Dear (James) Dixon,
So things are going pretty good up here in Michigan. I’m still attending Western Michigan University and working on my Bachelors degree. Shannon got a job with the State, so now “I got me a sugar mama!” I’m sure though, that you already know all this by now. I bet you have settled in nicely up there and have developed a routine. Knowing you, checking in on your family and friends would be incorporated.
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Opinions
Chickens, saggers and eagles
By Charles E. Richardson
Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’m noticing more extreme saggers -- you know the fashion of wearing one’s pants down below the butt line where everyone can see their underwear -- because the weather is warmer.
Saggers say it’s just fashion. They say it’s their way of rebelling against societal norms (who are you to tell me what to wear? I’ll show you by parading around in my underwear). That makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it? [Full Story »]
Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’m noticing more extreme saggers -- you know the fashion of wearing one’s pants down below the butt line where everyone can see their underwear -- because the weather is warmer.
Saggers say it’s just fashion. They say it’s their way of rebelling against societal norms (who are you to tell me what to wear? I’ll show you by parading around in my underwear). That makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it? [Full Story »]
Lilies, petunias, and family trees
Even when I stand in my front yard, I can smell the Confederate jasmine blooming above the swing out back, and when I walk outside, the sweet smell of petunias wafts to my nose. I love the deep purple variety and have them in pots on the front and back decks. Their red, white, and pink cousins grow in the yard. Many of them volunteer, and we’re delighted when they do. Right now we have a white one thriving at the end of a row of broccoli in the back garden. We like to think that these petunias are descendants of Larry’s mother’s flowers that she once grew here.
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Marriage Chronicles: Part One
Two weeks before Christmas I was sitting in my den wondering what to get my wife for a gift. She said she did not want anything, but I knew better than to believe her because although I was born in the morning, it wasn’t this morning. I pondered upon this dilemma as I walked to our bedroom. I lay down to read the Scriptures and just as I started to open the Book, I gazed askance at a magazine lying on the floor; Victoria’s Secret.
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What a tragedy!
Dear Editor,
I was born and raised in Appling County, about seven miles south of town. A year ago I subscribed to The Baxley News-Banner. I have always been proud to call Baxley my second home, and have family and dear friends that live there still. Recently I read the obituary of a young man who had served three tours in Iraq. It said he was a highly decorated Marine. Since that week I have read the full page article plus many letters to the editor about the law enforcement officers of Appling County, as well as the Georgia State Patrol Swat Team, that shot and killed the young. I understand he was holding an unloaded weapon. My husband and I were both appalled at the circumstances surrounding this young man’s murder. According to the articles we read, he was suffering from PTSD from serving the three tours in Iraq. I have no doubt the information is correct. [Full Story »]
I was born and raised in Appling County, about seven miles south of town. A year ago I subscribed to The Baxley News-Banner. I have always been proud to call Baxley my second home, and have family and dear friends that live there still. Recently I read the obituary of a young man who had served three tours in Iraq. It said he was a highly decorated Marine. Since that week I have read the full page article plus many letters to the editor about the law enforcement officers of Appling County, as well as the Georgia State Patrol Swat Team, that shot and killed the young. I understand he was holding an unloaded weapon. My husband and I were both appalled at the circumstances surrounding this young man’s murder. According to the articles we read, he was suffering from PTSD from serving the three tours in Iraq. I have no doubt the information is correct. [Full Story »]
A look at the 2012 Legislative Session
By Tommie Williams
The Majority Party spent this legislative session carefully crafting legislation to focus on ideas and concepts that would benefit all Georgians. In January, we unveiled the agenda of initiatives we strived to accomplish for the 2012 session. As the final gavel struck at midnight on March 29th, we were confident that all of these goals had been achieved through hard work and dedication. By combining the traditional concepts of limited government and fiscal responsibility, we also introduced the tax reform package, numerous bills to protect our children and reform education; therefore as members of the Majority Party we were pleased with the accomplishments of the 2012 session. [Full Story »]
The Majority Party spent this legislative session carefully crafting legislation to focus on ideas and concepts that would benefit all Georgians. In January, we unveiled the agenda of initiatives we strived to accomplish for the 2012 session. As the final gavel struck at midnight on March 29th, we were confident that all of these goals had been achieved through hard work and dedication. By combining the traditional concepts of limited government and fiscal responsibility, we also introduced the tax reform package, numerous bills to protect our children and reform education; therefore as members of the Majority Party we were pleased with the accomplishments of the 2012 session. [Full Story »]
Tens of thousands of jobs?
Dear Editor,
On Thursday, March 29, 2012 I took my local newspaper with me to a doctor’s appointment to help me endure the waiting time that all of us are so familiar with. Most of us older people have been to the doctor enough that we know we usually have enough time to read every word of our paper from front to back and still have to look for something else to do as we wait for our turn to see the doctor. [Full Story »]
On Thursday, March 29, 2012 I took my local newspaper with me to a doctor’s appointment to help me endure the waiting time that all of us are so familiar with. Most of us older people have been to the doctor enough that we know we usually have enough time to read every word of our paper from front to back and still have to look for something else to do as we wait for our turn to see the doctor. [Full Story »]
Great news for county schools
Lies. Violations. Secrecy.
These are a few of the contributing factors that landed the Appling County School System in hot water with the Southern Association of Colleges of Schools and ultimately led to the system’s accreditation being placed on probation in 2010. Probation…just one step from total loss of accreditation. Had the community lost accreditation, the children of this community would have suffered dire consequences. [Full Story »]
These are a few of the contributing factors that landed the Appling County School System in hot water with the Southern Association of Colleges of Schools and ultimately led to the system’s accreditation being placed on probation in 2010. Probation…just one step from total loss of accreditation. Had the community lost accreditation, the children of this community would have suffered dire consequences. [Full Story »]
We were sixteen going on four
A few years ago, I took our lab to the vet and he told me, “Labs are great dogs but they don’t develop a brain until they’re two years old.”
I’m pretty sure the same principle could be applied to young humans as well, but I don’t know exactly how long it takes teenagers to develop some common sense. A lot more than two years, I’m certain. I work with teens and see some of the foolish things they do without thinking about them, but most of all I remember many of the foolish things I and my cronies did. [Full Story »]
I’m pretty sure the same principle could be applied to young humans as well, but I don’t know exactly how long it takes teenagers to develop some common sense. A lot more than two years, I’m certain. I work with teens and see some of the foolish things they do without thinking about them, but most of all I remember many of the foolish things I and my cronies did. [Full Story »]
Pleasing a woman
Yesterday I decided it was time to get a ‘Honey-Do’ job over with; dig a ditch 80 feet for a new water spigot so my beloved could water her crappin’ herb garden. Not just any ditch, but a ditch through a clay gall overlapped with a 200 year old live oak. I decided to tackle this task after my morning workout at the Wellness Center. I figured if I could ride a bicycle 8 miles and do thirty pull ups, I ought to be in good enough shape to dig this ditch; besides, I didn’t want to pay 75 dollars to rent a ditch witch. That would have been too easy. Unfortunately, I forgot I am not 19 anymore.
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Munich and the Hofbrauhaus
The year was 2000. B. J. and I were on our second European tour. The countries and territories included in this extensive tour were Germany, Bavaria, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein and Count Dracula’s hangout, Transylvania. (Yes, Transylvania is a real place.)
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News from Rep. Smith
Around midnight on Thursday, March 29, the 2012 Georgia legislative session came to an end. Listed below, are some major issues that gained approval in both the House and Senate, and have been sent to the Governor for his consideration.
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“Semper Fidelis my friend!”
Dear Editor,
I just wanted to say a few things about a person that was very near and dear to my heart - Corporal James Monroe “ Rooster” Dixon III. I had the distinct pleasure in meeting this man in one of the most terrifying experiences a young person would put themselves through - Marine Corps Boot Camp. When we thought we wouldn’t make it through there.... we did. I also was lucky enough to stay with him through SOI (School Of Infantry). Rarely do Marines get to go through their entire enlistment with the same people, but we did. We did two combat deployments. However, he was a bigger man than me and went on to do a third one to show how much he loved his country. There were certain situations where he would act like your brother, or others where he could throw on the “mamma” role too. But the greatest thing about him was that he never was acting. He was my brother, and above all that he was our nation’s HERO. No one will ever forget the sacrifices James gave for God, Marine Corps, and our Country. [Full Story »]
I just wanted to say a few things about a person that was very near and dear to my heart - Corporal James Monroe “ Rooster” Dixon III. I had the distinct pleasure in meeting this man in one of the most terrifying experiences a young person would put themselves through - Marine Corps Boot Camp. When we thought we wouldn’t make it through there.... we did. I also was lucky enough to stay with him through SOI (School Of Infantry). Rarely do Marines get to go through their entire enlistment with the same people, but we did. We did two combat deployments. However, he was a bigger man than me and went on to do a third one to show how much he loved his country. There were certain situations where he would act like your brother, or others where he could throw on the “mamma” role too. But the greatest thing about him was that he never was acting. He was my brother, and above all that he was our nation’s HERO. No one will ever forget the sacrifices James gave for God, Marine Corps, and our Country. [Full Story »]
Old dogs and new tricks
Because I wanted to sew for my dolls when I was a child, Mama taught me and turned me loose with her old pedal-type sewing machine. I made pajamas, dresses, rompers, coats, and hats and undoubtedly had the best-dressed dolls in Hazlehurst. We discovered that I had a flair for sewing and I enjoyed it. Soon I moved from sewing for my dolls to sewing for me—skirts and dresses galore. No pants, of course. No well-bred young lady of the ‘60s wore those. I made prom dresses and even a wedding gown for my sister. Mama’s early instruction paid off well because I made most of her clothes from the time I was twenty. I very much enjoyed my sewing talent until I did all the sewing for my sister’s wedding. The flower girl’s outfit was fun, but after the second bridesmaid’s dress, I was swearing. Fortunately, I’d done the wedding gown first.
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Progress
For a quarter of a century this newspaper has published a Progress Report that presents unique information the general public may not be aware of about our community. First and foremost, let me thank this community for its continued support of this publication. Without your support this special issue would not be possible.
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