THE COVINGTON NEWS - 2018 - ROLLING OUT THE RED CARPET
$9.5 million Piedmont emergency department expansion underway
Covington: The REAL Hollywood of the South
Eastside, NCCA senior is buzzing about agriculture
VISIONS
Lifetime Of Service Judge Samuel D. Ozburn is our ďŹ rst Community Spirit Award winner
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C.H.A.M.P.S. is taught to every 5th grader in Newton County Schools with subject matters to include: Drug, Alcohol and Tobacco Abuse Prevention; Gangs and Violence; Peer Pressure/Bullying; Internet Safety; Methamphetamine; and Cocaine. Lesson plans can be tailored for particular schools based on that school’s needs. The course is facilitated by a Deputy Sheriff who has been certified to teach by the Georgia Sheriff’s Association. It is the goal of the deputies to teach the students what they need to be successful in the future and how to avoid the obstacles they will face along the way. The deputies are charged with leaving a lasting positive impression on each student with hopes to counteract the negative image often projected by the media. Since the inception of CHAMPS in 2009, under the administration of Sheriff Brown, 14,400 students have completed the course. This year, 1,800 students completed the program. Sheriff Brown attends each CHAMPS graduation to extend words of encouragement to the students. He challenges “all students to become NBA stars in life, Never Be Arrested”. The program is funded locally by business, companies and individuals in our community without the use of any tax revenue.
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THE COVINGTON NEWS
INDEX OF ADVERTISERS
Abbey Hospice......................................37 Alcovy Fitness & Wellness......................64 Alexander Appraising...........................58 Atlanta Gastroenterology.......................5 Beasley Drug Co...................................46 Benny C. Phillips, P.C.............................23 Best Septic............................................25 Cathy Dobbs/Coldwell Banker Gerri Murphy Realty......................................40 City of Conyers......................................28 City of Covington...................................66 City of Mansfield...................................47 City of Newborn....................................50 City of Porterdale..................................43 City of Oxford........................................45 Coldwell Banker Gerri Murphy Realty....40 Conyers Jewelers Inc............................46 Conyers/Rockdale Council for the Arts..46 Conyers School of Ballet.........................46 Corks and Cuvee....................................46 Covington Ghost Tours..........................40 Covington Hearing Associates...............33 Covington/Newton County Chamber of Commerce...........................................10 Covington/Newton County United Way.49
Covington News...................................67 Covington Women’s Health Specialists.68 Creamberry’s Ice Cream........................46 Danlar Lighting & Distribution...............27 Frank’s Sports Bar and Restaurant.........29 Goodie Barn of Covington......................41 Hillbilly Pet..........................................29 Hometown Realty Consultants Inc........30 Kids Haven............................................15 Kiwanis Club of Covington......................52 Lashley Custom Cabinets Inc..................62 Lester Lackey & Sons Funeral Home Inc.40 Linda D. Hays........................................60 McKibben Music ..................................41 Montessori School of Covington............14 Museum Replicas Limited/Atlanta Cutlery Corp....................................................24 Mystic Grill...........................................41 Newton County Board of Commissioners.38 Newton County Economic Development.11 Newton County School System..............17 Newton County Sheriff’s Office..............3 Olde Town Awards.................................46 Olde Town Conyers................................51 Pace Cars.............................................31
Pacesetter Physical Therapy..................35 Piedmont Academy..............................16 Piedmont Newton Hospital...................35 PleasantView Baptist Church.................62 PMC Realty Group.................................48 Providence Classical Christian School....19 Push by Alcovy Fitness............................58 Ready Rent-All Inc................................39 Reagan Financial Planning.....................47 Revolution Casual Living........................40 Rockdale Gymnastics............................17 Rush Tees & Signs...................................52 Shelvie Jean.........................................41 Sherwood’s Flowers & Gifts....................41 Sigman Veterinary Clinic........................53 Southern Heartland Gallery & Visual Art Center..................................................40 Southern Standard Lawn & Landscaping.15 Tava’s Diner...........................................31 The Salvation Army..............................56 Tropical Nails Salon................................41 United Bank...........................................2 Walden’s..............................................30 Westmoreland’s Time Shop...................46 Wild Art Gallery.....................................40
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INTRODUCTION
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INSIDE VISIONS 2018 LEARNING ENTERPRISE PAGE 8
LEAPing onto the red carpet.............................................................................8 GSU Newton campus gives students chance to continue education................12 Newton County educators create opportunities for local students....................15 Sti down with NCSS superintendent................................................................17 International students enhance campus life in Oxford.....................................19 Kauffman’s pledge to Middle George is an ‘academic’ one.............................21
WELLNESS PAGE 32
Covington Hearing Associates: Helping you hear what you’re missing.............32 Piedmont Newton focuses on community connections....................................34 Piedmont Newton emergency expansion underway.........................................36
FACES
PAGE 54
Faith, spirit lead heart of Newton Judge Ozburn..............................................54 Dos Harper: The bee’s knees..........................................................................57 United Bank takes pride in community service................................................59 Andre Cooper: ‘A humble spirit and good heart’.........................................61 Wendy Hankins never misses a moment to care............................................63 Claudia Minge ‘too blessed’ by Newton County’s good to focus on the bad....65
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Three Ring Studios: The newest member of the Covington family....................22 Shire expects FDA approval in 2018..............................................................25 Facebook feature............................................................................................26 Mystic Grill feature..........................................................................................29 Hollywood of the South feature.......................................................................30
COMMUNITY PAGE 38 Covington rolls out the red carpet for families.................................................38 Porterdale: A city on the move........................................................................42 Oxford: Looking toward the future, rooting......................................................44 Mansfield: Poised for smart growth................................................................47 Newborn: Maintaining its hisotric flavor...........................................................50 Social Circle could be Newton’s secret weapon...............................................51
ON THE COVER THE COVINGTON NEWS - 2018 - ROLLING OUT THE RED CARPET
$9.5 million Piedmont emergency department expansion underway
Covington: The REAL Hollywood of the South
Eastside, NCCA senior is buzzing about agriculture
VISIONS
Lifetime Of Service Judge Samuel D. Ozburn is our first Community Spirit Award winner
Judge Samuel Ozburn is involved in numerous civic organizations, working to make Newton County the best it can be. The Newton County native is the 2017 Community Spirit Award winner.
PHOTO BY TORY BOUCHILLON AND DESIGN BY BRIAN WORTON
THE COVINGTON NEWS
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to ‘Visions’
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Dear reader,
“Rolling out the Red Carpet” is the theme for Visions, our first progress edition magazine at The Covington News. We chose the theme because of Newton County’s rising prominence in the film industry. Covington is trademarked as the Hollywood of the South, and for good reason. Movies and television programs increasingly find a home here, showing this little patch of heaven to the world. Visions will be an annual in-depth look at what makes Newton County so special. We’re shining a spotlight on the best people and organizations, and showing how they “roll out the red carpet” for their customers, students and citizens. Inside, you’ll find stories about important areas of the community like our schools (Learning), business and industry (Enterprise), health care (Wellness) and the six cities that make up Newton County (Community). Plus, we have the Faces section which includes honors for some of our county’s brightest stars. I think you’ll be impressed by what you learn about them. I’m proud to work in Newton County and I think after reading this magazine, you’ll be even more impressed with the great place we call home. David Clemons
CONTACT US David Clemons
Gabriel Stovall
Brian Worton
Jackie Gutknecht
Darryl Welch
Lee Ann Avery
Cynthia BlackshearWarren
Annette Benton
Editor and Publisher dclemons@covnews.com
Managing Editor jgutknecht@covnews.com
Advertising Director cbwarren@covnews.com
Sports Editor gstovall@covnews.com
Staff Writer dwelch@covnews.com
Advertising Representative abenton@covnews.com
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Legals Clerk lavery@covnews.com
VISIONS 2018 is a special presentation of Published Sunday by Newton Newspapers Inc., 1166 Usher St., Covington GA 30014.
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Telephone 770-787-6397 Online covnews.com
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LEARNING
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LEARNING ROLLING OUT THE RED CARPET
LEAPing onto the red carpet Darryl Welch
A program that started in Atlanta three years ago is paying dividends for Newton County Citizens today. The Newton County LEAP – Logistics, Education, And Pathways – program has trained and is training citizens for careers in the growing field of supply chain management. The program consists of four online courses in which students can learn supply chain management principals,
warehousing opportunities, transportation opportunities and customer service operations. The courses are self-paced, allowing students to complete them on their own schedule. Logistics World defines logistics as a “business planning framework for the management of material, service, information and capital flows,” or simply, “Having the right thing in the right place at the right time.” The program is a partnership involving Newton County, Georgia Tech, the City
of Covington, Newton County, Newton County Economic Development, The Newton County School System, and the Covington-Newton County Chamber of Commerce. The first 100 citizens to participate in the program started during 2017. According to the Chamber of Commerce, 90 of the first 100 completed at least one course. Several completed all four. The program was initially designed to help high school students, entry-level job seekers, people changing careers
THE COVINGTON NEWS
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Submitted | Visions LEAP students celebrate a graduation in March at Newton College & Career Academy.
and veterans. A high school diploma is not required for enrollment in the program, making it an excellent opportunity for people, especially older citizens looking to start a career. Lifelong Covington resident Clarence English Sr. has completed classes in the program. He is an unabashed supporter. English Sr., who has worked in the supply chain for 30 years, said the courses were beneficial for him. “I’m a buyer by trade, but I picked up on new things to improve my skills,” he said,” This will open a lot of doors.” Another perk for people who complete classes in the program is the opportunity to go to Georgia Tech for a job fair. English attended a job fair and said it was a bonus. “It was a great job fair. There were several companies interviewing on the spot, looking for people to hire,” he said. “You not only get an education, you can get a job.” Clarence English Jr. has also completed classes in the program. He said he has received leads on jobs through his participation. He said he has worked in the supply chain previously and the classes will
help him continue his career. “I was in my area of expertise and it’s where I want to continue my career,” he said. In addition to the job fair at Georgia Tech, students who have completed courses in the program receive a Georgia Tech Professional Education course completion certificate and continuing education units. They also have a permanent Georgia Tech Professional Education transcript. The first 100 students who completed the program had their tuition waived through a grant from JP Morgan Chase and Schneider. Earlier this year, the Newton County Board of Commissioners and the Covington City Council approved funding for another group of citizens to complete the program. English Sr. believes in the program. “I was born and raised in Newton County,” he said, “This is something that is very good in our community. Knowledge builds power. Programs like this help build character. “You feel good about yourself when you accomplish something.”
Submitted | Visions Newton County Chairman Marcello Banes snaps a photo with Buzz, the Georgia Tech mascot.
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Covington/Newton County Chamber of Commerce newtonchamber.com
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VERESCENCE
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LEARNING
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Newton campus gives students chance to continue education Darryl Welch
Area residents who want to pursue a college degree at one of the leading universities in the U.S. now have the opportunity to continue their education close to home at the Georgia State University Perimeter Newton campus. After the merger between the two schools, the campus on Cedar Lane that was once
home to Georgia Perimeter College has been home to Georgia State University. “We are Georgia State. We are no longer a separate institution; we’re part of Georgia State, which is the largest public university in this state,” said Associate Dean Dr. Laurent Ditmann who leads the Newton campus, “It’s considered by U.S. News and World Report the fourth most innovative public university in
the United States. We have earned all sorts of accolades over the past couple of years
and we are part of that. “We are a two year program. Until further notice we will remain a two year program for a number of associate’s degrees. But we are Georgia State with all that it entails. New resources, a new vision largely and ambition.” Ditmann said GSU’s Newton campus is here to serve the community.
“We’re an access institution. We want to make sure that young people who may not have all the opportunities to go to college because of money, because of location, because of any number of things, have a place to go to take collegiate classes at a high intellectual level.” Ditmann said classes at GSU’s Newton campus are 40 percent less expensive than classes at the downtown Atlanta campus.
THE COVINGTON NEWS “If our students here take two years to complete their associates degree and then decide to go downtown to complete their four-year degree, they have paid 40 percent less for the first two years.” Ditmann said because the Newton campus is an access institution, the requirements are slightly different than the school’s downtown campus. He explained the concept of an access institution. “We are open to the largest possible number of students, especially in our direct environment and our direct community. That’s the idea,” he said, “a place where everyone can be accepted into some sort of program and take classes. “We have test scores that are a little more reasonable, I would say. But once you’re admitted, you are at GSU. So if you wanted to go down-
LEARNING town after two years after you have completed your associate’s degree, it’s a seamless transition.” Beyond costs, Ditmann said the campus offers students a much more personal approach. “This is a small campus. We have two buildings, plus the athletics facility. We have lots of instructors who live around here, who teach within their community,” he said, “We have a very dedicated and highly professional faculty. They know what to do, they know what our students need. The personal approach, smaller classes, immediate access to the resources, and you don’t have to go downtown are just some of the reasons to consider attending GSU’s Newton campus. “We have resources here. This is not just a satellite campus. It’s just a reduced
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version of the bigger one,” Ditmann said. He said the campus has started offering simulcast classes, giving students the opportunity to be in a classroom on the Newton campus and follow a class on the school’s Alpharetta campus. “We have the finest online program in the state of Georgia,” he said, “Our students love our online program. With online education, which is a very well supported program at Perimeter, they take all the classes they need staying in their community. And they can take face to face classes here, maybe in Decatur which is not too far, maybe in Clarkston. “We have any number of programs designed to make sure that people who need to be in school are in school. Ditmann said Georgia State University Perimeter Newton campus uses individual sup-
port to prepare students to walk the red carpet. “What’s most important at Perimeter is the idea of individual support,” he said, “We have instructors who really go the extra mile because it’s a smaller campus where people really know each other. “We deploy every resource we have to support the students and we think in terms of developing partnerships.” Ditmann said the college wants to develop joint programs with local industries in Newton County. “Everybody is talking about the studios. Needless to say, we’re very interested in that. But there are many other industries. “We want to be a part. We’re here to stay, definitely, but not just as a school in the traditional sense of the term. We want to have an organic unit of the community. No more ivory tower for us.”
Darryl Welch | Visions The Newton Campus of Georgia State University offers students the opportunity to get started at college locally.
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LEARNING
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Jackie Gutknecht | Visions Dr. LaMoyne A. Brunson, principal of Fairview Elementary School, spends his days providing a warm and loving environment for every student he comes in contact with.
PRINCIPAL FOR A DAY Newton County educators create opportunities for local students Jackie Gutknecht There is no such thing as a standard day in the life of a Newton County School System
principal. Each day is met with its own individual challenges, entertainment, learning opportunities and excitement. Fairview Elementary School Principal Dr. WE HAVE
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in his second year serving as in the principal role. “I’ve worked a lot on finding my purpose,” he said. “My purpose at this chapter of my
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life is to be here.” Walking into the school, every student, staff member and parent is met with a personalized greeting from Brunson. Whether it is a high-five or a hug, he makes sure every person in the building knows he or she is loved. He said finding committed partners in education was one of his first initiatives in the role. “When the opportunity came for me to interview for this job, having known that we struggled with money and things like that,” he said. “I’m going to use the work commitments because I spoke to Superintendent (Samantha) Furhey and I even committed to myself that we’re going to get some partners in here. It can just bring so much extra to the school.” That’s where New Life Praise Center came into play. As one of the largest partners in education Fairview has, NEW LIFE provides regular staff breakfasts events for the school, among other contributions. “We’ve got 11 total partners now,” he said. “NEW LIFE contributes the largest, they’re really generous with the money and time, but you know nobody has to do a lot, especially if you have a lot of people.” Aside from working with
THE COVINGTON NEWS partners, Brunson makes sure he has his hand in every aspect of the school. Whether it is educating the students, participating in special events or helping the cafeteria workers, Brunson knows the school like the back of his hand. One initiative that can be seen throughout the school is the PBIS (Positive Behaviors Intervention Support) program. Fairview’s PBIS program is broken down into four key words: safe, organized, accountable and respectful. Those four words are the center of everything that goes on in the school. Brunson said the idea is to have a formalized campaign-style approach to an organized school climate. Fairview implements the program through a “check-in, check-out” program, S.O.A.R. techniques and focusing on how adults discipline. “Our PBIS team has been very successful to positively impact our school climate,” he said. During any given day, he can be seen sticking his head into classrooms across grade levels, responding to technology problems or talking to parents about students in the school. Whatever it is, Brunson makes sure to spread a positive attitude across the school constantly.
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Jackie Gutknecht | Visions Dr. LaMoyne A. Brunson, principal of Fairview Elementary School, and Dr. Yoli D. Curry work as a team to provide the best educational atmosphere for Fairview students.
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Sit down with NCSS Superintendent
Samantha Fuhrey Jackie Gutknecht
Newton County School System Superintendent Samantha Fuhrey explodes with passion for the students in Newton County. In an exclusive sit-down interview with the school system’s leader, we got to learn a little more about some of the opportunities Fuhrey is working to grow for our students. Being located in the Hollywood of the South, how does NCSS roll out the red carpet for its students and what opportunities does the school system offer to help prepare students for the exciting future of the film industry locally? For the film industry specifically, it’s mostly in our high school programs, but in terms of rolling out the red carpet for our kids, we create an environment that helps
our kids recognize that they can be whatever they want to be. In some cases some of our kids don’t seem themselves as college students, even as early as first grade, they don’t ever imagine that they can go to college so we provide an environment that exposes them to college, careers and looks closely at ensuring that they’re getting the skills that they need throughout pre-K throughout their senior year, with really a specialized focus on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), so we’re looking closely at the STEM problem solving processes and putting that in place in kindergarten. As our kids matriculate through and eventually have the opportunity to enter the film industry right here locally, they’ll be more than just specialized in the area of cosme-
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18 tology, for example. They will have, and do have, the STEM problem solving skill base so that they’ll be able to critically think about more than just the profession to which they want to work. I don’t think everyone realizes that STEM in terms of the letters - science, technology, engineering and math – really is a cross cut. It cuts across everything that we do because there is a problem solving process that’s connected to is. In terms of rolling out the red carpet, creating an environment that establishes that atmosphere from the very first introduction of school. Our kids are exposed more now than ever to the opportunities beyond high school. We also take care of our kids, so we have services within the school system that help them and their families meet the educational needs or the social and emotional needs through our counseling programs and different opportunities that we have. There’s a lot of services that are provided in the school system that help to round out the experience for all of our kids. The fundamental piece of all of this, however, is to ensure that high-quality teachers are in every classroom and so that’s something that we work on constantly. We are always looking to find the very best and the very brightest and put them in front of our kids. We have a really strong teaching force right here in our community and we see the results. So, you know when I think about rolling out the red carpet, I think about the total experience from even customer service – so when families come to the school we work on providing high-quality customer service and we actually just went through some customer service training to make sure our front line staff are welcoming and make the kids feel at home and make their families feel part of our family. It’s a constant evolution of trying to get better and either lengthening the red carpet or expanding it to include new things so that our kids have an experience that is purposeful and meaningful to them beyond the pre-K – 12 experience. In 2017, NCSS marked an 83 percent graduation rate. That’s fantastic. When I graduated high school, I was given a standard high school diploma and sent to college. How does a high school diploma in 2018 differ from that model? Gosh, it’s a lot different. The high school diploma represents a multitude of credentialing that could have happened throughout the experience. So, for example, you could go through your high school experience – and you know the diploma should signal the quality of the pre-K all the way
LEARNING
“It’s a constant evolution of try-
ing to get better and either lengthening the red carpet or expanding it to include new things so that our kids have an experience that is purposeful and meaningful to them beyond the pre-K – 12 experience.”
SAMANTHA FUHREY, NCSS SUPERINTENDENT
through, but to answer that question I think I have to focus just on the high school experience. When you leave high school now, the reality is that you must be prepared for some type of education beyond high school, whether it is education through a company in the workforce, a two-year community college or school like Georgia Piedmont Technical College, going straight down the road to Georgia State or into the military, the diploma represents the ability for our kids to jump into any of those fields and its not a narrow focus where we’re just going straight to college. So when you look backwards and look into the opportunities for kids, you see career pathways. We’ve really worked closely with the business and industry leaders in our community to align our pathways to their needs. We work with the Covington/ Newton County Chamber of Commerce. I actually serve on their board on purpose so that I can forecast for the district what
Jackie Gutknecht | Visions NCSS Superintendent Samantha Fuhrey talks with members of the Covington/ Newton County Chamber of Commerce in March.
THE COVINGTON NEWS types of things we need to be working on in the school system so they can be effective in the roles they play as economic developers. When you look at that you see the pathway of going through the required courses, but then having these specializations that lead to perhaps a job right after they graduate high school. There’s also earning credentials. There are actual work-ready credentials that probably did not exist when you were in high school. They were not there when I went to high school, for sure. Dual-enrollment is another pathway. Our kids are able to strengthen their diploma by picking up college courses. So, they may be taking at GPTC in a trade area or they may be going full-time to Georgia State, or in the case of one of our kids right now she’s at Agnes Scott going to college, so that diploma represents those rigorous courses that she’s taking while she’s in high school and she has taken high school courses that has helped prepare he for that. Then there’s another pathway that would be our Advanced Placement courses. So, you know, when I was in high school I took AP classes and I was able to take one or two classes along the way, but our kids now are able to take six, seven, eight, nine, 10 over the life of their high school career. That translates to being better prepared, even if they choose not to go to college, those experiences help to round out their education. Those types of things, I think, help to change the significance of the diploma from just being a ticket to work or a ticket to college. It is a ticket to life beyond high school. We work really hard to expose kids to different opportunities. We’ve got that high school diploma that can also pair with a German apprenticeship program, so you’ve got the buy-in from the business and industry, we’ve got the school system on board and the economic development team helping us to make sure we are leading the kids in the right direction, and the connection with the technical school, having GPTC right here and a willing and ready partner. I think the high school diploma doesn’t just represent four maths, four sciences, four Englishes and four social studies. It represents that plus a whole lot more. I think our kids are coming out of school prepared differently than perhaps how we were once prepared. Want to read more of our interview with Samantha Fuhrey? Visit www.covnews. com/education/samantha-visions for more.
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International students enhance campus life in Oxford D arryl Welch
Emory University’s reputation has made it the college of choice for many
students in the United States and worldwide. Nowhere is that more evident than on the school’s Oxford College campus where students from around
the world come to continue their academic careers and bring an international flavor to Newton County. According to Cathy Wooten, Commu-
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20 nications Manager at the college, there are currently 34 nations represented among the college’s 985 students. Dr. Joseph Moon, dean of Campus Life at the college, said international students choose Oxford for a variety of reasons but the campus’ size and sense of intimacy are important. “There are international students all over the country in different kinds of institutions, but I think one reason they pick Oxford is they want Emory, they want an internationally known institution, but they also see this as a small campus where they might be supported and known. “They all live on campus. They all are interacting with each other all the time. So, that would be a reason they would choose to come to here, because of our size and the intimacy and the faculty to student ratio and things like that.” Daphne Orr, Director of International Student Programs at Oxford said the international students bring much to campus life. “They bring their experiences, their perspectives, a different way of seeing the world and thinking about the world,” she said, “They come to this campus sometimes 17, 18, 19-years-old, so they have this energy and optimism and excitement. They are constantly integrating with one another in classes, in the dining hall, at activities across the campus and sharing those ideas and learning from others. “I talk with so many students, international for the most part, and they get so excited about their interactions with the domestic students, but also so excited about their interactions other people from all over the world. Talking with somebody who might be Chinese but who grew up in Ghana. The campus is so enriched by their
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“That’s what the kid from Columbia, South America
and the kid from Columbia, South Carolina, it’s what they have in common. They’re away from home. Their homes are different. They’re learning things they’ve never learned before in the classroom, they’re bumping elbows with people who eat different food, who have different religion, who have different attitudes about politics. That learning experience is as rich as the classroom experience. The faculty may not agree with me, but I think it is. A lot of schools have diversity, but ours is so interactive.” - DR. JOSEPH MOON, DEAN OF CAMPUS LIFE
presence.” Moon added, “ This is a great age, when you are 18 or 19-years-old. We are diverse in every way except age. They are all 18, 19 and 20. And they are all going through the same kinds of things in terms of growing up and figuring out who they are and what they want to be and how they relate to the world. “That’s what the kid from Columbia, South America and the kid from Columbia, South Carolina, it’s what they have in common. They’re away from home. Their homes are different. They’re learning things they’ve never learned before in the classroom, they ’re bumping elbows with people who eat different food, who have different religion, who have different attitudes about politics. That learning experience is as rich as the classroom experience. The faculty may not agree with me, but I think it is. A lot of schools have diversity, but ours is so interactive.” A proficiency in English is required of international students who want to study at Emory. “If you come from India and you walk into a philosophy class and it is taught in English and it is high level and you’ve got to be ready
to go,” Moon said. “We want students to succeed here, so we won’t select students, who as brilliant as they might be or high scores as they might have in math, or whatever, if they can’t come in a classroom in a political science or philosophy classroom and hit the ground and listen and get it and take notes and speak up, this is not a good place for them.” Oxford’s students are encouraged to get involved in the extended community away from the campus. Moon said some of the classes at Oxford College have a community service component for all students. ”Theory, practice, service, learning- some of our classes have that component,” he said,” That means that part of the curriculum is local service.” Moon said some of the Oxford students are placed in local public schools “They are placed in elementary schools, middle schools, sometimes in high school. There’s a school coordinator that will meet them and place them in a classroom. They do everything from helping students with math to sitting in the hallway, listening to a student who’s agitated and helping the teacher that way.
They do that as part of their school. They have to write journals for us about what happened and they bring that back to the classroom.” Moon said from a Newton County perspective, the international students are a hidden asset. “These are kids coming into the classroom who don’t like a lot of the kids in Newton County, or if they do, have different international experiences. And elementary and middle school kids love college students and to have somebody there from an African country, or from India or from an Asian country, the local kids are so curious about that. They want to touch their hair or hear them talk. There’s a layer of cultural connection that we’re able to participate in.” The international students also experience and enjoy local culture from The Covington Square to Six Flags to trips to north Georgia. According to Orr, Oxford college support for international students starts before they arrive on campus. “For the cohort that’s coming in in August 2018, we’ve already started reaching out to them,” she said,” We have this really fantastic student leadership program called I-mentors. Those are will be second year students that serve as a peer guide to assist the international students that are coming in.” Orr also said international students arrive on campus about six days before the domestic students. “We have a very robust international student welcome. We have a session for parents only to answer questions,” she said, “We also do content based sessions- what is a liberal arts education, or immigration regulations or campus safety, wellnessthings like that. We also take them to the World of Coca Cola, The Mall of Georgia, and Scoops for ice cream.”
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Kauffman’s pledge to Middle Georgia is an ‘academic’ one Gabriel Stovall
Parker Kauffman had the Division I baseball offers. He had plenty of other schools from various levels expressing interest in his prowess behind the plate as a catcher. Ultimately, the Newton High senior said, “nah,” to the Division I baseball dream that so many of his peers chase, and made his choice to continue his athletic career an academic decision. Kauffman committed to Middle Georgia State during the first week of March because of what he felt the school could give him academically. And it’s a decision Andre Byrd, his high school coach, wishes more kids would make. “Here’s the thing,” Byrd said. “This is a very rare thing nowadays. The way things are now, everybody’s thinking the next level. And when they say that, they’re thinking pros. But Parker’s looking first at the fact that he’ll be receiving a free education.” “I had some bigger looks,” Kauffman said, “but playing Division I wasn’t all that. I wanted to go somewhere that fit me academically and athletically. Somewhere that I can compete on the field and get a good education.” Kauffman carries a 4.0 GPA at the Newton College and Career Academy where he takes “like 10 Advanced Placement classes.” He says the academic first mindset was instilled in him by his parents and grandparents in particular. “Everyone in my family has a doctorate in education,” Kauffman said. “Aunts, uncles, grandparents on both sides. So they don’t pressure me to get all A’s, but I kind of put it on myself.” Byrd says Kauffman’s academic prowess rubs off on his team. “He’s one of those guys that I call a GPA booster,” Byrd said. “He sets an example for other players on our team by showing that, although he loves the game of baseball, he values his academics more. That’s major.” Kauffman said he wants to major in business and sports marketing to prepare himself for a career as a sports agent, a coach or even a journalist. Anything to stay around the sport.” “I want to take my playing career as far as it will go,” he said. “But I know that it’ll be over one day, and I want to make it so I
can continue to stay around the game. I just love baseball. I love the game and want to stay around it as long as I possibly can.” Kauffman has been a versatile player for the Rams during his four seasons, bolstering their lineup at the plate as a solid hitter, behind the plate as a catcher, or even on the mound as a pitcher. So far this season, he’s batting .273 with an on-base percentage of .484, He’s also registered five RBIs through 10 games. He’ll likely see the most time as a catcher in college, but that doesn’t mean he won’t try to win himself a spot on Middle Georgia’s pitching staff. “The coaches said they’ll give me as many opportunities as I earn to get on the mound,” he said. “I love pitching because I love being in control of the game and putting my team on my back.” Kauffman heaps praises on Byrd who, he says took a chance on him as a young starter. “I’ve started every game since freshman year,” he said. “And coach Byrd didn’t just give that to me. He told me, ‘You’ve gotta prove yourself to be even better than what I see you can be.’ So he poured all his eggs in my basket from the beginning and told me to keep a chip on my shoulder to prove to everyone that I
can play.” And Byrd calls Kauffman A throwback. “Back in my day, guys playing in high school didn’t always automatically look at this next level as going pro or making a lot of money,” Byrd said. “We were like, ‘Forget the pros right now. Let’s go to school for free. Let’s get that free education.’ I wish every other sport would go back to that mindset. I hope people see the decision Parker made and it kind of becomes an example. He had some of everyone knocking on his door. But Parker wasn’t worried about the name or Division I. He took what best suited him.” Byrd also says that Kauffman’s decision isn’t an admission that he isn’t good enough to play at the highest level. On the contrary, it shows his confidence that he can make it no matter where he goes. “The thing about it is if you’re good enough, the pros will find you,” Byrd said. “And if you’re not good enough, it doesn’t matter where you go. “Parker’s an awesome catcher. Middle Georgia knew that as well, which is why they gave him some money to go play baseball for them. It’s just exciting to see. He’s guaranteeing that Navient and Sallie Mae won’t be calling him 10 years from now. I know he’ll do well on the next level.”
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ENTERPRISE ROLLING OUT THE RED CARPET
The newest member of the Covington family Jackie Gutknecht Rahim Charania, Three Ring Studios president, and Cary Goldman, Three Ring Studios partner, feel as if they are part of the Covington and Newton County family. Together, they are creating the nation’s largest film studio in our own backyard. “From my perspective, and that’s the
Submitted | Visions Rahim Charania and Cary Goldman look to bring the nation’s largest film studio to Covington.
Charania family perspective, we’ve been doing business in Georgia since the late ‘70s and we have not felt, even with the naysayers, as welcome in a community as we do in Covington,” Charania said. “I walk by and I’m in the square and I know people that operate their restaurants, I say ‘Hi’ to the people that pass me on the street and it really is a big family. As the newest member of the family, and I
think I can speak for Cary on this, as the two newest members of the Covington family, we care about the city. We care about what benefits the city. “This is not in either one of us’ wheelhouse. Why did we do it? Because it is an exciting business and we love Covington. That’s why we did it and I would put the love for Covington ahead of the exciting business part because there’s
THE COVINGTON NEWS exciting businesses everywhere. We’re here. We’re here to stay. We’re here for the benefit of the community and we’re looking forward to our impact being positive and the impact following through generationally.” Three Ring Studios promises to bring jobs and training to Newton County residents in an exciting and growing industry. “Let’s face it, this is not the first time a big development has come to Newton County,” Charania said. “We’ve got a General Mills plant, we have a Nisshinbo. We have a lot of great businesses that have come into Covington. Now with the work that the city council and mayor have done to revitalize the square it has also brought in a lot of business. “But what Three Ring Studios does differently is that it brings what has been in Covington for decades a more solid home. It provides a place for the Newton County
ENTERPRISE School System to bring its students to see what the campus looks like, to excite and invigorate students to learn something new and give them the hope that they don’t need to leave Covington to have a bright future. The bright future’s waiting for them as long as they go out there and learn the skills required to get the job of their dreams.” Three Ring Studios is set in the heart of Covington, on Georgia Highway 142 near the City Pond Road intersection. 2018 will be a construction year for the studio, he said. The construction phase of the project allows for a diverse range of immediate employment opportunities for residents who may not be interested in film-related jobs. Charania said 60 percent of the studio’s current contractors are Newton County-based. “It is a plus for us,” he said. “Not only are they getting
employed and making revenues and incomes for their work on the site, but every time they leave the site they eat in Covington. They get gas in Covington. They buy a lottery ticket in Covington. They shop in Covington.” “That same thing happens as the studio is operating, it’s just different people,” Goldman said. Charania calls the impact one business has another on surrounding businesses the “halo effect,” which is having economic impacts immediately. “The city really has embraced this industry, and the industry has paid the city back in multiples by spending money,” he said. Something that makes Covington stand out from other studio locations is the actual city itself, Charania said. “Everybody that comes to Covington, they love it,” he said. “They don’t mind making it their home. We’re finding it a fairly easy sell once people
23 step foot in Covington.” While the majority of the feedback has been positive, Three Ring Studios has not been without its fair share of naysayers. To those people, Charania says it is time to welcome change. “Opportunity and change are coming to Covington and Newton County. I didn’t bring it. It is a fact of life that change is constant,” he said. “I am a part of the process. Cary is a part of that process, but we’re not the instigators of it. What’s the real catalyst for the change? It’s the City of Covington. Stop being so welcoming.” He said he would give the naysayers the benefit of the doubt. “They love the City of Covington just as much as we do and we are looking forward to the opportunity to open up Three Ring Studios not to show them ‘Look, we did it,’ but to show them here’s another great part to your city,” he said.
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expects FDA approval in 2018 Jackie Gutknecht
Stanton Springs’ pharmaceutical plant is hopeful it will receive its approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2018 for its new plasma manufacturing facility in Social Circle. Shire, the global biotechnology leader in rare diseases, announced its first submission to the FDA in 2017. “FDA approval is needed to sell any product manufactured at our site, which is our ultimate goal – to provide therapies for our patients,” Gabe Khouli, communication lead for the Georgia facility, said. “At Shire, our mission is to be champions for people around the world who are struggling with rare diseases.” Khouli said the FDA application is just the first step for the company. “Receiving approval for our immunoglobulin therapy would mark the culmination
of six years of work since the project was first announced in 2012,” he said. “We will file a separate submission to the FDA later this year for our albumin therapy.” As the approval process continues, employment opportunities will continue to open up. “As we seek approval, we are continuing to ramp up our operations and expect to hire more 100 employees this year, with a similar amount of hiring in 2019,” Khouli said. “We are hiring in a variety of areas, with the bulk of hiring for positions in manufacturing, warehouse and our quality control laboratory, as well as positions in engineering, process equipment maintenance, utilities operations, quality assurance, IT and other areas. All jobs can also be viewed at shire.com/ careers, and applicants can filter by location.” The Social Circle location will add around 30 percent to the capacity of Shire’s internal
network once fully ramped up, Khouli said. “Shire is seeing substantial growth across its Immunology portfolio and plans to continue adding capacity for those products,” he said. Khouli said Shire will continue to involve the community going forward. “We are also planning to seek even more opportunities to engage with our local communities, including strengthening partnerships with local school systems, colleges,
nonprofits and civic organizations,” he said. “In 2017 alone, we participated in 21 outreach events, including a variety of area nonprofits, schools and other organizations. We’ve already participated in several events in 2018 as well. Many of the events were organized by our employee-led Business Resource Groups, who not only focus on community outreach, but also sponsor numerous internal events focused on professional development and networking.”
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Largest social media networking site coming to Newton County J ackie G utknecht
Facebook, the world’s largest social networking site, will build a massive data center in northern Newton County. The California-based company will make a multimillion-dollar investment at Stanton Springs near Social Circle, Gov. Nathan Deal and U.S. Rep. Jody Hice said at the State Capitol. “ The No. 1 company in the world in terms of active users has chosen the No. 1 state for business for a significant economic development project,” Deal said.
Planned investment in the billions The first phase of Facebook’s Newton Data Center, formerly known as Morning Hornet LLC, will include an investment of about $750 million with a 970,000-square-foot facility. Shane Short, executive director of the Development Authority of Walton County, said the total planned investment, spread over a 20-year time period, is $42 billion, which was issued as bonds.
As an incentive, Facebook will receive 100 percent tax abatement for 20 years. Instead of taxes, Facebook will make payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOTs. “ That (PILOT) amount agreed upon was $88 million estimate, because it is actually based per building, a payment per building,” he said. The PILOT payments will be made to the Joint Development Authority of Jasper, Morgan, Newton and Walton Counties. “The reason there is a set ($42 billion) limit there – not just for Facebook, but for any bond – is because when there is a tax abatement involved we set a limit on that because it also limits the tax abatement,” he said. Serra P. Hall, the director of commercial development of the Newton County Office of Economic Development, said these are not financial bonds. “ They are not taking money, this is not a financial burden whatsoever, they’re not mutual bonds or industrial revenue bonds, which is why it is more critical about how we assess the bonds that that’s basically their threshold, or how much
they’re looking to commit over the possible 20 years,” she said. “So it’s just an estimate of the cost there.” Short said this type of bond is typically called a “phantom bond.”
Facebook could attract more locally Facebook is just the beginning. Hall said she has received calls from several other companies looking to located close to the new data center. “Just within the last week or so I’ve been overrun with calls from hoteliers, restaurants, gas stations and different pieces of interest to come in, I’d say fairly soon,” Hall said. “I think that we’re
in a prime area between exits 98 and 101 for new developments to come in. “Also, with Georgia State at exit 98 and the class that’s there, we only look for the future to continue for good growth.” Short said he expects 2018 to continue to be a good economic year for the local communities. “ There’s a tremendous amount of economic activity lately, even before this announcement on those exits,” he said. “It’s really exciting,” Hall said. “This is not what we see as the last of Newton and Walton County for our joint partnership together and I think that’s what is exciting that we’re just starting. I’ve
THE COVINGTON NEWS said that before. This is the beginning for Newton and Walton County and really our relationship and our partnership for our mega sites and other areas.” Marcello Banes, chairman of the Newton County Board of Commissioners, said he is looking forward to the partnership of Facebook. “This is a big day for Newton County,” he said. We’re excited about Facebook being in our community. It’s a wonderful partnership. We look forward to being partners with Facebook. “Facebook is a household name throughout the world. Everybody’s on Facebook. To have Facebook in our community along with Shire, so many possibilities open up and we’re excited about it. We welcome them to Newton County. Go Facebook!”
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Employment opportunities available Facebook will have more than 100 full-time employees, and officials said thousands of construction jobs will be needed for the project. Hice, R-Ga., said he expects the company’s investment “will open the door to hundreds of jobs for Georgians, while strengthening key industries that are spurring economic growth statewide. “Under the leadership of Gov. Deal, Georgia has become a powerhouse for businesses. In fact, we are now consistently ranked as one of the top states in which to do business.” The data center is expected to come online in the first quarter of 2020. It will be the ninth U.S. data center for Facebook Inc.
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Mystic Grill owner specializes in ‘VIP’ treatment for everyone Gabriel Stovall Angie Bezsborn was a few minutes late to talk with a reporter about what makes her 4-year-old vision called Mystic Grill so special, and exactly how she and her staff attempt to roll out the red carpet for patrons far and wide. But the slight tardiness had nothing to do with negligence on her part. Bezsborn was too busy with that carpet in her hands, tangibly demonstrating her restaurant’s mission. As she rushed to her meeting spot, she did so with a broad smile — obviously energized after showing a group of tourists from Florida around one of the most popular eateries in the downtown Covington square. If there was any one activity or duty she could point to that best summarizes Beszborn’s dedication to making the Mystic Grill what it is — and there are many she could point to — perhaps being the willing tour guide would be that thing.
“Everybody here is a VIP,” Beszborn said as she took a seat in the restaurant’s loft-style waiting quarters that overlook the main dining area. “I know that sounds very generic, but it’s true. That’s what we strive for.” It’s been like that for Beszborn and her husband for the last four years. That’s when the couple, along with another pair birthed a vision to give Covington the kind of fine dining experience that could make local regulars proud and fans of the popular supernatural drama television series, “Vampire Diaries,” swoon. The restaurant — along with the rest of downtown Covington — was a major player in the hit show’s successful nine-season run. Much of it was filmed in the area surrounding Mystic Grill, and the restaurant itself derived its name from the popular cafe’ and bar in mythical Mystic Falls, Virginia, that was featured frequently in the show. But from the beginning, although Beszborn certainly is appreciative of what the show did
— and still does — to drive its popularity and bring people literally from around the globe to dine, she says that it had always been her plan and vision to build Mystic Grill into a place that embodies southern hospitality and serves great food. “Ladies like those from Florida that I gave the tour to. They come from all over the world because of ‘Vampire Diaries,’” Beszborn said. “But we also understand locals are the biggest part of our business. People would always ask, ‘What are you going to do when the show ends and everything has been built around the show?’ And I said what I’ll do is build the best restaurant I can during and after that time.” Mystic stocks its menu with somewhat traditional American cuisine, such as burgers and sandwiches such as its T.K. Adams Turkey Melt and Mystic Grilled Cheese. But it lends a Southern flavor by offering up such dishes as Shrimp & Grits and Sweet Tea Fried Chicken, along with an assortment of salads, appetiz-
2018 Must Attend Signature Events WORLD’S FASTEST GROWING ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE MARCH 16 (4:00 p.m. Shenanigans in Olde Town) CONYERS 37TH ANNUAL CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL MARCH 24 - 25 (10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.) www.conyerscherryblossomfest.com TASTE OF CONYERS & CAR SHOW MAY 5 (11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. in Olde Town) SUMMER FILM SERIES MAY 19, JUNE 16, JULY 21, AUGUST 18 (7:00 p.m. in Olde Town) CELEBRATION OF COMMUNITY PARADE JUNE 30 in Olde Town OLDE TOWN CONYERS FALL FESTIVAL OCTOBER 20 (10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.) CONYERS CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION & PARADE NOVEMBER 30 (5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. in Olde Town) DECEMBER 1 (4:00 p.m. in Olde Town) Calendar of Events for details - www.conyersga.com/visitors/calendar
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ers, salads and vegetarian dishes. Beszborn, a Covington native, said the mission, as far as cuisine goes, is simple. “They asked me what my target market is, and I said, ‘everybody,’ I want everybody from the guys I went to school with who like to drive big trucks and fast cars to foodies who come from Atlanta or Lake Oconee or Madison who are just interested in good food down to tourists who’ve never been to America before to find something they enjoy.” Before the Mystic Grill was the Mystic Grill, it was an office that belonged to an attorney and CPA. “Vampire Diaries” was in its second or third season, Beszborn recalls, and although she and her husband were running a fairly successful fast-casual style restaurant in Texas where they lived for a time, Bezsborn can recall when her desire for something more in her hometown spilled over into action. “I was sitting out at Scoops eating ice cream, and I just kept thinking that something like this would be a great thing for the community,” she said. “We had a lot of fast food. But I really wanted something, not for me or not selfishly, but for the city of Covington that showed off our small town, our southern hospitality and desire for good service and good food — something we could be proud of.” Shortly after that building caught fire, Beszborn took the opportunity to speak with the gentleman who owned it, and he agreed to sell. Then after she and her husband spent time praying about it, she pitched the idea to Newton Federal Bank for financing, and they bought in. “Newton Federal had never financed a restaurant up to that point, so that was huge. We felt like God truly blessed us.” The name was, of course, a play on the cafe and bar that was the setting of many a scene in the Vampire Diaries. But Beszborn remembers the exact moment when linking her restaurant to the show truly caught on. “I was a fan of the show and I watched,” she said. “And there was a point in the show where Alaric Saltzman had died and it was real sad. Well, I went to the trophy shop and had made a little plaque that said, ‘In memory of our dear
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Gabriel Stovall | Visions The Mystic Grille staff, led by owner Angie Bezborn (front, center) has been seeking to roll out the red carpet to local guests and tourists in Covington’s square for four years.
where they’ll keep coming back for more. “What it basically boils down to is having a servant’s heart,” she said. “In order to do this and do it well, you have to have a heart that wants to serve, or else it won’t work. When we have our busiest times, I can mostly be found in the kitchen. I just believe as Jesus said, if you’re going to lead you first have to serve.” It’s her faith, coupled with an innate desire to give back to the place she calls home that keeps her coming back, even on the hardest days. “Each day I hit the ground running. Sometimes it’s tough. Sometimes you’re tired. But I’m very thankful that God blessed me to do this. Every day I think, ‘I’m just nobody, just a little Covington girl with a blue collar family,’ but God gave me this opportunity to give Covington a place that has history and a place we can always say is ours, and I’m just grateful for that.”
friend Alaric Saltzman.’” Beszborn was waiting for new bar stools to come, and once they did, she attached the plaque to the back of one of them, took a picture and uploaded it to the Mystic Grill Facebook page. “At the time we had probably 200 people following us on Facebook,” she said. “But after I took the picture my phone just started going off, and I thought it was malfunctioning. I looked to see we had over 10,000 views on that photo. I knew then that we might be onto something. It was the best six dollars I ever spent in my life.” Since the show ended in 2017, Beszborn says business, indeed, has not. From tourists to local regulars to people staging engagements and couples wanting to enjoy live acoustic music outdoors on the roof during the spring and summer, Beszborn stays busy trying to find ways to make diners feel welcome enough to H WIDESCREEN TV’S and WiFi FULL BAR INCLUDING LIQUOR
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Covington: The REAL Hollywood of the South Darryl Welch
While other cities may try to lay claim to the moniker, there is only one official “Hollywood of the South”. And it’s right here in Newton County. According to Ron Carter with the Covington-Newton Chamber of Commerce, the City of Covington first used the term in 1996 and made it official by registering it in 2010. In 2012, the city officially unveiled its “Walk of Stars”. The project was the culmination of a 1996 vision of two local women to highlight movies and television shows filmed on Covington’s Historic Square.
Carter said in 2017 40,819 people passed through the visitor’s center adjacent to the Chamber of Commerce in downtown Covington, just a few steps from the Square. Of those, he said, 80 to 85 percent came to visit the “Hollywood of the South”. Though the area received its first film credit with 1954’s “A Man Called Peter” and the 1970s and 80s saw a smattering of projects, it wasn’t until the 1990s that the area became a hot bed for Hollywood producers looking for picturesque locales away from California and New York. And the “Hollywood of the South” was born.
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Covington “Walk-of-Stars” Map 1 RICHARD TODD “REV. PETER MARSHALL” A MAN CALLED PETER 1954
18 ALFRE WOODARD MISS EVERS’ BOYS 1997
2 SAM WATERSTON “FORREST LEDFORD” I’LL FLY AWAY 1991-92
19 NINA DOBREV “ELENA GILBERT” THE VAMPIRE DIARIES 2009-
3 DENZEL WASHINGTON FLIGHT 2011
20 LUCAS BLACK – ELLEN BURNSTYN FLASH 1997
4 CUBA GOODING, JR. THE FIGHTING TEMPTATIONS 2002 5 IAN SOMERHALDER “DAMON SALVATORE” THE VAMPIRE DIARIES 20096 RAY MCKINNON ACADEMY AWARD WINNER THE ACCOUNTANT 2001 7 ALFRE WOODARD THE FAMILY THAT PREYS 2008 8 REESE WITHERSPOON SWEET HOME ALABAMA 2002 9 JIM CAVIEZEL BOBBY JONES: A STOKE OF GENIUS 2003 10 THOM MATHEWS JASON LIVES: FRIDAY THE 13TH, VI 1986 11 ALAN AUTRY “BUBBA SKINNER” IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT 1988-94 12 CARROLL O’CONNOR “CHIEF BILL GILLESPIE” IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT 1988-94 13 ROBERT LANSING SCALPEL (AKA FALSE FACE) 1975 14 LAURENCE FISHBURNE MISS EVERS’ BOYS 1997 15 ROB ZOMBIE H2: HALLOWEEN II 2009 16 ROBERT DUVALL – BILL MURRAY GET LOW 2009 17 STEVE MARTIN A SIMPLE TWIST OF FATE 1993
21 JASON BIGGS AMERICAN REUNION 2011 22 MARISA TOMEI ACADEMY AWARD WINNER MY COUSIN VINNY 1991 23 BURT REYNOLDS CANNONBALL RUN 1980 24 TOM WOPAT “LUKE DUKE” THE DUKES OF HAZZARD 1978 25 JOHN SCHNEIDER “BO DUKE” THE DUKES OF HAZZARD 1978 26 DENZEL WASHINGTON REMEMBER THE TITANS 2000 27 TYLER PERRY MADEA’S FAMILY REUNION 2005 28 PARK OVERALL THE PRICE OF A BROKEN HEART 1999 29 PATRICK SWAYZE BLACK DOG 1997 30 DOM DELUISE CANNONBALL RUN 1980 31 TIM CONWAY – DON KNOTTS THE PRIZE FIGHTER 1979 32 PAUL WESLEY “STEFAN SALVATORE” THE VAMPIRE DIARIES 200933 IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT 1988-94 34 THE VAMPIRE DIARIES 2009
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WELLNESS
THE COVINGTON NEWS
WELLNESS ROLLING OUT THE RED CARPET
Helping you hear what you’re missing Darryl Welch
Have you ever tried to carry on a conversation in a crowded restaurant and not been able to understand what was being said? Do you occasionally hear the sounds but not quite catch the words? You may be experiencing the early stages of hearing loss. There’s a place in Covington that maybe can help. Before opening Covington Hearing opened in August of 2017, owner Susann Shriver worked as an audiologist with a local physician’s office for almost 20 years. The first thing you notice when you walk into the waiting room on Hospital Drive is that it more resembles a living room than a waiting room. According to Shriver, that was by design. “In opening Covington Hearing the vision was to have more of a home feel, patient centered care,” she said, “ We do hearing testing - that’s the primary job of an audiologist is to assess hearing and hearing loss.” Shriver said Covington Hearing sees patients from school age all the way through older
adults and hearing aids, if needed, are not usually covered by insurance. “Primarily, if you think about it in today’s modern world, a majority of the time hearing aids are not covered by insurance,” she said. “So it is a patient’s investment that they’re making.” Especially the older patients. “They’ve had to save for their retirement,” she said, “and here they are having to take a chunk out of it in regard to their hearing.” Shriver explained the effect hearing loss can have on a person’s life. “When a person starts to lose their hearing, they lose brain comprehension of speech,” she said, “It affects their lifestyle, it affects their communication, it affects family. “They can’t communicate any longer. You get a lot of the ‘huhs’ and ‘whats’ and ‘can you repeat that’s’. And that’s okay short term, but as it becomes a long-term problem, it starts to have more of an effect. “You have hearing loss which means that you’re not hearing sound. That’s really kind of the
root of that. But by not hearing sound, it actually means that the phonetic information in speech is not going to the brain and when that happens, then a patient can’t put words together and when they can’t put words together, they can’t put conversations together.” Shriver likened the inability to process sounds to trying to listening to a foreign language. “If you think about it, I hear sound, but I don’t understand German. I don’t understand French. I understand English because English was repetitious to me as a child and that’s how I developed a language center in my brain. And so that repetition of sound has to continue. “If you’re not hearing a sound, a phonetic combination long enough, your brain throws it out. It is constantly wanting to make room for more information. That’s what we call ‘brain hearing’ or comprehension. Shriver said when she does a hearing test for the purpose of fitting a patient with hearing aids she can’t just look the hearing loss itself. “You have to look at the brain
hearing. You have to look at that what is your comprehension of speech in quiet. You have to look at what is your comprehension of speech in noise.” “For so many years, you put a patient in hearing aids. OK, now I’ve solved your hearing problem, you’re hearing sound. And then they would come back and say, ’OK, I’m hearing sound better. Everything’s louder, but it’s still not clearer.’ And that’s because that’s the ‘brain hearing’ side of things.” Shriver said as part of her practice she has incorporated oral rehabilitation. “By doing oral rehabilitation, it allows the patient to go through some phonetic programs where they can work with their brain’s ability to process sounds. I used to always say for many, many years, that if I could put a patient in hearing aids and they could spend the first six months of their hearing aid life in Waffle House, they would become phenomenal with words.” Shriver said the oral rehabilitation program she uses helps
THE COVINGTON NEWS the patient helps the patient by using mind engaging games that work with the 800 most common phonetic combinations. “So you’re tasking your brain to process those phonetic combinations faster. There are some memory parts to it where there is auditory recall that the patient has to bring into play so it incorporates that neurologic side into it as well.” Shriver said a majority of the time a patient experiencing hearing loss related to age will have hearing loss for 10-12 years before they seek help. “Lack of blood flow to the organ of hearing itself does cause it to kind of die off,” she said. She said noise exposure also could play a role in hearing loss for the group coming into the hearing aid world now. “There wasn’t a lot of knowledge about noise exposure during their generation. My generation knows about it.
WELLNESS However, I won’t say that we’re going to fare much better. “You have that noise produced component that may have started a little younger in their years back when they were hunting, back when they were target shooting or working in a factory or a mill or something of that nature maybe began the process . And then lo and behold, aging starts to come on and it just adds on to the equation.” Shriver said medical conditions can also contribute to hearing loss. “You have diabetes, you have thyroid issues, you have other metabolic related problems that just are like a 500-pound monkey on the back of hearing loss, where it’s just dragging it down and certainly exasperating it.” Tinnitus, or ring in the ears, can be a sign of high-frequency hearing loss, according to Shriver. She said the first step
Susann Shriver M.ED., CCC-A, FAAA
Clinical Audiologist
to treating to tinnitus is getting your hearing evaluated. Shriver said Covington Hearing offers a range of hearing aid options, depending on a patient’s needs and lifestyle. She said it’s not always about getting the cheapest hearing aid. “It can certainly be approached that way,” she said, “However, when you talk about channels of the hearing loss, you’re talking about frequency response, you’re talking about is the hearing loss flat, is it high-frequency, is it sloping, what areas are they missing? You need to be able to hit the areas where the patient needs the help.” Shriver said being proactive is important when it comes to your hearing. ”Patients need to be proactive at getting that first audiogram when they enter that 60 to 65 range. Get a baseline done, know where you stand,
33 get an idea where you are starting in the process,” she said, “I know a lot of people shy away from getting their hearing tested because the first thing they think about is, ‘I can’t afford it.’ “My thing is be proactive, get the information that you need. Find out what your hearing is looking like, meaning get that baseline. Have an idea of where you stand. Look at that brain hearing. As proactive as they can be, they often end up in less expensive hearing aids because their brain is capable of doing so much early on.” Shriver said, “I know the financial side does scare them, but there are always options out there. It’s just a matter of figuring what your baseline is and what options are available to you.” For more information about hearing loss and Covington Hearing, visit their website at covingtonhearing.com.
IMPROVING LIVES ONE SOUND AT A TIME
Susann Has Been Providing Hearing Healthcare Services in the Community for over 20 Years
Like us on Google
Covington Hearing Associates Pulliam Building | 4165 Hospital Drive • Covington, GA 30014
470-441-6333 • www.covingtonhearing.com
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WELLNESS
THE COVINGTON NEWS
focuses on community connections
J G information, call 770.786.7053 r more or visit piedmont.org/newton. ackie
utknecht
Piedmont Newton CEO Dr. Eric Bour is focused on making Newton County’s hospital community-centered through offering luxury benefits to residents right in their own backyard. “The No. 1 thing that most residents of any community probably want is to not have to travel for health care, whether that’s seeing their primary care doctor or seeing certain specialists, urgent care, quick care or the ability to get to an emergency department quickly or having ambulance services,” he said. “So, the ability for somebody to have that care locally is really
kind of how Piedmont views its place in this community and many communities.” Newton’s hospital has been under the Piedmont brand for just over two years. With that brand comes additional services and partnershipsnotpreviouslyoffered by the independent hospital. “Newton as an independent hospital, like many independent hospitals, really had struggles over the years,” he said. “They don’t have the capacity without a Piedmont or another system behind them for things like access to new equipment, access to all kinds of better pricing – if you’re one versus 10 – and those kinds of things. Those were the
biggest changes that came as a result of Piedmont’s brand: the ability to leverage a large patient focused health care system and all that has to offer in a community facility that really the citizens of Newton County deserve.” With the more recent additions of the Rockdale County and Walton County hospitals under the Piedmont umbrella, Newton County residents will be able to see the continued Piedmont-level of service at whatever local hospital they choose to go to. “I don’t know that it really will affect Newton County very much other than Walton is a Level 3 trauma center and we
do transfer some patients there from Newton County who need trauma care so now they’ll be transferred to a Piedmont facility,” he said. “So, it will be better for those people who are involved in traumatic events that requires them being taken to a trauma center. Of course, the major trauma centers are in Atlanta, but Clearview (now Piedmont Walton Hospital) does function as that Level 3 trauma center. I expect that designation to continue. From a Newton County perspective, anybody who requires being taken to a trauma center will now have the luxury, if you will, of going to a Piedmont facility.”
© 2018 Piedmont Healthcare 07171-0218
Jackie Gutknecht | Visions Dr. Eric Bour, CEO of Piedmont Newton Hospital, shares stories with a nurse at the hospital.
THE COVINGTON NEWS In addition to the Level 3 trauma center in Walton County, Piedmont also offers ambulance services in Newton County as a way to continue the consistency of care for its patients. “I mean I live in Newton County, I live in Covington. I think it gives me a level of comfort knowing that if something happens to me, or worse to my wife, that we have Piedmont’s EMS that can respond,” Bour said. “Not because I’m five minutes away but because it is Piedmont’s EMS. So they’ll respond and bring us to a Piedmont facility where I know I’m going to get the care that I need.” In fact, Bour said if he could play any other role at the hospital for a day it would be hopping on an ambulance for a shift in EMS. “I just think that’d be so much fun,” he said. “I was actually thinking about that as I was coming back from Fayetteville and one of our Piedmont units was heading into Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta or somewhere in
WELLNESS Atlanta and I saw it drive behind me and I thought ‘I really need to schedule some time to run a shift one of those units.’ “I’m a surgeon by training but I’ve never been out on the field in an EMS unit. I’ve done organ harvest for transplant and all kinds of stuff but never done like the sort of stuff an EMS unit does, so I think it would really be kind of cool to do that.” Piedmont plans to continue to call Newton County home for a long time to come and Bour hopes local residents realize the quality of service offered. “When you talk about rolling out the red carpet, we want to be the provider that rolls out the red carpet for the citizens of Newton County,” he said. “That’s our role. That’s why I sit on the chamber board. That’s why I go to the community improvement district meetings. We need to make those connection points because the community needs to realize that we’re rolling out the red carpet for them.”
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Getting better starts here. Serving Newton County and surrounding communities for more than 60 years, Piedmont Newton Hospital offers high-quality, patientcentered care. As a not-for-profit organization, hospital earnings are used for health education outreach as well as to maintain and improve services and facilities.
FACTS & FIGURES:
HELPING YOU REACH YOUR HIGHEST LEVEL OF FUNCTION! • Restoring freedom of motion and freedom from pain in the postsurgical and orthopedic patients through strengthening, flexibility and endurance training to speed up recovery. • Pre-Op Strengthening. Research has shown that specific strengthening program prior to surgery, positively impacts recovery time and outcome. • Fall prevention, Balance and Mobility. Reduce risk of falling by addressing balance and mobility problems. • Assist in reversing the debilitating effects of many chronic conditions. • Pain Management.
• Help in maintaining safety and functional independence in chronic neurological conditions. • Worker’s compensation. • Cardiovascular Rehab • Home Safety evaluations • Generalized weakness • Wellness Program to help patients develop better health and fitness habits • Manual Therapy • Dry Needling • We bill directly to: Medicare Part B, Worker’s Compensation, Private Insurance Plans, Auto Accident Insurance & Self-pay
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• $13.5 Million Community Benefit Contribution • 270+ Physicians • 130+ Volunteers • 20,214 Volunteer Hours in 33 Departments • 858 Newborn Deliveries • 40,218 Emergency Department Visits • 3,855 Surgeries • 38,474 Outpatient Encounters • 5,417 Inpatient Admissions *Figures based on fiscal year 2017 (July 1, 2016 - June 30, 2017).
For more information, call 770.786.7053 or visit piedmont.org/newton. © 2018 Piedmont Healthcare 07171-0218
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WELLNESS
THE COVINGTON NEWS Submitted | Visions An undated photo shows the original construction of the Piedmont Newton emergency department.
Piedmont Newton emergency expansion underway J ackie G utknecht
Construction is underway for a three-phase, $9.5 million Piedmont Newton Hospital emergency department expansion project. Currently, work is being completed on phase one of the project. Upon completion of the renovation and expansion project, the layout will include 30 single patient exam rooms, a triage room, nurses’ stations, a reconfigured parking lot with additional spaces and more. “Previously, patients have entered through an entrance on the west side of the main hospital,” Troy Brooks, Piedmont New-
ton’s chief financial officer and emergency department expansion project lead, said. “They'll now be entering on the south side of the hospital.” Once this phase of construction is completed, the department’s parking lot will reopen so access will also be improved for walk-in patients. The 4,824-square-foot expansion will be added during phase two of the project. “What that number does not include is the renovations that are included in this project,” Brooks said. “Along with the expansion, we are also renovating the emergency d e p a r t m e nt ' s c u r re nt space.”
Submitted | Visions Piedmont Newton CFO Troy Brooks serves as the project lead for the emergency department expansion project.
THE COVINGTON NEWS
WELLNESS
Brooks said in six months the hospital will be nearing completion on phase two of the project. “If our contractors complete each phase on schedule, the project will be complete in the spring of next year (2019),” he said. Piedmont Newton’s emergency department saw more than 40,000 patients during its last fiscal year (July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2017) and is on track to exceed that in the current year. “During its last fiscal year, Piedmont New ton saw a total of 40,218 patients in its emergency department,” Brooks said. “Right now, we are on pace to see over 43,000 in the e m e rg e n c y d e p a r t m e n t this fiscal year.” With the growing number of patients each year, additional space is needed to provide care. “ There will be 16 new
A
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• Phase one includes the expansion of a new triage and new waiting room area in the emergency department. • During phase two, contractors will be increasing the number of single-patient exam rooms and nurses’ stations. • Phase three of the project will include the renovation of the current emergency department space. single patient treatment or exam rooms added during phase two,” Brooks said. “ The emergency department currently has 16 rooms. Phase two will also include the addition of two new nursing stations.” Phase three of the project is a “total overhaul” of the
bbey
current emergency department space, Brooks said. The space will be renovated from “floor to ceiling, including the existing patient treatment rooms.” While trauma classification was not necessarily a consideration when planning the project, Brooks said
Hospice
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COMMUNITY
THE COVINGTON NEWS
COMMUNITY ROLLING OUT THE RED CARPET
Covington rolls out the red carpet for families Jackie Gutknecht The city of Covington is doing its part to make the city the place families want to be. With the recent announcement of a new park, family-friendly events filling the calendar and initiatives to help students in the community, the city is making sure it has a hand in everything your family needs.
Planned for the 2018-2019 fiscal year, the city of Covington is planning to begin work on what will be a 93-acre park complete with walking trails and disc golf. “This park is going to be cutting edge and we want to ensure it has something for everyone and is of the highest caliber when complete,” City Manager Leigh Anne Knight said in a news release about
the park. The park will connect neighborhoods throughout
the city including Texas Alley, Sand Hill, Harristown, Sterling Lakes and Nelson Heights.
The Newton County Board of Commissioners and the employees of Newton County salutes all those who have the passion and desire to make an impact on the community now and into the future. It benefits everyone when selfless and passionate people come together for #OneNewton. Be more involved in your government by coming to our Board of Commissioners’ meetings on the first and third Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. in the Newton County Historic Courthouse.
THE COVINGTON NEWS “This community is extremely fortunate to have a tract of this size run through the heart of the city,” Covington Mayor Ronnie Johnston said. “This project not only gives us the opportunity to bring some much-needed leisure activities to residents and visitors, but it allows us to enhance some areas of Covington that need some attention.” The list of proposed amenities includes a disc golf course, a residential area, pavilions, hiking/ walking trails, a mountain bike trail, skate park, playgrounds, multi-purpose fields, botanical gardens and restrooms. “We want people to be able to utilize Central Park any way they see fit,” Public Relations Manager Trey Sanders said. “That might be simply as a green space to read a book or the hiking or biking trails to get in shape. People can use it to reconnect with family or friends or as a temporary escape from the stresses of life. Regardless of your motivation for visiting, we want users to walk away
COMMUNITY from Central Park impressed and proud to have a facility like that in their back yard.” In another effort to make Covington a family destination, the city has brought on new events to get residents out in the community to enjoy its amenities. In 2017, the city introduced special food truck events at Legion Field that quickly became a popular event for residents of all ages. Sanders said the city plans to partner with other local organizations to make the event bigger with the addition of inflatable toys for kids, a DJ and family-friendly movies. “After the city of Covington renovated Legion Field, demand for the facility grew, he said. “Weddings, corporate family days and use by film crews kept Legion Field busy, but there were no scheduled events where the public could enjoy their newly refurbished park. With their recent surge in popularity, food trucks seemed like a natural fit for the space.”
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These events have proven to be a tool for potential citizens to see how the community comes together. “These events bring people together, instill a sense of pride in our community and helps brand the city of Covington as a town that produces quality events and does things the right way,” Sanders said. “We always look for ways to showcase our facilities and allow people to enjoy fellowship. We just want to make sure the events we have a hand in creating are memorable and of the highest quality.” In addition to bringing the community together, the city of Covington is focused on the next generation. Johnston and the Covington Cares program have made it their goal to partner with the Newton County School System in educating the children. “The Covington Cares program has three pillars: encouraging a healthy lifestyle, promoting a clean community and addressing illiteracy in our com-
munity,” Sanders said. “By tackling the third pillar, you make a tremendous impact on reducing poverty. By helping children learn to read, you give them the most basic tool needed to be a successful adult.” The city has partnered with Middle Ridge Elementary School to help tutor students in reading. Each city of Covington employee volunteers at the school one day a week for 45 minutes and helps almost six children during their time. “We have been looking for ways to get Covington Cares involved in our school system for quite some time and it is exciting to see this finally come to fruition,” Johnston said. “One of our goals is to eradicate poverty and education is arguably the strongest way to do that. This program with Middle Ridge Elementary is a small brush stroke on a large canvas, but with assistance from other organizations, we can start painting with a very large brush.”
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COMMUNITY
THE COVINGTON NEWS
Darryl Welch | Visions Porterdale City Manager Bob Thompson and Mayor Arline Chapman share their passion for Porterdale.
Porterdale: A city on the move D arryl Welch Not so long ago, a mention of the City of Porterdale elicited skeptical looks. Those looks are going to be fewer and fewer as the reputation of the Newton County city with the Yellow River running through it continues to grow. Porterdale is turning into a place where
people want to be. It wasn’t always that way. As recently as 2012, there were landlords in the city who provided substandard housing to renters. Mayor Arline Chapman said changing the housing culture was important. “To me, one of the biggest problems was the slumlords. I was absolutely
amazed at the conditions some people were living in - it was just unthinkable,” she said. “So between the police department at the time, and code enforcement, we started to work with the landlords. “Some of the landlords started to sell out and I realized how neat the houses were.”
THE COVINGTON NEWS Chapman said the culture of slum-lording had left tenants intimidated, with many fearful if they reported problems, they would be kicked out of their homes. “Just by being open, and talking to people,” she said, “that flipped.” Chapman said the changes in the housing culture brought about changes in Porterdale’s residents. “Over time, with a more caring and better government and good planning, I can see a big difference in the children. I see a big difference in the people walking around the streets.” Chapman said developing a comprehensive plan and becoming eligible for grants enabled the city to start to developing and improving its parks. Those include the Yellow River Park which has become a destination for kayakers. “What you see as the Yellow River Park now, you couldn’t even see the river,” she said, “We started getting grants and we started taking park, and the kayak stuff was going on. We were able to get a grant to put in the kayak launch. “Prior to that, people were just sliding down the mud into the river. Now, we have that beautiful kayak launch.” After the Yellow River Park, the city worked to improve its other parks, cleaning them up and adding picnic tables. It also developed free libraries at playgrounds to give children the opportunity to own and read books. “We put those little free libraries all over the city at no cost to the city at all. It was all volunteer work and that’s an ongoing thing,” she said, “ The books are donated, there’s no library fee, the books are there.” All the changes in have not gone unnoticed. Porterdale was recently named by Georgia Trend magazine as one of the state’s top three
COMMUNITY live, work, play small towns. Chapman said houses in the city are in demand. “We have all these young people moving in, living in the lofts, buying houses. The houses are selling just about like hotcakes,” she said, “If you want to do the work yourself, or you want to put a little money one of these houses, you know you’re going to get a really good return on your investment.” The mayor said she would like to see development along the city’s Crowell Road corridor. “The traffic count on Crowell Road is greater than the traffic count for Highway 81, “she said, “So my feeling is now that the Waffle House is there, I would like to see Crowell Road going past the Waffle House because there’s potential there for another chain restaurant, or people have been crying out for a grocery store. I hope one of the grocery stores will go in there.” Looking to the future, Chapman said she sees more home ownership in her city. “I see more homeowners. I see our business community being more energized,” she said, “I see recreation continuing to build. I see a different attitude among the people – I think it’s going to be more of a workingtogether, enthusiastic community of people who take pride in what’s happening here. “And I just see more and more of these houses selling. I think it’s a place where people will enjoy coming. I think they feel safe here.” City Manager Bob Thompson said, “Professors in urban planning want their students to end up helping to design a town like Porterdale and they did this back in the first part of the 20th century. It’s just perfect.” He added, “Porterdale is a true live, work, play community. People want to be here.”
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Porterdale
• Preservation • Arts • Natural Resources A diverse and inclusive community United by an inspired future Reinventing itself one day at a time
ONE OF GEORGIA’S MOST AWARDED COMMUNITIES A Georgia Department of Community Affairs – Plan First Community Georgia Tree City 5 years 2017 awarded one of the top 3 small communities to Live, Work & Play by Georgia Municipal Association and Georgia Trend Two awards from the Georgia Trust for Excellence in Preservation Nationally Accredited Main Street Community A UGA Carl Vinson Institute of Government Renaissance City
COME AND BE A PART OF THE GOOD LIFE IN THE VILLAGE Enjoy the Yellow River Water Trail and Park Niche Independently Owned Businesses A vibrant calendar of events In one Georgia’s best preserved mill villages.
For Information about development opportunities contact City Manager Bob Thomson Phone (912) 308-2775. Email Info@cityofporterdale.com To receive Porterdale’s Weekly Online Village Bulletin www.cityofporterdale.com
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Darryl Welch | Visions Oxford Mayor Jerry Roseberry and Assistant City Manager Matt Pepper share plans for the future of Oxford.
Oxford:
Looking toward the future, rooting Darryl Welch
Incorporated in 1839, three years after the founding of Emory College, Oxford, Georgia, is steeped in history. From the Old Church, built in 1841 as a Methodist chapel for Emory students and the community, to its Historic Cemetery and trails and tours of homes, there is much for visitors to the city to experience. For the last decade the city has been looking toward the future - working to upgrade its infrastructure, updating its
electrical system and building a new maintenance facility and city hall. Mayor Jerry Roseberry said the electric system update improved service for Oxford’s residents. “It used to be, if the lights went out in one part of the town, they went out all over town,” he said. “That’s no longer the case.” Roseberry said the city used SPLOST money to put in a new water system and is preparing to expand its sewer system.
The city plans to purchase of a golf cart to give access to people who have trouble walking to the city’s trails. “We’ve got so many people who can’t walk the trail and they’re paying for it,” the mayor said, “Let’s make some arrangements where one day a week, they can come to city hall and somebody can take them out.” Roseberry talked about the city’s recent purchase of a house across from City Hall that will soon be converted into a new welcome center.
“We’ve been looking for a welcome center ever since I’ve been in office,” he said, “And this just turned out to be perfect, being one of Atticus Haygood’s former homes.” The mayor said Oxford wants its citizens to be involved. “One thing I’ve always advocated is citizen involvement, as much as you can get it,” he said. “When we had our 175th birthday in 2014, we had a group of citizens that worked for over a year planning that.”
THE COVINGTON NEWS Oxford also has citizen-run committees to give city council members input on issues like planning, parks and trees. Roseberry said the City doesn’t have trouble finding citizens who want to serve. “I think as long as we let them know that we sincerely want their help and that we recognize the recommendations that they make and implement them when we can,” he said. “That’s the key. You can’t appoint a committee just to get something off the table and then continuously ignore what they say.” In 2017, Oxford activated a Downtown Development Association to look at options for adding housing and commercial development for the city. Roseberry said the city would be looking for light commercial development. “Oxford itself is not really large enough to support large commercial,” he said, “Some-
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thing that always comes up is a little restaurant or maybe a small grocery store.” Roseberry said a boutique hotel would succeed in Oxford. “It would stay filled if it was it was here,” he said, “If somebody wanted to maybe build
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an eight or ten room boutique hotel. It would be mainly by visitors to the college. Parents, or visiting professors looking for something nice.” Looking five years down the road, Roseberry said the city will be a little more diversified in its financial resources with
more housing. “It’s going to have a new welcome center with limited some limited commercial development downtown,” he said, “So our population is going to increase. “People are going to want to move to Oxford.”
Welcome The residents of Oxford, the Mayor and the City Council members would like to welcome you to Oxford. Oxford Mayor and Council
Jerry D. Roseberry, Mayor Council Members: David S. Eady, Mike Ready, George R. Holt, Jeff Wearing, James H. Windham and Sarah T. Davis
www.oxfordgeorgia.org
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Mansfield:
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Poised for smart growth Darryl Welch On the opposite end of Georgia Highway 11 from the city of Social Circle is another Newton County city poised to take advantage of the growth quickly coming on Newton County’s east side. Mayor Jefferson Riley said his city, established in 1904, is on the rise again after a period of decline. “Mansfield was thriving many years ago, from the start up on until about 50 years ago, “he said. “Then it got into a decline. Mansfield is absolutely on the rise now. “Of course, with all the activ-
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ity out at the interstate, Highway 11, and Highway 278, with Shire and the megasite and all, there’s no doubt it’s going to affect Mansfield and Newborn in a big way. There’s no way that it can’t.” Riley said the city is planning to revitalize its downtown area with a project that includes new roads, new paving, new striping and a park area with benches for people who use the trail in Mansfield. “It’s going to beautify the town,” Riley said, “It’s going to make it all look fresh and new and neat and clean. In about six months, we’re going to have this really beautiful, fresh, new look
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right in the downtown area of Mansfield and we’re so excited about it. It is well needed.” Along with the infrastructure improvements planned for the city, Riley said local developers have plans to rehabilitate and restore buildings in the downtown area and bring in new restaurants. Blackwell Grocery, currently downtown, is building a new store on the outskirts of the city next to Beaver Park. Riley said the new store, which has been annexed into the city will have groceries, hardware, hunting and fishing supplies and a pharmacy. He said his city would like to allow growth without losing the
historic value of the community. “We want small business, locally owned, kind of like Bread and Butter in downtown Covington. We want that local, locally owned feel,” he said. Two restaurants in the city, Roosters and Where There’s Smoke have developed followings far past the Mansfield city limits. Riley said people far and wide have now heard of them. “Everywhere I go now and I say ‘Mansfield’, people say ‘Oh yeah, Roosters’ or ‘Oh yeah, y’all got that barbecue place, Where There’s Smoke,’” he said. Riley said development along Interstate 20 and Mansfield’s proximity to it will help his city grow.
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Mayor: Jefferson R. Riley Council Members: Perry Lunsford • Helen Robertson Ashlan Troutman • Bret Dunn • Bryan Hale
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Darryl Welch | Visions A mural marks the heart of downtown Mansfield.
“We’re about as far south of I-20 as Social Circle is north,” he said, “When you’re bringing in businesses like Facebook and then you’ve got Shire, that at some point the maximum amount of employees may go to 2,000 and
then whatever goes into the megasite, those people are going to want to live somewhere, and most people want to live fairly close to where they work.” Looking one year into the future, Riley sees the downtown
revitalization finished with new streets with restaurants in the buildings being restored. “I think the biggest thing the community might be worried about is a huge influx of people. Nobody wants that in their
community. They don’t want a ton of traffic or so many people you can’t move. People come to Mansfield because they like their privacy,” he said. “But, with what’s going on 4 or 5 miles away, we’re not going to stop it. So, the only thing we can do, in my opinion, is try to control the growth, control what does come in. If we’re going to have some growth, and we know we are, let’s decide ahead of time what we would like to see in Mansfield. And that’s what we’re trying to do. Looking five years ahead Riley said, “If we do it right, we’ll still have a nice, clean walking community, with some small locally owned business in town. “I can see Newton Trails being completed and having people walk from Covington to Mansfield, stop off and have a hamburger at Roosters or stop in Where There’s Smoke for barbecue. I can see the right kind of activity going on in Mansfield versus what could go on if we don’t do it right.”
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Covington-Newton County United Way
Thank You for Your Donations Throughout the Years! Your donated dollars stay in Newton County to support these agencies… • A Child’s Voice • Action Ministries • Covington Family YMCA • Empty Stocking Fund • Faith Works • Food Pantry • Miracle League of Newton County • Newton County Resource Court
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Newborn: Maintaining its historic flavor Darryl Welch
Take the scenic 12-mile drive east out Georgia Highway 142 from Covington past the rolling hills and lush farmland of eastern Newton County and you’ll find yourself in Newborn, a town of 720 where, according to the mayor, 20 percent of the residents still raise sheep, pigs and chickens within the town’s limits. And Mayor Gregg Ellwanger is fine with that. “I want Newborn to remain a small town,” he said. “I have no desire for it to develop beyond small businesses, community businesses. I want the folks that live in Newborn to feel like it is a comfortable community where we maintain our agricultural heritage. The mayor said the city famous for its Historic Schoolhouse and Hornyhead Fish Festival will also soon have trains running through it again. “We have a railroad that runs through town and it’s coming back through CaterParrot,“ he said. “So there are some things that may grow beyond that after they get their engines. Three streets that were paved over now have tracks. That will make us somewhat unique because I don’t think there’s any other town in Newton
County that an active rail comes through.” Ellwanger said he and the town’s government consider themselves stewards of the town. “I think we as a community government are stewards of things like the old schoolhouse. The majority of our SPLOST money goes for parks, for walkways, sidewalks, the schoolhouse,” he said, “We’ve still got some more work to do there. My thoughts down the road are I’d like to see an open air pavilion out in front of it for open air concerts and things like that.” Ellwanger said he is also trying to expand the town’s downtown park. “I’m trying to add another acre to it if we can acquire that property. That little park gets used a lot. That’s what small towns are all about,” he
said, “That’s why people live in small towns.” The town is also looking to add a sidewalk out County Road 213 to connect it with its neighbor, Mansfield, 3 miles away. “I’m working on getting sidewalk connectivity between where our sidewalk stops, taking it out of town, all the way to the grocery store being built now (Blackwell’s Grocery),” he said. Ellwanger understands the pressure his city will be under as the eastern end of the county continues to grow. “We’ve been a little bit sheltered on the east side of Atlanta, but it’s coming with Stanton Springs,” he said. “In Newton County, we’re the closest town to Stanton Springs as the crow flies, we’re probably 6 or 7 miles from that development. Now you’ve got Facebook coming in. The spotlight’s going to be shining on this county. “Mansfield and Newborn are going to be under some tremendous growth pressures. And it’s not coming, it’s already here. And one of the things as mayor that I want to see is that our town remains a small community that continues to keep its heritage. Growth is great if it’s used the right way. Fifty years from now I want this area to still be relatively rural. And it can be.”
The Mayor and Town Council would like to welcome you to Newborn Mayor: W. Gregg Ellwanger Council Members: Rob Bratton, Tom Krieger, Wayne Sams & Martha Ellwanger Come and Visit: Newborn Town Park right next to Town Hall Historic Newborn Schoolhouse & Community Center Jeanette Adams Zeigler Library Yearly Events: Arbor Day, Horneyhead Fishing Tournament, Fall Festival
http://www.newbornga.com
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Social Circle could be Newton’s secret weapon Darryl Welch
The headline could have easily read,” Social media comes to Social Circle.” When Facebook announced in March that it would construct a data center on 400 acres in the Stanton Springs development in eastern Newton County, it was not lost on people where the social media giant’s mailing address would be - Social Circle. The city’s mayor, Hal Dally, said his city is ready for any attention and growth the county’s newest company might bring. “If you look around our future land use plan, if you add the territory for the joint mega-site we’ve got with Newton County and all of the property we’ve got that we’ve got future land use planned, it’s about 6,000 acres for industrial development” he said. As a city split between two counties, Dally said Social Circle
is also ready for any influx of residents that new business will bring. “All of the subdivisions that stalled have started back up. Even during the recession, we continued to grow,” he said, “We had people coming in and buying the older houses and rehabbing those. We’re the second fastest growing city in Walton County. We don’t have a lot of residents in the Newton County side yet, but that will come later as that side continues to develop and those industries come in along I-20. “I think the last number we had from the census we were about 4,500 right now. By 2020, we hope we’re pushing 5,000 people.” Gearing up for the anticipated growth, Social Circle is preparing to increase staff to serve its new residents. Dally said the city just opened its second fire station. “We’ve got it in our strategic plan to increase staffing for customer service, police, fire, in city hall and work crews,” he said,
Darryl Welch | Visions The heart of downtown Social Circle is marked with the well.
“You’ve got to figure out how many you can add, get them paid for and not be abusive on taxes. We also have infrastructure needs and we’re working on those. We’re making a lot of progress” Like other cities in Newton County, Social Circle has a rich history. Dally said along with smart growth, his city is dedicated to maintaining its historic downtown area. “One of the main goals is to
keep the downtown historic district intact. The goal is to make this a walkable, livable downtown - restaurants, unique shops - and we’re gaining ground on that,” he said, “The original town, all of it’s a National Historic District. “The people who are coming in here want to have walkable, livable. We’ve got golf cart access all over downtown. We’re building sidewalks everywhere.” While Social Circle’s listed pop-
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ulation is around 4,500, Dally said the city’s daytime population could climb as high as 6,500 as people come in to work at one of the many businesses like Standridge Color Corp., Goodyear or General Mills already located there. Dally said the city’s school system is also preparing to expand. The city currently operates primary, elementary, middle and high schools. ”We’ve already got the next 30 acres purchased for the primary and elementary replacement. What is now the elementary school will become the middle school,” he said,” We’ve got capacity now for 2,000 students. We’re at about 1,800. That expansion will take us to 2,600-2,800 students.” Looking five years down the road, Dally sees continued growth for Social Circle. “If the economy holds where we are right now and things continue to move, we’ll have four or five more big industries in town,” he said, “There are 2,000 jobs in
Social Circle right now with a population of about 4,500. Forty-eight percent of the industry by dollar value in the 2010 census in Walton County was located in Social Circle. We want to continue that trend. “We’re in a good position. They can’t move the railroad, they can’t move the expressway. We’re 45 minutes from Atlanta. We’re the only available expressway outside of Atlanta that hasn’t been developed. And hopefully, we’ll do it right, we’ll do it smart.” Along with optimism about Social Circle, Dally offered this about the region. “All of the cities in Newton County are working together. All of the cities in Walton County are working together and Newton and Walton are talking to each other now. “If we all work together and do this thing the right way, we’ll have a region that people want to come to and industries want to locate in. We can provide quality education and a workforce that they need for continuance for their business.”
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Welcome to Sigman Veterinary Clinic At Sigman Veterinary Clinic, every veterinarian and member of our team is committed to giving superior care to your pets, small animals and equine. Dr. Michael Sigman founded the business in December of 1975. We have provided outstanding quality veterinary care to Newton and the surrounding counties for more than 40 years. Our veterinarians offer routine and specialized care for everything from your puppy’s immunizations to care for your sick and senior pets. Our services include immunizations, radiology, ultrasound, dental care, orthopedics, surgery, laser therapy, geriatric wellness and more. We have an in-house laboratory and a fully equipped facility for accurate diagnostics and treatment for your pet, and we stay up to date on the latest medical advancements. When needed, we offer consultations or referral to a specialty care facility. We at Sigman Veterinary Clinic pride ourselves at being active members of the community, and treating your pets like the valued family members that they are. We believe that a healthy and strong animal/human bond is the key to a fulfilling and happy life for both the pet and owner. We have a veterinarian and personnel on duty 6 days a week who passionately strive to provide the best possible care to you and your pets. If you are looking for a welcoming and friendly veterinary clinic in our area, please browse our website at sigmanvetclinic.com to find out more about our services. You can also find a lot of valuable information about choosing and caring for a pet at home. We are conveniently located at 10257 Hwy. 142N in Covington. Call us at 770-787-1581.
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10257 Hwy 142 N • Covington, GA 30014 770-787-1581 www.sigmanvetclinic.com Monday-Friday 8am-6pm • Saturday 8am-12pm • Closed Sunday
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FACES
ROLLING OUT THE RED CARPET
Community Spirit
Faith, spirit lead heart of Newton Judge Ozburn David Clemons Whether it’s the first case on the docket or the 23rd, the questions are the same and so is the tone with which they’re asked. Superior Court Judge Samuel D. Ozburn — a Newton County native still known by most here as “Sammy” — takes pains to ensure each defendant understands his rights, is satisfied with his counsel and knows just what is being agreed to in a hearing. Ozburn is the longest serving of the Newton residents on the Alcovy Circuit bench. He’s known for his long legal career in his hometown and his service to his church and other civic organiza-
tions. As a result, Ozburn is the 2018 Community Spirit Award winner. The Covington News plans to make this an annual award honoring a person who exemplifies the best of Newton County over a lifetime of service. Ozburn, 66, is a graduate of Newton County High School and Oxford College of Emory University. But he didn’t always know a career in law was for him. “As I was going through college, it did not really occur to me to practice law,” he said. “I had first thought about being a dentist.” Dr. Johnny Maloney, a Covington dentist who has since died, took young Ozburn on a tour of
the dental school at Emory University. “But when I got to college and began to take vertebrate biology and chemistry and quantitative analysis and things like that, it kind of occurred to me that, you’ve got to go where your passion leads you and I didn’t want to look in people’s mouths all day,” Ozburn said. “I know there’s a lot of money there for it, perhaps, but I did not feel called to do that.” Instead he graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in banking and finance from the University of Georgia, then earned a law degree at Mercer University in 1976. While in Macon, he served as the adminis-
trative editor of the Mercer Law Review. “There’s something about the mind of attorneys and analyzing data and organizing and so forth — it’s a different mind that I had that didn’t fit that. I always enjoyed interacting with people in the community in work and in general, and law lent itself to that more. I also felt it gave you more opportunities to help people.” Ozburn first did that professionally when he came back to Covington to practice with Don Ballard, who then was a state senator. The firm was then known as Ballard, Thigpen & Griffith and now is Ballard, Stephenson & Waters and claims the title of the oldest continuously operating
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law firm in Newton County. In private practice, Ozburn said he “always enjoyed representing kind of the underdog — people who were hurt.” Ozburn viewed himself as “a counterpart to a family doctor here because I represented families” locally. “If the daughter was in a divorce or someone got a traffic ticket or they needed wills or were buying land or whatever may come up, I would try to help them with that,” he recalled. “Not knowing what was going to come in the door at any given time was a little bit of a challenge, but I always enjoyed just helping people. “I liked to represent David instead of Goliath, I guess is kind of the way that I looked at it.” Ozburn remained in the Ballard firm until going out on his own in 1979. Through it all, he settled in to life in Newton County. “I enjoyed it because both my wife and I were from Newton County,” he said. “Both our sons were still here. There are advantages and disadvantages, coming back to your hometown. I don’t know everybody now, but I knew everybody then. That helped a
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lot of times to get people to come to see you, but sometimes they didn’t come to see you because they knew you. It was kind of an interesting dynamic there.” When Ozburn set out on his own, he became the first downtown attorney with an office on the first floor of buildings on the Covington square. “Everybody else was up above the stores and it was hard for some of our older clients to walk up the steps,” he said. “I’d find myself in freezing cold talking to them in the window of their car, signing their will or a deed or whatever it may be. “It’s evolved over time and we’ve got a lot more lawyers now. I remember when the county broke 20,000 and now it’s, what, 110,000? So, a lot of changes have gone on and by and large they’re very positive.” Ozburn made a big career change more than 20 years ago when he left private practice to become a Superior Court judge in the Alcovy Circuit. At the time, the Alcovy Circuit had just two Superior Court judges for Newton and Walton counties. Chief Judge Marvin Sorrells and Judge John Ott, both
from Walton County, handled the entire case load and there was a need for a third judge. The state had approved a third judgeship, but a federal court challenge claiming violations of the 1965 Voting Rights Act across Georgia held up the majority of the 77 new positions from taking effect. Once the case was settled, Gov. Zell Miller appointed Ozburn. The new judge was sworn in at the state Capitol on Dec. 20, 1995, to take the bench on New Year’s Day 1996. “My boys were little then. It was in the House of Representatives chambers,” Ozburn recalled. “I was at that time the third judge. Now we’ve got five and that’s another reflection of the growth.” At the time, it was a standingroom-only crowd in Atlanta to see Ozburn’s ascendance to the bench. Miller called Ozburn “very well regarded as a professional leader,” according to The News at the time. The governor said Ozburn “clearly has the experience and it is obvious he has the intellect and the temperament to serve well and to serve wisely. Alcovy Circuit has a new judge and
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a good one.” Allene Burton, who was about to take office as the mayor of Covington, said Ozburn was “one of the finest men I know.” Ozburn said his parents taught him “by words and examples that a love of God and a love of family are a foundation for any success.” He pledged “diligence and fairness” to the people of Newton and Walton counties. That commitment shows during a day in Ozburn’s courtroom, be it in Covington or Monroe. His expression rarely changes and each defendant making a plea gets asked the same questions as all who have come before that day. It might make for a long session in the courtroom, but Ozburn wouldn’t have it any other way. “It’s got to be that way,” he said. “I always look at it as, the judiciary — and I think George Washington agreed with this — has to be the firmest pillar of our government. It is crucial that the people believe in and trust the judiciary. “When someone appears before me, I don’t cut corners with anybody whether it’s the president or a homeless person
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Submitted | Visions Samuel Ozburn volunteers with the local Salvation Army.
or whatever. Everybody has important rights and they deserve to be treated fairly no matter what they’ve done, because if the system operates perfectly, justice will be done. “If you begin to cut corners, you’re going to compromise all of that. Even when I talk to jurors, I try to explain to them, this is why we do what we do, so that they’re not sitting back there looking, having no idea with no idea, why are we going through this procedure, why are they asking me these questions?” Ozburn said it’s important to him that victims be heard and that even people convicted of a crime understand why a sentence is imposed. “They may not agree with us,
but I want them to at least understand this is why I’m doing it. Because you’ve violated your probation five times before, you’ve had these opportunities, and you’ve been given numerous chances, so this is why this sentence is much more severe than it’s been before.” His legendary patience also works to ensure a defendant’s rights have been upheld and understood, which can be a crucial question on appeal. “You can’t look back and somebody say, ‘Well, he never heard from me’ or ‘I never had my chance.’ If somebody’s going to give up a right, you don’t want them coming back later and saying, ‘Well, I didn’t understand.’ That’s why I go through all
Congratulations Judge Ozburn from the Covington Service Center Advisory Board, Staff and Volunteers! 5193 Washington Street, Covington, GA 30014
770-786-2107
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File Photo | Visions Samuel Ozburn is sworn in by Gov. Zell Miller. Also pictured is Ozburn’s son David, his wife Rhonda and his other son Britt.
the questions and say, ‘Have you talked to your lawyer?’, ‘Have you had enough time?’, ‘Is this your decision?’ and so forth,” Ozburn said. “All that goes into doing exactly what we’re required to do. It’s the kind of thing, I’m not holding myself up to be better or whatever, but not everybody has the constitution to do it because it can be very trying and it can be very emotional. You just have to train the way you think and the way that you act and the way that you react and so forth. “All that’s very important, and I guess that goes into any job a person does. That takes time. I keep lawyers and the DA and the public defender longer in court than I perhaps should sometimes, but if I’m going to make a mistake, it’s going to be on the side of making sure every ‘t’ is crossed and every ‘i’ is dotted instead of cutting a corner and later coming back and finding out we didn’t do something we should have done.” Helping Ozburn in those rough moments is the fact he’s girded by his faith and family. He and his wife, the former Rhonda Norman, have been married since 1974. They have two sons, Covington attorney David Ozburn,
and DeKalb County Public Library senior librarian Britt Ozburn. Sammy and Rhonda Ozburn have three granddaughters. The Ozburns are members of Eastridge Community Church in Newton County, where he serves as the chairman of the Board of Elders and teachers Bible study classes. Scott Moore, the senior pastor of Eastridge, said he looks up to Ozburn. “For me as a pastor, Sammy embodies what you want to see happen in a church. He’s a great man of faith. Sammy always puts his faith in action,” Moore said. “He’ll be the first one out serving with The Salvation Army with the church. Sammy loves to do that. One thing this church is known for, and I can trace it back to Sammy and our elders, is it has a heart for the hurting. He could have a very hard heart from what he hears every day, but it’s just the opposite. “A lot of the programs that he’s started and a lot of the things he’s started here at church, the people who are addicted or have broken the law, he wants to see them free. “I think he’s really one of the backbones of our church.”
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Youth of the Year
Dos Harper: The bee’s knees Jackie Gutknecht
Eastside and Newton College and Career Academy senior Dos Harper found his knack for all things FFA and beekeeping his sophomore year of high school when a teacher proposed the project to his class. Since then, he has found himself knee-deep in all things agriculture and has taken advantage of every opportunity available to him at NCCA. “At the beginning of my 10th grade year, Mr. Pollard, my teacher, he proposed the idea of the beekeeping project to the
class and I knew nothing about beekeeping at the time, but I said ‘Sure, why not.’ So, because I did that, I got to go to state convention for an interview at the end of my 10th grade year and whenever I went to that state convention, it was like an epiphany for me and I enjoyed it a lot,” he said. “I had a great time.” Since that day, Dos has gotten involved in all things FFA and now serves as the FFA president for NCCA. “I’ve never been involved with farming as a kid, so that’s the great thing about FFA,” he said. “A lot of people have perceived
it’s all about farming and it has really become much more diverse, much more than farming. “I’m not a farmer. Obviously, I have a lot of support for the farmers and I have a lot of respect for what they do, but I’m more into the beekeeping aspect, so more agricultural science. “My grandad has a garden and I’ve helped with him, but other than that I’ve never been into the farming aspect.” NCCA CEO/Principal Chad Walker said he has seen Dos grow over the span of his high school career. “He has evolved from a quiet,
yet exceptionally thoughtful student, into a leader who bravely shares his remarkable academic and aesthetic insight,” he said. “It says a lot about a student and a person when he volunteers to take on a task which is much more difficult than what is needed to get by. It is a reflection of his character and determination to succeed. I have never seen Doster back down from an academic challenge. He is currently in the top 10 percent of his projected graduating class because of his initiative to face and conquer academic challenges. “He combines intelligence
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with a drive to succeed that I have rarely seen, even in my best students. In an academic setting, Doster is the proverbial ‘man amongst boys.’ While this intellect is important to his success, the cornerstone of his achievement is the refusal to accept anything short of excellence from himself. In this regard, he is one of the most driven students I have been around in the last six years. Doster’s peers rise to challenges in order to compete with the standards of achievement he sets.” Newton County School System Superintendent Samantha Fuhrey said she is proud of Dos and his accomplishments. “He is an outstanding, hard-working student who is dedicated to his studies and taking the steps necessary to ensure he achieves his goals,” she said. “Dos serves as an ambassador for the school system through his valuable contributions to the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council. His leadership and participation in both local and state student organizations further demonstrates Dos’s desire to impact the world within and beyond the boundaries of Newton County. He is a well-rounded student whose work ethic, laser-like focus on his studies, and service to others makes him an exemplary choice for Youth of the Year.”
THE COVINGTON NEWS
Outside of FFA, Dos is a member of the Stewart Community Church youth group and runs track and cross country for his school. After high school, Dos said he has two options. “My first choice is to attend a service academy and then serve as an officer in the military afterwards,” he said. “However, if I don’t get into a service academy this year, I’m hoping to get into the University of Georgia. If I get into UGA, I want to major in agricultural science and environmental systems.” If he attends a service academy, Dos plans to serve in the military as long as he cans before pursuing a career in agricultural science. Earlier this year, Dos was honored as Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle’s February Student Spotlight as a student who explified academic and pathway success, extracurricular involvement and strong leadership skills. “Doster Harper is an exceptional young man with an admirable passion to make a difference in his community and the State of Georgia,” Cagle said. “As the nation’s forestry capital, Georgia is leading the way in innovation and opportunities for our students in the dynamic industry. I am excited Doster has chosen such a rewarding career path which will give him real-world experience
Submitted | Visions Dos Harper maintains bee hives as part of his FFA program.
through the support of Newton College and Career Academy.” Dos said he was excited about the honor. “That was really cool,” he said. “It was a cool experience and I’m glad that he chose me.”
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Employer of the Year
United Bank takes pride in community service David Clemons Name a prominent community event, and you’re likely to see employees of United Bank — from the market chairman to the most recent hire — on the scene, giving back to Newton County. “I think it is extremely important to be plugged in to our community, especially since they are our most valuable asset,” local board Chairman Thomas R. Kephart said. For its community involvement, United Bank is The Covington News’ 2018 Employer of the Year. The newspaper plans to make this an annual award for local businesses who show an outstanding investment in Newton County. United Bank’s history dates to a 1905 founding as The Bank of Zebulon. United Bank Corp. was created in 1981, and the
company expanded into Newton County in 2007 with a new banking office in Covington. Kephart’s family moved to Newton County when he was 14 months old. “From that point on, I have actually never lived outside of Newton County,” he said. “I was born in 1972, went to kindergarten at the “little red schoolhouse,” which was beside the YMCA on Newton Drive. I then went to Porterdale Elementary, Cousins Middle School, Newton County High School, and I commuted back and forth to Atlanta to attend Georgia State University for my bachelor’s degree.” Kephart was trying to decide his career path when Phil Stone got a copy of his resume. Stone was a member of the board of First National Bank of Newton County and happened to employ Kephart’s then-fiancée, Amy. Stone forwarded the re-
sume on to John Williams, who hired Kephart as a management associate. “I never thought I would stay in Newton County, but Mr. Williams kept challenging me with more responsibility, and eventually was able to take over as the CFO (chief financial officer) of FNB,” Kephart said. “He allowed me to get my MBA (Master of Business Administration) from Mercer University, and he also allowed me to attend the Graduate School of Banking at LSU during my time there.” Synovus purchased First National in 2003 after Williams’ death. Kephart was the community executive for the Bank of North Georgia before becoming the division president for United Bank in 2011. In more than six years at United, Kephart has seen his employees be involved in numerous organizations including Rotary,
Kiwanis and Lions clubs; Project ReNeWal; the Covington-Newton County Arts Association; the Covington Family YMCA; the Georgia Wildlife Federation; Friends of the Newton County Miracle Field; Chimney Park; the Washington Street Community Center; Action Ministries; Newton County Chamber of Commerce; Leadership Newton County; the Fuzz Run; Partners in Education; Relay For Life; the Covington Woman’s Club; the Satsuki Garden Club; Southern Heartland Arts Association and the Boys & Girls Clubs, among others. “In most cases we take an active leadership role in these organizations including board membership or major donor,” Kephart said. “We also really support our local athletic teams. We also have a strong relationship with Oxford College, and we are active in activities with
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Submitted| Visions United Bank gives back through a donation to the Salvation Army.
Georgia State University’s local campus as well. “We also make additional
charitable donations each year to some community groups that help those in need, such
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Submitted| Visions United Bank staff members volunteer at the Taste of Newton event.
as the Community Food Pantry, The Salvation Army, the Rotary Empty Stocking Fund and Repairers of the Breach, among others. “The bottom line is, our directors, officers and staff feel that it is vitally important to stay engaged in the community, and we always want to do our part.” The involvement hasn’t gone unnoticed. “United Bank is a community-focused bank that treats their employees with the same great respect as they treat their customers,” Ralph Staffins, the president of the Newton County Chamber, said. “I am proud of this well-deserved recognition of one of our great chamber members.” United Bank is a silver-level “chamber champion,” and Kephart serves as the board chairman for 2018. Kephart said he thinks his home community has a bright future. “I think that Newton County is perfectly positioned for the growth that we are about to see,” he said. “Many people view Newton as a bedroom community for those commuting back and forth
to Atlanta. However, we are attracting very good wage-paying jobs to the county, and I think that you will find more and more people that live and work locally. “We are truly a cultural melting pot. Virtually every race and religion is represented in Newton County, and I think that the citizens of Newton County have done a pretty good job in embracing diversity as the community has continued to evolve.” Kephart said he loves the fact Newton residents can take advantage of many recreational activities and expects more and more retail and other business opportunities won’t be far behind. “I think that as new industry gravitates toward Covington, there will be continued demand for quality housing in the area,” he said. “I am convinced that we will see greater demand for live-work space and higher-end townhouses, particularly around the nucleus of Covington. I also believe this trend will find its way into the county over time. “The beauty of Newton County is that we have room for quality expansion of both industry and housing, and we simply need to uphold quality standards.”
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Unsung Hero
Andre Cooper: ‘A humble spirit and a good heart’ Darryl Welch There are easily recognizable heroes we see around us everyday like firefighters, cops, nurses and teachers. We see them go about their daily jobs and we know the contributions they make to so-
ciety. A little less easy to recognize are the unsung heroes. Those are the people who toil in anonymity to make life better for those around them. And then there’s 2018 Unsung Hero Award winner Newton County sheriff’s deputy Cpl. Andre
Cooper. He’s both. As the founding chairman of the Boys and Girls Club of Newton County, Cooper has been spearheading the drive to bring the club to the west side of the county. “I love Newton County. I think the Boys and Girls Club will be an additional re-
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source to help that area,” he said, “Give kids something to do. Especially the teens. There’s not much of anything over there and I think if we had them there with their own Boys and Girls Club, where they could take ownership of it, I think they will take pride in it and stop some of the other outside things. “I think if we had the Boys and Girls Club, we can group them in and give them the proper life skill, training, educational programs. I think the Boys and Girls Club would be a great tool because I have seen it do wonderful for other places and other counties and I think we need that here.” Cooper said he has been working for 12 years to bring a club to Newton County. He said the biggest obstacle the project faces right now is funding. “Right now, it’s the funding. One thing with the Boys and Girls Club is it’s funded on its own. So we’re going to have
to raise money. Fundraise in order to deal with yearly budget. We’re going to have people come in and take ownership as well and help with the fundraising,” he said. Cooper said the yearly budget for club would be around $300,000. He said the cost to build a building would be approximately $1.5 million. He said they looked for an empty building to use for the club without much success. “We tried to look at several locations where the buildings were already existing, but it was almost more than some of the other places,” he said. “We could have possibly found some other place but it would have been outside the area that we want to serve.” Cooper said the goal for the club is to provide a place for the area’s youth to get life skills and have some activities. “We’d like to have sports as well, and maybe some tutoring. Basically, a place they can
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WE ARE PROUD OF YOU ! PV B C G A .O R G 1 0 2 0 1 F L ATS H OA L S R D. COV I N GTO N , G A 3 0 0 1 4
come in and get some training, education and life skills,” he said. Cooper ’s extracurricular community involvement doesn’t end with his work on behalf of the Boys and Girls Club. He’s also served as a member of the Newton County Recreation Authority. He’s motivated to be involved in the community. “A lot of it is people. I love people and I look at myself coming up as being a religious person, I always considered myself as a servant, looking after others,” he said, “If you look at all the jobs I’ve had, I’ve always been of service. Just the fact of enjoying people. “And then I work with Sheriff (Ezell) Brown, and I watch him do things in the community as well and I always just wanted to give back to the community.” Married with a 14-yearold daughter, Cooper said his daughter inspires him to continue to work toward a Boys and Girls Club here. “I wanted to make sure that she grew up in a place where she had the resource of a Boys and Girls Club. When I grew up I didn’t have that. So that was another inspiration to me to get a Boys and Girls Club so she would have that resource. Before his time with the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, Cooper spent 15 years with the Covington Police Department. As a lifelong cop, he said he thinks his involve-
THE COVINGTON NEWS ment trying to help kids helps change the perception of law enforcement in the community. “I always want to help close that gap between the community and officers,” he said, “I see things that go on in other counties and I don’t want that here in Newton County. I don’t want it anywhere else, but I don’t want it here.” In addition to his involvement with the Boys and Girls Club and formerly with the Rec Board, Cooper serves on the Rockdale Juvenile Justice Board. He is also involved with in Kiwanis and with various projects around the county, working with elected officials on projects. Georgia State Representative Pamela Dickerson said of Cooper. “I have known him for many years and can not think of a more deserving person who has done so much for the community and Newton County. He never says no and I wonder when he takes time to pause.” Georgia State Senator Tonya Anderson called Cooper a servant leader, committed to the community. She offered these words to him: “You often work in the background and allow others to shine. Your humble spirit and good heart will always open doors for you. Blessings and congratulations on receiving your award.” Congratulations to Andre Cooper, 2018 Unsung hero award winner.
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Unsung Hero
Wendy Hankins never misses a moment to care Gabriel Stovall
For Wendy Hankins, it’s more a calling than a career. It has to be, considering how Piedmont Newton Hospital’s only cancer navigator found her way from more traditional work as a registered nurse to a position that she describes as a hybrid counselor, caretaker and empathetic friend — one who’s on-call pretty much all the time, by the way. Hankins comes from a long line of healthcare professionals, including her mother and mother-in-law, and she herself knew she wanted to be a nurse since age 12. “It was probably all of those dinner table conversations I heard when I was a child that piqued my interest in the medical profession,” Hankins said. Prior to taking the position
as cancer navigator four years ago, she spent 15 years as registered nurse — nine of those at Piedmont Newton — all in the emergency room. But anyone who’s spent any time working in a hospital’s ER knows the kind of physical and emotional grind it can place on a person. Such was the case with Hankins. But her emergency room fatigue was the very thing that set her up to search for a change. “ER can be tough,” Hankins said. “And sometimes you can get burned out. I started to notice that I didn’t have the passion that I had before, and I felt like I needed a change for both me and my family. So I prayed a lot about it. ER was I all I knew, but I asked God to point me in the right direction.” The guidance began to show up one day while Hankins was on break in the emergency room. She took the free time to peruse
the job board, and that’s when she saw the open position for cancer navigator. “I don’t know what made me decide to do it that day,” she said. “But when I saw the posting for a cancer navigator, the first thing I thought was, ‘That’s interesting. I wonder what that is.’” Four years and multiple cancer patients later, Hankins has a much clearer understanding. As a cancer navigator, Hankins’ primary duty is to provide multi-layered support to women who receive a cancer diagnosis. Many of her stories are about women and their families who would come in for testing scared, but hopeful, only to become temporarily devastated upon hearing the news. But it’s at that moment when Hankins and her support team go into overdrive to make sure the cancer patient and her family know they aren’t alone.
“With navigation, I get to be a nurse, a therapist, an educator, a party planner,” she said with a chuckle. “It’s different than when in the ER. In the ER, it’s fast-paced and you’re moving, moving, moving. Get them stabilized and get them out. Even though you form bonds with patients and see repeat patients, you don’t really have the time to dive into a patient’s life.” That isn’t an issue in Hankins’ navigator role. One of her most memorable moments over the last four years is when she had the opportunity to walk through a breast cancer diagnosis with a woman in her early 30s. “She was in her early 30s,” Hankins said. “Not married, no children and settled into her career. She was about the same age as my children, so that hits home. But her breast cancer diagnosis hit her out of the blue.
64 She was totally devastated. She thought the plan for her life was totally blown apart.” Hankins gave the young lady her cellphone number — something she does for every patient she connects with — and told her to call or text at any time, whenever she had a hard time dealing with things. For this particular patient, that would be close to bed time. “She would call or text anywhere between 10 and 11:30 at night. After her day is done and she’s in her pajamas, curled up in bed, that’s when her mind would start working,” Hankins said. “She’d call and have questions, or would just need someone to voice her fears to. I’d stay up and talk with her as long as I needed. And when she got off, she’d hopefully be able to get a good night’s rest.” But the true highlight in this situation came after this patient’s treatment. “It was the greatest joy for me to see her at the end of treatment and hear her say, ‘You’re
FACES right. My life didn’t have to end. I can still have so many of the things I wanted.’ To be a part of that entire journey from thinking life was over to saying she’s got her life back, that was really amazing.” Although Hankins is the only cancer navigator at Piedmont Newton, she noted that cancer navigator positions are becoming more common, particularly in larger hospitals. “It’s grown because patients are pushing for it,” she said. Some navigators, like Hankins, have the medical expertise from their days in nursing to help patients make sense of the things their doctor are saying and doing. Others are trained as lay navigators — the kind that only cater to the emotional support needs of a cancer patient. But for Hankins, one of the things that makes what she does so special is the flexibility she has with how she can care for patients. In addition to always being available on call, Hankins can continue supporting a pa-
tient even after their treatment takes them away from Piedmont Newton. When that happens, Hankins can connect the patient to another navigator in another hospital while still, herself, staying in close contact with that patient, providing sort of a “double team” effect. Beyond the day-to-day interactions with patients, Hankins also finds joy in helping run the Hope Boutique, housed within Piedmont Newton. Hope was started a little over a decade ago by radiology director Lisa McWilliams and Kay Goff, a cancer survivor. The boutique provides wigs, clothing and prosthetics to cancer patients who otherwise can’t afford them. It wasn’t long after Hankins connected with the boutique that she helped lead it to expand its reach. “More and more, one of the things I was seeing as a navigator were women needing gas money to get back and forth to appointments,” Hankins said. “They were being forced to make a choice of, ‘Should I pay my co-pay or get gas for my car? Should I fill my prescription or buy groceries for my family?’” Hankins helped lead the effort to provide funds for cancer patients who needed help with paying mortgages, rent and utilities. Gas and grocery cards were provided, and Hope Boutique was even able to come to the rescue of those who needed cellphone minutes. “At first I thought cellphone minutes was a bit of a frivolous concern,” she recalled, “until I encountered a patient who asked for cellphone minutes because she was homeless at the time, and the only way she could communicate with her doctors was by that cellphone. It was literally a life line for her. So in those ways, it’s nice to see the reach of Hope Boutique expand.” Although Hankins finds much fulfillment in her current role, she acknowledges it isn’t without its struggles. She says the most consistently difficult parts
THE COVINGTON NEWS of her job involve having to help break the news to a patient with cancer. But it’s almost immediately replaced by her sense of duty to help them get through that initial shock and know that cancer doesn’t have to be the feared death sentence it once was. “After they hear the diagnosis, I always lead into my talks with them by letting them know we’re going to develop a plan and some processes and steps to get them on the road to treatment,” she said. “I tell them they’ll have to make some pretty big decisions fairly quickly, but that we’ll always do it together. We’ll get them through it.” Hankins said what gets her through is her faith in God, as well as the memory of walking with her own husband who went through his own bout with a long-term illness. “He’s ok now,” she said. “But at the time, it was overwhelming. My mom and mother-inlaw were nurses, so I had those resources, but it was still overwhelming to see how it changes every aspect of your life, your children’s lives. Just everyone. I remember that, and can’t imagine having to go through that alone, so that motivates me to keep coming back to this day after day.” Hankins’ heart extends also to those who may not have cancer, but need to remain vigilant regarding their health. “Get your screenings. Your mammograms, prostate exams, lung screenings, heart screenings,” she says. “They can truly save your life.” But the one thing she says she wants people — whether current or potential patients — to know most is her availability is not a cliche. “I’m always here. Anytime, day or night. Things don’t always happen between 9 and 5,” she said. “And please know, you’re not a bother to me. I can’t help if I don’t know there’s a need, so don’t cheat me out of helping you. Anyone who makes a cancer patient feel like they’re a bother, well, that person needs to find different care.”
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Unsung Hero
Claudia Minge ‘too blessed’ by Newton County’s good to focus on the bad Gabriel Stovall
Claudia Minge is no attention -seeker. She shies away from the spotlight, even as she enjoys seeing her home community thrive in it. She gets uncomfortable — almost anxious — about things like taking photos of herself or receiving awards and accolades for the tireless service she’s given to Covington and Newton County over the years. But when it comes time to talk about her passion and love for the community she was born and raised in, Minge becomes another person — one uninhibited by nerves or skiddishness. One who will take any and every opportunity to boast about the
community she loves. Take, for instance, when Minge, an administrative assistant at First Covington United Methodist Church, was given the Martin Luther King Jr. Dreamer award recently. It was for her work specifically with the area’s annual Day of Service — an 9-year old event originally designed as a simple way for her church to give back that turned into a yearly gathering of over close to 4,000 area residents who share in giving resources and love to those who need it most. Minge recalled her shock when she realized she was doing more than just showing up to the award ceremony as one of many regular participants. “I just thought I was attending the event,” Minge said. “No one
gave me any heads-up about me receiving the award. I was just sitting there think how it was a lovely, very powerful service. The mayor, the county commissioner, the board of education chair, the sheriff. They all got up and spoke and I’m sitting here thinking how this just speaks volumes of our community.” And then someone got up and to talk about the Dreamer award. And they began talking about the Day of Service, and Change the World Day — another event powered behind the scenes by Minge and others who work with her. “At first I’m thinking, ‘Oh this sounds nice,’” she said. “And then my senior pastor at my church was on one side and my daughter was on the other side and they were looking at each other and
I said, ‘Oh my.’ I was absolutely floored.” Minge received the award grudgingly — not because she wasn’t honored, but because it just isn’t in her to look for such accolades. “I don’t look for recognition, and I don’t expect it,” Minge said. “I’m a fly-under-the-radar girl. There are so many other people who do so much that make these things I’m involved in happen. This award is not my award. This is the community’s award. That’s how I feel about it.” But when she stood in front of the audience gathered for the award ceremony, Minge had absolutely no problem talking about one of her greatest loves — the place she calls home. “I was born and raised in this
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community,” she said. “So I have a deep love for this community. When I look around and see all the unhappy things going on in our world, it’s special when we get to do things like a Day of Service or Change the World Day to to see that there’s so much good too.” Change the World Day is also an annual event where people from across different faith backgrounds and various walks of life gather on the square to pray for the city of Covington, Newton County and all who make it go. Like the First Covington UMC Day of Service, Minge is the administrative energy behind it all, helping things to run smoothly and without a hitch — behind the scenes, of course. “You see people loving each other and caring for each other and praying for each other,” she said. “You learn that we are not separate. We all have different churches and other differences, but we’re all God’s people. We may be different groups and businesses, but we should always
have that sense of community. I can talk about those things all day.” Even before Minge started working at Covington First UMC and for various service-based events across the area, she was heavily invested into the Covington and Newton County community as the owner of Claudia’s Flowers on the square. She was one of Covington’s foremost florists for over 20 years before issues with allergies forced her to step away from the business. But even then, she took pride in using her gifts to help make her fellow neighbors smile. She says the way that she seamlessly transitioned from florist to church administrator was nothing short of “God making things fall into place” for her to continue loving on the community as she always had — just in a different capacity. That passion was instilled in her from the beginning stages of life. “It’s the way my momma raised me,” she said. “She raised
me with a great sense of family and friends and community. She taught me to love people, but to always give back. I was raised in Newton County, educated here. I had a business that provided me a living, but it also was a ministry to me. For 20 years as a florist, we went through life, births, wedding and deaths, celebrations and holidays, so it’s all been very personal for me.” And that’s why she admittedly gets choked up when she begins to talk about it — whether it’s in front of a large crowd at an awards ceremony, or speaking to a smaller group at a Rotary Club lunch, or even talking to someone on a one-on-one basis. She sheds those tears because she counts it a privilege to lead the ministries and service opportunities she leads. And she says that even with the difficulties that inevitable negativity that sometimes invades her home community, Newton County has nothing to be ashamed of. “You can go to any community
THE COVINGTON NEWS across this country, and there’s always some negative thing happening, or some crime or people who are making bad choices,” Minge said. “But I think if you really are looking beyond that, you will always find the good. There are so many good people in this community. So many good, Christian people in this community.” Which is why she has a very simple policy for anyone who wants to make it a habit to bring negativity and bad vibes her way — don’t. “With education, recreation, arts, health, this county and community has so much to offer,” she said. “But you have to go to that place. You have to gravitate to all those positives. And so when people get bogged down in the negative and petty, I can’t go there. There’s too much to feel blessed about. Let’s focus more on people and let’s focus more on the good. “That’s why I do what I do.” Congratulations to Claudia Minge, 2018 Unsung hero award winner.
THANK YOU Coving ton’s
to the City of
UNSUNG
Thank you to the helping hands of our unsung heroes at the City of Covington.
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Covington Women’s Health Specialists Roll Out the Red Carpet For Our Patients With Celebratory after Delivery Dinners!
Dr. Cathy Larrimore
Dr. Michelle White
Brenda Barlowe, CNM
Dr. Jessie Bender
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Rhonda Cook, WHNP
Dr. Sherley Samuels
Kerry Dewberry, WHNP
Dr. Meridith Farrow
Chris Hilderbrandt, CNM
Cherish Fanakos, CNM
Barb Susin, CNM
Denise Cochran, CNM
Expectant Moms: We Celebrate the Birth of Your New Baby! A Special Celebration Dinner is our gift* to You and your Partner! A Chef-driven, locally sourced meal from Covington’s own CITY PHARMACY will be delivered to your hospital room along with a bottle of sparkling cider after your baby is delivered.
Cheers to you and your growing family!
*Special menu items; offer is good for a limited time only. Exclusively offered to patients who are delivered by Covington Women’s Health Specialists’ providers at Piedmont Newton Hospital.
4181 Hospital Drive NE, Suite 101 & 104, Covington, GA 30014
770-385-8954
Obstetrics Gynecology
5154 Cook Street, NE, Covington, GA 30014
www.cwhs-larrimore.com