County financials for 2019 presented

       Phillip Landrum III was honored as the Chamber’s Citizen of the Year Saturday at the group’s Winter Ball. Landrum is a native of Pickens County and a local attorney. Landrum has been very involved in the community and also serves on the Board of Trustees for Reinhardt University.

In selecting Landrum, the judges wrote, “The Chamber received some very worthy nominations and choosing one award recipient was difficult.  They are all winners.  However, the recipient of this year’s award was chosen primarily based on the significant role he played in recruiting the new nurse’s training program to the community.   The positive impact this program brings to the county and region is paramount.” Landrum is shown with his wife Crystal and daughter Helaina. 

Winter Ball photos/Knowpickens

Jasper’s first new mayor in a quarter-century, Steve Lawrence talks new job and how he came to town.

        Steve Lawrence, Jasper’s first new mayor in more than a quarter of a century, was sitting in a barren office last Wednesday, his eighth official day at work, saying he is still learning the ropes at City Hall.

Lawrence takes over the top elected post, with a city manager, Brandon Douglas, already in place for the day-to-day operations. Having a paid, full-time manager is another recent development in Jasper government and gives Lawrence some freedom to define how his position will function. 

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

       Jasper has laid new waterline to this point on Grandview Road, and will eventually connect to the county’s new water treatment plant.

        The Grandview Lake project, which will allow the county to withdraw  333,000 gallons of water a day, received critical approval from the Environmental Protection Division last week. 

“This was definitely one of the biggest hurdles we’ve gotten over,” said Pickens County Director of Utilities Phillip Dean.

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

photos/Robin Dunn MyKenzie Weaver coming down the court against LaFayette. Not much has slowed down this PHS senior who passed the 2,000 point mark for the Nettes last week, something that has been done just one other time in school history.

        The Nettes basketball team took on the Lady Ramblers of LaFayette last Friday night in a region game.  

The girls jumped out early on LaFayette, outscoring them 23-8 in the first quarter. The Lady Ramblers would answer back in the second frame, but could not surmount the deficit. The Nettes led at halftime by a score of 28-21. Both teams came out of the locker room firing on offense. The Lady Ramblers still found themselves trailing by five points going into the fourth quarter.