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The Paper | Thursday, October 10, 2013
POLICE REPORTS A Jefferson Police sergeant has been suspended and placed on unpaid administrative leave pending completion of a criminal case against him. On Oct. 3 just before, Jefferson Police Chief Joe Wirthman and Major David Hill were in communication with investigators of the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office who advised signed warrants had been issued for Sgt. Darren Mace for simple assault family violence and hindering a 911 call. The charges came after a domestic incident at Mace’s Rabun County home on Sept. 20. Sgt. Mace was contacted and advised to report to the Jefferson Police Department where he was served with the arrest warrants in the presence of Wirthman, Hill and Lt. James Arwood. He was placed under arrest and transported by Lt. Arwood to the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office for booking. Mace’s suspension will continue until the case wraps up and the Jefferson Police Department con-
BOE MILLAGE Continued from 1A
are done and often they are outside applying their knowledge in the world around them. He then sends the kids home to watch his instructional videos to prepare for the next day’s “homework” at school. This way the kids can get their instruction anywhere and anytime and can no longer use the excuse “I left my notes at school” or “I had to miss school because I was sick. The method of doing instructional videos for them to watch at home is successful because he gets to spend more time teaching them to apply their knowledge and less time lecturing to a classroom of stu-
BRIEFLY ducts an administrative internal investigation.
Jackson Co. Sheriff’s Office ■■ A wrecked vehicle may provide law enforcement with clues to recent vehicle break-ins. On Oct. 6, a deputy was advised a vehicle had wrecked on Skelton Road. The deputy found the vehicle in the trees at the entrance of Charlotte Estates. Inside were two Bud Lite beer cans and several devices commonly used to break into vehicles. A Georgia State Patrol trooper was called to the scene. ■■ A deputy assisted University of Georgia Police at a Commerce residence on Oct. 1 where they were conducting a consent search for a computer that may contain inappropriate images. ■■ A man notified deputies after he saw he lost dog in the back yard of a Hoschton resident. The matter will be civil in nature. More at ClickThePaper.com
dents who probably aren’t listening to him anyway. Mr. Palmer’s students are succeeding and are actually having fun at school instead of just sitting in a desk and taking notes. The board expressed their excitement about his new approach to teaching as well as his willingness to implement technology into the learning experience. Dr. Debra Morris also gave a presentation to the board about the success of the Seamless Summer Feeding Program which served 33,000 lunches and led the state in the Georgia Grown/Locally Grown Initiative. And as they plan ahead for next summer’s program, they are making some changes so even more children can be fed.
PARTNERSHIP Continued from 1A
Heather Thompson, Jefferson High School counselor, told the crowd she is so excited and optimistic about this partnership and is proud of the student’s achievement so far. She introduced the five students participating in the 12 For Life program and explained that these students, for various reasons, were considered “high risk” for not graduating. She met with them and proposed the idea of participating with GPP. At first, a few were hesitant and a few agreed immediately, but all have done well so far. The students started training at Buhler four weeks before school started
FENN
Continued from 1A To help showcase what is available locally, Fenn said the Taste of Jackson will be a holiday kickoff – a chance to market services and encourage people to keep their money in the community. The Oct. 22 Taste of Jackson will be held in Commerce with future events being held around the county on a rotational basis. “We will be in every corner of Jackson County with our events,” said Fenn. Programs will be provided to the different geographic and demographic areas of the county, and there are plans to partner with downtowns so that merchants can take advantage of having people already in a buying mode. Fenn said economic development will be seeing some ramped up marketing efforts. “We missed some areas in the last
Tea Party meeting is Oct. 10 “What is wrong with the Common Core Standards?” is the subject of the meeting of the Tea Party Patriots of Jackson County. The meeting will be Thursday, Oct. 10, at Northeast Church in Braselton. The speaker is Jane Robbins. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. Northeast Church at 2001 Cherry St., in Braselton. The public is cordially invited to attend the meeting.
VOTER LISTS Continued from 1A
Norma Saunders asked to be removed from the voters’ list, saying she was not happy with the process. Wurtz explained the process coming at the state elections office’s direction, and Beck noted that this was the first year Jackson County was taking on the coordination of municipal elections. Tate urged Saunders to maintain her voting privileges. “We need you to vote, please stay involved,” she said. “There may have been a clerk who was overzealous but you need to keep your right to vote. People have died for us to be able, as a woman, to vote.” “Your vote is giving you a voice,” said Beck. The board and Wurtz indicated they would continue to seek a better means to update the voter lists. “They are continually asking us for input on ways to improve,” said Wurtz of the Secretary of State’s office. Saunders suggested checking to see if there is a tie with insurance. Another resident of the Commerce area, a student, also attended and had been upset to learn her right to vote was being challenge. The matter was promptly handled. In advance of the October session, Probate Judge Sherry Moore swore in Lauren Stover as the newest member of the Board of Elections. She joins chief registrar Douglas Beck and Theressa Tate. She replaced Marvin Stover, who has moved from the county.
so they could focus solely on their work and it wouldn’t be overwhelming to learn new work and start a new school year. They now have received several pay checks, and there are multiple mentors and life coaches at Buhler setting an example of how hard work pays off in life. Another incentive to stay in the program is the students receive a raise at the end of the school year. “We interviewed 13-14 kids and gave five of them a job that mainly consists of cleaning large machinery,” said Russ Mims, Buhler Vice President of Operations. Mims explained that at first, some of the students were shy and hesitant about being in an industrial environment and some would call in saying they had a headache or a stomach ache, but
once they received that first paycheck, the calling into work stopped. He is glad to see the students doing well on the job and he hopes that the reward of a paycheck and the feeling of a job well done will help them finish high school and find a career path. “We are so thankful for the life coaches and the work coaches here at Buhler. The management team here and at GPP has made all the difference,” said Adriane Lockwood, Buhler’s human resources manager. Great Promise Partnership now has eight locations that offer high-risk students employment and life skills. Buhler Quality Yarns is the third manufacturing place to partner with GPP and is already making a difference in the Jefferson community. Visit the website at www.gppartnership.org.
few years,” said Fenn, who notes that growth is coming Jackson County’s way. “It’s coming this way from Atlanta and from South and North Carolina. But what kind of growth do we want? Do we want just distribution centers?” He noted distribution centers are good for business – bringing jobs and trucks which use fuel and generate sales tax, but diversification is needed, he said. By inviting the Georgia Ports Authority to the community, Fenn said he was able to showcase what Jackson County has to offer. He is also connecting with industrial real estate brokerage firms so that Jackson County can be on that list when they are looking for just the right piece of land and labor pool. “We want them to ask for Jackson County by name because they know our community,” he said. “We have got to sell our story.” Fenn said the established industry program will be growing. “We want to help make sure our industries are vibrant and profitable so they will want
to invest more into their plant,” he said, noting the easiest job growth to get is nurturing what you already have. He pointed to TDI Automotive as an example of an industry being grown in place with 120 new jobs and another $180 million invested. Jackson County is in a good spot; we are hearing hammers again, he said. Since July, he has seen work start anew on subdivisions. “That is a good, tell tale sign of the economy improving.” The community must also invest in its youth to provide a left here after high school. Partnering with the county’s three school systems, the chamber is supportive of the growing dual enrolment effort with Lanier Tech. Jackson County has the most dual enrolled students of any county in the area. “And our employers are hiring them,” said Fenn. “We need jobs and opportunities and great things are going on in the community.” Contact Josh Fenn at 706-387-0300 or fjfenn@jacksoncountyga.com
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Michael Steffman is now transitioning into more administrative role with his new rank as capitain.
Steffman is new Braselton Police captain Michael Steffman is the Braselton Police Department’s new captain, according to Chief Terry Esco. Steffman attended Davidson County Community College before earning his P.O.S.T. certification from the Georgia Police Academy. He was worked in law enforcement for 14 years with the last nine years in Braselton. An advocate of community policing, Steffman says “it gives the public a better understanding of our jobs and citizens are open to the personal feeling of the Braselton Police Department. We stress visibility; after all, much of our work is not adversarial.” Since his promotion, Steffman has been cross-
training and learning the administrative functions of the department. The 37-year-old recognizes the role as having more opportunity to communicate and work with law enforcement agencies in other cities and counties as well as state and federal agencies. Chief Esco said, “Capt. Steffman brings with him many years of patrol and criminal investigation experience, and he has built a good rapport with the community. His knowledge and skills make him a great asset to this department.” “I am looking forward to being more hands-on, assisting the entire department and, of course, keeping Braselton safe,” Steffman added.
I am looking forward to being more hands-on.... keeping Braselton safe.
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