Veterans, rookies entertain at annual Show
Flakes ranked number one in nation
Bridge dedicated to ATV accident victim
See Gilmer Living 1B
See Sports 1C
See Around Town 1D
Times-Courier Your Hometown Newspaper Devoted To The Progress Of Gilmer County March 4, 2010
VOL. 135 • NO. 9 • U.S.P.S. NO. 630-280
EST. 1875 • CONSOLIDATED 1916 • 50 CENTS
Anthrax scare at Ellijay City Hall by Al Summers alsummers@timescourier.com
It was like a scene of nearly a decade ago when anthrax
was on the minds of those dealing with possible terrorist actions. It happened again Tuesday morning, March 2, at Ellijay
Professionals from the Cherokee County Hazardous Materials Unit carry a contaminated letter and envelope to a washing solution Tuesday afternoon outside Ellijay City Hall. Photo by Al Summers
City Hall when secretary Wyonette May opened an envelope to discover a white powder and a threatening note that contained the word “anthrax”. Shortly before noon Tuesday, May was opening mail in city hall when she discovered the white powder substance in an envelope addressed to the city clerk. She called Ellijay Police Chief Larry Callahan to come investigate, and the two found the “threatening message” that contained the word “anthrax”. As a precaution, professionals from the Cherokee County Fire Department’s Hazardous Materials Unit were called to deal with the substance and decontaminate both the chief and his secretary. May and Callahan were “quarantined” in city hall until members from the specialized unit arrived. Anthrax is a disease caused by the bacteria Bacillus anthracis. Most forms of the disease are deadly, but it responds to antibiotics and is spread by spores. A characteristic of the disease is black skin lesions. Members of the hazardous materials team removed the
envelope and it contents in a plastic bag and sent it with an agent from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to Atlanta to be tested. Results of the tests were not known at press deadline Tuesday evening. Callahan said, “It is better to err on the side of caution. We are taking this matter seriously, and we hope we find the person responsible for this action.” The incident is under investigation by the Ellijay Police Department and the FBI.
Citizens question $8.9M in leftover bond funds by Ryan R Rees rrees@timescourier.com
Public apathy took the podium much of the night at the board of commissioners meeting Feb. 25. But how to best use a $8.9 million balance in bond funds for capital improvements came in question during the meeting by a couple of concerned citizens. With only one item on the agenda, which was quickly passed, the meeting, attended
by less than a dozen citizens including former commission chairman Jerry Farist, was opened up to public comment. First to take the floor was Bess Connor who said, “There’s been a lot of griping going on about the condition of the ball fields (at the recreation and parks fields). There’s people griping but where are they?” she asked looking around the nearly empty meeting room. See Commission page 5A
Efforts of Scott, Chanceys awarded at Heart Fund Show
H1N1 shot clinic at Ellijay FUMC Special to the Times-Courier www.nghd.org
The Gilmer County Health Department will conduct an H1N1 (swine flu) flu shot clinic at the First United Methodist Church of Ellijay Tuesday, March 9, from 3 to 6 p.m. The clinic will be held for people
ages 6 months and older. Parents are asked to remember children under age 10 who received an initial H1N1 flu shot need a second dose. The health department will provide the vaccine at no charge to patients, however, an administrative fee may be
Can we puzzle you? The Times-Courier has added a new feature a lot of our readers have been requesting — we now offer you a weekly crossword puzzle. This week’s puzzle and answers can be found on 8D.
Ellijay Community Blood Drive Thursday, March 11 • 12–6pm Ellijay Lions Club 1729 South Main Street • Ellijay, GA
In this issue... National/State Roundup ......2A Editorial................................3A Religion/People................6–8A Obituaries.............................9A Lynn’s Zen...........................11A Dixie Divas..........................12A Gilmer Living ........................1B Focus on Education ..........4–5B TV Guide...............................6B
Legals...................................7B Sports...............................1–3C Health & Fitness ..............4–9C Arrests................................10C Car Couple .........................11C Around Town .........................1D Movies/Calendar..................2D Crossword Puzzle..................3D Classifieds........................4–8D
charged through Medicare, Medicaid and state health benefit plans for United Health Care and Cigna. Service will be on a first come, first served basis while supplies last. For more details call the Gilmer County Health Department at 706-635-4363.
Longtime Heart Fund Show participants Floyd Scott, left, and Irene and Ralph Chancey, right, accept the Big Heart Award from Heart Fund Show coordinator Russell Hood during the 47th annual American Heart Association fundraiser held at the Ellijay Elementary School Auditorium Saturday, Feb. 27. Both Scott and the Chanceys have helped to make the yearly event a success since its inception. For more on this yearʼs Heart Fund Show, see full story in Gilmer Living section of this weekʼs paper.
Photo by Michael Andrews
Gilmer business destroyed by fire by Al Summers alsummers@timescourier.com
A Gilmer County floor covering business on Hwy. 515 south of East Ellijay was destroyed by fire Sunday evening, Feb. 28. The alarm sounded for Gilmer firefighters around 6:30 p.m., to respond to Talona Mountain Flooring in the Talona Mountain Village Shopping Center. A passing motorist on Hwy. 515 noticed flames coming from the building and placed a call to Gilmer County’s 911 dispatch. Members of the fire department arrived shortly after the alarm and began fighting the fire that had engulfed the warehousetype building that housed carpet, hardwood flooring and tile of various types. Aside from the fire, firefighters knew they had their hands full when the fire hydrant beside the structure they attached to was turned off. After handdigging a two feet deep hole to the valve, they turned it on only to find no water. Eventually a small trickle came out of that hydrant,
but not enough to keep a hose charged. Tanker trucks had to shuttle water from a hydrant near Longhorn Steakhouse back to the fire scene. Crews fought the main fire all night and into the morning hours of Monday, March 1. At press time Tuesday, March 2, Gilmer firefighters were still on the scene controlling hot spots. Gilmer County Fire Chief
Tony Pritchett told the Times-Courier 18 pieces of equipment responded to the fire, including apparatuses from the city of Ellijay, Pickens County and Fannin County. Over 60 firefighters responded to battle the blaze Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and the Georgia State Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating the cause of the fire.
Pritchett said, “I would like to thank all of the businesses and individuals who donated relief supplies for the firefighters. It is a morale booster for those who do our kind of work, most of whom are volunteers. “Our people did a great job keeping the fire from spreading to the other buildings in the complex. They are to be commended,” he said.
The burned out front of Talona Mountain Flooring smolders Monday morning, March 1.
Contributed photo
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THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
TIMES-COURIER • ELLIJAY, GEORGIA
Rep. Deal to resign congressional seat to concentrate on governor race
Rep. Nathan Deal announced he will resign from Congress next Monday to concentrate on his gubernatorial candidacy in Georgia. He is one of seven Republicans who have announced their candidacy. Deal has been the subject of two congressional inquiries into his role in business with the state that earned his company $1.5 million from 2004 to 2008. Canton booze extension The City of Canton will hold a public hearing this week to allow restaurants and bars to pour alcohol from midnight to 2 a.m. Turf deal stubs toe A Superior Court judge has put a halt to plans by the Cobb County Board of Education to install artificial turf at all of its high schools. The turf was approved as part of a special tax expected to raise $586 million. The turf installation would eat up $16 million. A lawsuit to block the plan claims the playing fields are not an education-related expenses, as required by law. Flight attendants fight Two flight attendants got into an altercation before a flight took off from Rochester, N.Y., bound for Atlanta. The two got into a
Times-Courier
fistfight and the pilot returned to the terminal and emptied the plane. State worker layoffs Former secretary of state Karen Handel said last week that thousands of state employees should be laid off to help reduce the state’s $1 billion budget shortfall. The Republican gubernatorial candidate said her plan would save the state $404 million in fiscal 2011. She did not have a plan for the other $600 million savings. Teachers and law enforcement workers would not be affected by her planned cuts. Man “Cashes” in A 71-year-old Woodstock man won $10,000 in credit for his iPod after downloading the one millionth song on the Apple system. The song by Johnny Cash, “I Guess Things Happen That Way”, is one of his favorites. Apple CEO Steve Jobs and Cash’s daughter, Rosanne Cash, both called him with congratulations. He received the iPod last Christmas as a present. New state bird? A group in Augusta is organizing a movement to change the state bird from the brown thrasher to the Cornish chicken. The group says the chicken should be the state bird because of its importance to the Georgia poultry industry. The brown thrasher has been recognized as the state bird since 1928 but wasn’t officially designated until 1970. The Atlanta Thrashers hockey
National and state roundup team had no comment. Bison killed on I-20 Two weeks ago, a zebra escaped in downtown Atlanta before being captured. Last week, a bison either fell or jumped out of a trailer on I-20 in east Atlanta. The animal had broken legs and was put down by police officers. Stupid burglars caught Two men are in jail after a bungled liquor store burglary in Atlanta. They were captured a short distance away after they drove their SUV into the store front in a smash and grab attempt. Their haul was a single bottle of booze.
Home sales drop Sales of previously occupied homes fell to their lowest level since last summer as sales fell 7.2 percent. Economists had expected a slight increase of 5.5 million homes but sales fell to 5.05 million. Teacher stops shooting A Littleton, Colo., teacher tackled a man who was walking through a school yard taking shots at students with a hunting rifle. Two students were wounded in the attack. Hyundai recalls 47,000 About 47,000 Hyundai Sonata sedans are being vol-
untarily recalled to replace front door latches that may not close properly. Chile rattled by quake A massive 8.8 earthquake struck Chile last week killed nearly 1,000 and sparking a tsunami warning across the Pacific Ocean. Hawaii issued tsunami warnings but the expected wave surge never developed. Wall Street bonuses Bonuses for Wall Street investment bankers rose 17 percent to $20.3 billion in 2009. Home prices climb Home prices rose slightly in December, the seventh straight monthly gain. Orca kills trainer A SeaWorld trainer was killed last week when a killer whale pulled her into a pool. The same orca had been linked to two deaths in 1991 and 1999. Stupid car thieves Two Florida teenagers face charges after one of them accidentally called 911 on his cell phone while breaking into cars in Daytona Beach, Fla. Dispatchers listened to the call as the pair discussed what items to steal from a car. Toyota deaths appealed A Minnesota man may have his case reviewed after being jailed for a 1996 crash while he was driving a 1996 Toyota Camry. The man’s car shot up an interstate ramp and rammed into
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George N. Bunch Editor & Publisher 1918 - 2004
Annetta Bunch Associate Editor
George N. Bunch III Asso. Publisher/General Manager
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Al Summers News Editor
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Robbie Bills Sports Editor
Ryan R Rees Sports/Staff Writer
another car, killing three. The man said he could not stop the car. Freddie Mac loses Financial giant Freddie Mac lost nearly $26 billion last year. Freddie Mac backs about 70 percent of home loans in the U.S along with Fannie Mae. The two financial institutions have received $111 billion in government assistance. Fannie Mae also announced it needs $15 billion on top of that aid. Thieves abandon child A man and woman robbed a Philadelphia jewelry store of more than $100,000 but left behind a 4-year-old boy as they escaped. A clerk chased the thieves but was cut on the face and neck. The pair then ran away, leaving the child behind. Patriot Act extended The main counterterrorism law, the Patriot Act, has been extended one more year by President Barack Obama. The measure would have expired last Sunday. Hummer may be dead General Motors is still searching for a buyer for its Hummer brand after efforts to sell the division to a Chinese company fell through at the end of February. Toyota apology The CEO of Toyota personally apologized to U.S. owners in an appearance before lawmakers in Washington, D.C. Toyota has recalled 8.5 million vehicles to fix sticking gas pedals or floor mats. Experts say the problems may be linked to the vehicles’ electronic systems. Boozy chimp A Russian chimpanzee has been sent to rehab after zookeepers said the chimp had a smoking and beer drinking problem. The chimp would pester zoo visitors for cigarettes and booze. GM recalls 1.3 million General Motors is recalling 1.3 million compact cars to fix a steering problem in Chevy Cobalt and Pontiac G5 vehicles. More Toyota woes Toyota is now recalling nearly one million vehicles in the U.S. to fix a potential oil leak. The latest recall affects certain Toyota Camry, Avalon, RAV4 and Lexus vehicles with V6 engines. No Saturday mail? The U.S. Postal Service will submit a formal proposal to cease Saturday mail delivery in an effort to cut losses. Man dies urinating A Washington man was found electrocuted after he apparently urinated on a live wire after an auto accident. The man called a relative to help pull his car out of a ditch but authorities found him dead at the scene. Two children sold A Louisiana woman has pled guilty to selling two
children, ages 5 and 4, in exchange for a cockatoo and $175. The woman’s attorney said she was trying to do a good thing by finding them a better home. The deal was struck after she saw a flyer offering the bird, valued at $2,000, and contacted a couple to make a deal. Stalker kills woman A Tacoma, Wash., school teacher was shot and killed by a stalker released from jail three days earlier after she had him arrested. The assailant was killed by police at a nearby daycare center. Federal furlough Some 2,000 federal transportation workers are being furloughed after a $10 billion package of government programs expired last Sunday. Jim Bunning (RKy) blocked passage of the bill that also included unemployment benefits for about 400,000 Americans. Kentucky duel change A Kentucky lawmaker wants to amend the state constitution to do away with language that would eliminate swearing under oath that you hadn’t taken part in a duel with deadly weapons before taking office. The wording comes from Kentucky’s frontier past when it was a hotbed for dueling. 911 calls unanswered A Pittsburgh man died at his home after nearly 30 hours and 10 calls to 911 were not responded to. Emergency workers were within several blocks of the man’s house several times but were blocked by snowbound roads from reaching the home. They told the man he would have to walk to them, which he couldn’t do. They did not walk to the home to offer aid.
Ho hum, Johnson wins Defending four-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson won his second straight race after taking on four tires during his final pit stop in Las Vegas. Jeff Gordon, who wound up third, led 219 of the 267 laps but faded after taking on only two tires. Kevin Harvick, also on two new tires, passed Gordon for second. The NASCAR circuit moves to Atlanta this weekend. Olympic medal count The U.S. Olympic team established a record with 37 medals during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. The total topped Germany’s 36 won in the Salt Lake City games in 2002. Host country Canada led the gold medal count with 14, including the final medal with a 3-2 overtime victory over the U.S. hockey team. The 2014 Winter Games will be held in Sochi, Russia. Compiled by Ryan R Rees
Whitney Crouch Staff Writer
April Teague Typesetter
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Editorial / Opinion
TIMES-COURIER • ELLIJAY, GEORGIA
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
Out on a Limb
Commissioners battle with $8.9 million in bond funds The Board of Commissioners have a real dilemma on their hands. They have $8.9 million remaining from the $30 million GO Bond initiative approved in 2006. The money must be allocated by November. Under guidelines of the initiative, the funds can only be used on capital improvement projects. The funds cannot be put back into the general fund. They cannot be used for road repairs. They cannot be used to lower property taxes. That may seem hard to understand by many. But when the $30 million bond was approved, it was very clearly stated what the funds could be used for. Apparently some people didn’t fully understand the ramifications of the bond vote. It passed by a margin of only 155 votes out of nearly 7,000 votes cast. At the commission work session last week, board chairman Mark Chastain presented a laundry list of 18 capital improvement projects for consideration. At the top of the list were funds to deal with our deteriorating roads in the county. Unfortunately, the funds
cannot be used to fill potholes. Roadwork must involve widening and/or repaving to qualify as a capital improvement. Commissioners J.C. Sanford and Will Beattie both emphasized that roads should be the top priority. Many of the items were for park and recreation facilities including renovation of the civic center, a new gym and new clubhouse for Whitepath Golf Course. The list also included $1.7 million for an addition to the county jail. Some of the others need further review. For instance, it will take $20,000 to refurbish the kiddie pool to meet standards. A new pool would cost more than twice that. Several capital improvement projects already have been completed using the bond funds such as new fire stations, a new animal shelter, widening of Yukon Road and relocation of two trash compactors from private to county-owned property. Only three citizens attended the work session and barely a dozen were at the commission meeting that followed. Most of the
‘A community newspaper’ by Al Summers
dissent revolved around continued spending, not only by our commissioners, but also at the state and federal levels. In fairness, it must be noted that two of the commissioners were elected after county voters approved the bond initiative. Chastain voted against the initiative when it was brought before the former board. Now they’re stuck with the task of figuring out which capital projects are needed the most and also trying to explain to citizens why the funds must be spent. If they are not allocated by November, they will sit unused in an account. As long as the money must be spent, it should be used for badly needed projects that will have a long-lasting effect on the county. Yes, we taxpayers will pay back the $30 million, including the leftover $8.9 million. But those folks who voted for the bond referendum need to pay more attention the next time a bond initiative comes around. As it stands now, the horse is already out of the barn.
Letters to the Editor CLC needs many repairs
We have in our county an excellent opportunity to teach our youth Christian values and introduce them to Jesus Christ. It is called “release time education“, which means our high school students can attend our Christian Learning Center to be taught the Bible and its values. It receives no tax money and is solely supported by contributions. The present building, built 25 years ago, is in need of extensive repairs, needing such things as light fixtures, ceiling tiles, paint, etc. The HVAC system needs to be upgraded. I am burdened by this and am willing to lead in the effort to make these repairs. I challenge the Christian churches of the county, all denominations, to join together to make the Christian Learning Center an inviting and comfortable place for students to attend. We will need volunteers who are experienced in specific areas of construction and we will need donations to pay for needed materials. I appeal to any businesses, volunteers, professionals or church groups who are
alsummers@timescourier.com
Did you know that 80 percent of America’s newspapers have a circulation of 15,000 or less? Did you know that there are about 8,000 community newspapers in America that fit that description? Did you know that 86 million Americans read those community newspapers every week? Sixty-nine percent somewhat or strongly agree that advertising inserts help them make purchasing decisions. Yet if you read the “the newspaper industry is failing” stories online, in the major daily newspapers and on television, it’d be a good guess that those reporters and bloggers don’t have a clue, don’t care, or can’t be bothered. Those stories tend to be based on readership and advertising numbers for the major daily newspapers in America, usually the top 100, sometimes the top 250. Yes, absolutely, those are big papers, important papers. But they are not the whole story. The National Newspaper Association, working with the research arm of the Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism is completing its fourth year of research on the readership patterns of America’s community newspapers. Seventy-nine percent somewhat or strongly agree they prefer to look at newspaper ads than watch ads on television. The early data indicates fairly consistent findings all four years: • 81 percent of those surveyed read a local newspaper each week. • Those readers, on average, share their paper with 2.36 additional readers.
Al Summers, News Editor
• Community newspaper readers spend about 40 minutes with their paper. • 73 percent read most or all of their community newspaper. • 69 percent somewhat or strongly agree that advertising inserts help them make purchasing decisions. • Nearly 40 percent keep their community newspaper more than a week (shelf life). • Three-quarters of readers read local news often to very often in their community newspaper while 53 percent say they never read local news online (only 12 percent say they read local news often to very often online). • Of those going online for local news, 63 percent found it on the local newspaper’s website, compared to 17 percent for sites such as Yahoo, MSN or Google, and 12 percent to the website of a local television station. • 79 percent somewhat or strongly agree they prefer to look at newspaper ads than watch ads on television. See Newspaper on page 4A
Send letters to: E-mail: editor@timescourier.com. Mail: P.O. Box 1076, Ellijay, GA 30540. Fax: 706-635-7006. Letters must be under 300 words, signed, with a phone number. All letters will be edited. Due 5 p.m. Monday.
interested in helping to call me at 70- 6354114 or 706 889-4423. Let’s work together to get this upgrade completed before the next school year. Our youth will form their values from someplace; let’s help them to learn what the Bible teaches. Let’s organize and get this done. James M. Holt, Ellijay pastor In defense of the Gilmer Airport I have read with extreme wonder and amazement, the volumes of misinformation you have chosen to print in three recent editions of the paper (Feb. 4, Feb. 11 and Feb. 18) concerning the Gilmer County Airport. I am having a copy of the 2009 “Georgia Airport Directory” handdelivered to your office, so that, in the future, you might be able to get your facts straight, when addressing issues relating to the airport. Make no mistake, general aviation is here to stay, and a first-class aviation facility is an absolute necessity, if a county such as ours is to grow and attract busi-
ness. Recent commission boards have recognized that premise, and should be applauded for their foresight, and willingness to move forward. I’m sure that the same naysayers that fought against the new courthouse are the ones that are in such vehement opposition to the airport. Since 9/11, business flights in general aviation aircraft are on the increase, as even small and medium companies refuse to allow key employees to stand in security lines holding their shoes in their hand, at large airports like Atlanta-Hartsfield. Time is money to these folks and they do business in places where they can get the most business done in the least amount of time. I wonder if anyone is aware of the fact that we handled a flight the first week in February when a turbo-prop business aircraft brought Coach Bobby Bowden from FSU to Ellijay to attend a function for some of our local athletes, that was sponsored by local businesses. The following week, we handled no less than three Life Flight Helicopter air-lifts, in conjunction with the Gilmer County EMS, servicing
some of the people injured in the unfortunate accident at the auto auction. Indeed, I believe the airport has net worth and credibility for Gilmer County and it’s citizens. Percy, you know you have never flown into the airport by helicopter, or otherwise, but I certainly invite you and Al out to the airport to see our beautiful new facility. Maybe we could even take you guys for an aerial tour of the county, so that you might see things from a different perspective. On the way back, we could fly over the fairgrounds, at about 3,000 feet, and dump you out, so that we can see if possums, like cats, always land on their feet when they hit the ground. If it doesn’t work out well for you, maybe Al can have you cremated, and keep you in a coffee can on his desk-or maybe he should just flush you — along with the other irresponsible misinformation about the airport, that has been printed lately. Dave Isom, President Gilmer County Aviation
Sound Off!
with Jim Smith How long have you lived in Gilmer County? We have lived here since 1996, moving from Dayton, Tenn.
If I won the lottery? It would be “rigged” because I have never bought a lottery ticket.
Who do you admire most? My wife of 45 years.
Jim Smith
Director of Community Development - Gilmer County
Family - wife, Priscilla, children, Missy, Jamie, son-in-law Mike, daughterin-law Bethany, grandchildren, Josh, Emma, James and Cloe.
Favorite food? All types of seafood.
What’s great about Ellijay? It is a community that cares about its people and reaches out to help those less fortunate. My favorite thing to do is just enjoy my surroundings.
Favorite music? Golden Oldies. Hobbies?
What does Ellijay need most? A diversified economy that provides good jobs for our young people.
Welcome to SOUND OFF!, a weekly column in which Gilmer citizens can speak out on almost any topic. Readers are invited to voice their opinions with a limit of 35 words per entry. Entries may be e-mailed to april@timescourier.com and will be subject to editing. Entries degrading specific names of individuals or businesses, with vulgar language or including other libelous or slanderous material will not be considered for publication.
I wish someone in my neighborhood would run for commissioner so we can get our potholes fixed. I don’t know how the “no child left behind” program is doing, but the “no congressional member left behind” program is a total failure.
Golf and yard work What people don’t know about me. I am really a “pussy cat”. My bark is worse than my bite.
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I would like to be remembered for ... Being a person of integrity and high moral values.
Canada’s young hockey women are being justified for smoking cigars and drinking alcohol on the ice as being national pride.
What’s our excuse for our popular snowboarder doing the air guitar during the national anthem? Both are classless. Section D (Times Courier) ad: New house $47 dollars per sq. ft. Gilmer Tax Assessors: (My) nearly 20year-old house, $85 per sq. ft. Is there a problem here? Throwing loose gravel on a pothole only makes the road MORE dangerous!
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THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
TIMES-COURIER • ELLIJAY, GEORGIA
Drug task force agents arrest two in February
A little nonsense never hurt anyone This week, children and adults the world over are celebrating the life of Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. Born in Springfield, Mass., March 2, 1904, Whitney Seuss published over Crouch 60 children’s books before his death in wcrouch@ 1991. According to a timescourier.com study by Publisher’s Weekly in 2001, 16 of his books are in the top 100 best-selling hardcover children’s books of all time. “Green Eggs and Ham” and “The Cat in the Hat” are both in the top 10. Generations of readers have cut their teeth on Seuss’ delightfully loopy stories of mayhem, and it is easy to forget how straight-laced and drab many children’s books were before he revolutionized the industry. Using nonsensical words, wacky rhymes and colorful, whirling illustrations, Seuss created a literary playground and published books that appealed to children’s imaginations. After “The Cat in the Hat” was published in 1957, Ellen Goodman of The Detroit Free Press observed that it was “a little volume of absurdity that worked like a karate chop on the weary little world of Dick, Jane and Spot.” Seuss’ approach was a breathe of fresh air, and many believed he helped put the fun back into learning to read. In spite of, or perhaps as a result of, his ingenious approach to children’s books, Seuss got off to an extremely rocky start in his rise to popularity. His first book, “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” was turned down by 27 publishers because it did not follow the accepted model for proper children’s stories. Picture books were supposed to have a clear moral and acted as a textbook for how to become an ideal, successful citizen. Instead, Seuss’ delightful story of
by Al Summers alsummers@timescourier.com
Marco’s extravagant daydreams on Mulberry Street criticized adults’ attempts to stifle children’s vivid imaginations and encouraged youngsters to think beyond the ordinary and expected. In a Life magazine interview in 1959, Seuss argued that “kids can see a moral coming a mile off and they gag at it.” While he also admitted, “There’s an inherent moral in any story,” Seuss firmly believed that children’s literature should not be bland or overtly moralistic. Seuss modeled his stories on this belief by inviting children into the topsyturvy world of nonsense. He made up whimsical names for faraway lands, invented complex gadgets and drew creatures with multiple heads. Such madness was not without reason. Seuss once explained, “Nonsense wakes up the brain cells. And it helps develop a sense of humor, which is awfully important in this day and age. Humor has a tremendous place in this sordid world. It’s more than just a matter of laughing. If you can see things out of whack, then you can see how things can be in whack.” Perhaps that’s the real moral of Dr. Seuss’ classic tales. By encouraging us to look at the world through whimsical glasses, he gives us a glimpse of what can be, and by setting his stories in the absurd realm of the imagination, he helps us to get a fresh look of our own lives. Exploring the world of nonsense is very beneficial because it stirs up the imagination and keeps us focused on the humor of a situation. It also reminds us that laughter is the best medicine, both on the individual and national level. So pick up a Dr. Seuss book and enjoy a little nonsense this week. You might be surprised by the lessons lurking underneath. Will you enjoy it? “Yes! You will indeed! / (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed)” (“Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”).
Agents from the Zell Miller Mountain Parkway Drug Task Force (DTF) made two arrests during the month of February that they hope will slow down some of the drug trade in the three-county network. Beginning Thursday, February 18, DTF agents and deputies from the Gilmer County Sheriff ’s Office executed a search warrant at a Cherokee Court address in Ellijay. Agent Lane Bennett had been receiving information that drugs were being sold by an individual at that address. Bennett kept surveillance on Phillip David Collins, the resident, for approximately two months. During the execution of the search warrant, two ounces of marijuana, one fourth of a gram of crushed methamphetamine, one firearm and over $9,000 in currency was seized. According to Brandon Owens, commander of the DTF, during the investigation
multiple gallon size plastic storage bags were discovered. These bags typically hold one pound of marijuana. Evidence located at the home and the amount of cash on hand, lead agents to believe that Collins was distributing multiple pounds at a time. Collins was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, and possession of a Schedule I substance, the methamphetamine. Then Tuesday, February 23, agents received information on a hitchhiker walking south on Hwy. 515 in the Ellijay area. The information received was very specific to the description of the individual, and a controlled substance he had in his possession. Agents from the DTF were dispatched to the area and spotted the man walking south on Hwy. 515 at Mountain View Drive. After several minutes of surveillance of the suspect, he was picked up by a citizen. Agents followed the vehicle
Newspaper • 60 percent read local education (school) news somewhat to very often in their newspaper while 65 percent never read local education news online. • Nearly half read local sports somewhat to very often in their newspaper while 70 percent never read local sports online. • 62 percent read editorials or letters to the editor somewhat to very often in their newspaper while three quarters never read editorials or letters to the editor online. • Three quarters of readers have read public notices in
from 3A their community newspaper. • 68 percent have never visited the website of local government. • 70 percent somewhat or strongly agree they prefer to read newspaper ads than view ads on the Internet. • 47 percent say there are days they read the newspaper as much for the ads as for the news. • 30 percent do not have Internet access in the home. • Of those with Internet access at home, three-quarters have broadband access. • 70 percent somewhat or strongly agree they prefer to
to the East Ellijay Walmart parking lot. The driver of the vehicle went inside the store, allowing the agents an opportunity to talk to the suspect. The suspect, identified as Cornelia Devoy Smith, of Lawrenceville, was questioned and an investigation commenced. During the investigation, approximately one-half ounce of powder cocaine was located on Smith. He was arrested and charged with possession of cocaine with the intent to distribute. According to Owens, Smith had been involved in a traffic accident in Fannin County earlier the same day. The investigation into this matter continues, and could lead to more charges. The Task Force relies on information from the citizens of all three counties. If you have information pertaining to drug activity in your area, call 1-866-920-6384. All calls are anonymous. The DTF serves Fannin, Gilmer and Pickens counties.
read newspaper ads than view ads on the Internet. The local community newspaper is the primary source of information about the local community for 60 percent of respondents: that’s four times greater than the second and third most popular sources of local news (TV/14 percent and friends and relatives/13.4 percent). Readers are 10 times more likely to get their news from their community newspaper than from the Internet (5.8 percent). Less than five percent say their primary local news source is radio. (Editor’s note: reprinted from the National Newspaper Association.)
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TIMES-COURIER • ELLIJAY, GEORGIA
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
Commission In response to Connor’s questions, commission chairman Mark Chastain noted that several loads of materials had been delivered to the ball fields that day and they would be used to level out the playing surfaces. Commissioner Will Beattie responded to Connor by noting, “We see this (apathy) all the time” about all kinds of issues. “You can go back and ask them why they weren’t here,” he said. After the meeting Connor said, “I talked to several people with complaints and told them to meet me here at 6. But where are they? If they have a problem, they need to come and ask them,” she said referring to the commissioners. Danny Hall, who also attended a commission work session earlier in the afternoon, was next to take the podium. “You all talk about people not being here, but we elected you to do things, so we shouldn’t have to be here. “I’ve thought about running (for commissioner) but I don’t have the time or knowledge. But I know how to run a business and you need to run this like a business,” the owner of Hall’s Tree Service said. “You cannot keep digging a deeper hole,” he added. At issue during the two-hour work session was discussion of how to spend $8.9 million in bond funds the county has remaining from a $30 million bond initiative. Those funds have to be“obligated”by November and can only be used for capital improvements. The simple solution of not spending the money is not an option because of conditions tied to the bond. “We tried to sell $1 million of the bonds back earlier but have only sold about $50,000,” Chastain explained. “By law, we have to spend the money by November,” he noted. He explained that the funds don’t have to be actu-
agreed to deed a 26-acre plot of land near Clear Creek Middle School back to the board of education because plans for recreational facilities on the site were not feasible.Chastain noted that $100,000 had been already spent on engineering costs for the park and that the engineering company had been terminated from the project. One of the main points Beattie and Commissioner J.C. Sanford pressed for was funds for road improvements throughout the county. The Georgia Department of Transportation has a program that will match road improvements on an 80-20 basis. The commissioners all agreed that it would be good to try and work with the DOT on that basis to stretch county funds for more projects. However, Beattie was skeptical of state funds coming through. “I feel like we’re going to (Las) Vegas. We don’t know if the feds will have any money to spend,” he said. “And do we know if the state will have a decision by November?” Beattie and Chastain both noted that under the regulations of the bond, road work only covers widening and total repaving. Bond funds cannot be used for repairs. The commissioners agreed to map out the list of costs and allocate any money left over for road work.
from 1A ally spent but rather obligated or under contract for capital improvement projects by the deadline. During the work session, the commissioners discussed 18 proposed capital improvement programs, including road improvements, for the funds. Before the discussion started, Beattie asked for costs on each project and creation of a spreadsheet to outline the projects and their costs before any final decision would be made. Among the items discussed were continued plans for a new clubhouse at Whitepath Golf Course. Last month, the commissioners agreed to replace the clubhouse if the cost did not exceed $200,000. The latest plans call for a 1,400 square foot facility that will cost an estimated $100,000 to build. The rest of the funds would be for reroofing the cart barn and other changes at the golf course, including parking and relocation of a putting green. Also on the list was renovation of the civic center, a new dual-court gym for recreation use, additions to a fire station on Boardtown Road, a $1.7 million addition to the county jail and expansion of the county airport. The commissioners also
Ellijay cops nab check scammer by Al Summers alsummers@timescourier.com
In what Ellijay Police Chief Larry Callahan called “a scam right out of the big city”, officers from the Ellijay Police Department made an arrest in a check-cashing scam last week at Gilmer County Bank. According to a police report, Maurice Chappell Whitlock, 36, of a Decatur address, tried to cash a counterfeit check on a local business last Wednesday, Feb. 24, at the bank. A suspicious and alert bank employee called police.
Whitlock told police he had been recruited in Decatur by the prospect of making $400 to cash a check. He was driven to Ellijay and dropped off at a convenience store where he then walked to the bank. The people, two black males, who dropped him off told him to leave the bank and walk one way if he was successful at cashing the check, and to walk in the opposite direction if he was unsuccessful. He never made it to that point before being arrested. After being interrogated by Ellijay officers and investigators from the Gilmer
County Sheriff’s Office, Whitlock was arrested on a charge of forgery in the first degree and carried to the Gilmer County Detention Center. Callahan said, “When banks and businesses use these extra precautions, don’t feel hard at them. They are just trying to protect their customers and clients.” He added, “I would like to thank those who assisted from East Ellijay and the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office. And, anybody who might have a question about a suspicious check or transaction should give us a call.”
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6A
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
TIMES-COURIER • ELLIJAY, GEORGIA
Carver birth
Thoughts... for everyday living by the Rev. Dr. Edward Frost You many have noticed that getting people to services and church activities has become more and more difficult in the past few years. In the U.S., with the exception of some African American and evangelical congregations, most Protestant and Roman Catholic congregations are in some level of decline (In Chicago, RC attendance has dropped by over 100,000). Megachurches, once hyped as the future of Christianity, are losing members and financial support. In desperation, many of my colleagues and I in all sorts of faith communities forgot the biblical warning of the folly of attempting to force new wine into old wineskins. I still shudder at the recollection my attempt in the ‘70s to lead a “multimedia” service using a tape recorder, slide projector, my spoken words and a young woman in a sari playing a sitar. What a disaster. As a parish minister for over 45 years, I’ve seen all the devices creative lay and clerical minds could conceive to turn the numbers around. Bread and circuses, guitar players, video screens, afternoon services, out with “A Mighty Fortress” and in with John Lennon songs (few seem to notice he sang about the utopian ideal of having “no religion too).” All, it seems, to no avail. According to Martin Marty (online essay, 2/15/2010), much of the problem has to do with a term coined by H. G. Wells many years ago — “Everydayishness.” The theory is simple enough. Years ago most people had little to do on weekends but attend church, temple or synagogue services. “Everydayishness” simply refers to the filling up of that weekend time with televised super
sports, soccer, little league, marathon races and getting the turkey smoker fired up in time for lunch. For an increasing number of people, very rarely would any of these activities (or nonactivity) have to give way to or even be worked around a worship service. “Sorry, Joe, Alice and the kids can’t go to the lake with you folks this weekend. We have church.” Nah. Another part of the problem, perhaps needless to say for some readers, is that the experience at church or temple simply isn’t appealing. The language is often archaic. The terminology indecipherable and untranslatable into the issues — even the spiritual issues — of contemporary life. In short, the mark — the ordinary person living in everydayishness — the mark has changed and religion too often misses the mark. The person at the barbecue doesn’t even hear the ringing of the steeple bell. It does not toll for them. So, what’s the answer? Ralph Waldo Emerson, who had a brief fling at the ministry in the early 19th century, spoke to the hopeful students at Harvard Divinity School saying, “And now let us do what we can to rekindle the smouldering, nigh-quenched fire on the altar … The question returns, What shall we do?” Attempted innovations, Emerson said, were “pasteboard and filigree.” “Rather,” he said, “let the breath of new life be breathed by you through the forms already existing. For, if once you are alive, you shall find they shall become plastic and new. The remedy to their deformity is, first, soul and second, soul and evermore, soul.” I leave it to you, your particular faith community and your religious leader to determine what bringing
St. Luke’s Church
Episcopal
7 Ewing Street • Blue Ridge •(across from f airgrounds)
The Rev. Victor H. Morgan, Rector
A traditional Anglican Church declaring the whole counsel of God’s Word.
Sunday Services 8:15 a.m. / 10 a.m. Christian Education 9 a.m. Tues. 10 a.m. Bible Study • Wed. 6 p.m. Bible Study
635-2473 (Gilmer) 632-8245 (Fannin) www.stlukesblueridge.org
“new life” and “soul” to the communal gathering might mean. I would suggest we start by asking ourselves what people of this era need in their lives of everydayishness and see if, in all objectivity and honesty, we are offering bread or a stone. I will say this, that I believe that our failure to draw people from their everydayishness into the religious community has serious consequences for our society. The late theologian, James Luther Adams, said “[the religious community] is where we go to learn how to be human.” I believe we are living in an era of increasing inhumanity (inhumane treatment of one another), increasing meanness in the common life and certainly increasing meanness in the realm of politics where the aim has become to tear down others rather than to serve the needs of the people of the nation. The Apostle James said, “By their deeds you shall know them.” Whether we find new ways to bring the people to us or find ways to bring the message to the people (maybe Sunday morning is not the answer), I believe it is a primary task of religious communities in this era to do what can be done to teach Americans who are increasingly becoming “Ugly Americans” how to be more human, how to be civil, how to function for the good of all, how to actually live the values their religion teaches — in short, how to behave in the world like religious people.
The Rev. Dr. Edward Frost is Senior Minister Emeritus at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta and frequent guest minister at Ellijay’s Mountain Light Unitarian Universalist Church.
Tails Creek Baptist Church 2ND, 4TH & 5TH SUNDAY • Tails Creek Church Road, Ellijay Sunday School at 10 AM & Worship Service at 11 AM. Conference Sat. Night before 4th Sunday 7 PM Dinner 2nd Sunday EVERYONE Is W ELCOME To A TTEND!
Located on Hwy 52, West Pastor: Rev. Steve Jones
Sunday School . Worship Service . Sunday Evening .
10 AM 11 AM 6 PM
Sunday School 10:00 a.m. Worship Service 11 a.m. each Sunday, except 5th Sunday Conference Saturday before 4th Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Prayer meeting Wednesday 7:00 p.m.
Everyone Welcome! • Big Creek Road, Ellijay
* 11 am Worship Service Broadcast over WLJA FM-101.1
Conference each Saturday evening before second Sunday, 6 p.m.
Sunlight Baptist Church REV. CURTIS EASLEY, PASTOR Sunday School..........10 a.m. Worship Service.......11 a.m. Everyone Welcome to Attend ! Sunlight Road, Ellijay
OAK HILL
INDEPENDENT CHURCH
52 East, E. Ellijay, Ga.
Pastor: Edward Ledford Services each Sunday Wed. night Bible Study
10 a.m. 7 p.m.
Sunday 7 a.m. Radio Broadcast 101.1 FM
Come as you are!
Clear Creek Baptist Church Services are held on the 1st & 4th Sundays each month at 11 a.m. Sunday School at 10 a.m. each Sunday except 5th. Conference is Saturday night before 1st Sunday at 7:30. Rev. Billy Dotson, Pastor 187 Bible Baptist Church, Ellijay
Clint Lee Carver was born Jan. 6, 2010, at Northside Cherokee Hospital in Canton. He weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces and was 20 inches long. He is the son of Jonathan and Andrea Carver, of Talking Rock. Grandparents are Neal and Debbie Carver, of Talking Rock and Donnie and Joan Piel, of Douglasville. Great-grandparents are George and Jo Mary Carver, of Adairsville, Mildred Grant, of Hiram and the late Bobby Grant, Lloyd and
Ava Cochran announces the birth of her little sister, Layla Lei Garren. She was born Feb. 15, 2010, at Northside Cherokee Hospital. She weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long. Parents are Bobby and Amy Garren. Grandparents are Kim Beal and Billy and Becki Crump, of Ellijay and Brian and Donna Newman, of Goodwater, Ala. Great-grandparents are Clyde and Vera Beal and James and the late Ruby Crump, of Ellijay, and
Mountain Light Pleasant Gap Unitarian Baptist Church Pleasant Gap Baptist Universalist Church will have worship service Sunday, March 7, at Church 11 a.m. Sunday school will
The Mountain Light Unitarian Universalist Church will hold its monthly “First Friday Movie Night” March 5. The movie is free and all are welcome. The March movie is “God Grew Tired of Us,” a 2008 Sundance Film Festival award winning documentary about the Sudanese refugee “lost boys.” The movie is rated PG. Doors open at 6:15 p.m., and show time is at 7 p.m. Mountain Light UUC is located off the square in Ellijay at GAHA (Gilmer Arts Heritage Association), 217 Dalton Street. For more information, call 706-636-4935.
Little Baptist Church
MT. VERNON BAPTIST CHURCH Rev. Chris Chastain, PASTOR Located on Yukon Road •Sunday School-10:00 a.m. •Morning Worship-11:00 a.m. (except 5th Sunday)
OAK HILL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Hwy. 282 West
Rev. Eddie Kerr, Pastor
4500 Hwy. 52 East
Rev. Peggy Puckett, Pastor Phone: 706-635-8778 • E-mail: popuckett@ellijay.com www.ellijayoakhillumc.org
Sunday Worship Service: .....9:30 AM Fellowship: .........................10:30 AM Sunday School: ...................11:00 AM
Visitors welcome. Come as you are.
Come as you are ... leave better. Rev. Davis Lacey, Pastor
Sunday: Sunday School (All age groups)..............................9:45 a.m. Worship Service .....................................11 a.m. & 6:30 p.m. Wednesday Bible Study.........................................6:30 p.m. TEAMKID “High energy discipleship training.” For grades 1-6 .......... Every Wednesday 6:30 p.m.
A Southern Baptist Fellowship
118 Riverwood Rd., Ellijay 706-635-1090 52 East to Roy Rd., 11⁄2 miles to church sign. www.cartecay.com
CROSS ROAD CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP P.O. Box 1348 East Ellijay, GA 30539 706-636-2926
Dover birth
Clint Lee Carver
CrossRoads Baptist Church Worship Services 1st, 3rd, & 5th Sundays 11:00 am Every 4th Sunday Night 6:00 pm 3rd Sat. Night Conference 7:00 pm Sunday School 1st, 3rd, & 5th Sundays at 10:00 am Everyone is Welcome!
Garren birth
Hattie Grace Dover
➮ Sunday School...............................10 a.m. ➮ Worship Service............................11 a.m. each Sunday, except the fifth Sunday ➮ Conference Sat. before 3rd Sunday, at 7 p.m. Corbin Hill Rd. Everyone Welcome! Pastor: Rev. Jamie Kerr
REV. MICHAEL SMITH, Pastor
Denise St. John, of Ballground. Great-great-grandparents are Iola Ponder and the late J.S. Ponder, of Ellijay.
Layla Lei Garren
Rev. Sammy Adams, Pastor
RIVER HILL BAPTIST CHURCH
Aline Baughn, of Smyrna, the late Rev. Milton Nealey, Margaret Piel, of Tucson, Ariz., and the late Donald and Katherine Piel.
9155 Hwy 52 East (next to BJ Reece Apple House)
Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Worship Service 11 a.m.
AWANA Wednesdays 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. We meet in the gymnasium at Oakland Elementary School.
CHAD KELLY, PASTOR Men’s & Women’s Bible Studies Welcoming others to 'The Cross Road' in the Grace and Truth of Jesus.
begin at 9:45. Service will also be held at 6 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend these services. The Rev. Brondy Davis is pastor.
Old Faith Baptist Church Old Faith Baptist Church spring revival will continue through Saturday, March 6, at 7 p.m. each night. The Rev. Joey Phillips and the Rev. Dwight Scott will assist the pastor, the Rev. Anthony Sanford. Everyone is welcome.
Singing at Berean Berean Baptist Church will have a singing Sunday night, March 7, at 6 p.m. Herman and Rhonda Davis,
Kansas Dover announces the birth of her baby sister, Hattie Grace Dover. She was born Oct. 28, 2009. She weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces and was 21 1/4 inches long. Parents are Christopher and Heather Dover. Grandparents are John and Laurie Taylor, Judy Dover and Charles Dover, all of Ellijay. Great-grandparent is Jessie Knight, of Ellijay.
Raymond Davis and Darryl Davis, of Chatsworth, Ken Thomas, Blue Ridge, and Sandra Sanford and David Nicholson, Ellijay, will have a ‘Patriots Reunion’. Everyone is invited. Dennis Jones is pastor.
Free box of food Talking Rock First Baptist Church, 429 Old Blairsville Hwy., will have free boxes of food and lunch, free winter jackets, coats and sweaters Thursday, March 4, 2010, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sign up for free Easter baskets to be given April 1. For more information call 706-253-7733 and leave a message.
Crossroads Baptist Church Crossroads Baptist Church, Hwy. 282 West, will have regular first Sunday service March 7, at 11 a.m. Sunday school is at 10 a.m. Everyone is welcome. The Rev. Eddie Kerr is pastor.
510 Mountaintown Road • 706-276-4870 “A Southern Baptist Fellowship”
“Where Jesus is Lord, and people are loved.” Sunday School (all Ages)...........................9:45 a.m. Worship................................11:00 a.m. & 6:00 p.m. Youth “Praise & Study” Wednesday........7:00 p.m. Wednesday Prayer Meeting......................7:00 p.m. John T. Bramlett, Pastor Directions: 8 miles out 52 West, Cross Carl Dover Bridge, First paved rd on left, church is 1⁄2 mile on right.
TIMES-COURIER • ELLIJAY, GEORGIA
Griggs celebrates fifth birthday
Knight, Warren to wed
Courtney Brennan Griggs Courtney Brennan Griggs celebrated her fifth birthday Jan. 20. She is the daughter of Tim and Sharon Griggs. Grandparents are Jack and Louise Bensley and the late Harold and Erna Griggs, all of Ellijay.
Putnam birth
Isabella Sabrena Putnam Isabella Sabrena Putnam was born Jan. 5, 2010, at Kennestone Hospital. She weighed 8 pounds, 1 1/2 ounces and was 21 inches long. Parents are Phillip and Meshelle Putnam, of Ellijay. Grandparents are Rena Nelson, Sanford and Barbara Rittenberry, Lamont Putnam and Crayton and Theresa Walden.
Keshia Elizabeth Knight and Kylan Starnes Warren Ronald and Nanette hood education. She is a Knight, of Ellijay, announce member of Mountaintown the engagement of their Baptist Church of Ellijay. daughter, Keshia Elizabeth The groom-to-be is the to Kylan Starnes Warren, grandson of Farrell and the son of Kenny and Candra late Roger Starnes, of ElliWarren, of Ellijay. jay and the late Dillard and The bride-elect is the Laura Mae Warren, of Marigranddaughter of Dorothy etta. and the late John Kirkland, He is a 2003 graduate of of Ellijay and the late Millie Gilmer High School. He is and Cecil Knight, of Ellijay. employed by Georgia Power. She is a 2006 graduate of He is a member of First Gilmer High School and is Baptist Church of Ellijay. currently a student at KenA June 5, 2010, evening nesaw State University and wedding is being planned at will graduate in May 2010 the First Baptist Church of with a degree in early child- Ellijay.
First United Methodist Church 75 McCutchen Street, Ellijay Phone: 635-2555 Web address: www.fumcellijay.org Rev. Gil McGinnis, Pastor SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICES 8:45 a.m.
Early Service
9:45 a.m.
Sunday School For children, youth and adults
11:00 a.m.
Traditional Service
Special Worship Services During Holy Week Chancel Choir’s Special Easter Music - Palm Sunday, March 28, 11 a.m. Service
Hope for men in recovery! 1242 Old Hwy 5 South, Ellijay 706-635-5353
Macedonia Baptist Church Sunday School.....................................9:45 Regular Worship.. (2nd & 4th Sundays)-11a.m. • Conference Saturday night before second Sunday - 7 p.m. Rev. Russell Burt, Pastor
Cartecay United Methodist Church Located 6 miles on Big Creek Road
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
BAPTIST APPALACHIAN BAPTIST Hwy. 515 S, Morganton 706-374-5096 BEREAN BAPTIST Hwy. 382, Ellijay 706-636-3628 BIBLE BAPTIST CHURCH 57 Bible Baptist Rd., Ellijay 706-635-7545 CALVARY WAY BAPTIST Hwy. 52 West, Ellijay 706-635-5357 CARTECAY BAPTIST Hwy. 52 East, Ellijay 706-635-1090 CORNERSTONE BAPTIST Cherry Log 706-276-4668 DOVERS CHAPEL Dovers Chapel Road, Ellijay 706-276-2539 EAST ELLIJAY BAPTIST 672 Yukon Rd., East Ellijay 706-635-4390 EBENEZER BAPTIST Hwy. 52 East, Ellijay 706-635-3377 FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH 26 Dalton St., Ellijay 706-635-5611 FLAT BRANCH BAPTIST 4745 Flat Branch Rd., Ellijay 706-635-7247 GRACE BAPTIST Legion Rd., Ellijay 706-635-2441 LIBERTY BAPTIST 49 Talona Rd., Ellijay MOUNTAINTOWN BAPTIST Hwy. 52 West, Ellijay 706-276-4870 NEW HOPE BAPTIST Hwy. 52 W., Ellijay 706-276-2593 or 706-276-2513 NORTHCUTT BAPTIST Ellijay 706-635-3095 OLD FAITH BAPTIST Tails Creek Rd., Ellijay 706-253-5682 PLEASANT GAP BAPTIST Hwy. 282, Ellijay 706-698-6500 PLEASANT GROVE BAPTIST Hwy. 282 West, Ellijay 706-635-7504 PLEASANT HILL BAPTIST Pleasant Hill Road, Ellijay 706-635-3003 RIDGEWAY BAPTIST 407 Ridgeway Church Rd. 706-635-2897 TAILS CREEK BAPTIST Tails Creek Church Rd., Ellijay TALKING ROCK FIRST BAPTIST Hwy. 136, Talking Rock 706-276-7619 TURNIPTOWN BAPTIST Turniptown Road, Ellijay 706-635-3611 WHITESTONE BAPTIST Whitestone Road, Whitestone 706-276-4593 ZION HILL BAPTIST Ellijay 706-635-7795 CATHOLIC GOOD SAMARITAN 55 Church St., Ellijay
706-636-2772
CHRISTIAN PLEASANT HILL CHRISTIAN CHURCH 36 Camp Dobbs Rd., Jasper 770-735-3057 MOUNTAIN HOMES CHRISTIAN CHURCH 540 S. Church St., Ellijay 706-253-9877 CHRISTʼS CHURCH UNITED BROOKSONG 276 Monticello Rd., Ellijay
706-636-5857
CHRISTIAN AND MISSIONARY ALLIANCE GLESIA FAMILIAR ENCUENTRO CON DIOS Dalton St., Ellijay 706-635-7285 CHURCH OF CHRIST BOARDTOWN CHURCH OF CHRIST Boardtown Rd., Ellijay 706-635-5425 ELLIJAY CHURCH OF CHRIST 351 N. Main St., Ellijay 706-635-2950 PISGAH CHURCH OF CHRIST 9871 Big Creek Rd., Ellijay 706-635-3434 CHURCH OF GOD CORINTH CHURCH OF GOD 731 Old Whitestone Rd., East Talking Rock Mt. Zion Worship Center 186 Fred Craddick Dr, Cherry Log
706-635-4936
CHURCH OF GOD OF PROPHECY CHURCH OF GOD OF PROPHECY Big Creek Rd., Ellijay 706-276-3103 DISCIPLES OF CHRIST CHERRY LOG CHRISTIAN CHURCH clccdoc.org, Cherry Log 706-632-1048
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EPISCOPAL EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF THE HOLY FAMILY 202 Grifffith Rd., Jasper 770-893-4525
EPISCOPAL (Anglican) ST. LUKEʼS EPISCOPAL CHURCH 7 Ewing St., Blue Ridge 706-632-8245
INDEPENDENT EMMANUEL FULL GOSPEL 515 South, Ellijay 706-635-6713 MISSIONARIES FOR CHRIST Mission Hill Road, Ellijay 706-635-2594 OAK HILL INDEPENDENT Hwy. 52 East, Ellijay 706-635-2959 THE CHURCH OF TZADDI 435 Northcutt, Ellijay 706-276-1730 or 706-276-3508 THE REFUGE CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP CHURCH, Ellijay 706-635-5234 UNITED CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES Hwy. 52 East, Ellijay 706-636-4673 INTER-DENOMINATIONAL FRESH FIRE WORSHIP CENTER 55 Riverwood Road, Ellijay 706-698-FIRE HIS HOUSE 2267 Roundtop Rd., Ellijay 706-276-4775
JEHOVAHʼS WITNESSES KINGDOM HALL OF JEHOVAHʼS WITNESSES 4260 Yukon Rd., Ellijay 706-635-3301 LATTER-DAY SAINTS CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS Dogwood Dr., Ellijay 706-276-1224 LUTHERAN HOPE LUTHERAN CHURCH 3295 Old Hwy. 5 South, Ellijay
706-636-HOPE
NON-DENOMINATIONAL ABUNDANT GRACE MINISTRY 479 N. Main St., Ellijay 706-635-4943 COCHRAN UNITED METHODIST Corbin Hill Road, Ellijay HARVEST MISSIONARY Ellijay JESUS FULL GOSPEL CHURCH Big Creek Road, Ellijay 706-635-5156 LIVING WATERS FAMILY WORSHIP CENTER 3875 Tails Creek Rd., Ellijay 706-635-HOPE NEW BEGINNINGS FAMILY CHURCH Hwy. 515 South, Ellijay 706-636-2200 PROMISE LAND MINISTRIES/ Church of the Narrow Way 573 Weeks Rd., Ellijay 706-635-3107 THE ROCK CHRISTIAN CENTER 3500 Talking Rock Rd., Talking Rock 706-6363091 THE UNIVERSITY OF SPIRITUALAWAKENING www.awakeandlive.org 706-635-7720 PRESBYTERIAN
FAITH PRESBYTERIAN 527 Forge Mill Road, Blue Ridge 706-374-5912 (At the Seventh Day Adventist Church)
SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST Now meeting at Josephine Edwards Christian School 706-635-4479 UNITED METHODIST CARTECAY UNITED METHODIST 7629 Hwy. 52 East, Ellijay 706-276-7400 FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF ELLIJAY McCutchen St., Ellijay 706-635-2555 GATES CHAPEL UNITED METHODIST Gates Chapel Rd., Ellijay 706-276-2069 NINE MILE UNITED METHODIST 9525 Chatsworth Hwy., Ellijay 706-635-6463 OAK HILL UNITED METHODIST 4500 Hwy. 52 East, Ellijay 706-635-8778 e-mail: popuckett@ellijay.com UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST MOUNTAIN LIGHT UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST 207 Dalton St., Ellijay
706-636-4935
UNITY CHURCH UNITY CHURCH OF THE MOUNTAINS 627 Gainesville Hwy., Blairsville 706-781-3393
Hwy 52E at Roy Rd.
EBENEZER Baptist Church
Pastor: The Rev. Harden Hopper
Church Service first, third & fifth Sundays 11:00 a.m. ✪ Sunday School - each Sunday at 9:45 a.m. ✪ Choir PracticeWed. before first & third Sun. beginning at 6:00 p.m. followed by prayer meeting at 8:00 p.m. ✪ Conference-third Sat. night each month at 7:45
Sunday School 10 a.m. Worship 11 a.m.
706-276-7400
www.cartecayumc.com
Rev. Emmett Burgess, Pastor Hwy. 52 East 10 miles
Maundy Thursday Service, April 1 - 6 p.m. Easter Morning Sunrise Service, April 4 - Logan Funeral Home Pavilion, 7 a.m.
Our Bridal Registry
Come and worship with us! All are welcome!
b
In Loving Memory of
Emily Green & Andrew Westmoreland
JIMMY C. SANFORD May 31, 1937 - March 3, 2004
We little knew that morning, That God would call your name. In life we loved you dearly, In death we do the same. It broke our hearts to lose you. You did not go alone; For part of us went with you, The day God called you home. You left us peaceful memories. Your love is still our guide. And though we cannot see you, You are always at our side. Our family chain is broken, And nothing seems the same. But, as God calls us one by one, The chain will link again. Loved and missed, Eulene Randy and Family
Barry and Family
First United Methodist Church 75 McCutchen Street Gil McGinnis, Pastor
Candace Todd & Gerald Hill Shower: March 20 Wedding: April 24 b
Kellie Smith & Jake Ponder Shower: March 20 Wedding: May 15 b
Katie Buice & Aaron Land Showers: March 17 & 18 Wedding: June 5 o Free Wrap and/or Delivery to Showers & Teas
Worship Service
Northcutt Baptist Church Sunday School....................................................................10:00 a.m. Sunday Worship Service..................................................11:00 a.m. Rev. John Greenwald, Pastor
For Information: (706) 633-5036 Come Join a Fun and Loving People Praising an Awesome God!
GOOD SAMARITAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Rev. Randall T. Mattox, Pastor Mass Times: Mon. & Wed. 9 a.m. Tues. & Fri. 6 p.m. Saturday Vigil: 5 p.m. Sunday: 9 a.m., 11 a.m. Misa en Espanol Sabado Vigilia 7 p.m. Domingo 1 p.m. Confessions: Saturday 4 p.m. or by appt.
Monday–Saturday 10–5 Sunday 1–5
706-276-7000 www.interiorsofellijay.com
10:00 am
Sunday School
Wedding: March 20 b
55 Church Street Ellijay, GA 30540 706-636-2772 gsam@etcmail.com www.goodsamaritancc.org Our spiritual home in the mountains
8:45 & 11 am
Wed. Youth Choir
5:00 pm
Wed. Night Dinner
5:15 pm
Wed. Worship
6:15 pm
Wed. Adult Choir
6:30 pm
Wed. Small Groups
6:30-7:30 pm
Cherry Log Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Resolve To Love Agree To Differ Unite To Serve Sunday Morning Bible Study 9:30 Worship 10:55
Pastor: Dr. J. David Griffin Pastor Emeritus: Dr. Fred B. Craddock Hwy. 1149 Cherry Log Street • Betwen milepost 19 and 20 off Hwy 515.
Cherry Log, GA 30522
(706) 632-1048
http://www.clccdoc.org E-mail: clcc@tds.net
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THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
TIMES-COURIER • ELLIJAY, GEORGIA
Sanford to celebrate first birthday Alexis Emaleigh Sanford will celebrate her first birthday Friday, March 5, 2010, with a ‘Disney Fairies’ party at United Community Bank with friends and family. Parents are Chasity and Joe Sanford, of Ellijay. She has one sister, Kelsie Sanford. Paternal grandparents are Loretta and Earl Sharples and the late Frankie Sanford, of Ellijay. Maternal grandparents are Travis Mathews, of Ellijay and Taran and Allen Padgett, of Jasper. Parents are Chasity and Joe Sanford, of Ellijay. She has one sister, Alexis Sanford. Paternal grandparents
Sanford celebrates third birthday
Alexis Emaleigh Sanford are Loretta and Earl Sharples and the late Frankie Sanford, of Ellijay. Maternal grandparents are Travis Mathews, of Ellijay and Taran and Allen Padgett, of Jasper.
Kelsie Marie Sanford
Kelsie Marie Sanford celebrated her third birthday Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010, with a ‘SpongeBob’ party at Burger King with friends and family. Parents are Chasity and Joe Sanford, of Ellijay. She has one sister, Alexis Sanford. Paternal grandparents are Loretta and Earl Sharples and the late Frankie Sanford, of Ellijay. Maternal grandparents are Travis Mathews, of Ellijay and Taran and Allen Padgett, of Jasper.
Gardners celebrate 50th wedding anniversary
Southerns celebrate 25th wedding anniversary Howard and Sara Gardner Howard and Sara Gardner celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Feb. 28 with a trip to Amelia Island with their children and grandchildren.
Emilee Jasmine Defoor
Defoor birth Kaycee Defoor announces the birth of her sister Emilee Jasmine Defoor. She was born Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010, at Piedmont Mountainside Hospital in Jasper. She weighed 5 pounds, 15 ounces and was 18 1/2 inches long.
Correction Contestant Audrey Davidson was incorrectly identified as Audrey Davis in the Gilmer Nursing Home Pageant picture. The photo was on page one in the B section of the February 25 edition. We apologize for the error.
To my patients and friends in Ellijay,
Isabelle Sue Jones
Jones birth Don Thomas and Shelynda Teri Patterson Jones Jr., announce the birth of their daughter, Isabelle Sue Jones. She was born Feb. 24, 2010, at Union General Hospital. She weighed 8 pounds, 9 ounces and was 19 1/4 inches long.
Minute with the Bible God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. — Psalm 46:1
Terry and Jennie Southern Terry and Jennie Southern celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary March 2. Children are Brandi Southern, Brian Southern, Kerry Southern and Zach McClure, all of Ellijay.
I have been honored over the past year to be your partner in healthcare. On February 24, my time at Apple Medical Center was unfortunately terminated. This was not my choice, but I must move on. You will always be in my heart as some of the most wonderful, caring people I have ever known. I have so enjoyed working with each of you and helping you to a new level of health. Please know you are in great hands with Dr. Nguyen, Marsha and Chrissy, as they continue to travel with you on your journey to a wonderful healthy tomorrow. Until we meet again, love to each of you, Sherry Shuman, FNP-BC Nurse Practitioner
C E L E B R AT I N G 3 2 YEARS 1 9 7 8 — 2 0 10
“WE TAKE THE D E N T S OUT OF ACCIDENTS” 1216 Progress Rd. • Ellijay, GA
706-635-5301
TIMES-COURIER • ELLIJAY, GEORGIA
Ernest Luis Montes Little Ernest Luis Montes, infant son of Alejandro and Melissa Montes, of Ellijay died Thursday, Feb.18, 2010. He is survived by sibling, Zoe Tuyen Montes, of Ellijay; grandparents, Luis and Maria Asuncion Montes, of Gijon, Spain, Pete and Judy Hardy, of Cherry Log. Memorial services were held Friday, Feb. 26, 2010 at 3 p.m., from the Cherry Log Christian Church. This notice is courtesy of Bernhardt Funeral Home.
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
Carroll Chastain, Tyler Searcy, Caleb Searcy and Rodney Key. Interment was in the Cherry Log Baptist Church Cemetery. Condolences can be made at www.bernhardtfh.com. Bernhardt Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Robert R. Sanborn
Carleton Dwight Simpson
Mr. Carleton Dwight Simpson, 62, of Ellijay, died Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010. He was born April 30, 1947, in Mississippi. He worked as a house painter. He is preceded in death by father, Robert Simpson; mother, Velma Wright; and brothers, Vernon Simpson and Hilton Simpson. He is survived by son, Chad Simpson, of California; daughter, Shannon Kidder, of Tennessee; brothers, William Simpson, of Marietta, Jim Simpson, of Ellijay; sisters, Carol Porter, of Mississippi, Donna Greene, of Iowa, Margret Whisenhand, of Virginia; and one grandchild, Lidzy Kidder. Private services were held. Condolences can be made at www.bernhardtfh.com. Bernhardt Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Robert R. Sanborn, 62, of Ellijay, died Monday, Feb. 15, 2010. He was born June 2, 1947, in Marlboro, Mass., and was raised in Venice, Fla. He was an employee of Marquis Tile in Holly Springs. He was a master tile setter whose work included the team logo in the Atlanta Falcons Clubhouse. He is survived by son and daughter-in-law Joshua and Casey Sanborn, of Lake Placid, Fla.; daughter and son-in-law, Kari and Andrew Bacon, of Ft. Pierce, Fla., Lara Sanborn, of Ellijay; former spouse, Tracey Sanborn; three grandchildren, Jaxon, Lukas and Jacob. Memorial services will be held in March in his hometown of Venice, Fla. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the charity of your choice in memory of Mr. Sanborn.
Brenda Sue Worley Long
Mrs. Mary Ellen Searcy
Mrs. Mary Ellen Searcy, 74, of Ellijay, died Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010. She was born August 10, 1935, in Cherokee County, N.C., to the late John Byers and Betty Painter Byers. She was a retired teller for the Bank of Ellijay and was a member of the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church. She is preceded in death by husband, Jack Searcy; and daughter, Lenita Thomas. She is survived by sons and daughters-in-law, Rick and Melisa Searcy, of Ellijay, Tim and Robin Searcy, of Blairsville; sisters, Carolyn Scruggs, of Ellijay; six grandchildren, Caleb, Cara, Tyler, Angel, Jacob and Lucas. Funeral services were held Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010 at 11 a.m., from the chapel of Bernhardt Funeral Home with the Rev. Rubin Smith officiating. Music was by Loy Jarrett and Karen Buchanan. Pallbearers were Jeff Chastain, Ronnie Chastain,
Mrs. Brenda Sue Worley Long, 61, of Ellijay, died Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010, at Hamilton Medical Center in Dalton. She was born April 26, 1948, to the late William Martin and Bernice Idell Boatner Worley in Ellijay. She is survived by husband of 23 years, Larry Long; daughters and sonsin-law, Debbie and Johnny Meridith, of Blue Ridge, Connie and Woody Stuck, Mandy and Mark Priest, all of Chatsworth, Misty Dawn Long, of Dalton; son, Leon Beavers, of Ellijay; sister, Frankie Cochran, of Ellijay; 13 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Funeral services were held Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010
at 3 p.m., from the Logan Funeral Home chapel with the Rev. Dennis Jones, the Rev. Steve O’Neal and the Rev. Roy Scott officiating. Music was by Gospel Joy Makers. Graveside services followed in the Logan Funeral Home Chapel. Interment was in the Flat Branch Baptist Church Cemetery. Pallbearers were Robert Burke, Mason Beavers, Nolan Webster, Keith Long, Kenneth Long and Daniel Long. Donations can be made to the Brenda Sue Long Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 485, Ellijay, GA 30540. Condolences can be made at www.loganfuneral home.com. Logan Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Mary Eugenia Friar Bogers
Mrs. Mary Eugenia Friar Bogers, 75, of Ellijay, died Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010, at North Georgia Medical Center. She was born June 29, 1935, to the late Jess Grant and Sarah Eugenia Davis Friar in Hollywood, Fla. She was a 1953 graduate of Miami Jackson High School. She is preceded in death by husband, Nelson Van Santen Bogers. She is survived by daughters and sons-in-law, Deborah and Lowell Davis, of Ellijay, Darlene B. And Ron Richardson, of Rock Hill, S.C., Diane Burnett Clack, of Dalton, Denise and Russ Hoek, of Ellijay; son and daughter-in-law, Donald and Jeanette Pabst, of Lee Summit, Mo., sister, Ruby Lishe, of Miami, Fla.; brother, William Friar, of Livingston, Texas; sister-in-law, Laurel Friar; 17 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. Funeral services were held Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010 at 2 p.m., from the Logan Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Irene Wofford officiating. Music was by Irene Wofford, Lee Sutton and Lowell Davis. Interment was in the Ellijay City Cemetery.
Pallbearers were Nathan Burnett, Ronnie Richardson, David Friar, Jeff Friar, Kyle Merritt and Rob Engle. Condolences can be made at www.loganfuneral home.come Logan Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Maranda Rachel Adams
Mrs. Maranda Rachel Adams, 94, of Cherry Log, died Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010. She was born Dec. 4, 1915, to the late Sherman and Della Mae Shuler Jenkins in Robbinsville, N.C. She was a member of Cherry Log Baptist Church for 60 years, a retiree of Levi Strauss of Blue Ridge after 31 years and was employed with Watkins Memorial Hospital for over 10 years. She is preceded in death by husband, Clyde Henry Adams. She is survived by sons and daughters-in-law, Leonard and Olana Adams, of Ellijay, Jack and Joyce Adams, of Blue Ridge; three grandchildren, Lee Adams, Jack Adams Jr., Angie Ledford; three great-grandchildren, Lou Adams, Hannah Payne and Rachel Adams. Funeral services were held Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010 at noon, from the Cherry Log Baptist Church with the Rev. Terry Thrasher, the Rev. Phillip Green and the Rev. James Galloway officiating. Music was by the New Antioch Choir. Interment was in the Cherry Log Baptist Church Cemetery. Pallbearers were Lee Adams, Jack Adams Jr., Zac Adams, Greg Ledford, Larry Fox Jr., Matthew Davenport, Michael Pope, Kenneth Chastain and Darrell Stewart. Honorary pallbearers were Jim Gilliand, William Earl Thrasher, Pat Harris, Danny Key and Tim Messer. Condolences can be made at www.loganfuneral home.com. Logan Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
He was retired from the Cherokee County Sheriff ’s Department and was of the Baptist faith. He is preceded in death by daughter, Joyce Hancock; and son, Raymond Parris. He is survived by wife, Jone Parris; daughters and sons-in-law, Shirley and Mike West, of Talking Rock, Lynn and Thomas Easterwood, of Jasper, Elaine and Chester Turner, of Ellijay; sons and daughters-in-law, Kenneth and Denise Fowler, of Blue Ridge, Kem and Angie Fowler, Tommy and Barbara Fowler, all of Ellijay, Johnny and Elaine Fowler, of Nelson; sisters-inlaw, Nevada Parris, of Canton, Ann Martin, of Ellijay; 23 grandchildren; 24 greatgrandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. Sosebee Funeral Home of Canton was in charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Willene Moss Cody Mrs. Willene Moss Cody, of Jasper, died Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010. She worked at Lawson Chevrolet in the late 60s and early 70s. In 1978 her and her husband founded Cody Chevrolet in Dahlonega. She was the first women in Georgia and the second in the United States to establish a General Motors dealership. She achieved top sales volume dealer for the southeast for Chevrolet cars in July 1956. She established the Cody Scholarship at North Georgia College and State University which was the first for female scholar athletes at the university and is still awarded each year. She retired from he auto industry in 1998. She was a member of the Ellijay Church of Christ. She is survived by husband of 38 years, Bill Cody; daughter and son-in-law, Donna and Ricky Poore, of Dahlonega; son and daughter-in-law, Clyde and Monica Cody, of Jasper; stepdaughter and son-in-law, Brenda and Jerry Price, of Jasper; sisters and brotherin-law, Barbara and Billy Mabry, of Marietta, Joan
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Locks, of Jasper; granddaughter and in-law, Lindsey and Justin Lark, of Canton; grandson, Austin Blevins, of Canton; several stepgrandchildren and stepgreat-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 2 p.m., at Ellijay Church of Christ with Minister Butch Jones officiating. Interment will be in Jasper City Cemetery. The family will receive friends Wednesday, March 3, from 4 to 8 p.m., at Cagle Funeral Home in Jasper. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in her honor to the Ellijay Church of Christ, 351 North Main Street, Ellijay GA 30540 or Northside Church of Christ, 744 Noah Drive, Suite 113, Jasper GA 30143. Condolences can be made to collinsfuneralhome.org. Collins Funeral Home in Acworth is in charge of arrangements. This notice is courtesy of Logan Funeral Home.
Johnie Steve Key Mr. Johnie Steve Key, 83, died Tuesday, Feb. 16. He was the son of Martin and Denia Key. He was of the Baptist faith and was a deacon of his church in Port Angeles, Wash. His trade was carpentry. He erected many homes in Washington and Oregon. As a teenager he helped his father build numerous homes in Gilmer and surrounding counties. He was a World War II veteran serving in the United States Navy. He worked in the shipyard building ships in Brunswick. When he became 18 years old he volunteered for the U.S. Navy. His children were born by his first wife, Sue Mitchell Key. He is preceded in death by brothers, Roy Key and Charles Key. He is survived by wife, June Key; daughters, Latrel and Karen; son, Dennis Key; brothers, Hertis Key, Kert Key, Phil Key and Chick Key; sisters, Virginia Underwood, Bernitta Trammell, Ellon McClellan and Diane Pinson.
Roscoe Harford Parris Mr. Roscoe Harford Parris, 82, of Ellijay, died Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010.
Happy Trails & Waggin’ Tails Pet Salon & Pet Country Inn
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Tues.- Fri. 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Marty Salters, NCMG Tues.- Fri. 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Sat. 9-12, Sun. 8-9 & 4-5, Mon. 9-12 Groomer/Owner 575 N. Main St. • Jasper • 706-692-4239
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THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
TIMES-COURIER • ELLIJAY, GEORGIA
Mary Withrow celebrates 80th birthday
Mary Withrow (center) turned 80 March 2, 2010. She is pictured with her sisters, Ruby Graham (left) and Colleen Guthrie who also celebrated their birthdays in March. She celebrated at United Community Bank Feb. 27, at 1 p.m. Over 150 people came to celebrate. She was born to Jack and Emma Plemmons Withrow in Gilmer. She worked at the Gilmer County Courthouse from Oct. 12, 1945 to 1979. She has long been an advocate in preserving Gilmerʼs family and local history and is now an honorary member of the Gilmer County Genealogical Society, Inc. Contributed photo
o t d u o r p is nounce an
Brady Clayton is back on our great team!
250 Liberty Blvd. Canton, GA Just off Riverstone Parkway at exit 20.
Come help us welcome Brady!
706-635-5454
Commission Chairman’s report by Mark Chastain We should see significant progress this week at Roy Road. The precast concrete culvert sections save both time and money. The road will be reopened for a few days with gravel only, until it warms up enough to pave. Forces will then be redirected to Boardtown Road to finish the Kells Creek Bridge transition. We had a very productive workshop last Thursday afternoon to discuss remaining capital improvements projects associated with the 2006 GO Bond issue. About a year ago we thought there was an opportunity to buy some of the bonds, effectively reducing the county’s debt. This was apparently when some holders of the bonds were looking to sell them in order to reinvest their funds elsewhere and approximately coincides with the low point of the stock market. Although we moved fast to put a mechanism into place to buy these bonds, we have only been able to buy back $50,000 so far. I’ve received comments from people both favoring and opposing upcoming capital improvements projects. While there is certainly wisdom in “not spending money” right now, the 2006 GO Bond referendum creates a very unique situation for the three current com-
Mark Chastain missioners. None of the three of us voted to issue the $30,000,000 in debt. However, in November 2006 the voters approved a referendum that set this process in motion. The debt was issued in the form of “taxfree” municipal bonds. The “tax-free” means that the holders of the debt do not have to pay income tax on the interest paid. The bond issues specifically state that the funds will be obligated (spent or contracted) within four years, which is this coming November. To hold the remaining funds and not execute the plan that was on the ballot in 2006 would essentially breach the bond agreement. This could possibly jeapordize the tax-free status of the bond holders, who would expect compensation for their new tax liability. There is also the possibility of penalties that would be due to the IRS for holding the funds too long. These
Someone in South Africa is turning 40!
In Loving Memory of
Happy Birthday Shannon!
Our precious Husband, Daddy, Granddaddy and Pappy.
Q.B. WEST April 5, 1918 - March 6, 2006
We love and miss you so much, The Family
actions could also harm the county’s credit rating. While I don’t think anyone is in favor of issuing any more bond debt any time soon, the credit rating could affect our ability to bridge the cash flow shortage in the middle of the year with the annual TAN (Tax Anticipation Note). I have also been approached by many individuals who state that they voted for the bond so that the county could get badly needed improvements to the recreation facilities. Based on all of these circumstances, and combined with the need to fairly carry out the will of the voters, I believe we should move forward with the remaining projects but with caution and frugality. Several people have inquired about the work that the long-arm mowers are doing around the county. This winter we decided to run the long-arm after regular shoulder mowing was stopped. The benefit is twofold. First, it opens the ditch lines to view so that they can be inspected and cleared if necessary. The second is, particularly on the narrow roads, that vegetation on the banks continually grow out over the road shoulder. This obstructs visibility, and in a few instances vegetation has actually brushed passing vehicles. The long-arm mowing efforts are essentially preventative maintenance. As always, feel free to contact me by e-mail at mchastain@gilmercounty-ga.gov or by calling the Board of Commissioner’s office at 706-635-4361. Comments can be left on 706-515-2320.
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706-698-PETS (7387)
As little as one glass of low-fat or fat-free milk could help protect your heart, according to a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition — and other research suggests it could be good for your kidneys. Researchers found that adults who had at least one serving of low-fat milk or milk products each day had 37 percent lower odds of poor kidney function linked to heart disease compared to those who drank little or no low-fat milk. The National Kidney Foundation estimates that kidney disease affects about 26 million Americans —and kidney disease is both a cause and a consequence of cardiovascular disease, the No. 1 killer of Americans. Milk provides nine essential nutrients, including calcium, vitamin A, vitamin D, protein and potassium. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend drinking three glasses of low-fat or fat-free milk each day.
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TIMES-COURIER • ELLIJAY, GEORGIA
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
11A
Dancers place at competition
Lynn’s Zen I just have to go there by C. Lynn Perry I just started on some new medication that, needless to say, has caused me some not-so-discreet gastrointestinal issues. I did not realize there was a long list of foods that you are not allowed to eat while on this medication, and managed to get most of them into my system Sunday before last while having my family over for snacks … and so my brother-inlaw could help me fix more stuff around my house. I felt fine Sunday, but Monday morning was a whole new ball game. I was sick, passing copious amounts of blood and scared. I called my sister and interrupted her exercise class and told her it was a ‘hospital day.’ I haven’t been that bad off since I contracted dysentery in between traveling from India to Nepal! But, then again, I DID eat my own cooking! When you go to a third world country like India, you expect the worst! And just as my party was leaving India to fly to Nepal, I got hit with the world’s worst case of dysentery, ever! There, the “toilets” are simply a hole in the floor with two footrests on either side and you have to muster up the eloquence and grace to squat down to go (hopefully into the hole and not onto yourself). Let me add that there are no privacy doors. Everything is pretty much out in the open for all of the world to see. The country is so impoverished, the women there take up places in these public rest rooms, which in my case was the airport, and sell you tiny sheets of Kleenex one-by-one from those little travel packages of tissue you carry in your purse for a rupee apiece as you hover; because toilet paper is an unknown commodity in countries like that. Being a seasoned traveler, I carried my own little Kleenex travel packets with me; but on this particular day, we were catching a flight to Nepal, and I got hit hard. I ran through two whole packets of Kleenex, and called the woman over to me and said, “Here are all my rupees! Take them! Give me all your tissue! Please!” I begged. After all, I had a plane to catch in 10 minutes. But she insisted on standing there and selling them to me one at a
time. I have to say, once you have had an experience like this or lived through childbirth, modesty can truly be a thing of the past! By the grace of God, I made the plane, but it’s a ride I’ll never forget! And the ride to the ER in Jasper is one I’ll never forget either. I didn’t feel like leaving the bathroom, much less the house, but I knew I just had to go there. My sister, Cindy, called and said, “What do you need me to bring you before we go?” And being the bravest woman on the planet, I’ll admit to you that I told her, “Stop off and get me some Depends.” I knew I’d never make it that far. Yes, that’s right, I’m the only 46-yearold woman on the planet that crinkles when she walks! And, I wanted to protect the upholstery in her van! Once at the ER, I was issued the standard paper hospital gown, open for everyone’s viewing convenience in the back. I’m thinking that this was a consideration because they wanted me to have something to match my paper Depends, and everybody KNOWS how vain I am and that I just hate it when my outfit doesn’t match! “You’re dehydrated,” the nurse told me. I’m thinking, “Thanks Sherlock! It’s probably costing me a cool grand to tell me what I already know!” Then, she (the vampire), came in and took my temperature, blood pressure, and about five vials of blood while hooking me up to an IV I’m pretty sure was equipped with an elephant needle. The temperature of the IV was around 37 degrees, while the temperature in the ER was a balmy 35. Needless to say, it was quickly turning into Antarctica in there, since it was not only cold, but I now had ice water running through my veins as well. My sister was of the ilk that I just aggravated a hemorrhoid. And I was figuring if you’re gonna get sick, you might as well exemplify areas of your personality. After all, I HAVE been known to be a pain in the backside. Finally the doctor appeared. And let me tell you, he was hot! So, here I am with this really goodlooking doctor, all gussied up in my paper hospital gown and my paper Depends. I was mortified, but at least I MATCHED, darn it! But the best was
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yet to come. “We need to do a digital exam,” he told me. “Somehow, I’m thinking that you don’t mean some kind of digital technology,” I said warily. “Nope,” he said, smartly snapping on a latex glove and waggling the fingers on his right hand … all five digits, at me. “What’s your first name?” I asked him. “Why do you ask?” he replied. “Because if you’re gonna do what I think you’re gonna do, I believe we should be on a first name basis.” I said. “And just for the record, I usually try to get dinner and a movie first!” In the end (ahem, no pun intended), he didn’t put me through the digital exam, because visually he could see I was bleeding. “I told you so,” I said, sarcastically. “Well, I can’t believe everything my patients tell me,” he said. “If you did, you might be a better doctor, no matter how hot you are,” I thought to myself, because being hot only gets you so far in my universe. So, they sent me home with vials and all this medical paraphernalia in order to collect “samples.” In order to maintain some sort of decorum, I won’t go there; but I was left wondering who needs doctors anyway, since medicine has pretty much turned into a do-ityourself ordeal. The nurse came into my room to fill me in on the colonoscopy that’s evidently in my future (and WHY do they keep asking me if I’m allergic to latex – what’s up with that?), and found my sister and me doing the tango trying desperately to untangle my IV while keeping my modesty intact. “What are you doing?” she screeched. I sheepishly pointed to the ladies’ room across the hall. “Sorry,” I told her urgently, “I just have to go there.”
Dancers from Dance ETC ... Studio of Dance in Ellijay return home from ShowStopper Dance Competition with a trophy for Gold first place and a seventh place overall in the teen division. This was the first competition of the season for the dance company. The studio first opened in August 2009. The dance company will be attending several more competitions from March to May. Director Amy Sims and assistant Ashley Miller are very proud of the girls. Pictured above, from left, are Amanda Dilbeck, of Ellijay, Karlee Hedden, of Blue Ridge, Emma Stanley, of Ellijay and Sarah Duffey, of Blue Ridge. Contributed photo
Local student inducted into Alpha Chi Reinhardt College Megan Nichole Vautrot from Ellijay, was among the 30 students inducted into the Georgia Mu chapter of Alpha Chi, a national college honor scholarship society, at Reinhardt College in Waleska, Feb. 21, 2010. Susan E. Naylor, associate professor of music of Waleska, was inducted as an honorary member. The objectives of Alpha Chi are to promote and to recognize superior scholarship and those elements of character that make scholarship effective for service. The society, founded on February 22, 1922, has more than 300 chapters in colleges all across the United States and Puerto Rico. Membership, which is limited to no more than 10 percent of the junior, senior and graduate program classes, encompasses all disciplines and is the highest academic honor that Reinhardt College awards. The 2009-2010 Alpha Chi officers Mallory Chastain, Anna Edenfield, Damaris Ferrante, Jenna McConnell and Debbie Starks assisted with the ceremony, along with Dr. Thomas Isherwood, the president of Reinhardt
Megan Vautrot lights the candles during her induction ceremony. Contributed photo
College; Ms. Peg O’Connor, the associate vice president for Academic Affairs; Dr. John Yelvington, assistant professor of Economics; Ms. Susan Naylor, associate professor of Music; Dr. Roger Lee, the vice president for
Student Affairs and dean of students; Dr. Walter May, the assistant dean of students; Dr. Joy Farmer, the chapter sponsor; and Alpha Chi music major Elizabeth Gibson, who provided the special music.
12A
THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010
TIMES-COURIER • ELLIJAY, GEORGIA
Dixie divas ‘Two old souls’ by Ronda Rich Sometimes two old souls can find each other and form
a friendship that is anchored in rock solid respect and like thinking. Such is my friendship
with one of the greatest Southerners of modern time – Zell Miller. We understand each other and, quite simply, we speak the same language, the language of the Scotch-Irish who embedded themselves deep in the Southern mountains and hoped to never have to mix with a society different from theirs. But Zell Miller, a man of courage and determination,
defied the traditional way of loner Scotch-Irish thinking and ventured down from the north Georgia mountains to become a politician. By the time his career ended in 2005 when he pulled his hat out of the ring he had thrown it into almost 50 years earlier, he was known as one of the greatest statesmen that the South had birthed. Americans remember him
as the renegade U.S. Senator who, as a Democrat, would stir the political pot by addressing the Republican Convention in 2004. Georgians will never forget him as the man who gave the state hope. Literally. A history professor, he believes keenly in the power of education. As Georgia’s governor, he guided the use of lottery funds to establish the Hope Scholarship, guaranteeing that any person who maintains certain academic criteria, a fully-paid education at a state college or university. In many ways, I not only admire him, I adore him. Recently as I lunched with him and his wife, Shirley, people repeatedly approached to say their “howdys” and give their thanks. Time after time, he courteously arose, shook hands and exchanged remarks. “We sure do need you back in politics,” said one admirer. “If you go back, you’ve got my vote.” He laughed gently and shook his head. “No, no. I’m through.” When she left, he eased down into his chair and I said quietly, “The weary has earned a rest from his labors, hasn’t he?” That’s another thing that we, the old souls we both are, share in common. We are devout readers of the King James Bible, a poetic translation that because of its difficulty in deciphering, loses ground each day with young whippersnappers. He is old enough to be my father yet I am, in many ways, more akin to him in spirit that any of my contemporaries. We have seen many similar trials and tribulations and are always ready to lend a word of support and kindness to each other. When Mama died, he understood the loss – his mother had been one of his greatest loves – and sent me
a touching, hand-written note. When his dog, a longtime companion, left this life, I understood that pain and sent him a sympathy note. After writing two runaway New York Times bestselling books on politics, the Senator has now written a heartfelt book that embraces the culture of the Appalachians called Purt Nigh Gone. In this lovely memoir of the rural mountains, he writes that the old ways of the Southern mountains are vanishing and that a “way of life that once was but is no more, a way of life that is purt nigh gone.” That, of course, is an old Scotch-Irish phrase. I feel compelled to carry on a work that Zell Miller began long ago, to write of the culture of our people, to celebrate it and uplift it for its solid values and traditions. To remind those who have forgotten and to tell those who never knew. “I’ve learned so much from you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” I told him. He blushed. “Aw, you embarrass me. Stop that.” Nonetheless, there comes a time, always there comes a time, when the torch must pass from one generation to another. In this case, it is best passed from one old soul to another. (Editor’s note: Ronda Rich is the best-selling author of What Southern Women Know About Faith. Visit www.rondarich.com to sign up for her weekly newsletter.)
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