Morgan County Branch NAACP
puts on annual parade and festival

story by matt Burgoyne
photos by Angelina Bellebuono

By Jessica Blomquist
Staff Writer

As people become more environmentally conscious, they celebrate Earth Day by planting trees, starting a compost pile or learning about recycling, among other earth-friendly ideas.
For this year’s Earth Day, Cub Scout Pack 91, partnered with Wal-Mart, participated in a road clean-up on Fairgrounds Road in Madison on Saturday, April 19.
“We have to pick [trash] up and take care of the Earth,” said den leader Nancy Brock.
Starting at 11 a.m., the road was closed to traffic to provide safety to the eight scouts, four leaders and three parents who picked up trash alongside the road.
Linda Thoman, volunteer facilitator of Keep Morgan Beautiful, donated black garbage bags, gloves and hand sanitizer to the scouts.
The group collected trash along the approximately three-quarters of a mile stretch of road, picking up plastic soda bottles, paper trash, beer bottles, cigarette butts and other litter from the side of the road.
Brock said that a pair of blue jeans and two wallets were the most unusual finds during the road clean-up.
After filling sixteen large bags with trash, the group went to Wal-Mart where they were treated to a lunch of hotdogs and other refreshments. Each scout also went home with a reusable grocery shopping bag made of recycled plastic soda bottles.
“I think everybody had a good time,” said Brock.
Scouts who participated in the road clean-up will earn an Earth Day patch for their uniforms.
This was the first Earth Day project that the pack has organized.
“People are paying more attention to [Earth Day] and trying to do something for it,” said Brock.

By Matthew Burgoyne
Staff Writer

    As the “Plant A Row For The Hungry” of Morgan County enters its second year, it has bigger hopes and even more help for the upcoming year. The Lake Country Garden Masters Club will oversee all aspects of the garden with the intent to educate volunteers and the citizens of Morgan County about planting.  The garden is adjacent to Morgan County High School, which is great for students who are volunteering on the project.
    The 165-square-foot garden space was generously donated by Catherine Lindsey, the late Dr. Paul Lindsey and the rest of the Lindsey family. This year, the garden will be receiving much more help from the community. Numerous organizations and groups at the high school will be involved. The Horticulture Department, the Agriculture Department, and the FFA, all under the supervision of Tim Savelle, will be planting and tending the garden until the end of the school year. The Boys and Girls Club, under the supervision of Tery Hicks, will come every Tuesday during the summer to pick and maintain the area.
    Every other Thursday, the Boy Scouts with the help of parents and leader Craig Henry will work in the garden. 

By Tara DeRock Mahoney
Senior Staff Writer

     Social Circle city council members gave pause to every county commissioner within a hundred-mile radius in fall of 2006 when they annexed into the city land in unincorporated Newton County. Social Circle, of course, is in Walton County, and growing by moving into the next county gave many local elected officials agitas.
But on March 13, Social Circle council members reversed the 2006 action by voting to de-annex portions of the city in Newton County.
    The original annexation was completed in response to petitioners in the area, contends the de-annexation ordinance that repeals the earlier annexation ordinance. The area was relinquished by Social Circle due to “legal issues involving the legal description of the property annexed which may have resulted in an incorrect legal description being used,” according to the consent order and judgement handed down on April 2 by the Superior Court of Newton County.

By Kelly Frizzell
Staff Writer 

    Three Georgia legislators agreed Monday that both Republicans and Democrats worked together to pass the state budget legislation during session this year. “It was one of the easiest years we’ve had putting the budget together,” said Senator Johnny Grant at the Republican Party meeting Monday night.
    Representative Bob Smith said that the budget was passed by both houses with only five or six dissenting votes. He also reported the passage of effective economic development, reservoir and energy bills.
    The legislators also addressed problems with the Department of Transportation. The Senate adopted a resolution urging the DOT to develop a statewide transportation plan, according to Representative Doug Holt. The bill was a response to the DOT’s inability to follow through with plans due to overlapping projects. 
    “The DOT was operating out there on [its] own,” said Holt. 
    Now, the DOT faces “realignment” with what it is able to promise and what citizens actually want, he said. The problems caused by the DOT led to the passage of the Transparency in Government Act by the Senate, which Holt says will implement stronger audits and better control.
    The bill will also enforce the creation of a website by 2010 that will allow users to easily search the state’s budget, individual agencies and financial information in order to determine how tax money is being spent. Grant also defended Governor Sonny Perdue’s administration, saying that Perdue is an “excellent manager.”

By Ann Cantrell
Staff Writer

    He may give his mother a heart attack, but, despite a recent paragliding accident, Steve Barrett plans to fly again. Over nine weeks ago, Barrett, assistant director of maintenance for Morgan County Schools, sustained serious injuries that included both broken arms and legs in a paragliding accident near Carnesville. His mother, Dottie Barrett, said that Barrett liked to go paragliding every pretty day in the early morning or late afternoon. February 16 was different though, when everything that could go wrong, went wrong, said Dottie Barrett. Steve Barrett though is not the type of man to give up something, says his mother. She said that as soon as he can walk again, he plans to fly again.
    Bob Monk described Barrett as a man who lived on the edge, riding his Harley Davidson and paragliding. “Steve Barrett is a man who lived life to the fullest,” said Monk. For the first five weeks after his accident, Steve Barrett was in a coma and did not wake up until Easter Sunday. His mother sees this day, and many others, as one of the many miracles they have witnessed during Barrett’s recovery.
    “Everyday we see small miracles,” said Dottie Barrett.  Right now, Barrett is preparing to move into an orthopedic facility. His bones are set and he is done with surgery, says Dottie Barrett. He is also able to fully communicate with other people and is gradually regaining his short term memory.  She credits his recovery to his determination and his good physical condition.