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SHEILA MARSHALL

The Southside RidersAssociation 13th AnnualOlivia Andrews Tab Runonce again proved to bea tremendous success inits und-raising eortsto support the RonaldMcDonald House o WestGeorgia.

SRA President Mark

Barnhouse said almost$2,300 was raised throughthe aluminum can tabrecycling alone. The totaldonation, which includesride registration ees andthe sale o tickets or prizedrawings, is still beingcalculated, but is expectedto exceed $5,000.

“We had a great turnout,”he said. “We did a lot betterthan what was expected,what with the economyand all.”

Unlike many events, the Tab Run is not simplya one-day und-raisingeort, but or many,has become a yearlongtradition.

Such is the case o theBlue Knights Chapter 13, amotorcycle club comprised

o current and retired lawenorcement ocers.

Each year prior to the Tab Run, the Blue Knightsorsake their patrol cars ortheir bikes and ride overto Mainstay Academy to

SHEILA MARSHALL

Ater being contactedby residents expressingconcern over rumors o a reduction o the work orce at the Grin Police

Department, The Gripcontacted local ocialsto determine i plansare currently in place tolayo, or through attrition,reduce law enorcementpersonnel.

According to City ManagerKenny Smith, the shortanswer is a resounding,“No, we do not have anyspecic plan in place or aworkorce reduction in anydepartment, including thePolice Department.”

However, the ull answer ismuch more complex andinvolves actors out o localcontrol.

“That’s not to say that, atsome point in the uture,we may not be required tolook at our general undand nd ways to reduce it,i necessary,” he said. “Thereare no guarantees in theworld and i our economycontinues its downturnand our revenues declineurther, we’ll have to look at what we need to do.”

Although he emphaticallystated he has noimmediate plan to lay o police ocers or institutea hiring reeze at thedepartment, which would

leave positions unlled as

current personnel retire ordiscontinue employmentby the GPD, he also said hecannot guarantee that willnot change in the uture.

Again citing the still-

foundering economy,Smith said he cannot ruleout uture public saetycuts.

“I receive inormation romnumerous cities and thereare some nationwide thathave had to cut publicsaety,” he said, adding hehopes Grin will not ndit necessary to join theirranks. “I certainly hope wewon’t, but i it comes downto it, those cuts would be alast resort.”

In the event public saetycuts do become necessaryin the uture, Smith saiddecisions would be madekeeping in mind the bestinterest o Grin residents.

“I it gets down to makingany cuts, it would be inadministration, because weneed boots on the ground,”he said. “We’re going tomake them judiciously androm the best perspectiveo what’s in the bestinterest o our residents. I it comes down to it, we’llput a plan in action, but atthis time, there is no planin place to reduce publicsaety.”

GPD Chie Frank Stricklandstressed that at this time,

OCT 6 - 20, 2011 VOL. 01 NO. 19

TOP STORIES

CONTINUED, police, pg 2 »

CONTINUED, AWARD, pg 4 »

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

FINANCE

13th Annual Tab Run raises thousands or charityLiving with a ghost orspirit, or somethinginexplainable goingon? You may want togive GASP a call.

pg. 2

There's a new hot dog joint in town calledGriffin's Dawg House.

Read the review. pg. 3

New federal bankingregulations may causesome changes in yourfinances. See whatlocal community bankofficials say about theDodd-Frank Act andhow it may affect you.

pg. 7

PRINTED BI-WEEKLY | WWW.THE-GRIP.NETGET A GRIP AND GET THE GOOD STUFF

HUNDREDS IN SAVINGSAT LOCAL BUSINESSES -SEE THE GRIPON INSERT!

Two schools receive national award or promoting health

Roundtable approves two T-SPLOST project list options or Spalding County

City manager: No plansin place to reduce policemanpower at this time

CONTINUED, tAbs, pg 4 »

A biker riding in the 13th Annual Olivia Andrews Tab Runacknowledged the Fayette County Sheri's Oce helicopter thatescorted the ride.

JESSICA GREGORY

City and county leaderspresented a two-optionplan to the Three RiversCommission Regional

Transportation Roundtable

on Sept. 29, which wasapproved unanimously.

The approval o this plan,

which Grin Mayor andRegional RoundtableCommittee memberJoanne Todd calls a“tremendous victoryor Grin and SpaldingCounty,” will protect

Spalding County’s shareo the transportation tax(TSPLOST), i it passes nextyear.

Both options leave thecommuter rail as thenumber one priority onthe unconstrained list,but allocate dierentunding amounts to thisproject, dependent upon

the Atlanta Region’sacceptance o ClaytonCounty’s commuter railproposal, said Todd.

“Option A was to undour 9.2 miles o commuterrail at $46,988,375 in theevent that the AtlantaRegion would alsoaccept Clayton County’scommuter rail proposal.

Since that portion is andhas remained up in the air,we hedged our chancesby putting orth Option

B: Commuter Rail couldremain our top prioritywith a $3 million stipendor engineering, costestimates, et cetera,” said

Todd.

The Atlanta Region willmeet twice beore theOct. 15 deadline to nalizethe list o projects. “I we

dropped commuter railbeore Oct. 15 we wereworried everyone else willdrop it, but Grin couldn’taord to put $47 millioninto a project that wouldn’thappen,” said Todd.

CONTINUED, t-splost, pg 2 »

JESSICA GREGORY

The Alliance or a HealthierGeneration, ounded by theAmerican Heart Associationand the William J. ClintonFoundation, has recognizedtwo Grin-Spalding CountySchool System schools.

Both Jackson RoadElementary School and

Cowan Road Middle Schoolhave received the BronzeNational Recognition Awardbased on achievement.

To earn this award, theschools revamped its mealservice and physical activityprograms to meet orexceed stringent standardsset by the Alliance.

Jackson Road Elementary(JRES) received severalgrants to help promotestudent health, includingthe Fresh Fruit andVegetable Program romthe USDA, which introducesschool children to a varietyo produce that they

otherwise might not havethe opportunity to sample.

Sheri's election runo is Oct. 18; early

voting Oct. 6 - 14

Scarecrows make their wayback to the garden - pg. 4



his department remains ullystaed. He also denied anyknowledge o pending lawenorcement reductions inGrin.

“I don’t have any plan in place;we’re ully employed,” he said.

I he does ace uturepersonnel cuts, Stricklandsaid he would devise a planto address the situation atthat time, most likely by

transerring ocers to ll jobsin the Uniorm Patrol Division.

“We would be much lessspecialized, let’s put it thatway,” Strickland said.

The GPD currently has 95ull-time sworn police ocersand 21 civilian employees,including eight part-timecrossing guards and 13administrative positions.

In addition to stressingthat Grin will not see animmediate reduction in itspolice presence, Stricklandexpressed concern over therumor that such action ispending.

“It’s pretty much a pretty wildrumor at this point,” he said.“Whoever is perpetuating thatrumor probably should cometo the decision-making source(himsel) and get the actsbeore they do perpetuate arumor like that.” Ω

JENNA HOWARD

An update on the GeorgiaWork Ready programavailable at SouthernCrescent Technical Collegeshows Spalding Countystill has work to do inorder to make sure itscitizens are Work Ready.

“Spalding County hasmet its numbers or theunemployment sectorand we have met ournumbers or high schoolgraduate/current highschool senior assessments,”explained Steve Hendrix,the Director o ContinuingEducation at SouthernCrescent, “but we still need2 more GED assessments,4 more technical collegeassessments, 25 publicindustry and 225 privateindustry assessmentsneeded to become aCertied Work ReadyCommunity.”

Currently, there are 10participating countiesunder Southern Crescent’sWork Ready program.Counties such as Henry,Pike, Talbot, Taylor, andUpson have all met theirgoals and are CertiedWork Ready Communities.

The program requiresa certain number o assessments rom theexisting and availableworkorce in the county.Spalding, Fayette, Butts,Jasper, and Lamar Countieshave all yet to meet theirnumbers. In comparisonto the other counties,Spalding is still ar behindin meeting its numbers.

The deadline or eachcounty to meet its goals is

December 2011. Countieswho meet their numbersby December 2011 areeligible or a state-undedgrant and serve as modelsor initiative in the state.

Robert Parker, the Work Ready Chairman, isconcerned that Spalding

County may not meet itsnumbers by the deadline.“The other counties startedearlier, but they havealso had grants in orderto advertise. In SpaldingCounty, we have had nomoney to that. It ’s prettymust newspaper articlesand word o mouth thathas kept the programrunning here,” Parkerexplained. He believesthat Spalding County’sbiggest concern is the225 privately employedcitizens that are neededor assessments, “they canwork anywhere in the state,but as long as they live inSpalding County and work or a private employer,they are eligible to takethe assessment and helpus become a Work ReadyCertied Community.”

Steve Hendrix believes thatGeorgia Work Ready is avital tool or our workorce,“it is one o the vital toolsor unemployed residentsto show employers thatthey are more competentand a better t than otherpeople trying to get thesame job. You bring inyour Work Ready resultsand companies knowexactly where you standmathematically and how

to measure your readingskills.” Parker stated that

the program is not onlyimportant or unemployedcivilians, but also oreconomic developmentin the entire community.“Being a Work ReadyCertied Communityis a huge selling pointto attract companiesto Spalding County. I

other counties have thatcertication and we don’t,it detracts attention romour county to the others,”Parker said.

Georgia’s Work Readyallows residents to trainand take assessments inorder to improve their skillsets. The program measuresthree assessments usingthe national ACT Work Keys standard. It measuresapplied mathematics,reading or inormation,and how well one canlocate material. Oncea person passes theseassessments, they canobtain a Georgia Work Ready certicate andhelp their county becomeCertied Work Ready.

Georgia Work Readyassessments are availableat Southern Crescent

Technical College. Trainingor these assessments andpractice tests are availableor anyone interested inobtaining their certicate.

Training and practice testsare available anywherewith internet access.Preregistration to completethe test is required. Alltests taken by residentswill urther SpaldingCounty’s goal o become

a Work Ready CertiedCommunity. Ω

I Clayton’s rail proposalisn’t accepted, thenSpalding County’s listwould revert to OptionB. I Spalding were to putcommuter rail as the rstpriority without another

option and the commuterrail movement died inClayton, the $47 millionassigned to the projectwould have been divertedto other regional projects,

said Todd. By allowingSpalding County to havetwo options, she said, “TheRoundtable unanimouslyvoted that all the moneygenerated in SpaldingCounty could be used orSpalding County projects.It was a tremendous victoryor us.”

In the event that OptionB is used, the additional(roughly) $43 millionwould be applied to othertransportation projects,

such as the airport, andimprovements to North HillStreet, Georgia Highway 16widening, bridge projectson Vaughn Road at ShoalCreek and the Flint RiverBridge on West McIntosh

Road.

Ocials have estimatedthat the 10-county regionwill generate $642 milliondollars, with SpaldingCounty receiving almost$100 million o that.Seventy-ve percent o thepenny sales tax (roughly$75 million) will be appliedto the unconstrained(regional) project list.Spalding County can usethe other 25 percent o the sales tax (roughly

$23 million) or anytransportation projects,such as roads, bridges andsidewalks.

Sometime next year, thedate has not yet been

set, the 10-county ThreeRivers region (Butts, Carroll,Coweta, Heard, Lamar,Meriwether, Pike, Spalding,

Troup, and Upson counties)will vote whether to passthe TSPLOST. I a majorityo the counties approvethe one-penny sales tax,then it will be imposed or10 years, even i voters o Spalding County or othercounties vote against it.

“The kicker is that i [TSPLOST] ails region-

wide, we will get verylimited transportationunds coming romWashington and GDOT,that’s why it’s so importantthis passes,” said Todd. Ω

While numeroustelevision shows eaturinginvestigations o theparanormal have grownto signicant popularity,many are unaware that alocal group – GASP, or theGreater Atlantic Society o the Paranormal – exists inGrin. With a combined 18years o experience, GASP’sounders, Laurie Crane and

Mike Ellis, responded toquestions on the growingeld o paranormalinvestigation.

When was GASP ounded andwhat is its purpose?

Laurie Crane: GASP wasounded in its originalstate in 2009. GASP, as itis today, is actually twoteams merged into one– Laurie Crane’s GeorgiaParanormal and Mike Ellis’GASP.Mike Ellis: We’re here to helppeople who have issueswith things they cannotexplain.

How many investigations haveyou conducted?

Laurie Crane: Having 16years experience, I haveconducted hundreds.

Together as GASP, wehave done close to 30investigations.

What are some o the tools andtechnology you utilize? How do

they work?Laurie Crane: We use all thelatest technology you seeon the TV shows – EMFdetectors which measureelectromagnetic elds thatspirits are said to give o;K2 meters, which do thesame as the EMF detectors;digital voice recorders;inrared cameras; nightvision cameras; digitalstill cameras; laser grids,which enable you to seeand monitor movement;laptop computers; inraredthermometers to measuretemperatures; and a bevyo other things that let

us know when we haveactivity.Mike Ellis: We also use a toolknown as a ghost box,that switches throughrequencies and produceswhite noise or spirits tocommunicate in real time.

How do you go about debunkingpreviously unexplainablephenomena?

Mike Ellis: We try to recreatewhat is reported, becausei we can make it happenagain, it isn’t paranormal.Laurie Crane: We take a closelook at the environment.We also ask that the clientbegin a log o activity,marking the day and timeit happens. We always look or natural sources such aslight reraction and signso the building settling.We did one recently thathad a report o loudnoises coming rom theattic. Ater conductingtwo investigations at the

TOP STORIES2 October 6 - 20, 2011

« TSPLOST, cont.

CONTINUED, gAsp, pg 3 »

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« police, cont.

Group investigates local paranormal activity

Both optionsstill includecommuter rail

Private sector employee testing needed orSpalding to become "Work Ready"



JESSICA GREGORY

When Teresa Rutledge andher partner Scott decided toopen a restaurant in Grin,they "wanted to open adown-home, Southern-style hot dog joint," as Scott(called Cletus around the

joint) calls it.

Grin's Dawg House is just that, oering home-made rench ries, chili andslaw, all-bee hot dogs andsteamed buns, making theirood taste like it was madein Mama's Kitchen. [TheScooter Dog is a Grip sta avorite because we lovethe sprinkling o Oystercrackers, and we've heardrumor that regulars havegotten addicted to the chili.]

"For the rst two weeks,we cut ries by hand witha knie," said Teresa. Theyquickly realized keeping up

with orders wasn't going tohappen while hand-cuttingthe potatoes. "When weordered that rench rycutter and it came in, it waslike Christmas."

Another aspect Scott and Teresa elt was importantwas oering superiorcustomer service. " We drewinspiration rom Teresa'sgrandather, who owned

The Corner Lunchroom inGrin, who would serverench ries and chocolatemilk or breakast i youwanted it," Scott said.

"I you want somethingthat's not on the menu andwe have the stu to makeit, we'll make it or you," hecontinued. "That's why weadded the BLT to the menu,because we had a ewpeople ask or one."

The decor o the joint pays

homage to the past, with"Memory Lane," a wall o old records, a "Grin wall,"with old pictures o Grin,as well as a "Military wall,"where the locals can postpictures o allen soldiers,veterans and active dutysoldiers.

As Teresa's own son,U.S. Marine Lance Corp.Jerey Walker, was killedin action, they wanted toensure "a way to constantlyremember those who gavethe ultimate sacrice." Ω

location, we were able todebunk those sounds asthe roo cooling rom thehigh daytime temperatures,which caused poppingsounds.

Have you ever had a personalexperience that rightened oramused you?

Laurie Crane: Well, one thatrightened me was at theCarmichael House. I enteredthe ront dining room and

just as I got under thechandelier, it began to swayviolently back and orth.I thought it was going tocrash to the foor with meunderneath it. Another wasat Grin’s Old City Hall. Wewere walking up the back staircase in the service area,and as I rounded the cornerto the nal set o stairs, inront o me was this black mass outline o a very largeman.

What is the best part o this

work?Laurie Crane: Helping people.A lot o people just eelbetter knowing that they’renot going crazy i we canvalidate their experiences,or provide a rationalexplanation to validatetheir experience. Anotheraspect I like is knowing thatdeath is not the end o itall. When you connect withsomeone who has passedon, it is a deeply prooundspiritual experience.

Is there a downside to what youdo?

Laurie Crane: Oh, yes.When you get into aninvestigation and thereis a spirit there who doesnot want you there, and isgrumpy, mean and willingto do anything to getyou out o there. Anotheraspect I really struggle withis that people automaticallythink we are ull-onbelievers and gullible. Weare healthy skeptics. I think

the only other thing thatbothers me is the somegroups' usage o psychicsin their investigations. Wedon’t use them or seances,or anything o the like.What someone tells youcannot be scienticallyvalidated, and some o that inormation could bepublic record. I get peevedat groups that rely onmediums as a main sourceor their ndings. I justdon’t nd it credible.

Finally, do you personally believein spirits?

Mike Ellis: Yes, I believe inspirits, because I’ve seen

and heard things. I’ve beenaround this as long as Ican remember. My earliestmemories are rom growingup – the house we lived inwas haunted.Laurie Crane: While I am ahealthy skeptic, I wouldhave to say yes, I dobelieve. Sometimes, orwhatever reason, someonegets spiritually stuck in alocation. I have seen it withmy own eyes, capturedit with my cameras andexperienced it many timesover. Ω

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT October 6 - 20, 2011 3

770-227-1570

ELECT

Wendell

BEAM SHERIFFof Spalding County

SHERIFF

OF

SPALDING CO.

Most Experienced • Proven Performance • Genuinely Cares

About Wendell...• Lifelong resident of Spalding County.• Served in the United States Army.• Married 34 years to Vickie Brooks Beam. Has 1 son, 3 grandchildren.

Professional Background...• 37 years of service with the Spalding County Sheriff’s Department

serving the citizens of Spalding County.• Currently Major in charge of the Uniform Patrol & Communications

Division of the Spalding County Sheriff’s Department - holding this position for 30 years.

• Instructor through the Peace Officer Standards and Training Council.• Instructor for the Hunter’s Safety Course, the Home Protection

Course and the Alcohol and Drug Awareness Course in Spalding.

Beam’s Platform...• Professionalism, Honesty, Integrity and Dedication.• More involvement in Youth Programs concerning safety, drugs and

citizenship within our community and school system.• More involvement with Adult Programs concerning

The Neighborhood Watch Program, safety in and out of the home

and other related crime protection programs.

Your Support and Vote Will Be Greatly Appreciated.

Visit “Wendell Beam For Sheriff ” on Facebook or www.beam4sheriff.com

126 W. College Street, Grin

« GASP, cont.New hot dog joint honorsmilitary, Grin's past

Scott, Teresa and her daughterCasey (not pictured) sling outwet dogs, slopped dogs, and"Scooter" dogs at their locationon Zebulon Road.

Learn about advertising at the

Monday, October 17; 3 - 6 p.m.Grin Regional Welcome Center

Conrmed Attendees: (Stay tuned for more)

• Special advertising rates and packages

for G-S Chamber, Downtown Council and The 3/50 Project members

• Learn how to market your business withadvertising, social media & web design



gather the aluminum cantabs the students havecollected.

“I can tell you, the studentshere literally ask aboutthis on the very rst day

o school,” said MainstayAdministrator Chris Biggs.“They always want to knowi we’re collecting tabs orthe Blue Knights again.”

Blue Knights Sgt.-at-ArmsLarry Martin, a sergeantat the Grin PoliceDepartment, once workedas the Mainstay school

resource ocer, and thusthe relationship between

Tab Run and school wasborn.

“I started going becauseo the kids. I developeda relationship with theteachers and kids, andthought it would be agood way to put it alltogether,” Martin said.

This year, Mainstaystudents – numbering onlyaround 75 – once againpulled together, collecting169 pounds o aluminumcan tabs.

Ronald McDonaldHouse Interim ExecutiveDirector Susan Yaksh saidSRA’s support is greatlyappreciated, particularlyin challenging economictimes.

“We know that we’remaking a dierence inpeople’s lives, but it’sdicult to translate that

into und-raising,” she said.

Yaksh said SRA membershave proven to be notonly loyal supporters,but educators, as well, byinorming the communityo the services the charityprovides amilies in themidst o medical crises.

Also signicant, she said, isSRA’s decision to make itssupport an annual event.

“It says a lot to us that yearater year, they choosethis charity to support.It speaks to the validityo the Ronald McDonaldHouse,” she said. “Thereare certainly a lot o otherworthwhile charities outthere. Members could gettogether each year withsuggestions to supportother agencies, butinstead, they come back to us. Just to know thatthey continue to supportus year ater year makes useel special.” Ω

“The students tried jicamathe other day; they’regetting a chance to tastethings they don’t usuallyeat,” said JRES Principle SaraJones.

JRES is also implemented anumber o HealthMPowersprograms, designed toprovide students, sta andamilies with inormation,skills, and resources to takeresponsibility o their ownhealth. HealthMPowersset up a “body walk” in theschool gym, with infatable

body organs, allowing

students to “get an insidelook” at how the brain,heart, and lungs work.

This award places thesetwo schools in an elitegroup: only 275 schoolsin the nation received thebronze and silver awardsrom the Alliance, and o those 17 were Georgiaschools. SuperintendentDr. Curtis Jones, said, “Weare proud o our schools orthis national achievement.

This took a lot o work and dedication rom ourstudents and employees,and we applaud them.” Ω

Valid Concerns and HelpulSolutions : A semi-regularcolumn devoted to addressingissues, tackling problems andgiving all-around good advice tothe leaders and citizenry o thegreater Grin-Spalding Countyarea.

DIRT MCGIRT

Every six months or so, Iget a little card in the mailwith smiley aces, puppiesor balloons on the ront.

The pleasing pictures onthe ront are an attemptto hide the more sinistermessage on the back reminding me that I havean upcoming dentistappointment.

I usually immediatelythrow the card away, asi pretending it neverarrived will make it goaway. When the inevitablereminder phone call comesa day or so prior to theappointment, I explain thatI will be busy with work,yak hunting in central Asiaor have simply lost all o my teeth.

I am really not sure why Ihave such an aversion tovisiting the dentist. I havenever really had a bad

experience at my dentist’soce. However, or somereason the moment I walk through the door and getthe rst whi o the dentaloce smell, I get a coldchill down my spine. It isa distinctive smell; a cross

between mouthwash andWD40.

Ater spending 20 to 30minutes in the waitingroom listening to the highpitched whine o a drilland reading a NationalGeographic article rom1989, I get to spendanother 20 minutes in asmaller room with onlydental hygiene posters andwater pick advertisementsto read. Once the hygienistarrives, I settle into thechair and makes small

talk as she adjusts thelight to shine directlyinto my retinas. She thenproceeds to win the ocebet as to how many metalinstruments and cottonballs she can cram into mymouth at one time.

In addition to beingblinded and having anentire drawer o silverwarein my mouth, I have toendure being lecturedlike a third grader whogot caught cheating ona spelling test. No matterhow hard I scrub mypearly whites the threedays prior to my visit, thedentist will nd a faw inmy oral hygiene regimen.

This is completely unair asgets to spend 30 minutesstudying my teeth with a

microscope looking or theslightest imperection.

Lastly, it really grinds mygears that throughout theentire ordeal I am totallyunable to get in a word inmy own deense. From themoment I sit down thereare no less than six dentalinstruments in my mouthas well as our ngers.

When I am asked questionsthat involve complexsocial and political issues,I need more o a chanceto respond than a simple“uh huh” or “nu”. Evenworse, when someone

insinuates that you haven’tfossed since 2006 youreally deserve a chance torespond. I don’t even getthe chance to point outthat I have had nothingbut popcorn and steak toeat or the last week, thusexplaining the ood in myteeth.

I think the next time I getthat little reminder card Iwill have a heaping bowlo garlic and onions orbreakast to even the score.

VIEWPOINTS/COMMUNITY 4 October 6 - 20, 2011

“GET A GRIP”: POLL OF THE WEEKEach week at www.the-grip.net a “Get A Grip”poll will be posted. The results and any relatedcontent will be published in the consecutiveprint edition o The Grip. Visit www.the-grip.net to vote today!

Current Poll:

Letters on this subjectare encouraged andshould be emailed to [email protected] orposted to PO Box 2251,Grin, GA 30224.

VOTE NOW AT

WWW.THE-GRIP.NET

Last Week’s Poll Results:

109 S. Hill StreetM-F 7 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Saturday 8 a.m. - 10 p.m.

For whom willyou vote to be

the next SpaldingCounty Sheri?

1. Wendell Beam2. Keith Duncan

32 total votes

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« tab run, cont.

With Star Avery

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For more inormation aboutwhich banks are charging andwhy, read the articles on pg. 7

DOCTOBERDAYS.CITYOFGRIFFIN.COM

H o m e o f

D o c H o l l i d a y

Friday, October 21Oak Hill Cemetery5:30 pm Great Griffin Graveyard Ramble

Saturday, October 22Griffin Spalding Airport

9:00 am Low Down Dirty Dawg Dash

Downtown GriffinNoon to

Bird Cage Theater Pop Up Shop

6:00 pm

presented by Blue Bird Market

1:00 pm to

Doctoberfest Beer Festival

6:00 pm

Saturday Night Free Concert6:30 pm Heather Luttrell

8:30 pm

Rollin’ Bones

DOC’TOBERD A Y S 2 0 11

Griffin Georgia

« award, cont.

Jackson Road Elementary Physical Education teacher AndreaWoodroo explains the unction o the heart to students inside theBody Walk.

Mainstay Academy students and aculty collected 160 pounds o aluminum can tabs that were picked up by members o the BlueKnights Chapter 13, a motorcycle club or current and retired lawenorcement personnel.



A.Z. Kelsey, TaylorAchievement Centerwill share principalsater Melton'sretirement

socioeconomic conditionor academic perormanceis consummate. He trulywanted no child to be letbehind in school. I have thehighest regard or him andwish him the best in hisretirement.”

The retirement o Dr.Melton has put into actioncost-containment measuresor A. Z. Kelsey Academyas well as Taylor StreetAchievement Center, thealternative educationprogram or middle andhigh school students whohave been unsuccessul intheir home school becauseo their conduct.

Dr. Curtis Jones,Superintendent o theGrin-Spalding CountySchool System said, “Itmakes sense to combinethe administration o two small schools whenwe are looking or everyopportunity to cut costs tomeet a projected shortallo $6 million next schoolyear.

“Mrs. Janet Ware will

assume the principalshipo A.Z. Kelsey Academy aswell as continue in thatrole at the Taylor StreetAchievement Center. JamieCassady, assistant principalat Grin High School, willtranser to be assistantprincipal at the Taylor StreetAchievement Center and A.Z. Kelsey Academy.

“Although those schoolsserve dierent populationsin dierent locations,the number o studentsenrolled currently is 175students.” Ω

October 6 - 15; Annual Grin-Spalding Kiwanis CountyFair; new this year is apetting zoo and blacksmithdemonstrations; orinormation and calendarvisit www.kiwanisogrin.com.

October 8; Saturday; TheOcial Georgia Day o theCowboy; The Rock Ranch;

mock gunghts, trainrobberies, rodeo, quick draw demonstrations,cal roping and mountedshooting throughout theday; or more inormationvisit www.therockranch.com.

October 8; Saturday; ArtiactID Day; Indian Springs; 12p.m. to 4 p.m.

October 8, 15, 22, 29; Saturdays;Grin Humane Society petadoptions; Petsense Grinlocation; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

October 15; Saturday; HymnFestival; Second BaptistChurch; 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.;workshop or the singers(ee required), then a reeconcert at 1:30; or moreinormation visit www.grinchoralarts.org.

October 15; Saturday; Hot AirBalloon Rally; The Rock

Ranch; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.;watch as 15 to 20 hot airballoons take fight incompetition; or moreinormation visit www.therockranch.com.

October 20; Thursday;Chamber Business AterHours, Old Grin BottlingCompany “The Eagle & LionRestaurant and Pub; 5 p.m.to 7 p.m.

October 20; Thursday;“Heavenly Light”; FirstBaptist Church o Grin;

7:30 to 9 p.m.; GrinChoral Arts’ rst concerto the 2011-12 season;or more inormation visitwww.grinchoralarts.org.

October 22; Friday & Saturday;D'october Days; DowntownGrin and variouslocations; Great GrinGraveyard Ramble, LowDown Dirty Dawg Dash,

Doctoberest Beer Festivaland ree concerts eaturingHeather Luttrell and TheRollin’ Bones; or moreinormation visit www.cityogrin.com.

October 24; Monday; Flint RiverRegional Library; 6:30 -7:30 p.m.; A coordinationmeeting to orm a "Friendso the Library" groupto support the Grin-Spalding County Library.

October 27; Thursday;Entrepreneur Class &

Discussion; Grin RegionalWelcome Center; 9 a.m.to 12 p.m.; learn start-upbasics, legal structures,reasons or business ailureand more; $69 with 50percent o each additionalperson rom yourbusiness; register at www.georgiasbdc.org.

October 28; Friday; Downtown

Grin Trick-or-Treatingevent; 4 - 6 p.m.; or a mapand ree trick-or-treat bag,visit the Grin WelcomeCenter during the event;participating downtownbusinesses will have a signin their storeront.

November 5; Saturday; GrinHumane Society Chili Cook O; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m; ThePavilion.

To view more local eventsvisit the calendar page at www.the-grip.net.

COMMUNITY

»»»»»»»»»»»»» COMMUNITY CALENDAR «««««««««««««

Community bries To have your inormation appear in the this section o The Grip,(space permitting) email a press release to [email protected].

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to you.

Call 770-227-1857 tosubscribe or use PayPalat www.the-grip.net.RONI @ STAR SALON

770-228-7738

Scarecrows are returningto the UGA Research andEducation Garden locatedat 121 Ellis Road, Grin.

They will be arriving onMonday October 10th andwill remain in the gardenthrough Sunday, October23. The ourth annual eventwill again eature wild andwacky scarecrow creationsby individuals, localorganizations, schools,and businesses.

The garden is open everyweek day rom 8 a.m. until4:40 p.m. It is also openon Sundays until the endo October. Sunday hoursare 1 to 4 p.m. Come byand be sure to bring yourcamera. Take pictures o the scarecrows and withthe scarecrows.

The scarecrows will leaveater their anticipated

return with a ”Scarecrowsin the Garden Celebration”Sunday, October 23, 1 – 4p.m.

There will be somethingor kids o all ages duringthe celebration. Therewill be pumpkin painting,ace painting by Tater theClown and Face Joy, hairdecorating/designs byKrazy Hair, story tellingby Josie Bailey and “Wild”Bill Hoosen and his son,cooking decorating,bracelet making, apumpkin patch, and a duck pond, balloon creations by

Twisting Time, photo area

Scarecrowsreturn to UGAResearch andEducation Garden

and more.

Children are invited to weartheir zany costumes or anaternoon o ree activitiesand treats or all ages 1 to100.

The rain date is set or theollowing Sunday, October30.

The event is sponsoredby Master Gardenervolunteers and the Friendso the Garden. For more

inormation contact BarbaraHarris at [email protected]. Ω

Dr, Quimby Melton, III,principal o A. Z. KelseyAcademy, has announcedthat he will retire eectiveOctober 1, 2011. Dr. Melton’sretirement was approvedby the Grin-SpaldingCounty Board o Educationat its meeting Tuesday,September 27.

In addition to serving asprincipal o A. Z. KelseyAcademy, Dr. Melton alsoserved as a teacher, assistantprincipal and principal atGrin High School.Dr. Curtis Jones,Superintendent, said o Dr.Melton, “Quimby has alwayshad the best interests o our students at heart. Hiscompassion or all studentsregardless o race, gender,

For the past several yearsSpalding County Parks andRecreation has providedree camps at two sites orchildren during all, winterand spring breaks. Thesecamps were unded bygrants rom the State o Georgia. Due to recent statebudget cuts to AdolescentHealth and YouthDevelopment resources,these camps will no longerreceive unding.

With very short notice toprepare, Spalding Countyis planning a partnershipwith Southern Crescent

Technical College or SCTCstudents to earn credithours while working at acamp. Even i a concretepartnership is not in placeor this all break, Parks andRecreation will be oering aree camp at city park romOctober 10-14 rom 8:00a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or the rst30 children to pre-register.I denite plans with SCTCmaterialize in time, morethan 30 children can beserved.

In addition to the Campat City Park, FairmontCommunity Center will beopen during the all break each week day at 2:00 p.m.or children to come in andplay. For more inormationplease call Parks andRecreation at 770-467-4750.

To pre-register or the CityPark Camp please visit theParks and Recreation mainoce or City and FairmontParks. Ω

Parks & Rec hopesto partner withSCTC to oer camps

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APRIL R. SORROW, UGA

Fire ants can ruin picnicsand ootball games.

Treating re ant colonies inthe all can help edge oututure colonies, lesseningthe likelihood they’ll stealyour chips or nip at yourtoes.

“Fire ant colonies havebeen growing throughthe summer and havereached their peak size,”said Dan Suiter, a Universityo Georgia CooperativeExtension entomologistwith the UGA Collegeo Agricultural andEnvironmental Sciences.

“Attacking those coloniesnow will help next springwhen they start to swarmagain.” Fire ants are easierto kill in the all, he said, orour main reasons.

First, they're more active. That makes it easier to treatthem with re ant baits."You can use re ant baitsany time o the year," Suitersaid. "But they're mosteective when the ants areactively oraging or ood."

Fire ants are most activein spring and all, whendaytime temperaturesare between 70 and 85degrees, he said. Activelyoraging ants will pick upbait and carry it into thenest within the rst hour ortwo. I the ants are inactive,the bait may not appeal tothe ants by the time they

nd it.

Second, in the coolerweather o all, re antsaren't too deep in theground. That makes themeasier to kill with a mound-drench, granular, dust oraerosol contact insecticide.When you use thoseproducts, Suiter said, it’scritical to treat when thequeen and brood are closeto the surace.

Third, in the all, you'retreating when many reant colonies are veryyoung. Fire ants mateall year long, but they’remost actively mating inthe spring, he said. Matedqueens fy away andestablish new colonies. Byall, these colonies are well-

established but still airlysmall.

Broadcasting re ant baitis the rst step in theongoing program Suiterrecommends. Use reshbait, he said, and apply itusing the label directions.Never apply bait usinga spreader that’s beenused to spread ert ilizer.Fertilizer can contaminatethe smell o the bait.

Treat individual problemmounds with an approvedcontact product. Be sure toollow directions careully.Misuse o pesticides, like

re ant control products, isa violation o ederal law.

“A lot o misuse comesrom homeowners whothink that what they putout isn’t strong enough tokill the ants,” he said. “Butmany o the chemicals arepretty much the same asproessional chemicals.”

Fourth, and the one thingthat makes all the singlebest time to treat reants, Suiter said, is thatit's ollowed by winter.Extreme cold is tough onre ants. This makes baitseven more eective in theall.

"Winter is an ally incontrolling re ants," Suitersaid. "Reducing theirnumbers in the all canhelp push them over theedge in the winter." Ω

April R. Sorrow is a newseditor with the University o Georgia Collegeo Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

“Lord, remind me how brie my time on earth will be.Remind me that my days arenumbered - how feeting my lie is”. Psalm 39:4

DUSTY TAKLE

I there were only morehours in a day. Or an extra

day in the week. Then Iwould, could...

Truth is, we don’t needanother hour or day.What we really need is anawareness o the time wehave. Suppose we hadtwenty-ve hours in a day.How would we spend thatextra hour? Probably doingwhat we already do. Thatextra hour at the oce.

That extra hour reading andreplying to emails. Thatextra hour running errandsor cleaning the house. Thatextra hour on Facebook.Gasp. Rushing here andrushing there. I t’s become away o lie or most o us.

Her nightly routine takespriority over lying in thegrass to stare at the sky ona night when the stars areinnumerable. He choosestaking business calls overplaying a game Battleshipwith his son. We chaseater more, because there isalways more.

More o something thatreally never satises. Moresuccess that means nothingat the cost o losing hisamily. More material goodsthat she will never be ableto take with her when shetakes her last breath.

Mark 8:36 that says, “And

what do you benet i yougain the whole world butlose your own soul?” Thepeople in my lie are myheart and soul. We werecreated to not only be inrelationship with God butin relationship with eachother. Yet, when we runinto that old riend in thegrocery store, we make sureshe knows we are in a rush,so the conversation remainsbrie. Instead o welcominglie’s interruptions.

Because, real lie happensin those interruptions. Inthose, “Mom, would youcolor with me?” “Dad, look at my hand stand!” “Friend,

how are you doing today?”

When we ocus on what’sreally important, we livedierently. We invest ourtime dierently. We say noto good things, so we cansay yes to BETTER things.

What would you do with anextra hour in the day? Ω

DR. BOB HAYDEN, DC, PhD, FICC

In a word, “No.” I eel

compelled to fesh that out just a bit so that my answersounds more complete.

For trivia bus, I ound outthat “Q-tip” is a proprietaryname, and it means “qualitytip.” It is an outgrowth o Leo Gerstenzang’s idearom the 1920s that wasoriginally called a “BabyGay.” The term “Q-tip”has become like “Coke,”a household term that isgeneric or all items thatare similar in constructionor use.

Interestingly, the mostcommonly reported useor these cotton swabs is

in cleaning ears. This isironically just about theonly use or which they arenot intended. There areall kinds o warnings out

about this, including thisone rom www.qtip.com:“Always remember thatQ-tips® cotton swabs arenot to be used or cleaninginside the baby’s ear canal(or yours!).”

The wording seems clear tome (i.e., “always” and “not”),but the most common

application or them,nevertheless, is swabbingear canals. The dangerhere is two-old: youcan push ear wax urtherinto the canal, causingan impaction and loss o hearing (an inconvenience)or puncture the eardrum(really bad). I you havedone the ormer, when youspeak, you will hear yourvoice loudly on the sideo the impaction becausesound does not have totravel through air to getto your eardrum—it goesthrough the bone in yourskull. You can mimic this byplugging an open ear withyour nger, then singing

the Bama ght song. I you have the latter—apunctured ear drum—youhave pain + deaness +some impending medical

bills, and you may onlyenjoy hal o your I-podhenceorth.

Ear wax, or cerumen, hasa purpose. It protectsthe skin o the ear canalrom water (or example,the water that might getthere when you shower,get into snowball ghts, or

swim), and it prevents earinections. When it buildsup or gets hard, it can bebothersome.

I ear hygiene is a problemor you, rst see a healthcare proessional (HCP)or an otoscopic exam tobe sure that wax is theonly problem and that theeardrum is intact. Consultwith your HCP about usingan ear cleansing systemdesigned or home use.

There are ear drops you canget without prescriptionthat are sae and eective.

Back to the Q-tips—theother uses seem limitless.

To name a ew o thehundreds o ascinatingapplications:

You can apply medication

to wounds with them.

They are handy or cleaningan umbilical cord, i youhave one o those.

Dirt and grime in the crackso keyboards (betweenletters or numbers) mightbe accessible to a tip.

People who do crats ndlots o clever ways to usethem.

Makeup can be appliedwith one o these, butplease, not while driving.

Very small people mightuse them or vaulting.

MY PERSONAL FAVORITE: Taylor, one o our elinechildren, amuses himsel or hours daily playing withthem as Diane discardsthem.

Bottom line: celebrate theinventiveness o that greatPolish-American by using a

Q-tip or something otherthan your ear. Oer themas toys to your cat, orexample, as a substitute or

jewelry. Ω

LIFESTYLE

DR. BOB: I see people usingQ-tips to clean their earsoccasionally—particularlyseniors or mothers caringor children. Is this a saepractice?

Oh, or an extra hour

(Don't) stick it in your ear: Q-tips, that is

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Residents o Spalding, Butts, Henry and Pike countiesnow have more help to get their cats and dogs spayed orneutered at very low cost prices. The HELP Spay/NeuterClinic’s transport van, “The Snip Ship” will be meetingresidents o Spalding, Butts, Henry and Pike counties in

the parking lot at Spalding County Animal Shelter, 208Justice Boulevard, Grin, GA 30224, to transport pets tothe surgical hospital in Newnan. For more inormation orto schedule an appointment, or i you have any questions,contact Cindy Leopard at (770) 304.7911. Ω

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SHEILA MARSHALL

In response to the nancialcrisis that resulted in the losso an estimated eight million

jobs, which led to the nation’sdeepest recession since theGreat Depression, the ederalgovernment is preparing toimplement the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reorm andConsumer Protection Act,so named ater its primarychampions, RepresentativeBarney Frank and SenatorChris Dodd.

First National Bank PresidentChuck Copeland said thelegislation will bring aboutwhat he views as both positiveand negative changes in thebanking industry.

“One positive is that it madepermanent the FDIC limitson deposit insurance,” hesaid. “That had been set at$100,000 or a number o decades, but as an emergencymeasure when the marketsmelted down, it was extendedto $250,000.”

That extension, he said, hasbrought about an increased

sense o security and stabilityto the average depositcustomer.

“People are no longerconcerned with whether theyneed to run down to the bank,get their money and hide itunder the mattress,” Copelandsaid.

Among the negatives buriedwithin the Dodd-Frank Act isthe creation o the ConsumerFinance Protection Bureau(CFPB), he said.

The CFPB is touted as a

watchdog or consumersthat will have independentleadership appointed by thepresident and approved bythe Senate with a dedicatedbudget paid by the FederalReserve. It will haveindependent rule writingauthority or consumerprotection that will govern allnancial institutions, as well asthe authority to examine andenorce regulations or banksand credit unions with assetsover $10 billion, along withnumerous other nancial-based enterprises.

While this may on thesurace appear to be a much-needed arm o protection orconsumers, Copeland said

more questions remain thananswers, such as how willsmaller community banksbe aected by increasedregulatory oversight.

“Right now, the communitybanking industry position isthat we were not the onesdoing the egregious thingsdone to consumers aterthe nancial meltdown,like creative nancing andquestionable mortgageoreclosures,” he said. “A loto the unsavory behaviorthat contributed to thenancial meltdown did notoriginate with the smallercommunity banks, but there’s

no clarication i we’re goingto be penalized or the actionso others. What exactly is ityou’re going to protect theconsumer rom? The responseyou get now is, ‘Oh, you’reright; it wasn’t you,’ but theproo isn’t in the pudding.”

United Bank President JimOgletree said the impact o the Dodd-Frank Act will beelt throughout the nancialindustry.

“No doubt, it’s changingcompletely the way we dobusiness,” he said, describingthe changes as “consumerdriven.”

Ogletree said he believes

the banking industryshould, indeed, be held toan extremely high standard,but that new regulatoryrequirements are penalizing

every bank, not only thoseresponsible or the country’srecent nancial crisis.

“It’s an issue; it’s a big issue,”he said. “Most banks andmost creditors are goodand trustworthy. This takesaway our ability to deal withcustomers in the way we wantto. A lot o smaller banks willgo out o business becausethey can’t comply with theregulatory requirements. They

simply can’t aord to.”

Like Copeland, Ogletree alsodoes not have condence inthe newly established CFPB.

“All it’s going to do is createmore bureaucratic red tape.It’s another government entitythat’s going to cost consumersand taxpayers more money,”he said. “The big thing orme is that we need to bemore proactive and let oursenators know how we eel.

The most vocal are the oneswho make things happen andbring about change. We needto keep our congressmen intouch with who we are andwhere we are. Who’s not orconsumer protection? But, the

biggest problem to me is ourCongress’s overzealousness.” Ω

SHEILA MARSHALL

The Durbin Amendment,which was introduced bySenator Dick Durbin inconjunction with the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reormand Consumer ProtectionAct, has resulted in theimplementation o monthlydebit card use transaction eesby many national ranchise

banks.

As a provision in the nal bill,the Durbin Amendment wasintended to regulate debitcard interchange ees that are“reasonable and proportionalto actual cost.”

Several national ranchisebanks have announcedthat in response to theimplementation o the DurbinAmendment regulations,customers will now beaccessed monthly debit cardtransaction ees. Although theDurbin Amendment appliesonly to banks with greaterthan $10 billion in assets –which means it will not aectlocal community banks suchas First National Bank and

United Bank – presidents

o both these nancialinstitutions remain stronglyunited in opposition to thenew regulation.

“This amendment dealt withthe ees banks could receiveor debit card transactions.

There’s now a cap on thoseees that were promoted bymerchants. We’re providingthis banking service andassuming the risk or potentialraudulent losses, whileproviding a valuable service,and yet you’re asserting thatwe’re somehow unairlyproting rom that,” said FirstNational Bank President Chuck Copeland. “Essentially, I think you would learn that mostcommunity banks are strongproponents o a ree marketsystem, and the DurbinAmendment is essentiallynothing but price xing –establishing a price ceiling ora service provided by a privateindustry.”

United Bank President JimOgletree said the DurbinAmendment is an exampleo the government “shootingitsel in its oot.”

The goal may have been toreduce debit card transactionees assessed to consumers,but he contends that i banks lose those ees due toregulatory restructuring, it willbe passed on to customers inother ways.

“When you take away a sourceo revenue in one area anddon’t replace it with another,the organization has to nd away to replace it,” he said.

As a possible example,Ogletree cited most banksrecent practice o oering reechecking accounts.

“It was oered because it wasa revenue stream. Once thatdries up, though, what do youdo? You have to go back tothe drawing board,” he said. “Ihate it worse than anything,but it’s the reality consumersare going to be acing. There’snothing ree anymore.”

He said there are noimmediate plans to chargeUnited Bank customers amonthly debit card use ee,but he did say uture changes

community banking are

inevitable.

“No, we don’t have any plan tocharge those ees at this pointin time and I don’t oreseeit. We’ll evaluate it on anongoing basis. We don’t havea plan in place at this time, butguaranteed, though, there willbe something that happensin the uture,” Ogletree said. “Ican’t say now what that maybe, and we hope that by thetime that comes, it will be aneasier choice to make. Justbear with us on it.”

The bottom line, Ogletreesaid, is that while banks doseek to serve their customerbase, they are nonetheless,businesses.

“Unortunately, we’re notnot-prots, but I think that’swhere the government wasn’tus to go,” he said. “As long asit’s not turned into an actualgovernmental entity, there aregoing to be ees that generaterevenue. That’s part o a reemarket society. Would it bebetter i the banking industrywas completely controlled bythe government?" Ω

Community bank ocials doubt protection provided by Dodd-Frank Act



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