Oconee County, GA Politics

Former Duke University wrestler and North High Shoals city council member Fred Johnson gives great updates on the town on the river and shoals. Woven brightly,  Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2011 17:53:36 -0700 From: ilovehighshoals@yahoo.com Subject: TONHS February Notes from Fred To: ilovehighshoals@yahoo.com Dear Fellow High Shoalers,                                                                              March 21, 2010             Flowers are blooming in the park.  I am especially enjoying the Carolina Jasmine t...

Never did I think this advocacy group would be so controversial, but I think it is a measure of their effectiveness. Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. From: tonyglenn@gmail.com To: tonyglenn@gmail.com Subject: OCCO -- Legislative alert HB 180 Date: Thu, 3 Mar 2011 09:35:54 -0500 Wanted to pass along some news from The Gold Dome in Atlanta. HB 180, the 3-foot safe passing bill, passed the House Public Safety Committee unanimously this week.  The bill will now proceed forward. For info on HB 180, and the companion bill in the Georgia Senate (SB 126), follow this link: http://www.georgiabikes.org/index.php/blog/111-hb180 If you wish to voice your support of this bill, Hank Huckaby is the House Representative for District 113, which includes all of Oconee County and some of the surrounding counties. His email address is hank.huckaby@house.ga.gov   http://www1.legis.ga.gov/legis/2011_12/house/bios/huckabyHank.html When enacted, this legislation will be called ...

The person on Oconee County Land Use and Transportation Committee who somehow suggested the Bike Athens has infiltrated this organization is an embittered, angry old man and now an ex member of the citizens committee. The people on this new Oconee County Cycling Organization run - or pedal -  the gamut from extremely conservative to rather progressive and represent a good cross section of Oconee County bicyclists. Woven brightly,  Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. From: tonyglenn@gmail.com To: tonyglenn@gmail.com Dear Friends, I'm finally getting a chance to write and update everyone on the OCCO meeting held this past Monday.  It's been a busy week! My thanks to all who attended.  It was a great meeting!  Around 25 people were able to attend, which is a great turnout considering this was our first official member meeting. We presented to the members an overview of our OCCO accomplishments to-date.  I've attached that presentation as a PDF for all to see...

Dear Cycling Friends: The Developmental Board of the Oconee County Cycling Organization (OCCO) is pleased to announce our first membership meeting. This is an important meeting, and we encourage you to attend. Monday, September 13th, 2010 7:30-8:30 PM The Oconee County Library Auditorium 1080 Experiment Station Rd. Watkinsville, GA 30677 We will provide refreshments and present an overview of our accomplishments to-date. Also, the OCCO Membership will elect our first official Board of Directors and chart our course for cycling advocacy in the next year. If you are interested in cycling advocacy in Oconee County, please make plans to attend. Pass along this info to your friends as well! The meeting is open to registered members of OCCO. If you are not yet a member, the meeting would be an ideal time to join. Annual dues are $25.00, so please bring cash or check. Are you interested in becoming a board member? If so, contact me at tonyglenn@gmail.com and ...

Please be considerate and give plenty of room to bicyclists commuting to and from work. I saw my friend and Watkinsville City Council member Brian Brodrick biking up dangerously narrow Simonton Bridge Road last night and I always give any bike rider plenty of room when I drive by and feel guilty burning diesel in my big red pick up truck. Also drivers please be extra wary of large turtles and armadillos not to mention bicyclists. I have heard tell or seen dead two of each recently in my repeated commute. I was very pleased to see my thoughtful mail carrier Bob Mason go well out of his way Tuesday to pick up and move a huge snapping turtle and move it across the road, only to see a bigger than football sized shell smashed somewhere between Morgan Manor Estates and Taylors Landing subdivisions soon thereafter on the other side of Simonton Bridge/Whitehall Road. Brian and Tony Glenn told me there was another large smashed turtle or tortoise shell up by the cemetery closer to downtown Watk...

Dr. Pat Priest did a fantastic job organizing the Saturday Strolls last year through downtown Watkinsville. This year she is using Harris Shoals Park as a focal point of the successful series. Woven brightly,  Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. This year's "Saturday Strolls" Hi! Finally! We've got the series set up for this year's "Saturday Strolls" sponsored by the Oconee Democrats. We're really excited about the series, this year based each week at the lovely Harris Shoals Park in Watkinsville. We want to get people outdoors with experts to showcase our interest in and support for nature and science. (And we also have three art-themed jaunts because Oconee has such a strong arts community.) Here are the details below. Please help us spread the word -- and join us! Thank you! Pat Priest Proud member, Oconee Democrats "Saturday Strolls at Harris Shoals" Where: Harris Shoals Park Experiment Station Road (near VFW D...

Here is the proposed $60 million Georgia budget carnage for those who care to seek it out. Thanks to Dr. Tony Glenn for providing it. From: Tony Glenn Sent: Wed, March 3, 2010 3:04:09 PM Subject: [oconeedemocrats] $60 million in proposed cuts for UGA alone   Here is a link to a PDF outlining the proposed cuts to the state's university system.  The PDF outlines cuts for each institution.   http://www.usg. edu/fiscal_ affairs/document s/summary_ of_reductions. pdf UGA is the first school outlined, with $60 million in proposed cuts.  Unless the yahoos under the Gold Dome wake up, there goes 1418 currently filled positions.  There goes the State Botanical Gardens.  There goes 4H.  There goes WUGA.  There goes the Griffin Campus.  There goes half of the County Extension offices.  There goes entire academic programs. Of the proposed $60 million in cuts, the great majority of that will be felt right here in the Northeast Georgia r...

Obviously Eagle Tavern and Elder Mill Covered Bridge jump to mind. I would consider nominating Ashford Manor Bed and Breakfast as well. What do you think should make the list of a regionally important resource in Oconee County? Subject: Nomination - Regionally Important Resources Folks, Check out these links.  Considering our resources in Oconee County, I encourage people to submit nominations, either through organizational affiliation or as individual citizens. http://negplanning.org/rir   http://negplanning.org/nomination_form/new   If you have questions, Nina Butler with the NEGRC has offered to help.  Here's her contact info. Nina Butler Planner, Northeast Georgia RC tel 706.369.5650 x319 fax 706.369.5792   nbutler@negrc.org .     Cheers, Tony ******************************************** Anthony E. Glenn, Ph.D. USDA, ARS Russell Research Center Toxicology & Mycotoxin Research Unit 950 College Station Ro...

According to a post on Facebook post seen by some at lunch, Oconee County Republican chair and sometimes newspaper reporter Jay Hanley let the world know the Oconee Enterprise office on Barnett Shoals Road  had some minor flooding but evidently none of the equipment was damaged.  Also last night noted bicycle enthusiast Dr. Anthony Glenn posted that most of Simonton Bridge Road between First and Main was flooded. That may be the first and last post ever where Jay Hanley and Tony Glenn were mentioned in the same paragraph. Many awe inspiring shots of the roaring shoals at North High Shoals or the Bridge over the Oconee River at Simonton Bridge were taken in the minds (if not shutters or cell phones) of passing cyclists and motor vehicle drivers Tuesday or before. While anywhere in the countyy that was semi flat saw some standing water accumulate during the seven day deluge, so far Oconee County seemingly escaped most of the severe damage seen elsewhere in the state. Pleas...

I always support theater, especially at my son's school. Subject: "A Midsummer Night's Dream" To quote Lorraine, "It is a spectacle!"   Details: Show dates are April 16-18 at 7:30 in the Athens Academy Presentation Hall.  The play runs about 1.5 hours with at 15 minute intermission.  This is a great play to introduce younger people to the Bard.  Admission is free.  Donations for Project Pallam and/or Athens Area Food Bank will be accepted at the door.  Hope you can come!    Cheers, Tony   ******************************************** Anthony E. Glenn, Ph.D. USDA, ARS Russell Research Center Toxicology & Mycotoxin Research Unit 950 College Station Road Athens , GA  30605 Ph:  706-546-3119 Fax:  706-546-3116 Email #1:  anthony.glenn@ars.usda.gov Email #2:  aglenn@uga.edu Web:  http://ars.usda.gov/saa/athens/rbrrc/tmru   "It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country b...

Dr. Glenn is a friend and an inspiration for his perspiration and drive (by pedaling!) I would urge everyone to donate what they can afford for this amazing endeavor. Trip of a lifetime indeed! Woven brightly, Daniel J. Matthews, Jr. Subject: Tony is cycling from Athens to Savannah Date: Thu, 9 Apr 2009 10:30:55 -0400 From: Anthony.Glenn@ARS.USDA.GOV To: aglenn@uga.edu As many of you know, I will be cycling from Athens to Savannah on May 1st and 2nd.  212 miles in two days......all by bicycle ! This trip serves two functions.  Personally, it is one of those "life" trips.....the kind of thing you do as a mental and physical challenge.  But most importantly, I'm doing this as part of a fundraiser for Clarke Middle School in Athens.    See the attachment for more details on this fundraiser, including how donations have aided a wide array of programs at CMS. I'm asking my friends to "join" me on this journey, but yo...