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Franklin County Finds Road Name Ordinance to Settle Name Change Dispute 09/03/2010 A dispute over the name of a road in Franklin County has caused commissioners to clarify the county ordinance regarding the changing of road names.
For the past several months, residents of Beatenbough Road have been at odds with relatives of a man who claim the road was named after him. His last name was Bedenbaugh. They claim the road was named after him in the early 1980s after Mr. Bedenbaugh died because he and his family had lived on that road for decades.
However, at some point, the road’s name was changed to Beaten-bo Road and now the Bedenbaugh relatives want it changed back. Those who currently live on that road want it to stay Beatenbough.
After listening at length to both parties over the past two county commission meetings, the county resurrected a little-known ordinance regarding how roads are named. It’s called the Uniform Roadway Addressing System ordinance and it’s primarily by the e-911 department. In there, one section deals specifically with road name changes, according to County manager Billy Morse.
"There is a procedure that the county is to follow when changing a road name. That is, we will post signs on the street when considering changing a road name. We also must notify the people on the road of that proposed change. So, that's our plan to do that," Morse said.
Morse said there will be public hearing regarding the Beatenbo- Bedenbaugh road issue and then the commission will make a decision. One idea suggested by commissioner Jeff Jacques was to give the road both names. Morse said it would be legal to do that.
"As a matter of fact, I've actually done that before in another community where we had a situation in which we double-named a road. I've spoken with the U.S. Postal Service in Atlanta, to their Addressing management Division. They said, 'Yes, absolutely, you can do it.' Whether the commission will do that, I don't know, but that certainly is an option for them," Morse said.
When the suggestion was again presented to the Beatenbough/Bedenbaugh families at this week's county commission work session, both sides local post offices informed them a double-named road would register in their address database.
Whatever the commission decides on the Beaten-bo/Bedenbaugh road issue, citizens will be able to appeal.
Dove Season Marks Beginning of Hunting Season in Georgia 09/03/2010  Saturday marks the start of dove hunting season in Georgia.
Hunters across Franklin, Hart counties and all of Northeast Georgia will be out in force taking part in what Department of Natural Resources officer, Corporal Craig Fulgum calls an annual right of fall.
"Dove season is starting officially at noon on Saturday. And this year, the statewide limit is 15 doves per day per licensed hunter. It's an age-old tradition in Georgia. Hunters like to go out and enjoy this day. There are a lot of birds in the area and a lot of good fields to be on. It's always been a tradition in Georgia that this is the official start of hunting season," Fulgum said.
According to the Georgia Sportsman Web site, most of Georgia's wildlife management areas allow dove hunting all around the state and many have managed fields that produce good dove shooting, while others are open for dove shooting over habitat where you might find doves.
Fulgum said however, there are few things to remember when out in the field this year.
"The big thing is whenevery you are out there, be aware of other hunters; know where they are at all times. You don't want to shoot low birds. You don't ever want to shoot low birds because of the fear of the shot hitting other hunters. Be aware of houses. You don't want to shoot near or around houses," he said.
Other tips include be conscious of other hunters and make sure if hunting in a group the leader give a safety talk to the others before going out.
Poultry Exports Expected to Rise Next Fiscal Year, USDA Says 09/03/2010  U.S. chickens and eggs could soon be going to Russia.
After months of haggling and an on-again, off-again poultry export agreement with Russia, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack now says he hopes current work with Russia will soon result in the reopening of that market to U.S. poultry.
Despite the problems with Russia, the future of poultry exports looks good overall, according to the USDA.
Poultry exports to all nations next fiscal year, which begins next month, are expected to rise $200-million dollars to $3.3. billion, according to a new USDA forecast, which reflects expected progress in re-opening the Russian market.
"There are approximately 26 facilities that we would like Russia to be able to do business with. They have basically given us the sign off on half of those facilities. I'm convinced that this market is still going to be pretty robust and that we're going to see shipments very soon," explained Vilsak.
Vilsak did not say whether the recent salmonella outbreak in eggs will cause any problems for the U.S. exports to Russia.
No Lane Closures on Georgia Roads This Weekend 09/03/2010  If you’re headed out of town this holiday weekend, you won’t have to worry about getting caught in a traffic jam because of road construction.
The Georgia Department of Transportation is suspending all lane closures over the Labor Day weekend. Spokesperson Teri Pope says it’s a way to keep traffic flowing smoothly the next three days.
"This weekend is the last chance for most people to enjoy summer and that means many more travelers on Georgia roadways. It is safer for DOT crews, contract workers, and motorists for us not to be in the way. So, as a routine we put into our contract that there are certain holidays where there cannot be any lane closures for general construction," she said.
Pope said the only way they would close a lane is if there were some sort of emergency road maintenance needed. Still, the DOT reminds motorists to exercise caution as heavy holiday traffic is expected throughout the state and DOT crews may be still be working close to highways.
"Please slow down and pay attention. There are still going to be work zones out there, but crews will not be working. So, there might be some areas where roads are uneven, where traffic is shifted over. So we do want you to slow down and pay attention. We don't want to have any fataliites reported after this holiday weekend," she said.
Also, incident management or emergency maintenance-related lane closures could become necessary on any route.
Georgia DOT urges travelers to call 511 for updated information about construction projects on interstates and state routes.
Georgia 511 is a free phone service that provides real-time traffic and travel information statewide, such as traffic conditions, incidents, lane closures, and delays due to inclement weather.
"Hands Across the Border" DUI Crackdown Announced for Labor Day Weekend 09/03/2010 By Mark Gaffney, WSGC Radio, Elberton
 Last night Elbert County hosted over 50 law enforcement officers, for the final event in the 19th Annual Hands Across the Border DUI Enforcement initiative. Elbert County Sheriff Barry Haston.
“Elbert County, along with the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, and all of these law enforcement officers here, are serious about taking drunk drivers off the road, speeders off the road, and making everybody buckle up,” Haston said. “We are honored to have all these people here tonight, and we hope you come back next year.”
Hands Across the Border began Sunday in Georgia, with checkpoints in Columbus, Bremen, Rossville, with law enforcement from Alabama and Tennessee. From Sunday through Wednesday, a total of 303 citations or arrests were issued, including 17 DUI’s, 5 felony drug arrests, and 5 captured fugitives.
But, Georgia State Patrol Captain Bill Ashburn said it was about more than writing a bunch of tickets.
“I feel like what this is is a commercial for safety,” Ashburn said, “because of what we have here - The Governors Office of Highway Safety. And we’re here to promote safety on the roads here before Labor Day Weekend.”
The week-long initiative culminated in a final impaired driving checkpoint at the Elbert County Border with Abbeville County South Carolina. Lieutenant Russell Wilson is with the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
“It’s been a great week,” Wilson said. “It’s been a long week but I think it’s been very successful. Even if we only take one impaired driver off the road; we’ll never know how many lives were saved.”
Last night’s event included officers from the Piedmont Area Traffic Enforcement Network, which includes police and sheriff’s deputies from Elbert, Barrow, Lincoln, Wilkes, Taliaferro, Oglethorpe, Oconee, Clarke and Madison Counties.
Burglary at Carry On Trailers Could be Inside Job, Authorities Say 09/02/2010 Lavonia police investigators are looking into a burglary at Carry On Trailers Corporation on Highway 17 in Lavonia.
According to Police Chief Bruce Carlisle, it happened in one of the offices of the company sometime between last Thursday evening, August 26th and the early hours of Friday morning, August 27th.
"there was an office inside the shipping department that was entered. A large quantity of cash was taken. There was forced entry into that office and I'm handling the investigation myself due to the serious nature of what happened," Carlisle said.
Over a thousand dollars in cash had been taken from the office. Since the burglary, Carlisle said he has been interviewing multiple workers and believes the suspect or suspects may be employees.
"I have to say every employee I've interviewed has been very cooperative and given me a lot of good information. Again, there's only a few people who knew the money was in there and the dynamics of the office, I'm confident that it was somebody that was familiar with the operaiton. Not too many people knew the exact amount of money that could have been in that office at that particular time," he said.
Carlisle said over the course of the interviews, they have developed some good leads.
"We do have some video footage and also some eyewitness to a vehicle. We do have a suspect vehicle and I think we have found the owner of that vehicle and have interviewed her. She suggested that she loaned it out that evening. We will work diligently on this until we have closure on it," he said.
Carry On is headquartered in Lavonia, and has seven manufacturing facilities located throughout the country.
Death of Elbert County Man Ruled Suspicious 09/02/2010 By Mark Gaffney, WSGC Radio, Elberton
Elbert County authorities are asking for the public’s help in finding the person or persons responsible for the death of man found in a wooded area.
On Monday, Elbert County Sheriff deputies discovered the body of Todd Tumlin in an area off Pulliam Mill Road in the northern part of the county. Elbert County Sheriff Barry Haston said Tumlin had been reported missing on Saturday, August 28th, and was last seen at the Beaverdam Creek Bridge.
Haston said that numerous emergency agencies were involved in the search of the densely wooded area, which had turned up empty until Monday, when a Georgia State Patrol aviation unit discovered the body.
Tumlin’s body was taken to the Georgia Crime Lab for identification and an autopsy, which confirmed that his death was indeed suspicious. It is believed that Tumlin possibly met with someone in the area of the Beaverdam Creek Bridge.
The Sheriff’s office is asking for anyone who may have seen Tumlin at that location last Saturday to come forward.
If you have any information on this incident, you’re asked to call the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division at (706) 283-2421, or the Crime Tipper’s Hotline at (706) 213-8956.
Franklin County BOC Moves Forward with Forming Ethics Board 09/02/2010  Franklin County is moving ahead with a plan to form an ethics board.
At this week’s county commission work session, the board agreed to begin work in advance of what could become a law in Georgia next year.
"I believe our board should be proactive in pursuing an ethics board, but one question I have is how investigations would be funded," asked commissioner Charles Cawthon during discussions.
County attorney Bubba Samuels said he doesn’t think there would be much need for any sort of funding.
"The way most of these ethics boards in other counties have set up their boards; they are voluntarily boards. Any investigation I think would not be a funded investigation. I think you would have to take each complaint on a case-by-case basis to see what's required," he said.
"I am adamantly for an ethics board," noted commissioner Jeff Jacques.
However, Jacques said he wanted the board of commissioners to also be subject to an ethics board review if necessary.
Samuels said the proposal to the state by the Association of County Commissions of Georgia did not address how to oversee a county commission.
"I think that the way the ACCG has set up their model ordinance is that there is essentially three groups to which the ethics board would apply, the county employees, other public ofifcers and then the board of commissioners. The idea of the ACCG would be the board of commissioners would serve as the ethics board for the first two groups, but of course they could not serve as the ethics board for themselves," he said.
Samuels said an ad hoc ethics board could have to be set up to answer ethics questions or complaints against a commissioner or the board. Or, he said, those complaints could be referred to the State Ethics Commission.
No vote was taken Monday, but commissioners unanimously agreed to have a goal of forming an ethics board by the end of the year.
Corps Rangers Expect Busy Weekend on Lake Over Labor Day 09/02/2010  It’s expected to be a busy weekend on Lake Hartwell this weekend because of the mild weather in the forecast.
Park rangers expect campgrounds to fill quickly with most already reserved in Corps-run areas. State-operated and locally-operated recreation areas are also expected to be full. That’s one reason why Corps rangers are urging people take extra safety precautions.
All three Corps lakes will participating in the annual “Wear It” campaign – which ranger Tonya Grant explains is an effort to get everyone on the water this weekend to wear a life vest.
"A lot of people dont' wear a life jacket because they say they know how to swim, or say they're uncomfortable. However, there's a lot of life jackets out there, some that are inflatable,that they should look into," Grant said.
Grant says when people are on the lake, it’s a lot different than swimming in a pool and she says that can be dangerous if you’re not prepared.
"that goes for kids as well as adults. The lake has an uneven bottom; there could be tree stumps and rocks and that sort of thing. The most important thing is the lake has a lot of sudden drop offs. People could be out in the lake and suddenly hit a drop off and panic and drown," she said.
Grant said if someone is on the lake and doesn’t have a life jacket, the Corps does have loaner jackets at a number of boat ramps and swimming areas ready for use.
"It’s so easy – take one, wear it, return it. It can save your life,” Grant said.
State Law Enforcement Prepares for Holiday Weekend 09/02/2010  The Georgia State Patrol is reminding drivers not to get behind the wheel impaired during the upcoming Labor Day holiday travel period. Troopers and officers with the Motor Carrier Compliance Division will be working alongside sheriff’s deputies and police officers in an effort to keep the holiday weekend as safe as possible.
The 78-hour Labor Day holiday travel period begins Friday, September 3 at 6 p.m. and ends at midnight Labor Day. During the 2009 Labor Day holiday period, there were 1,917 traffic crashes reported that resulted in 867 injuries and 15 traffic deaths in Georgia, according to holiday statistics compiled by the Crash Reporting Unit at the Georgia Department of Transportation.
Colonel Bill Hitchens, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety, said increased patrols for impaired drivers will be conducted during the holiday period. “Last year there were no alcohol-related traffic deaths reported over the Labor Day holiday period,” he said, “and one of the deaths involved a drug-impaired driver.”
Since August 20, troopers and officers have participated in Operation Zero Tolerance across Georgia as part of a nationwide mobilization against impaired drivers. The Labor Day campaign will conclude at midnight Labor Day.
Colonel Hitchens said a variety of events scheduled during the Labor Day holiday period will increase motor vehicle travel in Georgia, including high school football games across the state, college games on Saturday, and a full series of events at Atlanta Motor Speedway throughout the weekend.
If you will be traveling during the Labor Day holiday period, Colonel Hitchens reminds drivers to plan trips carefully and allow plenty of time to reach your destination. He also urged drivers to check the condition of their vehicle by inspecting the belts, hoses, and fluid levels, and to pay special attention to the condition of the tires. “The heat this summer has taken a toll on tires,” he noted. “Troopers have investigated several crashes, some that resulted in fatalities, where tires have blown causing the driver to lose control.”
The highest number of traffic deaths recorded over a Labor Day holiday period was in 1968 when 35 traffic deaths were reported, and the lowest occurred in 1939 and 1995 with seven fatalities. Over the last seven years, the Georgia Department of Transportation reports 13,897 total crashes during the Labor Day holiday period with a total of 6,700 injuries and 120 traffic deaths.
Middle School Taking Donations for Family After House Fire 09/01/2010 A Franklin County family, burned out of their home last week is getting support and help from the Franklin County Middle School.
Last week, Marquiez Pittman, a sixth grader at the school came home to find his grandparent’s home going up in smoke.
Eugene and Kathleen Pittman ultimately lost everything despite best efforts from the Double Churches and Bold Springs
Fire Departments, who worked for over an hour to put out the flames.
Since then, Middle School counselor Larry Prince says the school has been working to help the family rebuild.
"We have a clothes pantry for things like this. We're trying to find out what is needed by them. From that point we will send out an email schoolwide and countywide," Prince said.
Marquiez was instrumental in helping his grandmother, who is in a wheelchair, get out of the burning home. He, along with a neighbor, got her out of the house to safety. Tuesday, with his grandparents sitting next to him, Marquiez talked about how he tried to put out the flames himself until the fire department arrived.
"I went and got my little garden hose and put the stove fire out," he said.
"You tried to," said his grandfather.
"I did put it out, but it was far gone. I also tried to put out the flames in the little building that my pop pop built, but it was in flames when the firemen got there," he said.
The family is now staying in an old singlewide behind the burned out rubble of their home while they work with the insurance company to rebuild, which he said is going to take some months. Until then, the family is trying to rebuild as best they can, which includes getting Mrs Pittman's medication going again.
"I have to get a fire report to Medicare before they will pay for my prescriptions," Mrs. Pittman said.
Mr. Pittman, who has worked for 35 years at Fieldale said the pharmacy at his company has also tried to help, but it's still expensive. Meantime, work to make the old singlewide liveable continues. Part of the floor had rotted out and has had to be replaced, he said.
Anyone interested in donating clothing, furniture or other items to the Pittmans, can contact Franklin County Middle School at 706-384-4581.
Franklin County Complies with New Manufactured Home State Law 09/01/2010 Franklin County has instituted a new manufactured home policy effective today.
At Monday night’s county commission work session, commissioners approved amending the current ordinance to remove the section that barred mobile homes over ten years old from being relocated in Franklin County.
The move complies with Senate Bill 384, which passed during the last legislative session and is now law effective today.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that any older mobile home can be moved inside the county.
As county attorney Bubba Samuels explained to the commission, under the amended ordinance, older homes will have to comply with health and safety standards.
"What this ordinance does is require that someone who wants to bring in an older home get a provisional permit that's good for 90 days. During that time, they can bring in the mobile home, but they would then have to obtain an inspection report from a certified inspector. The ordinance then goes into various health and safety criteria the mobile home would be required to pass," Samuels said.
However, commissioners were concerned about what would happen in the event a mobile home did not meet the standard.
Samuels said the new ordinance makes a provision for that.
"At the time of application for the temporary provisional permit, the applicant would have to submit a bond from an insurance company to provide for funding in the event that 90 days go by and either the mobile home doesn't pass or they abandon it and the county would then have to use those funds to remove it," he said.
The bond would be a $10,000 performance bond that would cost the owner about $250 to purchase. Samuels that would protect the county from having a rash of dilapidated mobile homes moving into the County.
Commissioner Jeff Jacques said, though, he would like to see a provision in which older manufactured homes would be inspected before they move to Franklin County.
However, Samuels said he was concerned about who would be doing the inspections if the manufactured home was coming from too far away, such as from out of state.
One Year Later - Ayers Shooting Still Under Investigation, Lawsuit Not Resolved 09/01/2010 A year later, the inquiry into the death of Reverend Jonathan Ayers, former pastor of Shoal Creek Baptist Church in Lavonia continues.
On the afternoon of September 1, 2009, Ayers, the pastor at Shoal Creek Baptist Church in Lavonia, was leaving a gas station at the corner of Broad and Currahee streets in Toccoa when he was shot and killed by agents with the Mountain Judicial Circuit NCIS Drug Team.
Earlier that day, Ayers had been in contact with the target of an NCIS undercover investigation, a known prostitute and drug user in Toccoa. Agents involved in the shooting said they only wanted to question Ayers about his earlier meeting but that he tried to flee and tried to run over one of the agents. In December, a Stephens County Grand Jury found the shooting legally justified.
In March, Ayers' widow, Abigail, filed a $5 million wrongful death lawsuit in U.S. District Court In Gainesville. That suit has yet to come to trial.
then in June, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrested former Stephens’s County Sheriff’s training officer Lieutenant Edwin Wilson and charged him with making false statements regarding the firearms certification training of agent Billy Shane Harrison, the officer who shot and killed Rev. Ayers.
According to the GBI, the arrest had to do with the investigation requested by Mountain Circuit District Attorney Brian Rickman about training discrepancies in Harrison's file. The investigation is ongoing.
Meantime, Abigail Ayers and their son now live in Gainesville with her parents. In March, Shoal Creek Baptist Church hired Mike Smith as their new pastor.
Parents Allowed to Buy Kids Football Equipment for Hart County Rec Department Programs 09/01/2010 Parents of kids who play football at the Hart County Rec Department will be able to buy and use their own helmets. At last week’s Hart County commission meeting, commissioners ok’d allowing parents to buy their own helmets rather than using the Rec Department-issued gear.
Hart County Rec Director James Owens told the commission that in most cases the helmets parents are buying are better quality than what the rec department buys.
"The helmets that parents find for their kids are equivalent to or three or sometimes four levels above ours. I think it's much safer than what we've got. Of course, we'd like to see each piece of equipment before we'll allow it in the league before we'll make sure it is up to standard," Owens said.
Owens said the county pays about $50 per helmet – buying them in quantity and getting a bulk discount whereas parents are paying between $80 and $90. Commissioner R.C. Oglesby then asked if the helmets parents are buying are safer.
"Children's safety should be our number one priority," Oglesby said.
"I can't quantify 'safer,' " Owens said. "We're not buying substandard. We're buying really good stuff, the stuff we just purchased. If you quantify safety in dollars and the parents go out buy a $90 helment compared to our $50 helment, then their helmets are safer. If you look at the helmets across the board that we had to pick from, then in my opinion, our helmet is equivalent," he concluded.
Oglesby said the children’s safety should be the number one priority. Ultimately the commission concluded letting parents buy the helmets as long as they are inspected and approved by the Rec Department was a good idea and the approved the plan unanimously. Parents must also sign a waiver allowing the children to play football and wear their own helmets.
Upcoming Diabetes Seminar to Cover Eating Healthy, Bone Health, and Other Topics 09/01/2010 People with Diabetes or those who are pre-diabetic wil want to take advantage of a seminar next week in Gainesville that will provide the opportunity to learn more about the disease.
Sponsored by the American Diabetes Association, District Two Public Health, Northeast Georgia Diagnostic Clinic, Northeast Georgia Medical Center, and The Longstreet Clinic, the “Diabetes 101” Seminar takes place Saturday, September 11 at the Georgia Mountains Center In Gainesville.
Planning chair Mandy Reece said this is the third year for the classes. According to Reece, the seminar will include an exhibit hall and educational sessions that will cover a wide variety of topics.
"We're really excited this year to actually have a cooking demo program where folks will be able to sample some foods that are healthy and an alternative to traditional ways of cooking. We will a lso have tips on how to make healthy eating easy and budget friendly. We'll also have a seminar on how to keep feet healthy. And there will be classes on bone health and diabetes as well as sleep disorders and diabetes," Reece said.
And Reece said there will also have an area for people to get their blood pressure checked and have an eye screening and breakfast and lunch will also be provided. The cost is $20 at the door or $15 if you pre-register.
To get more information on the “Diabetes 101” seminar or to register, you can call toll-free 1-888-diabetes (342-3837).
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