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Planning Commission grants variance hearing to chicken farmer
After much discussion at the May meeting of the Upson County Planning Commission, the board decided to allow a variance hearing for Billy Thompson, who is wishing to place a 40x40 dry stackhouse to store litter for his chicken farm located on Morgan Road. Normally, this would not be a problem, but when Mr. Thompson went to apply for his building permit, he was informed that the property did not meet the code requiring a 200- foot setback from...
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Emancipation Celebration this weekend
The 148th annual celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation in Upson County will be held this Saturday, May 25. The keynote speaker for the event will be David Booker, former NAACP President of Macon. The Emancipation Proclamation consists of two executive orders issued by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. The first order was issued September 22, 1862, and declared freedom for all slaves in any state of the Confederate State...
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Yatesville could get new siren in future, says EMA Director McCarty
Upon County Emergency Management Agency Director Martha Ann McCarty gave the Yatesville City Council an update on what she hopes the EMA can accomplish over the next five years, including replacing the current weather siren in Yatesville with one that will cover a greater distance. The council held its monthly meeting on May 13. McCarty, who was named EMA Director in January after Billy Mitcham retired, stated that after attending directors...
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Keadle Lumber reportedly being sold
According to a Friday press release from International Forest Products Limited, known as Interfor in the business world, the company has acquired locally owned Keadle Lumber Enterprises, Inc. which has been a fixture in the Thomaston-Upson community since 1947. The following is a press release from Interfor. “International Forest Products Limited (‘Interfor’ or the ‘Company’) (TSX: IFP.A) announced today that it had reached agreement in pri...
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Tax Assessments mailed out May 15
The Upson County Board of Tax Assessors mailed the 2013 Notices of Assessment to all owners of real and Personal Property on May 15, 2013. These notices contain the proposed 2013 property valuations as well as an estimate of the tax amount that would result from these valued using last year’s (2012) millage rates. The estimated tax amount may differ from the actual 2013 tax that will be billed later this year, depending on the 2013 mill rates...
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ULHS Graduation is Friday, May 24
The Thomaston-Upson County School System has released the following Acceptable Behavior Guidelines for the graduation ceremony of the Upson-Lee High School Class of 2013, which will be held this Friday night, May 24, 2013 at 8 p.m. at Matthews Field: As an invited guest to this private ceremony, the Upson-Lee High School Class of 2013 requests that you adhere to the following guidelines for acceptable behavior: • During the presentation o...
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School system looking at $32.1 million budget
The Thomaston-Upson School System is looking at a proposed fiscal year 2014 General Fund budget of $31.2 million, just $396,000 over the fiscal year 2013 budget. The Board of Education got their first look at the proposed budget Tuesday night. Kathy Matthews, Finance Director, presented the budget to the board, noting that since 2007, there have been $2.9 million in expenditure cuts in the budget, and that the system is only increasing expe...
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Fine Arts Center opens with ribbon-cutting
Ashley Biles/The Thomaston Times The Thomaston-Upson School System held a ribbon-cutting and two Open Houses Monday for its new $8 million Fine Arts Center, built on the campus of Upson-Lee High School. The Fine Arts Center was funded by the Education SPLOST approved by voters in 2010. Prior to the ribbon-cutting Monday morning, the Board of Education sponsored a Sun’s Up Breakfast for the Chamber of Commerce at the Fine Arts Center, giving...
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Man arrested for burglarizing deceased neighbor’s house
A Thomaston man who may have been trying to mislead the police into looking elsewhere volunteered a little too much information and found himself facing a charge of burglary. Dennis Lee Boyt, 32, of 218 Deluxe Circle, was arrested by Thomaston Police on May 10 for the burglary of his deceased next door neighbor’s house at 214 Deluxe Circle. A search of Boyt’s house turned up the stolen items. Thomaston Police Officer Bobby Ellington was dis...
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Who needs a pool?
Larry Stanford|The Thomaston Times This youngster found the shooting fountains at the Greatest Generation Memorial Park to be loads of fun last Saturday as he and several other children used the fountains to cool off last Saturday.
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‘Funny money’ surfaces again in Upson County
Counterfeit twenty-dollar bills and five-dollar bills have surfaced again in Upson County. Several months ago both the Upson County Sheriff’s Office and Thomaston Police Department were investigating counterfeit bills being passed, but the activity had died down until recently. The Thomaston Police Department is investigating two separate incidents that happened last week, and the Sheriff’s Office is investigating a third incident. The firs...
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Reward offered on tire store arson fires
According to Upson County Sheriff Dan Kilgore, the State Fire Marshal’s Office is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for two tire store fires that occurred in April. On Saturday morning, April 13, around 4:30 a.m., Northside Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to AA Tires at 1545 Highway 19 North. Deputy Kody Kennedy said he was patrolling the area when he saw smoke comi...
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ULHS NJROTC executes change of command
Cadet Commander Brandon Collier (left) hands over the battalion flag to 2013-2014 Cadet Commander Hunter Stubbs (right) as part of the change of command ceremony held recently at Upson-Lee High School. Brandon will be attending Savannah State University in the fall on a four-year Navy ROTC scholarship.
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Laura Suarez taking fond memories home to Bolivia
When Laura Suarez signed up for the exchange student program for her senior year of high school, she was excited to travel from her home in Bolivia to America, but at the same time she was a little unsure of what she was getting herself into. She knew this could end up being a wonderful experience or it could be a long five months away from her family and friends. Thankfully, she feels her time spent in Thomaston has been a good one. David ...
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Pastor accused of stealing from church member
In Christian theology, a church pastor and congregation are often compared to a shepherd watching over a flock of sheep. But for one local congregation, and one member in particular, the shepherd may have been more interested in fleecing them than watching over them. Robert S. Daniel, 37, pastor of First Free Will Baptist Church, was arrested on charged of theft and burglary last week. His wife, Renee M. Daniel, was also arrested. Their vic...
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Don’t let events of the past cloud your future, Chambliss tells grads
BARNESVILLE – Gordon State College’s largest graduating class in history – 600 students – listened as Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia told them not to let recent events deter them from reaching their goals. Gordon’s commencement exercises were held last Friday morning. Chambliss, an attorney, was first elected to Congress from 8th District in 1994. He served four terms in the U. S. House of Representatives before being elected to the U. ...
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Law enforcement turning up summer HEAT on drunk drivers and speeders in Georgia
Summer 2013 marks the 10th consecutive season that police are rolling out waves of enforcement patrols across all 159 Georgia counties to crack down on dangerous, aggressive and high-speed drivers. The 100 Days of Summer H.E.A.T. (Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic) campaign is a multi-jurisdictional highway safety enforcement strategy designed to reduce fatal crash counts during the summer driving period from Memorial Day, through Lab...
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The Hoppers in concert May 17
The Hoppers, ‘America’s favorite family of gospel music’, will be in concert on Friday, May 17 at the R.E. Lee auditorium. The event begins at 7 p.m. and doors will open at 6 p.m. The Hoppers, consisting of Connie, Kim, Claude, Dean and Michael, travel with the Gaither Homecoming Concert Tour and perform nationally and internationally. The Hoppers have received numerous accolades including Mixed Group of the Year for the Heart’s Aflame Awards...
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Thomaston-Upson School System Fine Arts Center opening is May 20
The community is invited to the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Open House for the Thomaston-Upson School System’s Fine Arts Center on Monday, May 20. The Ribbon Cutting will begin at 8:45 a.m. with Open House from 9-10 a.m. that morning and from 4-6 p.m. that afternoon. Refreshments will be provided in the lobby of the Fine Arts Center, and students will give guided tours of the facility. Guests will be entertained by student band and choral gro...
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Summer Meals Program training May 15
This summer, the Thomaston-Upson School System will offer free meals to area children ages 1-18 through the U.S.D.A “Seamless Summer Options for Children” program. The program runs June 3 - August 2, with all sites closed July 1- 5. Community members interested in hosting a Summer Meals site must attend one of the mandatory trainings at the Board of Education office on Wednesday, May 15, at 10 a.m. or 3:30 p.m. Children may go on summer vac...
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Honoring our law enforcement officers
Why law-enforcement officers are important By Dawson Fleming In the U. S. approximately 2,222,196 burglaries happen per year. This is why law-enforcement is important to the community. They protect us from criminals, especially when they are heavily armed, they protect our property, and the law-enforcement patrols the community, looking for anything suspicious. To begin with, the law-enforcement protects us from criminals. As a police o...
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Praying for our nation
Citizens gathered on the courthouse steps on Thursday, May 2 for the National Day of Prayer service hosted by the Upson Ministerial Association, to pray for our nation, leaders and community. Pictured, a community member bows his head in prayer. See more photos from the service in Friday’s paper.
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Senator Staton speaks at local town hall meeting
Senator Cecil Staton of the 18th District held his first town hall meeting in Thomaston last Tuesday night. Upson County became part of the 18th Senatorial District last year following redistricting. Staton came to town to brief citizens on what went on during the most recent Georgia General Assembly and to answer any questions they might have. Fifteen people turned out for the meeting, including County Commission Chairman Rusty Blackston, ...
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TUIDA approves revenue bond for $9.5 million
The Thomaston-Upson Industrial Development Authority (TUIDA) issued an inducement letter to Gordon Jensen Healthcare Association for a revenue bond of $9.5 million for the purchase and renovation of Providence Nursing Home during their April meeting. Prior to the approval of the letter, TUIDA Attorney Joel Bentley told the board that while this is not a typical industry they work with, it is a vital one to the community. With the company purc...
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