Time capsule

As reported 27 years ago in the pages of The Columbia News and The Martinez-Evans Times, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 1980:

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County to buy voting machines for election

Columbia County voters will use a new style of voting machine in the Nov. 4 general election. During a meeting Tuesday, Sept. 16, in Martinez, the Board of Commissioners agreed to purchase a new voting machine system with 100 vote recorders at a cost of $225 each, and one ballot tabulator for $19,500.

In a presentation to the board, Tom Blalock, Elections Board director, gave information on the steps that needed to be taken in order for the board to run the election properly.

Blalock said that if the current Shoup lever-type voting machines were to be used, 20 additional machines would have to be purchased at a cost of $64,000, and other improvements would be necessary to enlarge five of the polling places.

Coach victorious

Columbia Junior High defeated Paul Knox 29-0 in its first game of the season Saturday night, giving Lonnie Morris Jr. a victory in his debut as football coach.

Morris, head varsity baseball coach and B-team football coach at Monticello High for the past year, was recently named head football coach and athletic director at Columbia Junior High for the 1980-81 school year.

Society reorganizes

A reorganizational meeting of the Columbia County Historical Society has been scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 18, at 7:30 p.m. at the Board of Education building.

At this meeting the membership will adopt a constitution and bylaws, nominate and elect officers, schedule regular quarterly meeting dates and appoint an attorney to draw up incorporation papers.