Barrow Journal

Items from my reporter’s notebook:

•The recent decision by the courts to rule in favor of the Barrow County School System and against Ashley Payne didn’t come as a real shock.

Payne had claimed from the beginning she was told she would be fired if she didn’t resign. In cases of “she said/they said,” rulings often go against the person making the complaint.

What is still surprising after several years of following this case is why this whole mess was a big deal to begin with? For the life of me, I can’t figure out why a picture posted on Facebook from a non-school event, was grounds for Payne to even be questioned to start with. [Full Story »] 

Winder-Barrow Middle School is in its final months of operation (at its current physical location) and it has been in the news quite a bit of late for more reasons than that.
Instead of celebrating its last weeks of storied existence, WBMS has become involved in two controversies. The first involves the name for the building which will replace the existing facility.

Recently, students voted to name the new school “Bear Creek Middle School.” Students were given three options and Bear Creek was chosen by an overwhelming margin.

However, numerous Barrow County residents had hoped the new facility would be named for Lafar D. Sims, a former educator who was principal of various local facilities, including the black high school during the days of segregation. [Full Story »] 

With Valentine’s Day upon us, I wanted to share a story about a couple who have had the ultimate influence on me during my 41 years.

The tie-in with Valentine’s Day is a natural one: it was the day the couple was married. Paul and Melba Bridges, your humble columnist’s parents, were married during an era when the world was a different place for sure. However, through thick and thin they have stood tall, raised two sons, and provided a rock solid foundation of support and guidance.

I have long said anything positive I have accomplished is because of them. In reality, I have no excuse for not accomplishing more. Much more. [Full Story »] 

Two recent moves by the Winder Police Department can only be viewed as positive as chief Dennis Dorsey and his staff continue to combat crime and other issues within the city.

The first move actually occurred several months ago but already it has paid dividends. The addition of Joey Lovinggood as code enforcement officer shows city officials, as well as the WPD, are serious about property maintenance as we move into 2013 and the response I’ve heard from several people has been “it’s about time.”

Already Lovinggood has made a solid impact in holding property owners responsible. No free passes will be given anymore. Yes, there are still numerous areas within Winder that need work, but Lovinggood is making progress with each day. One reader relayed a call he made to code enforcement and the result which came from it. [Full Story »] 

Items from the political notebook as the Nov. 6 general election looms:

•The big day is almost here. Voters will go to the polls Tuesday (assuming they haven’t already participated in early voting) to decide, among other things, who will be president for the next four years.

The country is as split as it has ever been. It’s been split pretty evenly for a while. Remember in 2000, Al Gore actually won the popular vote but lost the election through the electoral college. Some have predicted the opposite may be true this year with President Obama losing the popular vote, but still holding onto the White House by winning more electoral votes. It’s certainly possible.

From this voter’s way of thinking, neither of the two major party candidates offer much. We’ll still be too heavily involved overseas trying to be the policeman of the world. The working man and woman will still have too much of their hard-earned money taken away from them. (It’s about to get worse, regardless of who wins the presidential election.) [Full Story »] 

Choice is a good thing, especially at the voting booth.

Barrow County voters will have some choices to make when they vote in the Nov. 6 general election. (Early voting began Monday so the election is officially here.)
There will be a choice on the ballot for sheriff between incumbent Jud Smith and challenger James Scott. Some political observers locally don’t foresee the race being close. Regardless, voters have a choice and that is good. On a side note, this is really one of those elected offices which should be non-partisan.

Incumbent Steve Worley faces a challenge for his seat on the Board of Commissioners from Johnny Smith, a former commissioner, who is seeking to return to the BOC. Once again, voters have a choice and that can only be viewed as a positive thing. [Full Story »] 

Sales tax proponents typically count on low levels of publicity when it comes to getting the latest reach into working people’s pockets approved.

That has not been the case with the T-SPLOST this year and that may end up being what keeps it from passing. Reported large voter turnout in several counties could well be traced to the T-SPLOST issue.

A rally was held over the weekend against its passage and we’ll know in less than a week from now if hard-working Georgians will have even more of their take home money stolen from them. [Full Story »] 

Could 1996 really be 16 years ago?

It’s hard to imagine that being the case, but that year has been on my mind in recent days. On a March night of that year a small visitor arrived into our lives and decided to stay a while.

Our dog, Katie, showed up that night, seeking food, shelter and warmth. We didn’t know at first if she was simply lost, but when we learned she would soon give us more little ones to worry about, the conclusion was someone probably left her. [Full Story »] 

Times change and that fact can be tough to deal with.

Take neighbors for instance. In today’s world, we often don’t know the names of our neighbors. We see them, but we don’t really know them. It’s as if a mental wall has been placed around our home. Often we simply don’t want to let people into our inner circle.

There was a time, thankfully, this was not the case when it came to our neighbors. For me, growing up in “small town America” (as I like to refer to my home of Monticello), being a neighbor actually meant something. It meant being a friend. It meant being there when your neighbor needed something. It meant something not only to be called “neighbor,” but to be called a good one. [Full Story »]