Town hall Saturday to discuss Plant Branch ash ponds

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — State Rep. Rick Williams (R-Milledgeville) will host a town hall meeting later this week to discuss the coal ash ponds at the now-shuttered Plant Branch location. “In recognizing that the community has concerns about the coal ash ponds near Lake Sinclair, this town hall meeting provides an opportunity to publicly discuss these concerns and hopefully lead to learning more about Georgia Power’s ash pond closure plans at Plant Branch,” said Williams via press release. “Lake Sinclair has been a staple of our community for decades, and it is vital to our economic stability that we protect the health of the lake and the well-being of those who live and recreate in these waters, now and for generations to come.” Georgia Power representatives and Environmental Protection Division officials have been invited to attend the town hall, according to the release. Plant Branch, Georgia Power’s coal-burning power plant near the Putnam-Baldwin County line at Lake Sinclair,ceased operations in 2015. In June 2016, Georgia Power announced that it would eliminate the ash pond at the site within three years and that the company was in the process of removing ash from ponds in 16 other locations. Throughout the closure process, company officials said they would continue monitoring groundwater around each of the ash ponds and report results to officials with the EPD. The town hall is slated from 10 a.m. to noon at Victory Baptist Church, 640 Meriwether Road, Milledgeville. 

 

Safety day set for Saturday

MOULTRIE, Ga. — The Colquitt County Extension office in partnership with Lowe’s and emergency services are hosting a Community Safety Awareness Day Saturday, June 24, at the Lowe’s parking lot, 602 N. Veterans Parkway in Moultrie, from 10:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m.  Bring the family and get to know your local emergency services, see a rollover simulation in English and Spanish with the Georgia Traffic Injury Prevention Institute, learn about the GBI, have your child car seat checked, tour Moultrie Fire Department’s smoke house, discover summer pet safety with the Humane Society, and more. Event partners include Georgia Traffic Injury Prevention Institute (GTIPI), Lowe’s Home Improvement, Colquitt County Sheriff’s Department, Moultrie Police, Moultrie Fire Department, Colquitt 911, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), Crisp County Sheriff’s Department, Georgia DOT, Georgia State Patrol (GSP), Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS), Air Methods, Americorps, Teramore Development, and the Humane Society of Moultrie. For more information, please contact Kathryn Holland at the Colquitt County Extension office at 229-616-7455.

 

Wiregrass Farmers Market hosts County Fair Day

TIFTON, Ga. – The Wiregrass Farmers Market will host its annual County Fair Day on June 24 at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Participants can enter their best-kept recipes for a chance to win first place in a variety of categories. All entries are due by 9:30 a.m. on June 24 at the Market. Judging will take place from 9:30-11 a.m., and winners will be announced at 11:30 a.m. An ingredients list must be provided, but not the recipe itself. Interested persons can reserve a spot in the contest by e-mailing their name and category to wiregrassmarket@gmail.com. Participants can submit entries for tastiest barbecue sauce, top pickled produce, prettiest flower arrangement (using homegrown/local flowers), best jam or jelly, best homemade pie, best homemade cake, and yummiest bread.  For pickles, jams, jellies, and barbecue, a minimum of two jars are needed to share at a sample table for market guests. For more information on participating during County Fair Day, visit the Wiregrass Farmers Market website at wiregrassmarket.org.

 

Concert to pay tribute to music through the ages

DALTON, Ga. — The Brassworks music ensemble from Chattanooga returns to the Huff House on Sunday to pay tribute to music through the ages in America. The ensemble will perform from the front porch of the historic house beginning at 4 p.m. This concert is free and open to the public. The band will play music selections that were popular from pre-Revolutionary America through the Civil War and beyond. They will also play tunes by Dalton’s Anthony J. Showalter, a prolific music composer best known for the gospel hymn “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.” Superior Court Judge Jim Wilbanks will present a brief history of Revolutionary and pre-Revolutionary America. The concert is co-sponsored by the Huff House committee of the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society and Dalton American Legion Post 112. The Legion Singers will join in with an audience participation sing-along. The Huff House committee will provide some chairs for the audience underneath the shady oaks on the front lawn. The public is invited to bring a lawn chair or blanket to sit on. The Huff House is at 314 Selvidge St. near Dalton City Hall.

 

Veterans widow organization seeks members

VALDOSTA, Ga. — A veterans widow organization is seeking new members. The Valdosta Veteran Widows Ministry was organized 2016 under the leadership of Bettye McClendon, wife of Deacon Lou McClendon.  The purpose of the ministry is to serve as a support group in the areas of fellowship, veteran benefits, individual and spiritual assistance for better living, according to a press release from the organization.  Meetings are held 11 a.m., third Tuesday monthly, at Austin’s Cattle Company, 2101 W. Hill Ave. All veteran widows and wives are invited to attend. For further information, call Bettye McClendon, (229) 834-2610.