NOV 3-17, 2011

VOL. 01 NO. 21

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County opts for new technology to warn of potential emergencies

SHEILA MARSHALL
Following the April tornado that ripped through Spalding county, many raised the question of why there are no warning sirens in place to warn residents of impending danger. officials have since studied the possible solutions to this issue and have opted to utilize a state-of-the-art emergency notification system (EnS) in lieu of sirens. often referred to as a reverse 911 system, the EnS is actually in no way related to the Emergency 911 system, but is rather through the local Emergency Management Agency and Spalding countys Department of Homeland Security, both under the leadership of Spalding county Fire Department chief Kenny West. However, the EnS does utilize telecommunications devices and will allow the independent notification of residents via the method of their choice, to include a phone call placed to either land or cell phone lines up to three numbers per resident, text messaging, paging or e-mail. Furthermore, each resident will have the
cont, emergency, pg 7

Fun for all this fall in downtown Griffin For some addicts, arrest leads
to a second chance in life
SHEILA MARSHALL
As the War on Drugs continues to be wagered, the use of illegal narcotics has permeated American culture even as it has wreaked havoc throughout the local community, without regard to socio-economic status. While many complain that precious jail and prison space best reserved for violent and career offenders is often utilized for incarcerating individuals with drug addictions, Spalding county is one system that offers a potential alternative Drug court. An intensive two-year program designed to assist drug addicts who desire assistance in becoming and staying clean, Drug court is much more than a slap on the wrist to those facing potential felony charges, as indicated by the support it garners from those within the law enforcement and prosecutorial branches of the criminal justice system. Special Agent Sam Jones, of the Spalding county Sheriffs office Special operations Unit, has been involved with Drug court since its inception in 2007, and said the perception of some that it is a hug-a-thug program is invalid. Im a huge proponent, but I admit, when I first became involved, I had to change my thought process. I thought like a cop and only saw people I had locked up time and time again, but I came to see the difference between people who are addicted to drugs who want to stop, but cant do it alone and need help and those folks who are addicted and have no desire to quit, Jones said. It is those individuals who have a legitimate desire to get clean that Drug court is designed to serve. this program is designed for people with addictions who need and want the help to transition back into being productive fathers, mothers and members of society, Jones said. For the person who thinks they can lie and cheat the program, theyll never make it through any of the levels of progress. Unless theyre willing to work and work hard, theyll never make it through. Drug court participants soon learn just how intensive the program is when they are required to check in with a counselor on a daily basis, submit to multiple drug tests each and every week and appear before a judge in court every two weeks. they must also be employed or provide daily proof they are actively seeking employment. Griffin Judicial circuit District Attorney Scott Ballard also supports the efforts of Drug court, saying if it is done properly, it can be the most effective way he knows to help addicts overcome addiction. He said the key lies in the judge involved in the program, as well as the participant selection process. He believes the judge must have a temperament that allows them to show compassion to those who are willing to invest the effort required to stop using drugs while also being firm enough to maintain respect for the court. Ballard said Superior court Judge W. Fletcher Sams is really good in there, and wishes him ongoing and continued success. Drug court is reserved solely for those arrested and charged with the use of narcotics, not for those who stand accused of selling drugs. Make no mistakes drug dealers go to jail, Ballard said. Participants who successfully complete Drug court have more than a drug-free future ahead of them they also have the added bonus of a clean record. When theyre arrested, this is the light at the end of the tunnel, Jones said. After two years, if theyre successful, their records are expunged. theyll have no felony conviction on their record they have no reason to look over their shoulders in their professional or personal lives. Jones said it is always gratifying to attend the participants graduation ceremonies. We always show them a picture of themselves at the beginning the program their mug shot and then a current photo. We say, Here you were two years ago and here you are today. We dont do that to put them down, but to show them how far theyve come.

Recent events had hundreds of people heading to downtown Griffin. Pictured in the top left is the Low Down Dirty Dawg Race, a mud obstacle course set up at the Griffin Kiwanis fairgrounds as a part of Doc'tober Days, which also featured the Doc'tober Beer and Wine Festival in the Imperial Theatre and Bluebird Pop Up Handcrafted Market (two near top pictures). Downtown Trick-or-Treat was a success, with well over one thousand ghouls, goblins, fairies and superheros and their families visiting downtown businesses to gather Halloween treats on Friday, Oct. 28.

COMMUNITY

TOP STORIES

One family gets School calendar shortened by 10 days, creative and into the holiday spirit while each school day gains 20 minutes trying to raise money to adopt a second instructional time is lost STAFF REPORTS child. pg.4 Facing a budget shortfall of with a 170 day calendar
WATCHDOG

You've got questions & concerns local government spending and programs? We'll be your watchdog. the school calendar pg. 3 adopted begins school on
GOVERNMENT

$6 million for the 2012-13 school year, the board of education adopted a 170 day school calendar for 2012-2013, projected to lessen the shortfall by $3.1 million.

because each school days instructional time is extended by 20 minutes in the afternoon. All employees will have ten work adjustment days that are already built into this adopted calendar. School system stakeholders, including parents and students, were asked to indicate their preference of budgetfriendly shortened school year calendars. over 3,000 gave their preference of calendar version, with an overwhelming 91% in favor of the balanced calendar with week-long breaks.

2012-13 School Calendar:

Aug. 13: First Day Sept. 3 - Labor Day Oct. 8-12 - Break Nov. 19-23 Break Dec. 19-Jan.4 Break Jan. 21 - MLK Day Feb. 18-22 Break April 22-26 Break May 24: Last Day

Don't panic: On Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. Easter time, FEMA, FCC and DHS will administer a nation-wide emergency alert test, but it may not state Denise Burrell, Deputy that "this is just a test." pg. 7 Superintendent, said, no

August 13 and ends school May 24. Breaks for students and staff include a weeklong fall break in october, thanksgiving week, two weeks at christmas, a week-long winter break in February and spring break in April.

Jessica Gregory, Publisher

jessica@the-grip.net www.the-grip.net

nov. 3 - 17, 2011

TOP STORIES: COUNTY DEALING WITH BUDGET SHORTFALL

Tough times lead to difficult decisions
SHEILA MARSHALL
In addition to budget cuts in several departments, Spalding county Manager William Wilson said job cuts are also be necessary to resolve a budget shortfall of $788,000. those employees who will no longer have jobs within the county government have now been notified, Wilson said. there were six positions that were eliminated. Four of them are full-time positions and two of them are part-time, he said. Included in the eliminated full-time positions are those of the deputy county manager, the information technology coordinator and three clerks, with the Parks and Recreation Department losing two and Public Works/Refuse collection losing the third. In addition to the budget reductions, that was the remainder of the cut, Wilson said. those salaries and benefits were approximately $200,000. the job responsibilities of the Parks and Recreation and Public Work clerks will be assigned to remaining employees, as will some of the duties of the information technology coordinator. outsourcing is how well handle that (It), and some internal folks will handle some of that, as well, Wilson said. We also have software maintenance that we already pay for to help with any problems we may experience. We can call the manufacturer and they can dial into the system and help with that. He said the decision to eliminate the six positions was not an easy one, but it was necessary to balance the county budget. Its not something anyone wanted to do, but a reduction in the force was the only thing we could do to make up the remainder of the shortfall, he said. Wilson said mandatory furlough days for county employees were also taken into consideration. We could have made up most of the money by having nine furlough days, because each furlough day would save approximately $90,000, but that would have put all the responsibility on one group, and we were trying to balance the cut without targeting one single group, he said. Were trying to balance the budget across the board instead of on the backs of any one single group. Wilson said arrangements have been made for meetings between the affected employees and representatives of insurance and pension companies and the Georgia Department of Labor. those meetings will take place next week, he added. the decision was made to retain the employees until Dec. 31 to allow them time to seek new employment. Were trying to work with them, and department heads will be very flexible in allowing time off for job interviews, Wilson said. upon and then sold for only $50,000, that resale value must be applied to all other residences in the subdivision, regardless of whether the mortgages are current. Even if the homes are mortgaged for $250,000, and are actually worth that amount, the valuation of those homes is now, by legislation, lowered because of the other foreclosures and short sales, he said. the value in out tax digest went down and thats how we ended up with a shortfall. In addition, Wilson said additional legislation was enacted at the height of the nations financial crisis that prohibited Georgia counties from property revaluations, which have now been frozen for two years. He added that pending 2012 legislative action may well further affect future tax digests, with the possibility of revaluation increases being capped at three percent. We will have to deal with whatever legislation is passed in Atlanta with regard to tax assessments and the way properties are valued in the county, he said of future changes.

Official says legislative changes resulted in budget shortfall

SHEILA MARSHALL
Spalding county officials have taken steps to address a budget shortfall of $788,000, which county Manager William Wilson attributes to variations in the tax digest. He explained that an upcoming years budget is worked on in the spring, at a time when much uncertainty exists. We have no idea what the tax digest is going to be, he said. We have to just work under an estimate. When we developed the budget for this year, what precipitated this is that we had budgeted in anticipation of the same revenue we had last year. However, Wilson said legislative changes have led to variances in the values and the way they are calculated by local governments. Your property may be devalued when may foreclosures or short sales take place, he said. that now has to be taken into account in our tax digest. As an example, Wilson cited a hypothetical subdivision consisting of 20 residences. He said if eight of those residences had been foreclosed

Decision makers not immune from effect of budget shortfall

In the midst of a 2011 budget shortfall amounting to $788,000, Spalding county Manager William Wilson and Board of commissioners members have now taken the steps they say are necessary to balance the countys budget, including a significant reduction in their own offices funding. Included in the cost savings measures are reductions in departmental funding, with $100,000 cut from the Public Works department, specifically the Road Department; $113,000 cut from the budget shared by Wilson and the Boc; and a 50 percent reductions in the budgets of the Development Authority and Land Bank, amounting to $50,000 and $37,500, respectively. With regard to the $113,000 cut he and commissioners will experience, Wilson said, Most of it is coming from the commissioners contingency fund and some is coming from my training and travel fund. He said the budget typically includes funding for the county manager to attend two meetings annually, but that has now been scaled back to one meeting. I usually attend the AccG (Association county commissioners of Georgia) annual meeting, but I wont be going this year, he said.

Budget cuts taken in stride for those who seek to bring development to Spalding County
Despite receiving notification of a 50 percent reduction in funding for fiscal year 2011, GriffinSpalding Development Authority Director David Luckie remains grateful to have been included in the budget. the county has not funded the Development Authority for several years now. We have been operating through our own funds money weve generated from land sales, bond fees and things like that, he said. We dont have a steady stream of income, though, and any money we get that goes towards our budget is always wonderful. the $50,000 (remaining) will be a lot better than zero. Luckie said the Development Authority looked to county officials for funding assistance this year, and the final decision was to allocate $100,000. Spalding county Manager William Wilson said while the 50 percent reduction in funding is significant, there was never any consideration given to completely withdrawing all financial support from the Development Authority. citing recent achievements with regard to the announced expansions of caterpillar and HK Logistics as examples of how crucial its efforts are in bringing jobs to Spalding county, he said the Development Authority is quite deserving of funding. Were hopeful that when revenue picks up, we may be able to receive full funding again, Luckie said. But were team players; well take our cuts along with the rest of the team.

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WATCHDOG
You've got questions? We'll find the answers.
Curious about some rumor you heard about local government, the school system, or who paid for what? Send an email to watchdog@the-grip.net. We can't promise that you'll always like the answer, but we'll always tell you the truth. Compiled by Sheila Marshall

nov. 3 - 17, 2011

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Keller: Water supplies tight, but we won't run out

the condition of Head creek Reservoir is not improving, now down four feet from full pool, which Griffin Public Works Director Brant Keller had neighboring counties water authorities to prepare for a worst-case scenario in which water levels do not supply water sufficient to meet local needs. they contacted clayton, Henry and Butts counties and tested the system to ensure the ability to make the proper connections, if needed. "We wont run out of water, but were going to be tight, Keller said. Weve been here before. Weve been as low as 54 inches down, but were not going to get that low this time. urely sometime between now and December, well get some rain." Keller said in the earlier interview. Steps have now been taken to extend local water supplies through at least mid-February. the majority of our water production has been shifted from Harry Simmons (at Head creek Reservoir) to the Still Branch Reservoir, he explained. Weve probably got approximately 116 days left there. We had to make the decision to make that shift. Basically, what we had before were three personnel shifts at Head creek and one at Still Branch. What weve done is move the employees of two more shifts over to Still Branch. Keller said he is hopeful

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that this production shift will carry the city through until sufficient rainfall replenishes the water supply. In a normal year, between november and March is when you have an opportunity in the rivers to replenish the reservoirs, he said. Unfortunately, he said at this time, the model calculator is not providing encouraging information. Were in a Le nina situation right now, [a weather system in the Pacific ocean that typically precipitates dryer than normal conditions in the Atlantic ocean] which projects well have less rainfall, because what happens in the Pacific affects the Atlantic.

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City answers questions regarding utility payment arrangements, due dates

While many residents continue to complain that Griffin Power will not make arrangements for late payments on city utility bills, Assistant Director tom Ridgway said that policy remains necessary for the department to function. the decision not to accept payment arrangements was a decision made by the Board of commissioners, so were just following directives on that, he said. Were a business and we have expenses that have to be met. once water and electricity have been used, it cant be taken back. Its already been used. Because customers have used the electricity, he said bills must be paid in a timely manner to avoid the burden being passed on to either the city or other customers. Part of it is that we the city has an electric bill thats due whether we receive payment or not. If were not collecting money from our customers, the funds are not there to pay those bills, he said. that would amount to an interest free loan for customers. If someone isnt paying their bill, someone else is bearing that cost and that is the customers who do pay their bills on time. Ridgway said oftentimes, the problem results from customers who are displeased with their particular billing cycles due date. the problem is that basically, people want to change their due dates based on when they receive checks to pay their bills, he said. the problem with that is that we would be running around all over the city and the county reading meters here and there. At this time, there are more than one dozen billing cycles for Griffin Power customers, with those various cycles divided into separate routes for meter readers. therefore, it would be cost prohibitive for customers to handpick their billing dates, Ridgway said. We would be running all over the place trying to read meters, he said. However, this will not always remain the case, as Ridgway said he foresees a day customers will be able to select their preference from a list of billing dates. this change will come, he says, due to the citys implementation of automated meter reading. At that point, we will have some flexibility in allowing customers to choose their billing dates, but thats going to take a number of years to be deployed, he said. Ridgway said the electric meters will be online for automated reading hopefully within the next six months, but the automated reading of water meters remains years away. For water, it will be several years because of the cost of the deployment along with the costs of some infrastructure changes that will be necessary. Until that time comes, Ridgway said city of Griffin utilities must be paid by the bills stated due date.

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VIEWPOINTS
'Occupy' a local business, not Wall Street
JENNA HOWARD
the occupy Wall Street protests have spread to over 25 cities nationwide, including Atlanta. the movement, which started on September 17th with only 1,000 people marching through new York city, condemns the financial institution of the United States and seeks to be the voice for the 99 percent, the occupy Wall Street website reports. the movement assails income inequality, joblessness, and big banks. Protesters have been camping out in parks across the nation even with threats of arrests by police and other city authorities. While the movement appears to be gaining momentum, some citizens are concerned that occupy Wall Street may be counterproductive. Advocates are suggesting that citizens occupy a local business instead of camping out a city park in an effort to help your local economy. Griffin resident, David Fountain, is an advocate of buying locally and shopping in downtown Griffin. When I was younger, we didnt have these local businesses available downtown like we do now. Its a good place to shop locally and meet people in your local community. Fountain says he challenges himself and others to not buy into corporations, but instead to by buy locally, shop locally, and eat locally. I dont see why we should go to WalMart to buy something if a local business is selling the same thing. I understand that people think it might be a little more expensive, but it youre conscious about how you spend your money, you can buy vegetables from your local farmers market, buy coffee from a local coffee shop, and eat at a local restaurant while supporting your local economy. Recent studies show that buying local goods produces big money for the economy. the University of Georgias college of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences center for Agribusiness and Economic Development recently completed a study showing that if 3.7 million households in Georgia spent $10 a week on locally grown products from Georgia, it would add more than $1.9 billion back into the states economy. the study also showed that more direct farmerto-consumer sales would contribute over 200 jobs to Georgians in the next year. Fountain agrees that occupying a local business is good for jobs as well, all the owners in downtown Griffin are proactive. they give jobs to people who really need them and help out families who really the assistance. Supporting local businesses supports itself.
Valid Concerns and Helpful Solutions : A semi-regular column devoted to addressing issues, tackling problems and giving allaround good advice to the leaders and citizenry of the greater GriffinSpalding County area. working on the Sabbath should be put to death. If you catch your neighbor cutting grass on Sunday and promptly smite him, would the smiting be considered work? If so, is it necessary to smite yourself for working on the Sabbath or should alert your neighbors so that they can smite you? Leviticus 15:19 makes it very clear that people should have absolutely no contact with a woman for one week out of every month. While men have managed to follow this law for thousands of years out of pure fear, women and children will have to adapt to life without their mothers, daughters and sisters for one week each month. there will also be a huge demand for postmenopausal babysitters and substitute teachers. Another important prohibition comes from Leviticus 19:19 which forbids planting two kinds of crops in the same field and also wearing clothes made of two types of cloth. Surgeons will be overwhelmed with rotator cuff injuries suffered while stoning a neighbor to death for offering beans and squash from their garden. Garment tags will become critically important not only for ensuring proper care and cleaning, but also for avoiding potentially lethal cotton/polyester blends. If everyone keeps a good throwing stone handy and makes sure to sacrifice a bull at the alter every few weeks, the transition to 1257 B.c. should go pretty smoothly.

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In early november the citizens of Griffin and Spalding county will head to the polls to elect several city officers and will be asked to decide the issue of Sunday alcohol sales. As with many other social issues, there are those who like to pick and chose Bible verses that they claim support their position. For example, those opposed to Sunday alcohol sales often point to Deuteronomy 32:33 which states that intoxicating wine is like the poison of serpents, the cruel venom of asps. While this does provide Biblical support to the argument against alcohol, if we strictly abided by every word of the Bible there may be worse problems than guys drinking beer while watching the Falcons. Since Leviticus 11:10 tells us that eating shellfish is an abomination, they will have to be banned. there is bound to be a spirited debate over whether the shellfish ban will only apply to true shellfish like oysters, mussels and clams or also include crustaceans and cephalopods. If crustaceans are allowed does that mean we can have shrimp cocktail?

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LIFESTYLE Don't put 'spice' in your life

Dr. Bob: On a tip from one if my sons friends, I asked him if he had been experimenting with drugs. After a long discussion, he produced a bag of something like potpourri. He said it was spice, or K2. He said it was legal, and several of his friends were smoking it. I was shocked and concerned about this, even though he said he had not used it yet. What is the story on this? Is it a drug? Is it dangerous? Yes, and yes, to answer your last two questions first. this substance, also known as synthetic marijuana, was synthesized first in a chemistry lab in South carolina for pharmaceutical research. Dr. John Huffman, an organic chemist at clemson University, said, the stuff thats been put into the incense was originally made in our lab 15 years ago. Huffmans research was ironically funded by the national Institute on Drug Abuse. that last of that particular batch is being used to train drugsniffing dogs, but it is easily made outside a lab in two steps with readily available substrates. K2 was used as a plantgrowing aid in Asia, then sold in Europe as a synthetic marijuana before making its way here. It is a cannabinoid, a relative of marijuana. It has been sold as incense or potpourri, but with a wink and a nod, as it is an increasingly popular mind-altering drug. Your sons assertion that it is legal is partly true. Its sale has been banned in five states, including Georgia. Unfortunately, in 45 other states, it is freely available over the counter in convenience stores and gas stations. Spice can also be purchased over the internet. Perhaps a more accurate description of this drugs legal status is that it is not illegal everywhere yet, but that is likely more due to the lag between its appearance and legislative action. Your primary weapon against this danger is education. tell your son that this is a dangerous substance. these herbs are

nov. 3 - 17, 2011

PET OF THE WEEK: Priscilla

Priscilla was abandoned on the side of a country road just before the big ice storm that hit middle Georgia this past winter, along with a large bag of dry dog food. Like many dogs who are thrown out of cars onto the side of the road, Priscilla would not budge from the spot where she was put out. After two days, the owner still had not come, and the dry dog food was almost gone. Priscilla was thirsty and exhausted from her vigil, and climbed gratefully into her rescuer's car, where she sighed heavily and immediately fell asleep. We posted signs and ran newspaper ads and contacted three area animal control facilities, but never located Priscilla's owner. Just a week and a half after she was rescued, Priscilla gave birth to nine healthy puppies, all of whom have been adopted. now Priscilla is waiting for her turn, her chance at being part of a real family. Priscilla still gets anxious when she goes for a ride in the car,

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sprayed with unidentified chemicals, which when smoked, enter the blood stream directly and are transported to the brain. there is no listing of ingredients, so we do not know what these people are ingesting. Emergency rooms are becoming increasingly familiar with the results: rapid heart rate, disorientation, severe anxiety, nausea, vomiting, and very high blood pressure. Some users have also had seizures, hallucinations and tremors. Psychosis and suicidal thoughts have been reported. tell your son that the effects have been known to last anywhere from five days to three months. this substance is far more potent than marijuana, longer lasting, less predictable. Because it is so potent, the dose limits for overdose levels are not known, but they are quite low due to the nature of the drug. Smoking anything, including tobacco (which is legal, too) is dangerous not only because it damages the lungs, but because only one single-cell-thick membrane separates the smoke from your blood. once a substance gets into the lungs, it will be pumped to all parts of the body within seconds. While smoking anything, then, is a bad idea, compared to spice/K2/synthetic marijuana, your son would be better off smoking poison ivywe at least know what that is. By the way, there is a drug test for this. We have had positive tests recently at our clinic. Bottom line: take the spice out of your life.

probably because she fears being thrown out again. She is a loving, warm dog with a heart of gold. Priscilla gets excited and loves to greet small children with kisses, but she might knock them over in her excitement. therefore we recommend her for an adult home or a home with older children. She gets along very well with her kennel mate Archer, so we are confident that she will assimilate nicely in a home with a male canine playmate. We have not tested her with an adult female dog or with cats. Adoption fee is $125 and incudes routine shots and spaying. For more information, contact Dawn at

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Griffin: The city that built me

I love this city. Yes, Griffin. When I moved to oklahoma city in 2003, I was certain I was the only 30-something year old trying to come back here. It seemed to be the cry of many to escape the hold of this old mill town. not me. Ive been a lot of places. Ive seen a lot more grander towns. But, none draw me like this one. Maybe its because I picture my mothers mother walking from her house to Griffin Industries Mill every day to work with her purse draped across her bent elbow. I think about my dads mother and her siblings being raised here by their two eldest siblings after their parents passed so very young. I envision my dad meeting his friends for some sandlot ball in a backyard on Beatty Street. I see him paying a nickel to catch the latest flick at the Rex theater. I look at pictures of my mother winning the title of Miss Griffin, and I want to hold on to a town that saw her as beautiful then as I see her now.

I go running with my longtime friend on these cool, autumn mornings, and my feet hit the fallen leaves of trees that stood on Hill Street when generations before me walked by them. Every Sunday morning, I walk into a church that serves the people of this town and loves them unrelentingly. Sure, I miss Super target being right down the street. But, I assure you my bank account does not. And, who needs Starbucks when Safehouses Jacob orr turns a cappuccino into a work of art? Perhaps, this city isnt everything you want it to be. Yet. But, its a good place. With good people. And, there is something to be said for taking the elevator up to the second floor at Flint River Library and telling my daughter, nan used to bring me here all of the time when I was a little girl. And, then she smiles at me and says, Show me your favorite books, Mom. Im thankful for this city. And, Im thankful that of all the towns in the world, this is the one that built me.

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210 Rock Street, Gri n

770-412-0005

678.410.2774 | 770.228.0760

nov. 3-17, 2011

COMMUNITY
BUBBA'S HOMETOWN BULLETIN BOARD
Nov 3 and 4; last days of early voting city of Griffin commission election and Sunday alcohol sales referendum; Memorial Drive Plaza. November 4; Southern crescent technical college Homecoming Game November 5; Saturday; Griffin Humane Society chili cook off; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m; the Pavilion. November 5; Saturday; Books and More Sale; GriffinSpalding county Library; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; books, furnishings, office chairs and more for sale. November 5; Saturday; Pumpkin Destruction Day Recycle your old Halloween Pumpkin at Pumpkin Destruction Day; the Rock Ranch; there are tons of great interactive and fun destruction methods. Bring your own pumpkin or pick one up at the Rock Ranch. Also see car and pumpkin crushing by professional monster trucks. November 8; tuesday; Free Parent Workshop on Special Education, "Peace, Love, Harmony...and the IFSP/IEP?"; 6 to 8 p.m.; Learning center 216 S. Sixth Street, Griffin. November 12; Booksigning for local author Debbie Kaufman's debut novel, The Doctor's Mission; proceeds will benefit Safehouse Ministries; Safehouse coffee and tea, Griffin. November 12; Saturday; Young Life Griffin will hold our 9th annual turkey trot 5K Run/Walk at Wyomia tyus olympic Park. November 12; Saturday; Picture Purr-fect: A Feline Foto Show - opening Reception; Light refreshments will be available. All photographs are on sale and your purchase will benefit animal rescue programs in the area; Free event; A novel Experience, Zebulon Square; 6 - 8 p.m. November 12; Saturday; Fifth Annual Salute to Veteran's Program and Dance; Griffin VFW; all age groups welcome; 6 - 8p.m.; For more information contact the Senior center at 770467-4384. November 15; tuesday; Business After Hours; 6th Street Pier, 6th Street, Griffin; 5 - 7 p.m. November 25; Black Friday; Shop in downtown Griffin on Black Friday for great specials and deals; stay tuned for a list of participating businesses. November 26; Small Business Saturday; register your American Express card at smallbusinesssaturday. com to receive a $25 credit to your AmEx statement when you purchase from a small business on nov. 26. To view more local events visit the calendar page at www.the-grip.net.

BUY, RENT, SELL, SEEK

Place your items, events, rentals, and announcements in the classified section starting at $12. CALL: 770-227-1857 EMAIL: jessica@the-grip.net POST: PO Box 2251, Griffin FAX: 770-227-4939

ANNOUNCEMENTS PETS SERVICES JOBS YARD/ESTATE SALES MISC. WANTED

HAIR MODELS NEEDED for color class at Star Salon. Must be available Nov. 14. For more info, call Star Salon at 770-2287738.

HOMES FOR RENT

315 POWELL AVE. - Griffin, Ga. 30224. nice, South side home for rent. $850/mo. 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. SEARCY & COMPANY 770-227-4115 708 BIEZE ST. - Griffin, Ga. 30224. nice, South side home for rent. $850/mo. 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. SEARCY & COMPANY 770-227-4115 1967 FUTRAL RD. - Griffin, Ga. 30223. nice home for rent located in East Griffin. $525/ mo. 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. SEARCY & COMPANY 770-227-4115 706 SEARCY AVE. - Griffin, Ga. 30223. nice home for rent located in East Griffin. $425/ mo. 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. SEARCY & COMPANY 770-227-4115 302 SPRING ST. - Griffin, Ga. 30223. nice home for rent located in East Griffin. $400/ mo. 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. SEARCY & COMPANY 770-227-4115

APARTMENTS FOR RENT

SOUTHRIDGE APTS - 2 bedroom/ 1.5 bath townhomes. crescent and Spalding High school districts. $535/mo. 1 yr lease required/1 free mo.! SEARCY & COMPANY 770-227-4115

Our community calendar is sponsored by 92.5 FM The Bear

ROOMS FOR RENT

2 ROOMS FOR RENT $70/WK, ELECTRICITY INCLUDED in excellent neighborhood, Mathis Lake fishing, private bath and entrance; PARTIALLY FURNISHED. Desirable couple or persons only. contact Leon Bates, 678-382-3858.

'Letters from Santa' fundraiser Christmas with the Griffin Choral Arts Franz Biebl, Morten STAFF REPORTS will benefit family adoption Lauridsen and John Rutter,
JESSICA GREGORY
Ryan Rogers, owner of Roger's turf care, and his wife Amanda have decided to have a second child by adopting. Due to the high cost of adoptions, they are getting creative to alleviate some the cost. With the christmas season fast approaching, they have began a "Letters from Santa" fundraiser that will help raise money as well as spread joy to children all over the Griffin area. they are asking parents to donate $5 to their adoption fund, and in return their children will receive a hand-written letter from "Santa" himself, filled with details only Santa (and a parent, wink wink) would know. "think of the look on your child's face when they realize they received a the Griffin choral Arts letter straight from the Jolly community chorus, under ol' Man himself," said Ryan. the direction of Dr. Stephen J. Mulder, will present its annual christmas with "We are very excited and Griffin choral Arts concert cannot wait to meet the on thursday, December 1, child that God will bless at 7:30 p.m. at the Griffin us with," said the Rogers First Baptist church. family. "We could not do the chorus will this without the help of perform traditional and others. this is not only contemporary choral benefiting an adoption, the but a great opportunity for works appropriate for by a season, accompanied your child to receive a fun professional brass quintet, letter from Santa!" percussion, harp, piano and organ. the Adult Handbell the Rogers have asked for choir of Griffin First Baptist church (the Reverend $5 donations to be sent Marty Watts, director) to P.o. Box 1550, Griffin, will be special guests. Ga. 30224, along with this annual concert has a note including child's become a community-wide name and birth date, full tradition as a great way to address, favorite activities, begin the holiday season. accomplishments, a few gifts the child would like Again this year, the (and will likely receive!) audience will be invited to join with the chorus as well as any siblings' and instruments for names by Dec. 1. For several traditional carols. further information, email the choirs repertoire rogersadoptionjourney@ includes music of Felix gmail.com. Mendelssohn, Egil Hovland, as well as traditional spirituals. this is the fifth annual christmas concert and the 18th concert presented by GcA since the fall of 2007. tickets are $10 general admission at the door or in advance in Griffin at Artistic Flowers and Gifts and the tiger Lily; in Barnesville at Goggans Florist; in Zebulon at A novel Experience bookstore; and in thomaston at the tUAc Gallery. Griffin choral Arts is composed of 57 singers from all over the region, many of whom are music teachers at the elementary, middle, secondary, or college level. the mission of Griffin choral Arts is to bring the best choral music to the community. For more information about Griffin choral Arts call 770-468-3072 or visit its website: www. griffinchoralarts.org.

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GOVERNMENT
emergency, cont. SPC Faulkner's kin will accept Bronze Star Award Nov. 10
option of not only selecting a combination of up to five modes of contact; they may also choose the order in which those notifications are issued. the system has the full support of Spalding EMA Deputy Director Jamie clark, who said it is not only the optimal system available to notify residents of potentially dangerous situations, but is also highly cost effective in comparison with sirens. to me, its about the best of the options available out there, he said. First of all, it can notify a lot of people at one time. If we want to notify the entire west side of the county, we can do that all at once. You can call just the houses you want it can call ten houses of 1,000 whatever is needed. thats how its designed to work. clark said that one alternative sirens are much more costly, but not as effective in warning residents of danger. He said weather sirens could only be heard for approximately mile, which would translate to a need to place more than 40 sirens throughout Spalding county. Were just too big, too spread out, he said. that would be in the millions of dollars. Spalding county Manager William Wilson said the initial cost of establishing the system is less than the costs associated with one years required annual maintenance for sirens, which is approximately $1,000 per unit. the system were looking at is First call and costs $44,000, which includes three years of service, he said. Meanwhile, the sirens are $33,000 each and require the annual maintenance. In addition, Wilson said there could be other costs associated with the implementation of a weather siren warning system, such as those to acquire easements or rights-of-way for siren placement throughout the county. And how many people dont have a cell phone, a pager, or something like that now? he said, adding that a portal will be established for residents to register their preferred method of contact once the system is in place. the sirens are just really old technology. Funding for the EnS has been secured in the forms of grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the GriffinSpalding Hospital Authority. Wilson said Spalding county has an in-kind contribution requirement of $2,000, which will be met through the use of county personnel, who will install portions of the system. current projections show the EnS will be operational by early 2012, Wilson said.

nov. 3 - 17, 2011

JESSICA GREGORY

U.S. Army Specialist Jeremy Faulker, of Griffin, died at age 23 of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with small arms fire in Konar province, Afghanistan. His family will now receive a posthumous Bronze Star Award, the fourth-highest combat award of the U.S. Armed Forces, on his behalf on thursday, nov. 10.

Private Faulkner's unit and commanding officer will land at the Griffin Airport at 2:30 p.m., then proceed to the Guard Armory next door (1015 S. Hill Street) to present the award at 3 p.m.

national Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan campaign Medal, Global War on terrorism Service Medal, among many others. twenty-two soldiers from Faulkner's unit are expected to be present, as well as the local VFW, American Legions members, city and county officials, and the local high school color guards. the public is welcome to attend.

"We will present the Bronze Star Medal for Valor due to SPc Faulkner's actions on March 29, 2011," wrote 1st Lt. Jacob Sass. Faulkner's other awards include Army commendation Medal,

First-ever national test of emergency alert system set for Nov. 9

STAFF REPORTS
on Wednesday, nov. 9, FEMA, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal communication commission (Fcc) will conduct the first national test of the nationwide Emergency Alert System (EAS) test. this test will kick off at 2 p.m. ESt. the test will be nationwide, running concurrently across all time zones. this system test is the first of its kind. It is designed to broadcast a nationwide message to the American public. nothing like it has been conducted in the history of the country. there have been tests in the past but none to all parts of the nation at the same time. the Federal communication commission released this statement: "Although local and state components of the EAS are tested on a weekly and monthly basis, there has never been an end-to-end nationwide test of the system. We need to know that the system will work as intended should public safety officials ever need to send an alert or warning to a large region of the United States. only a complete, top-down test of the EAS can provide an appropriate diagnosis of the system's performance." there is great concern in local police and emergency management circles about undue public anxiety over this test. the test message on tV might not indicate that it is just a test. Fear is that the lack of an explanation message might create panic. Local officials urge everyone to spread the word to increase awareness that this is just a test. During the test, listeners will hear a message indicating that "this is a test." Although the EAS test may resemble the periodic, monthly EAS tests that most Americans are already familiar with, there will be some differences in what viewers will see and hear. the audio message will be the same for all EAS participants; however due to limitations in the EAS, the video test message scroll may not be the same or indicate that "this is a test." this is due to the use of the live EAn code - the same code that would be used in an actual emergency. the text at the top of the television screen may indicate that an "Emergency Alert notification has been issued."

4th District City Commission

Election

Tuesday, Nov 8, 2011

Your vote for me as 4th District Commissioner will: Guarantee honest and fair votes on ALL issues. Service to you the citizen with no hidden agenda. A full-time commissioner with time to answer and seek solutions to your problems.
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12th Annual Chili Cook Off

This Saturday, November 5th 11:00 am to 2:00 pm
Live music and great chili, with 25 contestants competing for the best chili! 821 Old Woodbury Hwy Woodbury, GA (706) 553-9000
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The Pavilion - 460 Aeorodrome Way - Griffin, GA