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Oconee Judicial Circuit District Attorney Tim Vaughn (l) is pictured above presenting Tony Riddle (r), Dodge County deputy who is attached to the Oconee Drug Task Force, with a recognition plaque for his excellent investigative efforts in the Dr. George “Mack” Bird pill mill case. Riddle was recognized at the traffic safety meeting on Tuesday, November 17.

Santa Claus arrived in Chester during the annual Chester Christmas Parade held on Saturday, November 21. A large crowd of adults and children lined the street to greet and welcome Santa in regardless of the rain showers. (Photo by Cindy Eckles)

By Taelor Rye
The City of Eastman will hold an informational session on a potential roundabout for the city at city hall on Monday, December 14, city manager Bea Edge announced at the November 23 meeting of the Eastman City Council.
The informational session is not scheduled for a particular time yet, as the council is waiting for the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) to inform them of a time that would work for its representatives. However, at 6:00 p.m., the council will have a regularly scheduled city council meeting.
The proposed roundabout would take the place of a caution light that currently sits at the intersection of Griffin Street and Legion Drive, beside the Dodge County Hospital.
Community response to the proposition has been mixed so far, as some citizens have shown support for the move while others have expressed hesitation and trepidation at the idea.
Eastman citizen Freddie Dwozan congratulated Edge and council member Milton Johnson for arranging the informational session but asked whether the GDOT was actually involved in the project.
Ultimately, Johnson responded that the project is a city project using state funding but not necessarily a GDOT project. Because of this fact, the informational session is not mandatory, but Johnson and the rest of the council felt as though still holding the session and involving the GDOT would prove beneficial.
Right now, because the proposed roundabout is still in very early stages, there are no specific plans or information regarding the roundabout.
Additionally, the informational session is purely an informational session and will not include a question-and-answer session from audience members, given that the plans for the roundabout have little development.
City council member Prince Dawson stated his own feelings on the roundabout, which were originally much different than they are now. Specifically, Dawson provided an anecdote about his own recent experience driving through a roundabout.
Humorously, Dawson relayed that, while visiting Liberty University in Virginia, he accidentally found himself at a roundabout, initially confused about the flow of traffic. However, once he was actually in the roundabout, he found that everything flowed smoothly.
“My perception and conception changed from having experienced it. The next day, I went back through it again, and the first time, it was like, I didn’t know—it was confusion. But the second time, it was so smooth. It was very easy,” Dawson stated.
He further opined that, once citizens experience going through a roundabout, they would find similar ease and understanding.
The city council meeting also saw the approval of occupational tax license fees for 2016.
Edge relayed that Eastman will have 379 business licenses for a total of $79,200.00 in taxes.
Beer and wine fees amount to $15,000.00 while bar cards total $6,000. Together, all three amount to $100,200.00, down $6,725.00 from the year prior.
All fees will remain the same for now, and Edge reported that the decrease was due to loss of business.
Johnson recommended to the rest of the council that the city reduce the fees for alcohol licenses, therefore encouraging more businesses to pursue that endeavor.
Johnson said, “Changing the price does not change any of the requirements for it. All it does is making more people potentially pursue it. If you’re trying to start a restaurant in order to sell alcohol, there are going to be a lot of folks who don’t make it too long” under the current fees.
The council agreed to think on this idea, and city council member Bobby Slye said that he thought that it was worth bringing it up again.
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Many cases were heard recently in Dodge Superior Court. The following are the results of those cases.

Sherry Goodrum Jackson was charged with one count of felony forgery first degree, which was reduced to misdemeanor forgery fourth degree and received 12 months probation and ordered to pay a $150.00 fine.

Dylan Wayne Bryan was charged with one count felony burglary second degree and was sentenced to serve two years in prison.

Carri Wommack was charged with one count felony homicide by vehicle, which was reduced to misdemeanor homicide and received 12 months probation and ordered to pay a $750.00 fine and was charged with one count weaving over roadway and received 12 months probation to run consecutive to prior and ordered to pay a $250.00 fine.

Anthony Edward Pearce was charged with one count felony possession of firearm by convicted felon and received five years probation and ordered to pay a $750.00 fine.

Cam Sapp was charged with one count felony burglary first degree and under the first offenders act (FOA) received 10 years probation and ordered to pay a $2,000.00 fine.

Damien Walker, Sr. was charged with one count felony registered sex offender restricted residence violation and sentenced to five years to serve three in prison and two years on probation and ordered to pay an $800.00 fine.

Gary Roman Jones was charged with two counts felony theft by taking and received six years probation per count to run concurrent and ordered to pay a $700.00 per count.

Jimmy Allen Barrow, Jr. was charged with one count felony theft by taking, which was reduced to misdemeanor theft by taking and received 12 months probation to run concurrent with prior and ordered to pay a $600.00 fine.

Brittish Marquis Level was charged with one count felony burglary first degree, which was reduced to felony theft and received six years to serve three in prison and three years on probation and ordered to pay a fine.

Robert James Kitchens was charged with one count felony terroristic threats and acts, which was reduced to disorderly conduct and received 12 months probation and ordered to pay a $100.00 fine and was charged with lone count felony cruelty to children first degree, which was reduced to family battery and received 12 months probation to run consecutive to prior and ordered to pay a $100.00 fine.

Christopher Michael Hoven was charged with one count felony possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and under FOA received 10 years probation and ordered to pay a $1,000.00 fine.

Jason Anthony Bowers was charged with one count felony theft by taking, which was reduced to criminal trespass and received 12 months probation and ordered to pay a $500.00 fine.

Travis Burch was charged with one count felony receipt, possession or transfer of firearm by convicted felon and was sentenced to serve three years in prison.

Sherrie Hutto was charged with two counts felony possession of a Schedule III, IV or V controlled substance and received six years probation per count to run concurrent and ordered to pay a $1,000.00 fine per count and was charged with one count felony possession of methamphetamine and received three years probation to run concurrent with priors and ordered to pay a $750.00 fine.
Shelia Maddox was charged with one count felony possession of methamphetamine and was sentenced to three years to serve with 180 days at probation detention center (PDC) suspended and ordered to pay $750.00 fine.
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This is a picture of the students at old Five Points School made in 1931-32, according to John Paul Jones, Jr. of Macon and brought into The Dodge County News by Gladys Harrell Lindsey. The class was composed of (front row, l-r) Welton Flanders, James Flanders, Carl Burch, John Paul Jones, John Dowdy, and Carlton Sheffield; (middle row, l-r) Leonard Clements, Otho Wiggins, Claude Fullbright, Lamar Lawson, Mather Phagan, and Wallace Ross; and (back row, l-r) Willie Bell Dye, Ruby Sheffield, Elizabeth Burch, Montelou Phagan (teacher), Kathleen Yancey, and Ansley Flanders.

By Taelor Rye
“We always want to hide behind the word heritage. I guess blacks don’t have heritage,” John Battle opened as he approached the Dodge County Board of Commissioners on behalf of the Dodge County chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). According to Battle, he and the NAACP have been coming to the board for around 13 years on the basis of the removal of the Confederate flag that hangs from a Confederate monument outside the Dodge County courthouse in Eastman.

The issue of the Confederate flag became more nationally recognized after the June 17, 2015, shootings of several African American churchgoers by a white supremacist in South Carolina who notably donned the flag. While a rift because of the flag has existed between white Americans and African Americans for some time, this massacre brought it back to the forefront of many Americans’ lives.

Speaking on the significance of race relations regarding the flag, Battle stated that, during the Civil War, over 200,000 minority men and women lost their lives, with about 80 percent of those who did not want to fight but were made to fight due to the suppression of slavery, which he noted the Confederacy fought for while the North fought to free slaves.

He continued, stating that the county says, “that the flag represents the heritage of one war, but… if you’ve gone to school and studied history… we wouldn’t be here now.”

On the potential impact that the flag has on county and city economics, Battle posited that, if he were a businessman looking for a place to expand an existing business or start a new business, he would not settle in Dodge County: “It looks bad on a county trying to grow… Ain’t no way I’d come to Dodge County. We don’t have anything to offer to young folks because the old ones are trying to hold on to things that died years ago, and it’s just going to get worse.”

Battle also discussed God’s role in the issue, stating that removing the flag would be a positive move for ‘all’ men and that the board of commissioners is supposed to represent all of the people in the county, including minorities. Battle added that the largest percentage of minorities reside in commissioner Karen Cheek’s district.

Battle argued that, “if it is on the other foot,” the dynamics would shift, calling attention to the different responses from many white Americans than those of many African Americans.

“We’re going to ask God to take care of this issue,” Battle reiterated after stating that he would continue to pray for each of the commissioners.

In the meantime, Battle said the NAACP – a nonprofit organization – would ask the board to allot funds for an additional monument in the 2016 budget, seeing as the budget allows money to be designated to other non profits.

“How can Dodge County go forward if we can’t work together on [the flag]?” Battle closed.

Also at the meeting was deputy Mark Sheffield from the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department, who came to update the board on the department’s potential adoption of the OffenderWatch Initiative, which – according to its website – “provides a direct mail notification service to assist law enforcement, probation and parole officers in notifying the public of registered sex offenders.”

If the sheriff’s department decides to participate in the $1,250.00 per-year program, which Sheffield says the company made more affordable specifically for more rural counties such as Dodge, citizens who sign up on the initiative’s email list can receive email notifications whenever a sex offender relocates near them. Additionally, through the program, citizens can directly contact the sheriff’s department regarding tips on sex offenders. This contrasts with the status quo, which has citizens contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), which in turn relays the message on to the relevant sheriff’s department.
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City of Eastman workers planted trees in downtown Eastman at the direction of the Downtown Development Authority recently. The Downtown Development Authority continues to make improvements in the downtown area.

By Taelor Rye
As of November 5, 2015, test pieces for the James Webb Space Telescope constructed by Middle Georgia State University (MGSU) students and interns at the Eastman campus are sitting in the White Room at Goddard Space Flight Center.

The White Room is a clean location set aside wherein pieces for satellites and rockets are put together and tested. MGSU’s part is the Integrated Equipment Compartment (IEC), and students and interns have built mirrors, panels, the radiator shell and flight hardware for the project, according to Rick Krontz, director of the Institute for Applied Aerospace Research at MGSU.

These pieces will be used as test pieces for the James Webb Space Telescope in place of the telescope’s actual pieces in order to “validate the thermal qualities” of the equipment, as the telescope will need to withstand a temperature of 375 to 400 degrees below zero.

The James Webb Space Telescope will succeed the Hubble Space Telescope. While the Hubble has been prolific, the goal of the James Webb Space Telescope is to further “study how stars were born, how galaxies were born… It can capture light that’s supposedly billions of years old traveling through the atmosphere” through its infrared technology, Krontz said.

The James Webb will sit 1.5 million kilometers away from Earth while the Hubble is within Earth’s orbit. The purpose for this placement is multifaceted.

First, the infrared technology relies on very cold conditions, and being further away from the sun enables this possibility. At this point, the sun, Earth and the moon – three big heat sources – are all “in one part of the sky, making it easier to shield the telescope from that unwanted heat.”

Additionally, at this location, the James Webb “can dwell on one spot continuously for days at a time,” as opposed to the mere 25 minutes or so of dwelling that can be achieved by the Hubble.

Another advantage is that, with a gravitational pull and orbit weaker than Earth’s own, the James Webb takes less energy to remain in orbit so that it can perform its functions.

The James Webb also outdoes the Hubble in terms of size; its larger size allows it to “image fainter galaxies and see father back in time,” as the light seen from such a large distance is no longer the light that exists at that point today, given the time that it takes for the light to travel from its point of origin to our point of view.
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By Cindy Eckles
Eastman City Manager Bea Edge informed council members that she would be retiring effective December 31, 2015 at their meeting on Monday night.

Edge began her employment with the City of Eastman on June 27, 1967 under city manager John L. Lee. Edge worked under city managers John Reddock, Bill Torrance and James Wright before council appointed her as the first female city manager. She added that she had enjoyed working with everyone and would be around to help.

Eastman County Attorney Rita Llop presented the council with the requested changes amending their exciting zone-sign ordinance. The purpose in making the amendments was to promote the purposes stated in their Code section by regulating signs based on objective standards, including, but not limited to, height and size, and without regard to the content of the sign message. Llop explained the four changes and addition of the severability clause that council had requested she do.

Council member Buddy Pittman had several questions and concerns about how the amendments read. Ultimately, Milton Johnson made the motion to accept the sign ordinance, seconded by Bobby Slye and it passed.

Eastman Chief of Police, Becky Sheffield, announced to the council that the department had patrolled 11,145 miles using 1,032 gallons of gas. It also responded to 1,145 calls and went to the scene of 13 wrecks, all for the month of October.

Chief Sheffield requested that council consider approving the purchase of a new police vehicle because of three that had been involved in wrecks recently. She added that money received from insurance settlements in the amount of approximately $17,000.00 could be used towards the purchase. [Full Story »] 

By Taelor Rye
Dodge County Manager Bobby Peacock reported to the Dodge County Board of Commissioners at the November 2 meeting that, coinciding with the need for a new ambulance – as discussed at the last board meeting – the county has opened bidding. A new ambulance, as Peacock stated, “would cost close to $150,000.00,” so the savvier option would be to have the box from an old ambulance mounted to the back of a new vehicle. In the case of a 2016 Ford E450 with a V10 engine, the cheapest of three bids came at the price of $76,075.00. Commissioner Brian Watkins added that Telfair County has invested in a Ford F450 rather than an E450, noting that this pickup option would be easier to work on and would generally have a cooler engine due to more available room. Rather than moving forward with the options already in place, Peacock and the board decided to take a bit more time to look into the option of an F450.

Peacock also initiated discussion on the Dodge County Board of Tax Assessors’ personnel policy, as their policy deviates from the county’s general personnel policy, applicable to other Dodge County employees other than elected officials. County attorney John Harrington stated that, because the tax assessor’s office falls under legislation rather than constitution, it generally would fall under the county’s general personnel policy. Harrington also said that it may not be a good idea to have multiple personnel policies for similarly created bodies under one government. Watkins stated that the board should write the office a letter stating that their policy should align with other county employees’ policy.
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