MyConnection FEBRUARY 24, 2016
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Published every Wednesday by The Newnan Times-Herald
Y O U R W E E K LY C O N N E C T I O N T O C O M M U N I T Y N E W S , R E C I P E S , G O C A L E N DA R & M O R E !
Barron, Walton INSI DE Slow -C
Reci ooker pes ➤ PAG E3
Warm Up
Inducted into Local Sports Hall of Fame
Slow-Cooked Pork with Soy and Smashed Sweet Potatoes
with Simple Slow-Cooker Meals FAMILY FEATURES
D
uring the cold winter months, a hearty, homecooked meal is just the thing you need to warm up. After a long day, it can be tough to find time or energy to get dinner on the table – so take advantage of your slow cooker and let it do all of the work for you. A few minutes of morning prep time are all you need for a rich, satisfying dinner that’s
ready to serve the moment you walk through the door. With the right ingredients, you can prepare a flavorful home-cooked meal that the whole family will love in less than 30 minutes. Pre-seasoned in a variety of delicious flavors, like Peppercorn & Garlic or Applewood Smoked Bacon, Smithfield Marinated Fresh Pork is the perfect base for any slowcooked meal and makes prep time even easier. Whether cubed for a hearty stew or left whole
to slice or shred, Marinated Fresh Pork offers endless and easy meal solutions, perfect for any night of the week. For a fresh twist on a traditional slow-cooker meal, try this Peppery Country Pork Stew. Or for a sweet and spicy option, try Slow-Cooked Pork with Soy and Smashed Sweet Potatoes. Find more quick and effortless meal solutions at Smithfield. com/RFRF.
Possible Aid for Georgia College Students PROPOSED LEGISLATIVE BILL TO HELP STUDENTS WITH RIGOROUS STEM COURSE By CELIA SHORTT celia@newnan.com
Georgia college students could have more help with taking harder classes and keeping the HOPE Scholarship if a proposed bill passes the Georgia General Assembly. The HOPE Scholarship is a merit-based scholarship and grant program which rewards students with financial assistance in degree, diploma, and certificate programs at eligible Georgia public and private colleges and universities, as well as public technical colleges. Both the University of West Georgia and West Georgia Technical College accept the HOPE Scholarship and HOPE Grant and have campuses in Newnan and Coweta County. Sponsored by Georgia Rep. Jan Jones, Georgia House Bill 801 rewards Georgia in-state college students for taking high end STEM courses in college by giving an additional .5 to their college grade point average if they earn a B, C, or D. “We hope it will increase the pipeline of graduates for the high end paying jobs in which we have a shortage,” Jones said. She added that jobs in healthcare are in the top 15 of those which have job shortages, and engineering jobs are in the top five. Students who are on the HOPE Scholarship must maintain a 3.0 GPA to keep the funding.
Jones said a risk with merit based scholarships is that students will choose easier majors and courses in order to maintain the 3.0 GPA. By adding this GPA incentive, they will be encouraged to take the additional academic risk which is inherent in rigorous STEM courses, she added. Currently, there is no GPA help offered for college students who are on the HOPE Scholarship. Another element of this proposed legislation is that it is consistent with what students experience in high school for Advanced Placement courses. Currently, high school students who take AP courses get an extra .5 increase to their GPA in order to qualify for HOPE. Jones said the bill has passed the Georgia House and is currently in the Georgia Senate. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal and the house floor leaders have all endorsed the bill. “I worked with Deal to make sure he was supportive of it,” she added. According to Jones, House Bill 801 has received some criticism and has been called the “Georgia Tech Bill.” She said it’s not just a bill for Georgia Tech, rather all schools in Georgia need to utilize it if passed by the Georgia General Assembly. “Students most likely settle near where they graduate,” she said. “There are (job) shortages all over.” It’s a win win for the state, individuals and businesses, she added. “It will help meet a workforce demand that I think is here to stay,” she said. “It’s not going anywhere.” Jones represents Milton, Ga., in District 47 and has been a member of the Georgia House since Jan. 13, 2003.
PHOTO BY DOUG GORMAN
Former Major League Rookie of the Year, Jerome Walton, left, and Dr. Charles “Bro” Barron are inducted into Coweta County Sports Hall of Fame Saturday night. Both athletes attended Newnan High School.
By DOUG GORMAN dgorman@newnan.com
swimmer receive the Dr. Charles Barron Trophy. Walton got his start in athletics on the recreation ball fields around The Coweta County Sports Hall the local YMCA and in the Coweta of Fame added two new inductees to its membership in a ceremony at Recreation Department before going on to find success in high the Coweta County Fairgrounds. school as a letter winner in three Dr. Charles “Bro” Barron and sports. Jerome Walton represent the class He was part of one of Newnan’s of 2016. most successful football teams, Barron was born on February helping the Cougars to the 1981 1922, in Newnan, and went on to state title game, where they lost to letter in several sports at Newnan Warner Robins. High School, including football, However, baseball was his true basketball, and tennis, but it was in passion and thanks to former Couswimming where he made a name gar coach Joe Jordan he landed a for himself at Emory University. scholarship to Enterprise Junior Jerome Walton was born in 1965 College in Alabama. and had successful high school “This is a special night,” Walton career in football, basketball, and said. “I have had so many people baseball for the Cougars. Walton help me along the way.” went on to a successful 10-year After two years of working with major league career and was the college coach Ronnie Powell, he National League Rookie of the Year was drafted by the Cubs in the with the Chicago Cubs in 1989. second-round of the 1986 Major Barron was set to accept a footLeague Draft. ball scholarship to Auburn after Walton earned Rookie of the graduating from Newnan, but Year honors in 1989 after hitting a torn ACL and stress fracture .293 with 46 RBIs and five home changed the course of his life. runs. The future dentist enrolled at He went on to play with CaliforEmory University where he discov- nia, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Baltimore, ered swimming and diving as a way and Tampa Bay before retiring in to stay involved in athletics. Over a 1998. three-year career, he specialized in One of the highlights of Walton’s five events and was often Emory’s rookie season was his 30-game hithigh point leader. ting streak. “This is a great honor,” Dr. Bar“Rookie, you have a long way ron said. “I am overwhelmed.” to go to catch me,” former Reds A freak swimming accident led manager, Pete Rose, told Walton, to a detached retina when he was referring to Rose’s 44-game hitting poked in the eye by an opponent streak in 1978. and put an end to his competitive The idea for the Coweta County swimming career. It also kept him Sports Hall of Fame was the idea in the hospital for three months. of former Newnan Times-Herald After college, he enrolled in Sports Editor, Johnny Brown. dental school. He was later comBrown, who also worked at missioned as a Second Lieutenant radio stations WNEA and WCOH, in the Air Force Reserve where thought there needed to be a way to he served during the Korean War. recognize the achievements of local After his military career, he went athletes. He also served on the on to a long and successful dental Coweta County School Board and practice in Manchester before retir- the Coweta County Commission. The Coweta County Sports Hall ing in 1987. of Fame has inducted athletes every Today, the high-point achiever for both Emory’s men and women’s year since 2003.