Entries from November 2016

Dodge basketball begins new season with new coaches and two wins
By Chad W. Smith
The Dodge County High School (DCHS) basketball teams tip-offed their 2016-2017 season this past Saturday, November 26 in Eastman against AAAAA Wayne County. The Squaws and Indians both begin their season with new head coaches. This year Dodge County will also be in a new region and in a new classification. The Squaws and Indians will be in region 3AA with familiar foes: Bleckley, Dublin, East Laurens, Northeast Macon, Southwest Macon and Washington County. Other local non-region games are scheduled with West Laurens, Wilcox County, Telfair County, and Hawkinsville. The girls will be playing in the Antebellum Christmas Tournament at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville on December 27, 28 and 29 against quality teams like Northside-Warner Robins, Veterans and Baldwin.
The Squaws welcome last year’s assistant and former player CaSandra Walker Hamilton as their new head coach along with new assistants Jermayne Hamilton and Yandel Brown. Coach Casandra Walker Hamilton served as a Squaw assistant for the past three seasons and was a former player under longtime Squaws’ coach Dick Kelly. Walker-Hamilton was part of three DCHS basketball teams that played for state championships. The Squaws were state runner-ups in 1984 and won state championships in 1985 and 1987. [Full Story »]
The Dodge County High School (DCHS) basketball teams tip-offed their 2016-2017 season this past Saturday, November 26 in Eastman against AAAAA Wayne County. The Squaws and Indians both begin their season with new head coaches. This year Dodge County will also be in a new region and in a new classification. The Squaws and Indians will be in region 3AA with familiar foes: Bleckley, Dublin, East Laurens, Northeast Macon, Southwest Macon and Washington County. Other local non-region games are scheduled with West Laurens, Wilcox County, Telfair County, and Hawkinsville. The girls will be playing in the Antebellum Christmas Tournament at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville on December 27, 28 and 29 against quality teams like Northside-Warner Robins, Veterans and Baldwin.
The Squaws welcome last year’s assistant and former player CaSandra Walker Hamilton as their new head coach along with new assistants Jermayne Hamilton and Yandel Brown. Coach Casandra Walker Hamilton served as a Squaw assistant for the past three seasons and was a former player under longtime Squaws’ coach Dick Kelly. Walker-Hamilton was part of three DCHS basketball teams that played for state championships. The Squaws were state runner-ups in 1984 and won state championships in 1985 and 1987. [Full Story »]

Eastman proposes $6.7 million budget
By Harley Gatlin
The Eastman City Council held a meeting Monday, November 28 at the Eastman City Hall with chairman Raymond Mullis presiding.
The first order of business addressed was the 2017 proposed general operations budget. The budget is proposed to be $6,746,105.00, that being operating and SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) funds. The general budget was said to be about $3.6 million, which is a nine percent decrease from last year’s due to removing and separating SPLOST and general funds. Cobb stated, “Other than this there are no big changes or major adjustments being made.”
Raymond Mullis excused himself for the discussion of item six seeing he was related to the subject and turned it over to vice chairman Buddy Pittman. Item six is the first reading for annexation of GLH Development Properties, LLC. The annexation is for the 9.64 acres located on Griffin Avenue and across from Wal-Mart. This space has been an ongoing topic for proposed commercial use, but the company specifically wants it to have access to city services including: sewer, water and trash services. All voted in favor of the first reading, pending the county’s approval.
The second addition to the agenda item seven is that of a proposed 5-K run put on by the Dodge County High School student council. The 5-K would begin at First Baptist Church and would not include state routes. The race will take place on December 17, 2016 with all the council voting in favor of the motion.
The minutes of the November 14, 2016 regular meeting were all approved.
Charles Williams, director of Eastman-Dodge Chamber of Commerce, had nothing new to bring to the council but stated,” Lots of good projects are in the works, but I have nothing to share with you this evening and I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.”
The bid for the workers compensation insurance for 2017 was analyzed. The council has only received one bid from the Georgia Municipal Association for a bid premium in the amount of $98,949.00. “This is a substantial increase from the amount before,” explained Jason Cobb, city manager, “however, we have had two substantial claims with those two being worker comp claims from police officers in the past few months.” The motion was approved for the workers compensation bid.
A decision had to be made on an engineer for the renovations on the vacant lot next to the Magnolia Theater on Main Street. The city sent out requests for qualifications for architecture firms and had received three back, including Goodwyn Mills Cawood, Carter Watkins and Associates and David Woodburn. Cobb recommended Goodwyn Mills Cawood stating, “We have already selected them to complete the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) in 2017.” The council approved Goodwyn Mills Cawood as the engineer to renovate the vacant lot.
[Full Story »]
The Eastman City Council held a meeting Monday, November 28 at the Eastman City Hall with chairman Raymond Mullis presiding.
The first order of business addressed was the 2017 proposed general operations budget. The budget is proposed to be $6,746,105.00, that being operating and SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) funds. The general budget was said to be about $3.6 million, which is a nine percent decrease from last year’s due to removing and separating SPLOST and general funds. Cobb stated, “Other than this there are no big changes or major adjustments being made.”
Raymond Mullis excused himself for the discussion of item six seeing he was related to the subject and turned it over to vice chairman Buddy Pittman. Item six is the first reading for annexation of GLH Development Properties, LLC. The annexation is for the 9.64 acres located on Griffin Avenue and across from Wal-Mart. This space has been an ongoing topic for proposed commercial use, but the company specifically wants it to have access to city services including: sewer, water and trash services. All voted in favor of the first reading, pending the county’s approval.
The second addition to the agenda item seven is that of a proposed 5-K run put on by the Dodge County High School student council. The 5-K would begin at First Baptist Church and would not include state routes. The race will take place on December 17, 2016 with all the council voting in favor of the motion.
The minutes of the November 14, 2016 regular meeting were all approved.
Charles Williams, director of Eastman-Dodge Chamber of Commerce, had nothing new to bring to the council but stated,” Lots of good projects are in the works, but I have nothing to share with you this evening and I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.”
The bid for the workers compensation insurance for 2017 was analyzed. The council has only received one bid from the Georgia Municipal Association for a bid premium in the amount of $98,949.00. “This is a substantial increase from the amount before,” explained Jason Cobb, city manager, “however, we have had two substantial claims with those two being worker comp claims from police officers in the past few months.” The motion was approved for the workers compensation bid.
A decision had to be made on an engineer for the renovations on the vacant lot next to the Magnolia Theater on Main Street. The city sent out requests for qualifications for architecture firms and had received three back, including Goodwyn Mills Cawood, Carter Watkins and Associates and David Woodburn. Cobb recommended Goodwyn Mills Cawood stating, “We have already selected them to complete the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) in 2017.” The council approved Goodwyn Mills Cawood as the engineer to renovate the vacant lot.
[Full Story »]

Send them back home
We should extend the “come on down” courtesy now accorded illegal aliens to our veterans instead. The illegals could be sent to veterans hospitals to languish on extremely long waiting lists. Better yet, send them back home.
Many of the anti-Trump protestors weren’t interested in voting against him. More than a third of those arrested in Oregon didn’t bother to vote. KGW.com compared a list of 112 people arrested to state voter logs. “At least 39 of those arrested were registered to vote in Oregon but did not return a ballot.” It’s easy to vote in ultraliberal Oregon, also. All voting is done by mail.
“Another 35 of those arrested were not registered to vote in the state, while 34 were registered to vote in the state and did so. Another four were under 18 and ineligible to vote.” Newser.com has the full story.
Trump appointee Steve Bannon must be a good one. He’s hated by liberals.
Yes, flyover country got revenge over the coastal looney bins, the medialeft and the Republican establishment.
Terrorists are now called “detainees” by liberals. They are regarded as pre-Democrats.
We heard constantly about the “gender gap” but white women voted for Trump. Some 95-97 percent of black females usually vote Democrat, which accounts for the gender gap when it occurs.
“We were greeted to things to come, as on election night stock futures plummeted. Trump’s win was blamed for the imminent market crash. The next day the Dow exploded, and nobody said a word.”
Kevin Jackson on BlackSphere.net 11-18-16
[Full Story »]
Many of the anti-Trump protestors weren’t interested in voting against him. More than a third of those arrested in Oregon didn’t bother to vote. KGW.com compared a list of 112 people arrested to state voter logs. “At least 39 of those arrested were registered to vote in Oregon but did not return a ballot.” It’s easy to vote in ultraliberal Oregon, also. All voting is done by mail.
“Another 35 of those arrested were not registered to vote in the state, while 34 were registered to vote in the state and did so. Another four were under 18 and ineligible to vote.” Newser.com has the full story.
Trump appointee Steve Bannon must be a good one. He’s hated by liberals.
Yes, flyover country got revenge over the coastal looney bins, the medialeft and the Republican establishment.
Terrorists are now called “detainees” by liberals. They are regarded as pre-Democrats.
We heard constantly about the “gender gap” but white women voted for Trump. Some 95-97 percent of black females usually vote Democrat, which accounts for the gender gap when it occurs.
“We were greeted to things to come, as on election night stock futures plummeted. Trump’s win was blamed for the imminent market crash. The next day the Dow exploded, and nobody said a word.”
Kevin Jackson on BlackSphere.net 11-18-16
[Full Story »]
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