Entries by Staff Writer

East Jackson assistant football coach Joel Conway, 34, was killed in an auto wreck on Ga. Hwy. 124 in West Jackson early Monday morning, according to the Georgia State Patrol. [Full Story »] 

By Mike Buffington

SUNDAY OCT. 30 UPDATE
Came back to Zuccotti Park this afternoon to see what had changed since I was here Wednesday. As a weekend day, tourists were out in force and the area was more crowded than in the week.

And it was a wet, stinky mess. It rained Thursday, then got cold Friday and snowed Saturday. The little park where the Occupy Wall Street protestors are encamped is surrounded by tall buildings, so it doesn't get direct sunlight. The result is a bunch of very damp tents, tarps and sleeping bags... And people.

The local press reports that the park is also being invaded by the homeless, drunks, dope dealers and others who are not really part of the protest movement; to be honest, I couldn't tell a difference. Media reports say that the police department is encouraging the thugs to go to the park, perhaps hoping to spark a confrontation that would give them a reason to clear the area.

I spent around two hours walking into the wet park and listening to conversations. I got the sense that the movement is fraying; perhaps it's success at drawing attention has been it's weakness, too. Too many people, too close together.

Sunday it was a freak show as odd people seemed to have taken over. With Halloween looming, you have to wonder what will happen......

WEDNESDAY

All was quiet Wednesday in Zuccotti Park, the site of the Occupy Wall Street protest. Well, not really quiet; an ad-hoc drum band was banging a steady beat on the west side of the small 2 acre park. But it was calm. A sea of blue tarps covered most of the area, but there are small pathways that wind and flow between the encampments.

There are special areas set up like a very small town. There's a sanitation area with brooms; a first aid tent; a small shrine area for some vague spiritual expressions; an information table and of course, a media area.

Actually, the protestors aren't on Wall Street; it's a couple blocks away. Wall Street itself and several side streets at the heart of Wall Street are now blocked off from traffic; and police, both on foot and horseback, are everywhere. Most look bored and talk among themselves. The sidewalks along Wall Street itself are jammed; many are tourists who are curious about what is happening.

At the top of Wall Street proper, the iconic bronze statue of a bull that is the symbol of the area is surrounded by metal gates to keep people 5 or so feet away. But it looks like the bull had been caged in. The word "rodeo" comes to mind. [Full Story »] 

Several Jefferson High School students were involved in a wreck on Saturday night, Sept. 17, according to the Georgia State Patrol which released its report Monday. [Full Story »] 

A 12-year-old Douglasville boy was killed Friday night in a wreck on I-85 near Commerce.

The boy died after being thrown from a SUV driven by his a family member, according to reports. A tire reportedly reportedly blew out and the vehicle crossed both lanes of traffic and hit a guard rail. The boy wasn't wearing a seat belt.

Long-time Jefferson physician Dr. John T. Crenshaw passed away Thursday, Aug. 18.

Crenshaw practiced medicine for over 40 years, most of those years in Jefferson.

No arrangements have been announced.

In yet another reversal, the Jackson County School System will eliminate four of 10 planned employee furlough days from the 2011-2012 school year. The district will now have six furlough days.

Superintendent Shannon Adams told school system employees in an e-mail that after counting the numbers for its recently-completed 2011 fiscal year, the district will have enough money to restore four of the 10 furlough days.

The school system ended the 2011 fiscal year with a $9.3 million surplus, according to Jeff Sanchez, assistant superintendent for finance and information services.
The tentative 2012 fiscal year budget adopted by the Jackson County Board of Education on Monday anticipates an estimated $6.1 million surplus on June 30, 2012. [Full Story »] 

Arcade residents will decide in 2012 whether or not to permit Sunday alcohol sales in their town.

Arcade city council members voted unanimously Monday to put the issue on a March referendum. The referendum question would be three-pronged: Should sales be permitted on Sundays? Should Sunday sales be permitted in package stores? Should Sunday sales be permitted in retail establishments by-the-drink?

Recently-passed Senate Bill 10 allows local jurisdictions to place the Sunday sales issue on a referendum. Mayor Doug Haynie said the process would cost several thousand dollars but felt this weighty of an issue should be settled by voters. [Full Story »] 

At least five residents of a Commerce area subdivision reported their vehicles vandalized Thursday night, according to incident reports filed with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.

A laptop computer and $15 in cash were taken from two of the vehicles in Eagle Trace Subdivision, while the other vehicles were ransacked but nothing was taken.

A Michael Street man said that he went outside his residence at 6 a.m. and found that someone had thrown a potted plant against his front door and had broken into two vehicles in the driveway. One of the vehicles was unlocked and $15 was stolen. The thief also took a set of keys in the car and used them to open a second vehicle in the yard. Noting was taken in the second vehicle. A back of pediatric dental products and paperwork had been removed and scattered in the yard.

A Tuxedo Drive man said that someone used a shovel to break the window side of his company work truck. A laptop computer was stolen. The shovel was found next to the truck.

Another Tuxedo Drive resident said that someone entered his truck but nothing was taken.

A Trace Lane woman said that someone entered two of her vehicles went through them. She did not find anything missing.

Another Trace Lane resident said that someone went through the dash and console of her vehicle. Nothing was taken.