Merry Christmas! Letters toInside Santa today’s edition. From all of us at The Courier Herald “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Christmasat the White House Entertainment Section C Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” - Luke 2:11 Saturday, December 24, 2016 YOURThe NEWSPAPER [email protected] Courier• www.courier-herald.com Drawer B, Court Square Station, Dublin, Georgia Herald 31040 • 478-272-5522 Volume 102, No. 256, Pub. No 161860 ʻJolly old St. Nicholas, lean your ear this way...ʼ Photo by Sandy Aldridge Col. Dawn Brooks relaxes with her son, Graham, at her parentsʼ home in Rentz. She and her family come home for Christmas almost every year. AF colonel glad to be By SANDY ALDRIDGE Dawn received her promotion homeUnited States for Air Force Christmasto full colonel in January 2016 Colonel Dawn Bracewell Brooks and was given her present com- is home for Christmas this week mand in Little Rock in July. It is as always - well, almost always - her sixth promotion since enter- and she's "just Dawn here in ing the Air Force in 1992 when Dublin" because here is home. she received a direct commission After 24 years in the AF, and began her career as a med- Dawn is the only female senior ical/cardiac rehabilitation nurse. commander at Little Rock Air Her clinical background includes Force Base, Arkansas, and she's medical/surgical, cardiac reha- at the top of her career.She is en- bilitation, neonatal intensive joying her assignment as com- care maternal child, pediatric in- Timothy Redding (right) shared his Christmas list with Santa while offering a chocolate chip mander and has no plans to re- tensive care and ambulatory cookie at last Friday's meeting of the Dublin Rotary Club. St. Nick paid the club a visit, as is his tire anytime soon. December custom, to wish a Merry Christmas to the Rotarians and their families who attended See HOME page 3a for the yearly occasion. Santa's got a lot of reading to do today, with all kinds of Christmas Eve mail sent by hopeful children pouring in from the post office as he prepares to hitch up the sleigh. We've helped him out by compiling the hundreds of holiday letters submitted to The Courier Herald by local youngsters in one giant mailbag. Read their Christmas messages for him in "Letters to Santa," inside today's edition. (Photos by Clay Reynolds) Thereʼs no place like home for the holidays Habitat gets family into new house before Special photo Christmas A group of volunteers who helped with the 2016 By PAYTON TOWNS III Bring One for the Chipper event. Jessica Wilkes has tried to imagine what it is going to feel like to wake up in her new 24th annual Christmas tree home this Christmas. Things have happened in a recycling slated for Jan. 7 hurry since last Friday when By SANDY ALDRIDGE over will be donated for use the Dublin-Laurens Habitat Keep Dublin Laurens Beau- around town for beautification for Humanity dedicated her tiful, the Keep Georgia Beauti- projects. new house for her and her son ful Foundation and local com- "As an extra incentive," said and daughter. munity partners have an- Baker, "the Georgia Forestry "It still feels odd being in nounced the 24th annual Bring Department will be on hand to the house," Wilkes said, “but One For the Chipper Christ- distribute tree seedlings in ex- my kids and I are loving it." mas Tree Recycling Event to be change for trees that are Wilkes’ journey to her new held Saturday, Jan. 7 at 10 a.m. brought to be ground up." home began in September until 2 p.m. at the Home Depot An area for advanced drop- 2015 when she helped Laquri- parking lot. off begins Dec. 26 and will be lo- ta Pullen with her house. At "Residents are invited to cated in a marked area of the that time, Wilkes was doing come by and experience the Home Depot parking lot. For what is called sweat equity on sights and wonderful smell of more information, please call Pullen's house, which was the grinding of the greens," said KDLB at 277-5094. Habitat House No. 36. This Special photo Patsy Baker, KDLB director. Boy Scout Troop 65, of First gave her the chance to see Once again, Georgia Power United Methodist Church, will what it was going to take to Jessica Wilkes was all smiles as Tim Edge hands her the keys to Habitat House No. 37 during the dedication ceremony last week. Company is sponsoring the assist with unloading the trees. build her house a year later. Habitat, a partnering agency than I was expecting. You can't most part, we are in and set- grinding of the trees into In addition to helping with In December 2015, Wilkes with The Heart of Georgia prepare for it. It was above and tled." mulch. The mulch can be placed the trees, the troop is conduct- saw Pullen's house. United Way, welcomed her into beyond what I thought it was Wilkes said they were able in a bag furnished by the partic- ing a community stewardship A year later, Wilkes saw her house on Dec. 16. going to be. We got moved in ipant and carried home for use how the dedication felt when "This has been a lot more that first weekend. For the See HABITAT page 3a as garden mulch. Mulch left See CHIPPER page 3a Index Colson invites community Obituaries . 2a 85 Years Ago . 4a to see his drive-through Weather . 5a Religion. 6a,7a Christmas decorations Sports . 1b, 2b William Colson would like for people in the Entertainment . 1c-3c community to visit his Christmas decora- Classifieds. 4c-5c tions at his house on 1307 Irish Lowery Loop in Cadwell. Colson said his lights will be turned on between the hours of 6 and 10 p.m. between now and Jan. 1. Colson said it takes two months to get the decora- tions out. People can either drive through or park and walk through the dispay. (Spe- cial photo) Saturday, December 24, 2016/Dublin, Ga/Page 2a The Courier Herald residence. Funeral arrange- The Reverends Joe Fergu- from little league to collegiate ments are incomplete but will son and Grady Mimbs will be level competition. He loved Obituaries be announced later by Stanley officiating with burial follow- the Atlanta Braves, having Funeral Home & Cremato- ing at Glen Haven Memorial never missed a televised game ry/Dublin Chapel. Gardens. A visitation will be in five years. The Courier Herald held on Monday, December 26, Mr. Mimbs is survived by GRIFFIN LOVETT, Publisher 2016 from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. at his wife of 66 years, Jewel DUBOSE PORTER, Executive Editor Hart’s Mortuary, Jones Coun- Wallace Mimbs of Gray, son PAM BURNEY, Advertising Director ty Chapel, 307 Pecan Lane. In Larry Mimbs (Shelly) of Birthdays CHERYL GAY, Circulation Manager lieu of flowers, donations may Forsyth; daughter, Lonna Dec. 24 be made to Greenwood Baptist Greene (Kurt) of Gray; four Church, 3400 Gray Highway, grandchildren, Leslie McNabb Shakina Jones Published by Courier Herald Publishing Company Gray, GA 31032. (Jarrett) of Montgomery, Ala., Rick Albritton 115 S. Jefferson St., Dublin, Georgia 31021-5146 Mr. Mimbs is predeceased Brad Mimbs of Forsyth, Kyle Diane Young by his parents Charlie and Peacock (Shelby) of Gray, and W.H. LOVETT Monica Mimbs. Kaley Thrasher (Cameron) of Carla C. Westover President and Chairman, 1934-1978 He was a member of Green- New London, Conn.; six great Katie Eubanks Little DUBOSE PORTER Chairman wood Baptist Church. He also grandchildren; and brother, Dec. 25 had a bivocational ministry Grady Mimbs (Margaret) of GRIFFIN LOVETT where he led the music at Dublin. Renada Rozier President West Macon Baptist, Lanier Register online at Robert Day Heights Baptist and Im- www.hartsmort.com. Melissa P. Neal Periodicals Postage Paid at Dublin, Georgia William Mimbs manuel Baptist. He was a Hart’s Mortuary, Jones Jesus Christ (USPS 161-860) - Daily Except Sunday, Monday and select sergeant in the United States County Chapel has charge of holidays. Army serving in the Korean arrangements. William Willis “Jink” Dec. 26 War. Mr. Mimbs worked for Mimbs passed away on De- POSTMASTER: Send address change to Timberlake Groceries and Katherine Rowland Jazzy Smith cember 23, 2016. Funeral ser- The Courier Herald, Drawer B, CSS, Dublin, GA 31040 vices will be held on Tuesday, eventually retired from ACH Shelia Hines Mrs. Katherine Rowland, December 27, 2016 at 11 a.m. Food Companies. He was in- Donna Beasley SUBSCRIPTION PRICES: at Greenwood Baptist Church. strumental in youth sports, age 84, passed away Thurs- Stephen Fraser Print Edition - $10/month served as a baseball umpire day, December 22, 2016 at her Digital Edition - $10/month This newspaper is committed to the idea that the press should tell the truth without prejudice and spread AssadBEIRUT (AP) won — Hundreds backcountry Aleppo, remain outside but his con- immensestruction: Row after challenges row of de- by soldiers lie he neededahead to wait knowledge without malicious intent. of people returned to eastern trol, including rural areas in stroyed buildings, many with until they finish de-mining the Aleppo neighborhoods on Fri- Aleppo province south and west blown out doors and windows, area. day to check on their homes af- of the city where opposition and toppled floors, along debris- "It's been five years since I to establish a cease-fire across po. ter the last opposition fighters fighters still operate. strewn streets lined with left my home," he said.