West Central Georgia News
Thomaston Mayor Hays Arnold has announced his intention to seek re-election this November.
Qualifying begins Monday and continues for city elections. Council seats 1, 2 and 3 will also be on the ballot.
The driver of a newly purchased 2006 Buick swerved to miss an oncoming log truck, lost control and finally came to a stop in the trees on the opposite side of the road.
The accident occurred Friday afternoon on Triune Mill Road near the intersection of Andrews Chapel Road. The female driver of the car was transported to Upson Regional Medical Center by EMS with non life threatening injuries.
An Upson County school bus was involved in a minor accident with three vehicles while leaving Upson-Lee High School Friday afternoon.
The three cars had stopped in the drive leading out to Knight Trail, the bus driver made a left turn and couldn’t stop in time, he struck the car pictured at right and created a chain reaction that involved the two in front of it.
Two students in the cars complained of neck and back injuries and were transported to Upson Regional Medical Center, none of the students on the bus complained of injuries. The driver, Eddie Singletary has been with the school transportation department for 3 years.
There was minor damage to the bumper of the bus.
The Upson County Sheriff’s Department, Georgia State Patrol and Upson EMS responded.
The House and Senate passed the proposed redistricting maps late Thursday.
The biggest change occurred in the Senate, Upson County will no longer be in District 14 held by long time Democratic Senator George Hooks of Americus. Upson moves to Senate District 18 along with all of Crawford and Monroe counties as well as portions of Bibb, Peach and Houston counties. Republican Senator Cecil Staton of Macon currently holds the seat.
On the House side;
Republican Representative Billy Maddox will continue to represent Upson County although the number will be different, the 131st District will be comprised of Upson, Pike and the southern half of Lamar County.
The House map now goes to the Senate and the Senate map goes to the House, it’s doubtful that either chamber will do anything other than vote to pass them as submitted, the maps are then sent to Governor Nathan Deal for his signature and finally to the U.S. Department of Justice for their approval.
The Fairburn Police Department is requesting assistance from the public in reference to the murder of Angela Williams age 56 who was killed by gunfire in Fairburn, Georgia on June 30th.
Ms. Williams was currently residing in Manchester but is from the Molena area. Ms. Williams was the current spouse of Thomaston resident “Joe” Mattei.
Ms. Williams was shot several times in an industrial area and managed to drive nearly a mile to a Citgo station on Georgia 74
at I-85.
There, Williams got out of her car and asked a customer pumping gas for help before she collapsed, the customer called police and Williams was transported to Atlanta Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
Anyone who has information that investigators might need to know are asked to contact Detective Sargent C. Israel at 770-683-4096.
By Debbie Lord
How much better can it get? Thomaston and Upson County truly have the best people in the world. No matter how hard the economy gets, the citizens and businesses of this town continue to give.
Boobie Ball 2011 was held at Hickory Ridge this year and it was a huge success. Close to 400 people attended S.U.P.P.O.R.T.’s annual fundraiser. The staff at Hickory Ridge served up some great food and the hospitality was second to none. New owners Jamie and Ashley Eubanks and Tony and Sonya Nicholson and their families made this year extra special. We can’t thank them enough for all their hard work. I encourage everyone to support the owners at Hickory Ridge. The food, beverages, the view and atmosphere will make for a fantastic evening.
Our volunteers show up early and leave late. They are all dedicated to helping improve the lives of our local cancer patients and their families. These folks literally pay to volunteer, to work long hours in the heat and they never complain. Unfortunately, everyone is affected by cancer, and our volunteers know how important it is to be able to lighten the load of our friends, family and neighbors while they are fighting for their lives. A special thanks to Sertoma Woman of Upson and Sertoma Men, the folks at Thomaston Ford (Jane, Royal, Earl and Molly Peavy and everyone else), Chris English with Custom Z Knives, Adam and family at Northside Pawn, Mark and Jeff at the Potting Shed, Johnny at Cart Mart, Pete at Reem's, WalMart, Jason Weems- I know I am leaving some folks out- But you all know who you are!
Our entertainment is the finest Upson County has ever seen. The entertainers volunteer too. They bring their bands at their own expense and rock the night away. This year we heard HR’s Classic Party Tunes, Due South, Sol Junky, Ben Ratliff, Connor Christian and Loose Change.
They were all amazing.
The fourth annual Boobie Ball netted close to $22,000 thanks to our sponsors, volunteers and the attendees. In the past three years S.U.P.P.O.R.T. has been able to offer financial assistance to 49 families who are battling cancer. The money raised this year will allow us to continue our efforts.
Below is our mission statement, which will tell you exactly what S.U.P.P.O.R.T. is and what it means to our community.
S.U.P.P.O.R.T. Supporting Upson Patients Properly Over Rough Times
Cancer… a disease. a destroyer of dreams, a break in your stride, unpredictable with uncertain outcomes.
Our mission… is to raise money for the purpose of aiding when personal finances fall short, splurging when smiles are few, assisting when the bills are many & improving the overall daily quality of life so that Upson County cancer patients can concentrate on what really matters, surviving.
Who we are… S.U.P.P.O.R.T. is a non-profit, local-formed organization. Candidates will be reviewed by our funds allocation committee & funds will be dispersed at our discretion yet kept within our community, Upson County.
We’re different… there is no lack of organizations trying to find a cure for cancer by raising money. We support, donate & volunteer to those causes without hesitation, every year. we encourage you to do the same. Our crusade is a little different in that we believe until there’s a cure, life with cancer is still a life worth living. While therapy, medicines & rehabilitation have their effects, so does the fulfillment of paying the utilities department a little sooner, taking the kids to the beach or enjoying a simple dinner for two.
What we do… Each year we hold an annual cancer relief fund raiser called Boobie Ball. The generous donations raised help us host an all day event of fun, food, music & most importantly an opportunity of hope for our friends fighting cancer. All proceeds are donated to a quality of life fund benefitting local Upson County cancer patients. You can donate year round at one of the following bank locations: Bank of Upson, Colony Bank, West Central GA Bank and United Bank.
On a personal note, S.U.P.P.O.R.T. was inspired by my little sister who is still fighting breast cancer. After witnessing her struggle first hand, I came back home to Thomaston and told my friends that I could not stand the idea that someone battling cancer was more worried about the financial burden than surviving. Because of my friends, S.U.P.P.O.R.T. was formed and the Boobie Ball has been embraced by our community.
Important information to know is the unique thing about our cancer relief fund is that anyone, with any type of cancer will qualify for assistance. If you know anyone who is battling cancer in Upson County and they need a little help or just some cheering up please email me at dlord@upsonbeacon.com.
Debbie Lord
Publisher
Upson Beacon
Earlier today a personal message was received by an Upson County resident on Facebook stating that a man had been mugged and robbed while on vacation in London, that all of his cash, credit cards and passport were stolen. There was a request for money to be sent to aid him in getting to the airport to come back to the United States and that the “loan” would be repaid tomorrow. The request was from a “friend” in Mosinee, Wisconsin on Facebook but completely unknown to the Upson county resident.
Major Dan Kilgore of the Upson County Sheriff’s Department told Upson Today that this type of scam is typical of request that appear frequently on the internet and cautioned residents to never send money or divulge personal information to anyone over the internet. Hackers will gain access to Facebook accounts and use them to send thousands of false messages without the owner being aware of the intrusion.
It is very common for Facebook users to “friend” total strangers while playing the popular games offered through the site but security settings should be adjusted to protect sensitive information. Never publish your complete date of birth, phone number or home address and do not post information that would alert anyone to the fact that you are not at home for an extended period of time.
Thirty year old Trushil Gupta of Thomaston was arrested around 3:40 pm this afternoon and charged with selling alcohol to a person under the age of 21.
The Upson County Sheriff’s Department had received a number of complaints concerning under age purchases of alcohol from the Sunoco at the intersection of East Moores Crossing Road and Barnesville Highway.
Deputies made the arrest after an undercover purchase from the location earlier today.
