Barrow Journal

Wildcats receiving plenty of spring attention

http://www.mainstreetnewssports.com/ (MainStreetNewsSports) — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:58:00 -0500

At Apalachee High School spring football practice, the usual people you expect to see are there. Wildcat coaches, players, trainers and personnel are there like they always are each spring practice.

However, there have also been several visitors to recent spring practice sessions in the form of college scouts who have their eye on ...

WBHS trio makes impact in Jefferson

http://www.mainstreetnewssports.com/ (MainStreetNewsSports) — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:02:00 -0500

A trio of Winder-Barrow High School track athletes went out in style last Thursday in Jefferson.

Jamonte Riden, Kendall Isler and Quintin Long each earned top 10 finishes in their respective events and helped cap a successful spring for Bulldogg track.

Riden was ninth in the long jump but just made it to the event on ...

Juveniles face charges after Wednesday incident

mike@mainstreetnews.com (Staff Writer) — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:35:55 -0500

A wanted juvenile, 16, and a second juvenile, 13, face charges after police found them in a wooded area off Creekwood Road in Winder near stolen firearms on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
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In the May 16 issue of the Barrow Journal....

mike@mainstreetnews.com (Mike Buffington) — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:27:00 -0500

Winder’s FY2013 budget calls for $28.6 million in spending

The first of two public hearings for Winder’s fiscal year 2013 budget is set for this Thursday. That hearing and a second one set for May 24 will be at 5:30 p.m. in the Winder Community Center on East Athens Street. The 110-page draft budget was posted online Monday and is available for public review at www.cityofwinder.com. The Winder City Council is scheduled to adopt the spending plan June 5, and it goes into effect July 1.

Russell principal named superintendent of Laurens County Schools

The Barrow County Board of Education on Tuesday accepted the resignations of 19 employees, including the principals of Russell Middle School and Statham Elementary School. Russell principal Robert Johnson submitted his resignation after learning Monday of his selection as the new superintendent of Laurens County Schools in Dublin. Statham principal Robert Almond is retiring.

Statham to vote on new budget next month

Statham officials are scheduled to vote on approving its 2012-2013 fiscal year budget at the city’s June council meeting. In the proposed budget, approximately $2.4 million is projected in revenue with same amount estimated for expenditures.
Continue reading "In the May 16 issue of the Barrow Journal...."

Winder’s FY2013 budget calls for $28.6 million in spending

mike@mainstreetnews.com (Mike Buffington) — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:37:23 -0500
The first of two public hearings for Winder’s fiscal year 2013 budget is set for this Thursday. That hearing and a second one set for May 24 will be at 5:30 p.m. in the Winder Community Center on East Athens Street. The 110-page draft budget was posted online Monday and is available for public review at www.cityofwinder.com. The Winder City Council is scheduled to adopt the spending plan June 5, and it goes into effect July 1.
Continue reading "Winder’s FY2013 budget calls for $28.6 million in spending"

Russell principal named superintendent of Laurens County Schools

mike@mainstreetnews.com (Mike Buffington) — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:36:05 -0500
The Barrow County Board of Education on Tuesday accepted the resignations of 19 employees, including the principals of Russell Middle School and Statham Elementary School. Russell principal Robert Johnson submitted his resignation after learning Monday of his selection as the new superintendent of Laurens County Schools in Dublin. Statham principal Robert Almond is retiring.
Continue reading "Russell principal named superintendent of Laurens County Schools"

Statham to vote on new budget next month

mike@mainstreetnews.com (Mike Buffington) — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:34:50 -0500
Statham officials are scheduled to vote on approving its 2012-2013 fiscal year budget at the city’s June council meeting. In the proposed budget, approximately $2.4 million is projected in revenue with same amount estimated for expenditures.
Continue reading "Statham to vote on new budget next month"

I-85 lane closure at Barrow/Jackson line

mike@mainstreetnews.com (Staff Writer) — Mon, 14 May 2012 16:17:19 -0500
One northbound lane on Interstate Highway 85 northbound is temporarily closed at the Barrow/Jackson counties’ line due to emergency repairs. The lane will be shut down until approximately 9 p.m. Monday, according to a Georgia Department of Transportation release.
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PABIS: Waiting for birthmother is heartwrenching

mike@mainstreetnews.com (Staff Writer) — Sat, 12 May 2012 11:11:00 -0500
I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to want a child and not be able to have one. Children are everywhere, yet the love you have in your heart has no place to rest. Unfortunately, this is happening to one of my dearest friends.

Have you ever met someone for the first time that you knew you wanted to be friends with? This is how I felt the first time I met my friend Liz. She has one of those personalities that makes you feel at home.
Her kindness has no boundaries, and to top it off, she tells great stories.

Now she lives with her husband, Kent, in the foothills of Mariposa County, California on a four-acre property outside of Yosemite National Park. Kent is a fire geographer and works for Yosemite National Park, and he loves his job. Liz is a scientist and analyst for the Sierra Nevada mountain range. They are ready to grow their family, and they are trying to adopt a child through an open adoption.
Continue reading "PABIS: Waiting for birthmother is heartwrenching"

T-SPLOST money may be used for some of LifePath

kerri@mainstreetnews.com (Kerri Testement) — Sat, 12 May 2012 05:50:00 -0500
A regional transportation sales tax — if approved by voters this summer — could help fund portions of the Braselton LifePath, according to those tied to the project.
Continue reading "T-SPLOST money may be used for some of LifePath"

Suspect possibly climbs through ceiling to steal cash

kerri@mainstreetnews.com (Kerri Testement) — Sat, 12 May 2012 05:30:00 -0500
By possibly climbing through the ceiling, someone stole more than $3,000 in cash from a safe inside of an office of La Hacienda restaurant on Ga. Hwy. 53, according to Braselton police.
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Elderly woman arrested in poppy incident

mike@mainstreetnews.com (Staff Writer) — Fri, 11 May 2012 10:22:00 -0500
The Barrow County Sheriff’s Office on Monday apparently arrested a 70-year-old Laotian woman in connection with an incident where a Winder Police officer stumbled upon hundreds of poppy plants last week.
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Moody to swim at next level

http://www.mainstreetnewssports.com/ (MainStreetNewsSports) — Fri, 11 May 2012 09:20:53 -0500
Winder-Barrow High School senior Clara Moody signed with South Georgia College during a ceremony held last week.

Also attending were sister Kaylie Moody, brother Mark Moody, mother Wendy Moody and father Jeff Moody.

Several of Moody’s WBHS teammates were there to support her during the event including, from left, ...

Time to talk about achievement gap

mike@mainstreetnews.com (Mike Buffington) — Fri, 11 May 2012 08:00:00 -0500
For at least three decades, politicians and education officials have been discussing and debating what to do about the “achievement gap.” It’s a difficult question. The fundamental issue is that minority students in the country — black and Hispanic — consistently underperform on standardized education tests. For some states, this isn’t a big issue. Wisconsin, for example, has a small black and Hispanic population of less than 13 percent. But for Georgia where blacks and Hispanics make up some 39 percent of the population, the lack of academic achievement by minorities is profoundly troubling. And because those students’ scores drag the entire state down statistically, it is an issue very much on the minds of policymakers in Georgia.
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Lots of marijuana clogs toilet in hotel room

kerri@mainstreetnews.com (Kerri Testement) — Fri, 11 May 2012 05:30:00 -0500
Two people smoking marijuana in a hotel room clogged a toilet with the leafy substance, as they tried to flush it away while police were at their room door, according to Braselton police.
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Barrow Journal Online e-Edition Posted On Thursdays

stevecromer@mac.com (Administrator) — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:02:00 -0500
The Barrow Journal's full online newspaper is posted every Thursday. This e-Edition is the complete newspaper with all stories that you can read online. In addition, you can email stories from the e-Edition and do advanced searching. Subscription is required to access the full e-Edition newspaper. Click the following link to get to the e-Edition.
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Diamond Doggs fall in opening round

http://www.mainstreetnewssports.com/ (MainStreetNewsSports) — Thu, 10 May 2012 08:48:12 -0500
The series did not go the way the Winder-Barrow High School players and coaches had hoped, but almost as soon as the final out was recorded, thoughts were on 2013.

WBHS was swept by visiting Forsyth Central Friday 4-1 and 6-2 in the opening-round of the Class AAAA state playoffs. Forsyth Central used a three-run seventh inning in ...

Lady Doggs finish spring at state track

http://www.mainstreetnewssports.com/ (MainStreetNewsSports) — Thu, 10 May 2012 08:43:16 -0500
The distance running tandem for the Winder-Barrow High School Lady Bulldoggs competed on the big stage last week in Albany at the state track meet.

Whitley Kennedy, Amanda Cope and Caitlin Connell each completed their 2012 seasons with quality showings at the AAAA state meet. Cope (11:46.94) was 11th in the 3,200-meter run while ...

Meth addict avoids prison because of Drug Court's problems

snorman@barrowjournal.com (Susan Norman) — Thu, 10 May 2012 07:58:23 -0500
A Barrow County judge has agreed to allow a meth addict who admitted violating the rules of Barrow County’s drug court program to remain in the community because of questions raised about the program’s services at an April 26 hearing.
Continue reading "Meth addict avoids prison because of Drug Court's problems"

Drunk driver runs from cop in church cemetery

kerri@mainstreetnews.com (Kerri Testement) — Thu, 10 May 2012 07:44:02 -0500
A man who hit a cemetery sign with his vehicle ran through the graveyard to avoid arrest, according to an incident report from the Braselton Police Department.
Continue reading "Drunk driver runs from cop in church cemetery"

Bulldoggs making adjustments this spring

http://www.mainstreetnewssports.com/ (MainStreetNewsSports) — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:35:00 -0500
When one looks beyond the scoreboard, there have been improvements for the Winder-Barrow High School football team during the two years of the David Wagner era.

However, Wagner knows most people only see one statistic and that is the number of wins. With that in mind, perhaps, Wagner and his coaching staff are retooling some things ...

Wallace demoted at E-911 center

mike@mainstreetnews.com (Mike Buffington) — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:44:26 -0500
With the county’s emergency radio communications system still in technical disarray, the chief of Barrow County Emergency Services on Monday demoted the long-time manager of the Barrow County E-911 Center and appointed a new employee as interim manager. Chief Dennis Merrifield announced the personnel change in an email Tuesday morning to his staff and to other county officials.
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Winder pays Eberhart legal fee

mike@mainstreetnews.com (Mike Buffington) — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:43:30 -0500
With no public comment, the Winder City Council voted Tuesday night to pay $1,300 for the private attorney that councilman Charlie Eberhart hired to defend his ability to vote and to hold office in Winder. Eberhart, who claims his funeral home on King Street as his domicile, was forced to hire an attorney when his political challenger, James Cooley, pursued not only an appeal to the Barrow County Board of Elections, but also to the Barrow County Superior Court. The council’s vote was 5-0-1, after Eberhart left the council chambers during the vote.

For the full story, see the May 9 issue of the Barrow Journal.

Barrow out of ozone area

mike@mainstreetnews.com (Mike Buffington) — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:42:26 -0500
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has decided to exclude Barrow County from metro Atlanta’s ozone non-attainment area. The EPA made the announcement last week. David Word, an environmental engineer with the county’s consultants, Joe Tanner & Associates, said Tuesday that the because of recent improvements to air quality around metro Atlanta, the federal regulators removed a total of five counties from the metro area’s non-attainment zone. In addition to Barrow, they include Carroll, Hall, Spalding and Walton.

For the full story, see the May 9 issue of the Barrow Journal.