Georgia Power utility work to continue into October

Stacey Godfrey (left) and Rhonda Waggoner were officially hired as Elections Supervisor and Administrative Assistant, respectively, at the Board of Elections called meeting July 15th. Both Godfrey and Waggoner began their duties on Monday.

By Larry Cavender

Contributing Writer

The new Pickens County Board of Elections and Registration officially hired both an Elections Supervisor and Administrative Assistant at their called meeting held on Thursday, July 15th. Both assumed their duties the following Monday.

At the board's first ever meeting on July 1st, Chair Josh Tippens had announced Stacey Godfrey as the board's choice for Elections Supervisor. Godfrey was officially hired with a unanimous vote from the board members after a required waiting period.

        As schools prepare to open for another year (first week of August), the Progress sat down with Superintendent Tony Young to discuss how and who decides what is taught in Pickens classrooms. The Progress has had several e-mails and calls recently from readers, citing concerns that political agendas are influencing curriculum.

Young agreed with an observation that this close scrutiny is nothing new; for much of the past decade it was novels that were the lightning rods, such as having Harry Potter and other magic/supernatural books in a school library, but now the public’s attention is on the history curriculum.

        See full story in this week's print or online editions. 

     (Back Row, l-r) Economic Developer Green Suttles; Airport authority members Ed Wood, Don Boggus and Jerry Edwards; Chamber President Amberle Godfrey; Lead Edge Design Group employees Whitney Eberly, Amanda Rostin and Phil Eberly; (Front) State Rep. Rick Jasperse; DOT Commissioner Russell McMurry and Commission Chair Kris Stancil.

Submitted by Pickens County Government

The Pickens County Airport Authority will receive $1.8 million in funding for the construction of a new airport terminal at the Pickens County Airport. The grant, awarded by the Georgia Department of Transportation, is comprised of a combination both State and Federal funds, with a local match of only $275,000.

Earlier this month, District 11 Representative Rick Jasperse welcomed Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell R. McMurry to the Pickens County Airport, where he had an opportunity to address a delegation of local representatives from our community.

By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
    ATLANTA - Federal and Georgia transportation planners are looking to run a high-speed rail line connecting Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C., via Athens.
   The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Georgia Department of Transportation, working with state transportation departments in North Carolina and South Carolina, have identified the 274-mile route as the “preferred corridor” for the Charlotte-to-Atlanta portion of a high-speed rail line that would continue northeast to Washington, D.C.
   “The projected increases in population and economic growth for the Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion create a need for a carefully planned approach to improving rail infrastructure that will benefit Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, the southeastern United States and the nation,” the FRA wrote in its final environmental impact report on the project released last week.