Fayette CountyNews INSIDE Schools celebrate national THE TRUTH SINCE 1886 signing day. B4 VOL. 149, NO. 10 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2021 $1.00 INSIDE: Fayette views: Medicaid expansion in Georgia. A4 INSIDE: More broadband Internet access planned for Fayette County. A4 Voting Piedmont Fayette named one of Healthgrades RIÀFLDOV America’s 50 Best Hospitals for 7th straight year SPECIAL TO FAYETTE COUNTY NEWS demonstrates our commitment Award™ for three years in a FRXOGEH to consistently providing safe, row (2019-2021) Piedmont Fayette announced patient-centered care,” said Stroke Care Excellence that it has achieved the Health- Steve Porter, CEO of Piedmont Award™ for eight years in a FULPLQDOO\ grades 2021 America’s 50 Best Fayette. “It means a great deal row (2014-2021) Hospitals Award. Piedmont for our hospital, and our amaz- Five-Star Distinctions Fayette is among the top one ing physicians, nurses, and for Coronary Intervention, percent of nearly 4,500 hospi- staff members, to be recognized Treatment of Heart Attack, FKDUJHG tals assessed nationwide for during such a challenging Treatment of Heart Failure, superior clinical performance time. They have earned every Treatment of Stroke, Treat- year-over-year according to accolade coming their way, and ment of COPD and Pneumonia, BY JOHN THOMPSON Healthgrades, the leading then some.” Treatment of Sepsis, Respira- [email protected] resource that connects con- Piedmont Fayette was also tory Failure and Pulmonary sumers, physicians and health recognized as: Embolism. The former head of the systems. Piedmont Fayette One of America’s 100 Best “COVID-19 has profoundly county’s election, Floyd Hospital is the only hospital in Hospitals for Coronary Inter- two years in a row (2020-2021) changed the delivery of health- Jones, and the voting board, Georgia to receive the Ameri- vention™ for a second year in a One of America’s 100 Best care but what is unchanged is may face criminal charges ca’s 50 Best Hospitals for seven row (2020-2021) Hospitals for Critical Care™ for the importance of high-quality after an incident in the No- years in a row (2015-2021). One of America’s 100 Best three years in a row (2019-2021) vember election. “Achieving this award Hospitals for Stroke Care™ for Pulmonary Care Excellence SEE HOSPITALS, PAGE A2 Last week, the State Elec- tion Board referred 35 cases of election-law violations to the attorney general or local district attorneys for crimi- nal prosecution. “Election fraud is not tolerated in Georgia. When Fayetteville native among winning there is evidence of it, the people responsible face prosecution,” said Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, chairman of the five-member team in 2021 Super Bowl board. “Georgia has multiple safeguards in place that al- low our team of investigators BY ALEXANDER CAIN to discover fraudulent voting. FAYETTE COUNTY NEWS One of the cases cited by [email protected] Raffensperger involves Jones and the Fayette County He’s never let obstacles get Board of Elections and Voter in his way before – and the Registration. The case alleges challenge of millions of eyes improper handling of four on his every move was just an- memory cards registering other day at work for Andrew 2,760 votes in the Nov. 3, 2020 Adams. general election. Adams, 28, was among the players at Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Feb. 7. A forward safety for the team, Adams is listed on the Council official Tampa Bay Buccaneers Web site as No.26 -- but there were a lot more than twen- ty-six people rooting for the approves Fayetteville native on Super Bowl Sunday. “Andrew dreamt and even wrote several school pool, body essays of one day starring in #SuperBowlSunday but not by luck by determination he cam requests secured a spot desired by mil- lions,” Thais Mills, identifying as Adams’s cousin on a Fayette BY PAM DUFRESNE County Facebook page, post- SPECIAL TO FAYETTE COUNTY NEWS ed on Feb. 8. Mills was one of millions -- the NFL estimating A variance allowing a more than 96 million viewers pool to be built in the 50-foot -- watching the 2021 Super Bowl no-impervious setback for as Adams and the rest of the Lake Kedron was unani- Tampa Bay Buccaneers played mously approved by the City against the Kansas City Chiefs Council of Peachtree City on in Tampa. The Buccaneers February 4. won the game with a score of The home is located on 31 – 9. The distance between GETTY IMAGES Four Winds Pointe, and Fayetteville, Georgia and Andrew Adams, 28, was among the players at Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, the no-impervious setback Tampa, Florida isn’t too far of Florida on Feb. 7. comes to within one foot of a drive by car – but for Adams, the rear of the home, City it’s been a lifetime of studying there, he later played for his with the Buccaneers. Stand- charities such as Smile Train, Engineer Dave Borkowski hard, working to improve his college team, the University of ing at nearly six feet tall and a cleft lip and palate children’s told Council during his skills on the field and contin- Connecticut Huskies, where weighing in at more than 200 charity; United Way of South presentation. In addition to ually adapting to newer and he graduated with a Bachelor pounds, the Economics ma- Louisiana and the Moffitt Can- the no-impervious setback, better adventures. A native of of Arts Degree in Economics jor has made an impact both cer Center in Tampa. Ad- there is a 100-foot undis- Fayetteville, Adams attended in 2015. He has also played two on and off the field. He has ams has continued to maintain high school at Woodward Acad- seasons with the New York used his success and business SEE REQUESTS, PAGE A5 emy in College Park. From Giants prior to his association smarts to work with private SEE TEAM, PAGE A2 Driver accused of hit-and-run, DUI in accident involving bicyclist BY ALEXANDER CAIN 50, of Newnan, on Ga. Highway time of the incident. stopping the vehicle, the deputy FAYETTE COUNTY NEWS 154 in Newnan at around 6 p.m. A deputy with the Coweta additionally determined that [email protected] in the 2500 block County Sheriff Department Thompson was allegedly under of Hwy.154 on the caught up to Thompson’s 2011 the influence of alcohol and/or A 50-year-old Newnan man evening of January GMC Yukon and initiated a drugs. was airlifted to Atlanta Medi- 28th. traffic stop on the vehicle. Af- Thompson’s vehicle was im- cal Center with serious injuries Thompson is al- ter examining her vehicle, the pounded by the Coweta Sheriff after being struck by a car leged to have struck deputy determined that Thomp- Office while she was taken into allegedly driven by a Peachtree Holmes and then son’s vehicle was involved with custody and transported to the City resident on January 28th. continued driving the earlier hit-and-run. Coweta County Jail, where she Tina Marie Thompson, 36, of Thompson down Hwy. 154, According to documents was reported to be combative Peachtree City, was allegedly where concerned obtained by The Fayette County with detention officers and dep- driving under the influence drivers reported a vehicle driv- News from the Coweta Coun- when she hit Anthony Holmes, ing erratically at around the ty Sheriff Department, upon SEE DRIVER, PAGE A2 COMMUNITY A3-A8 FAYETTE VIEWS A4 CARTOONS/PUZZLE A8 BLACK HISTORY MONTH B1 INSIDE HISTORY A3 SPORTS B3 OBITUARIES A3 CONTACT US: [email protected] • (770) 461-6317 • fayette-news.net A2 FAYETTE COUNTY NEWS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2021 TEAM: ‘It HOSPITALS: ‘Sends an important DRIVER: means a lot’ message to the community’ Bond was set FROM PAGE A1 FROM PAGE A1 Healthgrades America’s 50 Best ties with Woodward Academy, care. Those hospitals that Hospitals Award recipients are recognized at $7,500 occasionally visiting the school achieved the America’s 50 to speak to students in class or Best Hospitals Award have for overall clinical excellence and providing FROM PAGE A1 during summer programs, such exhibited a long-standing as a youth sports camp where he commitment to quality top-quality care across multiple specialty uties. Thompson was also re- provides personal motivation and and superior clinical ported to have slurred speech encouragement to participants. outcomes, which differ- lines and areas. During the 2021 study and be unsteady on her feet. “As a kid, everybody dreamed entiates them from other Holmes was thrown off about playing [in the] Super healthcare organizations. period (Medicare Fiscal Years 2017- of his bicycle onto the east Bowl, or watched football. It’s We applaud their ongoing shoulder of the roadway, with definitely a blessing,” Adams stat- efforts,” said Brad Bow- 2019), these hospitals showed superior his bicycle landing nearby. ed in an interview to the sports man, MD, Chief Medical Holmes was conscious and Web site Sportsnaut prior to the Officer, Healthgrades. performance in clinical outcomes for alert at the time deputies Super Bowl on February 4th. From 2017 through 2019, arrived on scene, but was With so much on the line at the if all hospitals performed patients in the Medicare population across preliminarily diagnosed by Super Bowl, Adams said that, in similarly to those achiev- EMTs on the scene as having his opinion, the best way to ap- ing Healthgrades Amer- at least 21 of 32 most common inpatient a broken arm, broken femur proach the event was with a calm ica’s 50 Best Hospitals conditions and procedures.