Entries by Mike Buffington

Parents and former students rallied this week behind an ex-head football coach — who recently resigned from his athletic position at Jackson County Comprehensive High School. [Full Story »] 

Long-time Jackson County Sheriff’s Office employee Gary Brewer has been fired following his arrest in Madison County.

Brewer was arrested on Dec. 5 by the Madison County Sheriff’s Office on charges of felony fleeing and attempting to elude a law enforcement officer, reckless driving and brake light violation.

Brewer has been employed with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office for 20 years and was head of the civil courts division.

“Based on the fleeing and attempting to elude charge, a felony, we issued a termination of his employment,” David Cochran of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said. “He has appealed that to the sheriff. The sheriff will schedule a hearing.”

Cochran added that Brewer denies the charges against him.

According to the incident report from the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy spotted a light blue older model Dodge Sedan with no brake lights traveling on Hwy. 98. The deputy attempted to stop the car but the driver did not stop. The Madison County deputy noted in the incident report that his speed was 100 miles per hour when the chase was called off and he returned to the sheriff’s office.

The tag number on the vehicle was checked out and it came back as belonging to Eric Gary Brewer of 2821 Holly Springs Road, Pendergrass. Brewer was later arrested.

It’s the most controversial issue of our day. Can he win or not? Does he have the right stuff to last for the long haul, or will he self-destruct? Is he mature enough to prevail, or will the lack of experience cause him to fail? [Full Story »] 

Jackson County has landed another major industry with a planned $73 million new Kubota factory that will make compact tractors. The move will create 200 additional jobs.

The announcement comes on the heels of an announcement that Bed Bath & Beyond will open a $46.5 million fulfillment center in the Jefferson area that will employ 900 people and by TD Automotive Compressor that it will expand its current Jefferson facility with a $60 million project that will add 25-70 jobs.

“Kubota’s decision to expand its presence in Jackson County is a great indicator of the success this company has found in Georgia,” Gov. Nathan Deal said. “This expansion is a vote of confidence for our welcoming business environment, skilled workforce and high-performing logistics network that helps global companies like Kubota service the vastly important U.S. market.”

The new factory will be located on the same 88 acre site in Jefferson as an existing Kubota facility. The plant will feature a production capacity of 22,000 compact tractors per year. Construction of the facility will begin in early 2012 with full production of tractors scheduled for January 2013, according to the governor’s office.


“We are honored that Kubota has decided to expand its presence in the City of Jefferson. It is clear that there is a very positive relationship with the City of Jefferson and Kubota, and we look forward to continuing to grow together, creating much needed jobs for our community and developing an even more successful business environment,” said Jefferson Mayor Jim Joiner. “The City of Jefferson welcomes Kubota’s newest facility and gives thanks to our international partners for trusting in, believing in and continuing to create opportunities in our community.”

“Jackson County is home to many companies, and it is always so exciting when one of our companies decides to grow in our community. Our economic success depends not only with new companies locating within our community, but also when our existing industries expand their footprint,” said Jackson County Director of Economic Development Courtney Bernardi. “Kubota is a partner we are thankful to have in our community and we look forward to many more years of success.”

“We greatly appreciate all the cooperation and efforts between the state and local authorities to support our growth since KIE’s inception in 2004,” said Kazunori Monodane, president of KIE. “We are pleased to announce this new expansion to support Kubota’s North American business and to continue enjoying mutual growth and success within the state of Georgia.”

Jackson County Republican leaders seem to think the board of commissioners isn’t moving quickly enough to get its districts redrawn.

Although the BOC has been working for several months on a redistricting plan, it has not yet adopted a new map. Because of growth since 2000, the current BOC districts are badly out of population balance. And with the 2012 local elections approaching, those districts need to be fixed during the upcoming meeting of the Georgia General Assembly.

But Republican leaders Kelley Gary and Ron Johnson seem to think that the BOC has been delaying getting that done. The two appeared before the board Monday night.

“You guys are dragging your feet on this and it’s one of the most important things,” said Johnson, who was a candidate for BOC chairman during the 2008 election.

If action is not taken, Johnson said the Republicans would “come out in full force against” any of the commissioners who are up for re-election.

For the full story, see the December 7 issue of The Jackson Herald.

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the long-standing problems in the Jackson County Comprehensive High School football program and suggested that the real issue is a school culture that has never embraced football as being important to the school. [Full Story »] 

Beer and wine sales are allowed in Jefferson on Sundays following approval Monday night by the city council of an ordinance outlining the guidelines.
The action follows approvals by Jefferson voters in the recent town election, in a 368-246 vote, to allow Sunday sales.

The ordinance states that alcohol sales will only be allowed in retail stores that devote 50 percent of their floor space and storage area to other products. Sales will also only be allowed in zoning districts where these alcohol sales are allowed.