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Posted By Kate on February 24, 2010

Fall Colors in Oconee

What Happened in the MONTH of OCTOBER – 2009

A long article, but a memory refresher of some of the major events that occurred in October.

Thursday, October 1, 2009
New Landfill Is Third For Walton County. Oconee Residents convinced the BOC to deny a C&D landfill at the intersection of Hwy 78 and the Apalachee River in 2004. South Eastern Land Services Inc. (SELS) had planned to build 2 landfills at that location, one in each county on each side of the river. Oconee successfully refused to rezone their land and the action drew a lawsuit by the company. Several months passed and SELS withdrew their suit with the stipulation that Oconee

would not object to Walton county building a landfill on the Walton side of the river. Oconee agreed,  if their landfill would be no closer than 525 feet from the edge of the Apalachee. Today, 5 years later, that Walton landfill is being constructed and will go on line this month. With 2 other older landfills in that general vicinity, Walton Commissioners have said that’s it “for the time being.” The capacity of all 3 landfills should last through 2050, said officials. And residents of both counties should not be worried? when just 7 miles down stream is the construction of the Hard Labor Creek Reservoir to go on line in 2014.

Thursday, October 1, 2009
Collecting Donation At Red Traffic Light. Oconee  BOC presented another slight version of the fundraising ordinance tonight. It was modified to allow the Volunteer Fire Department to continue to collect change$ in their black “boots” from cars stopped at a traffic light for “Boot the Burn” statewide charity for burn victims with the exception that they must get a permit 2 weeks in advance and pay a refundable fee of $100.

Thursday, October 1, 2009
Obama Support Chicago’s Bid For Olympics. Obama is leaving today for Copenhagen to make the case for the Olympics to be held in his home state in 2016.  He will witness and be part of Chicago’s final presentation to the International Olympic Committee. Will his presence give the judges an edge over 3 other favorite locations – Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and Madrid? He and his staff think so. Michelle, Obama’s wife will meet with the Committee members for the purpose of persuasion before the final vote is made.

Thursday, October 1, 2009
Chamber Sponsors Farm-City Tour. All Oconee Middle School students (about 120 total) are treated to a tour about this time each year that links the farm with the city in the County. The annual event will feature a look inside the agricultural research for UGA farms (bovine, swine, poultry, plants, trees) in an effort to encourage students to seek careers in the agricultural disciplines. Prior to this event, students have entered a contest for the best essay describing their preferred agricultural career. After the 3-hour tour, all the winners are treated to a public reading in front of a large audience of family, friends and teachers at the Community Center on VFW Drive and a free lunch for all. Today was a clear autumn day for the tour.

Friday, October 2, 2009
Oconee Schools Made The Grade. No Child Left Behind Standardized tests were taken earlier this year and some schools in the area did not meet the goal. To do so, summer school was offered to those schools to improve their grades. After summer school, in Barrow County, all schools passed except Winder-Barrow High and Apalachee High. In Clarke County, all passed except Oglethorpe Elementary, Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle, Cedar Shoals High, Clarke Central High, Clarke Middle and Colie Middle. All passed in Commerce, Jackson, Jefferson and Oglethorpe after the retest. In Madison, all schools passed except Madison County High. In Oconee, all 9 schools passed without retesting. Of the total 2,127 schools in Georgia, 86% of schools passed the AYP (adequate yearly progress). The academic rigor will become more difficult as the years pass with the state goal of graduating 100% of the students with an adequate education in 5 years. The mark for next year will be 80% of students graduating on time with an adequate education while meeting all the other testing requirements. Overall, Georgia has a 79% graduation rate – that’s about 4,500 more secondary students this year over last year who graduated having passed all requirements. The UGA graduation rate is 48% for entering freshmen finishing their bachelor’s degree in 6 years.

Saturday, October 3, 2009
Gainesville State College. The Oconee Campus conducts an Open House today from 9am to noon for all potential and accepted freshmen and their families and is open to the public.
Watkinsville First Christian Church

Saturday, October 3, 2009
Saturday Stroll in Watkinsville. Each Saturday, a prominent citizen agrees to lead a group of interested citizens on a stroll around town to get acquainted with various segments of the small city. The cost is a donation of $5 which the tour leader gives to a charity of

Watkinsville First Christian Church

choice. Some of the strolls have focused on the courthouse, the modern Town Center of shops, historic homes, small retail shops and the stroll for this Saturday visited the Oconee Farmer’s Market held behind the historic Eagle Tavern. About 20 to 30 people participate each Saturday weather permitting. This event is sponsored by the Oconee Democrats.

Sunday, October 4, 2009
New Ambulance Service Good After 6 Months.  Just 6 months into the new 3-year contract with National EMS (based in Conyers) that Oconee and Clarke Counties entered into, all connected with the service are pleased. Both hospitals gave up having their own ambulance service stating that it was not cost-effective to continue. Both hospitals and both counties contribute to the contract, an arrangement that spreads the cost to 4 entities rather than just the 2 hospitals. Before only 4 ambulances served the 2 counties. Now 9 ambulances serve both counties. National responded to an average of 165 calls a month during a 6 month period in Oconee County. Respond was around 9 minutes. In this economic downturn, National has lost about ½ million dollars but they attribute that mostly to start-up costs (new equipment and supplies and new ambulance trucks) and they, like others are optimistic about the future without a recession in which income will start to increase.

Sunday, October 4, 2009
Incinerator For Elbert County.  An incinerator that would burn solid waste combined with wood waste to generate power might be built in Elbert County if land can be purchased and if air and landfill permits can be obtained. The Elbert County Commissioners heard the plans tonight. These are hurdles that will have to be resolved and sets start-up plans about 2 years into the future, but it is the way to go to solve the overwhelming problem of overrun solid waste disposal methods now in place, experts state. The steam from the burning would turn a turbine that generates electricity that would be purchased by power companies – perhaps either Georgia Power or Walton EMC. On the land adjacent to the incinerator, a landfill must be built to dispose of the residual ash and that would require a regular lined landfill and regular underground water monitoring. It’s a long haul to get all the permits from EPD, but Commissioners are excited about the $350,000 that would be saved in solid waste management for the county plus add to the tax base. It would also generate income from waste brought in from surrounding counties. All those in authority in county government tend to be in agreement. However, disagreement by the public is probably the biggest hurdle to overcome. An incinerator to burn chicken debris and wood waste was planned several years ago in Madison County, but has yet to start up construction.

Monday, October 5, 2009
Separate Zoning – Community for the Mentally Challenged. Jon Williams, land planner and president of Williams & Associates representing a Winterville resident requested of the Clarke County Planning Commission, a special zoning for his 87 acres to build a community for the developmental disabled – an assisted living residential district – called Sycamore Ridge. The Commission replied that such a district does not exist, but that they looked favorably on the idea to build such a community where residents would work and socialize among themselves. It would be designed to be self sufficient. Public hearings will be held to determine the pulse of the public before taking a vote to recommend to the Clarke County Board of Commissioners.

Monday, October 5, 2009
Unemployment Rate Climbing. The Fed Chairman predicted today that the jobless number will reach more then 15 million, a 10 % rate to stay stuck there for at least a year. The rate is now 9.8% – the beginning of a long recession indicated by others factors as well. By the numbers, it is the highest rate in 26 years with no data to indicate a trend for recovery.

Monday, October 5, 2009
The 7^th Anniversary for Corn Maze. John Washington has just finished carving out complex paths in his 8-acre corn field in Oconee County off Hwy 53 for this annual event that draws over 1200 visitors each year. There’s something about supposedly getting lost in a patch of corn that hints of Halloween and that’s why Washington and his family make the event available each year about this time of the year. He can make more money from corn maze enthusiasts than selling it on the market as green or dry. The Washington family uses the event to teach children about farming. He also grows pumpkins with pick your own each year.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009
H1N1 Vaccine Available Today.All across Northeast Georgia, the vaccine is being offered to young children – that is the nasal type to 2 and 4 year olds at health departments in the 10-county area. Children under 2 must have their noses sprayed twice – four weeks apart – to be effective. The injection vaccine will be available later in the year. The H1N1 is not a substitute for the seasonal flu – both can be received on the same day at the same visit if available at a clinic.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Oconee Approves Sale of Its Well Water. The BOC Commissioners approved the selling of water to Walton County by a 3-1 vote tonight. The Hillcrest Well will need some updating after which it will produce about 350,000 gallons of water not needed by the county, but can be sold to Walton County for $200,000 per year which is in dire need of more water at this time. Money collected from the sale should cover the cost of an upgrade – about $300,000 according to Water Utility Director Chris Thomas. The well was taken off the active list about 5 years ago after residents complained of high concentration of iron and manganese. A filtering system will be installed to remove the nasty compounds which should take no more than 4 to 6 months, he said. Once the Hard Labor Creek Reservoir located in Walton County comes on line in 2014, they would no longer need to purchase Oconee well water and that capacity would revert back to the county for a reserve. Not all Commissioners agreed, especially to the cost. Commissioner Chuck Horton voted “no.”

Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Athens Chicken Processing Plant Closes. Pilgrims Pride Chicken processing plant on Oneta Street  closed today putting 330 workers out of a job. However, some of them were hired at the sister plant on Barber Street. This is the second time in 12 months that the plant has trimmed its operations in Athens. Pilgrims Pride has already shut down many of its other plants across the south. This most recent closing will make the number of jobs lost amount to 4,250 total after filing for Chapter 11 in February of this year.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Governor Visits Oglethorpe High School. The High School accomplished something few have done the past 3 years – attained the highest average improvement in the state for SAT scores. Governor Perdue and State School Superintendent Kathy Cox presented the school with a 3-foot silver cup (the Governor’s Cup) and a $2,000 check as students cheered. Since the award was conceived in 2004, only 4 other schools have achieved as much.

 Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Barrow County and Water Woes. In 2008, newly elected BOC Chairman of Barrow County, Danny Yearwood inherited an inadequate budget to support the county services, so he is looking anywhere for additional revenue resources – trimming the number of county employees, eliminating raises and raising taxes have been suggested and even increasing water user fees. The county contracted with the 4 cities within its boundary to deliver water to city customers at a certain rate. Yearwood would like to increase that amount to cover the yearly payment of their portion of the construction debt for the Bear Creek Reservoir. With the water conservation put in place by the state during the drought, water use revenue was down with a loss of about $136,000. Instead, payment for Bear Creek had to be taken out of the county’s sales tax revenue to the tune of $750,000. The other Commissioners are not ready to break a contract with the city mayors to bring in more revenue as Yearwood proposed at their latest meeting.   The county is at a stalemate.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Change SPLOST Law To Be Flexible. Should all SPLOST dollars be spent on projects designated on the Ballot? The law as it exists today is very specific and rigid. A list of projects appears with the referendum on the ballot and a voter must approve all. Suppose some voters do not wish to approve every project listed? Suppose a SPLOST project has run its course and another project (not listed in the referendum) would fit better in the community as it has changed? Suppose a SPLOST project is completely destroyed by fire and by all accounts should not be rebuilt, where should the funds be spent? Most SPLOST are approved for 4 to 6 years and during that time, a community’s needs are apt to change slightly. It is the public’s money – should another referendum then be held? There is talk under the dome in Atlanta that the law should be revised to allow some flexibility.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Musical ”Grease” Auditions Today. The Oconee Youth Playhouse  OYP) actors and actresses came to the OYP campus (behind the Presbyterian Church on Hwy 53) at different scheduled times to try out for the many parts in the popular musical   movie. The players are being selected from grades 1-12 and will be presented to the community from the Oconee Civic Center the weekend of January 8^th through January 10^th and again January 15 through January 17, 2010. The OPY plays a significant part of the education of Oconee students many of whom attend the school sometime within their 12 years of education in the county. It develops talent, confidence and emotional expression that brings joy to each student. And it brings a lot of joy to the public many of whom have children on stage.

Thursday, October 8, 2009
Did Georgia DOT Receive Stimulus For Transportation Needs? Today, the Georgia Department of Transportation, made a decision to not place signs at highway construction sites around the State that indicate that “these are federal stimulus dollars at work”. Why? Because these dollars represent a Democratic President and/or Georgia’s elected officials had said they would reject any stimulus money because it was not wise to add to the nation’s inflated budget? Citizens deserve to know where their tax dollars are being used even if the dollars go through Congress (Democrat or Republican) first. Local governments usually put up signs stating: Your SPLOST dollars at work.” But the Georgia DOT has made a final decision.

Friday, October 9, 2009
Obama Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Today the nation was stunned when the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced they had awarded the prize to a neophyte – a relatively inexperienced leader as president of the richest nation in the world and inexperienced as a peacemaker. It’s about as illogic as giving the same prize to former V President Al Gore who had no experience in advocating peace. The award has become a farce – meaningless indeed.

Friday, October 9, 2009
Law Enforcement Remembers a Fallen Officer. Fellow officers gathered today in front of the Sheriff’s office to remember their friend and peer, Deputy David Gilstrap who was struck down by a Barrow County resident while serving as a school traffic cop directing 6:30 am traffic at the Oconee Primary School on Hog Mountain Road. The day was frosty, chilly, visibility poor and cars were darting by in fog. He was badly injured and died later at the hospital. And today as they stand in unison, those who worked with Deputy Gilstrap were moved as the U S Flag hung at half mast above them and Sheriff Scott Berry recalled what happened. “It’s one year ago today and it’s harder than I thought it would be to not have him among us.” After a few more words, the crowd dispersed and began what was forced to be – a normal day.  He will be remembered each year by his fellow officers.

Saturday, October 10, 2009
Reaction to Obama Nobel Peace Prize.After the announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Obama, many Democrats were shocked saying that they should have waited until Obama had accomplished some kind of world or regional peace before selecting him. “What does he do from here to be significant?” they ask. Most Republicans were not so shocked since many believe the award, once a prestigious recognition has become fake since the award to Aasa Arafat for his terrorists acts and Al Gore for his alarmists predictions about global warming. Rep Paul Broun, Republican from Georgia said that “it proves that the once coveted award has become nothing and the committee doing the selection has become a farce.”

Saturday, October 10, 2009
Rattlesnake Bite Kills Oglethorpe Man in 15 Minutes.
Dick Rupert, 68, hunting with his 12-year old grandson was climbing down from his deer stand at 7:30 am this morning when a rattlesnake struck him on the calf of his leg. The grandson loaded him onto a 4-wheeler to take him to the road but he kept falling off. Finally at the edge of the highway, the paramedics arrived at about 7:44 am and saw the grandson giving his grandfather CPR, but Rupert was already in full cardiac arrest. He died shortly afterward. Timber rattlers are the most common in this area. Of the 8,000 people bitten by venomous snake bites each year, only 10 die according to data from the National Communicable Disease Center in Decatur, GA.

Sunday, October 11, 2009
“Don’t Ask – Don’t Tell” Banned. Obama promised the homosexual community while campaigning to eliminate the policy of “don’t ask-don’t tell” (established by the Clinton Administration) for homosexuals serving in the military. He has now taken steps to do just that. However, many high ranking military men and women are concerned about the fall out and have requested a time of 6 months or longer to hear input from many military personnel even the military serving on the front line, before the policy is changed. Obama vows to end the policy, so we will hear more about this later. 

Sunday, October 11, 2009
Cash For Clunkers Affect. The Cash for Clunkers program turned out to be a shot in the arm for auto dealers during the past summer. The program held some promise when customers purchased nationwide 700,000 new cars with trade-in of their older models during last July and August of this year with the advantage of a $4,500 rebate with each car (a cost to taxpayers of $4 BILLION). When it was over, it generated less than $100,000 in sales tax for cities of around 30,000 to 50,000 population with 5 or less dealerships. But when a city of this size is in arrears for an average of $2 million plus for the city budget, it was little more than a temporary fix that didn’t “take” for the long haul. And a negative side affect is the destruction, mandated by the government, of the total “clunker” car casting a void for auto parts that the used-car industry could have sold. It was a waste of good parts with money taken out of circulation in a bad economy.

Sunday, October 11, 2009
Crowd Gathers in Washington for Gay Rights. The crowd, estimated to be several thousand, marched down Pennsylvania Avenue and descended on the Capitol today to remind Obama that he promised to change the law concerning rights of gays in the military. The NAACP head, Andrew Young called for equality for all gays and lesbians in society saying that if some of our citizens are equal, but some are not, then we are ALL at risk of being second class citizens.

Sunday, October 11, 2009
Tax Credits for First-Time Home Buyers. It was learned today that Georgia’s Republican Senator Johnny Isakson introduced a bill in the U S Senate that would offer some relief to the slumping housing market. The bill would allow money (tax credits) to go back into the economy by the individual paying the tax which makes more sense than the feds throwing tax money at the problem as was done with the Cash for Clunkers program. Tax credits would be a long term fix rather than a temporary band aid. Many of the Democrats climbed on board with the idea. It will no doubt pass into law.

 Sunday, October 11, 2009
Health Care Debate Seen As Gathering Momentum. Obama and his aids are saying that different segments of the nation (doctors, nurses, senior citizens, young mothers) are coming on board with him concerning the passage of a universal health care bill. Even individuals such as Bob Dole, Dr Bill Frist,  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tommy Thompson and Louis Sullivan, all Republicans, are in favor of the bill. But by estimates of many average citizens, it is just another entitlement burden for the nation. Any program that will cost as much as $85 BILLION at a time when the total budget is over a TRILLION is hard to comprehend. That’s what the million-patriot tea party march on Washington in September 2009 was all about. Is Washington, especially Congress not listening or paying any attention to the huge number of tea parties (Town Hall meetings) taking place all over the nation during the Congressional August Recess and since the cost of the bill was announced by the Congressional Budget Office? The American citizen seems to be saying: “change the bad about health care and leave the rest alone. Reduce the cost.”

Monday, October 12, 2009
Today is Columbus Day.  This is the exact day, October 12, on which it is believed Christopher Columbus discovered America. Although it is not really celebrated for that purpose, it is a federal and state Holiday in which federal and state offices will be closed. Several banks in the area will also be closed. All schools will hold classes as usual.

Monday, October 12, 2009
Rain Overflowed Small Streams. Small streams that haven’t seen water in years are filled and overflowing all around the area. The ground was already very loose and wet from the recent rains last week when 4 more inches fell today. The summer gave us about 6 inches total and now the fall is doing a repeat. Forecast for tonight is more rain and continue into Wednesday. We should be well prepared for next summer. Most of Northeast Georgia is under a flood watch.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Talks of Oconee-Clarke Economic Partnership Surface Again.  A public meeting was set for today at 7 pm at the Oconee Veterans Park to revive the idea of both counties working together (contract) to attract businesses to build in the 2 counties. The public (about 2 dozen) was invited. Attendance with the 2-county Task Force members was about 35 total. The Task Force Chair, Ed Perkins, said that the 2 counties working together as a Region was the right approach. When it was learned after listening to him that Oconee would be asked to pitch in $450,000 to hire a Director and staff per year, Oconee Commissioners, especially Commissioner John Daniel saw no problem. However, Commissioner Chuck Horton was more cautious and would not endorse the idea publically. By the end of the meeting, Oconee officials and citizens were more skeptical than when the idea was first introduced.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The “Oconee Suite” In Concert. The 52 seventh and eight graders at the Oconee Middle School that make up their unique school band called the Oconee Suite, are playing like professionals now – sorta. After taking lessons for only a few years, they are playing with emotion and expression said their band leader, Bryan Agan. Some of the music is standard, but a few pieces were written as original just for them although some sheets are from centuries long ago, something most school bands would never attempt. They get a lot of well rounded experience. Their fall concert was a hit with the audience.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Charge Shoppers for Plastic Bags. In an effort to discourage the use of plastic bags that are disposed in landfills and are given with purchases at retail stores and shops, the Clarke County BOC discussed tonight the possibility of charging 10 cents per bag that shoppers take home full of merchandise. The plastic bag is an item that is hardest to decompose in landfills and their quantity is enormous. The type of plastic does not lend itself to recycling. In some countries, their use is banned – such as China, New Deli and San Francisco. The District of Columbia places a tax on them and many other cities are considering a tax. In Oconee County, all grocery stores give the shopper an option of plastic or fabric and many are choosing the colorful fabric bags that they reuse on the trips to the stores without taxing or banning.

Thursday, October 15, 2009
Banks Are Not Lending. The sub-prime loans put the banks in a streak of loosing money. To survive, they immediately started trading on the stock market in commodities, stocks and bonds. Some banks are reporting profits in spite of seeing more of their loans in default. The good news is that the banks are getting in better shape, but the bad news is that they are not lending especially to small businesses nationwide. Will this call for another bailout of small business? The lack of vigorous lending activity by the banks, could bring on a situation in which they loose their profits and need to make loans but no one is asking for loans. The greedy never win in the long run.

Thursday, October 15, 2009
Georgia Rep Guilty of Tax Evasion. Jeanette Jamison, a former Democratic representative in the Georgia Assembly (past 12 years) who represented the 28th District (Stephens, Banks and part of Franklin Counties) pleaded not guilty today as the charge against her was read in court. She failed to file her income tax for the years 2006 and 2007 for the $127,000 income in 2006 and $60,000 in 2007. Jamison is, 67, and an accountant by profession, faces 5 years in prison and $100,000 in fines if she is found guilty and that is per count of wrongdoing. The court scheduled December 21 to meet with Jamison and her lawyer to discuss motions and set a trial date which will most likely be next year. Last year, Georgia announced 7 of our representatives were in arrears for paying their taxes. Since being made public, all have settled with IRS. Jamison is the last one.

Thursday, October 15, 2009
Jobless Rate for Georgia.  According to the Georgia Department of Labor, the unemployment rate has changed very little for the last several months. The current rate of 10.1%  for Georgia is significantly higher than the rate one year ago – 6.6%. Georgia has lost 237,100 jobs in that same time period. The rate for the Athens Area is currently 1.8%. The Athens Area includes: Oconee, Clarke, Madison and  Oglethorpe. Georgia’s rate of 10.1% has stayed above the national average of 9.8% for the last 23 months. Will the national jobless rate go above 10%? Many are worried.

Thursday, October 15, 2009
Homemade Balloon Flying With 6-year. A silver flying saucer-type helium balloon colored and shaped to resemble a silver flying saucer-type of UFO was seen flying over Fort Collins, Colorado. The family claimed that their 6-year old son was in the compartment below the saucer. The media has picked it up as well as National Guard helicopters as the balloon roars to a height of 7,000 feet. The nation is transfixed with concern about the safety of the 6-year old. It is drifting across the landscape covering at least 50 miles powered by the easterly winds. The media has quickly nicknamed the incident, the “Balloon Boy” and everyone is concerned for his safety.

Friday, October 16, 2009
No COLA for Seniors This Year. The Obama Administration announced today that there will be no “cost of living adjustment” this year (fiscal year of October 1, 2009 through September 30, 2010) for those who receive Social Security checks – this for the first time in 30 years. That includes more than 58 million Americans. COLAs are intertwined with inflation and there is no inflation this year. The amount of the raise (COLA) does not go down when prices are low; it only increases when prices are inflated. Obama is thinking of sending each affected senior another $250 check next calendar year near the midterm elections which would cost the American Taxpayer a total of $14 BILLION.

Friday, October 16, 2009
2009/2010 – Year of the Census. The Obama Administration is readying for next census when every person will be counted and then congressional maps re-drawn to assure fair representation in the U S House. More than $300 BILLION will be spent and this will hire certain categories of people to do the counting. Can it be done fairly? Complete Count Committees are being formed by the Obama hires to make sure the count is accurate. Census workers began verifying addresses in June of this year and will began mailing out forms in January 2010.

Saturday, October 17, 2009
Teachers Sue State. A suit has been filed in Fulton County Superior Court by a group of 2,500 national board-certified teachers for cutting the salary bonuses the teachers get for working for and receiving extra certification (usually a higher degree or special training).  The suit demands that these teachers be given the 10% salary supplement they were promised under a law that was adopted more than a decade ago. The lawsuit names State Superintendent Kathy Cox and the State Department of Education.

Saturday, October 17, 2009
Terror Suspect Could Get 60 Years.  Ehsanul Islam Sadequee is charged with sending CamCorder videos of the Washington D C landscape to overseas terrorists. Evidence shows that he flew to India to give them to violent jihadists. Sadequee is 23 years old and lives in Roswell, GA. His request to have his case thrown out was denied by U S District Court Judge William Duffey. He is representing himself and will give his defense today. He could get 60 years if found guilty of the crime.

Saturday, October 17, 2009
A Wet Cool Fall Festival. The 36^th Oconee County Fall Festival, sponsored by the Oconee Chamber of Commerce was greeted with a cold and wet day as vendors set up their tents and customers weaved in and out the buildings and tents to avoid the rain. The estimated crown was about 8,500. There were few vendor cancellations and most reported making a good profit in spite of the dreary weather. Proceeds from the rent on some 154 spaces netted the Chamber about $25,000 most of which will go to their Educational Fund and to support the 2 Chamber employees.

Saturday, October 17, 2009
Balloon Boy Incident A Stunt?  After several hours and traveling across 3 counties in Colorado for about 12 miles and causing many rescue services to get involved – authorities closed down the Denver airport, and sent several National Guard helicopters and local police in pursuit – the balloon landed with no boy inside. Authorities began a manhunt of the entire area where the balloon landed, raising fears that he had fallen from the balloon since it was reported that an object had been seen falling from the balloon while in flight.  Later yesterday afternoon, the boy was eventually reported to have been hiding at his house the entire time. The saga was reported by news media around the world. Yesterday, the young boy, Falcon Heene and his family were on Larry King Live telling their story. But in an interview with Wolf Blitzer later, he was asked why he didn’t come out of his garage hiding place when his family was looking for him, he looked at his father and said, “You guys said that we did it for the show.” Suspicions soon arose that the incident was a hoax and publicity stunt engineered by the boy’s parents, Richard and Mayumi Heene.

Sunday, October 18, 2009
What is OARC? The acronym is short for Oconee Area Resource Council which is made up of volunteer members dedicated to collaboration with local, state and federal agencies and organizations to sponsor and present a combination of efforts to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all Oconee Citizens which in turn provides an enhanced quality of life for all. According to data received by OARC, Georgia ranks 44 in the percentage of low birth weight babies; 42 in the percentages of infant mortality; 46 in the percentage of high school drop-outs; and 42 in the percentage of children living in single parent families. OARC has been in existence since 1993 and is chaired by Ann Hester. Recently, OARC was one of the 511 counties (including Clarke and Green) recognized  by Georgia Family Connections, Inc for their outstanding work at the local level. 

Sunday, October 18, 2009
A Super Hoax. Today, Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden announced his conclusion that the incident was a hoax, and that the parents would likely face several felony charges and have to pay for all the emergency personnel and equipment that was used to supposedly save a young boy’s life.

Monday, October 19, 2009
Libraries Closing.  The dire budget situation for all states and the community amenities they support is coming to light, especially in California. Today, the American Library Association is sending a message that libraries are seeing the chopping block in their budgets.  People of Colton and Ventura are finding the closures a poor decision by agency administrators which stand to hurt users more than help “solve” budget crises.  The Reading (Pennsylvania) Public Library, addressed the closure of their three branch libraries in order to protect their main (downtown) library. Providing public library service is not mandated by state legislators so libraries compete for financial support with fire and police service. Most people believe “everything is on the Internet”.  This spells death to one of the public library’s service which is the reference/information desk.  Many believe that there is no reason to use the books in public libraries because they can just buy books or download them from Google, Barnes & Noble or Amazon. During times of economic stress public libraries are swamped with requests for information help, circulation goes up and audiences for free programs expand.  During times of economic stress legislators seem to believe that cutting the budgets of libraries is a good way to balance the budget.  Once the budget is cut enough the quality of service declines, hours are cut, branches are closed and loyal clients give up.  At that point the public library is history. Some 1.2 BILLION people visited their communities libraries this year. No Libraries in Oconee have been forced to close.

Monday, October 19, 2009
Schools Hire Professionals for Disciplinary Hearings.  When there is dispute concerning any student, several school officials must schedule for disciplinary hearings to decide what measures to take to help the child. It’s a time consuming exercise and consumes time and effort on the part of teachers and principals that would be spent on doing what they were hired to do – teach. By Georgia law, students can be suspended for up to 10 days or call for a hearing at which a more serious punishment can result. At one time, Oglethorpe School District had 10 disciplinary hearings in one year and could not possibly handled them adequately. The solution was to contract with an expert to hold the hearings for them. Of the 5 counties (Oconee, Morgan, Putnam, Walton and Oglethorpe), some have some have shown interest, others have  hired a hearing officer, someone with educational experience to hold the hearings for them stating it takes the pressure off school officials and is an unbiased procedure and fairer to the offender. The contract is with Executive Educational Services for $60 per hearing.

Monday, October 19, 2009
Economic Development Partnership With Clarke – Questioned. After the public meeting of the Economic Development Partnership Task Force last week, the BOC and members of the Oconee Development Authority have grave doubts that such an arrangement would benefit Oconee County in a way that would be the “best bang for their dollar.” The Oconee Development Authority (ODA) paid the last payment for the 100-acre tract of land on Hwy 316 dubbed “Gateway” that they purchased a decade ago. That payment which was about $150,000 per year is now free to be used to develop the property. It is needed for construction of a major road, water and sewer on the land before they can invest in any regional plan to entice a tenant or buyer. Commissioners now believe they must work on “something on the ground” to offer before they can invest in any costly marketing ventures. The ODA is working with Jon Williams Associates to draw up a plan to put in water and sewer lines and a road.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009
First Oconee County Town Hall Meeting. After the 4 Commissioners executed a plan several months ago to change the working structure of the Board (solve complaints about poor communication with the Chairman), the public demonstrated that the Board members

Oconee Town Hall Meeting

engaged in a lack of communication with the public. They immediately announced the scheduling of a Town Hall meeting that would allow the Commissioners to find out what the public is thinking before they execute some crazy ordinance or rezone. Tonight’s meeting was the first of a promise to have one each quarter. Also tonight’s meeting was cordial and well attended.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009
States & Feds Fight Over Matured Savings Bonds. The States are suing the Federal Government over the ownership of matured U S Savings Bonds that were purchased during WWII but never claimed or cashed in. The states believe that they can find the owners or more likely their families and remove them out of storage. The Feds say they can find the owners by having the public give the social security numbers to find ownership. Who collects the money if the owners have passed away and a family member can’t be found. The number of bonds purchased at that time but never claimed amount to about $16 BILLION. Most likely, there is no money in the U S Treasurer to pay out to the owners. The outcome of the debate will be interesting.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009
EPD Director Resigns.  Dr Carol Couch announced today she will step down effective October 26 from the controversial Environmental Protection Division and began a different career as a teaching professor at UGA in the Ecology Department. She said that 6 years was long enough. Her greatest accomplishment and legacy will be her untiring efforts to bring about Water quality in the state with a STATEWIDE WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN during the worst multi-year drought in Georgia’s history. Her replacement will be named and approved by Governor Perdue unless he desires to wait and let the new elected Governor (next November) have that honor. Couch’s resignation comes at a difficult time for the Governor with the federal case of water rights among the 3 southern states for portions of Lake Lanier’s water. Georgia has 3 years to come to a settlement in that case and the Governor may leave that to a new Governor in 2010. 

Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Economists Predict Different Recession This Time. Many of the jobs lost during this recession may never return prompting a different and new “normal” for the economy, economists are saying. Reasons:
1) The construction industry helped move the economy out of recession in years past.
2) Small businesses are still struggling without the possibility of borrowing money.
3) Higher income households are spending less money.
4) The world economy is still sliding downward – opposite in past recessions
5) Value of the dollar (money printed) keeps sliding and gold keeps gaining in value.
6) The jobs market is caught in a slump with no solution in sight.
7) Consumer confidence is down and refuses to go up as in past recessions.
Too many big businesses depending on the U S government for continued stability.
9) Record number of citizens unhappy with direction of country.
10) 7 more years before direction can be reversed.

Monday, October 21, 2009
More Georgia Banks In Trouble. A total of 24 Georgia banks have failed or have been taken over by other banks during the past 2 years and now a report from Tracy Whitesides, Deputy Commissioner of Georgia Banking & Finance states that she fears any further cuts in services provided by the State because there would be fewer bank examiners to monitor Georgia banks to prevent failure. The state has an arrangement with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp to split the work of inspecting banks. If Georgia reduces it examiners which in turn throws more work on the feds, the arrangement will be cancelled.  The report also states there are 42% of the remaining banking institutions in Georgia that are teetering on failure.

Friday, October 23, 2009
Home Sales Up. The National Association of Realtors announced today that home sales for first time buyers are up by about 23% , the largest amount in 26 years after showing an increase in September of 9.4%. Good news. This November 1 was the deadline for first time buyers with an $8,000 credit and many rushed to buy a home during that 11 month period (January 2009 to November 2009). Very optimistic, but realtors warn that it could just be a temporary spike if Congress does not continue the opportunity passed November 1.

Friday, October 23, 2009
Swine Flu Declared An Emergency. The declaration was signed by Obama today, stating that 120 million doses could be available by the end of this month. The National Emergency Declaration, if needed, gives Obama’s health chief the power to permit hospitals to move emergency rooms (set-up) off-site to speed treatment and protect non-infected persons. Does a hospital need permission to do that?

Friday, October 23, 2009
Swine Flu Deaths.   Federal Health Officials announced today that more people have been vaccinated against seasonal flu than ever before. As many as 60 million have gotten the winter flu shot probably as a result of the attention given to the Swine flu. The Swine flu is more widely spread than its ever been and has caused as many as 20,000 hospitalizations and 1,000 deaths. Nearly 100 swine flu deaths in children have been reported according to the NCDC in Atlanta. Of the 50 states, 46 have swine flu activity. States that have avoided the flu are: South Carolina, Connecticut, New Jersey and Hawaii. There has been no deaths in Oconee County so far and hope there will be none.

Sunday, October 25, 2009
County Commissioner Don Norris Dies.   Don Norris, 72 of Bogart and a graduate of the UGA and a member of the Mars Hill Baptist Church. He served 20 plus years and was the longest continuous serving Commissioner in Oconee County. He was a Charter member of the Oconee Rotary Club for 29 years with perfect attendance until recently because of ill health. In 1984, he with a group of friends (G A Nasworthy in particular) founded the M&K Foundation in memory of 2 young women (daughter of each man) killed in accidents. The Foundation presents scholarships to deserving Oconee Students.

Sunday, October 25, 2009
Pilot Club Host Dinner for Local Probation Staff. The Oconee Pilot Club members treated the members of the county probation office to a community appreciation dinner. Thos attending were Pilot club members, local District Judges, probation officers and their staff. Entertainment was provided by Rev Doug Ivy, Pastor of the Watkinsville First Christian Church who sang a few Broadway songs and awakened the audience with corny jokes.

Monday, October 26, 2009
Power Partners Furlough Workers. The Athens manufacturer of electric transformers located on Newton Bridge Road and still hurting from the recession announced that the plant will furlough 85% of its work force this week and next for one whole week in staggered turns to allow someone to be on the premises at all times. The plant already went through the furloughing process earlier in the year with a few employees hoping that the economy would pick with an increase in transformers, but it didn’t happen and now, a few more are being asked to stay home a few days. The Human Resources Office will hold a training to help employees fill out unemployment forms.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009
US House Dems Reveal Health Care Plan.   The US House gathered their supporters today and met on the step of the Capitol to announce the finish of landmark legislation that will give health care to absolutely everyone including a government-run public option. Its cost? In the trillions, but no matter the government will print enough money to subsidize a plan for everyone and we, the taxpayers that still have a job will pay the printed money back with our hard earned incomes. Redistribution – a socialist tool.

Thursday, October 29, 2009
A Wet Winter Coming.  September and October have seen more rain than any time in the history of rainfall in this area reported by Peachtree City’s National Weather Service south of Atlanta. At Ben Epps Airport, 9 inches have been recorded so far. The record was a downpour in October of 1937 that dropped 11.3 inches. If you combine the 2 months, Athens set a record of 18.7 inches recently. Climatologists expect the rest of the fall and winter to be exceptionally wet.

Thursday, October 29, 2009
Wettest Months In History. September and October have seen more rain than any time in the history of rainfall in this area reported by Peachtree City’s National Weather Service south of Atlanta. At Ben Epps Airport, 9 inches have been recorded so far. The record was a downpour in October of 1937 that dropped 11.3 inches. If you combine the 2 months, Athens set a record of 18.7 inches recently. Climatologists expect the rest of the fall and winter to be exceptionally wet.

Friday, October 29, 2009
Dennis McDaniel’s Special BBQ.  McDaniel traveled all over the south testing BBQ and finally settled in Watkinsville with his own brand. He uses red oak to smoke the meat and a special sauce and says “once tasted, you’ll come back for more. He caters for a lot of fundraisers in Oconee and the surrounding counties. He’s got a tough job competing with about a dozen other BBQ specialist who claim the title of “best BBQ”. To name a few: The Amity Lodge BBQ dripped with a sauce that has a special secret ingredient and The Best Butts in Town, a catering business run by Cokey Elder.

Thursday, October 29, 2009
2-County Economic Partnership No Go.    2 Commissioners are in agreement and 2 are against. Luke and Daniell think that economic development for Oconee County will improve in a combined effort with neighbor Clarke County. Hale and Horton are more cautious saying that the participating funds are just not available. Although the Oconee Development Authority paid the last payment for the dubbed “Gateway” property (about 100 undeveloped acres on Hwy 316) and that authority does have some accessible funds, they are not willing to commit during the current recession. The Chair, Commissioner Melvin Davis could break a tie vote, but even he is reluctant to place it on the Agenda for a vote. Davis said, “it’s just not the right time.”

Thursday, October 29, 2009
Annual Farm-City Tour.  Each Year, the Oconee Chamber sponsors an event to encourage 4^th and 5^th graders to study, learn and choose a career in agriculture by exposing them to various agricultural jobs in the area. Students are judged on the essays they compose about an interesting agriculture career and winners are treated to the tour along with their parents and a nice catered lunch. This year, the tour took them by bus to 3 agricultural locations to witness 1) poultry research. 2) horticulture research and  3) bovine nutrition research. About 45 participants enjoyed a BBQ lunch catered by Hot Thomas Catering while 8 students read their winning essays.

Friday, October 30, 2009
Swine Flu May Have Reach Peak In NE Georgia.  After Obama called the spread of the Swine Flu a pandemic, cases tapered off here in this last week of October to about 53 cases. During the first week of September, more than 300 cases were treated at the UGA Health Center a spread of about 7 to 8 weeks. Students that visit the Center are a good representative of the whole State of Georgia with a large percentage from out-of-state.

Friday, October 30, 2009
Unpasteurized Milk Poured on Ground.     Athens Locally Grown is run by the Athens Farmers Market and each week of the summer, raw milk is brought in from a dairy in South Carolina and sold at the Market. When Georgia Commissioner of Ag, Tommy Irwin, heard about it, he sent his regulators to visit the market and assisted the owner, Eric Wagoner in pouring out 110 gallons of milk onto the ground. Wagoner and his customers said they did not realize that there was a Georgia law against selling unpasteurized milk. Never mind, he must cease and desist. He is threatening a suit against the state of Georgia with the help of Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund which will be a test case for all vendors of raw milk. At the Oconee Farmers Market, one vendor sells unpasteurized, but homogenized raw milk each Saturday.

Saturday, October 31, 2009
A Long Lasting Georgia Pumpkin.   George Boyhan of Watkinsville, a plant breeder and employee of the University is developing a special variety of pumpkin (cross between the hardy Georgia strain and a Brazilian strain) that will last the entire long growing season in the south. It will be sustainable, disease free and organically grown – an excellent product for road side stands, Farmers Markets and Halloween enthusiasts. One variety that he grows full season is called Orange Bulldog. They will also be larger than the average pumpkin. He hopes the plants will be ready for the market sometime in 2011. Georgia farmers plant only 500 acres per year for the entire state and Boyhan hopes to change that. The pumpkin is of the same species as squash, cukes, watermelons and cantaloupes.  

Saturday, October 31, 2009
Gator-Dawg Game Stays In Jacksonville. The game has been played 76 times in Jacksonville, FL and it will stay that way for future games (until the contract runs out or 2016). Although, UGA wanted to reap some of the revenue from such a popular game that they were willing to hold the famous competition here in Athens. Willing?  The game also has the reputation of massive destruction by the fans – from both cities and elsewhere. Hotel rooms were never left in tact, trash and garbage was strewn everywhere in the city costing thousands for clean-up, drunkenness days before and after the game and rowdiness in general were rampant. But the negotiations started and Athens won a few perks: When the present contract runs out next year 2010, the new contract states that the Florida team will pay for the Bull Dowgs to fly from Athens; Jacksonville will increase more safe places with medical staff for those who may need it and those who do not cater to the rowdiness; the Jacksonville Mayor and his men will try to reduce under-age drinking; 500 more parking spaces will be made available; no more selling liquor at the stadium or close by and Jacksonville will now (since 2 years ago) pay ($12,000) for the many thousands of Georgia volunteers that travel with the Dawgs to the city.  Good Agreement? We’ll see. UGA nets about $1.6 million annually from the game but could boost that amount to about $3 million if played at home.

The End.

NOTE: The “What Happened” for the Month is a collection of short descriptions for the events that took place within the most recent month, but may not be inclusive. Information listed is from various sources: personal attendance at events, paraphrasing of broadcasts, Washington Post, Associated Press, Human Events, various Web sites, Fox News TV, George Will and other writers, the Atlanta Constitution, Association of County Commissioners of Georgia, the Oconee Enterprise, the Athens Banner Herald,  the Augusta Chronicle, the Bainbridge Searchlight News, NewsMax, USA Today, the Patriot and Talk Radio (750 & 1340).  For details on any item, go to the long write-up under the heading ARTICLE. However, some items on this page may not have a corresponding expanded Article.

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