Angling for catfish equals summertime at its best

Since January, the non-profit has re-homed over 100 shelter dogs

A WALK IN THE PARK - Be Paws We Care volunteers take shelter dogs out for a stroll earlier this year for their Doggy Day Out initiative. All of the dogs in this photo have been re-homed, which is one of the local non-profit’s missions. 

It had been a long night the day before the interview for this article – the Be Paws We Care volunteers arrived at the Progress office on just a few hours of sleep. They had spent the wee hours of the morning completing transport for two foster dogs who went to a rescue in New York. 

This week's 28-page Back-to-School insert provides pertinent information on what is going on at each school and throughout the system this coming year, as well as great shopping deals from local businesses. Click here or on the image below to be taken to the online guide.

Council member Sonny Proctor sued individually for defamation

        The city of Jasper and all five council members have been sued by a landowner who said they violated his constitutional right of due process, effectively condemned his property, and violated their public duty when they did not make a motion to either approve or deny his request for annexation and rezoning.  

The property in question is owned by Manitoulin, LLC, whose principal is David Shouse, a Pickens County commission chair candidate for 2020 and the general contractor/landlord for the VA clinic slated to open later this year on East Church Street. Shouse requested a 2.73-acre parcel behind QuikTrip on Highway 515 be annexed into the city limits and zoned commercial, which Jasper’s city manager called a “transitional zoning” from its current county zoning of Neighborhood Commercial. 

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

     The Dragon Opportunity and Virtual Academy (DOVA) building will house five classrooms for vastly different programs.

The Pickens school board held a quick regular meeting July 11 with their chair Tucker Green using Skype to lead the meeting while on vacation. This marks the first time that Green, who is a UGA student, has used the teleconferencing option. A board member is allowed to participate in two meetings a year via teleconferencing. 

Several board members said the meeting went okay and the superintendent commented at end of the board