A1 The Northeast Georgian $1 November 7, 2014 Weekend Missing Demorest funds skyrocket to $598,000 By CHRISTINA SANTEE open session after mayor and has a defi nitive start date and a Payne – for more than 40 years. internal investigation by an in- council returned from closed defi nitive end date we already However, City Manager/Clerk dependent party to fi nd answers As if a quarter-million dollars doors, where they discussed knew,” Austin said Nov. 4 of the Juanita Crumley explained, in the whereabouts of the miss- stolen from city coffers wasn’t pending litigation and personnel series of thefts. “They just don’t do governmen- ing money and the “person or bad enough, the Demorest City for about 30 minutes. He credited the recent fi nd- tal audits anymore.” persons responsible.” Council has confi rmed that “… It has been determined ings to the “diligent work” of The council last updated the The resolution says the city missing cash now amounts to that fraudulent activity began in auditors with the Clarkesville- public on the matter at a called of Demorest “has concluded that more than $598,000. 2009 and ceased in May of 2013,” based accounting fi rm Duncan & meeting Sept. 23, when it re- the loss of city monies in the Mayor Rick Austin an- Austin said. “This resulted in Kitchens LLC, which was hired vealed Duncan & Kitchens audi- years 2012 and 2013 is not due to nounced the fi ndings at the coun- losses to the city in an amount in March after the city’s for- tors had uncovered an additional human or computer error,” and cil’s regular meeting around 8:30 that exceeds $598,000.” mer auditor, Tyler Maney, with $53,661.21 was absent from FY has evidence “fraudulent activ- Tuesday night, while the last of The astonishing amount in- Baldwin-based Amos, Maney & 2013 books, on top of $220,000 ini- ity by one or more persons is the Habersham County’s last-min- cludes the $275,000-plus already Payne LLC, resigned in Novem- tially confi rmed as missing. only explanation for the missing ute voters cast their ballots in unaccounted for from Fiscal ber 2013. Austin then read before coun- money.” the Nov. 4 general election. Years 2012 and 2013. The city had contracted with cil a proposed resolution that The disclosure was made in “It pleases me the city now Amos – turned Amos, Maney & was later adopted to launch an See Demorest, Page 2A SPLOST VI, local alcohol referendums gain approval New penny tax begins April 1, 2015 By DONALD FRASER Habersham County residents have approved the new Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax VI. The victory arrived with 57.69 percent of ballots cast in favor, to 42.31 percent in opposition. The vote was 5,557 to 4,076 vote in favor. Voter turnout in Habersham County topped 50 per- cent. That means 9,792 voters of 19,451 CHRISTINA SANTEE/Staff registered cast Hope – a young special-needs dog recently rescued by Habersham HELP (Helping Every Last Pet) – enjoys affection from her ballots. current foster mother, Samantha Woodall-Freeman, Habersham HELP president/CEO. Voters re- jected renew- ing SPLOST VI in Novem- ber 2013, when just 14 percent of voters turned out. Hope for Hope The penny-on-the-dollar sales tax measure was the prominent local issue, while a neck-and-neck race for a Georgia U.S. Senate seat and a tight battle for Georgia’s Special-needs dog to receive prosthetic foot governorship drew state and national attention. “I would say the majority of the people have spoken,” By CHRISTINA SANTEE cember,” she said. “However, I saw lots of people promis- said Bob Guthrie, who advocated against approving ing to come get her on her Facebook posts, so I honestly SPLOST VI. “We will support it any way we can.” The dictionary defi nes the word “hope” as “the feel- thought she had been rescued.” That, he said, is the nature of a democracy. ing that what is wanted can be had or that events will However, Woodall-Freeman said there was some- Guthrie noted many people looked at SPLOST versus turn out for the best.” thing unique about the sweet-faced stray most shelter the potential of increased property taxes, and they opted Meet Hope, Habersham HELP’s (Helping Every Last dogs don’t have – or lack thereof. for SPLOST. He said he hoped elected county and munici- Pet) most recent special-needs rescue. “Hope is missing a back foot,” she said. pal offi cials “now make certain there is no property tax The 3-4-year-old brindled female boxer-pit bull mix Woodall-Freeman remained optimistic Hope had increase for the next several years to come.” fi rst wandered into the life of Samantha Woodall-Free- been adopted, until the canine showed up at a recent “The next three to fi ve years are vital to Habersham man, Habersham HELP president/CEO, only a few Habersham HELP event. County,” said Wade Rhodes, chairman of the Habersham months ago in June. But it didn’t take long before Hope “Wayne (HCACC offi cer) from the HCACC brought Chamber of Commerce. “I say that because of what’s hap- grabbed hold of Woodall-Freeman’s heart, and others’ Hope as one of the dogs available for adoption,” she said. pening in Hall County.” in the community. “She was not adopted that day, so we brought her home Commercial growth is booming in Habersham’s neigh- “Hope was picked up by Habersham County Animal to foster her.” bor to the south, with industrial parks and mixed-used Care and Control (HCACC) in December 2013 as a stray,” Woodall-Freeman said it appears Hope hasn’t always developments springing up along state Route 365. said Woodall-Freeman in introducing Hope. “Just yesterday [Nov. 4], [Gov. Nathan] Deal an- “I had seen her picture on the shelter website in De- See Hope, Page 14A nounced another 650 jobs at Kubota,” Rhodes said, re- ferring to the manufacturing company in an industrial park just south of the Habersham County line. “It’s an opportunity to play off of their growth and expansion, but we’ve got to be ready. But it takes time,” Rhodes said. SPLOST VI, he said, will help maintain public safety, See Election, Page 5A Navy vet recalls service during Vietnam By KIMBERLY BROWN “It was, at times, very exciting and very dangerous,” he said, “and Imagine being 20 years old, mar- then there were times you had down- ried only six months and deployed to time, where you didn’t have any- active duty during the Vietnam War. thing to do, which is a normal com- This was the experience of Wade bat situation for any soldier in any Hasty of Cornelia, now 66. Hasty and war. But there was combat going on, his wife, Carol, who was only 19 at and we had the fear of attacks from the time, lived in Atlanta. He joined the riverbanks, from the Viet Cong.” the Naval Reserves in July 1967, but Hasty said the Viet Cong fl oated Bulletin Board mines down the river toward his was called to active duty in August 1968 with the Mobile Riverine Force. ship, “to try to blow us out of the “We were assigned to the 9th In- water.” There were also Viet Cong featured weekly fantry Division, and we went up and swimmers who would go underwa- The Northeast Georgian will publish four down the [Mekong] River, wherever ter to attach mines to the bottom of Bulletin Board pages in each weekend edi- there were problem spots,” Hasty the ships. tion, featuring news from public and pri- said. “We took the Army up to the “They blew one ship up next to vate schools in Habersham County. problem spots, we let them off onto mine and killed 26 guys right away,” Including these pages in each Friday edi- the riverbanks, and we sat there and Hasty said. “I watched that happen.” tion’s B Section will allow The Northeast waited for them to come in from the Hasty said seeing something like Georgian to publish more than 200 chil- jungle. They would board the boat that follows a soldier home in his dren’s faces each week. again, and stay with us until we thoughts. But fl ashbacks of combat The Bulletin Board pages will include moved on.” weren’t the only thing he experi- news about student recognition – honor Hasty said his unit served up to enced once he returned home. For rolls, Terrifi c Kids, Lunch with the Prin- 900 U.S. Army troops at a time on a Vietnam as an E-4 petty offi cer, re- the fi rst time, he and his fellow sol- cipal, students of the month – along with special fl at-bottom boat designed for members the weather was hot and diers experienced animosity from classroom activities, fi eld trips and more. the river. humid. He remembers mosquitoes. many people. The Bulletin Board pages began publica- “We provided food, showers, air He remembers the areas near his Because they had been overseas tion last Friday, in the Oct. 31 edition, with conditioning for them, and made ship, areas that had been defoliated and mostly out of touch with home, more than 250 children pictured. sure they were comfortable until by Agent Orange. he said, “We weren’t aware of all the they were called to go out on pa- But possibly the thing he remem- controversy that surrounded the trols,” he said.