BanksNewsTODAY

Spring football scrimmage game kicks off new season

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:33:34 -0500

The Banks County High School Leopards football team got a taste of the grass Friday night as they put on a show for the annual spring scrimmage game. The team was divided into four sections and took the field.

The main players were on a blue or white offense and defense with the younger players making up a black defense or ...

Exploring South Georgia town: Cheese, shopping, fine dining and more in Thomasville

nospam@example.com (Angela Gary) — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:28:32 -0500

Touring the Sweet Grass Dairy for a behind-the-scenes look at how the amazing cheese is made, heading downtown for a sampling of some of the cheeses at the marketplace, picking up a cup of fresh ground coffee, posing for a photo at the famous Big Oak and ending the day with a fine dining experience at Liam’s...These are among the highlights of a whirlwind day in Thomasville, Georgia.

The South Georgia town, located along the Georgia-Florida border, has so much to offer that it’s definitely worth a return trip. The town offers so much that a brief visit leaves you wanting to return and explore more.

Start your visit off at the Thomasville Visitor’s Center, where you will find plenty of information on what the town has to offer. The center has brochures and maps of area attractions, souvenirs from the area and a friendly staff that will provide tips and information on planning your trip.
Continue reading "Exploring South Georgia town: Cheese, shopping, fine dining and more in Thomasville"

Armed robbery suspect caught

nospam@example.com (Staff Writer) — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:22:37 -0500

An armed robber held up the clerk at the Express Mart Valero Convenience Store at Banks Crossing Sunday night.

Sheriff Charles Chapman said a call came in to the Banks County E-911 dispatch at 10:05 p.m. of an armed robbery at the Express Mart Valero Convenience Store, 30581 Highway 441 South.

“The clerk on duty stated that a black male wearing a ski mask, a dark colored or black shirt, and blue jeans entered the store, came behind the counter and robbed her at gun point,” Chapman said.

A search was made of the area for the person whom the clerk stated left the store on foot, Chapman added.

“The clerk at the Best Western told officers that a white SUV had pulled into the parking lot at the motel, but no one came in and, in about 10 minutes, the vehicle left,” Chapman said.

Believing this could be the vehicle used by the robber, a lookout was given out on the vehicle with a description of the robber.

“Several minutes later a Braselton police officer stopped a vehicle on Interstate 85 fitting the description of the vehicle and the person,” Chapman said.

A Banks County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to the 126-mile marker on I-85 and met with Braselton police officers and took Jumarkes Lee Miller, 30, 2843 McDuffie Street, Anderson, S.C., into custody.

“Items in the vehicle were recovered, along with the ski mask, that Miller wore during the armed robbery,” Chapman said.

Miller was transported to the Banks County Jail where he is being held on charges of armed robbery.

“Our thanks go out to the surrounding agencies who assisted with this and brought about the quick apprehension of this person,” Chapman added.

Wheaton retires from BCHS

nospam@example.com (Angela Gary) — Mon, 14 May 2012 08:28:05 -0500

Banks County High School Principal Art Wheaton announced on Thursday his plans to retire at the end of the 2011-12 school year.

Wheaton has been principal at BCHS for nine years.

Banks County Schools Superintendent Chris Erwin said, “Mr. Wheaton was one of the first employees I hired when I came to Banks County. I think I hired him about two months after I was hired as superintendent. He has been good for the school system and for Banks County High School.”

Hewell sets school records in track

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:54:03 -0500

The Banks County Leopards track team sent Makayla Hewell to state to compete in the women's 3200 meter run and the women's 1600 meter run. It is Hewell's first year running track and she set two new school records in the 1600 and 3200 events.

Hewell placed seventh in the state 3200 meter run and 13th in the 1600 meter run. Makayla ...

County, towns to meet Monday on sales tax negotiations

nospam@example.com (Angela Gary) — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:51:54 -0500

Banks County officials will meet with representatives from towns in the county on Monday to discuss the negotiations for the local option sales tax (LOST).
The meeting will be held at 3 p.m. at the courthouse annex board room.

County leaders will be meeting with representatives from the cities of Alto, Baldwin, Gillsville, Homer, Lula and Maysville to renegotiate the sales tax distribution.
City leaders have already met to discuss the issue and air concerns that the formula being proposed by the county is not fair.

At the town meeting, Lula City Manager Dennis Bergin presented information on the legislation that was passed in 1994 which requires cities and counties to periodically renegotiate their revenue distribution arrangements. In the original proposal by Banks County, the cities would collectively loose $1.2 million over a 10-year period. Bergin said in determining the percentages for the LOST allocations the county used a modified population and commercial digest. Bergin said the cities want to re-negotiate a formula that works for the county and all of the cities involved.

BOC chairman Milton Dalton wrote in a letter to the town officials that the county believes the proposed formula is fair.

“The county thinks the proposals offered the cities were fair and equitable and in the best interest of all citizens of Banks County,” Dalton said.

Banks officials don’t attend meeting called by towns

nospam@example.com (Staff Writer) — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:10:20 -0500

Banks County officials were no-shows at the called meeting of the cities of Baldwin, Lula, Gillsville, Maysville and Alto on Tuesday night to negotiate the allocation of Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) revenue.

The town leaders had asked for the meeting but Banks County officials asked for additional information before a negotiating meeting be held. BOC chairman Milton Dalton sent a letter to Mayor Milton Turner stating that the commissioners would not be in attendance at the meeting Tuesday night.

“I stated the county would contact the cities to schedule a meeting once the requested information was received,” Dalton wrote. “That has not changed and we look forward to receiving the information so we may be better informed of city services and qualifications toward the LOST negotiations….As soon as we receive the requested information, we will be happy to schedule the joint meeting but due to conflicting schedules, some of the commissioners will not be able to attend the May 1 meeting. We feel it is the best interest of all the citizens of Banks County for the entire board to be present at the joint meeting.”
Continue reading "Banks officials don’t attend meeting called by towns"

After almost two years, still no news on missing Banks woman

nospam@example.com (Staff Writer) — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:48:58 -0500

Banks County Sheriff Charles Chapman said on Monday there is no news on Brenda Mashburn, who has been missing for almost two years.

“It has been one year and eight months since the family has heard from her,” Chapman said.

Chapman said in the past few weeks Mashburn’s family has met with authorities at the Banks County Sheriff’s Office to talk with them about the case.

Chapman said, according to Mashburn’s mother, she never would go over a month or two without contacting her and she has not talked with her since Aug. 25, 2010.

“Mashburn was last seen by family members on Aug. 25, 2010, in Habersham County,” Chapman said.
Continue reading "After almost two years, still no news on missing Banks woman"

Lady tennis team headed to 'Sweet 16'

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:46:33 -0500

On Thursday, April 26, Banks County High School hosted the first round of state tennis tournament. The Lady Leopards defeated Pepperell High School 5-0. This win secured the girls an opportunity to go to the Sweet 16.

BCHS will compete at Westminster High School (14-4 season, 5-1 Region) against the Wildcats on Wednesday, May 2. ...

Wreck shuts down Hwy. 441; one person injured

nospam@example.com (Angela Gary) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:01:23 -0500

One person was injured in an early morning wreck in Banks County that shut down Hwy. 441.

The name of the person injured, who was airlifted from the scene, has not been released. Details of the accident, which involved a motorcycle and a truck, also have not yet been released.

The wreck occurred around 6:30 a.m. The highway has been reopened.

Further details will be posted as they become available.

Garden Club meeting planned May 5 in Homer

nospam@example.com (Angela Gary) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:31:06 -0500

The Downtown Development Authority will hold a garden club interest meeting in Homer on Saturday, May 5, from 10-11a.m., at the Old Fire Station at Historic Homer Highway and Athens Street.

“Garden Clubs are an excellent means to meet new friends, build a more active community, share ideas, learn something new, form a new hobby, to become more sustainable, and enhance parks, gardens, yards and property helping to make our cities and county an even more beautiful place to live,” organizers state.

Each person who attends the May meeting will have a sharing time to discover each persons gardening and/or arborist interests and a short questionnaire to fill out. Refreshments will be served including a tomato and mozzarella salad with fresh basil, served with fresh bread, coffee, teas and soft drinks.

Each person who attends the May meetings will take home a pot of basil, thyme, rosemary or parsley to start their own herb garden, along with the tomato and Mozzarella salad recipe.

Each month, the take home item will be an herb, plant or tree according to the best planting time per item.

“All gardeners or want-to-be gardeners should attend this interest/start up meeting to help the club become well rooted and grow in the direction of our community interests” organizer state.

For more information, call Janice Tennent, 706-654-7288 Tennent is a citizen of the community, lives in Homer, and is the chairwoman for the Homer Downtown Development Authority. The Downtown Development Authority always seeks to keep Homer and the community a safe, family friendly and beautiful place to shop, eat and live abundantly, Tennent says.

Lady Leopards head to state tennis playoffs

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:20:48 -0500

On Thursday, April 19, the Banks County Lady Leopards Tennis Team competed in the region tournament at North Oconee High School. The team placed second in the region and will advance to the state playoffs.

BCHS played Elbert County in the first round and won 3-0, the Lady Leopards second match was against Hart County and BCHS won ...

Baldwin to further discuss allocation of power to Neace, Degges at May 10 meeting

nospam@example.com (Staff Writer) — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:18:21 -0500

The Baldwin City Council discussed the administrative policy for the city administrator Monday night but decided to postpone any action and further discussion until the May 10 meeting.

Council members Jeff Parrish, Joe Elam and Theron Ayers said they favor the policy that provides that the mayor remains the chief executive officer of the city and provides that the mayor can delegate certain executive and administrative powers to the city administrator. Council members Robert Bohannon and Dustin Mealor were against the policy. Bohannon asked that the policy be carried over to the May work session for further discussion.

The policy also provides that in the event of a conflict between this administrative policy and the city charter, that the city charter shall control.
Council member Parrish started the discussion on this issue several months ago.

At the council meeting on April 9, Parrish passed out information defining the authority of the mayor as outlined in the city charter and that of the city administrator.

On Monday, city attorney David Syfan explained that the administrative policy codifies what Karen Deggs, city administrator already does.

“It outlines her authority to run the city and provides the vehicle for her to do that,” Syfan said.

Parrish has made it known from the start that his wish was to clarify the mayor’s authority and that of the city administrator.

“Twice the mayor and council have fought over this,” Parrish said. “Now is the time to write the policy, while we have good employees in these positions.”

Syfan said, “I sort of see this (policy) as a Band-Aid to sort of get us through until next year when the council can put more time and thought into a new charter.”

The city’s current charter is over 20 years old and does not provide for a city administrator’s or city manager’s position.

Degges voiced her opposition to the change.

“This takes some things that I do away from me and gives them to the mayor,” she said. “This should have been done when the position was vacant.”

Council member Bohannon said several times during the discussion the city needs a new charter.

Parrish said, “Right now, the charter is the law.”

Finance director Audra Payne said, “Why wouldn’t you write a resolution that goes along with the way things are being done? We have been operating as a city manager model.”

Parrish and Mayor Jerry Neace both said Baldwin is not to the point of needing a city manager.

Degges said, “Every since the day I was hired, I have viewed all six of you as my bosses. I view each one of you equally.”

Parrish said, “But you shouldn’t. You should report directly to the mayor.”

SPLIT ON AGENDA

The council was also split on action taken defining how the agenda is set ech month. In a 3-2 split vote, with Bohannon and Mealor opposed, the council approved the following agenda procedure: reasonable efforts will be made to set the agenda one week before the meeting, unless there is an emergency or urgent issue that needs to be added to the agenda; the city clerk will be responsible for compiling, distributing and posting the agenda as required by law. The city clerk will communicate with the mayor and city council before a final agenda is published; each council member and the mayor have the privilege to add items to the agenda; the city administrator may add items to the agenda, but coordinate with the mayor for items added unless the issue is an emergency or is urgent; and the mayor has the right to move or delay items on the agenda to another meeting in order to help maintain orderly and well managed meetings. The mayor will make every reasonable effort to communicate with the council member or staff that placed an item on the agenda, if the Mayor feels a need to delay an item put on the agenda by that particular council member or staff.

Parrish said, “The council needs to have final approval of the agenda and ultimately that should be the mayor. We need to know what is on the agenda before the meeting.”

Degges said it is not always possible to get in touch with the mayor.

Parrish said, “If the council doesn’t have final approval of the agenda then things are going on that we don’t know about.”

Baldwin clean up day moved to April 28

nospam@example.com (Staff Writer) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:52:01 -0500

Due to the weather forecast of 60 percent chance of rain this Saturday, the clean up day in Baldwin has been postponed.

It will be held on Saturday, April 28. The headquarters will still be at the Fellowship Church, and the time will still be between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

The dumpsters should be at Gailey Park Friday, April 20, and the time frame for the dumpsters will be extended through April 29. The street department will continue doing large debris pick-ups through April 26, with appointments.

Town of Alto now has full council

nospam@example.com (Staff Writer) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 09:49:05 -0500

The Town of Alto now has a full council.

At the monthly meeting in April, three council members were sworn in to their positions.

Carolyn Cabe was sworn in to fill the Post 1 seat on the council. Cabe’s term expires Dec. 31, 2013.

Kathryn (Kathy) Clark was sworn in to fill the Post 4 council seat for another term. Clark’s term expires on Dec. 31, 2015.

Greg. M. Pruitt was sworn in to fill the Post 5 council seat. Pruitt’s term will expire on Dec. 31, 2013.

Head to Charlotte for cultural attractions, fine dining and more

nospam@example.com (Angela Gary) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 09:31:45 -0500

An easy three-hour from North Georgia is a Southern city filled with cultural attractions, gardens, fine dining, fun shopping and more. Whatever you are looking for, you will find in Charlotte, N.C.

A recent three-day visit included museum hopping, shopping and fine dining.

Charlotte has some amazing museums located within walking distance in the downtown area. We walked to three museums located just a few blocks from each other and found plenty of interesting artwork, memorabilia and history.
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Leopards win subregion title

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 09:24:59 -0500

The Banks County High School Leopards took the final step to win the 8AA North Sub Region Title on Friday night against Union County. The Leopards won the first game of the double header 4-2 and clinched the number one seed in the region playoffs which begin on April 18 at BCHS. The Leopards dropped the second game 9-2 as the team played the ...

Homer OKs rezoning former fire station

nospam@example.com (Staff Writer) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 07:58:23 -0500

A divided Homer City Council approved rezoning its former and now vacant firehouse for commercial use as a small warehouse/distribution facility.

The council’s 3-2 vote at the April 10 meeting in favor of Pest Control Insulation’s request followed a public hearing on reclassifying 963 Historic Homer Highway from institutional to restricted industrial.

The council’s nod during its regular meeting last week went against the planning and zoning board’s recommendation that the request be denied.

The approval also cleared the way for a rental contract to be negotiated between the business and Homer’s downtown development authority. Mayor Doug Cheek will help negotiate the terms before council reviews the final agreement as early as next month.
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Exploring East Tennessee : Anderson County perfect destination for families

nospam@example.com (Angela Gary) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:09:18 -0500

ATV rides through the mountains and countryside in Oliver Springs; discovering the museums for children and adults alike in Oak Ridge; exploring the Museum of Appalachia in Clinton; fishing in Lake City; and checking out the impressive dam in Norris.

These are just a few of the activities that will delight families as they visit charming Anderson County in scenic East Tennessee. Just a short drive from Knoxville, Anderson County is an easy drive destination for North Georgia residents.
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Basketball team, cheerleaders honored at banquet

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:04:28 -0500

The Banks County Leopards held their annual basketball banquet on March 26 at The Grove Level Church in Maysville. The coaches, players and family members were in attendance as the awards were given for a successful basketball season.

Scholar athletes, Will Ledford, Gatlin Boswell, Graham White and Isaiah Smith, received a ...

Antiques and equipment destroyed in Sunday fire

nospam@example.com (Staff Writer) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:04:55 -0500

A number of pieces of equipment and antiques were destroyed in a fire Sunday afternoon in Banks County.

The fire consumed an old chicken house on Brewer Road that housed tractors, lawn mowers, antiques, corn mill, shaving machine and other items, Banks County Fire Chief Brian Eubanks said.

Eubanks reported the fire call came in at 5:34 p.m. to the former chicken house owned by the parents of Banks County firefighter Blake Carlan.

“No chicken had been grown in the chicken house since the 1980s,” Eubanks said. “But it was full of equipment and antiques.”

Eubanks reported more than three dozen firefighters spent over three hours at the scene.

Banks County responded with four fire engines, a command vehicle and two ambulances, Eubanks added. The Lee Arrendale State Prison Fire Team also responded.

“We put around 20,000 gallons of water of the fire,” Eubanks said.

A Banks County firefighter was treated at the scene for heat exhaustion.

Eubanks said on Monday, the cause of fire is still undetermined, but it is believed to have been an accident.

Senior night for soccer teams

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 08:32:51 -0500

The Banks County High School soccer teams celebrated senior night last week and are working harder and are more together as the season goes on. The Lady Leopards lost to East Jackson 1-9 and to Oglethorpe 1-5 last week. The Leopards pulled out a victory over East Jackson with a penalty kick and beat Oglethorpe 2-1.

"Tuesday, we lost ...

Five announce plans to qualify for July election

nospam@example.com (Angela Gary) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:36:46 -0500

Five people announced their intentions this week to qualify for the July election, including: Clint McCoy, sheriff; Jackie Forrester, tax commissioner; Milton Dalton, District 2 seat on the board of commissioners; and Ernest Rogers and Jerry Loftice, both for the BOC chairmanship.
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Golf teams compete with Commerce, Chestatee

nospam@example.com (MainStreetNewsSports) — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:09:19 -0500

The Banks County High School Leopard golf teams competed this week in two matches — on March 20 against Commerce High School and March 22 against Chestatee High School.

The men's golf team lost 178-198 to Commerce and lost 196-204 to Chestatee. The girls team won against Commerce due to a disqualification and won 91-100 against ...