News
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‘Funny money’ surfaces again in Upson County
Counterfeit twenty-dollar bills and five-dollar bills have surfaced again in Upson County. Several months ago both the Upson County Sheriff’s Office and Thomaston Police Department were investigating counterfeit bills being passed, but the activity had died down until recently. The Thomaston Police Department is investigating two separate incidents that happened last week, and the Sheriff’s Office is investigating a third incident. The firs...
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Reward offered on tire store arson fires
According to Upson County Sheriff Dan Kilgore, the State Fire Marshal’s Office is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons responsible for two tire store fires that occurred in April. On Saturday morning, April 13, around 4:30 a.m., Northside Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to AA Tires at 1545 Highway 19 North. Deputy Kody Kennedy said he was patrolling the area when he saw smoke comi...
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ULHS NJROTC executes change of command
Cadet Commander Brandon Collier (left) hands over the battalion flag to 2013-2014 Cadet Commander Hunter Stubbs (right) as part of the change of command ceremony held recently at Upson-Lee High School. Brandon will be attending Savannah State University in the fall on a four-year Navy ROTC scholarship.
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Laura Suarez taking fond memories home to Bolivia
When Laura Suarez signed up for the exchange student program for her senior year of high school, she was excited to travel from her home in Bolivia to America, but at the same time she was a little unsure of what she was getting herself into. She knew this could end up being a wonderful experience or it could be a long five months away from her family and friends. Thankfully, she feels her time spent in Thomaston has been a good one. David ...
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Pastor accused of stealing from church member
In Christian theology, a church pastor and congregation are often compared to a shepherd watching over a flock of sheep. But for one local congregation, and one member in particular, the shepherd may have been more interested in fleecing them than watching over them. Robert S. Daniel, 37, pastor of First Free Will Baptist Church, was arrested on charged of theft and burglary last week. His wife, Renee M. Daniel, was also arrested. Their vic...
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Don’t let events of the past cloud your future, Chambliss tells grads
BARNESVILLE – Gordon State College’s largest graduating class in history – 600 students – listened as Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia told them not to let recent events deter them from reaching their goals. Gordon’s commencement exercises were held last Friday morning. Chambliss, an attorney, was first elected to Congress from 8th District in 1994. He served four terms in the U. S. House of Representatives before being elected to the U. ...
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Law enforcement turning up summer HEAT on drunk drivers and speeders in Georgia
Summer 2013 marks the 10th consecutive season that police are rolling out waves of enforcement patrols across all 159 Georgia counties to crack down on dangerous, aggressive and high-speed drivers. The 100 Days of Summer H.E.A.T. (Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic) campaign is a multi-jurisdictional highway safety enforcement strategy designed to reduce fatal crash counts during the summer driving period from Memorial Day, through Lab...
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The Hoppers in concert May 17
The Hoppers, ‘America’s favorite family of gospel music’, will be in concert on Friday, May 17 at the R.E. Lee auditorium. The event begins at 7 p.m. and doors will open at 6 p.m. The Hoppers, consisting of Connie, Kim, Claude, Dean and Michael, travel with the Gaither Homecoming Concert Tour and perform nationally and internationally. The Hoppers have received numerous accolades including Mixed Group of the Year for the Heart’s Aflame Awards...
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Thomaston-Upson School System Fine Arts Center opening is May 20
The community is invited to the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Open House for the Thomaston-Upson School System’s Fine Arts Center on Monday, May 20. The Ribbon Cutting will begin at 8:45 a.m. with Open House from 9-10 a.m. that morning and from 4-6 p.m. that afternoon. Refreshments will be provided in the lobby of the Fine Arts Center, and students will give guided tours of the facility. Guests will be entertained by student band and choral gro...
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Summer Meals Program training May 15
This summer, the Thomaston-Upson School System will offer free meals to area children ages 1-18 through the U.S.D.A “Seamless Summer Options for Children” program. The program runs June 3 - August 2, with all sites closed July 1- 5. Community members interested in hosting a Summer Meals site must attend one of the mandatory trainings at the Board of Education office on Wednesday, May 15, at 10 a.m. or 3:30 p.m. Children may go on summer vac...
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Honoring our law enforcement officers
Why law-enforcement officers are important By Dawson Fleming In the U. S. approximately 2,222,196 burglaries happen per year. This is why law-enforcement is important to the community. They protect us from criminals, especially when they are heavily armed, they protect our property, and the law-enforcement patrols the community, looking for anything suspicious. To begin with, the law-enforcement protects us from criminals. As a police o...
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Praying for our nation
Citizens gathered on the courthouse steps on Thursday, May 2 for the National Day of Prayer service hosted by the Upson Ministerial Association, to pray for our nation, leaders and community. Pictured, a community member bows his head in prayer. See more photos from the service in Friday’s paper.
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Senator Staton speaks at local town hall meeting
Senator Cecil Staton of the 18th District held his first town hall meeting in Thomaston last Tuesday night. Upson County became part of the 18th Senatorial District last year following redistricting. Staton came to town to brief citizens on what went on during the most recent Georgia General Assembly and to answer any questions they might have. Fifteen people turned out for the meeting, including County Commission Chairman Rusty Blackston, ...
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TUIDA approves revenue bond for $9.5 million
The Thomaston-Upson Industrial Development Authority (TUIDA) issued an inducement letter to Gordon Jensen Healthcare Association for a revenue bond of $9.5 million for the purchase and renovation of Providence Nursing Home during their April meeting. Prior to the approval of the letter, TUIDA Attorney Joel Bentley told the board that while this is not a typical industry they work with, it is a vital one to the community. With the company purc...
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Thomaston’s Mayfield family on Family Feud Thursday
Family Feud host Steve Harvey and his no-holds-barred brand of comedy are back for an all-new season of America’s favorite family competition. The Mayfield Family from Thomaston, GA will face off against the McNulty Family from Atlanta, GA in front of a live studio audience in Atlanta, GA, with the chance to win up to $100,000 and a brand new car, along with some serious bragging rights. The show airs Thursday, May 9 at 7 p.m. on WUPA (Channe...
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Chaotic Kestrels win high school birding competition
SOCIAL CIRCLE – A near-record group of young birders counted scores of birds from sandpipers to woodpeckers during the annual Youth Birding Competition a couple of weekends ago. The Chaotic Kestrels, a five-member team that includes Rosemary Kramer from The Rock, won the competition. Twenty-eight teams totaling 128 members signed up. Participation during the weekend ranked the second-highest since the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division beg...
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Burning ban now in effect
Beginning May 1 and ending September 30, EPD’s open burning ban is in effect for 54 Georgia counties., including Upson County. The open burning ban has been in effect for the current areas since 2005. The open burning ban prohibits citizens and businesses from burning yard and land-clearing debris during the months of May through September. This restriction is in addition to a ban on burning household garbage that exists year-round througho...
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Archivist Claude Burgess receives state award for ‘Finding the Greatest Generation Across the Oceans’
The Thomaston-Upson Archives and Archivist Claude Burgess have been selected by the Georgia Historical Society to receive the Roger K. Warlick Local History Achievement Award in the category of Archival Excellence for ‘Finding the Greatest Generation Across the Oceans.’ The award recognizes outstanding achievement in the field of public history and was announced Thursday at the 174th Annual Meeting of the Georgia Historical Society in Savanna...
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The Ritz Theatre will be open to show Iron Man 3
Can’t wait to see IRON MAN 3, but don’t want to have to travel to other towns to do so? Never fear, The Ritz Theatre is here! The Ritz is pleased to announce that IRON MAN 3 will open at The Ritz this Friday, May 3, with a 7 p.m. show time. Some movie studios are still making a limited number of 35mm film prints of certain movies for a few more months until digital copies only will be available. The Ritz Theatre has been closed for the past...
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The Cotton Pickin’ Fair will be May 4-5
Contributed On May 4 and 5 look for fried green tomatoes and a slice of history at The Cotton Pickin’ Fair on the grounds of the Gay Family’s 180 year old farmstead in the little town of Gay. Now in its 41st year, The Cotton Pickin’ Fair features the works of 325 artisans, antique specialists, and gourmet food vendors from across the United States. Artisans bring pottery, weaving, sculpture, woodcarving, painting, jewelry, wearable art,...
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TenCate receives plaque as Manufacturer of Year nominee
Submitted At Thursday’s Manufacturer’s Appreciation Breakfast, sponsored by the Thomaston Upson County Industrial Development Authority, a plaque signed by Governor Nathan Deal was presented to TenCate Protective Fabrics for being one of the regional nominees for Georgia’s 2013 Small Manufacturer of the Year. Earlier this month, over 1,000 business leaders attended the annual Governor’s Award luncheon honoring all Manufacturers of the Year ...
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Sprewell Bluff overlook plans include deck, meeting room
Ashley Biles Associate Editor County Commissioner Steve Hudson announced that engineering plans for a deck and facility for the overlook at Sprewell Bluff are now complete and the county is just waiting on the engineer to give the go ahead to get started. Hudson stated the plans include a 60-foot wide deck and a building which will house men’s and women’s restrooms, a meeting room which can be used for events such as business meetings, re...
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TUIDA encouraged by recent job growth
At their April meeting, Executive Director Kyle Fletcher told the Thomaston-Upson Industrial Development Authority (TUIDA) she has been encouraged lately by local industries when it comes to jobs in the community. She noted that even though Clearwater Paper has announced it will be closing the Thomaston plant by the first quarter of 2014, both Standard Textile and American Process are in the process of hiring more employees. “Even with the ...
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Make Thomaston Shine
Ashley Biles | The Thomaston Times The annual community-wide clean-up day was held this past Saturday and people all around town were pitching in to help “Make Thomaston Shine.” The City of Thomaston got a head start last week on cleaning up the back alleys, collecting trash, household items and lots of tires that people had left behind. Advanced Disposal was on hand to collect and remove the items. Pictured are City of Thomaston Code Enfor...
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