News
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Thomaston, TUAC agree to events contract
The Thomaston City Council approved a contract with the Thomaston-Upson Arts Council (TUAC) for cultural services. The contract, valued at $5,000, was approved at the council’s March 5 meeting. “The proposal is that the city would contract with TUAC to do five events at the Greatest Generation Memorial Park during 2013, with the city providing $5,000 towards the cost of those events.,” City Manager Patrick Comiskey told the council. Mayor...
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Smoke On The Water starts Friday
The 6th Annual Smoke on the Water (SOTW) BBQ Cook-Off and Music Festival is Friday and Saturday at Bickley’s Lake in Thomaston. Friends are invited to enjoy their fill of the Southeast’s best barbecue and live entertainment, while at the same time helping local emergency services. A portion of the proceeds from SOTW will go to the six volunteer fire departments in Upson County. Taking place amid beautiful scenery and great music, SOTW is th...
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URMC recognized for improved patient care
Upson Regional Medical Center in Thomaston has been named to the Georgia Hospital Association’s (GHA) Hospital Engagement Network (HEN) Safety Leaders Circle, which recognizes hospitals’ improvements in patient care throughout the 2012 year. Upson is one of 13 hospitals in Georgia to place in the Elite Circle, the highest on the list. Upson is a participant in the GHA HEN, an initiative begun last year that is part of the Centers for Medica...
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Bag of drugs found under bush at house
Drug dealers may be looking for better places to hide their drugs after a Sheriff’s Deputy found a brown plastic bag containing marijuana and crack cocaine underneath a bush at an abandoned house on Butler Street on March 17. According to a report by Upson County Sheriff’s Deputy Tonica Rutledge, she was dispatched to a house on MLK Street in response to a call on suspected drug activity. She talked to the resident, who said they were sitti...
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Rotary Club recognizes Teachers of the Year
Laurie Lewis/The Thomaston Times The Thomaston-Upson Rotary Club held their Teacher of the Year Luncheon on March 19, honoring the Teachers of the Year for both the Thomaston-Upson School System and Southern Crescent Technical College. Melody Gaskins, a first grade teacher at Upson-Lee Elementary School, was named the Teacher of the Year for the Thomaston-Upson School System. Michael Cook, a Business Management Program Coordinator and Instr...
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Parking fee will be charged at Sprewell Bluff starting Saturday
Springtime is officially here and hopefully the spring weather will soon follow, making weekends spent at a park a favorite family activity. However beginning immediately, there is one change at the newest park to fall under Upson County’s jurisdiction, with a parking fee now being charged at Sprewell Bluff. The county took over operational control of the park from the state in January of this year and is using the collections from the parkin...
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Distinguished Young Women Class of 2014 Program is Saturday
The Thomaston-Upson County Distinguished Young Women Class of 2014 Program will be held at the R.E. Lee Auditorium this Saturday, March 30, at 6 p.m. Tickets are $8. The local program committee wishes to thank the businesses and individuals who purchased ads to fund the college scholarships awarded by the program. A’keila Raines Aliese Stubbs Brooke Barker Caroline Williams Claire Shaver Emily Harper Jade Shumate Lucy Jones ...
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Paving work this weekend on 19 North; expect delays
PAVING THIS WEEKEND ON US 19/SR 3 NORTHBOUND Motorists Should Expect Delays WHEN: Saturday, March 30, 8 a.m. until 7 p.m., weather permitting WHERE: US 19/SR 3 northbound near County Road in Upson County WHAT: The Georgia DOT has been notified by the contractor of scheduled lane closures on US 19/SR 3 northbound for paving operations. Work is scheduled this Saturday, March 30 from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. Delays are expected in the...
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Don Greathouses announces candidacy for Thomaston City Council District 4 post
Donald Greathouse is announcing his candidacy for City Council District 4. Wallace Rhodes currently holds the seat, but is not planning on running for re-election in November. Donald is a lifelong resident of Thomaston and has over 30 years’ experience in local law enforcement. He earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Mercer University in 1982 and his Masters in Public Administration from Columbus University in 1996. Currently, he is employe...
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First Eagle Quest proves to be a success
James Morton, The Thomaston Time The first annual Eagle Cove Quest was held at Camp Thunder last Saturday to benefit Promise Place, an organization whose mission is to prevent domestic violence. The Eagle Cove Quest is what’s known as an extreme fitness race, a combination of a marathon foot race with rough terrain and obstacles to challenge competitors. Eagle Cove Quest is a 5-mile run and can take some racers up to two hours to complete. ...
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Alert deputy leads to drug seizure
The alertness of an Upson County Sheriff’s Deputy led to the seizure of up to $38,000 in drugs and the arrest of one suspect on March 21. According to a release from the Sheriff’s Department, Deputy Mario Cromer was on patrol about 1:30 a.m. on March 21 when he noticed a vehicle parked near the drink machines at Community Superette on Jeff Davis Road. When he stopped to investigate, he found the driver, later identified as Kris Hunt, 33, of...
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Residents will soon be able to pay county water bills online
Upson County water customers will soon have the ability to pay their bills online, thanks to the Board of Commissioners approving the purchase of a new software package for the Finance and Administration, Building and Zoning and Water Departments at their first meeting in March. County Manager Jim Wheeless stated several companies have made presentations to the board in the past, but it was his recommendation they go with CSI Technology Outfi...
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BOC Chairman Rusty Blackson speaks to Planning Commission
Better communication was the main topic at the March meeting of the Upson County Planning Commission held last week. Earlier this year, board members decided it would be advantageous to invite different leaders in the community to their meetings each month to discuss what is going on in town and if there is anything the Planning Commission needs to improve upon. Upson County Commission Chairman Rusty Blackston was the guest this month and h...
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Questions arise about letter claiming responsibility for arson in Upson, Lamar
Could a student at Gordon State College, dying of cancer and pledging to a fraternity, really be the one behind the structure fires that occurred in Upson and Lamar counties in January? Possibly. But inconsistencies in an anonymous letter allegedly typed by the unnamed student and sent to both law enforcement agencies and news media lead to the question of who the real letter writer is. Travis Leroy Ball, 46, of Warner Robins, is the allege...
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City, county agree to reopen LOST negotiations
With new leadership and management at the table for Upson County, the county and the City of Thomaston have agreed to give it one more try to work out their differences over service delivery and the division of the one cent Local Option Sales Tax (LOST). This decision comes just days before Senior Judge Stephen Bosworth was scheduled to begin the process of making the decision on the division of LOST for the two governments and the City of Ya...
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Airport Authority approves GDOT grant of $106,000 to help pay debt on hangars
Larry Stanford Editor At a called meeting on March 6, the Thomaston-Upson Airport Authority authorized Chairman George Hightower and Airport Manager Mitch Ellerbee to enter into a agreement with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) to receive a $106,000 grant, which will be used to reduce the debt on the last two hangars built by the authority. “They (GDOT) scrounged around and found some money and they have to do something w...
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Stormy weather wreaks havoc, keeps emergency crews busy
Stormy weather moving through the area Monday night caused numerous power outages in Upson, Pike and Talbot counties, knocked over trees, blew roofs off, and are being blamed for two traffic fatalities in Talbot and Pike. Firefighters from all departments in Upson County were out during the storm handling calls of trees blocking roadways, trees falling on houses, power lines being down, along with routine emergency calls. The Thomaston Fire...
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Kindergarten registration scheduled for March 25-26
Submitted Registration for children entering kindergarten in the Thomaston-Upson County School System for the 2013-2014 school year is being held this month. Children who will be five years of age on or before September 1, 2013, qualify for next year’s kindergarten program. ULSE will distribute kindergarten registration packets and conduct kindergarten registration academic screenings during the week of March 19-22, at the following day c...
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DOC, Pardons and Parole proud of new office in Thomaston
Larry Stanford Editor The Department of Corrections Probation Office and Pardons and Parole showed off their “new” office in Thomaston, located in the recently renovated old Thomaston City Hall and Police Station on Highway 19 North. An open house was held at the building last Thursday afternoon. The Probation Office and Pardons and Parole are leasing the top floor of the building from the City of Thomaston. The lower floor of the build...
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Dantazias Raines found guilty of 2011 murder
Guilty on all counts was the verdict Chief Judge Christopher Edwards received from the Upson Superior Court jury in the case of the State versus Dantazias Jamal Raines Wednesday afternoon. Judge Edwards sentenced Raines,18, to life in prison without parole, plus 19 years for the murder of cab driver Brandy Turner Guined on December 21, 2011. Raines has been incarcerated in the Upson County Jail since December 24, 2011 when he was arrested for...
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Problems with Yatesville water concern council
Larry Stanford Editor How much responsibility does the City of Yatesville have when there is a problem with the city water system? That is a question the Yatesville City Council considered at its meeting on March 11. Council member Phyl Gatlin brought up a concern that in all the homes on Magnolia Circle, the water is sputtering and coming out milky white. “They’ve got air in the lines and this has been going on since they changed the...
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Village Post Office opening at The Rock Ranch
Submitted The U. S. Postal Service will open a “Village Post Office” on the grounds of The Rock Ranch on Saturday, March 23. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. at the produce market on The Rock Ranch to mark the occasion. The Postal Service launched the Village Post Office (VPO) concept in July 2011 as a way to expand access to postal products and services in communities that do not have a post office or where the current p...
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First Lady Sandra Deal visits pre-K to promote Read Across Georgia
Larry Stanford Editor Georgia’s First Lady, Sandra Deal, visited Thomaston last Thursday afternoon to read to students at Upson-Lee Pre-K. The visit was part of ‘Read Across Georgia’ Month, which is this month. “We must increase the percentage of children reading well and independently at grade-level because this lays the groundwork for all of their future academic and career endeavors,” said Mrs. Deal. “This past year, I had the opport...
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Jury to begin deliberation tomorrow in Raines trial
After spending the day hearing testimony from several witnesses and closing statements from council, the jury in the case of the State versus Dantazias J. Raines was dismissed until 9 a.m. tomorrow when they will reconvene for deliberation. Raines is charged on nine counts for the murder of Brandy Turner Guined, a cab driver for City Cab of Thomaston who was shot and killed during an attempted robbery on December 21, 2011. He has pled not gui...
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