CMYK Thursday, October 30, 2014
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Early voting ends Friday for Nov. 4 races Total turnout for Tuesday election anticipated to be similar to mid-term cycle of 2010
Early voting for the Nov. 4 General Election wraps up on Friday, which is Halloween day, so traffic getting to and from early voting locations that afternoon could prove to be problematic. That is why some voters are opting to enjoy the convenience of casting their ballot in advance – but in advance of Friday. With TV and radio ads keeping the close statewide races at the forefront and candidates continuing to hammer home their campaign messages during debates and across-the-state appearances, the countdown to Election Day is a welcome relief for some. Others are savoring the wait until Tuesday to head to the polls to experience Election Day balloting. The race between incumbent Republican Gov. Nathan Deal, Democratic challenger Jason Carter and Libertarian Andrew Hunt has included debates which have given the
candidates an opportunity to try and parlay their poltical savvy into votes. The Georgia U.S. Senate contest between Republican nominee David Perdue, Democratic candidate Michelle Nunn and Libertarian Amanda Swafford may be too close to call with just days remaining until Election Day. There are also other contested races on the ballot including that for State School Superintendent along with some statewide proposals. In Jackson County, early voting is continuing at the Jackson County Administrative Building in Jefferson from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through tomorrow. Two satellite early voting sites are available – in the community room
of the Braselton Police & Municipal Court Building, located at 5040 Highway 53 in Braselton, and at Commerce Parks & Rec, the Commerce satellite location at 204 Carson St. On Election Day, the Jackson County Administrative Building will not be a polling place as each voter will have to go to their respective home precinct to cast a ballot. Early voting for Barrow voters is being held at the Barrow County Administration Building at 233 E. Broad St., in Winder, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday. In Hall County, early voting will be at the Hall County Board of Elections and Voter Registration office at 2875 Browns Bridge Road in Gainesville from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Halloween happenings prompt plea for due care
BRASELTON
Festival weekend good for business
By FARAH BOHANNON
fbohannon@clickthepaper.com
It was a festival-filled weekend in Braselton. The bi-annual Antique & Holiday Festival was hosted as well as the first Braselton Antique Festival for Charity on Davis Street. This new festival benefited Peace Place, a domestic violence program that assists survivors of family violence in Banks, Barrow and Jackson counties, and the tally of donations is still being tabulated at presstime. The Braselton Antique & Holiday Festival had more than 150 booths that showcased a variety of items — home décor, antiques, jewelry, repurposed items, furniture, gourmet food and much more. The Braselton Antique Festival for Charity included booths on the closed-off section of Davis Street with antiques, collectibles, vintage finds, repurposed items, jewelry and much more. This festival also included live entertainment from Grace, a young violin player, live music and square dancing. Both were successful and brought a lot of shoppers to Braselton. Kristi McCook of Kristi’s Country Store said her store served more than 600 sandwiches over the weekend to break the spring festival tally. She is setting a target of 800 sandwiches for the next festival. With the promise of beautiful weather, downtown Braselton was
See FESTIVAL WEEKENd, 2A
through Friday. In Gwinnett County, the Voter Registration and Elections Main Office is at 455 Grayson Highway, Suite 200, in Lawrenceville where there will be balloting from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday. A number of other early voting locations are also available in Gwinnett County through Oct. 31. Oct. 25 was an early Saturday voting option for voters, and early turnout to date finds election officials projecting that turnout numbers for the Nov. 4 election will be similar to the voter turnout from the 2010 mid-term elections. Early voter turnout has this far been the highest in Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett and Henry counties. Go to www.mvp.sos.ga.gov to verify your polling location, to get early voting site details or to view a copy of the sample ballot for the Nov. 4 election.
Charles Phelps The Paper
The light from the lantern held by tour guide Donna Butler illuminates the faces of those on one of the Haints & Saints excursions into Woodbine Cemetery on Oct. 25.
Haunting history
Cemetery tour connects past with present By FARAH BOHANNON
fbohannon@clickthepaper.com
The 2014 historic Haints and Saints Cemetery Tour was a huge success for the Crawford Long Museum. Main Street Jefferson Department Head Beth Laughinghouse said that 300 tickets were sold for this year’s tours which greatly exceeds 2013’s numbers. She said less than 250 were sold last year. “We are so thrilled with our turnout this year,” said Laughinghouse. “Not only did we have 300 tickets sell, the entire process moved smoothly and efficiently.” The cemetery tours took place Oct. 2425 with the Sunday afternoon tour cancelled due to lack of signups. Most likely, tour-goers preferred venturing into the darkness for their step back into history to get acquainted with some of Jefferson’s long-dead residents. Tours began at the Crawford Long Museum where guests received their information booklets, souvenir bookmarks and tour lanyards and browsed through
the Long gallery to absorb as much information about Dr. Long as possible before the tour began. The tours went smoothly and did not bump into each other while navigating Woodbine Cemetery. The tour guides — Donna Butler, Sherry Moore, Hilda Smith, Joshua Whitfield and David Wortham were dressed up in clothes from the 1800s and did a marvelous job of narrating the tour groups. They started each tour in the historic Pendergrass building where Dr. Long was introduced. Dr. Long is now 199 years old and started out his introduction with a brief history about himself and how he achieved his medical doctor status — which was very different than the process of becoming a doctor in today’s times. Long was the first doctor to discover and use anesthesia during surgical procedures and did so with a chemical called Ether. He realized that young hoodlums used it while partying and had no pain or
See HISTORY, 5A
Friday is Halloween and area law enforcement agencies are urging motorists to keep a keen eye out for excited, costumed youngsters who may run out into traffic while trick or treating. A number of Halloween happenings can provide some safe alternatives to house-to-house trick or treating including: • Braselton Chiropractic and Fredrick’s Jewelry is issuing an invitation to enjoy some fall fun at Mulberry Walk Shopping Center starting at 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 31. Enjoy hayrides, a dunking booth, cake walk, face painting and more fall fun as 14 businesses will be handing out candy for trick or treaters in costume. • Mayfield Dairy Visitor Center in Braselton will be giving away orange sherbet Pop-ups to any child (ages 2-12) dressed up for Halloween between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Friday. You must be dressed up to receive a Pop-Up and mention the Facebook ad. Only one pop-up per child. • The annual Jefferson Halloween Walk for costumed children 12 and under is on Friday from 4-6 p.m. in downtown Jefferson. There will be face painting, hay rides, treats and tricks. In conjunction with Jefferson’s downtown walk, First Baptist Church of Jefferson is having a Trunk or Treat. The church will have several cars lined up with candy for kids. The church will also have hot dogs, the fixings, drinks and popcorn to all who come while supplies last. The time is from 4-6 p.m. All candy and food is free to the public. Everyone is encouraged to take advantage of the church parking lot while enjoying the downtown Jefferson Walk. With Halloween so close, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office cautions residents, parents and others to be aware of sex offenders who live in and around their neighborhoods and encourage them to avoid those homes when taking their children and other youth trick or treating. A list of registered sex offenders can be found on your county sheriff’s office website and at www.gbi.georgia.gov. See more Halloween-related safety information from local law enforcement on Page 6A.
Peace Place saving and improving lives for families By Katie Griffin
For The Paper
Peace Place held the 14th annual Candlelight Vigil on Oct. 14 at The Tree House in Commerce. There were several Peace Place associates, Commerce City councilmen and police officers present. “It’s assuring to know that here at Peace Place, we’re saving and improving lives every day,” said Dr. Nikki Tobias, executive director of Peace Place. Tobias explained the seriousness of her job saying that they do a lot of good but there are still so many people who need help. Just in the month of September, Peace Place housed 1,200 bed nights. Georgia is the sixth highest state in the country for teen domestic violence and
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ninth in the country for women killed in domestic violence. One in three teens will be involved in a domestic violence relationship. In
Tobias
Volume 9, Number 1 Forum Obituaries Puzzles Schools Sports
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the past year, 70 lives were lost in the state of Georgia due to domestic violence. “The Banks and Jackson county vigil is a beautiful and poignant way to honor the 70 people who lost their lives to domestic violence in Georgia over the last 12 months. This event raises awareness for domestic violence, for Peace Place and the services we provide, and for the seriousness and intensity of the violence people experience every day in their relationships,” said Tobias. A candlelight vigil is also held in Barrow County as Peace Place serves the Piedmont Judicial Circuit and beyond. Tobias stressed the importance of reaching out to friends, family or neighbors who are in a violent
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situation. She says that domestic violence does not discriminate in gender, socioeconomic status, age or race. The guest speaker, DeLane Phillips, who is a survivor of domestic violence, described one night a while ago where she knew a decision had to be made. She had just called 911 and was waiting on an ambulance to arrive when her teenage daughter told her that she had a choice to make and, once she made it, there was no turning back. Shortly after that is when Phillips called Peace Place. She and her daughter were given a safe place to stay. “I knew it was ultimately up to me. I was tired of fighting the same old war. And looking back, it feels
really good to not be weighted down and not be fearful and insecure,” said Phillip, who explained how she grew up in Maysville and was taught how a southern woman was supposed to behave. They are supposed to be quiet and calm and obedient. She tried to maintain that image while in an abusive relationship and it was that expectation that kept her there for so long. Phillips said there was a saying from her childhood that stayed in the back of her mind for many years: “keep it in the family,” meaning that the family’s problems did not need to be told or spoken about because it was private. Feeling isolated and not allowed to ask
See PEACE PLACE, 2A
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