Jones’ working lunches draw fire: Commissioner defends expense as part of job

Progress File Photo

GBI agents processing the crime scene at the home on Carver Mill Road after 2015 standoff and shooting.

     A case from 2015 in which Pickens deputies shot and killed a Carver Mill Road man has been heard in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. The court found that officers entered the man’s property unconstitutionally and seized him unlawfully, violating his Fourth Amendment rights. 

The defense has now petitioned the case be heard in the U.S. Supreme Court.

        See this week's print or online editions for full story, which includes comments from both plaintiffs and defense attorneys. 

Pickens High STAR Student Nathan Hamilton. He selected Keith Petty as the STAR Teacher.

Submitted by Pickens Optimist Club

Pickens High School senior Nathan Hamilton has been named the school’s 2020 PAGE STAR Student. The Optimist Club of Jasper, the local STAR program sponsor, announced the honor. Hamilton selected Mr. Keith Petty as his STAR Teacher. Petty has taught for 25 years and currently teaches Literature and Composition at PHS.

Nathan is the son of Greg and Kim Hamilton of Jasper, earned the recognition as the STAR Student for academic achievement and performance on the SAT.  

By Tommy Gartrell

Sports Columnist

The Georgia High School Association adjusts regional alignments every two years. With school enrollments fluctuating, this process is designed to maintain fairness in scholastic athletics across the state, so during the 2020-21 school year, Pickens High School moves into a considerably different and geographically broader region.

Several notable changes are in store for the Dragons in 2020. Most notably, Gilmer County and Pickens County are not in the same region or sub-region for the first time since 1972, and for the first time in history, the two schools find themselves in different classifications. Gilmer dropped to triple A.

       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