The Leader TribuneThe Leader Tribune

BLACK CYAN MAG YELLOW

BLACK CYAN MAG YELLOW

AUGUST 6, 2008 16 Pages 50¢ Vol. 124 Issue No 31

Legal Organ For Peach County, City of Fort Valley and City Of Byron

Peach In & Out ..........2AOpinion .....................Opinion .....................Opinion 4A

Victor KulkoskyFrank PoseyLetters to the Editor

Magnolia Moments .....5ARhonda Rich Faye Jones Birth Annoucements

Obituaries .................6ALeo Cryder, Sr

Faith Matters ............6AAngie Carr

Billy Powell Church

School .......................7A Sports .......................8ALocal ........................B1Legals .......................2BClassifieds ................7BWhat's Cookin'What's Cookin'W ..........8B

Faye JonesConnie Irwin

( EDITORIAL ( BIRTHS ( FOODPayton AliciPayton AliciPa 'a MathisNicholas Andrew BeasleyCamiyah Carissa HudsonAndrea Bailee Jackson Melody Velda Beasley Khloe Halo Alaine Barrett Aron Ismael Lopez .......... 5A

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This Week

INSIDE

Serving Peach County For Over 100 Years An Evans Family Newspaper

By Connie Irwincirwin@evansnewspapers.com

Who is this familiar face that always has a smile and something nice to say? His name is Oliver Appling. He has been providing the people of Fort Valley with fresh fruits and vegetables in our downtown area on the corner of Lowe and E. Church Street for over 7

years. The Farmer’s Market is where you will find him every Thursday from noon until 6 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. He has fresh squash, tomatoes, okra, pep-pers, cucumbers, seedless watermel-ons, cantaloupes, peaches, pecans and more. There are only a few more weeks that this fresh produce will be available so stop by and see Oliver Appling. You will certainly be glad that you did.

Local Farmer’s Market Has Much to Offer

The flowers of knowledge are always blooming inside the Thomas Public Library, but this week a garden of earthly delights outside wows visitors. In the center of the picture: dark pink impatiens, with light pink begonias on the left and right. In the background is a helping of purple heart. These are just three items from the visual smorgasbord on the library grounds, courtesy of the Town and Country Garden Club. Stop by for some natural inspiration outside, then step into the air-conditioned library and water the seeds of your imagination.

hmmm...hmmm...I wonder I wonder I wonder what's for what's for what's for dinner?dinner?dinner?

........8B........8B

By Victor KulkoskyNews Editor

The draft of a long-awaited finan-cial report shows promise for Peach Regional Medical Center’s planned new hospital. Now all PRMC has to do is to survive until that building opens around January 2010.

“We’ve been advised by Morgan Keegan and everyone else that at this point the feasibility study certainly supports the project,” said Tom Green, chairman of the board of the Peach County Hospital Authority, at last week’s regular meeting. Morgan Keegan is one of the companies that will manage the $25 million bond issue needed to finance the new hospi-tal’s construction.

The feasibility study determines whether or not PRMC will make enough money at the new facility to repay the loans, which will come from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A positive feasibility study will greatly increase the chance of USDA approv-al.

Green said the feasibility study includes assumptions that the hospital authority board must approve before accepting the report. Before accept-ing the feasibility study, the board will discuss issues related to the report at a called meeting Thursday, August 7.

Even with the promising outlook for the new hospital project, PRMC faces financial challenges for the next two years.

“We all know we’ve got a problem staying in business until we move to

the new facility,” Green said.He said the various participants

involved in financing the new hos-pital’s construction have advised the board to raise more money, through gifts or other loans, in order to stay afloat in the near future. Green said the board is in the process of appoint-ing a fundraising committee to act on that advice.

In other business, Lisa Urbistondo, director of finance, gave the financial report as of June 2008. PRMC fin-ished in the black in June, a rare occur-rence in recent times, but following a positive month in May. The hospital made a profit of just over $1 million in June. For the fiscal year, the hospital moved into the black, with a $243,328 profit.

The good results were due in large part to an interim Medicare/Medicaid cost report, which showed the two gov-ernment agencies underpaying PRMC so far this year. As a result, Medicare will pay about $450,000 and Medicaid will pay about $10,000 at the end of the year. In previous years, without the interim reports, PRMC had been caught by surprise when it had to pay back large sums to Medicare and Medicaid due to overpayments.

PRMC also continued its downward trend in accounts receivable, which is the money owed by patients. June’s A/R was just under $6.1 million, down from $6.2 million in May and down about $2.7 million from the July 2007 high of $8.8 million.

In response to a question, Urbistondo said the hospital’s business office

New Hospital Inching CloserDraft Report ‘Supports Project’

was continuing to work on identify-ing which accounts are collectible and which need to be written off. She said the target for an acceptable level of A/R is $4 million to $5 million.

In other business, Green said the board’s assessment of the performance of PRMC’s Chief Executive Officer/Administrator Nancy Peed shows she is exceeding expectations.

“It’s fair to say we are generally

spoiled,” Green said. “Our expecta-tions are so high, she can’t really do any better. We’re glad to have her.”

In other business, Peed reported PRMC has been approved as a provider for TriCare, the military health insur-ance system. She also said PRMC had reached an agreement with the Phoenix Center to provide mental health servic-es in the emergency room.

photo by Connie Irwin

By Victor KulkoskyNews Editor

It somehow crept up on parents and students, but teachers and administra-tors know what’s coming. After all, they’ve been training for days already.

So, even though summer’s only half over, school is back in session in Peach County as of Thursday August 7. (If it’s any consolation, Houston County

started Monday.)The 2008-2009 session will be

the first full school year for new Superintendent Susan Clark, who took over last March. Clark’s appoint-ment followed months of controversy, including public feuding among Board of Education members, the unpopular dismissal of previous Superintendent Tommy Daniel, and a letter from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools requesting board members

Schools Set HighBar for New YearEarly Enrollment Figures Down Slightly

stop the feuding and stop interfering with daily school operations. That letter listed several steps the board needed to take by September or risk SACS taking steps that could lead to a loss of accreditation.

The year also begins with the schools not making Adequate Yearly Progress, a year after making AYP for the first time. Results of sum-mer retests of the Criterion Referenced Competency Tests, expected some time in the fall, could change AYP status of some schools and possibly the whole system.

But the schools’ goals adopted under Clark’s direction are ambitious. The main goal is to become the top-perform-ing district in the nation among districts of similar size. Behind that goal are three specific goals adopt-ed on May 21, 2008:

1. “All students will read on grade level by third grade beginning with the 2008-2009 Kindergarten.

2. “All students will graduate post-secondary or work ready.

3. “All students will conduct themselves in a manner that does not interfere with their own learning and achievement or with that of others.”

“Our district is very diverse — there are the rich and poor and children from every ethnic background, and there will be children in our district who will change the world,” Clark said in remarks at new teacher orientation.

“When we become the top district in the nation, every school district in America will say ‘If they can do it, why can’t we?’”

About 50 new teachers are work-ing in the Peach County schools this year. Preliminary figures show those

teachers working with slightly fewer students compared to last year. At the beginning of the week, total enrollment was 4,060. By school, preliminary enrollment is:

Byron Elementary 941Byron Middle 511Fort Valley Middle 370Hunt Elementary 569Hunt Primary 521High School 1,148

Anita Sprayberry, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, welcomes new teacher to Peach County Schools during orientation. The two-day event included information about professional learning, student support services, mentoring and what to expect during the first days of school.