it wrong.” This is where the contentious issue with Cleghorn/Anderson was left, with the intention to pause only for a very short time.
The next issue was consideration of the City Manager’s contract. It seems that, since his contract was signed before the legislation that gave the Mayor the right to fire him, the council still needs to make their decision based on his contract of employment. And of course, this was also an issue of differences between opinions of the council members. Mayor said she was not happy with the exit plan prepared by City Attorney David Mecklin, and “the longer he [Barber] stays, the more problems we’ll have.” She said she was agreeable to a July exit for Barber and that she has a person - past mayor Jeff Reese - to act as Interim City Manager with the ability to step in while the city searches for a new City Manager. “We have lost very valuable employees because of Tom. We may lose a $1.7 million grant because of it. He is costing us dearly. We need to do something sooner than later.”
There was about 15 minutes wasted on motions with seconds and no vote, withdrawal or amendments of motions with a second only to disagree with that motion. The audience was making a lot of noise.
Council Member McCoy’s problem was with the Mayor hiring an interim before meeting with each Council Member individually with this person, giving the Mayor free reign to choose someone council may not be happy with. Council Member Momtahan asked if the council could terminate Barber without giving him 30-days notice.
The confusion finally ended with Warmoth’s motion to terminate Barber effective 7/1/24, seconded by McCoy with the condition that the Mayor meet with each Council Member with her plan about the interim person before July 1st, and this motion was approved 3-2, showing disagreement still exists within the Council.
Dobbs.” “This led to the arrest a couple levels up the chain. How many times have we had to tell a parent we are sorry, we can’t go any further and how we can, and in this case we did.”
“Before this law, there wasn’t a law that we could use to give a family justice,” McCormick, reflects. “We can give them some sense of justice. It is going to be a great tool for us in law enforcement and to benefit the victims family.”
The ACE unit has been in existence for 16 years. There are 9 members split between uniformed and plain clothes officers. Taylor has been with the unit for 8 years and McCormick for 2 years. The unit focuses on narcotics, gangs, and violent crime. “The unit looks for men and women who are go-getters, high integrity people.There are not openings very often.But in some cases it is because of the need of the unit,” Taylor explains. “We have a variety of people.”
McCormick adds, “Some just have a knack for finding drugs. In this unit you have to able to talk to people. They all have the attribute of likability.”
“We are also lucky to have Chief Richards and Sheriff Langley who have bought into this problem and also understand and support the needs of the community. Because they buy in, I think we are ahead of the curve compared to many communities. They give us all the resources we need,” Taylor comments. “And we think this new law will have a ripple effect
TAXASSESSORS from front page
valuation the tax commissioner’s office will issue property tax bills later this year. The “valuation date” of January 1st is important to remember because sometimes even where a particular property’s market value may have increased between January 1st and the assessment notice date, Board of Assessors has based its valuations on the state of the real estate market and property condition/characteristics as of January 1st. In situations where property values may be currently rising, that information would be relevant to 2025 tax year’s tax assessment.
For this tax year 2024 your Board of Assessors will have mailed the vast majority of the notices on June 20th. In cases where the taxpayer disagrees with the stated valuation and wish to formally challenge it, every taxpayer has the right to file a formal, written appeal with the Board of Assessors within 45 days of the date of the assessment notice.
Sales prices in Carroll County have continued to rise, and average property values continue to increaset. Board of Assessors monitors these market trends closely as evidenced by the actions of real estate buyers and sellers in the marketplace. When market data indicates that a property’s value has increased since the last tax year even when no additions or improvements or renovations have been made since the last January 1st, this value appreciation is known as “inflationary growth.”
Taxpayers should be aware that, while the taxable value of many properties may increase for tax year 2024, that increase may not necessarily result in an increase in the amount of the tax bill. The Carroll County Property Taxpayer Reassessment Relief Act of 2001 protects owners of “homestead property” (i.e., primary residences) from property tax increases (as to the county portion of the tax bill) where the increase in property tax valuation is attributable to the “inflationary growth” described above. Note that the 2024 property tax “estimate” shown on your 2024 assessment notice is provided for informational purposes and is calculated based on the most recent, finalized tax rate (“millage rate”) available, in this case the 2023 millage rates.
Additional helpful information is available online at www.qpublic.net/ga/carroll
when dealers see the consequences!”
Is this law important? In Carroll County, Carroll County Coroner Keith Hancock reports that in 2020 Fentanyl started showing up in a significant way with Fentanyl appearing in 14 of 35 drug-related deaths. In 2021. 44 deaths were drug-related with Fentanyl involved in 21 of them: 48%. In 2022, there were 48 drugrelated deaths with Fentanyl with 32 involving Fentanyl: 67%. In 2023, 27 of 43 drug-related deaths had Fentanyl involved: 63%. But, Hancock added that not all cases had been completed by the state crime lab as they are running a four to six month backlog.
Carrollton Police Department encourages citizens to report any suspicious drug activity via our website at carrolltonpd.com, our app, or by calling 770-834-4451. All tipsters may remain anonymous. For Carroll County Sheriff’s Department, call the Criminal Investigation Division 770-830-5916.
Edward Jones Lifetime Chiropractic
TTiffanee Dawne “Tiff” Cook, age 45, born October 12, 1973, died Friday, July 12, 2019
Shirley F. Alexander, age 71, born November 27, 1947, died Sunday, July 14, 2019
Shirley F. Alexander, age 71, born November 27, 1947, died Sunday, July 14, 2019
Shirley F. Alexander, age 71, born November 27, 1947, died Sunday, July 14, 2019
W Willie Mae Allen, age 79, born April 18, 1945, died June 1, 2024
James B. Dean, age 92, born September 02, 1926, died Wednesday, July 3, 2019
Dwight Bishop, Jr., age 62, born September 28, 1956, died Tuesday, July 9, 2019
Tiffanee Dawne “Tiff” Cook, age 45, born October 12, 1973, died Friday, July 12, 2019
Martha “Avis” Ingram Arnold, age 99, born June 29, 1925, died July 5, 2024
Tiffanee Dawne “Tiff” Cook, age 45, born October 12, 1973, died Friday, July 12, 2019
Dwight Bishop, Jr., age 62, born September 28, 1956, died Tuesday, July 9, 2019
Master Danny Joe Jones, Jr., age 2 months, born May 16, 2019, died Thursday, July 4, 2019
William “Bill” Thomas Blankenship, age 83, born September 8, 1940, died June 12, 2024
Dwight Bishop, Jr., age 62, born September 28, 1956, died Tuesday, July 9, 2019
Barry Bushon Dickerson, age 68, born September 7, 1950, died Friday, July 19, 2019
Donald Brasseal “Don” Bonner, age 76, born June 05, 1943, died Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Donald Brasseal “Don” Bonner, age 76, born June 05, 1943, died Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Bobbie Jean Dodderer, age 84, born July 9, 1935, died Monday, July 22, 2019
John D. Brown, Jr., age 53, born August 18, 1965, died July 22, 2019
James B. Dean, age 92, born September 02, 1926, died Wednesday, July 3, 2019
Charles Christopher Bright, age 48, born May 21, 1976, died June 30, 2024
Donald Brasseal “Don” Bonner, age 76, born June 05, 1943, died Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Tiffanee Dawne “Tiff” Cook, age 45, born October 12, 1973, died Friday, July 12, 2019
Margaret Wates Cutts, age 92, born April 20, 1932, died June 9, 2024
Master Danny Joe Jones, Jr., age 2 months, born May 16, 2019, died Thursday, July 4, 2019
Master Danny Joe Jones, Jr., age 2 months, born May 16, 2019, died Thursday, July 4, 2019
Jerry Scott Shedd, age 53, died Monday, July 8, 2019
James B. Dean, age 92, born September 02, 1926, died Wednesday, July 3, 2019
“Marjorie” Nell Lovvorn, age 86, born August 3, 1932, died Wednesday, July 10, 2019
James B. Dean, age 92, born September 02, 1926, died Wednesday, July 3, 2019
Barry Bushon Dickerson, age 68, born September 7, 1950, died Friday, July 19, 2019
John D. Brown, Jr., age 53, born August 18, 1965, died July 22, 2019
Virginia Ruth Culpepper, age 93, born March 8, 1931, died June 6, 2024
Larry Lee Hamrick, age 79, born October 16, 1944, died June 11, 2024
Andra Dixon McGill, age 76, born October 18, 1941, died Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Barry Bushon Dickerson, age 68, born September 7, 1950, died Friday, July 19, 2019
John D. Brown, Jr., age 53, born August 18, 1965, died July 22, 2019
Bobbie Jean Chapman Cogland, age 92, born February 23, 1932, died June 4, 2024
Dorothy Janis Camp, age 82, born December 21, 1941, died July 1, 2024
Anna Marsella Fazio, age 85, born on Jan 1, 1934, died Monday, July 8, 2019
Marie Elizabeth Phillips Bryce, age 89, born September 14, 1929, died Saturday, July 20, 2019
Marie Elizabeth Phillips Bryce, age 89, born September 14, 1929, died Saturday, July 20, 2019
Master Danny Joe Jones, Jr., age 2 months, born May 16, 2019, died Thursday, July 4, 2019
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Jerry Scott Shedd, age 53, died Monday, July 8, 2019
Richard Ray Merritt, age 68, born March 19, 1956, died June 25, 2024
David Ronald Simpson, age 70, born July 21, 1948, died July 09, 2019
“Marjorie” Nell Lovvorn, age 86, born August 3, 1932, died Wednesday, July 10, 2019
“Marjorie” Nell Lovvorn, age 86, born August 3, 1932, died Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Barry Bushon Dickerson, age 68, born September 7, 1950, died Friday, July 19, 2019
Bobbie Jean Dodderer, age 84, born July 9, 1935, died Monday, July 22, 2019
“Marjorie” Nell Lovvorn, age 86, born August 3, 1932, died Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Charlotte Ann Harris, age 79, born February 6, 1945, died June 21, 2024
Eugene Parker Mullis, Jr., age 70, born December 31, 1948, died Monday, July 8, 2019
Bobbie Jean Dodderer, age 84, born July 9, 1935, died Monday, July 22, 2019
Anne Cubil Campbell, age 55, born December 8, 1968, died July 6, 2024
Marie Elizabeth Phillips Bryce, age 89, born September 14, 1929, died Saturday, July 20, 2019
Harris Nell Griffin Jennings, age 83, died Tuesday, July 2, 2019
Earl Wayne Carden, age 80, born October 29, 1938, died Friday, June 28, 2019
Earl Wayne Carden, age 80, born October 29, 1938, died Friday, June 28, 2019
Jerry Scott Shedd, age 53, died Monday, July 8, 2019
Jerry Scott Shedd, age 53, died Monday, July 8, 2019
Vada Lue Miller, age 91, born April 10, 1933, died June 4, 2024
David Ronald Simpson, age 70, born July 21, 1948, died July 09, 2019
Zellie Fred Sprewell, age 94, born February 28, 1925, died Saturday, July 27, 2019
Johnny Phillip Morris, Sr., age 76, born April 2, 1948, died July 2, 2024
Andra Dixon McGill, age 76, born October 18, 1941, died Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Andra Dixon McGill, age 76, born October 18, 1941, died Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Bobbie Jean Dodderer, age 84, born July 9, 1935, died Monday, July 22, 2019
Anna Marsella Fazio, age 85, born on Jan 1, 1934, died Monday, July 8, 2019
Andra Dixon McGill, age 76, born October 18, 1941, died Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Clint Houpe, age 31, born January 18, 1993, died May 28, 2024
Randy Lee Nichols, age 66, born June 24, 1953, died Friday, July 26, 2019
Anna Marsella Fazio, age 85, born on Jan 1, 1934, died Monday, July 8, 2019
Diana Carmley Dixon, age 81, born March 1, 1943, died June 7, 2024
Earl Wayne Carden, age 80, born October 29, 1938, died Friday, June 28, 2019
Charles Edward Cole, Sr., age 94, born December 14, 1929, died May 29, 2024
David Ronald Simpson, age 70, born July 21, 1948, died July 09, 2019
David Ronald Simpson, age 70, born July 21, 1948, died July 09, 2019
Zellie Fred Sprewell, age 94, born February 28, 1925, died Saturday, July 27, 2019
Harold Edward “Eddie” Nixon, Jr., age 58, born February 19, 1966, died June 15, 2024
Daniel Lance Walker, age 40, born September 18, 1978, died Sunday, July 21, 2019
Eugene Parker Mullis, Jr., age 70, born December 31, 1948, died Monday, July 8, 2019
Dana Elaine O’Bannon Henderson, age 50, born April 7, 1974, died June 6, 2024
Eugene Parker Mullis, Jr., age 70, born December 31, 1948, died Monday, July 8, 2019
Anna Marsella Fazio, age 85, born on Jan 1, 1934, died Monday, July 8, 2019
Harris Nell Griffin Jennings, age 83, died Tuesday, July 2, 2019
Eugene Parker Mullis, Jr., age 70, born December 31, 1948, died Monday, July 8, 2019
Margie Ruth Gerald, age 76, born September 20, 1947, died June 16, 2024
Harris Nell Griffin Jennings, age 83, died Tuesday, July 2, 2019
Ara Bell D. Sanders, age 79, born August 06, 1939, died July 24, 2019
Zellie Fred Sprewell, age 94, born February 28, 1925, died Saturday, July 27, 2019
Zellie Fred Sprewell, age 94, born February 28, 1925, died Saturday, July 27, 2019
Marcia Lee O’Callaghan, age 78, born April 11, 1946, died June 23, 2024
Daniel Lance Walker, age 40, born September 18, 1978, died Sunday, July 21, 2019
Daniel Lance Walker, age 40, born September 18, 1978, died Sunday, July 21, 2019
Daniel Lance Walker, age 40, born September 18, 1978, died Sunday, July 21, 2019
Amanda Jean Ramirez, age 33, born February 14, 1991, died June 1, 2024
Randy Lee Nichols, age 66, born June 24, 1953, died Friday, July 26, 2019
Deborah “Debbie” Ann West, age 58, died July 22, 2019
Deborah “Debbie” Ann West, age 58, died July 22, 2019
Randy Lee Nichols, age 66, born June 24, 1953, died Friday, July 26, 2019
Deborah “Debbie” Ann West, age 58, died July 22, 2019
Deborah “Debbie” Ann West, age 58, died July 22, 2019
Harris Nell Griffin Jennings, age 83, died Tuesday, July 2, 2019
Randy Lee Nichols, age 66, born June 24, 1953, died Friday, July 26, 2019
Wallace Allen Worthan, age 56, died Monday, July 15, 2019
Adelbert “Jim” Leonard McInteer, Jr., age 90, born June 20, 1934, died July 3, 2024
Ara Bell D. Sanders, age 79, born August 06, 1939, died July 24, 2019
Ollie Bee Smith, age 91, born May 15, 1933, died June 2, 2024
Wallace Allen Worthan, age 56, died Monday, July 15, 2019
Wallace Allen Worthan, age 56, died Monday, July 15, 2019
Wallace Allen Worthan, age 56, died Monday, July 15, 2019
Ara Bell D. Sanders, age 79, born August 06, 1939, died July 24, 2019
Carol Judith Chapman, age 55, born June 24, 1964, died Sunday, July 7, 2019
Carol Judith Chapman, age 55, born June 24, 1964, died Sunday, July 7, 2019
Ara Bell D. Sanders, age 79, born August 06, 1939, died July 24, 2019
Constance Jean Trea, age 86, born February 28, 1938, died May 30, 2024
Carol Judith Chapman, age 55, born June 24, 1964, died Sunday, July 7, 2019
Carol Judith Chapman, age 55, born June 24, 1964, died Sunday, July 7, 2019
Senate Bill 424 by Senators Robertson of the 29th and Brass of the 28th was passed and signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp to be effective January 2025:
To create a new judicial circuit for the State of Georgia to be known as the West Georgia1 Judicial Circuit and to be composed of Carroll County and Heard County;
to provide for the judges and the district attorney of said new circuit and their terms, selection, and compensation; to transfer certain judges from the Coweta Judicial Circuit to the West Georgia Judicial Circuit;
to provide for the transfer of proceedings pending in the superior courts of Carroll County and Heard County to the jurisdiction of the West Georgia Judicial Circuit;
to provide for the transfer of certain funds from the Coweta Judicial Circuit to the West Georgia Judicial Circuit;
to provide for and allocate circuit-wide costs and expenditures; to conform the county salary supplements for the judges of the Coweta Judicial Circuit;
to amend Article 1 of Chapter 6 of Title 15 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions regarding superior courts, so as to revise the composition, terms of court, and number of judges of the Coweta Judicial Circuit;
to provide for the composition, terms of court, and number of judges of the West Georgia Judicial Circuit;
to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
Effective January 1, 2025, there is created a new judicial circuit of the superior courts of this state to be known as the West Georgia Judicial Circuit, which circuit shall be composed of Carroll County and Heard County.
There shall be a district attorney and four judges of the West Georgia Judicial Circuit. The offices of the judges and district attorney of the West Georgia Judicial Circuit shall be subject to the following provisions:
(1) The district attorney of the West Georgia Judicial Circuit shall be appointed by the Governor for a term beginning January 1, 2025, and expiring December 31, 2026. A successor to the district attorney so appointed shall be elected by the voters of the WestGeorgia Judicial Circuit at the 2026 general election, and at the general election quadrennially thereafter, for a term of four years. A candidate for appointment or election to this office in 2026 or thereafter shall be a resident of Carroll County or Heard County;
(2) The Honorable Dennis Blackmon, the Honorable Dustin Hightower, the Honorable John T. Simpson, and the Honorable Erica Tisinger, currently judges of the Coweta Judicial Circuit and residents of Carroll County or Heard County, respectively, shall become judges of the West Georgia Judicial Circuit. Each judge, respectively, shall serve out the current term of office for which he or she was selected, and his or her successor shall be elected by the voters of the West Georgia Judicial Circuit at the nonpartisan judicial election next preceding the expiration of his or her term of office, and at the nonpartisan judicial election quadrennially thereafter, for a term of four years.
A candidate for election to these offices shall be a resident of Carroll County or Heard County; and
(3) The active judge who is senior in time of
service shall serve as chief judge of theWest Georgia Judicial Circuit.
PART ISECTION
2-1.89
(a) Effective with the creation of the West Georgia Judicial Circuit, the judges of the Coweta Judicial Circuit shall be composed of the four remaining judges of the Coweta Judicial Circuit, namely, the Honorable N. Markette Baker, the Honorable Carter J. Bendinger, the Honorable Emory L. Palmer, and the Honorable W. Travis Sakrison, and their successors.
Each judge shall serve out the current term of office for which he or she was selected, and his or her successor shall be elected by the voters of the Coweta Judicial Circuit at the nonpartisan judicial election next preceding the expiration of his or her term of office, and at the nonpartisan judicial election quadrennially thereafter, for a term of four years. A candidate for election to these offices shall be a resident of Coweta County, Meriwether County, or Troup County.99
(b) Effective with the creation of the West Georgia Judicial Circuit, the active judge who is senior in time of service shall serve as acting chief judge of the Coweta Judicial Circuit until such time as a chief judge is elected from among the active judges of the Coweta Judicial Circuit by a majority vote by secret ballot.
Elections for chief judge of the Coweta Judicial Circuit shall be held during the second week of August preceding the expiration of the term of the current chief judge or acting chief judge. A quorum for conducting such election shall be three active judges. In the event no person obtains a majority vote after three ballots, the chief judge shall be the active judge who is senior in time of service. The term for the chief judge shall be two years beginning on January 1.
An active judge may be elected to successive terms as chief judge. If the chief judge resigns the position or the position otherwise become vacant, the active judge who is senior in time of service, excepting an active judge who vacated the position of chief judge, shall serve as acting chief judge for the remainder of the vacated term. The chief judge shall be vested with the power to prepare schedules for conducting the business of the Coweta Judicial Circuit for his or her term
PART ISECTION 2-1.89
(a) Effective with the creation of the West Georgia Judicial Circuit, the judges of the Coweta Judicial Circuit shall be composed of the four remaining judges of the Coweta Judicial Circuit, namely, the Honorable N. Markette Baker, the Honorable Carter J. Bendinger, the Honorable Emory L. Palmer, and the Honorable W. Travis Sakrison, and their successors.
Each judge shall serve out the current term of office for which he or she was selected, and his or her successor shall be elected by the voters of the Coweta Judicial Circuit at the nonpartisan judicial election next preceding the expiration of his or her term of office, and at the nonpartisan judicial election quadrennially thereafter, for a term of four years.
A candidate for election to these offices shall be a resident of Coweta County, Meriwether County, or Troup County.
(b) Effective with the creation of the West Georgia Judicial Circuit, the active judge who is senior in time of service shall serve as acting chief judge of the Coweta Judicial Circuit until such time as a chief judge is elected from among the active judges of the Coweta Judicial
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Published monthly. Periodical postage paid permit #16154 Carrollton GA. Delivery mail/carrier $35 per two year subscription. $45 out of county. Send address changes: P.O. Box 680, Carrollton, GA 30112.
The newly created West Georgia Judicial Circuit of Carroll and Heard counties is truly a blessing for its citizens. This long awaited - and logical - split has been written about in this newspaper since 2010, and before that in The Carroll Star News 1995-2009 (StarNews predecessor). The circuit split has been on the minds and tongues of our judges, DAs, and area attorneys for at least that long, too.
SUE HORN EVANS
EDITOR/ PUBLISHER
Sincere thanks to Judge John Simpson, Judge Dusty Hightower, State Senator Matt Brass, State Senator Randy Robertson, the current Carroll County Board of Commissioners, and a past board of commissioners (2019) who are among many who stuck with the plan to raise Carroll County’s standard of judicial care by reducing the number of counties from five to two. In a nutshell: the law states that each judicial circuit is entitled to a set number of district attorneys, assistants, etc. no matter how many counties that circuit contains. So, by reducing the number of counties to two, beginning January 2025, Carroll County citizens now have access to much more judicial attention. This is big for everyone, especially those who must be involved - willingly or not willingly - in the system.
Carroll County Extension Fest July 23, 2024: UGAExtension Carroll County is hosting the Extension Fest - a family friendly event on Tuesday, July 23rd 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. Live music, animals, food trucks, corn pool and other games, door prizes, hands on activities for kids, 4-H and shooting sports, and an arts and crafts fair. This is the 3rd Annual Extension Fest. For more information, call 770-836-8546.
The Agriculture Voices of Carroll County, GA: See pages 14 and 15 for this month’s “Special Series Honoring the Legacy and Highlighting the Enduring Impact of our Farming Communities”. This month’s feature story is on the positive and lasting impact of 4-H Clubs on the lives of our youth.
Vacation Bible School is a rite of passage for many children especially here inWest Georgia.
Old Pathway Baptist, Carrollton, hosted 30+ young people to four days of Biblebased fun learning about Daniel in the lion’s den, hence the circus theme of “The Greatest Show”! Certificates of accomplishments were presented to each child.
Be a billboard for life: purchase a “Choose Life” car tag
Saturday October 19th, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in Carrollton, WGRTL will be conducting our 20th Annual Stand for Life. Our SFL is a Silent Memorial, remembering and honoring over 65 million babies that have been aborted since 1973! What does 64 million look like? In your mind, envision a swath that includes the populations of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, West Virginia, half of Virginia and the District of Columbia. Gone, no longer in existence!
It’s a travesty that one of those precious aborted babies could have been the next chemist that finds a cure for cancer, the president of the United States, governor of Georgia, pastor of your local congregation or a precious Mom and Dad whom God chose to lead and teach their family honorable citizenry, Godly biblical living which is highlighted by ethical morals, standards and integrity!
Why do we do what we do at West Georgia Right to Life? It’s in our byline day in and day out: “Being a voice for those who have no voice, the Preborn, Infirmed and the Aged” There is another way to get the “Message of Life” disseminated
DUANE HACK
West Georgia Right to Life PRESIDENT
“The Heartbeat of Georgia” 470-370-2452 Duanehack46@gmail.com
throughout Georgia and across the United States. I’m confident you have noticed them as you drive or ride our roads and highways. These small but powerful billboards proclaim the lifeaffirming. message “Choose Life.”
And no, they are not up in the treetops along the interstates, wedged between downtown buildings or on yard signs! They are on the bumpers of almost 4000 cars in Georgia. They are Choose Life license plates-plates with a biblically based message you can take everywhere you drive.
Since 2007 Pro-life Georgians have paid an extra annual fee to spread this message of life on their license plates. In doing so, they also have contributed more than $517,000 to Georgia pregnancy centers where women are offered pregnancy options, spiritual encouragement, emotional support, helpful referrals, and generous tangi-
Risk of nuclear war may be growing
We have lived with the existential threat of nuclear weapons for almost 80 years. To say we have become complacent would be an understatement. Knowing the devastation a nuclear war would produce, we go about our lives and assume it can never happen.
But the threat is real, and it is probably getting worse. According to a recent, thoroughly researched and reported New York Times series titled “The Brink,” the risk of nuclear war is the highest it’s been since the Cold War ended 30 years ago.
“Nuclear war is often described as unimaginable,” Times national security columnist W.J. Hennigan writes. “In fact, it is not imagined often enough.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Vladimir Putin’s warnings that Russia could use nuclear weapons in battle have been the latest flashpoint. In the fall of 2022, U.S. intelligence analysts concluded there was a 50-50 chance Russia would launch a nuclear strike if Ukraine threatened to regain Crimea, according to the Times. The nuclear threat also hangs over conflicts in the Middle East, the Taiwan Strait and the Korean Peninsula.
I have long believed that the possibility of a nuclear disaster is the greatest threat to humanity. Nothing compares to the awful power of nuclear weapons when it comes to causing death and destruction. We saw that clearly when the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on the Hiroshima and Nagasaki to force Japan’s surrender in World War II.
We have been incredibly lucky that
ble help. For many years, citizens and pro-life groups had asked the legislature to create such tags as a funding source for non-profits that would promote life-affirming options for pregnant women and not abortion. In 2006, a bill and a constitutional amendment were approved. It included our plates among others benefiting various non-profits. In late 2007, the first Choose Life tags went on the road.
Over 30 states have similar tags! Choose Life America continues to pursue their approval in additional states. Their site, Choose-Life.org, tells the story and shows those states and their Choose Life tags. Since inception in Florida in 2000, the tags have raised well over $29 million dollars nationally! You can spread the word about our plates to your Georgia friends and encourage friends and family in other states to buy them, too.
Choose Life of Georgia, Inc., receives a portion of each annual fee for each tag, and distributes it to about 40 pregnancy resource centers (PRCs.) To receive their share of the funds, PRC staff and volunteers are trained to ensure that every client receives truthful information about
See DUANEHACK page 22
LEE HAMILTON
PROFESSOR Indiana University Center on Representative Government
nuclear weapons haven’t been used in warfare since then. The 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis brought us close to the brink, but the crisis was contained. Deterrence – the idea that any nuclear attack would be met with a devastating counterattack – has worked.
We have been lucky, but we have also been smart. At the height of the Cold War, nuclear powers possessed over 70,000 warheads. Thanks to arms control agreements and efforts like the Nunn-Lugar initiative to dismantle excess stockpiles, nuclear weapons were reduced by at least 80%.
Today, however, arsenals are being modernized and, in some cases, expanded. And it’s no longer just the Americans and Russians who are playing the nuclear game. Nine countries, including China and North Korea, have nuclear weapons. Iran has reportedly moved closer to being able to develop nuclear weapons since the collapse an agreement to deter its nuclear capacity.
Near the end of Cold War, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev declared that a nuclear war “cannot be won and must never be fought.” Their cooperation led to significant agreements to limit nuclear forces. But the
safety net of treaties has frayed as tensions between America and Russia have grown. Only one major agreement remains: the New START strategic arms treaty. Putin has suspended Russia’s participation, and the treaty will expire in 2026.
Experts say the danger isn’t that Russia or another adversary would drop large bombs like those we used against Japan in 1945. Instead, it comes from the temptation to use tactical nuclear weapons, which are smaller but many times more powerful than conventional arms. U.S. officials believe Russia has about 2,000 such weapons, some small enough to fit in an artillery shell. Their use would mean the taboo on nuclear weapons had been broken. Responses could escalate.
The key to navigating this existential threat is leadership. To keep us safe and secure, we need leaders to recognize the seriousness of the problem, set the agenda for addressing it, identify the concrete goals that they can achieve and marshal the resources to achieve them.
We also need greater awareness of the threat. In our American democracy, leaders respond to the concerns of the public, and they aren’t hearing much about the risk of nuclear war. The likelihood may be low, but the risk is high. It deserves attention from our leaders and from all of us.
Lee Hamilton is a distinguished scholar at the IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies and senior advisor for the Indiana University Center on Representative Government. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years.
What’s in a name?
SYBIL ROSEN THOMAS
River Rambles syllabil17@aol.com
What’s in a Name? That’s the question Juliet Capulet asks in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. She goes on: “That which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet.”
Romeo Montague, the love of her young life, comes from a rival family whose name she dare not speak aloud. If he had a different name, she speculates, they could love each other and no one would keep them apart. Thus she concludes that names have no meaning. Is she right?
For countless millenia, the inlet stream in the floodplain flowed to the river without a name. The river had none either and didn’t need one. Then along came a two-legged species with a decided propensity for naming. They called themselves human beings. They named each other, the seasons, and the stars. They did this out of love, familiarity, and convenience. In time they gave names to the places they lived, the animals they lived with, and sometimes, eventually, even their cars.
Our regional First People were named the Creeks by European settlers since the former lived along the numberless creeks that meander into local rivers like the Chattahoochee. There may have been a Creek village along the stream in the floodplain but if she was given a name then, that detail of history has long been lost. For most of her life, the creek was nameless. If she ever appeared on a map, it was only as one of many slender blue threads connected to the river channel like unnamed
legs on a centipede. Until recently. The story of how the stream received its present name begins with the place itself.
My late husband Glyn Thomas bought the old fish camp in 1969 and moved in with his wife at the time, Sas Rissé, and her three children, Holly, Greg, and Gabi. A college professor at Georgia Tech and later West Georgia College in Carrollton, Glyn’s intention was to follow Henry David Thoreau and “live deliberately in nature,” just as Thoreau had famously written in his 19th-century masterpiece “Walden Pond”. Generous hosts, Glyn and Sas drew to the cabin a colorful collection of students, artists, and hippies. Their favorite thing was to sit on the porch, watch the river, and discuss the pains and pleasures of this world.
On one such peaceful afternoon, Myrna Copeland, a friend of Sas’ from Alabama, remarked, “This place is so laid back, it makes you want to waller like a hog” (the word ‘waller’ being the Southern rendering of the medieval English word ‘wallow’). According to The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, wallow is defined as “to roll about or lie in water, snow, mud, dust, or the like, as for refreshment.” It’s also “a place in which animals wallow” - creatures like elephants, hogs and, apparently, humans. The comment seemed apt. For a while, Sas’ kids referred to their new home as ‘Hog Waller.’ That inevitably got shortened to ‘Waller’ out of ease, inertia, or just plain laziness.
Twenty-year-old Morning Washburn, a friend from Atlanta, visited Waller frequently in the late 1960s, in that early exciting moment. Morning took a keen interest in Glyn’s carpentry projects as he went about fixing up the house for his family’s move to the cabin full time. She was often his carpenter’s helper, whether it was cutting up plywood with a skillsaw or holding up one end of a board.
A male cardinal that just might be crazy
BILL BOURIS digi@mindspring.com
Margery has always been a generous citizen. She especially makes sure that birds who visit our property get fed as they journey. However, Cardinals seem to stay with us year-round. And, this Spring has given us something unique. It’s a male Cardinal who may be crazy, … or brain-damaged.
There’s a volunteer peach-tree outside our “bird room” window that we should have cleared away 30 years ago. Back then, that scraggly thing began to attract male Cardinals. In fact, one day, while our friend Glyn Thomas was visiting, admiring our newly-installed window in that very room, he turned to me and said, “I count at least 20 Cardinals in that little peach-tree...never have seen that!” And it was true, and that was the reason why we didn’t clear it, for Cardinals (especially males) have been hanging out there ever since. It’s a kind of Club for Cardinals, mostly boys, and they often raid the near-by feeders. All of that is on the East side of the house.
Around the corner, facing South, is where Crazy Cardinal hangs out. There, among the native azaleas, he is the largest bird, and a loner. As I type this article, he is slamming into
“Thoreau had his Walden, Thomas has his Waller,” she proclaimed Rooted in rural Virginia and versed in Atlanta’s city life, Morning was determined to create her own version of “country living and good neighboring,” as she liked to put it.
In 1971, she found an old-time place 60 miles upriver near Roswell, Georgia. There in town, on US Highway 19, she spotted a roadside bridge sign for ‘Hog Waller Creek’ in the Chattachoochee watershed. This seemed like the perfect gift for Waller! After careful reconnaissance she and an adventuresome friend Sheila Carlisle took the sign down. It wasn’t enough for Morning to present the sign to the denizens of Waller. She wanted to make a little magic.
Just before dawn, Morning parked her car out of sight on the dirt road to Waller and trekked through woods grey with fog down to the floodplain. Tufts of mist were rising off the river. In sight of the cabin she nailed the Hog Waller Creek sign on a shagbark hickory along the no-name creek Then she slipped back to her car, waited for the household to wake up, and showed up for a visit that had previously been planned. Morning was patient, despite her understandable eagerness for the sign to be discovered. After several hours or days or weeks - she can’t quite remember now - after nobody saw the sign, she finally gave Sas and Glyn a nudge by pretending to see it herself. Weeks later, after the excitement subsided and the mystery lingered, Morning finally told the story of how the Hog Waller Creek sign had magically
appeared at Waller
Now, at last the creek had a name, though unless you were a regular at Waller, you might not know it. That is until a few years ago when I volunteered to water sample along this middle portion of the river for Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. Ashley DeSensei, Technical Programs Specialist in charge of Riverkeeper’s Neighborhood Water Watch, came to give me instruction. She asked that I not only collect samples of the river but also the inlet stream.
For countless millenia, the inlet stream in the floodplain flowed to the river without a name. The river had none either and didn’t need one. Then along came a twolegged species with a decided propensity for naming. They called themselves human beings. They named each other, the seasons, and the stars. They did this out of love, familiarity, and convenience. In time they gave names to. . .
“Does the creek have a name?” she inquired.
I pointed to the sign on the hickory tree. “Ah,” she replied. “I’ll look for it on the USGS map. If it has no prior name, that’s the one we’ll use.” And that, Rambles Reader, is how Hog Waller Creek became an official place name in the Riverkeeper database. (Though not yet on any map, it’s a start.)
But, maybe Juliet was right: Names have no meaning. They’re as changeable as life itself. A stream still flows to the riverk whether it has a name or not. To that point, here’s a small footnote to this very Walleresque history: When the Hog Waller Creek sign was replaced on Highway 19, Morning reported that it was now spelled Hog Wallow Creek. That small detail delighted Glyn no end. Not only did it provide a good ending to a great story, he relished pronouncing the word Wal-low, pursing his lips slowly like a man who knows exactly what’s in a name. Thanks to Morning Washburn and Ashley DeSensei for their contributions to this Ramble.
two of the five windows of our porch. He does this during the daylight hours, every minute, often several times a minute, and has been doing it since the beginning of March. I calculate that he has banged his head 10,000 times so far, and will have banged his head, maybe 80,000 times by the end of the year! After all, Cardinals don’t migrate.
I’m sure the reader is aware of the fact: The male Cardinal will “attack” his reflection in a window-pane. And, that explains such behavior. We are familiar with that. It occurs with several species of bird. But this?
First of all, the native azaleas have grown so tall and so thick, that the five windows I’ve mentioned are entirely shaded and thickly covered. In fact, we have been trying to figure a way to move the bushes further away from the house without killing them. No strong light gets to these windows. That is, light strong enough to make a reflection. But, I will say this: there may be barely enough light to trigger some male Cardinal’s instincts to attack, if that Cardinal is prone to hallucinate! I think this guy’s crazy or brain-damaged...
Here it is, the beginning of July. Suddenly we’ve noticed that the head-banger is gone! In the meantime, I’ve been wondering about some larger meaning of this experience, and I think I have a connection to human behavior.
Consider this: “We have met the enemy and he is us.” Based on a famous quote from the War of 1812, the Pogo cartoonist Walt Kelly produced a variation and used it some 55 years ago. To me, it sums up the male Cardinal’s predicament, and it especially tunes in on the
crazy guy who beat his brains out on our porch window.
Turns out, Walt Kelly also used it to describe our divided nation during the Viet Nam era, as well as for a poster that commemorated the first Earth Day. (I guess he was an environmentalist back in 1970.) I believe Pogo’s point was, that starting with our own limitations and faults, we can and do create our own problems, and those problems are particularly difficult to solve. We can think of Cardinals in a related way: Nature has yet to give Cardinals the ability to tell the difference between their competition and their own reflection, and once in a while there is that “extreme” Cardinal, like the crazy guy at our window-pane.
For humans, there is much that indicates we can (and constantly do) create our own problems. PLUS, there are some individuals who know how to exploit that aspect of our nature. (I mean the positive as well as the negative sense of that word, “exploit”.)
Let’s say, similar to the case of the Cardinal, Nature has given humans something like the Cardinal’s dead-end “reflection-problem”. In other words, we humans have our “blind spots”.
I don’t wish to sound like a moralist, but the reader should keep in mind what we usually call the “Seven Deadly Sins”, for I believe that those “Sins” are each subject to the short-comings that Nature has given us. Let’s consider Greed, for instance. Once the scent of easy money and riches is perceived, we seem to go into senseless hot-pursuit of them. At least it usually starts with an urge to do so.
To my mind, it is similar to the business of the Cardinal’s attack on its own reflection. Having fallen prey to the belief of an imminent reward (“Victory” in Cardinalese), we soon will lose our sense of reason and fairness. The old TV series “Las Vegas” had a wonderful weekly presentation of such illusions (and the “House” profited from it, and they referred to themselves as “Sin City”, where nothing that happens there gets back home, not even the winnings!). I mentioned that there are some individuals who exploit such blind spots, and the Las Vegas casino managers are a negative example of what I had in mind.
When I was exploring the origins of the Pogo-quote on the internet, I ran into this: “Once you accept your flaws, no one can use them against you.” I’m sure you can agree with that. But, not always: We always welcome free and useful, wise, advice. Human-kind needs that. Society would not exist without that kind of sharing.
But, like the legendary Fuller Brush salesman who tempts the unsuspecting housewife with a “free sample” (to be able to get a foot in the door, which could lead to a sale), there are all sorts of ways to earn a living, which include simple temptations, deceit, even good advice. Now, the head-banger is back, pecking at our window! I thought he had expired. And in spite the annoyance he has been, I say “Thank you” to that crazy delusional bird, “Thank you, for sparking my curiosity!”, which led to an interesting understanding, and even helped to make late night TV watching of replays a profound pleasure!
Talk to your family about wealth transfer
DERICK NEWTON
FINANCIAL ADVISOR
Are you anticipating an inheritance someday? If so, you may want to discuss it with your parents or other family members who may be leaving you the assets - because early, open communication will benefit everyone involved.
However, many people are reluctant to have these conversations. More than a third of Americans do not plan on discussing a transfer of wealth with their families, according to a recent study by Edward Jones in partnership with NEXT 360 Partners and Morning Consult.
And the same study found that only about a quarter of Americans have actually discussed generational wealth transfer with their families.
Perhaps this low level of communication is not surprising — clearly, talking about wealth transfer and estate plans can be emotional. But having these discussions is important, for several reasons:
Strengthening family bonds –
Generational wealth transfer shouldn’t be seen simply as a transactional event. By discussing your parents’ plans and wishes, and your own expectations, you can build a sense of unity and shared purpose. And you can develop a common philosophy about how your family’s legacy goals will be carried forward through the succeeding generations.
Avoiding unpleasant surprises – If you or other family members are expecting a certain inheritance and things turn out differently, disappointment and bad feelings may occur. But this can be avoided by having a discussion beforehand that clearly outlines your parents’ intentions.
You still may not agree with them, but at least you’ll know what to expect — and you won’t make the mistake of acting in advance
Carroll County marriage licenses
on any assumptions about what you’ll inherit. Developing appropriate strategies –Passing on wealth to a new generation as part of an overall estate plan can be more complex than you might think. Are your parents using tax-smart strategies? Would they benefit from establishing a living trust? Are the beneficiary designations on their retirement accounts and life insurance policies accurate and up to date?
If you suspect your parents may not have properly addressed these issues, you may want to bring up the benefits of working with an estate-planning attorney and a tax advisor. Protecting against incapacitation – Many people go through their senior years with few, if any, physical or mental impairments. But there are no guarantees. If one or both of your parents were to become incapacitated and unable to handle their financial affairs, it could cause serious problems with their wealth transfer and estate-planning goals. But if you can discuss your parents’ plans with them while they are healthy and alert, you can
encourage them to take the proper steps, such as reviewing outdated estate-planning documents and designating you or another family member as power of attorney to make health care and financial decisions on their behalf should they become incapacitated. While the benefits of having wealth-transfer and estate-planning discussions are clear, starting the conversations can be tricky. You need to show that you want to initiate these talks because you’re concerned that proper plans need to be in place and understood by everyone involved.
If you have a good relationship with your parents, you should be able to start these conversations, but you’ll still need to be sensitive when bringing up the subject.
One final word: Estate plans can take some time to develop, so, the sooner you have these discussions, the better.
Derick Newton is financial advisor, 937B Maple Street, Carrollton, GA 770-832-9515 Article was written by Edward Jones for use by local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.
Carroll County pistol permits
Number of Weapons Carry Permits applied for: JUNE 1-30, 2024: 113
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. JUNE 1-30, 2024
Carroll County births
JUNE 1- 30, 2024:
Tanner Medical Center, Carrollton: Females: 44 Males: 44
Tanner Medical Center, Villa Rica:� Females: 35 Males: 29
Carroll County cattle receipts
Carroll County Sales Barn
225 Sales Barn Road, Carrollton
July 1, 2024: CLOSED
June 24, 2024: 973
June 17, 2024: 405
June 10, 2024: 739
Carroll County jail population
(The Jack T. Bell Detention Center, 1000 Newnan Road,Carrollton)
Total population as of JULY 1, 2024: 477
Males: 390 Females: 87
Carroll County prison population
Total population as of JULY 1, 2024: 242
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)
story by Janice Daniel
Mayor and Council of the City of Carrollton met Monday, May 6, 2023 6:00 p.m. for a regular monthly meeting. All council members were present.
There was a request from Church Without Walls to rezone 9.62 acres at 555 Chaucer Lane from R-M & R-20 to O/I (office and institutional) in order to expand the scope of community-oriented activities on the property, including but not limited to, providing before and after school day care, summer camps, nonprofit, etc., which was approved by council with two conditions:
1. Any expansion of the building footprints currently located on the property or construction of new buildings shall require approval of the Mayor and City Council
2. No additional off-site signage shall be permitted along Newnan Road with the introduction of new uses.
Resolution 06-2024, amendments to define and establish guidelines for signage in the downtown C-1/Central Business District, were
DUANEHACK from page 19
the adoption option. Said one center leader, “We know our client advocates are much more comfortable presenting adoption when they are prepared with factual current information and sensitive wording.”
In addition to quarterly checks, Choose Life helps meet special non-recurring needs of pregnancy centers, such as equipping a new location, installing required equipment,and training new directors. Many centers have become limited medical clinics offering pregnancy ultrasounds, sexually transmitted disease testing, and other services. Choose Life tags are available for purchase all year round through each county’s Department of Driver Services, and
made to sections 1.09.00, 5.04.00 and 5.04.04.03, which are available at city hall for business owners to read. Approved by council unanimously.
Resolution 07-2024, amendments to Chapter 6 (Alcoholic Beverages) to define, regulate, and allow for wine lounges, subject to regulations, and available at city hall for details. Approved by council unanimously.
Tommy J. Holland, P.E., City Engineer, presented Midtown Water Park Upgrades Project. This is a renovation and expansion of the existing water park, and consists of replacing the existing restroom/concession stand structure, expanding the existing pool deck, adding a splash pad on the expanded pool deck, site lighting, walkways, parking lots, stormwater management facilities, and landscaping. He asked the Mayor & Council to approve the Construction Manager at Risk contract with Ralin Construction with a GMP (guaranteed maximum price) of $2,767,952. Mayor Cason thanked Hayley Beaver for her work on getting a $2,000,000 grant from Governor Kemp and a
instructions on how to apply are available on the Choose Life website. Pro-life Georgians, especially adoptive couples and adoptees, happily display the distinctive tags.
These tiny billboards are impacting our culture and promoting positive alternatives to abortion. So, the next time you are registering or renewing your Georgia license plates, please consider purchasing “Choose Life” tags for your vehicles. You will take this life- affirming message everywhere you drive.
For more information about Choose Life plates or West Georgia Right to Life, feel free to call Duane Hack-Chapter President West Georgia Right to Life of email me at Duanehack46@gmail.com
$500,000 grant Dept. of Natural Resources, the two combined leaving the city with a cost of only $267,952 for this renovation, which was approved by the Council unanimously.
FY2024-2025 Budget Public Hearing was presented by Finance Director Kevin Bush. He said the Budget came in at $61,542,525, a 5.1% increase over the prior year. This number is made up from: General Fund $34,027,445; Water & Sewer Enterprise Fund $20,851,287; Sanitation Enterprise Fund $6,663,793. Total: $61,542,525. 55.7% of the General Fund budget is comprised of the Police and Fire Departments. Bush then presented ten (10) additional separate and distinct Funds budgeted for FY 2024-2025 as follows:
Tax Allocation District Fund$500,000
Hazardous Materials Response Team $9,000
West Metro Regional Drug Enforcement Fund
$500,000
Police Technology Fund $30,000
Opioid Settlement Fund $100,000
Drug Seizure Fund $100,000
Hotel/Motel Tax Fund $1,335,150
American Rescue Plan Fund $30,510
Neighborhood Stabilization Program Fund $1,000,000
The total of these funds: $3,604,660. This $3,604,660 is not included in the $61,542,525 Budget for FY2024-2025 due to the fact that the revenue streams for these various funds are specific as to where they come from and how they can be spent, and have no effect on the General Fund or the two main enterprise funds. This presentation was for the public hearing only and there was no Council vote for this item. Last item of business: appoint Jim Rowell and Jessica Beckom to new 3-year terms of the Carrollton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, terms ending 6/30/2027, approved by the Council unanimously. Meeting was then adjourned.
Roy’s Tires
states in advance it will be added on, the restaurant can argue that a customer agreed to the gratuity simply by ordering. Of course, the restaurant would need to prove the customer saw that notation. I would advise the restaurant to have the customer sign an agreement before ordering.”
But is there another side of the story on tipping? Here is what Pew Research Center found in a 2023 poll: “Since a large majority of Americans say they usually tip when eating at a sit-down restaurant, we also wanted to know how much of a tip they’d leave. So, we gave our respondents a hypothetical scenario in which they went to a restaurant and had an average – but not exceptional – food and service. In this situation, a majority of Americans (57%) say they would tip 15% or less, including 2% who wouldn’t leave a tip at all. Another 12% of adults say they would leave a tip of 18%, while a quarter say they would tip 20% or more.”
And INC.COM wrote that fully 74% of respondents to a survey by personal finance company WalletHub reported feeling “tipping culture has gotten out of control,” with 57% ascribing that to “businesses replacing employee salaries with tips.” Roughly half of
Shown above is a receipt from Rosie’s Cafe in Carrollton which shows $30.10 due that includes a $4.74 20% automatic gratuity. Below that is a suggestion for more tipping and offers amounts. Below that is a notice that 3% will be added if you pay with a credit card. And, below that, is the statement in all caps: “DON’T FORGET TO LEAVE US 5 STARS ON OUR GOOGLE REVIEWS.”
participants said they tend offer gratuities out of social pressure, and over a third described tips as something they now “always have to give.”
And, according to American travel writer and author Rick Steves, “Restaurant tips are more modest in Europe than in America” as “servers in Europe are paid a living wage and tips are considered a small bonus”.
Gerald Johnson also stated that he was not aware of any other restaurant in Carrollton who added the gratuity automatically. “There are some in Atlanta I think. The bad part is they had the sign at the door, but it was so small no one sees it. A lot of folks didn’t pay attention to their bill so they add the 20% tip then folks tip another 20% on top of that.”
If you have had any experiences regarding automatic tipping in the West Georgia area that you would like to share, please email: waynereynolds.starnews@gmail.com
