OCT 10 - 24, 2013 VOL. 03 NO.

20

www.the-grip.net ::: free

Store closure brings memories SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: Editor; sheila@the-grip.net an upcoming SPLOST referendum slated for the and sadness for With May 20 general primary ballot, Spalding County resiGriffin residents dents are speaking out in public meetings and on social
ALEXANDER CAIN :::
Editorial Assistant; alexander@the-grip.net

Officials respond to "wish list" criticism; say SPLOST is necessary

JESSICA GREGORY/THE GRIP Though James Jenkins, long time Piggly Wiggly manager and active community member, does not know what his professional future holds, he says he has no plans to leave the Griffin community. "I will find a job in this area," Jenkins said. "My home is here and will still be here."

ing its doors, but the memories and the appreciation of what the business meant to the community will remain. Thats the opinion of store manager James Jenkins, who has been working in the grocery store industry for more than 40 years. Jenkins has been working for what is currently the Piggly Wiggly name since 1994. Hes seen the Griffin store change owners and names many times over the past 20 years. What really stands out about our store in Griffin is
cont, piggy wiggly, P. 2

Tgly store may be clos-

he Griffin Piggly Wig-

media, expressing their opposition to elected officials use of SPLOST funds for nonessential projects. Both city and county officials alike are paying heed to their frustrations while still stressing the crucial role SPLOST plays in the community. One such comment was made by Bobby Peurifoy as he addressed county commissioners, saying, Dont talk about a wish list. Thats the worst sounding thing to me. If we need something, lets go after it, but dont call it a wish list. Call it a dire need. Spalding County Manager William Wilson said county officials are also continuing the project review process, but pointed out one key difference voters will see on the general primary ballot. He said since the approval of the current SPLOST, state legislators have revised the law regarding ballot wording, giving voters more specific information on the matter. Before, we were able to use generic terms transportation improvements, infrastructure improvements, building improvements but now, we have to be more specific, Spalding County Manager William Wilson said. Thats something my commissioners are doing advocating for
cont, SPLOST, P. 2

Solomon Street gets a facelift

Cyclists speak City commissioners vote to decrease millage rate out against SHEILA A. MATHEWS ::: Editor; sheila@the-grip.net taxes, so you have to do what we call a rollback of the millage rate based on the LOST "ludicrous" he Griffin Board of Commissioners on collections, which gives you a net millage legislative effort TTuesday evening approved a millage rate, Smith explained. He said property taxes are dependent rate of 8.611, a decrease of .025 from the to tax bikes upon the overall condition of the commuprevious rate of 8.636.
SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::
Editor; sheila@the-grip.net

icyclists and advocates intermodal transportation statewide have mounted a strong campaign against House Bill 689, which would require the owners of all bicycles whether it belongs to a serious adult rider or a preschooler with pigtails to register them with the state. Although the sponsors of HB 689 intend to respond to the outcry by withdrawing the proposed legislation prior to the beginning of the 2014 legislative session, opponents remain outspoken in their opposition. An avid cyclist, City of Griffin Commissioner Doug Hollberg views the attempt as unnecessary legislation. No, I dont favor registering bicycles. Thats just insanity. Im hopeful our local representatives would have more common sense than to even waste our hardearned money discussing this ludicrous legislation that was being considered, he said. The next thing theyll do is try to tie it into the states trauma centers because cyclists suffer head injuries in accidents. Weve got to figure things out more sensibly and rationally.
cont, bikes, P. 2

Bof

We were able to drop the millage rate a few hundredths of a point. It's not much, but every little bit helps, said Griffin City Manager Kenny Smith, who said the move resulted from somewhat better tax digest coupled with revenue from the Local Option Sales Tax. The tax digest is the total value of all taxable real estate and personal property. Once that value is set, a number of exemptions are applied which lowers the tax digest, the figure upon which property taxes are levied. There are probably a dozen different exemptions you take away like homestead exemption, disabled veterans and historic properties, and you end up with the net digest, he said. According to Smith, the final step in the process the addition of LOST revenue resulted in a rollback millage rate lower than that of Fiscal Year 2013.. The Local Option Sales Tax was basically put in place to basically offset property

nity, and that is where the city has suffered. What people don't understand is that when property depreciates and you don't have business and industry because they've moved out, the tax digest suffers. The goal is to have a healthy digest. That's where we're suffering our digest is not where it needs to be, he said. When you have fewer taxable entities, you have fewer entities to spread the tax amongst. The more businesses, industries and residences, the more you can spread it out. When those decrease, everyone has to pay more to have the same amount of money. Smith acknowledged the outcry of some who say government should reduce spending, and he compared the funding of public services to home budgeting. The difficulty is just like at home deciding what you're going to do without. You have so many different interest groups that it's just difficult to decide what services you're going to do without by trimming services, he said.

JESSICA GREGORY/THE GRIP Demolition on the parking lots and several old city buildings in the Solomon Street block between Fifth and Sixth streets has begun. Only three buildings will remain after the completed demolition; the original City Hall building, the church toward the back of the lot on Broad Street, and the old Spalding County Courthouse (now the 4-H Extension Office). The remainder of the lot will be grassed over, according to City Manager Kenny Smith, and will await further development. At its Sept. meeting, the Downtown Development Authority discussed recommending the restoration of the City Hall building as a SPLOST project. A committee is currently formulating a plan for the project, which will be presented at the DDA meeting on Oct. 15.

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Scarecrows in the UGA Research and Education Garden on West Ellis Road
Scarecrows will be displayed until the Celebration event on Oct. 20 1-4 p.m., a family event with face painting, story telling, pumpkin painting, pumpkin bowling, duck pond fishing, and more.

Voting info & answers from candidates on the challenges Griffin faces; SPLOST & economic development
Read additional questions and answers from candidates online at www.the-grip.net

PO Box 2251, Griffin GA 30224

THE GRIP 770-229-3559

Hours: Tuesday - Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Grip strives for accuracy in all its editorial content. If you have a question, comment, or concern about articles or photos published in The Grip, please do not hesitate to call or e-mail us.

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p. 6&7 Sheila A. Mathews

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Students encouraged to bring devices to help bridge school's digital divide
SHEILA A. MATHEWS :::
Editor; sheila@the-grip.net

Piggly Wiggly, cont.

BYOD - BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE

Though cell phones were previously banned from school property, students are now encouraged to bring internetcapable devices, including smart phones, tablets and laptops, to school. By allowing students to bring these devices, teachers are able to utilize the technology in classrooms while saving the school from purchasing additional equipment. It helps to close that digital divide between the haves and the have-nots, he said, later adding, Ill tell you, if I had this when I was in school, I believe I would have been a better student. Students who bring and use their own personal computing devices will increase the availability of classroom resources for students who do not have personal access to a computer. One factor that officials believe will make BYOD more attractive to parents is that students will not be required to draw from their individual data plans during school use. Theyll be using our Wi-Fi, so they dont even have to use their data plans while theyre using their devices, Smith said. This will reduce additional costs to families. Addressing concerns that students may be distracted from their tasks at hand and will use their devices for non-education related activities while in class, Smith said that will be addressed by educators. I think what youll find is that these students already have these devices, and if they want to use them for other activities,
cont, devices, P. 7

Saging students to BYOD Bring Your

chool administrators are now encour-

Own Devices in an effort to help meet the goal of a 1-to-1 student-computer ratio. According to Griffin-Spalding County School System Director of Technology and Communications Rod Smith, one of the greatest benefits will be the increased learning potential. We used to discourage that, but what youre seeing now is teachers and administrators encouraging students to bring their devices to school. One of the biggest benefits youll hear people talking about in K-12 circles is that it allows students to always be learning. They can look stuff up and communicate with their teachers, he said. This gets us closer in the one-to-one Initiative of trying to place some sort of computing device in every students hands. Included in the BYOD initiative are smart phones, tablets, iPads, iPods and lap tops any device that has Internet capabilities. That becomes easier to achieve because most parents will invest in a mobile device with a data plan rather than, say, a desk top computer that requires AT&T home Internet access, Smith said. That cost barrier drops down significantly. He back up his perspective by stating that 2012 marked the first year that mobile devices outsold PCs, adding, Thats got to say something. Smith said this type of initiation is gaining popularity nationwide, and is particularly beneficial to smaller and economically-disadvantaged school districts. Although he did not have the precise figures available, Smith said the local school system does not meet the one-to-one goal, but that this will help to bridge that gap.

SPLOST, cont.
going into greater detail with regard to the project list. He said the project minutiae is not mandated, but as an example, Wilson said if a transportation project involves intersection improvements, local officials must now inform voters of the specific locations that will be affected. I think voters will see much greater detail for the upcoming SPLOST referendum, he said. Griffin City Manager Kenny Smith responded by stating it all comes down to perspective. I guess it depends on your definition of wish. If

someone lives on a street that needs paving, is that a need or a wish? The issue is weve got some streets that need paving. Well, there are only three choices tax money from the general fund; SPLOST money; or the street doesnt get paved, he said. I dont care which choices people make. Im just saying those are the three choices I have because no one is going to pave the streets for free. With no project list having been finalized, Smith said he understands that people are expressing opposition to it in principle, but that they dont know the specifics of what they will be voting on. To me, its illogical to not want to pay for capital proj-

ects with SPLOST funds, he said. Logic tells you that a portion of it comes from people from outside Spalding County. People from Pike, Upson, Butts and Clayton counties shop in Griffin, too. Although officials are still in the process of determining what projects to include in the SPLOST referendum, Smith said he does not anticipate the inclusion of wish list items. We have enough capital needs projects in Griffin that I dont have to worry about a wish list. It wont be frivolous projects, he said. I just dont want them to call me and say, My street needs to be paved, but I dont want to pay for it, because the paving fairy isnt going to come along overnight and do it for me," Smith said.

I cannot believe they are closing. That was my first job and I worked there almost four years and made a lot of good friends there. that everyone has supported this store over I will definitely miss the store and am very the years. Its a family feeling, Jenkins said sorry to everyone affected by them closing, Facebook user Tiffany Smith posted. in a recent interview with The Grip. Jenkins has been working with local resiBelle Foods, the company that owned Pigdents willing to write, email or phone the gly Wiggly, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 1. The Griffin Piggly Wiggly store Piggly Wiggly owners or the landlords of was bid on along with 43 other stores oper- the shopping center where the grocery ated by Belle Foods at a closed auction as store is located. Although he always apprepart of the bankruptcy proceedings. The ciates hearing support, he also has acceptnew owners made a decision to close the ed the reality of the closure of the business. For the most part, its the location and the Griffin store and an additional Piggly Wigatmosphere. People say that they like it begly store in Athens. cause of the employees generate the family A plane crashed into friendly environment the former Piggly that we provide, JenWiggly building in kins said. Originally, April 1997 shortly afthis was supposed ter the store vacated to have been a Food and moved to its curLion, but they backed rent location, resultout of the lease. At ing in the destructhis moment, no one tion of the vacant has come behind us building and the to fill the location death of both the pithat we are aware. We lot and co-pilot. are also working with It was an empty other grocery stores building at the time, in town and the but people still reGeorgia Department member that as beof Labor to help our ing the Piggly Wiggly current employees store, Jenkins said. find other work in the Despite the tragic area. loss of 1997 and Nan Carley lives many name changes in Griffin and has and different ownshopped at the Pigers over the years, customers still shop ALEXANDER CAIN/THE GRIP gly Wiggly for as long as she can remember. at the Griffin Piggly They have the best Wiggly and theyre Piggly Wiggly's manager, James Jenkins (right) meat in town and its not shy about giving would often personally welcome customers to the the convenience of lotheir reasons for why. store, bag and carry groceries to cars, and take cation. This neighborI come here all the time to chat. hood needs a smaller time. For one, its Mr. grocery store than Jenkins; two, its convenient. This is where we always shop. Its a the bigger mega stores, and there are so small grocery store, not overwhelming and many people in this area. The other stores the manager will even take your groceries are beautiful but they are so big. I hope that out to your car for you. He supports this somebody comes in and takes over for Pigcommunity and we support him and the gly Wiggly. Mr. Jenkins has done more for store. Its really, really sad that its closing, this community than people know about. I Tina Thomas, who lives only a few blocks went home and cried when I saw how vaaway from the Piggly Wiggly store, said af- cant this shopping center is now, Carley said. ter a recent shopping trip. Carley recently stopped by the Piggly Once an announcement was made of the closure, Jenkins quickly began to hear Wiggly just to talk to Jenkins about her comments of support and gratitude from thoughts on the closure of the store. It has become a part of Jenkins daily routine in people like Tina Thomas. The customers walk in the door smiling at recent weeks to greet customers and speak us. We have people who come from Spald- to them for a few moments after groceries ing, Pike and other counties just to shop are bagged and receipts printed from the here. We do it not as a job, but because crash register. Its always been a competitive field bewe care about the consumer. We have had a job because of our loyal customers that cause of ads and other things, but people have gone through multiple buyouts and tell me that they love the store. We have a name changes. I feel we need to give back relationship with our customers and the to the community. Ive wanted to return to community. This has been a part of my life, the community a small portion of what the and it will be a huge loss. Im friends with customers have given to us as a business, many of the people who have come to shop here, Jenkins said. For some people, this is Jenkins stated. Local support of the Piggly Wiggly has the only place where they will shop. even made it onto social media and the Internet. A Facebook group called Save Griffin Piggly Wiggly encourages those who visit the site to write a letter to the company owners.

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be announced in the other two age groups. Also new to the ach year, thousands downtown Halloween of families bring their event is a planned Thriller young ghouls, superheros Dance Performance taking and princesses to 'haunt' place live in the Park at downtown Griffin and go Sixth at 7 p.m. The Griffin trick-or-treating at the Main Street Program many businesses is currently seeking that give out candy dancers to participate and coupons. in this phenomenal Event organizer dance experience, Kenda Woodard, featuring music and Griffin Main Street dance from Michael Director, expects Jacksons Thriller Music participation to be video. Any individuals just as high this year, or groups interested in if not higher due to participating are asked additional events to contact Woodard at and attractions. 770-228-5356, or by From 4-6 p.m. on email at kwoodard@ Halloween, children cityofgriffin.com. 12 and younger Selected dancers dressed in costume will receive a link will begin trickto a specially or-treating at the choreographed dance Park at Sixth and routine, via You Tube hopefully make JESSICA GREGORY/THE GRIP to begin their practice. a loop around A live group rehearsal downtown, ending Caytie Dozier hands out candy in front of Safehouse featuring all dancers back at the park for Coffee Roasters in a past downtown trick-or-treat. will be held Saturday, "Thrillin' in the Park" Oct. 26, at noon at the from 6-7:30 p.m. Griffin Welcome Center, 143 A costume contest N. Hill Street. Families are encouraged to begin at the park to pick up beginning at 6 p.m. will be Businesses that would free maps of participating held at the Park at Sixth like to participate should businesses. This map will for children in three age contact Woodard no later list and show the location of categories; up to 6 years than Oct. 18. Businesses all the participating shops, old, and the first 25 children located outside of the offices and restaurants 7 to 11, and 12 to 15. All walkable downtown area within the walkable, Historic children up to age 6 will are invited to set up tables Downtown area (5th Street receive a small token, and along East Solomon Street. to 9th Street, Taylor Street multiple prize winners will
Publisher; jessica@the-grip.net

Downtown Griffin is where to be for Halloween

JESSICA W. GREGORY :::
to Broad Street, Hill Street, Solomon Street, Wall Street, and Bank Street). The first 400 children will also receive a free trick-or-treat bag, filled with flyers and coupons from participating businesses.

Al childre ar artist . proble i how t remai a artis onc h grow up. -- Picass

classes & parties for children and grown-ups

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Zombies invade Griffin Oct. 26

alexander@the-grip.net

ALEXANDER CAIN :::

Editorial Assistant;

Abeing

Griffin man is hoping a Zombie Walk planned for next month will not only entertain local residents, but also bring attention to downtown businesses and help with donations to local food pantries. Neal Goff is the idea man and creator behind an October 26 Zombie Walk that will take place in Griffin. A Zombie Walk is where participants dress up in as zombies, or walkers, and walk a predetermined route for charity or other purposes. Its something different, theyve been doing them in Atlanta for 10 years for recreation and to have fun, Goff said. Ive lived in Griffin all my life and I enjoy doing these sort of things and helping my community. For 10 years Ive put on music shows in and around Griffin in the Atlanta area. I figured it was a creative way to get people involved and get the attention of the citizens of Griffin. Something thats never been done in Griffin before. There is no cost to participate in the event, although each individual in Griffins Zombie Walk will be required to donate canned goods as part of the event. The collected items will be donated to local food banks and food pantries to help families and individuals in need, according to Goff. We will go through different organizations that we are lining up right now. We will hand off our food donations to them. Zombie Walks tend to be popular among horror enthusiasts. During the event, participants are encouraged to remain in character as zombies and to communicate only in a manner consistent with zombie behavior, sometimes including grunting and groaning. Participants in Zombie Walks usually create their own make-up and travel to the event. Predetermined walking routes ensure that those who become zombies for a few hours do not come in conflict with the public or surrounding areas. When they Zombie Walk in Orlando, they only cross a street so they dont have to shut it down, Ronnie Fox with Griffins Haunted Theatre On Hill Street, and an experienced Zombie Walk participant, said.

We take multiple insurance plans, including VSP, Eyemed, Spectera, Superior Vision, and Medicare

The poster and t-shirt design for the Zombie Walk, drawn by Tyler Merritt at Georgia State University. Griffins Zombie Walk already has a route designated and meetings with local police have ensured that safety will be the first concern, according to Goff. Goff received permission from Food Depot grocery store to use the area in front of the Dollar General. The route plans to come out of parking lot and use sidewalks on Taylor Street into downtown Griffin. Goff hopes that once persons reach the end of the route that they will visit local businesses and draw attention to the stores through the unusual make up and the fact that the event is taking place around the time of Halloween. The response to the Griffin Zombie Walk is so much more then I could have ever asked. It is blowing my mind how well of a response this event is getting. People are excited about it, especially with The Walking Dead being recently filmed in Griffin. The event on Facebook has gotten triple the attention I ever thought it would get, Goff stated. For more information on the Griffin Zombie Walk, visit the organizations Facebook page at facebook.com/griffinzombiewalk or email griffinzombiewalk@gmail.com.

Dr. Terry H. Wynne 112 W Oak St. Griffin, GA 30224 (770) 227-2924

Tyler Carpenter Agency

410 E. Taylor St Ste Q Grin, GA 30223 (770) 229-7240 www.tylercarpenteragency.com

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LIFESTYLES

What to look for when choosing a protein bar

should eat a minimum of 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight daily. Thats about 58 grams for a 160-pound adult. Eating enough protein is essential when main We care about your familys safety taining a healthy diet and your body burn fat 279A Wilson Rd, Griffin 770-227-4580 helps and builds muscle. Protein rich foods include meats, poultry, fish, and eggs which are the main staple foods of the American diet. When youre in a rush, and dont have time for a full meal, one option that NEW LOCATION you may decide to turn to is a protein bar. Or in some ON TAYLOR ST. cases, you may just find that there is one particular protein bar that you find abWe assist clients with solutely delicious because a wide variety of legal some of them taste just like needs including: candy bars! If you are trying personal injury, to add more protein into wrongful death, your diet, eating a protein criminal defense, divorce, child custody bar as a meal supplement and child support, or snack can quickly elevate collections, local your protein intake, but government issues, how do you know if you are ATTORNEYS wills and estates, choosing a good one? education law, Timothy N. Shepherd contract disputes and Its important that you other civil litigation. always look at the calorie Patrick M. Shepherd level of the protein bar because they can be highly variable, all the way from 612 West Taylor Street, Griffin | 770-229-1882 a mere 70 calories to massive 484 calories. If the bar www.shepherdslaw.com is greater than 300 or more it is labeled as a meal replacement, and if it is less than 250 it can be a supplement or a quick snack. If youre on a fat loss diet, consuming a 400 calorie protein bar isnt exactly going to make fat loss easy. If you only have a total of 1200 calories that day to Where French Country take in, thats a third wasted meets Vintage Industrial on a snack! Youre better off satisfying those 400 calories with a full plate of food Trust us for all of your transmission and auto repair needs.

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NUTRITION
that might be something like six ounces of fish, half a cup of whole grain rice, and two cups of steamed green vegetables. The next thing to look at is the carbohydrates. If you are looking to lose fat, or have diabetes and are watching blood sugar, you dont want to go much over about 30 grams of carbs per bar, and even that could even be too high, depending on your overall diet recommendation from your healthcare team. If youre using the bar directly after exercising, then you are allowed more carbohydrates since the key objective at that time is to maintain a consistent carbohydrate intake. After checking out the calorie and carb information, look down and look through the ingredients list. The big thing to watch for here is the form of carbohydrates contained in the protein bar. If possible, you want to avoid a long list of ingredients that you cant pronounce and high amounts of added preservatives or sugars like highfructose corn syrup. Some protein bars have high amounts of sugar, which can be unhealthy, increase

blood sugar, and distract from weight loss goals. The protein content should be higher than the sugar content, and there should be no more than 10 grams of sugar per serving. Be careful, because some protein bars are more than one serving. The last thing to pay attention to is the fat content. Its a good idea to find a bar that does contain some fat since this will slow down the release of the carbs into the blood stream and make it more balanced overall,

but you want to just watch the level of saturated or tans fat, aiming to keep those as low as possible. You want saturated fat to be one gram or less, and trans fat to be zero grams and to have no partial hydrogenated oils in the ingredients. When in doubt for protein sources, the best choices are always lean meats, nuts, fish, eggs, and low fat dairy without the added ingredients to help make a more satisfying meal that keeps you fuller, longer.

Humane Society Adoptable Pet of the Week: Roxy

Sis one smart little girl.

ay hello to Roxy. She

She has learned in a matter of days to use a doggy door. She is a beautiful girl with a pretty coat. I believe she is shepherd mixed with some sort of spaniel. She is about 8 months old right now and is current on shots and worming. She is also spayed. She loves to play, loves other dogs and kitties and wants to be with you wherever you are. She is still puppy so will need lots of attention and monitoring for a bit longer. Please contact us at griffinhumanesociety@yahoo.com if you are interested in her.

A Gift Shoppe

SPALDING COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER ADOPTIONS

There are also many "last chance pets" available for adoption at the Spalding County Animal Shelter located at 208 Justice Boulevard in Griffin. Adoption fees are $30 for Spalding County residents and $35 for non-residents. This does not include spay/neuter or shots.To view those animals, visit www.spaldingcountyanimalshelter.com.

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Life insurance:

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If your employer offers life insurance as a benefit, and you havent already signed up for it, consider adding it during your open enrollment period because life insurance can be important to your familys financial security. If you

FINANCIAL ADVISOR
already have life insurance with your employer, you may want to take the time, during open enrollment, to review your beneficiary designations. If youve experienced a change in your family situation, such as divorce or remarriage, youll want to update your beneficiaries, as needed. However, the amount of life insurance offered by your employer in a group policy may not be sufficient for your needs, so you may want to consult with a financial professional to determine if you should add private, or individual, coverage. You may find that individual coverage is comparable, in terms of cost, to your employers coverage. Also, individual coverage is portable that is, you can take it with you if you change jobs.

Your employer may also offer disability insurance as a low-cost benefit. The coverage can be invaluable. In fact, nearly one in three women, and about one in four men, can expect to suffer a disability that keeps them out of work for 90 days or longer at some point during their working years, according to the Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education (LIFE). Again, as was the case with life insurance, your employers disability policy may not be enough for your needs, so you may need to consider additional coverage.

Disability insurance:

Retirement plan:

Your employer may offer a 401(k) or similar retirement plan, such as a 403(b) plan, if you work for an educational institution or a nonprofit organization, or a 457(b) plan, if you work for a governmental unit. All these plans offer the chance to contribute pretax dollars; so the more you put in, the lower your taxable income. Equally important, your earnings can grow tax deferred, which means your money can accumulate faster than if it were placed in an account on which you paid taxes every year.

Consequently, try to contribute as much as you can possibly afford to your 401(k) or other employersponsored plan. If youve gotten a raise recently, consider boosting your contributions during open enrollment. Also, take this opportunity to review the array of investments youve chosen for your 401(k) or other plan. If you feel that theyre underperforming and not providing you with the growth opportunities you need, you may want to consider making some changes. You might also think about making adjustments if your portfolio has shown more volatility than the level with which you are comfortable. Your financial professional can help you determine if your investment mix is still suitable for your goals, risk tolerance and time horizon. Open enrollment season gives you the perfect opportunity to maximize those benefits offered to you by your employer. So, think carefully about what youve got and what improvements you can make it will be time well spent.
This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor.

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LIFESTYLES 5

What is going to happen to my insurance rates?

Question: I thought the President said that we could keep our current insurance plan and our current doctor, and that rates would fall as insurance became more affordable. Now I am reading that due to Obamacare, none of that is true, and my rates are going to be much higher. Why is all this happening? Vermont, Wyoming, Mississippi, Alaska, and Indiana. As to the promise of keeping your current plan or current doctor, this cannot be guaranteed, either. Some have asserted that Obamacare will narrow your choices of doctors because the doctors are forced to compete for lower reimbursement, so prices for care will be driven down. The reality, however, is that many physicians are recognizing that they simply wont be able to stay in practice with the shrinking reimbursements. The overhead of having an office, equipment, staff, liability insurance, utilities, and other items will make it increasingly difficult to make ends meet. Many will opt for a career change or early retirement, possibly including your own. The good news for you if you lose your doctor is that you may get a nurse practitioner instead for your primary care. They are educated with graduate degrees (which a medical degree is not), independently licensed, and typically very thorough. These dedicated professionals will stand in the gap for routine care. Your current insurance plan is certainly at risk. Obamas stated goal is to do away with commercial insurance in favor of a single payer system, which is full socialized medicine, government controlled. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid stated recently for PBS Nevada Week In Review that Obamacare was absolutely a step in a strategy to move to a single payer system. Reid stated that Progressives argued for a public option, which is the single payer system, when the exchanges were passed. It was to be a Trojan horse for introducing the single payer system for the ultimate removal of the private insurance industry. In short, I think that if Obamacare stands, the entire private insurance industry is doomed because the government does not have to make a profit to compete. It can just print more money and run deficits for your children to pay. This creates an unlevel playing field that the government will will. So, I think your rates will skyrocket, and you will get less for your money. Your provider will almost certainly change. You will be forced to pay for others care through your increase premiums while giving up the quality of care you always assumed as an American citizen. Government will soon make your health decisions and have control of your private health information though an agency clearly hostile to half the population. It makes you wonder how any of this could happen in America. I anticipate an IRS audit for saying all of this. Stay healthy. For this and more health and healthcare-related columns from Dr. Bob, visit www. IrisCityChiro.com.

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bling, indeed. Insurance theory might be trace to Chinese traders around 3,000 BC. They insured themselves against loss by literally spreading risk. A large load of goods for trading might be loaded onto multiple ships for transit so that the loss of any one ship would not be catastrophic or total. Thus, managing risk means spreading it so that it is borne by many. The assumption in the Affordable Care Act was that large numbers of young, healthy people who do not consume much in the health care marketplace would buy insurance in the exchanges rather than pay the fine, tax, penalty, or shared sacrifice payment, thus spreading the risk to people who would pay for high consumers. This is not holding true. The remaining participants in the risk pool are older, sicker, and higher risk, thus more expensive. Without large numbers of young people to pay the bill, the actuarial assumptions are not met. A corollary of this discussion is that Obamacare was designed to be built on the backs of young adults.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

The American Action Forum reports, Due to the ACAs sweeping market reforms, rates for low-premium plans have increased exponentially between 2013 and 2014. In fact, on average, a healthy 30 year old male nonsmoker will see his lowest cost insurance option increase 260%. This rate hike will be seen in all fifty state and the District of Columbia. Rates in South Carolina will nearly triple. Young people in Vermont will see the highest rate hike at about 600% of pre-Obama rates. Medicare actuaries place the cost of Obamacare at $621 billion over ten years. If you divide that by the number of people paying into the system, you arrive at the number you hear on the television and radio discussions. Instead of a promised $2,500 savings per year, a family of four will pay an extra $7,450 per year to keep coverage. Here in Georgia, premium increases will be among the highest dollar increase, along with Vermont, Nebraska, Arkansas, and Wisconsin.

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God gives do-overs with every new morning

Rkid playing one of those recess
emember when you were a games, and someone would yell, DO OVER! And, usually he got his do-over? Lifes not always so simple. There have been many times in my thirty-eight years I wish I could do over. Like the time I told my parents I was going to see Driving Miss Daisy with friends, and I cruised up and down Taylor Street instead. My mom (and self-appointed PI) asked me which theater the movie was playing in at the classic Parkwood cinema. The left theater, center theater, or right theater? The, the, the left! I answered. How could I not know it was the center? After all, the movie was filmed in my hometown. Why wouldnt it take center stage? I wish I could do that one over. It would have saved me two weeks of grounding. Id also like a do-over on the time I colored my hair orange, my last speeding ticket, and probably the who stands over us with a giant rock, ready to crush it on our little heads. A God whose wrath is fierce. A God who positions Himself to punish His children at a moments notice. Thats not Him. Its not His character. At the second we ask Him to create a clean heart in us, He does. He is a God who loves. A God who forgives. We dont have to earn it. We dont have to work for it. We dont have to climb a ladder to get to Him. We dont have to do enough. Be enough. We already are enough. Because, the Creator of all things dwells within us. In Him, we get a do-over every morning. A brand new twenty-four. And, there are days I certainly need a new morning. So, I can rest in His mercies that never, ever fail me. And, you can rest in them, too. Because of the Lords great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

Vote Dick Morrow

Doing more with less
No tax increases in eight years of service. Repaved 42 miles of city streets Reduced yard waste fee by 16% Rebuilt electric infrastructure and cut loss by 50% Reduced avg power outage time by 50% Coordinated blighted housing removal 8 years of Excellence in Financial Reporting

City of Gri n Board of Commissioners

DUSTY TAKLE
EAGLE'S WAY ASSOCIATE PASTOR

RELIGION/RELATIONSHIPS
chips and queso I ate yesterday. Oh, who am I kidding? Id so eat the chips and queso again today. Point is, we all have something in life wed like to get a do-over on. For most of us, they are not things as trivial as mentioned above. Wed like a do-over on a friendship, a marriage, a job, a conversation, a poor response. And, while we cant get do-overs on those things, we do get a do-over every day with God. Many people think we serve a God

If you want to continue e cient, cost-e ective city government, vote for Dick Morrow. November 5, 2013

District 5

Early voting Oct. 14 - Nov 1

Vote Ryan McLemore ::: City Commissioner, District 3

If re-elected as District 3 City Commissioner, I will continue to:
Be a faithful and conservative caretaker of your tax dollars Address citizen concerns in a timely fashion Actively promote Gri n in a positive, professional manner to attract new business and expand our tax base Work hard to the improve the aesthetics of Gri n Restore communities through the elimination of blight Be an avid supporter of the expansion of UGA-Gri n and Southern Crescent Please do not hesitate to contact me by calling 678-603-2116 or email WhartonGA@aol.com. I appreciate the opportunity to earn your vote!

6 COMMUNITY

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OCT 10-24, 2013

calendar :::
Friday, October 11 & 12; Ghosts presented by Griffin Ballet Theatre; Griffin Auditorium on Taylor Street; 7:30 p.m.; for more information visit griffinballettheatre.org. Saturday, October 12; Youth Fishing Event; Wyomia Tyus Park; 8:30-11:30 a.m.; ages 5 to 12; Register online at www.spaldingparksandrec. com. Thursday, October 17; Jubilation presented by Griffin Choral Arts; Griffin Auditorium; 7 p.m. Friday, October 18; Haunted Theatre on Hill Street opens; 8 p.m. - 11 p.m.; 111N Hill Street in Griffin; for more information visit www. thehauntedtheatre.org.

Saturday, October 19; GRIPtoberfest; 1-11 p.m.; The Pavilion on Aerodrome Way; fundraiser for food Backpacks for Kids program; music, food and seasonal craft beer. Sunday, October 20; Scarecrows in the Garden; UGA Research and Education Garden on West Ellis Road; scarecrows will be displayed until the Scarecrow Celebration event on Oct. 20 1-4 pm, a family event with face painting, hair decorating, story telling, cookie decorating, bracelet making, pumpkin painting, pumpkin bowling, duck pond fishing, and more. Children are invited to wear fun and zany costumes for an afternoon of activities and treats. Saturday, October 26; GriffinSpalding Humane Society

Chili Cook-off; 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.; The Pavilion on Aerodrome Way; chili, good music and a good cause. Friday, October 25; Nightmare on Meriwether Street; 7:30 p.m.; Bailey-Tebault House; Costume Party to benefit the Griffin Spalding Historical Society! $50 in advance/$60 at the door. Advance tickets are available for purchase at Dry Falls Outfitters. Saturday, October 26; First Annual Griffin Zombie Walk; canned food donations required as entry fee; walk begins at Food Depot at 3 p.m. and ends downtown. For more events, visit The Grip's calendar at www.the-grip.net/ community-calendar.

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Last week's results:
If one existed, would you take advantage of a fixedroute bus system in Griffin or Spalding County?
Yes 56% No 44%

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platforms of candidates running for Griffin Board of Commissioners seats, we emailed each of them the following questions for publication in this edition: - What do you see as the greatest challenge facing the city of Griffin? - Do you have a plan to stimulate economic development? - Do you support this SPLOST and if so, what projects would you support for recommendation? Due to space limitations, we limited each candidate's response to 350 total words. The Grip also advised each candidate that we would not edit these responses for content, grammar or punctuation. Each candidate was also given the opportunity to answer an additional set of questions, listed below. If the candidate submitted responses, the answers appear on our website at www.the-grip.net. QUESTIONS FOR ONLINE FORUM: - What are your qualifications to serve as a commissioner? - In what ways are you now civically involved in the community? - Substandard housing has been identified as one of Griffins biggest problems in housing studies and anecdotally. Do you believe the current measures (The Landbank Authority, increased code enforcement, city demolitions and blight tax) are sufficiently addressing the problem? - Griffins overall Part 1 crime rate remains higher than state and national averages. What steps would you support to improve those numbers?

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Nov. 5 Griffin Municiple Election Information & Candidate Q&A n an effort to provide our readers unopposed I and Griffin voters insights into the District 1: Cynthia Reid Ward (I) GRIFFIN BOC CANDIDATES
District 1: Cynthia Reid Ward (I) (unopposed) District 3: Ryan McLemore (I) & Holly Murray District 5: Cindy Mangham and Dick Morrow (I) District 6: Shaheer Beyah (I) & Rodney McCord Cynthia Reid Ward declined to submit responses since she is running unopposed. "I'm going to act like every other commissioner that's not on the ballot," she explained when contacted by The Grip. Reid Ward will not be on a ballot because Georgia law allows unopposed races to be canceled. Elections supervisor Terry Colling explains that the law assumes that at least the unopposed candidate would vote for him or herself. "We cancel the election...That's a good thing, because we don't have to print ballots and we can close a precinct. While I think that everyone should have opposition because that's the way our system was designed, this allows us to save a little money," said Colling. Cynthia Reid Ward

VOTING INFORMATION
Early voting begins Oct. 14 and will be an option for all districts until Nov. 1 and can be done at the elections office at 819 Memorial Drive from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. On the election day, Nov. 5, citizens must visit their regular precinct to vote. To find out where you vote, visit http://mvp.sos. state.ga.us.

District 3: Ryan McLemore (I) | Holly Murray

CHALLENGE: I believe our greatest challenge is making our city attractive enough Ryan McLemore for people who work in Griffin to choose to live and stay in Griffin. We can talk about jobs and workforce development as a major challenge, but if people who work here do not choose to live here, we are not making much progress. The challenge requires improvement in a number of areas. These include creating an environment where people feel safe, bringing in more retail shopping, maintaining stable housing values, providing opportunities for people to have a sense of belonging and community pride, focusing on aesthetics, and establishing an environment for families. the expansion of UGA-Griffin and Southern Crescents instructional programs. An influx of thousands of students and staff will dynamically improve our local economy and quickly change the landscape of our community. Third, provide the infrastructure for industry and offer attractive incentive packages so that we remain competitive as a potential site for development. The city has always been willing to go further with incentives when the opportunities to compete arise. By being proactive, our community has had $189 million in investment since 2011, including investments from Caterpillar and Hoshizaki, but we still have a long way to go. SPLOST: I support the concept of SPLOST because cities and counties have very few mechanisms to tackle projects for public safety, infrastructure, and economic development from general revenues. I support public safety projects such as modernizing the fire department, installing alarm sirens for weather events, and improving roads. I support funding for the elimination of blighted properties because of their effect on neighborhoods, crime, aesthetics, and indirectly, economic development. And I support projects that expand the UGA-Griffin campus and Southern Crescent campus into unused commercial space for the purpose of obtaining the economic development benefits that come along with increasing student populations while, at the same time, restoring our commercial corridors. CHALLENGE: The greatest challenge facing the City of Griffin begins with attracting growth Holly Murray with our struggling image. Griffins growth in the past 20+ years has been limited to a variety of discount, pawn and gold stores. Lack of owner occupied homes have increased crime rates, inhibited school system performance and left vacant buildings. CEOs consider these factors when
cont, murray, P. 7

CITY OF GRIFFIN DISTRICT MAP

To view this map, visit www.cityofgriffin.com > government > view map of city commission and districts.

- Many residents have expressed concern with utility rates and the lack of DEVELOPMENT: My vision has competition. How do you respond to always been three-fold. First, systematically elimithem? nate blighted properties - Would you support the combination and replace the blight with a higher standard of redevelof some city and county services? opment. Second, support

OCT 10-24, 2013

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continued: Candidate Q&A

Murray, cont.
relocating. Businesses not selecting Griffin, cited demographic studies as the reason. These factors mask Griffins true potential. DEVELOPMENT: My plan to stimulate economic development for Griffin is to support code enforcement to better regulate sub-standard housing and work with property owners to improve conditions, thereby stimulating our economy and revitalizing neighborhoods. Seizing and demolition of properties should be the last resort as this removes property off the digest, leading to undesirable vacant lots. Also, I plan to make Griffin a small business hub. We have a reputation of having too many barriers when locating small businesses in existing commercial properties. If we give incentives to large anchor businesses, we should do the same for small businesses. With too many regulations, from site studies, sign fees and required restoration, we are preventing our own growth. SPLOST: SPLOST is a County project and the beauty of being a referendum is that majority rules. The people decide if these projects are a benefit for our community. With my career in physical fitness, I support some listed projects with SPLOST. Griffin has one of highest percentages of obese adolescents in the State. Schools no longer require daily gym classes so our parks are the best source for our youths to stay fit and out of trouble. After being a volunteer soccer coach for past five years, I support the need for additional lights at the soccer complex. We also need an aquatic center for Griffin. Three surrounding counties already have these as they are the future. With 2 kids on our local swim team for years, I see the opportunities that exist from year round classes for all ages and hosting statewide events. This would bring people from every County in Georgia, stimulating tourism and our economy.

District 5: Cindy Mangham | Dick Morrow (I)

Cindy Mangham photo not provided As of press deadline, Mangham had not responded to multiple email requests and calls for responses to The Grip's questions. The Grip emailed all candidates on Monday, Sept. 30 and asked for responses by Monday, Oct. 7. ment happen. We dont have a shortage of plans, we have a shortage of execution. A strong citizen support component can change that. SPLOST: I have always supported SPLOST and will again. It is an excelDick Morrow lent way to build needed infrastructure and community facilities without using property tax. But, I believe SPLOST should only be used for the priority need items. This upcoming SPLOST should, even more than ever, be limited to basic items and not contain anything else. Road, street, and bridge maintenance and rehabilitation should be first and foremost. Our aging infrastructure could soon begin detracting from our ability to attract business and industry if left unattended. Griffin badly needs a new fire station to service growth on the UGA and SCTC campuses and to the north. This is a difficult economy and SPLOST should concentrate on only the must have priority projects to help with the economic growth challenge.

CHALLENGE: I believe our greatest challenge is fear itself to paraphrase President Roosevelt. This city has thousands of hard working people of faith, great assets, and a future as strong as we will make it. Sadly, I hear too often: We cant. It wont work. They wont come The long difficult national economic travail has our spirits depressed. We must get up and forge ahead. Its time for the quiet majority to stand up and collectively say We Can and make the future as bright and prosperous as it can be. With strong citizen participation and support, this city can achieve any goal. DEVELOPMENT: We have a multi-faceted plan for growth involving: the UGA Griffin Campus, Southern Crescent Technical College, an excellent Development Authority with a newly opened industrial park to add to the three others already populated with industries, a great water supply, plenty of electricity, good surface transportation, people ready and willing to work and many other valuable assets. When the silent majority stands up, speaks out, and gets engaged, we can collectively tell the world what a great place our community is and together we can make economic develop-

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District 6: Shaheer Beyah (I) | Rodney McCord

CHALLENGE: I see several challenges facing Griffin. One challenge is the lack of competitive paying jobs. Shaheer Beyah A n o t h e r challenge is the lack of adult leadership and support for our youth. We need to show support to the younger generation and help them develop a sense of pride for their communities. We need to encourage them to be successful, get an education and return to Griffin to live and make this a better place live, work and raise families. DEVELOPMENT: Yes, I do have plans to stimulate economic development. I want to utilize the UGA Griffin campus to stimulate growth. I visualize Griffin becoming a college town. Some of the benefits of becoming a college town are an increase in jobs, businesses, and affordable housing. SPLOST: I am aware that SPLOST offers some benefits; however, I do feel that the concerns voiced by many citizens against SPLOST are valid. I would like to see the proposed projects to go forth in a manner that would be favorable to the majority of the citizens. Rodney McCord (photo not provided) CHALLENGE: The greatest challenge for our city is attracting industry and removing blight. DEVELOPMENT: In order to stimulate the economy it takes the entire Board working together with members of the Spalding County Commission and the GriffinSpalding School Board. One elected official is not capable of changing the state of Griffins economy without help from fellow board members. So my plan is to work with everyone in order to make Griffin the best that it can be. SPLOST: Current officials have not defined a final project list, but if elected I will support items that are vital to the citizens. At least HB689 got people talking about how youre not going to be able to get rid of bikes, so you may as well incorporate them into your plan, Cannon said. She said she is aware of the belief held by some that as intermodal transportation grows, some lawmakers are seeking out methods to have cyclists fund bike lanes and other cycling transportation projects. There are some states that have successfully implemented a user fee into the sale of bikes. There are some successful models for bike taxes and revenue-generating things, she said. But Ive never met anyone who said, Im not taxed enough, so please take some more. Some proponents of such measures point to the gasoline tax as the primary funding source for transportation infrastructure projects, but Cannon views this as an unequal comparison. I think cyclists contribute to the economy in other ways, so I dont think thats an apples-to-apples comparison, she said. But if you could guarantee me that paying a one-time user fee would get me the things I want bike lanes, racks, sharrows and signs I wouldnt be opposed to it.

770-229-2077 | 108 N. Hill Street, Downtown Griffin

devices, cont.
theyre going to. Some people are afraid to make that shift, and part of that is true students are going to use the devices for some other purposes, he said. The burden is on the teachers to provide the motivation to use if for educational purposes. In addition, Board of Education Chairman James Westbury has requested that Superintendent Dr. Curtis Jones conduct research with technology-related companies to determine if there are any potential partnerships that can be forged. Westbury said the goal would be to obtain additional technology for the school system at reduced prices.

bike tax, cont.

Michelle Cannon, who chairs the Bike and Pedestrian subcommittee of the GriffinSpalding Area Transportation Committee, said she views HB689 as a fishing expedition with the wrong bait. She referenced a town hall meeting held Monday evening in Hall County, during which the bills sponsor stated it was never his intention to charge a bicycle registration fee, but rather to open dialogue on cycling. They never should have wasted peoples time by introducing legislation they didnt intend to follow through on, she said. There are a lot better ways to start a discussion. Despite the legislators later claims, Cannon views the defunct bill as an effort to generate revenue. My opinion is that government at all levels, local, state and federal, are desperate for money. They will do anything they can to create fee-based revenue, she said. I think this was an attempt to gauge whether or not they could pass a bill to get money from cyclists. Despite her full opposition, she said the failed effort did have one positive effect.

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