Thursday, April 8, 2004

Columnist 'right on' for 'courage to share faith'
Editor: Regarding Barbara Seaborn's column, "Arrogant Christians," which appeared in a recent edition of The Columbia County News-Times, I want to say: Right on! You go, girl!

Young man's neatness, respect deserve praise
Editor: I wish to share a rare experience I recently had with an individual in Columbia County.

County will pay higher library-service fees
Columbia County commissioners have reluctantly agreed to pay $67,000 to the East Central Georgia Regional Library System for another year of services.

Singer answers higher calling to release religious-music CD
Lacey Hight never doubted God's plan for her life. And she knew that somehow her singing talent would be her way to spread his message.

County wants precinct redrawn
The legislative map changes might not be over for Columbia County. There's one more detail to take care of, county election officials said.

Experts fight fire with education, sympathy
An entire community suffers because of the death of the Rev. Samuel "Wayne" Bussey and his stepdaughters to a house fire March 23, the Rev. Alexander Ingram said.

Brush with danger
A firefighter from the North Columbia Volunteer Fire Rescue hauls a hose through the heavy brush at the scene of a large woods fire on Burks Mountain Road on Sunday, in rural Columbia County. North Columbia is made up of the former Appling, Leah and Winfield fire departments.

Civic-minded pupils get Fed Up over hunger
Erika Johnson will never look at her mother's stocked pantry the same way again.

Resident considers run for school-board seat
At least one Columbia County school board member may have some competition in the upcoming general election.

Council banquet honors exemplary Boy Scouts
The Georgia-Carolina Council of Boy Scouts of America held its annual banquet March 25 at Wesley United Methodist Church in Evans, handing out awards for excellence, leadership and service.

Cities still wary of fire-service agreement
After finally agreeing with Columbia County officials on how much Harlem and Grovetown fire departments would be paid to service the unincorporated areas of their districts, city officials still are hesitant to sign the newest contract sealing the deal.

Pupils convene mock session of United Nations
It's tough to have the whole world against you.

South Columbia Elementary School honor roll
The following pupils have been named to the third nine weeks A honor roll at South Columbia Elementary School:

Time capsule
As reported 46 years ago inThe Columbia News, April 10, 1958:

Current events
Columbia County's Probate Court, Tax Office and office of the clerk of Columbia County Superior Court will be closed Friday in observance of Good Friday, and reopen April 12.

Pet of the week
This 112- to 2-year-old small female shepherd mix is friendly and available for adoption from Columbia County Animal Care and Control. For more information, call Roman Howerton at 541-4077 or visit www.co.columbia.ga.us and follow the links to Animal Care and Control. Adult animals cost $25 to adopt and the adoption fee for puppies and kittens are $20. All animals must be spayed or neutered.

Riverside Elementary School honor roll
The following pupils have been named to the third nine weeks A honor roll at Riverside Elementary School:

Easter calendar
First Baptist Church of Evans will hold a Good Friday service 7 p.m. Friday at the church, Washington Road at Belair. The church will hold an Easter sunrise service 7:30 a.m. Sunday, followed by breakfast in the fellowship hall. For information, call 863-1228.

Perfect attendance list - Martinez Elementary School
The following pupils had perfect attendance during the third nine weeks at Martinez Elementary School:

Spring carnival
Sean Peterson (from left), 6, Taylor Bash, 21 months, Patrick Christman, 6, and Daniel Christman, 7, dig for treasure during Riverside Elementary Schools Annual Spring Carnival recently. The carnival featured rides, games and contests.

Police blotter
The following accounts were taken from reports filed with the Columbia County Sheriff's Office.

Wisdom from children
"Grown-ups never understand anything for themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them."

Learn rules to know if they're bent
Did you notice, in the Health Department inspections reported in our sister paper the other day, that Augusta's Rhinehart's Oyster Bar got a 91?

Good Friday calls to Christians
The dying breath of a living Lord blew over the arid lands of Palestine 2000 years ago. The one I profess as Lord and Savior hung on a cross and surrendered his spirit to God.

Turtle's tour comes home?
Georgia and Connecticut clashed Monday in college basketball, when the University of Connecticut swatted Georgia Tech in the NCAA men's basketball championship.

Sports briefs
The inaugural J. Strom Thurmond Dam and Clarks Hill Lake 5K Run/Walk will begin at 8:30 a.m. April 17 at Clarks Hill Park Day-Use Area. Participants may register on line at sas.usace.army.mil/50, or pick up applications at the Thurmond Visitors Center at the dam, at Chain Reaction Bicycles in Martinez, or at West Marine on Bobby Jones Expressway. The event marks the 50th anniversary of the dam's construction. For information, call (800) 533-3478, extension 1172.

Close loss stokes soccer rivalry
Augusta Prep and crosstown rival Westminster field exceptional girls' soccer teams this season, but Thursday's close contest did little to determine which is stronger.

Athlete Spotlight
It's not easy being a legend in your spare time, but Eve Machovec and Israel Machovec are managing just fine.

Homer edges Briarwood past Augusta Christian
In spite of losing many of its key players before the start of the season, Augusta Christian Schools continued to show resilience by nearly clawing their way to victory Saturday over the Briarwood Buccaneers, falling 11-10 on a last-inning homer.

Bottom Line: Lets see if prediction streak can stay alive
Well, I'm feeling pretty good about myself after predicting each of the Final Four teams in my March 24 column. I've been patting myself on the back for the last few weeks. So, to keep the self-promotion alive, here are my Masters predictions:

Razorbacks six-run second tames Wolfpack
Cross Creek really wants Greenbrier's Region 3-AAAA crown, and they showed just how badly they wanted it Saturday.

Spoken like a true champion
With the Savannah River in the background, golf legend Arnold Palmer talks about the construction of the nine holes he designed at the Champions Retreat in Evans on Monday afternoon. The other holes were designed by Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.