What’s your favorite? Mark your ballot to select the best in Northwest Georgia Page 7A The Daily Citizen THE SUNDAY CITIZEN Sunday,May 31, 2009 •Dalton, Georgia • www.daltondailycitizen.com • $1.25 County ambulance-shopping THINGS TO CHECK Medical Services through a con- stand,”commission chairman Whitfield taking bids tract with the county Board of Mike Babb said. “It’s doing due OUT Commissioners. Whitfield EMS is diligence to make sure we under- a part of Hamilton Health Care stand what we’re getting for what ON THE System. we’re paying for it. We’ve always 3 INSIDE for less costly services Now, county officials want to used the hospital, yet surrounding see what else is out there. The counties have chosen to go in a dif- BY JAMIE JONES lance service begaN in Whitfield county is competitively bidding ferent direction. They’ve looked at [email protected] County in the 1960s. But since Jan. emergency ambulance service in using private ambulance services.” 1, 1986, most emergency and non- Single gives Arizona 3-2 hopes of saving money while still The county is paying Whitfield emergency medical calls and win over Atlanta Braves in Four funeral homes and a stable providing a high level of care. Bids ambulance transports have been 11 innings. of hearses. are due June 24. ➣ That’s how professional ambu- provided by Whitfield Emergency “You’ve gotta know where you Please see EMS, 2A See page 1B Artist and Dalton native Del Martin “comes home” Airport for a one-woman art exhi- bition. See page 9A shows off A healthy General Motors may not be in Detroit’s future. facilities See page 4A BY JAMIE JONES FROM TODAY’S [email protected] Brandon Roberts didn’t have to talk FORUM his 6-year-old son into taking his first plane ride. Ryker Roberts was ready “I know for a fact the lawn for the adventure. crews are at West Hill “He liked it,” Cemetery everyday, rain or his father, shine, and they do their BrandoN best. If people expect Roberts said, graves to be kept nicely moments after they ought to minimize the touching down clutter around the graves.” at Dalton Municipal “Isn’t it against the law to Airport. “He drive a Whitfield County was a little bus and talk on a cell speechless and didn’t know what to do phone at the same time?” with the headset on and everything, but he thought it was pretty cool.” See page 2A MATT HAMILTON/The Daily Citizen Crystal Air,the new airport man- agement company, held an open house Saturday to show off the facility and WEATHER Memorable Moment introduce the company to Dalton. Forecast: Mostly sunny Today’s High: 88 Northwest High School senior Marteki Codjoe wipes away tears after getting emotional Tonight’s Low: 56 during her salutatorian speech Saturday morning at the trade center. ➣ Please see AIRPORT, 3A Details, Page 10A INSIDE Murray senior plans career Classified..............5D Comics.............Inside Crossword..............2C in Navy as nuclear engineer Dear Abby................5C Horoscope...............5C BY RACHEL BROWN graduates today. Instead of college, he Lottery..................2A [email protected] plans to become a nuclear engineer in the United States Navy. He’ll report for active Obituaries..................9A Glenn Adair says he heard it all through duty Dec. 22, he said, and will undergo Opinion...................4A high school — Murray County students two months of basic training in Chicago, Real Estate.................1D are a bunch of idiot hicks who don’t grad- then he’ll spend two years in a college-like Sports......................1-6B uate. military school in Charleston, S.C. “Most of all I had to do is just over- Adair said he never seriously consid- come the challenges of people around me,” ered college or had a clear post-high he said. “Murray County is actually not so school goal until sometime in his junior or MATT HAMILTON/The Daily Citizen bad. We’ve got some of the greatest teach- senior year. Music was his main interest ers that personally I’ve ever had the pleas- Glenn Adair,who graduates Murray High today, ure of being in their class.” plans to become a nuclear engineer after he ➣ Please see MURRAY, 6A The Murray County High School senior joins the U.S. Navy. 7 69847 00002 3 Young mom determined to get diploma BY RACHEL BROWN judge you for that — like born. [email protected] extremely.” Today,she graduates with Steadman said she put up with about 15 other Mountain Creek Toni Makale Winkler snubs because of her pregnancy students in a combined ceremony Steadman wasn’t going to leave and snide remarks about her with Murray High. her newborn, but she wasn’t weight, but when a female stu- Her husband, Leighton going to quit school either. dent shoved her against a wall at Steadman, will graduate from Steadman discovered she was the end of her second trimester, Murray High. The couple mar- pregnant her second week of sen- she decided to leave. Steadman ried May 23 and plan to attend ior year,and her daughter, said she also wanted to finish Reinhardt College in the fall. Come by and see Adison, was born April 10. school before her child was born. Steadman said she enjoyed Jennifer Hughes “I went to Murray (County So she enrolled in Mountain the closeness among students and High School) like up until Creek Academy where she com- faculty at Mountain Creek. halfway through this last semes- pleted her requirements through Teachers focused on helping stu- or MATT HAMILTON/The Daily Citizen ter,” she said, “and when I went a computer-based curriculum dents finish school, but some also Laura Martin Leighton and Makale Steadman to Murray,really it was just a lot that allowed her to work at a faster pace. She finished more fordetails. hold their baby Adison. The couple of drama. People really just look ➣ graduates high school today. at you a lot different, and they than two weeks before Ady was Please see GRADUATE, 6A Great Steaks & Hours: Sun.-Thur.11am-10pm Fri. &Sat. 11 am -11pm “All YouCan North Cleveland Hwy. Dalton Moo Eat Buffet” www.daltonwesternsizzlin.com The Daily Citizen lOTTERY WINNING NUMBERS – FOR MAY 30 ATYOUR Georgia: Midday Cash 3: 6-6-7, Cash 4: 8-7-4-7, Evening Cash 5-4-5 PAGE 2 Win for Life: 6-14-20-22-31-32 Free Ball: 8 SERVICE Tennessee: Midday Cash 3: 4-3-2, Lucky Sum: 9; Cash 4: 1-2-8-9, Lucky Sum: 20, Evening Cash 3: 1-9-3, Lucky Sum: 13; Cash 4: 4-1-7-2, Lucky Our mailing address: Sum: 14 2A Sunday, May 31, 2009 P.O. Box 1167 Dalton, Ga. 30722-1167 Our shipping address: TODAY’S FORUM EMS: Looking for best deal 308 S. Thornton Ave. Dalton, Ga. 30720 Editor’s note: Please spectful to take a flag in and ➣ Continued from page 1A (because of Whitfield EMS’ pay for and we need to get keep your comments as have it mildew on you. There Our Web site: affiliation with the hospi- the best value for the money brief as possible. Get to the are more than 100 hours put EMS $632,220 plus provid- tal).” being paid.” www.daltondailycitizen.com point! Longer comments into celebrating Memorial ing an $85,000 Type 3 ambu- The decision to competi- In 2008, Whitfield 911 should be submitted as let- Day,getting the lawn ready lance for the period from tively bid the ambulance dispatched 10,756 incidents ters to the editor. If you and putting the flags out after July 2008 through next Our offices are located on the service hasn’t been a secret. to Whitfield EMS. There include a name, please spell they’re dried out. Positive month. The county owns the west side of the intersection of Talks surfaced last winter were 7,449 non-emergency it. Call 706-272-7748 to comments would be appreci- eight ambulances Whitfield Thornton Avenue and Morris when county officials were transports dispatched by reach Today’s Forum. ated. Your help would be EMS uses. Street in downtowN Dalton. working on the 2009 budget. Whitfield EMS last year. appreciated. We only do this Rick Cobb, Whitfield We’re open 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. By bidding out the service, Through the first three “George W. Bush and Vice six times a year.” EMS director,said the Monday through Friday. county administrator Bob months of 2009, 911 dis- President Cheney were two of agency will bid for the serv- McLeod estimates saving patched 2,777 incidents to How to call us: the greatest leaders this coun- “Billy Joel is the greatest ice. He believes 23 years of $150,000 for the second half Whitfield EMS and there try’s ever had and for people singer in the history of the experience and its relation- of this year. were 1,952 non-emergency MaiN number: 706-217- to not even know it, it shows world. Do you agree?” ship with the hospital makes Babb said despite some transports. NEWS where we’ve gone. As time Whitfield EMS the best problems with slow response The proposed contract (That’s 706-217-6397) goes on people will realize “To the person who found option. times, Whitfield EMS is runs to Dec. 31, 2012, with WheN you’re not sure with whom it.” the 1919 penny and was curi- “I can speak as a citizen doing well in delivering an option for two additional you need to speak, our operator ous if it was worth anything.