BOE to hold informational meeting Tuesday

TIFTON,Ga. – As part of its charter system status, the Tift County School System is establishing a Local School Governance Team at each of its K-12 schools. An informational meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Aug. 23 at the Tift County High School Performing Arts Center.vParent and teacher positions on the teams are elected positions. Each school will begin the nomination and election process after the informational meeting. Anyone interested in becoming a part of a school governance team should contact the school’s principal. The Informational meeting is open to all parents, community members, teachers and staff members.

 

American Legion Riders to descend on Dalton

DALTON, Ga. — American Legion Post 112 in Dalton has invited the public to line the streets to salute the American Legion Riders as they pass through Dalton. Between 350 and 450 American Legion Riders will pass through Dalton on Tuesday between 5:30 and 6 p.m., traveling to American Legion Post 112. Upon arrival, National Commander Dale Barnett and select riders and dignitaries will then travel to the Dalton Veterans Memorial at the Whitfield County Courthouse for a wreath-laying ceremony. The American Legion Legacy Run is one of the largest multi-state, multi-day, cross-country motorcycle events in the United States. Since its inception in 2002, more than $11 million has been raised for the American Legion Legacy Scholarship. To track the American Legion Legacy Run, visit https://goo.gl/PTqFi4.

 

Calif. man arrested on local charges

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — A 54-year-old California man has been arrested on assorted criminal charges by Baldwin County authorities. Don R. Bateman, of Castro Valley, Calif. was arrested shortly after 2 a.m. on Aug. 10 near his ex-wife’s residence off Sibley Road, according to an incident report filed with the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office. The deputy responded to the residence after a Bateman’s ex-wife called the sheriff’s office to investigate what she believed to be a prowler around her house. The woman who called the sheriff’s office said she could see a man walking around on her property, whom she believed to be her ex-husband. When deputies arrived at the residence, they began searching a nearby wood line for the suspect. Deputies discovered a man, later positively identified as Bateman, lying in a nearby ditch. Bateman told deputies he had arrived in Atlanta on Aug. 9 and got a taxi driver to bring him to Milledgeville so he could see his 15-year-old daughter and give her some money for school. He claimed that he was in the process of getting custody of his daughter. The man admitted that he went onto his ex-wife’s property, but wasn’t bothering anyone there. He reportedly told deputies that he earlier had “tapped” on a window in an attempt to get his daughter’s attention. Deputies later found Bateman to be the possession of less than an ounce of marijuana, which was found in a matchbox. He was charged with criminal trespass, crossing a guard line with dangerous drugs, drugs not in their original container, and three counts of Violation of the Georgia Controlled Substances Act.

 

Free admission continues

THOMASVILLE, Ga. —Blue Star Museums 2016 will continue until Labor Day, on Sept. 5.  Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, Department of Defense, and museums across America, according www.arts.gov. Active-duty military personnel and families will be offered free admission to participating museums. Participating museums in Thomasville include: 

• Thomas County Museum of History 

• Lapham-Patterson House 

• Jack Hadley Black History Museum 

Blue Star Museums kicks off each year on Memorial Day. For more information, visit www.arts.gov/national/blue-star-museums.

 

Mental health class planned this fall

MOULTRIE,  Ga. — NAMI-Moultrie, the Colquitt County branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, will be offering the NAMI Basics course this fall. NAMI Basics is a free, 6-week education program for parents and family caregivers of children and teens who are experiencing symptoms of a mental illness or who have already been diagnosed. School counselors and social workers will also find the course beneficial. NAMI Basics is offered in a group setting so participants can connect with others face-to-face in meaningful dialogue. Registration is now under way, and classes will start when enough people have registered. Contact Shannon Bell at shannm.bell@gmail, or Lynn Wilson at lynnbw45@gmail.com  for more information or to register.

 

Suwannee Intermediate School administration reassigned

LIVE OAK, Fla. – Four Suwannee County School District employees have been reassigned after the second day of the 2016-17 school year. According to Superintendent Jerry Scarborough, former Suwannee Intermediate School (SIS) Principal James Simpson has been reassigned to Suwannee Middle School (SMS) as assistant principal. Former SIS Assistant Principal Amanda Brown has been reassigned to Branford High School guidance. SMS Assistant Principal John Olson will take over the SIS principal position. Jennifer Beach of the District Office will serve as interim assistant principal for SIS. According to Scarborough, the administration changes were made after it came to the district’s attention that changes were needed. Scarborough declined to elaborate on the reasoning for the administration changes. The reassigned positions were effective Wednesday, Aug. 17. Scarborough added the district has already started searching for the SIS assistant principal position replacement.

 

Bowling tourney benefits Lee Crews scholarship fund

LAKE PARK — The Fifth Annual Zaxby’s Lee Anthony Crews Memorial Golf Tournament has been scheduled for September at Francis Lake Golf Course. The Lee Anthony Crews Memorial has long held an annual bowling tournament, which distributes proceeds to the Valdosta State University Foundation for the Lee Crews Memorial Scholarship Fund to area residents who attend VSU and are majoring in criminal justice. The golf tournament began four years ago and also benefits the VSU Foundation, specifically for criminal justice scholarships for VSU students who live in Berrien, Brooks, Cook, Echols, Lowndes and Lanier counties. Zaxby’s is the tournament’s prime sponsor. The Sept. 22 event has an 11 a.m. check-in and lunch with a 1 p.m. shotgun start at Francis Lake Golf Course. The tournament has a $100 per individual entry fee, or $300 per team (pink ball tournament, three-person team), according to organizers. Lee Crews was a Valdosta police officer. He became a detective but his first love was working a beat, according to a short Crews bio. “He later transferred back to Patrol Division.” On Jan. 24, 1984, Crews’ shift was coming to a close. He received a call for backup. A robbery in progress. Arriving downtown, in what is now the Bank of America parking lot, Crews saw a person running. Catching up to the suspect, Lee Crews was shot. He was killed in the line of duty. He was only 27 years old. More tournament information: Call Tommy Crews, 412-6091; Bobby & Linda Ray, 559-7108; Lee Crews, 237-9345.