• The Greenspace Commission had another look at Madison's Tree Ordinance in their Tuesday, Oct. 20 meeting in a joint effort with the Madison City Council to streamline the ordinance and allow for healthy tree maintenance while maintaining good tree cover. The commission also discussed The Ricketts Environmental Excellence  program, which helps fund the purchase and planting of trees on private property in the City of Madison. The 8-year-old program has planted over 100 trees.

MADISON
City of Madison Animal Control, in partnership with Altered Feral State (an Oxford, Ga.-based "Trap-Neuter-Release" program that addresses feral cat populations), began the task of decreasing the city's feral cat population Saturday by setting up traps at a private residence and behind Waffle House and Arby's. According to Animal Control officer Cindy Wiemann, the group caught nine cats in all; they were transported to Watkinsville to be spayed and neutered Monday and will be returned to their colonies in Madison Wednesday. Returning the now-altered, feral cats to their colonies will prevent breeding within the colony, but will also keep other cats from joining the colony and growing the overall population.

LOCAL NEWS
 Denny's has arrived at the Pilot truck stop on Eatonton Rd. as part of a nation-wide partnership between the two companies. The store opened on Wednesday, October 7 and district manager Marion Harrell said that business has been good since then.
"We're putting Denny's in several Pilot locations," Harrell said, "and Madison was picked because of its location at I-20, 441 and GA129, all major thoroughfares.
The restaurant is never closed and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner 24-hours daily.

In case you were wondering, Adrian's Place is no longer open and owner Albertha Burke has retired. "I am closed right now as far as lunch is concerned," Burke said. "But I am still catering."
Burke believes that the restaurant may re-open at a later date.
Interested in Burke's catering? Call her at (706) 474-0093.

Municipalities

•  Boswick City Council members Monday moved to reduce the speed limit on Echols Road in Bostwick from 55 mph to 35 mph. The council opted not to change the speed limit on Gilbert Road.

Education in Morgan County

• Following an extensive audit by Georgia Power, Morgan County Schools Director of Operations Bob Monk found that the school system could've saved more than $30,000 last year simply by negotiating with the power company as to which rate was used on the school system's 30 meters.
    Monk has plans to have the school system's power measured by "Time of Use," a rate determined between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m daily. "It's a matter of holding Georgia Power's feet to the fire," Monk said, at Monday's Board of Education meeting.
    "How do you know the rate you're charging us is the best you can do?"
• As of this month, there are currently 3,380 students enrolled in Morgan County schools, a number that includes those in the Pre-K program at Morgan County Primary School (the school is at its capacity with 80 Pre-K students) as well as those in Morgan County CrossRoads School.
    The primary school plays home to 821 students; elementary, 761; middle, 779; high, 999; and CrossRoads, 20. All of the county's schools have seen an increase in enrollment over the end of last school year.
• According to Superintendent Dr. Stan DeJarnett, there has been at least one unconfirmed case of H1N1 influenza (or "Swine Flu") at each of Morgan County's schools. However, precautions--namely handwashing--are being carefully observed at all schools.
    "I think we do have the cleanest children we've ever seen," DeJarnett said.

Municipalities

(Bostwick, Buckhead, Madison, Rutledge)

    • The Rutledge City Council voted unanimously Thursday to adopt the city's fiscal year 2010 General Fund and Water/Sewer budgets. The sole change made to the General Fund budget, set to total almost $422,000 for FY10, involved moving more than $4,000 from Recreation and Parks and Capital Outlays to allow for work on grants to benefit Rutledge as well as work on the city's Web site. The Water/Sewet budget, at more than $335,000 for FY10, was approved as proposed.

Education in Morgan County

    • President Obama spoke to the nation's school-age students in an address at lunchtime on Tuesday about "the importance of taking responsibility for their education, challenging them to set goals and do everything they can to succeed," according to the White House Web site, whitehouse.gov.
    Apparently, some in the county voiced their concerns as to whether local students would be required to watch the address.
"The presidential address is being handled the way we do other opportunities like this: schools and teachers have the opportunity to view this if it fits within their schedule and curriculum," Superintendent Dr. Stan DeJarnett said.
    DeJarnett has asked media specialists at Morgan County's schools to record the address and archive it, so that teachers can play it later, if need be. "Nobody's requiring teachers to use it or students to watch it," DeJarnett said. "If they want to watch it live, they can."

Local News

• Free food and football? Participate in TOTS-EAT, a community service project through the Morgan County Middle and High School branches of the International Thespian Society! Bring 10 cans of food to any (or all) of the Morgan County High School home football games before Halloween, and receive a coupon for a free Chick-fil-A sandwich. ITS members will be stationed at the front and back gates of the stadium to receive the cans. All of the food will be contributed to The Caring Place. • Go see Morgan County in the movies! "Halloween 2," the second installment of director Rob Zombie's "Halloween" series featuring psycho-killer Michael Myers, comes out in theaters this Friday, August 28. The cast and crew visited Morgan County in March of this year, filming scenes and footage at Madison's Dog Ear Books, "Uncle Meat's Java Hole" in the movie; Madison Markets, near the Madison City Cemetery and in a West Jefferson Street alley. The Morgan County Courthouse, supposedly, functions as the Haddonfield Sheriff's Office, and Sheriff Brackett's house can be found on Broughton Road in Newborn.