Friday, April 24, 2015 $1 YOUR NEWSPAPER [email protected] • www.courier-herald.com Drawer B, Court Square Station, Dublin, Georgia 31040 • 272-5522 Volume 101, No. 97, Pub. No 161860 The Courier HeraldGHSA: EL Norovirus shutters county schools boys hoops Roughly 150-160 students What is Norovirus? sent home sick Thursday to forfeit Norovirus is a very contagious virus. One can get norovirus from an in- By PAYTON TOWNS III fected person, contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated sur- All Laurens County Schools and the Central Office will be faces. The virus causes your stomach or intestines or both to get inflamed season closed today due to what officials believe is the Norovirus. (acute gastroenteritis). This leads you to have stomach pain, nausea, and di- At the end of the school day Thursday, Laurens County Su- arrhea and to throw up. perintendent Rob Johnson made the decision to cancel school to- Anyone can be infected with norovirus and get sick. Also, you Student transported by day so that officials could disinfect and sanitize all of the county can have norovirus illness many times in your life. Norovirus illness can be se- schools, the Central Office and the school buses. rious, especially for young children and older adults. "This will give us an opportunity to sanitize the schools," Norovirus is the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis in the United coach from Dublin district, Johnson said. "They can't be there when it's being done. Those States. Each year, it causes 19-21 million illnesses and contributes to sanitizing the schools will have the proper equipment to use the 56,000-71,000 hospitalizations and 570-800 deaths. Norovirus is also the most system appealing ruling chemicals and do the job." common cause of foodborne-disease outbreaks in the United States. At first, Johnson was only going to close East Laurens Pri- The best way to help prevent norovirus is to practice proper hand washing By JASON HALCOMBE mary School after approximately 150 to 160 students went home and general cleanliness. —CDC website East Laurens High School Boys Basketball See VIRUS page 8a team is facing forfeiture of its 2014-15 season, a postseason ban for 2015-16 and a $750 fine. One student, at the heart of the Georgia High School Association investigation, will not be eligible to Dublin club compete in athletics until February 2016. That ruling, handed down by the GHSA April celebrating 60th 14, was obtained following an Open Records Re- anniversary next week 60 years of Civitan quest by The Courier Herald April 20. The Lau- rens County Board of Education provided the By PAYTON TOWNS III documents Thursday afternoon. The docu- The Dublin Civitan Club ments received per- will be celebrating a big mile- GHSA Ruling: taining to the sanc- stone next week with it's 60th tions were heavily anniversary in Dublin. • Forfeiture of redacted of all names The club will celebrate this 2014-15 season but some were clear- event on Wednesday. Club • $750 fine ly legible. The names president Jennifer Claxton •2015-16 of the juveniles in said they will have a lot of question are being recognition of past presidents. postseason ban withheld by The "We will be doing some sur- • Student ineligible Courier Herald out of prises that I can't talk about courtesy to their now," Claxton said with a until Feb. 2016 families. smile. "It's quiet a milestone. I According to was going back through the Superintendent Rob notebook and saw how much Johnson, East Laurens is currently appealing the was done in just one year. I sanctions. Johnson said the GHSA will make a can only imagine what good ruling on the appeal following their August board we've done in this community meeting. GHSA Executive Director Gary Phillips during the 60 years. It's amaz- did not return phone calls concerning the sanc- ing. We wouldn't have time to tions. Calls to Jay Russell, assistant executive di- review everything that has rector, as well as Carror "C" Wright, associate di- happened." rector led to both saying the GHSA does not com- Civitan was founded in ment on ongoing investigations. 1955, she said. But Johnson was clear that if East Laurens "Our major focus for Civi- loses the appeal, the school will stand by the im- tan is for people with disabili- posed sanctions. ties, mental challenges or dis- "My opinion is that if we make a mistake, we advantages," Claxton said. Photo by Scott Thompson and Payton Towns III will own up to it and make sure it doesn't happen "We build ramps and we also Civitan volunteers in areas including making wheelchair ramps and aiding with the Spe- again," Johnson said. "We will review our proce- volunteer in the community dures and make any necessary changes. We will with WINGS, the Special cialCivitan Olympics. does a fall arts fes- learn from any and all mistakes. We also are re- Olympics and the local tival for students with disabil- minded that not everything is cut and dry. There schools. We'll pitch in when ities at its building off of are always two sides to every story. We have a they ask us for special pro- Highway 257 at their fair- right to appeal, but once that is decided upon we jects for the Junior Civitan." grounds. will abide by (the GHSA's) decision. We respect Civitan, which has approxi- "The county and city (the GHSA's) decision." mately 68 members, also schools come together for all The sanctions stem from a Feb. 11 complaint helps at Thanksgiving and of these events," Claxton said. Christmas time with food bas- "They make arts and crafts, See RULING page 8a kets for people who need that have some snacks provided service. and there is also some enter- "The Dublin Civitan is the tainment." largest Civitan organization Claxton, who has been in in Georgia," Claxton said. the club for three years, was "That's impressive. There are the first woman officer in the a lot of clubs in the state. Dublin Civitan's 60 years. Some of them are new and are "I've been honored to be in growing fast. They have a long that position," she said. "I was ways to go to catch up with very nervous at first. But I ac- us." See CIVITAN page 8a Stellar sights in the night sky Bucket brigade The crescent moon (above, at right) and Venus came Workers with Georgia Power need- in relatively close contact in the night sky earlier this week. The sun shown brightly enough against the edge ed three bucket trucks as they dealt of the moon to give the appear- with returning power to the First Na- ance of heat coming off the tional Bank building earlier this satellite. Send us your unique week. The trucks were on hand for photos and they could be used several days. Work is expected to in an upcoming edition. (Pho- conclude on the roadway portion tos by Janice Ballard) soon. (Photo by Jason Halcombe) Index Obituaries . 2a Hometown . 6a 2015 FORD F-250 SD LARIAT CREW Ladies . 3a Sports . 1b,2b Editorial . 4a Classifieds . 3b THIS IS THE FUTURE OF TOUGH. Weather. 5a Entertainment . 4b 702 East Jackson Street, Dublin, GA • www.dublinfordlm.com • 478.272.0511 LINCOLN Friday, April 24, 2015/Dublin, Ga/Page 2a The Courier Herald son, and Peggy Joyner; and Eddie Lee Kemp Obituaries parents, John Milford Cheek and Ivalene Connell Cheek. Survivors include her hus- Funeral services for Mr. band, Kirk Austin, M.D., of Eddie Lee Kemp, of Dublin, Dublin; daughter, Joby Rawl- will be held on Saturday, April ins (Danny Sheehan) Dearing 25, 2015, at 3 p.m. at the of Dinwiddie, V.A.; grandchil- Washington Street Presbyter- dren, Emily (Chris) Ledet of Charleston, S.C., Zackery ian Church 975 South Wash- Dearing and Joshua Dearing, ington Street in Dublin. Bish- both of Dinwiddie, V.A.; broth- op Otha Stanley will officiate. er, William S. (Marilyn) Interment will follow in the Cheek of Rockledge, Fla.; Dudley Memorial Cemetery. BY MICHAEL ROIZEN, for women and from 47 per- woes and strengthens your nieces, Paula Watson Fair- Sex and the seventies Mr. Kemp who passed on M.D., AND MEHMET OZ, cent to 66 percent for men immune system. cloth, Bonnie Watson, Donna M.D. Watson Bracewell, and Julie April 20, 2015, was born on since the 1970s. A U.S. sur- If you want to get in on the Watson Childers; nephew, June 19, 1964, to Mae Ollie People often are surprised vey has similar findings. For action, we suggest you avoid Tony Ray Watson; and life- Williams and Robert Kemp. (or even shocked) when some- men and women combined, the Five Food Felons and to- one in his late 70s becomes a today 53 percent of those 65 bacco, keep physically and long friend, Elizabeth Mallo- Mr. Kemp attended Dublin ry. dad (Tony Randall) or some- to 74 report an active sex life, mentally active and manage City Schools and later moved AUSTIN In lieu of flowers, the fami- one with a TV image as sweet and 26 percent of those be- stress. (Your largest sex or- Jacquelyn Marie ly requests donations to to Atlanta where he worked as "The Partridge Family" tween the ages of 75 and 85. gan is between your ears, af- Cheek Austin Dublin-Laurens Humane So- as a plumber and electrician mom Shirley Jones, now 79, This surge in the urge-to- ter all!) So talk with your ciety, P.O.