Opinions

Early Monday morning The News-Banner received the following statement from the Appling County School System: [Full Story »] 

Man, am I ever glad the election is over. I am one who always tries to answer the phone but it got to where my phone was ringing off the hook from daylight to dark the last two weeks of the race. Most of the calls were from some overcompensated politician or someone that wanted to become one and they each had a plan for creating jobs. This job creation business was fine coming from an outsider, but each incumbent that said “I have a plan to create jobs”, I would shout into the phone and ask what they were waiting on since they were already in office! Create some, darn it! [Full Story »] 

I take voting very seriously and try to prepare myself for that daunting task every time an election comes round. In this national election coming up in November, I want to be informed and cast my vote for the candidates most likely to lead this country out of the predicament we’re currently in. Whether I’m voting for the president or a congressman, I want an effective, principled man. I use that word man loosely, of course, because in the English language, man still can refer to both sexes. Certainly I’ll vote for a woman if I determine her to be the best man for the job. I’ve encountered a bit of a problem determining how exactly to prepare to vote in this year’s election though. [Full Story »] 

St. Augustine, FL was founded by the Spanish explorer Pedro Menendez de Aviles on September 8, 1565. St. Augustine was named in honor of that saint’s feast day, August 28. On that day, 700 soldiers and colonists from Spain made their first landfall. St. Augustine is the oldest continually occupied settlement in North America, and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. [Full Story »] 

By U.S. Congressman Jack Kingston

This week, a nonpartisan government watchdog issued a report warning of the serious consequences if the nation plunges over the “fiscal cliff.” [Full Story »] 

Dear Editor,

The Tri-County Fair Board along with the Baxley Lions Club is sponsoring its 2nd annual rodeo on October 12 and 13 of 2012. We take this opportunity to invite everyone out to the fairgrounds to join in the festivities. Also, if anyone would like to be a vendor (especially in the arts and crafts area), please contact John Redman (367-0826) or any other Lions Club member to receive additional information. Thank you for your consideration and we hope to see you at the rodeo.

Sincerely,
John C. Redman

Published in the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer on August 15, 2012

Georgia’s superintendent of education is no doubt getting a boost of support from public school educators, administrators and school boards today. Whether he can hang on to enough support from fellow Republicans in Georgia government to keep his job is another matter. [Full Story »] 

Time just flies by nowadays. It seemed that it was only yesterday that we brought my baby boy home from the hospital but here we were helping him move into his dorm room at Valdosta State University. While the unloading was getting underway in earnest, my wife handed me a list and told me to go to the mall and get supplies. I asked where the mall was because I was lost as a goose. She gave me directions and I lit out, glad to get away from the bedlam of hundreds of students and parents milling around doing the same thing we were. [Full Story »] 

B. J. and I live on St. Simons Island, Ga. Some of the people on St. Simons put a lot of stock in the fact that they are members of private clubs. Well, although it is not on St. Simons Island and we don’t go around tooting our horn about it, we own our own private club. [Full Story »] 

Years ago when our boys were small, Larry would equip them with paper bags and send them off on a mission. [Full Story »] 

By Superintendent Scarlett Copeland

On August 7 students in grades Prekindergarten through twelve began their first day of school. Prior to this an Open House for parents and students was conducted on August 6. Assistant Superintendent Dr. Sandy Dominy and I visited all six schools in the district during this time and it was exciting to see a large turnout. Participation among parents and grandparents was extremely high and this speaks volumes of the interest in education in Appling County. Each principal and their staff are commended for their exceptional planning. Custodians and Maintenance and Operations personnel are to be recognized for preparing great our buildings and grounds to create a safe, clean learning environment. [Full Story »] 

By Keith Golden, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation

On behalf of the Georgia Department of Transportation and the State Transportation Board, I want to congratulate the voters of the Heart of Georgia Altamaha Regional District. Your vote to approve the Transportation Referendum, or T-SPLOST as it is known, was a courageous and visionary investment. [Full Story »] 

Dear Editor,

While passing through the lovely town of Baxley on Thursday, the 16th around noon, I had a flat tire outside of town on 341. The Operations Manager from Brunswick Okefenokee EMS was with me and we could not get the spare tire to release from under the vehicle. We called several dealers around the area to see if they could offer any advice for our dilemma. [Full Story »]