January 19, 2010

Page 1

More troops, aid go to Haiti, but hunger persists

‘Avatar’ aims for Oscar glory

What’s in a cigarette? FDA to study ingredients

— see page 3

— see page 12

— see page 7

145th year — Issue 19

1 Section, 12 Pages

Established 1865

Newnan, Georgia

ISSN. NO. 0883-2536

50 cents

Coweta’s Local Daily

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

What killed Newnan woman?

Her vehicle veers off bypass into stormwater detention pond By SARAH FAY CAMPBELL sarah@newnan.com

Photo by Jeffrey Leo

Moments after the car went off the road and into the pond, Coweta County Fire Capt. Craig Sherrer wears a self-contained breathing apparatus and prepares to enter the submerged vehicle to look for other passengers. Assisting are Lt. Chase Freeman and Officer Jeremy Wood of the Newnan Police Department.

A Newnan woman died Monday after her vehicle veered off the Newnan Crossing Bypass and into a stormwater detention pond, but the cause of death is still under investigation. Debra Brannon, 52, was pronounced dead by Coweta Coroner Ray Yeager. Yeager said Brannon’s remains will be sent to the state medical examiner’s office for an autopsy. There was some trauma to Brannon’s body, Yeager said. Her death may have been caused by a medical condition that caused the motor vehicle crash, or she may have just wrecked then drowned, he said. Shortly before the crash occurred just south of the Ashley Park center, someone called 911 to report a woman driving erratically in the parking lot of the Newnan McDonald’s. The description matched that of Brannon’s vehicle, said Trooper Russell Clark of the Georgia State Patrol, who is investigating the accident. There were no witnesses who saw exactly what

See WRECK, page 2

Newnan HELPING ONE ROOF AND FOOD PANTRY continues Volunteers honor Martin Luther King’s legacy ‘Pothole Patrol’ By W. WINSTON SKINNER winston@newnan.com

By ELIZABETH RICHARDSON

erichardson@newnan.com

Newnan patched an estimated 325 potholes in 2009, but the recent winter freezes have the potential to wreak havoc on roads. The freezes and thaws of winter take a toll on the streets as moisture gets into the pavement and expands, breaking up the pavement below the surface. Luckily, Newnan is continuing its well-received “Pothole Patrol” and will resume work on these street-level nuisances now that the weather has improved, according to city Public Works Director/City Engineer Michael Klahr. Citizens are once again invited to call the city to report a pothole. The city’s goal is to patch them within 72 hours of learning about them. Klahr

See POTHOLES,

Photo by Bob Fraley

Georgia Power Company employees volunteered for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday Monday, helping at One Roof Ecumenical Outreach MInistries and the Coweta Community Food Pantry. Kneeling are Nancy Gamble and Mario Castillo. Standing are Candace Gamble, Phillip Thomas, Sylvia Castillo, Jenny Rice, Bernard Knox, Derrick Smith, Derenda Rowe of One Roof, Todd Chesnut, and Denzel Smith. Not pictured are Lynn Evans, Ken Evans, Henry Teagle Jr. and page 2 Georgia Power Area Manager Jan Alligood.

Local Georgia Power Company employees celebrated the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday Monday by helping out at One Roof Ecumenical Outreach MInistries and the Coweta Community Food Pantry in Newnan. “This is pretty much becoming an annual thing with them,” noted Derenda Rowe, executive director of both One Roof and the food pantry. “I’m very appreciative.” In honor of King’s legacy, Georgia Power employees used Monday, a company holiday, for volunteer service and community enhancement, said company spokesperson Konswello J. Monroe. Employees in Georgia Power’s Metro South Region, which includes Coweta as well as Butts, Clayton, Fayette, Henry and South Fulton counties, commemorated the day by volunteering with several community organizations. One Roof, an alliance of churches from different denominations that bring community resources together to meet the financial and spiritual needs of individuals struggling in the

community, was the organization selected for the Georgia Power service project in Coweta. Fourteen people came to One Roof’s headquarters — 320C Temple Ave. on Monday morning. They helped in the food pantry — bringing food into the building from a storage container outdoors and then sorting it and checking it for expiration dates. “Chick-fil-A provided lunch for them, so that’s a great thing,” Rowe said. Georgia Power employees have volunteered at One Roof in the past on MLK Day. They also have helped in other ways. “They’ve been very supportive of the food pantry this year — several different groups from Georgia Power,” she said. Other places in the region where Georgia Power employees volunteered Monday included Rainbow House, Securus House and Hope House, Clayton County; Haven House, Henry County; Fayette Care Clinic, Fayette County; and Christian City, south Fulton.

See VOLUNTEERS, page 2

Thomas manned the ‘Flying Fortress,’ rode the ‘Mustang’ By FREDDY BURDESHAW Special to The Times-Herald

Captain Earl Thomas is dressed for military duty in 1944 after he had transitioned from flying B-17s to P51s.

Earl N. Thomas is one of a rare breed these days, even among the many rare breeds of “The Greatest Generation” — the Americans who won World War II and established the United States as a superpower. While helping to defeat Adolf Hitler and his Nazi

cronies in that awful war, Thomas piloted 33 strategic bombing missions in the venerable B-17 “Flying Fortress” bomber. This service qualified him for a ticket home from the fighting in Europe. At that time, bomber crew members were commonly relieved and sent back to the States for softer duties after completing 25 missions.

Earl Thomas is an uncommon man. Instead of accepting more relaxed work back in the safety of the homeland, Thomas took the very unusual step of volunteering for more combat, this time flying the great P-51 “Mustang”fighter. He eventually flew 10 combat missions in that aircraft into Germany. The 88-year-old Thomas, a

resident of Peachtree City, settled in the metro area when he hired on with Delta in 1949. He and his wife Patricia, have three daughters, Kathleen, Deborah, and Mary, who live on the north side. His son, John, also lives in Peachtree City. After World War II and

See THOMAS,

Earl Thomas was a World War II pilot and later worked page 2 for Delta Airlines.

Take our online poll at www.times-herald.com

Call us Miss your newspaper: For advertising, news:

770-304-3373 770-253-1576

REUSE THE NEWS. Recycle this newspaper.

Today’s weather Mostly sunny, high in the lower 60s More weather page 2

Index Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Community Forum . . . . . . .4 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.