Time capsule

As reported 33 years ago in the pages of The Columbia News and The Martinez-Evans Times, Oct. 6, 1971:

Ambulance plan studied

A proposal to have Columbia County absorb some of the expense involved in operating an emergency ambulance service for the county drew support from members of the Board of Commissioners.

The action came after Sheriff Ed Tankersley and Billy Robinson, operator of the county's only 24-hour emergency ambulance service, appeared at the commission meeting to ask for county participation in the project.

Robinson said it costs him more than $1,200 a month to operate the ambulances, and the figure would be double that if it weren't for ambulance attendants who volunteer their services.

County grows

Columbia County has become the fastest-growing county in Georgia.

The census shows an increase in population from 13,423 in 1960 to 22,327 in 1970, an increase of 66.3 percent. Almost all of the increase occurred in the Martinez-Evans area.

Dress-code suit tossed

A federal judge has upheld the Columbia County Board of Education's authority to enforce the school dress code and has dismissed a $1 million suit filed against the board by William Leger Jr., of Martinez.

Judge Alexander A. Lawrence made the ruling at a hearing in Savannah.

Lawrence said enforcement of the dress code was "a school board problem - they're running the schools."

He dismissed two petitions filed by Leger, the father of an Evans High School student who was dismissed from school for six days for refusing to have his hair cut to conform to dress code requirements.

Attorneys for Leger had filed petitions attempting to prevent the school board from enforcing the hair-length regulations against Ricky Leger, an Evans High sophomore. The student's father had sought $1 million in damages for the six days of school his son missed.

The school board was represented by attorney Franklin Pierce, and the attorney for Leger was George Snelling.

Judge Lawrence, who also is presiding over the Richmond County desegregation case, wasn't too happy over having to appear at the hearing.

"As busy as I am," the judge told both parties, "why should I have to decide the length of a boy's hair?"

New field needed

The Martinez-Evans Little League has lost its lease on the baseball field at the rear of the Martinez Volunteer Fire Department. This action reduces the available playing fields to one: Roberts Field in Martinez.

Another field is under construction by the Martinez-Evans Exchange Club on Belair Road, but this field is not lighted and still needs a lot of work to make it ready.