Thirty-nine people were indicted by a recent Jackson County Grand Jury. They are:
•Dutch Howard Alexander, aggravated stalking.
•Weymon Prentice Bagwell, armed robbery, robbery, aggravated assault.
•Alvin James Pressley, armed robbery, robbery, aggravated assault.
•Fred Robert Baldwin, two counts of serious injury by vehicle, driving under the influence (DUI) of drugs-less safe, weaving over roadway, reckless driving.
[Full Story »]
Entries by Staff Writer
CHS student arrested for threats
Commerce police arrested a Commerce High School student last Friday after she made repeated threats to “blow up graduation” and commit other acts of violence following a dispute with a former boyfriend.
“A lot of it stemmed out of a relationship with a boyfriend,” explained Max Briggs, the school resource officer who made the arrest. “I’m hoping it will serve as a wake-up call for her.” [Full Story »]
“A lot of it stemmed out of a relationship with a boyfriend,” explained Max Briggs, the school resource officer who made the arrest. “I’m hoping it will serve as a wake-up call for her.” [Full Story »]
Road grinding to begin Monday
Driving through downtown Commerce will get a lot more challenging starting Monday.
That’s when crews under the Department of Transportation will begin milling about four inches of pavement off Broad and Elm streets from Washington Street south to Hwy. 334 near Ingles in a project that will ultimately result in new pavement and striping.
“They will be working at night, but it is going to cause major interruptions during the day because of the uneven pavement,” city manager Pete Pyrzenski told the Commerce City Council during its work session May 6. This week, workers are lowering manholes and water valve lids.
The last time the DOT milled down Broad and Elm streets it created an obstacle course of raised tops to water valves and sewer manholes that caused many a vehicle to need a new front end alignment. This go-round, the crew will lower the devices by four inches, then patch the resulting hole before the grinding starts.
That’s when crews under the Department of Transportation will begin milling about four inches of pavement off Broad and Elm streets from Washington Street south to Hwy. 334 near Ingles in a project that will ultimately result in new pavement and striping.
“They will be working at night, but it is going to cause major interruptions during the day because of the uneven pavement,” city manager Pete Pyrzenski told the Commerce City Council during its work session May 6. This week, workers are lowering manholes and water valve lids.
The last time the DOT milled down Broad and Elm streets it created an obstacle course of raised tops to water valves and sewer manholes that caused many a vehicle to need a new front end alignment. This go-round, the crew will lower the devices by four inches, then patch the resulting hole before the grinding starts.
Graduation time
With Commerce High School holding its graduation at 8 p.m. this Friday and East Jackson Comprehensive High School seniors turning the tassel next Wednesday, May 22, nearly 300 local high school students will receive diplomas over the next week.
The Commerce High School graduation will be held Friday, May 17, at 8 p.m. in Tiger Stadium. If it rains, the ceremony will be held in the school gymnasium and a ticket must be presented to enter. Any guest needing special assistance should contact Terry Canup at 706-335-5942, ext. 8811, prior to Friday.
As of Tuesday morning, the valedictorian and salutatorian had not been determined due to the closeness of the grade point averages of the top two students.
The East Jackson Comprehensive High School graduation will be held Wednesday, May 22, at 8 p.m. in Eagle Stadium.
If it rains, the ceremony will be held in the gym and a ticket must be presented to enter. Any guest needing special assistance should contact Sheila Bolton at 706-336-8900 ext. 29009 prior to May 22. The EJCHS valedictorian is Sam Derochers and the salutatorian Nishil Patel.
Jefferson High School will also hold commencement ceremonies Friday at 8 p.m. in Dragon Stadium, while Jackson County Comprehensive High School’s graduation ceremony will be held Thursday, May 23, at 8 p.m. in Panther Stadium.
The Commerce High School graduation will be held Friday, May 17, at 8 p.m. in Tiger Stadium. If it rains, the ceremony will be held in the school gymnasium and a ticket must be presented to enter. Any guest needing special assistance should contact Terry Canup at 706-335-5942, ext. 8811, prior to Friday.
As of Tuesday morning, the valedictorian and salutatorian had not been determined due to the closeness of the grade point averages of the top two students.
The East Jackson Comprehensive High School graduation will be held Wednesday, May 22, at 8 p.m. in Eagle Stadium.
If it rains, the ceremony will be held in the gym and a ticket must be presented to enter. Any guest needing special assistance should contact Sheila Bolton at 706-336-8900 ext. 29009 prior to May 22. The EJCHS valedictorian is Sam Derochers and the salutatorian Nishil Patel.
Jefferson High School will also hold commencement ceremonies Friday at 8 p.m. in Dragon Stadium, while Jackson County Comprehensive High School’s graduation ceremony will be held Thursday, May 23, at 8 p.m. in Panther Stadium.
County schools fiscal issues worse than thought
It’s even worse than many thought.
Although Jackson County School System leaders have been talking for months about the system’s difficult finances, the latest draft budget shows an even worse picture than previously believed would exist by now.
In a draft budget presented to the Jackson County Board of Education last week, officials now project that the system will only have $1.5 million in reserves at the end of this fiscal year on June 30. That puts the system in virtual crisis mode to avoid a financial collapse in the upcoming fiscal year. The BOE is scheduled to adopt its FY 2014 budget next month.
The board discussed the budget at a work session meeting last week. Although the system had planned to reduce the number of furlough days next year, it now looks like more furlough days are needed. In addition, further staff cuts are now likely. The system recently adopted a consolidation plan to cut some system costs as well.
For the full story, see the May 15 issue of The Commerce News.
Although Jackson County School System leaders have been talking for months about the system’s difficult finances, the latest draft budget shows an even worse picture than previously believed would exist by now.
In a draft budget presented to the Jackson County Board of Education last week, officials now project that the system will only have $1.5 million in reserves at the end of this fiscal year on June 30. That puts the system in virtual crisis mode to avoid a financial collapse in the upcoming fiscal year. The BOE is scheduled to adopt its FY 2014 budget next month.
The board discussed the budget at a work session meeting last week. Although the system had planned to reduce the number of furlough days next year, it now looks like more furlough days are needed. In addition, further staff cuts are now likely. The system recently adopted a consolidation plan to cut some system costs as well.
For the full story, see the May 15 issue of The Commerce News.
Blood drive set Tuesday at First Baptist
The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive Tuesday, May 14, from noon to 6:00 p.m. in the family fellowship center of the First Baptist Church of Commerce.
The church is located at 1345 South Broad Street, Commerce.
The Red Cross provides blood services to local hospitals, including Northridge Medical Center and the Athens, Gainesville and Atlanta area hospitals.
A unit of blood can help treat up to three people. Blood donations are processed into three primary components, red blood cells to treat trauma, platelets for cancer patients and plasma for burn victims. Whole blood is also used in surgery.
Participants will receive a coupon for a free Chick fil-A sandwich at the Banks Crossing restaurant.
The church is located at 1345 South Broad Street, Commerce.
The Red Cross provides blood services to local hospitals, including Northridge Medical Center and the Athens, Gainesville and Atlanta area hospitals.
A unit of blood can help treat up to three people. Blood donations are processed into three primary components, red blood cells to treat trauma, platelets for cancer patients and plasma for burn victims. Whole blood is also used in surgery.
Participants will receive a coupon for a free Chick fil-A sandwich at the Banks Crossing restaurant.
Outburst at police station leads to arrest
A Maysville man who couldn’t control his temper will face interference with government property charges after ramming his fist through the drywall in the Commerce Police Department lobby and deliberately stopping up a toilet in the holding cell.
The arrest report did not indicate why Matthew Tillman Bagwell, 23, of 2810 Hwy. 98, was at the police department — just what he allegedly did while he was there.
After punching a hole in the lobby wall right by the front door, Tillman was arrested, handcuffed and taken to a holding cell, according to the report. At some point he managed to get his hands, which were handcuffed behind him, in front of his body, after which he stuffed a blanket into a commode and flushed the commode repeatedly, flooding the room, according to the report.
For all of the arrests and incidents reported over the past week by the Commerce Police Department, read the May 8 edition of The Commerce News.
The arrest report did not indicate why Matthew Tillman Bagwell, 23, of 2810 Hwy. 98, was at the police department — just what he allegedly did while he was there.
After punching a hole in the lobby wall right by the front door, Tillman was arrested, handcuffed and taken to a holding cell, according to the report. At some point he managed to get his hands, which were handcuffed behind him, in front of his body, after which he stuffed a blanket into a commode and flushed the commode repeatedly, flooding the room, according to the report.
For all of the arrests and incidents reported over the past week by the Commerce Police Department, read the May 8 edition of The Commerce News.
Stopped by police, man vows to get cops fired
A man cited for two traffic violations not only told police that he would not pay the citations, but also added that he planned to hire an attorney to get them fired.
The incident began when an officer at the intersection of North Elm Street and Washington Street noticed as he made a turn that the occupants of a Ford Explorer looked at him very intently as he made the turn. The officer said in his report that he kept watching, and noted that the vehicle backed up and turned into the parking lot near Commerce Spinal Center, on Maysville Road.
[Full Story »]
The incident began when an officer at the intersection of North Elm Street and Washington Street noticed as he made a turn that the occupants of a Ford Explorer looked at him very intently as he made the turn. The officer said in his report that he kept watching, and noted that the vehicle backed up and turned into the parking lot near Commerce Spinal Center, on Maysville Road.
[Full Story »]
Tag reader leads to recovery of stolen vehicle
The Commerce Police Department’s (relatively) new auto tag reader resulted in the recovery last week of a vehicle reported stolen in Athens-Clarke.
A Commerce officer was on patrol on U.S. 441 southbound when the tag reader alerted him that a vehicle was stolen. When the officer tried to pull the vehicle over, it slowed down, but continued slowly for a half mile before coming to a stop at Homer Road, according to the arrest report. As it came to a stop, the officer noted the occupants of the vehicle moving around and observed a small child who appeared to be standing up in the front seat. [Full Story »]
A Commerce officer was on patrol on U.S. 441 southbound when the tag reader alerted him that a vehicle was stolen. When the officer tried to pull the vehicle over, it slowed down, but continued slowly for a half mile before coming to a stop at Homer Road, according to the arrest report. As it came to a stop, the officer noted the occupants of the vehicle moving around and observed a small child who appeared to be standing up in the front seat. [Full Story »]
Rabies clinics under way
Jackson County will continue its spring offensive against rabies through Saturday in a series of 18 rabies vaccination clinics held at 14 locations throughout the county.
The incidence of rabies, which is always fatal, has increased in Jackson and surrounding counties over the years, and health officials stress that the first line of defense in protecting people from the disease is to get their dogs and cats inoculated.
State law also requires all dogs and cats three months old or older to have a current rabies vaccine.
[Full Story »]
The incidence of rabies, which is always fatal, has increased in Jackson and surrounding counties over the years, and health officials stress that the first line of defense in protecting people from the disease is to get their dogs and cats inoculated.
State law also requires all dogs and cats three months old or older to have a current rabies vaccine.
[Full Story »]
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