The Biden administration is punting a decision on masking rules to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (James Gathany/CDC)
(GA Recorder) — The Biden administration will appeal a federal judge’s order striking down a mask mandate for air travel and public transit, subject to a decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Justice Department said in a Tuesday night statement.
The CDC has yet to conclude that the mandate — which applied in airports, on commercial flights, on public transit and other transportation hubs — is still necessary.
The CDC announced last week it was extending the mandate to May 3, saying the agency would take the intervening weeks to determine if current public health conditions warranted a mandate.
U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, whom then-President Donald Trump nominated for the federal bench in 2020, voided the mandate Monday, siding with an Idaho conservative legal group and two Florida women in finding that the mandate exceeded CDC’s legal authority.
The order was effective nationwide. Major airlines quickly announced that masking would be optional on domestic flights.
Earlier Tuesday, President Joe Biden said “it’s up to them,” when asked whether travelers should continue to wear masks.
Regardless of the policy determination, the administration believes Mizelle’s ruling shut down an important public health authority, the Justice Department statement said.
The administration “continues to believe that the order requiring masking in the transportation corridor is a valid exercise of the authority Congress has given CDC to protect the public health,” the Justice Department said.
“Public health decisions shouldn’t be made by the courts,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Tuesday. “They should be made by public health experts.”
The federal mandate is not in effect and is not being enforced by the Transportation Security Administration pending further judicial action. Local transportation authorities are making theirown decisions.
The Tallulah Falls Lady Indians played in just their second-ever state tournament match on Tuesday at #1-seed Mt. Pisgah. TFS dropped a 3-2 decision in what was almost a massive upset of a 4-over-1 first round. Though Ashli Webb and Evette Corwin came away with wins at #2 and #3 singles, the doubles units dropped close matches as well as at #1 singles.
Lady Indians L 2-3 @ Mt. Pisgah
#1 Singles: Maggie Peacock (5-8) L 2-6, 0-6
#2 Singles: Ashli Webb (9-4) W 6-6 (10-8), 6-2
#3 Singles: Evette Corwin (10-3) W 6-4, 6-2
#1 Doubles: Sophie Herrera & Annabelle Jackson (5-2) L 7-5, 3-6, 3-6
#2 Doubles: Christy Hulsey & Cassidy Hayes (6-5) L
This ends the Tallulah Falls girls tennis season, as the Lady Indians made a second straight playoff run and ended with a 8-6 overall record.
Drugs ARDEO says agents found during a search on April 14 at a home in Lavonia. (ARDEO)
A Northeast Georgia man is in jail charged with trafficking methamphetamine following an 8-month-long investigation in Franklin County.
On April 14, Franklin and Hart County deputies along with agents from the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office searched a residence at 57 Wesleyan Street in Lavonia.
“During the search, a trafficking amount of suspected methamphetamine, many hydrocodone pills, and a quantity of marijuana was in the residence,” says ARDEO Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael Marlar.
Authorities arrested 45-year-old William Perkins at his residence. They charged him with trafficking methamphetamine, possession of Schedule II narcotics, and criminal attempt to possess marijuana.
According to Marlar, the investigation is still active and ongoing.
ARDEO encourages citizens to report suspicious drug activity through Facebook @AppalachianRDEO or by calling 706-348-7410.
Jamie Alan Graham, age 46, of Demorest, Georgia passed away on Thursday, April 14, 2022.
No formal services are planned at this time.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Whitfield Funeral Homes & Crematory, South Chapel at 1370 Industrial Boulevard, Baldwin, Georgia 30511. Telephone: 706-778-7123
The Habersham County Board of Commissioners has postponed a decision on what to do with the old county courthouse. Commissioners were set to vote on a memorandum of understanding that would have allowed the property to be sold to a local developer for $10. Instead, they voted during their Monday night work session to table the matter.
The MOU is part of a redevelopment plan for downtown Clarkesville pitched to elected officials by developer Lew Oliver. In exchange for essentially giving him the property, Oliver agreed to invest $6.5 million dollars to revitalize the old courthouse building and grounds.
Commissioner Bruce Harkness was the first commissioner to voice strong opposition to the plan.
“I have received many, many taxpayers saying they’re against it because this smacks of exactly what the former commissioners did with the hospital when they basically gave our hospital away,” he tells Now Habersham, referring to the agreement reached between the county and Northeast Georgia Health System in 2018.
The old Habersham County courthouse was built in 1964. It housed the county’s courts and judicial offices until 2013 and county administrative offices until 2018. The building now sits empty and decaying on a prime piece of real estate in downtown Clarkesville. In 2016, it was appraised at around $1.3 million. (nowhabersham.com)
Other deals for the old courthouse property have fallen through, adding to the sense of urgency to move forward. The building is decaying and needs a new roof which Habersham County Facilities Manager Mike Bramlett priced at $100,000. Still, the ’60s-style yellow brick building sits on prime real estate and there’s potential value in that for taxpayers Harkness and others say.
“That property is worth $1,240,000,” says former attorney Doug McDonald, citing figures he says he pulled from Oliver’s redevelopment plan. “Why give it to him for $10?”
Commissioners heard from two potential investors – Shad Hill and Jeff Higgins – who expressed interest in obtaining the property. They say they’re interested in possibly turning it into a high-end senior living community for people 55 and up.
Higgins and his wife operate Graceful Care, an assisted living facility and retirement community in Clarkesville.
Shad Hill and Jeff Higgins spoke at the commission work session on April 18, 2022. They told commissioners they’re interested in developing a high-end senior living community in the old county courthouse.
“It’s a need that’s in this community and it’s still growing. We look at that [the old courthouse] as another place that we could grow that business and keep it with the look of the community.”
Although commissioners pulled the MOU from their regular meeting agenda after tabling it in the work session, some who came to speak on the matter still had their say. Former Habersham County Republican Party Chair Carl Blackburn urged commissioners not to set their sights on a sole developer.
“We don’t need to be picking winners and losers. That’s not what we do,” Blackburn said.
Tabling the measure gives commissioners time to get the property appraised and develop requests for proposals (RFPs). Those requests could require interested developers to outline their goals for the property and would also take into consideration things such as a development’s impact on the tax base and job creation, as well as the length of time it would take to build out the project.
“All of these things that we might possibly want to know to make the best decision about what to do with the property,” says Habersham County Manager Alicia Vaughn.
Pickelball 3, Tennis 2
Peggy Fortson, who led the push to get pickleball courts in Habersham, makes a final appeal to commissioners to approve the courts during their regular meeting on April 18, 2022.
While county officials are taking more time to consider what to do with the old courthouse, they’re moving ahead with plans for pickelball courts.
Commissioners voted 3-2 Monday night to enter into a contract with a Woodstock-based company to resurface two of the county’s four recreation department tennis courts into six pickleball courts. The project will cost county taxpayers $88,738.
Commissioners Bruce Palmer, Ty Akins, and Bruce Harkness voted to approve the resurfacing project. Commissioners Dustin Mealor and Jimmy Tench voted against it.
The vote drew applause from pickleballers who packed into Monday night’s meeting to make another appeal for the county courts – something they’ve been pushing for since last year.
“We’ve got a lot of new players and it’s just growing. I mean, we’re just running out of room,” says Jane Childs who was among those pleased by the commission’s vote.
The loss of two lighted courts is a disappointment to tennis players in the county many of whom, until recently, were under the mistaken impression that the county was going to build a new pickleball complex (that project was nixed due to cost). When they realized the county intended to reduce the number of tennis courts available to them and their children to play on, they circulated an online petition and collected around 500 signatures.
Even that, though, was not enough to sway commissioners. The writing appeared to be on the wall April 6 when the county’s public information officer Carolyn Gibson sent out a “PSA” to the public outlining the availability of tennis courts in cities and at schools around the county.
“Habersham County works to provide solutions for all citizens and ensure the use of all public facilities to their fullest potential,” the public service announcement said. “Therefore, the Habersham County Board of Commissioners is pleased to share that numerous public facilities in Habersham County located outside of the Ruby C. Fulbright Aquatic Center, including tennis courts, are now available.”
Tennis players point out that not all of the courts the county is trying to steer them to are in good shape, lighted, or always publicly available.
Paula Wonders, center, speaks with pickleball supporter and friend Jane Childs and her husband during Monday night’s commission meeting. Wonders appealed to county commissioners not to reduce the number of tennis courts in the county, but to no avail. (nowhabersham.com)
“This discussion is not about pickleball versus tennis,” said Paula Wonders, a tennis mom who became a leading voice in opposition to the resurfacing project. “It’s about retaining resources rather than losing resources.”
Wonders and other tennis players and supporters offered to help fundraise to pay for new pickleball courts. But, in the end, it was the commissioners who lobbed the last volley. Now, with new courts going in at the rec department and Mary Street Park, Habersham will likely be home to eight pickleball courts and two fewer tennis courts by the end of this year.
Health Freedom Defense Fund, an Idaho-based advocacy group that challenges COVID 19-related restrictions, and two Florida women who argued wearing masks on planes aggravated their anxiety brought the suit in July 2021. Travelers kept Hartsfield Jackson International busy in March 2022. (John McCosh/Georgia Recorder)
(GA Recorder) — A federal judge in Florida voided the nationwide mask mandate for airline and public transportation passengers Monday, saying the requirement was beyond the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s authority.
A Biden administration official said that agencies are reviewing the decision and potential next steps. “In the meantime, today’s court decision means CDC’s public transportation masking order is not in effect at this time,” and will not be enforced, the official said.
“CDC recommends that people continue to wear masks in indoor public transportation settings,” the official added.
The legal analysis of U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, whom then-President Donald Trump appointed in late 2020, turned on the language in a federal law authorizing the CDC to regulate sanitation.
But the word “sanitation” implies something is being cleaned, and masks, at best, trap infectious droplets and don’t clean anything, she wrote.
“The Mask Mandate is best understood not as sanitation,” she wrote. “But as an exercise of the CDC’s power to conditionally release individuals to travel despite concerns they may spread a communicable disease.”
That power, Mizelle said, is usually only available when it applies to individuals entering the United States from other countries or individuals traveling between states who are “reasonably believed to be infected. “ But the mask mandate applied on a much broader level.
The judge also found that the CDC improperly bypassed a standard requirement to accept public comments on the rule. She rejected the government’s argument that the public health emergency required quicker action.
Health Freedom Defense Fund, an Idaho-based advocacy group that challenges COVID 19-related restrictions, and two Florida women who argued wearing masks on planes aggravated their anxiety brought the suit in July 2021.
The order applies nationwide. It is not yet clear if President Joe Biden’s administration will seek an appeal.
The administration had extended the mandate to May 3, even as other federal, state and local pandemic regulations were relaxed. It applied on commercial flights and in airports, as well as in taxis, trains and other public transportation.
A group of 17 congressional Republicans filed a suit last month challenging the mandate. Monday’s order was separate from that case.
The mandate likely contributed to more disruptive behavior aboard commercial flights during the pandemic, as noncompliant passengers argued with other passengers and the flight attendants tasked with enforcing the mandate.
Of more than 1,100 cases of unruly passengers reported by the Federal Aviation Administration so far this year, 744 were related to masking, according to FAA data.
The ruling was greeted by Republicans. “Good riddance,” tweeted U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, a North Carolina Republican who was part of the House Republicans’ suit. “Americans should never again be harassed about masks on planes or any form of travel.”
A Cornelia man remains in jail charged with burglarizing and vandalizing a local church.
Habersham County deputies arrested 31-year-old Seth Pruitt in connection with an incident at Cool Springs Methodist Church on April 12. On that day, a 911 caller reported an open window at the church and a shirtless man outside acting suspiciously.
Deputy Ryan Kelley says when he approached the man, later identified as Pruitt, he ran into the woods, ignoring the deputy’s commands to stop. After a brief foot chase, deputies took Pruitt into custody and charged him with misdemeanor obstruction of an officer for fleeing.
The case was turned over to investigators who allege Pruitt broke into the church off State Route 17 and stole over $2,000 worth of audio/visual and computer equipment and other items used for worship. The arrest warrant states he also maliciously defaced the church by “breaking windows, overturning furniture, and scattering hymnals and other articles on the worship floor.”
Investigators charged Pruitt with 2nd-degree burglary, vandalism to a place of worship and obstruction. They also charged him in connection with an unrelated incident that occurred days earlier in which he allegedly stole a $600 kayak.
Pruitt is being held in the Habersham County Detention Center on a $13,600 bond.
The Internal Revenue Service headquarters in Washington, D.C.
(GA Recorder) — As midnight approaches on Monday, countless Americans will be ready to finally hit the send button on their computers to get their federal and state tax forms on their way to Uncle Sam.
They’ll do that after having spent days pulling together receipts and forms, having shelled out money for computer software to help them work through what they owe or what the government owes them, or paid an even larger sum to hire a professional to do their taxes for them.
Cliff Robb
But does it have to be that way? No, says Cliff Robb, who teaches about personal finance and human behavior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
It’s not that our tax system is simple. Because it’s not. “I do believe the U.S. has one of the more convoluted structures and also requires a lot more effort to understand,” says Robb. “It forces individuals to engage much more directly with the tax system than other industrialized countries.”
Even for people who don’t pay fees to a tax preparer or for tax prep software, there’s a significant “opportunity cost” to filing, he says.
“Most people are going to take a weekend or a couple of days,” says Robb. And it’s not just time. “It creates more stress than is necessary, I believe.”
Potential technical shortcuts that could exist don’t, even when the taxpayer is using digital technology and filling out a tax return online. “You can’t even export your W-2 [data] into that document,” Robb says. Instead, the taxpayer has to copy the numbers by hand.
That creates opportunities for error and reasons to worry, he says. Not all of those worries are based on probability, he adds. “Most people aren’t going to get audited, even though that’s a looming thing that people think about.”
The whole process can be so intimidating that there are people who qualify for refunds, but don’t file their tax returns and so miss out on them, says Robb.
Yet in many countries with an annual income tax, the system is almost the reverse of what happens in the U.S.
Taxpayers receive a form from the government that is already filled out. The taxpayer reviews the document and, if there is a disagreement about the bottom line, can typically challenge the government’s figures, presenting evidence to support a different conclusion.
It’s not that they have a flat tax — a system in which everyone pays the same percentage of their income regardless of how much they make every year. It’s the underlying process that is different.
Despite the complications of the U.S. tax code, Robb says the model of having a pre-filled government form that comes to the taxpayer could work in the U.S.
Uncle Sam already has most if not all the data needed for most people. “The federal government has an idea of what you should pay,” he says. But instead of telling the taxpayer, “they’re saying, ‘you tell us what you think you should owe.’”
Yet for the vast majority of taxpayers, that’s not necessary, Robb says. “It should just be so simple. Most people do not require that complex of a tax return.”
So why doesn’t the U.S. do things the way those other countries do?
“There are vested interests in the system being complicated,” says Robb — including makers of software like TurboTax and national tax preparation chains.
In 2017, the nonprofit investigative news site Pro Publica reported on the millions of dollars that Intuit, H&R Block and other players in the tax-preparation industry have spent on lobbying to prevent the federal government from offering a U.S. version of the model that is so popular elsewhere.
Don Moynihan, who teaches public policy at Georgetown University, wrote the sad story on his Substack site Thursday about a proposal to provide free electronic tax filing for everyone, advanced in 2001 by the administration of President George W. Bush, only to be “strangled by the private tax preparation industry under the guise of public-private partnership.”
Robb acknowledges that some people might be reluctant to embrace a system in which the Internal Revenue Service tells them what they owe instead of making them add it up for themselves. “But if they’re using accurate data and it’s data that’s available for you to cross-check, that’s not a problem,” he observes.
But he sees little support for converting the system. “I don’t think it’s a clear enough issue for the voting public to put their weight behind that kind of change,” Robb says. Awareness — or lack of it — is one reason.
“I think if people realized it was as simple as clicking a key and the next day you’d get your tax refund, there would be a lot more demand for it,” Robb says. “This is a common consumer problem, where we have a vested interest that is very deliberately funding resources toward a goal,” and no counterbalancing group with the equivalent sort of clout.
I’ve had a difficult last few months and have learned some tough lessons about loneliness. We all walk through tough times; my situation is not unique although it is new to me. As a result of trouble, we often find ourselves alone and lonely.
The Bible is full of people who suffered deeply from loneliness. Jeremiah, Job, and even Jesus have recorded stories of lamentations and sorrow.
King David was a man of great loneliness. Although scripture names him as “the man after God’s own heart” in I Samuel 13:14, he was a great sinner and failed so many of the tasks which were assigned to him. David wrote many of the Psalms, and these verses can give us great comfort in our loneliness. One great example is Psalm 25:16-21.
Psalm 25:16-21 New International Version (NIV)
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. 17 Relieve the troubles of my heart and free me from my anguish. 18 Look on my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins. 19 See how numerous are my enemies and how fiercely they hate me!
20 Guard my life and rescue me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. 21 May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord, is in you.
Being alone is not the same as being lonely. I can be perfectly content while by myself and achingly alone in a room full of people. Loneliness is a state of mind where I feel separated from other people. I feel empty, isolated, or excluded and that has little to do with how many people are nearby.
All of us feel this way to a greater or lesser extent at some point and the statistics aren’t good for those who suffer from ongoing loneliness. According to an article in AARP magazine, loneliness can be a killer. An array of studies have found that it leaves us more likely to die from heart disease and is a contributing factor in other fatal conditions. It makes us more vulnerable to Alzheimer’s disease, high blood pressure, suicide, even the common cold. It is more dangerous to our health, researchers tell us, than obesity, and it’s the equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
The Bible tells us we are never alone so why should we feel lonely? God reassures us over and over again with promises like Deut.31:6:
Deuteronomy 31:6 The Message (MSG)
6 “Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you.”
So why do we feel lonely? Sometimes, we simply feel left out. Other times, the loneliness can be overwhelming and can cause us to withdraw and not react. We can feel weak and out-of-control – even embarrassed so we keep to ourselves and make the feelings worse.
Science has discovered that loneliness causes inflammation in the brain. The inflammation then causes suspicion and other negative feelings to magnify. The more lonely I get, the more I tend to isolate myself from others.
When I’m lonely, when I cannot see through the blinding, debilitating emotion that locks me away from friends, family, and even God, I need a simple plan. We’ll talk more about that next week.
If you would like to contact me about loneliness or caregiving, email me at [email protected].
Rabun Gap senior Katherine Tench, of Clarkesville, performs on the aerial silks in Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School’s MADFest Showcase on April 8. (photo courtesy Rabun Gap)
Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School students showcased their talents at MADFest 2022 on April 7-8.
MADFest is Rabun Gap’s celebration of student talent in the arts and has become a much-anticipated campus tradition. This year, the event returned in-person to the Rearden Stage for the first time since 2019, with categories including dance, vocal music, instrumental music, visual arts, film, Cirque, and drama.
Dustin Anderson ’22 of Hiawassee, GA dances to “Elastic Heart” in Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School’s MADFest Showcase. He won first place in the dance solo category.Sophia Moore ’24, left, of Highlands, NC, sings during MADFest 2022 at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School. She is accompanied by Laura Schmeichel ’22 on guitar.Lucy Barry ’22 of Rabun Gap performs in the MADFest Showcase at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School. She sang “Journey to the Past.”
More than 100 students participated in auditions on Thursday, April 7 for a panel of professional judges. The panel included three alumni – Jessie Kuehne ’17 (drama), David Perrin ’15 (Cirque), and Josh Holtzclaw ’05 (film). Other judges were Linda DeHart (dance), Mark Thomas (instrumental music), Erica Nicole (vocal music), and Zach Rogers (visual arts).
The top entries from each category were featured in the MADFest Showcase on April 8. Visual artwork was on display in the Bivins Jones Art Gallery in the Arts & Technology Building.
Rabun Gap Middle School students Abby Hartridge of Clayton, GA and Makenna Bilbrey ’26 of Otto, NC sing “My Future” during the MADFest 2022 showcase on April 8.Morgan Mescher ’23 of Otto, NC and Dustin Anderson ’22 of Hiawassee, GA won first place in the dance ensemble category at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School’s MADFest.Sisters Elizabeth, SK, and Abigail Brenner of Franklin soar through the air during their dance at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School’s MADFest. The sisters won second place in the dance ensemble category.
The MADFest Award winners were:
Instrumental
First Place: Ahn Pham’22 of Vietnam
Second Place: Greg Seok ‘27 of Korea
Dance Solo
First Place: Dustin Anderson ’22 of Hiawassee, GA
Second Place: Sarah Katherine Brenner ’22 of Franklin, NC
Dance Ensemble
First Place: Dustin Anderson ’22 of Hiawassee, GA and Morgan Mescher ’23 of Otto, NC
Second Place: Sarah Katherine ’22, Elizabeth ’24, and Abigail Brenner ’26, all of Franklin, NC
Honorable Mention: Kaykay Justilien ’23 of The Bahamas & Blaire Lauder-Williams ’23 of Bronx, NY
Film
First Place: Scott Liu ’22 of China
Second Place: Sophia Moore ’24 of Highlands, NC
Cirque
First Place: Katherine Tench ’22 of Clarkesville, GA
Second Place: Elizabeth Brenner ’24 of Franklin, NC
Vocal Solo
First Place: Lauren Eubanks ’24 of Georgetown, GA
Second Place: Lucy Barry ’22 of Rabun Gap, GA
Honorable Mention: Sophia Moore of Highlands, NC
Vocal Ensemble
First Place: Ella Loveland ’23 of Rabun Gap, GA & Laura Schmeichel ’22 of Palmetto, FL
Second Place: Abby Hartridge ’26 of Clayton, GA & Makenna Bilbrey ’26 of Otto, NC
Drama Solo
First Place: Laura Schmeichel ’22 of Palmetto, FL
Second Place: Kite Stribling ’25 of Sautee Nacoochee, GA
Honorable Mention: Paloma Robles ’22 of Franklin, NC
Drama Ensemble
First Place: Laura Schmeichel ’22 of of Palmetto, FL & Cheney Moriarty ’23 of Hong Kong
Second Place: Sam Watts ’22 of Thomasville, GA & Jeb Bring ’23 of Highlands, NC
Drawing
First Place: Sadie Smearman ’24 of Atlanta, GA
Second Place: Gracie Scott ’24 of Clayton, GA
Third Place: Imani Olateju ’23 of Woodstock, GA
Honorable Mention: Isabella Wells ’24 of Murphy, NC
Honorable Mention: Genevieve Maddox ’22 of Franklin, NC
Honorable Mention: Lizi Green ’23 of Midland, TX
2-D DESIGN/Mixed Media
First Place: Scott Liu ’22 of China
Second Place: Ella Loveland ’23 of Rabun Gap, GA
Third Place: Cedric Anton ’22 of Germany
Honorable Mention: Abby Soto ’23 of Lakemont, GA
Honorable Mention: Piers McGowin ’23 of Clarkesville, GA
Honorable Mention: Gracie Scott ’24 of Clayton, GA
3-D DESIGN
First Place: Vivi Geren ’23 of Dillard, GA & Gracie Scott ’24 of Clayton, GA
Second Place: Scott Liu ’22 of China
Third Place: Zoey Townsend ’23 of Cullowhee, NC
Honorable Mention: Ella Loveland ’23 of Rabun Gap, GA
Honorable Mention: Jill Hill ‘22 of Ocala, FL
Honorable Mention: Zoey Townsend ’23 of Cullowhee, NC
PHOTOGRAPHY/Graphic Design
First Place: Clara Pedall ’25 of Germany
Second Place: Sydney Graham ’22 of Rabun Gap, GA
Third Place: William Cai ’23 of China
Honorable Mention: Clara Pedall ’25 of Germany
Honorable Mention: Theo Ochieng ’24 of Denmark
Honorable Mention: Peter Pedall ’25 of Germany
Jerry William Free, age 65 of Alto, Georgia went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, April 16, 2022, at the Northeast Georgia Medical Center following an extended illness.
Born in Hall County, Georgia on April 16, 1957, he was a son of the late Donald Everett & Marilyn Geraldine Stanley Free. Jerry was a retired truck driver with Hoyt Wilson Trucking with over 35 years of dedicated service. In his spare time, he was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed fishing, hunting, & fast car racing. Jerry was of the Christian faith.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his daughter, Robin Free.
Survivors include his loving wife of 30 years, Doris Ann Dailey Free of Alto, GA; sons & daughters-in-law, Michael & Martha Ivester of Alto, GA; Chris & Melissa Ivester of Lula, GA; daughters, Amy Hunter, Sandy Free, & Katie Free all of Alto, GA; 11 grandchildren; 4 great-grandchildren; as well as several other relatives, & a host of friends.
Jerry’s wishes were to be cremated.
A celebration of life service will be held at a later time.
Adam Tyler Spinks, age 37, of Clarkesville, Georgia, formerly of Anchorage, Alaska, passed away on Friday, April 15, 2022.
Born in Olean, New York on October 12, 1984, he was a graduate of Sidney High School in Sidney, Nebraska, Class of 2002. Adam attended the University of Wyoming where he majored in wildlife biology. He was a professional billiards player, pro bowler, avid hunter, fisherman, and general outdoorsman. Known as a provider through his generosity, humor, guidance, and support for all those lucky to know him, he is well loved by his community and will be tremendously missed by all.
Survivors include his parents, Robert G. “Bob” and Linda Gayle Krone Spinks of Clarkesville, GA; brothers and sister-in-law, Matt Spinks of Clarkesville, GA; Kevin and Jennifer Lockwood of Lenexa, KS; other relatives, and a host of friends all over the U.S.
A memorial service is planned for a later time in Anchorage, Alaska.
