February 2010

The 2010 Chili Cook-Off and Big Bowl Cook-Off will be held on Thursday, February 25 at 7:00 p.m., in the cafetorium, at Tattnall County High School.

South Georgia Bank in Reidsville will have their third Annual Rib Sale on Saturday, February 27, 2010. The ribs will be cooked at South Georgia Bank in Reidsville and some will be delivered to South Georgia Bank in Glennville.

A spaghetti dinner, to benefit Manassas United Methodist Church, will be held Saturday, February 27, 2010. There will be a $6 donation per plate. You may pick the plates up at the church from 5-7 p.m. Dine in or take out available.

The 2010 Tattnall/Evans County Forestry Pageant will be held Saturday, February 27, 2010, at 5 p.m., in the Tattnall County High School cafeteria. Age groups for Mr. and Miss are Baby (0-23 months), Teeny (2-3 years), Tiny (4-6 years) and Little (7-9 years). Junior Miss will be ages 10-12 years. The 2010 Miss Tattnall County Forestry Pageant will be open to Tattnall County only. Girls must work, live or attend school in Tattnall County. Categories are Teen Miss (13-16 years) and Miss (17-24 years). You may pick up an application at The Tattnall Journal. For more information, call Brandy Foskey at (912) 585-0791.

March 2010

Reidsville Recreation Dept. Baseball /
Softball / T-ball registration is March 1-5 ... Participants can sign up at the Reidsville Recreation Department Monday, March 1 through Friday, March 5, from 1-7 p.m. The participation fee is $35 and refunds will only be issued if a league does not make. Evaluations will begin Monday, March 15 and teams will be formed by March 19. T-ball is for ages 3-4 (co-ed), Coach Pitch- 5-6 (co-ed), Girls Softball 7-8 (flea), 9-10 (mite), 11-12 (midget), 13-14 (junior), Boys baseball 7-8 (flea), 9-10 (mite), 11-12 (midget) and 13-14 (junior). If you have any question or need additional information, contact Darien Renfroe at 557-6376 or 293-3567.

Greater Tattnall Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Banquet is Thursday, March 4, 2010, at 6 p.m. at Tattnall County High School. For reservations, please call 912-557-6323 or 912-288-1132.

First United Pentecostal Church Food Pantry to hold a “March against Hunger” Walk-a-Thon. This year’s walk will be on Saturday March 20 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Glennville Middle School track.
To receive your free information packet and registration form, call Joyce at 557-4058, the church at 654-4086, or Janelle at 237-4938. New this year, you can show your support for the fight against hunger by purchasing a green bow to place on your door. Support bows are $6.00 each. You can also advertise your business, civic organization, or upcoming event along the track for a donation of $50.00. Thank you in advance for assisting us in helping those in need in our community.

The Sweet Onion 2010 Baby Toddler Pageant, sponsored by the Tattnall County High School Band Boosters, will be held at the TCHS Cafetorium on March 20, 2010. Judging begins at 10:00 a.m.
Applications will be available at The Glennville Sentinel, The Tattnall Journal, TCHS (Lee Collins), or by email at tcbandpageant@ yahoo.com. Registration fee is $35. There will be categories for Mr. and Miss for ages 0-5 and Miss for ages 6-9.

The statewide Miss Georgia Peach Pageant, which is a sanctioned event sponsored by the Georgia Peach Festival, will be held Mar. 20, 2010, at the C.W. Pettigrew Center at Fort Valley State University in Fort Valley Georgia. For more information or application visit the official Web site http://www.miss georgiapeach.org or call 478 923-3846.

“Fort Wallace-Wood” will be site of the 11th Annual “Battles at Manassas” Civil War reenactment on March 20 and 21 hosted by the Tattnall Invincibles Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans. The fort is located just off U. S. Highway 280, midway between Reidsville and Claxton. Signs and flags will be posted beside the highway to mark the entrance to the fort.
Each day, the gates will open at 9:00 a.m., and activities will continue until 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and until 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. Although all costs associated with hosting the reenactment have risen, the Tattnall Invincibles Camp has been able to hold the line on the gate fee again this year. The cost of admission remains at $5.00, with children under 11 admitted free.

Beta Sigma Phi will be hosting its annual Junior Miss and Princess Sweet Onion Pageant on March 25, at 7 p.m., at Tattnall County High School. The pageant is for girls ages (10-12, Princess) and (13-15, Junior Miss). Girls will be judged in evening gown and casual wear only. The pageant is open to all girls in the 20 designated onion counties. You may pick up your application at your local newspaper office or contact Dolores James at 912-557-3422 (email:340dolores @gmail.com) to have one mailed to you. Application deadline is March 8, 2010.

April 2010

The E.E. Foundation, Inc., will be having its 29th Annual Easter Egg Hunt, Saturday, April 3, 2010, at 10 a.m., at the Reidsville Middle School Football Field.

Further Out

Beta Sigma Phi will be hosting its annual Junior Miss and Princess Sweet Onion Pageant on April 17, at 7 p.m., at Tattnall County High School. The pageant is for girls ages (10-12, Princess) and (13-15, Junior Miss). Girls will be judged in evening gown and casual wear only. The pageant is open to all girls in the 20 designated onion counties. You may pick up your application at your local newspaper office or contact Dolores James at 912-557-3422 (email:340dolores @gmail.com) to have one mailed to you. Application deadline is March 29, 2010.

The Class of 1970 of Tattnall County Industrial High School, Reidsville, GA, announces tentative plans to celebrate its 40th Graduation Anniversary, by embarking on a Group Vacation Cruise, in July of 2010. The Class invites any, and everyone interested in cruising with them, to contact Roy Summersett for more information about the Cruise... Post Office Box, 1193 Reidsville, Georgia 30453, or by telephone at 912-557-3877.




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February 25, 2010, edition

Board of Education quits Ombudsman, considers furloughs in school calendar

by ALLISON COBB
Editor

Trying to cut back and find ways to save money, the Tattnall County Board of Education opted to not renew its contract with the Ombudsman program for the upcoming school year. Instead, Tattnall will offer its own computer-based credit recovery alternative education program. Board members voted unanimously to discontinue Ombudsman at their regular meeting Monday, February 22.

Ombudsman is a private company program that provides an alternative to the traditional classroom setting. Tattnall County first partnered with Ombudsman in the 2008-2009 school year. The initial contract was for 40 high school seats and 20 middle school seats at a total price of $330,000. QBE funding covered the majority of that expense but the school system still had to pay out $103,603 locally for the program. In 2009-2010, the Ombudsman program was scaled back some and the price renegotiated. The seats were reduced from 60 to 45 and the contracted price was $247,500. After QBE funding, only $3,088 had to be paid locally to meet the contract requirement.

Ombudsman provides an opportunity for students to make up excessive class work and obtain credits through computer-based learning. This is especially beneficial to high school students trying to make up enough credits to earn a diploma. For students who couldn’t pass the required Georgia High School Graduation Test, they could opt to enroll full-time in Ombudsman and earn their accredited diploma through that organization. According to Dr. Williams, there has been some controversy at the State level in regards to the Ombudsman diplomas, which have previously been accepted at the college level on equal footing as a normal high school diploma. She stated that State School Superintendent Kathy Cox was vehemently opposed to the Ombudsman diploma and was trying to change it’s legality in Georgia.

Prior to Ombudsman, Tattnall County had operated a somewhat ineffective alternative school program on their own, mainly to house extremely disruptive or otherwise suspended students. Dr. Williams explained that she felt Tattnall County could once again offer their own alternative program but base it along the lines of the current Ombudsman strategy and use a similar computer-based credit recovery system.

The Tattnall alternative program is estimated to run about $207,559 per year and will be housed in the former Chamber of Commerce office located on the Tattnall County Board of Education campus. That building is already owned by the school system and is not currently being utilized. New wiring and technology would be needed, which was approved to be funded out of SPLOST dollars. Dr. Williams estimates that with the QBE funding and the cost of operation, the school system will still be saving approximately $48,700 per year by doing the program themselves.

Budget Workshop Meeting

In preparation for the regular Tattnall County Board of Education meeting, a budget workshop meeting was held Wednesday, February 17. Among items discussed was the possibility of an automatic ten-day furlough for all staff members in the upcoming school year in an effort to meet budget demands while continuing to struggle with additional funding cuts from the State.

“The goal of this meeting, and others to follow, is to educate us all on school funding, what is happening across the state and other items needed in preparing a budget for next year,” said Superintendent Dr. Gina Williams.

Financial Director Debbie Powell gave a brief summary of current budget figures but stated it was difficult to give accurate estimates of what may be without concrete information from the state.

“The news out of Atlanta continues to be dismal,” she said. “Last night we got two proposed allotment sheets, both with additional cuts. We were only expecting to receive one. Right now we are faced with more questions than answers.”

In a normal, stable economic year, Powell explained that the school system would receive two allotment sheets for the school year — one at the beginning and another one at midterm, normally with an increase. This school year they are up to six allotment sheets already and every one of them has reflected a decrease in funding from the state.

“We recognize that we are not in a stable economic environment and we have to be prepared to respond to changes,” said Powell.

One bright spot that was noted was an increase in the FTE count, from 3,308 to 3,436. State funding is based on FTE (full-time enrollment) numbers. March 4 is the upcoming Spring FTE count date. Another positive item of interest was the current expenditures. As of the end of January, the system was seven months into the current budget and expenditures should be around 58 percent. However, Powell stated that due to cutting back and spending wisely, expenditures were actually only at 43.63 percent for the year.

Even with those savings and without factoring in additional cuts from the State, Powell projects that the fund balance at the end of June will be an estimated negative $132,391.

“It is hard to give projections because we don’t know the remaining State cuts yet,” said Powell. “I also try to be very conservative with my estimates. My biggest fear though is that if we end up in the red, then the State comes in and takes over and we no longer have any say in our finances.”

Through budget workshops, Superintendent Williams hopes to educate board members and the public on how finances are spent and what, if anything, could be cut back in order to meet the current budget and future budget needs.

“We are looking at everything we do and how and why we do it to see if there are better ways. Even if we are not cutting an area, we still need to look at it,” she said.

While State funding over the years has risen to accommodate salary increases, other areas have continued to lag behind. One example is the purchase of textbooks. The State only funds $40 for a textbook, with a seven-year replacement cycle. Dr. Carla Waters explained that the average high school textbook runs from $75 to $100. Transportation and other material needs have also suffered from low State funding.

Tattnall County School System’s general fund budget for FY2010 is $23,667,874. Of that, salaries and benefits encompass 88 percent, or $20,634,744. That leaves 12.82 percent ($3,033,130) for other operation costs and material needs.

“Eighty-eight percent of our budget going to salaries is good in a good year because we want to spend the money on our people but in tough years, it doesn’t leave much to cut,” said Dr. Williams.

Areas that were discussed during the workshop meeting included athletics; school activity accounts; coaching, literary and extended day/year supplements; exploratory classes (art, music, band, PE, technology and other electives); and the big ticket items on the chopping block — Ombudsman and the school calendar.

school calendar options

In regards to the school calendar, Dr. Williams explained that they had researched a number of options and have narrowed it down to three. The first is the traditional calendar that has been utilized in the past — 180 days for students and 190 days for teachers. There are no financial savings in that calendar.

The next option is similar to what Toombs County is implementing next year — 160 days for students and 170 days for staff. In that scenario, students would attend an extra 30 minutes each day and staff members an extra hour. Because of having 20 fewer school days, the system would save approximately $298,000 by not paying bus drivers or para-professionals for those missed days (salary or benefits). Teachers would still be paid the same as the 190 day schedule.

The last calendar under consideration cuts 10 days out of the school year leaving 170 days for students and 180 days for teachers and staff. However, there is no increase required on the length of the school day. This amounts to an automatic 10 days “furloughed” meaning that salaries would be decreased from the top employee to the lowest entry-level worker in the amount of 10 days’ pay. With this calendar, $68,250 would be saved in operational expenses and $1,068,250 in salaries and benefits.

“The $1 million savings in personnel goes right back to our pie chart that shows 88 percent of our budget going to personnel,” said Dr. Williams. “We don’t know what the 2011 budget even looks like and our goal is to try not to get rid of people.”

She stated that the 10 fewer days of pay could affect those people getting ready to retire. If it was approved and those people decided to go ahead and retire, then the school system might not fill some of those positions at this time.

“All of the data out there says that more school days mean better student achievement,” said Board member Marilyn Lanier. “Is there any data to support fewer days or are we just saving money at the expense of education?”

Since many school systems are just now considering these possibilities this school year due to drastic funding cuts, it was determined that data on these new scenarios was probably not yet available. Dr. Williams did say that any calendar with fewer days would still probably start near the beginning of August so that as many school days as possible could be gotten in before the CRCT tests were administered.

“We’re in the hole for FY2010 and we don’t know where we’re going for FY2011,” said Dr. Williams. “My recommendation will be the 170/180 calendar with ten fewer days. That will save us the most money and it cuts everyone across the board, not just para-pros and bus drivers. Our decision on the calendar will help us on our next steps in trying to prepare a budget.”

“At the end of the day, all we can do is look at the money,” said Chairman Richard Bland. “When you don’t have the money, you have to adjust accordingly.”

Board member Jeff Odom asked the question where would the school system find $1 million without going the calendar route and it was quickly answered — by property taxes.

“And even so, we don’t know if $1 million is going to be enough,” said Dr. Williams.

As a former teacher, Board member Mary Ruth Oliver Ray wanted to express a few words toward the staff members and teachers present.

“I just want our staff to know that we are very sensitive (toward their feelings) about this. I understand this is not a comfortable position for them to be in. We are also sensitive to our community and the taxpayers. We thank you (teachers and staff) for what you do and for your input. We all want to do what’s in the best interest of our children,” she said.

Chairman Bland also thanked the teachers and staff for their hard work and support. “Without your help, our expenses wouldn’t be down around the 43 percent level but would be closer to 58 percent. We appreciate your hard work and effort,” he said.

Board member Dale Kicklighter asked for the support of the staff in the decisions that have to be made. “We all need to support whatever decision is made the best we can. I know that is hard to do when we’re talking about taking money out of your pocket. But I ask that we all get in it together and we will come out of it together,” he said.

Although the calendar issue was originally planned for a vote on Monday, February 22, the item was delayed for a month and should come up again at next month’s meeting, Monday, March 22.

Dr. Williams said she had notified the staff of the delay on the calendar vote and was still asking for suggestions in other ways to meet the budget demands.

“It’s a pretty bad financial situation right now,” she said. “As a system I believe we need to do everything we possibly can to save the money ourselves, without hurting instruction, before we go to the taxpayers (in a millage increase).”

Dr. Williams stated that Screven County School System had voted in the 170 day calendar (with ten furloughed days) and Henry County in Georgia had also approved a calendar with days furloughed. Toombs County had gone with the 160-day calendar option and other systems were also struggling with how to save extra money to handle state cuts and meet budget requirements.

Current Year Furloughs

In regard’s to Governor Sonny Perdue’s three more days furloughed this school year, Tattnall County will take those days May 19, 20 and 21 for Classified Staff and May 24, 25, 26 for Certified Staff. The last day for students will be Tuesday, May 18. Tattnall County High School’s graduation ceremony will still take place on Saturday, May 22.
The three furloughed days were approved unanimously by the board, with the exception of Board Member Marilyn Lanier who was opposed.




Tattnall teens involved in critical accident

by DAVID AVERY
Staff Writer

Three Tattnall County High School students and one Long County student, were involved in a critical accident on Saturday, February 20, 2010, at 9:53 p.m. on Georgia Highway 196 in Long County.

TCHS sophomore Marquez Harris, the 16-year-old driver of a 2002 Ford Taurus, was attempting to make a left hand turn into a convenience store near Joe Kennedy Street near Highway 301, when the vehicle was struck on the passenger side by a 1997 Volkswagen Jetta, driven by Eusebio Jacome Solis, 23, of Glennville.

Witnesses told police that Solis did not have his lights on. In addition to Solis there was a passenger in the Volkswagen Jetta who fled the accident and as of this report has not been apprehended. Solis was treated and released and is presently incarcerated in the Long County jail, charged with having an open container, DUI, refusal to take a blood alcohol test, driving without headlights, no license and no insurance. No charges have been filed against the driver of the Ford Taurus.

According to the investigating officer, Sergeant King, with the Georgia Highway Patrol Department in Hinesville, the most injured passenger was 17-year-old TCHS sophomore Deonta Tootle, who was flown by Life Star to Memorial Hospital in Savannah where he is still in critical condition.

Two other passengers, TCHS junior Kareem Washington and the driver, Harris were taken to Liberty Regional and transported to Memorial, where they were being treated for several injuries. Long County student Rosby Anderson was also in the vehicle.



Ralph Kemp named NAAWS Warden of Year

Ralph Kemp

by Ronald E. McCall
Staff Writer

Ask Ralph Kemp how he feels about being selected as the North American Association of Wardens and Superintendents’ Warden of the Year for 2009-2010, and he’ll probably smile slightly and say something like, “It’s a nice honor.” Ask the same question to members of his family, and their eyes will light up and the response will be considerably more emphatic.

His daughter, Krisch Kemp MacGregor, will bend your ear in a heartbeat about her father. “It’s great,” she said. “My Daddy just doesn’t often get recognized for all the good things he’s done. He deserves it.”

His wife, Mollie Cowart Kemp is a trifle lower key, but just as proud. “We always knew what a good job he does. We are really proud of him.”

Ralph Kemp, Warden of Corrections Corporation of America’s (CCA) Wheeler Correctional Facility, has spent 40 years in corrections. He has served for a decade with CCA preceded by 30 years with the Georgia Department of Corrections. Currently he oversees a staff of more than 300 at Wheeler, which is undergoing a major expansion of 750 beds. Like all good leaders, he gives credit to his staff..

This award belongs to a lot of people even though my name is on the plaque,” he said. “I’m very proud of our facility.”

The formula for Kemp’s success is based on solid character, a strong work ethic, and a passion to do his best every day. Perhaps the best indicator of his character is demonstrated by his actions soon after graduating from Georgia Southern in 1965 with a degree in sociology. He put in job applications everywhere, including the Georgia Department of Corrections and Southern Bell. The Department of Corrections made him an offer at 11:15 a.m. and he accepted. A few hours later Southern Bell called to make an offer. Although the Southern Bell offer may have looked more lucrative at the time, he kept his word and went to work with Corrections.

He worked in the Georgia Department of Corrections in a variety of roles serving as a counselor, guidance placement officer, and industries placement officer at Georgia State Prison in Reidsville during the first six years of his career. He was later promoted to assistant warden for care and treatment at the prison. He was named Deputy Warden for GSP from 1972 - 77, and first became a warden in 1977 when he led Coastal Correctional Institution in Savannah, during which time the inmate population swelled from 300 to more than 2000.

Kemp went to Central Correctional Institution in Macon as Warden from 1981-83 which housed more than 800 inmates. His next assignment was Warden of Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Center in Jackson where he oversaw the largest prison in the state which received and processed nearly 75 percent of all adult male offenders for the Georgia Department of Corrections, including those sentenced to death row.

His next role was regional as he became Southeast Regional Director for the Georgia Department of Corrections from 1988-94 where he supervised 13 state and county correctional facilities. The responsibilities of this role prepared him for his final career with the State of Georgia which was Deputy Commissioner of Institutional Operations for the Georgia Department of Corrections.

After his retirement from the Department of Corrections, he realized he couldn’t sit around and began working with CCA in 1998 as Assistant Warden at Wheeler Correctional Facility, and he was named Warden in 2000.

His contributions to his profession have also benefited society at large. He advanced legislation to protect autopsy reports of murder victims from being accessed by convicted felons. He also supported a law that made unauthorized possession of a cell phone a felony in a correctional facility. Additionally, he negotiated with the Georgia Department of Corrections to allow CCA’s Coffee and Wheeler facility to participate in providing services to the G-8 Conference held on St. Simmons Island , GA, in 2005.

Warden Kemp says “Man, I’m glad I work here” every day when he turns onto the road leading to the CCA Wheeler facility, and it is generally agreed that he has raised the bar of professionalism for everyone in corrections. Even with that passion for his profession, his family remains the central focus of his life. He and Molly have a son, Kail; daughter Krisch; son-in-law Joe MacGregor; two grandsons Joseph and Korbett MacGregor; and granddaughter Jaeley MacGregor. On days off, it is not unusual to see Ralph and Molly enjoying a leisurely breakfast at The Country Kettle.

Ralph Kemp will be honored at the NAAWS “Warden of the Year” Banquet in August during the American Correctional Association’s summer conference in Chicago.



Rotary VP Wayne Rogers dies at mtg. in Bermuda

Wayne Rogers

Wayne Rogers, age 64, Vice President of International Sales for Rotary Corporation died Saturday, February 13, 2010. He was attending the Outdoor Power Equipment Aftermarket Association annual meeting in Bermuda of which he was an active member of the Board of Directors for the OPEAA organization.

Wayne began his career at Rotary on October 15, 1969. He served in many capacities including purchasing, advertising and International sales. While under his leadership at Rotary, Wayne received numerous awards and recognition.

In 1988 Wayne received “The President’s E Certificate for Exports”, presented by The Secretary of Commerce. In 1989 he received “The Governor’s International Award”, presented by The Honorable Joe Frank Harris, Governor of Georgia. In 1993 he received “The President’s E Star Award for Exports”, presented by The Secretary of Commerce.

Wayne was a member of the Savannah Export Council and had worked for Rotary Corporation for over 40 years. He is survived by his wife Faye, son Brian, daughter Kellie and son-in-law Brett. Funeral services were held on February 22 at First Baptist Church in Glennville.

The family has requested remembrances be made to The American Heart Association, 5692 Zebulon Rd. PMB # 359 Macon, GA 31210 www.americanheart.org, or St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-1942 www.stjude.org.




Collins man found not guilty of child molestation

by Michelle Wolf
The Glennville Sentinel

On Friday afternoon, January 22, just two days after his jury trial began, Kenneth L. Morgan of Collins, was found not guilty of five felony charges of child molestation, one felony charge of aggravated child molestation, and one felony charge of enticing a child for indecent purposes.

The charges involved a child under 16 years old, and were alleged to have occurred in Tattnall County between January 1, 2005 and July 1, 2007, the exact dates being unknown.

The charges were formally made after a Tattnall County Grand Jury indicted Morgan on October 21, 2008.





Inside view of one of the cabins at Gordonia-Alatamaha State Park

Park cabins opening soon in Reidsville

by DAVID AVERY
Staff Writer

Reidsville will soon be getting additional and much needed lodging at the Gordonia-Alatamaha State Park. The five beautiful cabins at the park are completed and ready for opening, pending the completion of laundry services at the park.

“We are very excited about the cabins at the park. We think that not only will it increase the revenues of our park but it will also be a tool to attract many new visitors to our park and to the golf course,” says Al Alford, the Park Manager. More people visiting the park will, of course, result in a boom to the local economy. When asked for an opening date on the cabins, Al replied, “We are certainly hoping to be able to start renting them in April, ahead of the busy summer season.”

Each of the five cabins are complete with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, kitchen and dining room as well as a covered and screened back porch and covered front porch. The bedrooms are equipped with two double beds as well as a dresser and closet and each bedroom has a private bath. One of the baths is handicap accessible with a huge walk-in shower facility. All bed linens, towels and washcloths are provided as well.

The cabin dwellers will have the ability to prepare full meals in the spacious kitchen and have a sit-down dinner at the dining room table and chairs. The kitchen includes all the major and minor appliances including electric stove, built-in microwave, dishwasher, coffee pot, toaster and a hand held mixer. The kitchen is fully stocked with dishes, pots and pans and silverware. They even provide an ironing board and iron for the convenience of the traveler.

The living area comes with a sofa and chairs with end tables and lamps. The fireplace will make a nice addition during those winter months. Each living room will be equipped with a 32” flat screen television equipped with cable from Kennedy Cablevision. There are also ceiling fans throughout the cabins.

The porches will be especially nice during the summer when one can relax on the front or back porch (away from the mosquitoes) and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Gordonia-Alatamaha State Park or the Brazell’s Creek Golf Course. The porches, of course, come equipped with wheelchair accessibility.

Pet lovers will be happy to know that cabin number two is also pet friendly! As in most hotels, daily maid service will be available. Each of the cabins can accommodate up to eight adults, sleeping two per bed. The price is certainly very affordable at $110 from March 1 through October 1 of each year and only $100 for the remainder of the year. Reservations can be made at the local number at 912-557-7744 or via the toll free number at 800-864-7275. For the golf enthusiasts, golf course/cabin packages will be offered.

 



 

February 18, 2010, edition


Tattnall County Courthouse in Reidsville

Snow down South

by David Avery
Staff Writer

Friday night saw phenomena in Tattnall County not seen in 14 years … Snow! The entire county was covered in a blanket of the cold white stuff from Glennville to Reidsville to Collins and especially in Cobbtown.

According to WTOC Senior Broadcast Meteorologist, Pat Prokop, Glennville and Reidsville had approximately one inch of snow while further north Cobbtown enjoyed three full inches. Weather forecasts had predicted the snow (even in larger doses) but most of us being a “Doubting Thomas” did not expect it to happen, but happen it did!

Areas further north of us had even larger accumulations of snow. According to Joey Goodman, Branch Manager at First Citizens Bank in Reidsville, “Swainsboro had about five inches of snow and where I live (near Twin City) there was about four inches.” He left work at the bank on Friday at regular closing time at 6:00 p.m. and by the time he headed north of Metter driving conditions were treacherous. “I found myself sideways on the road several times,” said Goodman.

On a more positive note Rand Brotman with Summer House Restaurant said, “We took a hit in business on Friday night, but it was really something to see. We had a few tables in the main dining room having a glass of wine, the snow was covering the yard making it look clean and white and with the torches lit, it kinda looked like a night in Aspen, Colorado, at a ski lodge!”

The roof of the historic Tattnall County Courthouses was covered, giving that beautiful building an even more majestic ambiance. At the same time clerks at Clyde’s Market were lamenting on how they would ever get home that evening! One clerk very seriously said, “Somebody better come get me.” Going through Collins, one was awestruck at how beautiful the Olie Parker Community Park was, all covered in snow.

By 7:30 p.m. Cobbtown was pretty much a ghost town although Westside Foods was still serving up those awesome steaks for “Friday Night Steak Night.” But, possibly, Holly Edgar and her sons J.T., Collins and Todd were having the most fun of all. They were busy building a snowman much to the delight of Willow, their Bernese Mountain dog, who was convinced it was a huge popsicle treat they were building just for him. And, of course, they decked their snowman off with a Georgia Bulldog cap! But, alas, by noon on Saturday Mr. Snowman had been reduced to half his original height and the Dawgs’ cap was tilting. Oh, well, it was fun while it lasted!






The Pinewood Christian Academy boys basketball team are Region 4-AAA champs. Front row (l to r): Dalton Murray, Mark Traylor, Johnathon Lawson, Cody Beecher, Chad Cowart, Luke Callaway, Ethan Kumpula, Walker Gordon. Back row: Head Coach Clint Welch, Daniel Bell, Stephen Arnold, Mark Lewis, Will Jarriel, Taylor Lewis, Chase Brannen, David Bland, Elliot Anderson, Frank Spates, Will Tatum and Assistant Coach Matt Todd.

Patriots claim region title

by Butch Lawson
PCA Sports

Two unique occurrences – one outside and the other indoors – happened over the weekend in Bellville, the home of Pinewood Christian Academy. Both send chills and thrills through the Patriot nation.

The former, obviously, was the snowstorm that hit the area on Friday. The snow turned Evans and surrounding counties into a short-lived winter wonderland that delighted both the young and old.

The latter happened in the confines of the Pinewood gymnasium. The PCA boys put together three straight nights of outstanding basketball to capture the Region 4-AAA championship. The Patriots defeated Central Fellowship 52-40 in Saturday’s title game to claim its first region crown since 2007.

Pinewood had reached the championship by beating John Milledge 60-31 in the opening round and Westminster 46-22 in Friday’s semi-finals. PCA will now take its top seed from Region 4-AAA to the GISA Class AAA State Tournament. The Patriots travel to Macon tomorrow for a first-round match-up with FPD in the opponents home gym at 7:00. FPD is the number four seed from Region 2-AAA. A win there would send PCA to Saturday’s quarterfinals, to meet the Southland-Mt. Vernon victor at 4:30 at Stratford in Macon.

Ironically, the Pinewood boys had stumbled into last week’s region tournament coming off three straight losses. Included in those defeats were setbacks to Augusta Prep and Westminster that cost Pinewood the regular-season championship and the tourney’s top seed.

The Patriots quickly put those losses behind them. PCA came out with great intensity in round one and carried it right through the championship game.

In that title game, Pinewood came out a little cautious, but picked up the pace over the final three quarters. Down 9-7 after one period, PCA outscored Central Fellowship 24-15 over the next two quarters to take a 31-24 lead into the fourth stanza.

Will Tatum helped PCA build an 18-15 halftime lead by nailing four three-point baskets in the first half. Senior Will Jarriel and junior Frank Spates upped the scoring torch in the second half with 13 points apiece.

The Patriots also turned to the charity stripe for most of its second-half points. Spates nailed 11-of-12 free throws and Jarriel four-of-four to hold off Central Fellowship down the stretch.

PCA put the Lancers away with a late 8-0 run after Central Fellowship pulled to within 44-40 in the final period.

Jarriel finished with 17 points to lead Pinewood. Tatum added 14 points. Spates had 13 points.

In the first round, PCA simply destroyed John Milledge. Pinewood ran out to a 27-4 halftime lead over the Trojans and never were threatened.

Will Jarriel led the Patriots with 19 points with 15 of those in the first half. Will Tatum added 13 points and Frank Spates 10 points.

In Friday’s semi-finals, PCA avenged a loss a week earlier to Westminster by walloping the Wildcats 46-22. The Patriots’ defense was stifling limiting Westminster to only a dozen points through the first three periods. By that point, Pinewood had built an insurmountable 31-12 advantage.

Taylor Lewis had 19 points to lead Pinewood. Will Jarriel had 12 points.

Pinewood’s keys to its region title were obvious. The Patriots increased its point production, upped its intensity level, played solid defensively, rebounded better and quite simply out-hustled its opponents. These are things the team must continue to do to fare well in the state tournament.






Johnny Shuman with his mother, Virginia Kicklighter and wife, Dedra Shuman

Swainsboro honors retired Chief Shuman

by Ronald E. McCall
Staff Writer

Swainsboro Police Chief Francis Jenarel (Johnny) Shuman Jr. hung up his badge and gun for the final time as that city’s police chief at the end of December 2009. On Thursday afternoon, February 11, 2010, law enforcement personnel, city and county officials, friends, and relatives gathered at the new police department facility to honor the former chief and recall some of the more memorable events of his 14-year-tenure as head of the police department.

If it’s possible that such a thing is in the genes or bloodlines, Johnny was born to be a policeman. Although he received a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the John Marshall Law School in Atlanta in 1979 and had the option of joining a law firm or setting up his own practice, the lure of fighting crime on the streets kept a badge pinned on his chest.

A graduate of the Reidsville High School Class of 1964, Johnny went into the Navy where he served two tours of duty in Vietnam and was awarded the National Defense Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with three Bronze Stars, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device, Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon, and Armed Forces Expeditionary Medals before coming home to Reidsville and becoming Maintenance Supervisor at Georgia State Prison Industries in 1969. In 1971 he joined the Reidsville Police Department as a patrolman, where he was also bonded as a deputy sheriff.

In June 1977, he joined the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department as Chief Investigator, and then moved to the Jesup Police Department in December 1980 where he served as detective and reached the rank of Sergeant.

In May of 1986, he returned to his hometown to become Chief of Police in Reidsville, where he served until October 1995, when he moved to Swainsboro and assumed the position of Chief of Police. Between 1973 and 1975, he earned an A.S in Criminal Justice from South Georgia College and completed a B.S. in Criminal Justice. Currently he is an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice for East Georgia College in Swainsboro.

Among other achievements, Swainsboro officials give him credit for the new, state of the art Swainsboro Police Department headquarters, due to his untiring efforts to help secure funding. In his words, the old police building was “too small to cuss a cat without getting hair in one’s mouth.”

Johnny is a member of the Swainsboro United Methodist Church; Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, Fraternal Order of Police, Peace Officers Association of Georgia, Sons of the American Revolution, and Veterans of Foreign Wars. He is a member of the Rising Sun Lodge No. 32 F. & A.M. in Reidsville and is Past Master of Swainsboro Lodge No. 244 F & A.M. He is a 32 Degree KCCH Mason and presently serves as a DDGM for the First District and Counsel for Defense for the First District Trial Commission.

Johnny is the older of two children born to Francis Jenarel Shuman Sr. (deceased) and Virginia Eason Shuman Kicklighter. His sister, Angela Kappes, died in 2009. He has three children; Brian J. Shuman of Marlborough, Massachusetts, Meredith Shuman Yarbrough of Macon, Georgia, and John Richard (J.R.) Shuman of Swainsboro. He is happily married to Dedra Dukes Shuman, formerly of Jesup, Georgia.

According to Dedra, his hobbies include talking on the cell phone, reading Michael O’Casey’s column in The Tattnall Journal, watching anything remotely related to history, crime, hunting, or fishing on television, and irritating his wife.

Friends mention that he always enjoyed dove hunting at which he will readily admit to degrees of success ranging from near perfect to somewhere in the terrible zone. This scribe remembers one particular day at a dove shoot near the Georgia State Prison when halfway through the hunt he came walking calmly across the field with his prized Browning Citori double unbreeched and balanced across his shoulder.

“You have your limit?” I inquired.

“Hardly,” he replied with a forced smile. “I have shot 26 times and trimmed nary a feather. I’m putting this beautiful little gun in my truck before I wrap it around a pine sapling.”

No doubt that will be one of the legacies of Francis Jenarel Shuman Jr. His ability to inject humor into virtually any situation is almost legendary. A Johnny Shuman story is much funnier when he tells it.

He has always been an avid bass fisherman so now its time to tie new line on his reels and chunk his beat-up old fishing lures into the water every time an opportunity presents itself. Here’s hoping you catch a 20 pound bass, Johnny.




2-25-10 front page (pdf file)

2-25-10 Classified (pdf file)

2-18-10 front page (pdf file)

2-18-10 Classified (pdf file)


February 25 obits

Annie Ruth Blair, age 74

William Brannen, 70

Sallie Flowers Busby, 85

Irma Jean Sapp Greene, 73

Geraldine Smith Jarriel, 92

Eva Lee Pittman, 84

Ira Wayne Rogers, 64

Emma Della Williams, 87

February 18 obits

Paul Jackson Sr.

Vivian DeLoach Kicklighter, 100

Jasper Paul Martin, 72

Dora Smith Paul., 90

Jayden Taevon Woods, 3 months

The Tattnall Journal
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Reidsville, GA 30453

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