the grip nov 17 online

8/3/2019 The Grip Nov 17 Online

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- On Wednesday, Nov. 9 a CowanRoad Middle School studentbrought an inoperable BB gunto school. The weapon wasimmediately conscated, andthe student was suspended romschool and will ace criminalcharges and a disciplinaryhearing.

- City commissioners voted on

Tuesday, Nov. 8 to renew a our-year lease with Yamaha or 55gol carts or the Cit y MunicipalGol Course in the amount o$39,930.

- The city o Grin hasentered an agreement withReservationFor, Inc. to allowonline reservations and billpayment or City Park Pavillions.A $5 service charge will beapplied per reservation madeonline.- The adult daycare, Golden

Girls Ministries, is appealing thecounty commissioners' decisionto deny their request or aspecial exception or a homeoccupation business.

- The Spalding County Sheri'sDepartment responded to ashooting on Thursday, Nov. 17at Willow Creek Apartmentson Futural Road. A emale was

shot in the hip, and treated bySpalding EMS. The incidentremains under investigation.

- Georgia State Troopers arejoining law enorcement ocersacross the country or OperationClick It or Ticket to promote seatbelt and child passenger saetyor the holidays. The two-weekenorcement wave began Nov.14 and ends Sunday, November27.

- Orrs Elementary School teacherDana Smith Jett was named

the 2011-12 GSCS Teacher othe Year by the Grin-SpaldingCounty Board o Education attheir Tuesday, Nov. 1 meeting.She will represent the Grin-Spalding County School Systemin the state-level Teacher o the

Year competition in January2012.

- County commissioners have

approved an ordinance toamend licensing and regulationsSection 6-1006(2) to provide orpackage sales o malt beveragesand wine on Sundays, which willappear on the county ballet inMarch 2012.

- Ater three days ointerviewing 324 individuals,listening to numerouspresentations, and examiningboxes o artiacts, the AdvancED(SACS-CASI) Quality AssuranceReview team recommendedre-accreditation or the Grin-Spalding County School System.

JESSICA GREGORY

Ater three days interviewing 324individuals, listening t

numerus presentatins,and examining bxes artiacts, the AdvancED(SACS-CASI) QualityAssurance Reviewteam recmmendedre-accreditatin r theGrin-Spalding CuntySchl System.Dr. Michael Ldic, thelead evaluatr the eight-persn Quality AssuranceReview Team, cmmendedthe schl system ata called bard

educatin meeting Nv.16 r develping acntinuus imprvementprcess that is shwingsignicant increases instudent perrmance;aligning leadership andcmmunicatins prtclinternally and externallyt supprt the district sinitiatives; demnstratingcmmitment t thesuccess each student;and supprting instructinthrugh the systemic use a variety data analysistls.

The AdvancEd review teamvisit was part the districtaccreditatin prcess,

Griffin native LaurenAshely Redmond) wonthe Female Artist ofthe Year, voted by thereaders of Georgia-Country.com

NOV 17 - 30, 2011 VOL. 01 NO. 22

HEADLINE HIGHLIGHTS

CoNT, SCHOOLS, pg 2

LIFESTYLES

GOVERNMENT

We've highlighted afew local businessesto make it easy for youto keep it local whileshopping this holidayseason. pg. 4-5

Re-elected citycommissionersHollberg, Todd, andFlowers share theirthoughts on thechallenges that faceGriffin. pg. 7

PRINTED BI-WEEKLY | WWW.THE-GRIP.NETGET A GRIP AND GET THE GOOD STUFF

COMMUNITY

School system receives recommendationor re-accreditation; nal AYP numbers in

Jessica Gregory,[email protected]

pg.6

's Git ideas rom local stores that

ring up or $25 or less Black Friday Specials Why to use your AmEx on 11/26

PG 4-5

JESSICA GREGORY

Thugh Nv. 5 wasespecially windy andcld, rughly 300 pepleshwed up r samplings rughly 35 dierentchili recipes r the Grin-Spalding Humane ScietyChili Ck o held at ThePavilin n Carver Rad.

The Chili Ck o is ne the largest undraisers r

the sciety. Winning rst

place in the Judges' Chicecategry was Manhatten'sRestaurant.

Tny Akl, wner Manhatten's, says he'sentered the ck everyyear r the past 10 years,with this year being thesecnd in a rw takinghme rst place.

"We change ur chili a little

every year," he said, "butit's always a traditinal chiliwith a mixture steaktips and grund bee withsmkey favring."

"Being picked as thenumber ne chice makesit exciting, but win rlse we're ging t enterbecause it's an imprtantcause," said Akl.

Petr Suth tk hmerst place in Peple'sChice, llwed by KarenMsley and Debbie Bentn Sister Brew (picturedabve right).

Above let: Grifn FireRescue hands out samplingso their chili.

Cold weather didn't deter the Grin-Spalding Humane Society Chili Cook O

SCTC celebrates the "topping out" o its Medical Technology Building

SHEILA MARSHALL

A cmmunity-drivenmvement is underwaywhich seeks t encuragethe University Gergia-Grin campust implement a criminal

justice bachelr degreecmpletin prgram.

Jeremy Bennett, a Grinnative, rmer sergeant the Grin PliceDepartment and currentSuthern Crescent

Technical Cllege criminaljustice pressr, hasspearheaded the ert,ne he says will benet ntnly thse seeking a careerin law enrcement, butthe cmmunity, as well.

I am prpsing that theUniversity Gergia-Grin campus startup a bachelr degreeprgram in criminal

justice, plitical science,justice administratin rpublic administratin, hesaid. This wuld allwr the graduates bth Suthern Crescent

Technical Cllege andGrdn Cllege the

pprtunity and ability

t nish their degreesin the Grin-SpaldingCunty area. Currently,thse graduates must gt Atlanta, Claytn State,Macn State r Clumbusuniversities t nish theirdegrees.

With n secndaryeducatinal acilityther than Claytn StateCllege ering suchdegree cmpletinprgrams within 60 miles Grin, Bennett said ithe University Gergia

pts t er this, it wuldals have the ptential tsignicantly impact lcaldevelpment.

Just think thepprtunities with regardt students husingneeds, including ptentialstudent husing, newrestaurants, shpping andcee shps, he said. Thisis a great pprtunity tprmte ur cmmunitywith grwth, sustainabilityand perseverancein tdays ecnmiccnditins, as well as theability t graduate rm astate the art institutin,

CoNT, pROgRAM pg 2

CoNT, buiLding, pg 2

Community support sought orUGA criminal justice program

W hat ex ac t l yi s t he Landbank

Au t h o r i t y a n dw hat do t hey do?

"Atlanta's Tough Guy" opensup about his acting career(spoiler: he's a softy at heart )

PG 2PG 3

JESSICA GREGORY

only tw mnths ag,

Suthern CrescentTechnical Cllege brkegrund n what will beits largest building ncampus, a new Medical

Technlgy Building

lcated n what used t bestudent parking.

on Thursday, Nv. 17, SCTCcelebrated the "tppingut" the building, whichmeans the ramewrk the building is nwcmplete, slightly ahead schedule, says Anna Taylr,

directr marketing andpublic relatins r SCTC.

The next steps will be tnish the exterir ramingand mving n t theinterir.

The new 80,000 sq. t.

building will huse thedental assisting, medicalassisting, rthpeadic techpharmacy tech, practical

nursing, radilgic,respiratry care, surgicaltech, emergency medicaltech, and paramedicine


2/8

prgrams.

Thirty-six percent SCTC'sstudent bdy is currentlyenrlled in medicalprgrams, and the currentclassrms are at ullcapacity, said Taylr.

"The Medical TechnlgyBuilding will allw us tupdate and expand theacilities and traininglabratries r urmedical prgrams. We alshpe t be able t get rid

sme the mdularunits n campus," shecntinued.

Additinally, the buildingwill have 12 classrmsand three science labst supprt these alliedhealth prgrams. ocesr aculty and sta will belcated n the secnd andthird frs.

The negtiated cst

cnstructin r thisprject is just ver $15millin dllars with acmpletin date Sept.2012. The additinalbudget r urniture,

xtures and equipment rthe building is $2.5 millin.

The schl hpes ter curses in the newbuilding in the springsemester 2013, and thatthe new space will allw rthe expansin existingprgrams, as well as thecreatin new prgrams.

"New prgrams andexpansin is still in the

develpmental stage," saidTaylr, "but we are lk ingt expand the Financial Aidand Student Aairs cest accmmdate the needs ur students."

which is an internatinalprtcl r schl districtscmmitted t systemic,systematic, and sustainableimprvement, accrding tthe ral exit reprt thereview team.

Dr. Curtis Jnes,Superintendent, said, I

am extremely prud the wrk the reviewteam. In three days theygave ur schl systeman extensive lk in allacets schling. Wecan take pride in thecmmendatins thereview team gave. Whatis mre, their assessmentvalidates the hard wrk the schls, teachers,and students. We are agd schl system nthe jurney t becminggreat!

The SACS re-accreditatincmes just ater thenalized 2010-11 Annual

Yearly Prgress (AYP)numbers have beenpublished, which alsbrught gd news rGSCS.

Fr the rst time, 94percent (17 ut 18) GSCSmet r exceeded standardsand made AYP. "17-1 is an

excellent wn-lss recrd,"Dr. Jnes wrte in annualreprt.

A.Z. Kelsey Academy, anntraditinal high schlthat cuses n studentswh are ar behind in theiracademics, was the nlyschl that didn't met AYPstandards.

A.Z. Kelsey's graduatin

rate was 25 percent, r19 ut just ver 70students. oten thestudents are s ar behind,they simply can't graduatebere they age ut thesystem.

"We knew that A.Z. Kelseywuld have an impactn ur AYP reprt," saidDenise Burrell, GSCSDeputy Superintendent rInstructin.

Burrell adds that A.Z.Kelsey's number graduates, hwever lw,helps t bst the schlsystem's graduatin

numbers and meet theAYP graduatin raterequirements.

"Mst imprtantly, we'vegt t ask urselves hwmany students can we helpgraduate that wuld havenever graduated withut aschl such as A.Z. Kelsey?"

said Burrell.

"We are cntinuing trene the prcess determining wh we cand the mst r at A.Z.Kelsey. We need t acceptstudents that we can havethe greatest impact upnin the least amunt time."

Burrell went n t say that

i 11 mre students hadgraduated rm any thehigh schls - GHS, SHS,r A.Z. Kelsey, the systemwuld have met AYP galsthis year.

SHEILA MARSHALL

Recent reprts that theSpalding Cunty Bard Cmmissiners reducedby 50 percent the budget the Grin-SpaldingCunty Land BankAuthrity (LBA) prmptedreader questinsregarding the rle thegvernmental agency.

Accrding t ExecutiveDirectr Jhn Jiner, theLBA was rmed t addresssme the negativeissues that permeated

Gergia cmmunitiesllwing the near cllapse the real estate market.

Utilizing unds the NeighbrhdStabilizatin Prgram(NSP), ederal unds are

channeled thrugh thestate t the LBA. Themney is then used tpurchase hmes that havebeen reclsed upn.

It gives us an pprtunityt make a dierence inneighbrhds that reallyneed it, Jiner said.

once hmes are acquired,the LBA makes anynecessary repairs whileals renvating thehme t be mre energyecient.

The way the law reads,they want these husest be the best husesin the neighbrhd,he said. These becmereally gd huses withlw maintenance and lwutility csts. It shuld really

be the best huse they(purchasers) can get.

The LBA began its wrkwith a $1.1 millin NSPgrant that was used tpurchase and restre 21hmes.

Parties interested inpurchasing these hmesmust meet certain lwerincme requirements,based n a percentage the cuntys medianincme level.

Its really targeted atgetting peple int hmeswh therwise mightnt be able t purchasea hme, Jiner said. Weactually have a limit nthe maximum we can salea huse r. We may eventake a lss n sme sales.

Hwever, accrding tthe legislatin underwhich statewide LBAswere established, it is ntrequired that all csts berecuped.

As unds cme in rmthe sale these hmes,they are used t purchaseadditinal qualiyingprperties.

Its kind a revlvingund, Jiner said.

In additin t the initial$1.1 millin NSP grant,the LBA recently receiveda secnd grant ttaling

just ver $660,000. Jinersaid the LBA will seek tuse these NSP3 unds tpurchase mre than nehme in badly aectedneighbrhds.

Lng term, it shuldreally have a gd eectn Grin and SpaldingCunty. It will wrk tstabilize prperty values inthese neighbrhds, headded.

As imprtant as thesereal estate transactinsare t neighbrhdrevitalizatin, it was ntthe riginal legislativeintent in the establishment

LBAs.

The reasn LBAs wereriginally authrized wast deal with tax delinquentprperties, Jiner said.

In thse circumstances,

when a cuntys taxcmmissiner ersresidences up r taxtale, the LBA appearsand places a bid n thehme. The minimumbid acceptable by taxcmmissiners is theamunt past due taxesplus its administrativecsts assciated with thesale.

Jiner said the nlycncern he was aware was that investrswh eared they wuldbe excluded rm thepurchase prcess.Hwever, Jiner saidthat i the LBA and aprivate investr eachplace matching bidsn such prperties, theprivate investr, by law,autmatically wins the bid.

We really are a purchaser last resrt, he said.

In these circumstances, theLBA is required t ntiythe riginal wner itstax sale purchase, andthey then have ne year

t reclaim their prperty.T d s, the hmewnermust pay the amunt the tax sale plus 20percent. At the end thatyear, a secnd ntice isissued and anther 30-daywaiting perid ensues.I the wner still ails treclaim the prperty,it then becmes theprperty the LBA.

I we sell a prperty, curse the rst gal is trecup the past due taxesthat are wed, Jinersaid. Hwever, the LandBank Authrity is thenly authrity that canextinguish delinquenttaxes i it is necessary t ds t get the prperty backint the hands a privatewner and in a prductivestatus.

TOP STORIES2 Nv. 17 - 30, 2011

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schools, cont. SCTC, cont.

such as the University Gergia.

This prpsal has alreadygarnered the supprt lcal law enrcementcials.

I dnt knw that yu have

t have ne (degree) t bea plice cer, but I thinkit makes them mre well-runded plice cers,said GPD Chie FrankStrickland. They d betterwith prblem slving ncetheyve been thrugh thecllege prcess.He als said he believes

his current cers wuldbenet rm such a UGAprgram, because theywuld have an pprtunityt cntinue theireducatins lcally.Sheri Wendell Beam isals a strng supprter Bennetts erts.

I denitely endrse it, hesaid. Law enrcement isheading twards wherethe mre educatin yuhave, the better the careerwill be. Having the abilityt btain a degree lcallywuld be very benecialr thse already in lawenrcement and thseinterested in a career in lawenrcement.

Dr. Dris Christpher,UGA-Grin assistant vicepresident r academicaairs and directr academic prgrams, saiduniversity cials inAthens have nt yet ruledn the prpsal.

Its a cming tgether tw departments inGrin and Athens, shesaid. The department hast g thrugh and reviewwhether criminal justiceis smething they want tbring t the campus. Itsreally exciting i it happens,but its in the hands the vice president instructin (Dr. Laura Jlly)in Athens.

Bennett is strnglyencuraging SpaldingCunty residents andinterested parties twrite letters supprtr a criminal justiceprgram t himsel,as well as Christpher.Bennett may be reachedat [email protected], and Christpher may

be cntacted by e-mail [email protected].

A massive number letters supprt havebeen cming in and Ivebeen rwarding thset Athens, Christphercnrmed.

program, cont.


3/8

Tim Perez, a retired veteranwho served in the Armyand Navy, who in 2008also ran for SpaldingCounty sheriff, speaks outon his acting career. Perez,also a pilot, likes to relax by

jumping out of airplanes.Learn more at Perez atwww.timothydperez.me

Q: When did your acting career

begin?A: My very rst gig wasas an extra in the Lietimemvie The Wrnged Man.It was lmed partly at theld Grin jail. I had seenan ad r extras in thenewspaper, respndedand was called in t be aprisner. This was threeyears ag, arund January2009.

Q: How did you become involvedin the lm industry?

A: During the lming The Wrnged Man, Igt in with several extrascasting agencies. Frm

there, I had eatured extrarles as a prisner, bikerand all arund tugh guy.Eventually, I started gettingspeaking rles, and thengt picked up by an agent.

This past summer I alspicked up a manager.

Q: What are some o the projectsyouve been involved with?

A: Ww. Ive been in rughly25 mvies/TV shws. Iwas a series regular n aCmcast on Demand TVseries titled Mney, Pwer,and Respect. Ive als beenn Past Li e, The Glades,The Walking Dead,Necessary Rughness,Meet the Brwns andmany ther prjects.Ive als been in a ewcmmercials. Theres a list mst the prjects nIMDB.

Q: What type oroles do you tendto play?

A: At rst I wasgetting tughguy rles. Yuknw, biker,killer, prisner,etc. They usedt always callme the tugh

guy, whichturned intThe Atlanta

Tughguy.Hwever, Ive been a cp,military dude, ather andall arund general dude,as well. Im nt lckedint ne character type,which is gd. I want t beversatile enugh t d anyrle that cmes my way.

Q: As the Atlanta Tough Guy, doyou have concerns o becomingtype cast in the bad guy roles?

A: Haha! I kinda thught nthis questin a little. First, cast means that Imgetting rles! S, Ill takethem, bad guy r nt. ButI like ding ther typesbecause I want lks tsee that I can be a tughather, tugh husband,tugh cach, tugh cp,etc. Tugh desnt alwayshave t be bad, r mean.

on ne hand,I dnt want tbe lcked in tne type. on thether hand, ibeing a bad guyeeds me, then sbe it!

Q: How do youcorrelate yourpersonal belies with

acting? For example,would you ever turndown a role thatyou elt portrayeda character thatcontradicted yourpersonal aith?

A:This is a gd questin,ne that cmes up indiscussins quite tenamngst Christian actrs.I've wrestled with the"line" n mre than neccasin. In act, my wieand I discuss it regularly. AllI can say is that I wn't usethe Lrd's name in vain.Nr will I d a sex scene.other than that, I have t

judge the merits eachprject individually. I saythat because smenehas t be the bad guyr the stry t be tld.

Lie is ull challenges,bstacles, and persnaldrama, s when telling astry thrugh acting, sme the details have t betld r the stry t becmplete. As an example,as a matter plicy, Idn't swear. Hwever, iswearing, t a degree,makes sense and tellsthe stry, which sells thescene and character, thenI'll make a decisin as twhether I can supprt it rnt. I als dn't kill peplein real lie, but I will in amvie! I wuldn't want t

play a wie abuser, but ithe rle had redeemingqualities in the character,and it needed t be dnet make the stry, thenI'd prbably d it. T d it

just r the sake dingit might be a challenge rme persnally. The line isn'talways in a black and whitearea.

Q: How does your amily eelabout your acting career?

A: My amily is verysupprtive. When I rststarted acting, my wieMarlene had cncerns.Ater all, the nly news

that seems t cme ut Hllywd is thedrugs, sex, divrces andcheating scandals. My wiewas araid that I culd getcaught up in that mess, butsince she travels with mesme and has met a lt the lks in the industry,shes seen that there area lt gd lks that

just lve the crat andwant t make a career it. Plus, she runs a tightship arund my huse andkeeps me in line anyways!I knw which side mybread the butter is n!

Q: What is your avorite aspecto acting?

A:There are several piecest the answer. First, Ienjy being smebdydierent bringing acharacter t lie and tellinga stry is an awesmething. There is lts creativity at play whendevelping a character ra rle. Secndly, I enjy thebusiness side it. Being asuccessul entrepreneur

srts, I enjy the challenge building my wnrad t success. Im ntsitting arund waiting rsmene t tell me that it smy turn t be successul.Im taking the bull by thehrns and making my wnway. Thats the beauty this great cuntry. We cand that! I d NoT have tllw the beaten path.Nne us have t!

Q: What is the most challengingaspect o acting?

A: Acting is a liestyle.A tugh aspect is thatwe have t be able tg away n a mmentsntice smewhere r anauditin, r t lm. Frinstance, I gt a callback,which is a secnd auditin,r a rle in a majr mtinpicture. Well, my wie andI had t drp everythingthat we were ding at neday at 4 p.m. and hit therad r a grueling 11-hurdrive t Shreveprt, La.,r an 11 a.m. call timethe next day! We gt urhurs sleep that night,then drve 14 hurs thenext day t get the rest the way t the auditinand then back hme.

Q: Where do you see your

career going? What are youraspirations?

A: Ive had several dayplayer rles n TV shws,been the lead in quite aew independent lmsand I was a regular n anon Demand TV series. Thenext lgical step wuldbe t land a recurring rlen a regular TV series, andt land a rle in a majrmtin picture that hastheatrical distributin.other than becminga successul actr, myaspiratin is t use thatame and ntriety tmake a dierence in thelives thers. It will makea great platrm rmwhich t d that.

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4/8

LIFESTYLES4 Nv. 17 - 30, 2011

GET A GRIP: POLL OF THE WEEKEach week at ww w.the-grip.net a Get A Grip poll willbe posted. The results and any related content will bepublished in the consecutive print edition o The Grip.Visit www.the-grip.net to vote today!

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Should Georgia

put a cap onthe value ogits given tolegislators romlobbyists?


5/8

SHEILA MARSHALL

Many lcal amilies sharethe belved Christmastraditin cutting dwna Christmas tree. Tw lcaltree arms will be pen tthe public beginning theday ater Thanksgiving,with numerus ptins tmake the hlidays bright.

While new t theagribusiness industry,Evergreen Christmas TreeFarm, which pened t thepublic in 2010, has a ullcrp trees rm which tselect.

This is ur secnd yearselling trees, said wnerRicky Crawrd. We haveLeyland Cypress, MurrayCypress, Carlina Sapphire,Blue Ice and Virginia Pinesranging rm six t 10 eettall.

Crawrd said his trees arepriced rm $25 t $45,but visitrs will receive

much mre than just aplace t hang their amilysrnaments.

Its a amily event. Itsexciting t watch thekids when they cmeut and g thrugh thetrees. Its great t see theexpressins n their aces.

Kim Slaughter, The oldBarn Christmas Tree Farm,said it has been in heramily r 50 years.

Families wh cme hereare ging t g hme witha warm memry The

old Barn. Theyre gingt experience a mretraditinal setting becausewe are surrunded bywds, and its a slwerpace we try t prvidea gd hmey eel t urcustmers, s theyll eelwelcme.

The old Barns selectinincludes Leyland Cypress,

Virginia Pine and CarlinaSapphire trees.

Guests are als invited tvisit the old Barn Shppe,where they may peruselcal handmade crats,alng with specialtyEurpean handcrateditems, lcal hney andhmemade baked gds.

Fr amilies wh preerFraser Firs (which dnt grw in the Gergiaclimate) and dn't want tg t big bx stres t getthem, these tw arms, aswell as the Yard Dept, willals er pre-cut FraserFirs.

"The big bx stres leveloregn rests in octberand lad the trees n atruck. When yu buy a tree

the day a ter Thanksgiving,it's already been cut r

ver a mnth," said MarkRedmnd, c-wner

The Yard Dept. "our treeswill have been cut within atw-week windw yurpurchase."

Guests visiting thesethree lcatins will alsbe treated t ht ccaand ht apple cider,respectively, and childrenvisiting bth tree arms willreceive a cmplimentaryhliday-themed clringbk and crayns. Fradditinal inrmatin, callEvergreen at 770-468-3057;

The old Barn at 770-227-5237; The Yard Dept at

404-790-2082.

Nv. 17 - 30, 2011 5

2898-C N. Expressway, Griffin 770-227-2242

Gold Silver Watches Eye Glasses 770-412-0005210 Rock Street, Grin

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LIFESTYLES

Local tree arms allow amilies to create holiday tradition

's

Aging Gracefully Antiques30% OFF SELECT ITEMS103 N. Hil l Street; 10:30a - 5:30p

All Together10% OFF STOREWIDE315 W.Solomon Street,10:30a - 5:30pAngies BoutiqueALL JEWELRY 50% OFF129 S. Hil l Street; 10a - 6p

Antique Griffin20% OFF ALEXANDRIA LAMPS113 E. Taylor Street; 10a - 5:30p

The Bag Lady75 % OFF SELECT ITEMS AND DOOR PRIZES117 N. Hil l Street; 10a - 6p

Blackshear PhotographyBLACK & WHITE FRIDAY$50 THREE UNIT B&W PHOTO PKG118 N. Hil l Street; By appointment

Dove SalonLADIES CUT SPECIALS $10 & UP111 W. Solomon; 9a -10p

Firehouse SubsFREE MED. DRINK W/ SUB PURCHASE118 W. Taylor Street; 10:30 a-10:30p

Griffin Pawn ShopJEWELRY SPECIALS EVERY HOUR128 W. Solomon Street; 9a - 6p

Hobbs Pharmacy30% OFF SELECT VERA BRADLEY ITEMS220 W. College Street; 9a - 6p

Liberty Technology$50 OFF MAC PURCHASES (excludes Mini)120 E. Taylor Street, 9 - 6Safehouse Coffee& Tea50% OFF IN-STORE MERCHANDISE(excludes food & bev)

109 S. Hil l Street, 7a - 10p

Spalding Shoe Repair & SaddlerySPECIALS ON BOOTS, BELTS, BUCKLES122 S. 8th Street; 9a - 5p

Taylor-Made Shoes75 % OFF SELECT ITEMS AND DOOR PRIZES

117 N. Hil l Street; 10a - 6 p

The Tiger Lily50% OFF SELECT PURSES & JEWELRY136 S. Hil l Street; 10a - 5:30p

Weekend TreasuresMA JOR MA RK DOW NS IN MA NY B OOTHS125 S. Hil l Street; 11a - 6p

C he ck wi th othe r d owntown bu s i ne s s e s &re s ta u ra nts for more B l a ck F ri d a y s pe ci a l s !

American Express Oers $25 Credit On 'Small Business Saturday'JESSICA GREGORY

Sandwiched between BlackFriday and Cyber Mnday,Small Business Saturday(spnsred by AmericanExpress) is quicklybecming a new shppingday, ne in which therewards are much greaterthan percentages anddinky dr busters.

American Express's "ShpSmall" mvement beganlast Nvember, when theyered a $25 statementcredit r anyne wh rstregisters their AmEx cardnline, then spends at least$25 with a small businessmerchant.

Like last year, AmericanExpress is giving away200,000 $25 statementcredits r cardhldersthat shp at an AmericanExpress accepting smallbusiness n Nv. 26.Learn mre abut thecampaign and signup r the statementcredit: Facebk.cm/SmallBusinessSaturday.

While the 25 ree dllarsis an incentive enugh,the idea behind theShp Small initiative is tbreathe lie back int lcalcmmunities.

At the mst basic level,when yu buy lcally,mre mney stays inthe cmmunity. In act,

The New EcnmicsFundatin und thatalmst twice the amunt mney stays in thecmmunity when lksbuy lcally, in the rm prperty taxes, payrll andther expenditures.

"That means thsepurchases are twiceas ecient in terms keeping the lcal ecnmyalive," says authr and NEFresearcher David Byle.

Last year, merchants thataccept American Expresssaw a 28 percent rise insales vlume cmparedwith the same Saturday theprevius year, the creditcard cmpany said.

over 2.5 millin Facebkusers, 130 public andprivate rganizatins, and41 elected cials havedeclared their supprt rSmall Business Saturdaysince last year.

Businesses interestedin prmting this eventcan visit the websitesmallbusinesssaturday.cmt dwnlad ree materialsand take advantage reeFacebk ads.

Make sure to check out thegit ideas on the oppositepage or ideas on whatto buy on November 26to receive your AmericanExpress statement credit o$25!

Spalding County is one o the top ten

Christmas tree-producing counties inGeorgia. Some 55 acres are devoted toChristmas trees with a armgate value o$206,250. Georgia armers plant a total o

2,177 acres in trees or the holiday season.

Source: University o Georgia College o Agricultural andEnvironmental Sciences


6/8

COMMUNITY6 Nv. 3-17, 2011

November 18 - December 25;"Git Lights"; AtlantaMtr Speedway; a nightlydrive-thrugh event withver ne millin LED lightsin hundreds displays;6-9 p.m. Sunday thrugh

Thursday; 6-10 p.m.Friday and Saturday; $15admissin per car.November 22; Tuesday;Airprt Rad Tree Lighting;6-8p.m. ; tree lightinghsted by Spalding CuntyParks & Rec, with activitiesr children and a visit rmSanta Claus.

November 25; Black Friday;Shp in dwntwn Grinn Black Friday r greatspecials and deals; seepage 5 r a partial list participating businesses.

November 25; Friday; "TheNutcracker"; The annualhliday special presentedby the Grin Ballet

Theatre; Grin Auditrium;

call 770-228-1306 r times.

November 26; Small BusinessSaturday; register yurAmerican Express card atsmallbusinesssaturday.cm t receive a $25 creditt yur AmEx statementwhen yu purchase rm asmall business n Nv. 26.

November 27; Sunday; Santain the Garden; bring yurchildren, grandchildrenand pets t takepressinal phts withSanta in the UGA Research& Educatin Gardens 121W. Ellis Rad; 1-4 p.m.; $20r tw 5x7s and eightwallets.

December 1; Thursday; ArtsAssciatin open HuseDwntwn Grin TreeLighting; 5 - 7 p.m.; GrinCity Hall.

December 1; Thursday;"Christmas with GrinChral Arts"; 7:30 p.m.;

Begin yur hlidaybservance with thisannual cncert eventeaturing traditinalhliday selectins andnew cmpsitinscelebrating the birth the Christ Child. Enjy anight great chral musicaccmpanied by rgan,harp, brass, percussin,and handbells; First BaptistChurch Grin; www.grinchralarts.rg

December 2-11; "A TunaChristmas"; MainstreetPlayers; a withering satire,ntable in that tw menplay the entire cast ver twenty eccentriccharacters bth gendersand varius ages; www.mainstreetplayers.rg

December 3; Saturday;Mistlete Market andDwntwn open Huse;nn - 6 p.m.; GrinReginal Welcme Center;Purchase unique gits,

enjy ld ashined mulecart rides, phts withSanta, kids activity area,and mre.

December 4; Sunday; G-SChamber ChristmasParade; 2:30 p.m.; Rutealng Taylr Street,starting at Chick-l-a tthe ld Taylr MiddleSchl; Registratinaccepted thrugh Dec.2nd r $20. Cntact theGrin-Spalding Chamber Cmmerce at 770-228-8200.

To view more local eventsvisit the calendar page atwww.the-grip.net.

BUBBA'S HOMETOWN BULLETIN BOARD Place your items, events,rentals, and announcementsin the classied sectionstarting at $12.

CALL: 770-227-1857EMAIL: [email protected]: PO Box 2251, GrinFAX: 770-227-4939

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Gergia Trend magazinehas annunced its 2011list the Best Placest Wrk in the State Gergia. Alng with

majr cmpanies such asLckheed Martin, NewellRubbermaid, and ShawIndustries, the 64-memberteam Grin Fire-Rescuewas recgnized by therespected magazine as ne 15 Best Places t Wrk inGergia.

Thrugh a nminatinprcess allwingemplyees t recgnizetheir cmpany, themagazine evaluatesthe verall wrkplace

Grin Fire-Rescue amongBest Places ToWork In Georgia

Ater much anticipatinand ve lng mnths vting, the suspensewas put t rest as theGergia-Cuntry Awardwinnerswere annunced

this Saturday at Cwbys inMilledgeville, GA. Grinsvery wn Lauren-AshleyRedmnd was named theGergia-Cuntry FemaleArtist the Year, whichwas a an-vted award.

Being named the Gergia-Cuntry Female Artist the Year is such a greathnr. said Redmnd. Theawards were vted n bythe ans which made iteven mre special t me. Ihave a great grup ans

Grin nativenamed Georgia-Country FemaleArtist o the Year

that are very supprtive.I am very thankul andappreciative myhmetwn cmmunity Grin wh have been ssupprtive.

In the past year Lauren-Ashley has pened r suchacts as Luke Bryan andRnnie Milsap. In additint these perrmances,Lauren-Ashley released herrst sel-titled EP whichreceived utstanding

reviews, and has beenbusy turing thrughutGergia, building a lyaland supprtive an base.

2011 has been a mind-blwing year r me. Ihave had s many greatpprtunities and amlking rward t what ist cme. said Redmnd.

Fr mre inrmatin nLauren-Ashley, please visither webpage at www.laurenashleymusic.cm

To have your inormation appear in the this section o The Grip,(space permitting) e-mail a press release to [email protected] bries

envirnment thrughhw the emplyee isnurtured and encuraged.Recgnitin hw thewrkplace prvides benetssuch as wellness incentives,educatinal pprtunities,and healthcare insurancecverage thrugh tughecnmic times ishighlighted as well.

Grin Fire-Rescue madethe list because thedepartments dedicatin

t allw r a grwthenvirnment that preparespersnnel r pressinaland persnal success.

The department hasbuilt a large library mtivatinal, leadership,and sel- develpmentbks that expsepersnnel t businessphilsphies which ster amre creative and cusedpublic servant. Incentivesr EMT and Search &Rescue certicatin areered t allw persnnelt btain higher skill-setsand prepare themselvesr uture prmtin.Fireghter Je Bakernminated the departmentr the hnr.

The ull article isavailable t read at www.GergiaTrend.cm. Pleasecntact Chie TmmyJnes at 770/229-6415 r


7/8

SHEILA MARSHALL

Tw Grin Bard Cmmissin members Janne Tdd, representingDistrict 4 and DugHllberg, representingthe city at-large werereelected t serve anther

term n Tuesday, Nv. 8,while a third incumbent,Will Evans, was unseated byCra Flwers, wh will nwrepresent District 2.

Als carried by vterswere tw questins n theballt thse whethert apprve the city Grins sale the PimentAvenue Schl t NewMercy Baptist Church andr Sunday package alchlsales.

Hollberg saysbringing jobs to

Grin is greatestchallenge

Grin Cmmissiner DugHllberg, wh has servedeight years n the bard,is prepared t serve hiscnstituents by cntinuinghis erts t imprve thecitys ecnmic status.Himsel a lcalbusinessman, Hllbergsaid this is his number nepririty r his upcmingterm.

Ecnmic develpment isur mst serius challenge

attracting jbs t urlcal cmmunity, he said.In rder t meet thegrwing needs Grinresidents, Hllberg saidhe will persist in hiserts t supprt lcalgvernmental departmentswrking twards that gal.

We will cntinue t laythe undatin, whetherits supprt r theDevelpment Authrityr the airprt expansin,whatever is necessary tbring the jbs t Grinand Spalding Cunty, hesaid. I lk rward twrking with ur bard,

as well as the CuntyCmmissin, t develpthe new airprt, as well ascntinuing t strengthenur nancial psitin in allcity peratins.

Hllberg said he has ntat this time decided i he

will seek reelectin in theuture.

At this time, I will cnsiderall ptins publicservice, whether its servingin plitical ce r as aprivate citizen, he said. Atthis time, I have nt made adecisin n the uture.

Todd prepared toace challengesaced by city oGrin

Having been reelectedt serve a urth termn the Grin Bard Cmmissiners, Janne

Tdd is bth grateul tthse wh supprted hercandidacy and prepared tserve residents as they acedecisins that she said willaect the regin r manyyears t cme.

I think weve gt smechallenges, she said.I think the greatestchallenge we ace is water.I dnt think the pwers-that-be years ag thught

the Head Creek Reservirwuld ever run ut water r all int a state disrepair, but it has.She said this is a verypressing issue that must besn addressed.

Well have t start n thisprblem, prbably at thebeginning the year. Wehave gt t d repairs andits ging t be expensive.It (the reservir) must bedredged t remve thesilt s it can be relled,she said. Als, we have a35-inch pipe nw, but weneed a much bigger ner the Harry Simmns

Plant, and thats ging tbe very expensive.Crucial in this prcess isstriving t keep the csts gvernment thebacks the citizens. I thinkweve dne a pretty gd

jb that.

Als a high pririty Tdds is the advancementand eventual apprval the Transprtatin SpecialLcal optin Sales Tax(TSPLoST).

Weve gt t d a reallygd jb helping vtersmake the right chice. Ibelieve we can d it i welay ut the educatin andinrm ur cnstituents,she said.

Grin-Spalding Cuntystands t garner a $23millin piece the pie, shesaid, mney that will beused r sidewalks, pavingstreets and inrastructureimprvements.

The big ticket items,like imprvements at theairprt, she said.

Tdd said it is an hnrt serve her cnstituents,but she is unsure i she willagain run r elected ce.Everything depends. Itdepends n health, amilyand what the needs thecity are at the time, shesaid. Its als abut thecnstituents i they thinkIm ding a gd jb, Ill behere.

Flowers: I want

to bring orwardprogress toDistrict 2

Having served nthe Grin Bard Cmmissiners rm 2004t 2007, Cra Flwers isamiliar with many therespnsibilities she acesnce she is in Januaryswrn int ce t againserve the residents District 2.

overall, i I had tsummarize the greatestchallenge I ace, I wuldsay its prgress in District2, she said. Prgress herehas been stagnated, butwhen I lk at the districtverall, as cmpared tthe rest the city, I just

think, oh, my gdness!Where d we begin? Werelacking a general sense imprvement and rwardprgress.

With that perspective inmind, Flwers said sheintends t immediately

begin and maintaincnstant mvement timprve her district.

Amng her cncerns arerads that need paving,the clearing lts,barding up buildingsas necessary and theinstallatin streetlights.I just dnt see whereits been a cnstantprgressin rward, evenin small steps, she said.Theres been a little bit imprvement here andthere, but it starts andthen it stalls ut.

As r the city Grinat-large, Flwers saidshe believes ecnmicdevelpment shuldremain the highest pririty.

I think a big part thatis the questin whetherwe have a wrk rce thatis capable enticingbusinesses t cmehere t create ecnmicdevelpment, she said.I we get the jbs, arewe ging t have a viablewrk rce?

As an example her cncern, Flwershighlighted the arrests numerus Marshallsemplyees n thet

charges.

Marshalls came hereand created jbs, butater they had been pennly six mnths, severalemplyees were arrestedater the stre cnducted atw-mnth investigatin.

That means that ater thestre had nly been penur mnths, they alreadyund it necessary tcnduct an investigatin,she said. I dnt reallyknw hw t slve that.Is it educatin? Peplehaving jbs that lead tbetter jbs? I think thatswhat I dislike the mst itsa circle and i yu break alink, it all alls apart. Yuhave t jump in thereat sme pint, but thequestin is where d webegin?

GOVERNMENTNv. 3 - 17, 2011 7

[email protected]

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Please Enjoy Responsibly During This Holiday Season, and Always

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Deck the WallsDeck the Walls...with art and framing!

Griffin GalleryLarge Selection Of Frames Original Prints & Etching

Oil Paintings &watercolor Custom Matte DesignCustom Shadow Boxes Name Plates & Engraving

Monday - Friday 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. | Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.120 E. Bank Street, Griffin

Commissioners list economic development, transportation, orwardprogress among Grin's greatest challenges during new term


8/8

Welcome to Ashford Villas in Grin!Our community oers an amazing park-like

lifestyle where every apartment is atwo-story townhome. The cozy, relaxing

environment is the perfect place to callhome.

Ashford Villas (Formerly Flynt Ridge)

1560 Flynt Street, Leasing Oce Apt A2

770-233-6895

Make your list.Check it twice.

Sat, Dec 10th9am until 12pm

Snap aphoto withSanta

Enjoy cider, coffee,cookies and special

goodies for good

little boys and girls

505 South Hill Street 2011 United Bank Member FDIC Equal Housing Lender

the grip nov 17 online

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