Man suspects relative took his belongings

MOULTRIE, Ga. — A Norman Park man was missing four computers, clothes and kitchen appliances, and found a vulgar word scratched on his motorcycle. Daniel Wilson, 400 block Doc Lindsey Road, Norman Park, reported Thursday that a female relative violated a court order by taking some of his belongings. The stolen property include eight pairs of pants, a slow cooker, Keurig coffee maker, four pairs of shoes and the four computers. Wilson also showed an officer a two-word vulgar sentence carved into the gas tank of this 2012 Kawasaki EX 650. The seat also was cut and mirrors broken off of the bike, he reported.

 

Annual Prater’s Mill Country Fair is Oct. 14-15

VARNELL, Ga. — The 46th annual Prater’s Mill Country Fair continues to be a favorite of the locals as a place to visit with friends and experience the sights and sounds of a country fair. At the fair, visitors can take self-guided tours of the operating grist mill, the country store, Shugart Cotton Gin, Westbrook Barn and 1898 Prater’s Store. Nearly 200 artists and craftsmen will sell their crafts. Look for live demonstrations by the blacksmiths, quilters, weavers and woodcarvers. While at the fair, don’t miss out on some good southern cooking. Fair hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 15. Admission is $7; children 12 and under enter free. There is no charge for parking. Visitors are urged to dress casually and wear comfortable shoes. Prater’s Mill is on Ga. Highway 2, 10 miles northeast of Dalton and 30 miles south of Chattanooga, Tenn. For more information or to inquire about sponsorship and volunteer opportunities, call (706) 694-MILL (6455) or visit pratersmill.org.

 

Former GMC president named President Emeritus 

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — During Georgia Military College’s (GMC) 2017 Alumni and Friends Weekend, GMC’s President, Lt. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, read a proclamation declaring former GMC President, Maj.  Gen. Bill Acker, a president emeritus of the institution.  This prestigious title recognizes Acker’s years of work toward moving GMC to new heights.  Acker graduated from Georgia Military College in 1950. In 1977, he was awarded the GMC Distinguished Alumnus award for his service to humanity and dedication to GMC. He served 33 distinguished years in the Air Force before coming back to his alma mater. He served as GMC’s 19th president from 1985 to 1992 when there was talk of closing the school due to financial problems and a decline in student enrollment. His job was to keep the school from going under.  After he was denied a loan from a local bank to meet payroll, Acker found another bank that was willing to help him. He later showed his appreciation by choosing that bank to manage nearly a million dollars in endowment funds they raised. He also fought hard to increase state funding for the school, added sixth and seventh grades to the prep school, added four new college campuses, resurrected the football team, implemented new technology in the classroom, and began providing scholarships to African American students to increase diversity. Through his hard work, Acker was able to pay down some of GMC’s debt and turn the school’s finances around. 

 

Veteran receives mortgage-free home

VALDOSTA, Ga. — A veteran received a mortgage-free house in South Georgia. Operation Homefront, a national non-profit with a mission to build strong, stable and secure military families, has awarded a mortgage-free home to Airman First Class Raun Hampe through Operation Homefront’s Homes on the Homefront program, according to an organizational press release.  The home was donated by JPMorgan Chase. & Co. “It means the world to me,” Hampe said. “I will be closer to my son and I will see him more often, and be closer to the VA hospital. I am speechless — what you all do for military families is amazing. “It’s great to know that there are programs out there and assistance from Operation Homefront and Chase,” he said. “This is a huge burden and weight off my shoulders.” In 2002, Hampe enlisted in the Air Force in East Stroudsburg, Pa. As an airman first class, he served in security forces, according to the press release. In this role, he maintained security for his assigned base camps. During his eight years of service, he was deployed to Iraq three times. His first deployment was in 2004, his second in 2005 and his last in 2006. In 2010, he medically retired with an honorable discharge. Hampe is a single father and was renting a home in Ray City. He heard about Operation Homefront’s Homes on the Homefront program through a friend. In 2012, Operation Homefront created the Homes on the Homefront program with the assistance of corporate partners to award mortgage-free homes to veterans and military families. It has placed nearly 600 military families nationwide in its Homes on the Homefront program. Operation Homefront has provided more than $56 million dollars in home equity to military families. In 2016, Operation Homefront placed 85 military families in homes and deeded 121, according to the organization. The homes are donated by bank partners including JPMorgan Chase & Co. and other major financial services companies. For more information, or to apply, go to www.homesonthehomefront.org.