The Chatter Box
By Deborah Bennett

"Kudos" to all who had a hand in welcoming the Tour de Georgia cyclists and entourage to Millen and Jenkins County last Tuesday. Law enforcement, city employees, volunteers and others did a great job. Also, numerous citizens turned out to greet the racers. If you blinked your eyes twice, you probably missed them. The cyclists were flying as they came through!

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The annual Relay For Life to benefit the American Cancer Society is set for Friday and Saturday at the Jenkins County Recreation Department complex. Activities get underway 7 p.m. Friday and conclude at 7 a.m. Saturday. Come out and support this very worthwhile event.

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Responses to last week's Question of the Week - What do you think is the most important change that must take place in our community in order to improve chances of enticing industry to locate here?

"It has already happened, new leadership this year. Things seem to be happening, and the people are responding to the change in a more positive attitude toward their community. They care about the county, city and schools."

"We need to clean up our town and community. We need to look at it as outsiders, concentrate, take a good look and decide what you would think of what you see as you drive through as a visitor or a prospective employer of a new industry who had to locate there."

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Response to the Question of the Week has been minimal, so I guess it was not such a great idea. There will be no more.

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Happy birthday this week to: Kelsey Fleming, Cindy Bragg, Kay Green, Brenda Dudley, Deborah Bennett, Michael Pickett, Caleb Wilson, Colton Wilkerson, Johnny Parrish and Jeanette Cain.

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Military Active Duty List: Sgt. Adam Demshar, 44th Signal Battalion, Baghdad, Iraq; Lance Cpl. Lee Ogden, U.S. Marines, Radio and Communications, Bahria, Iraq; Petty Officer 3rd Class Eric B. Kelsey, U.S. Navy, NSA Bahrain; PV2 Ashley Clifton, U.S. Army, Yongsan, Korea; Airman First Class Charles F. Woods, Moody Air Force Base, Valdosta, GA; Capt. Andrew P. Thomas, U.S. Marines, F.A.S.T. Company, Yorktown, VA; Stuart Burrus, U.S. Air Force, Bossier AFB, Bossier, LA; SPC 4 Travis D. Motes, 1st Calvary Division, T. Hood, Texas; Capt. Donald Slade Burke, Travis Air Force Base, Fairfield, Calif.; Staff Sgt. Gilbert C. Sheppard III, 48th Brigade, 118th Field Artillery, Iraq; Petty Officer 3rd Class Jamie A. Yager, U.S. Navy, Marine Corps Base Hawaii; Petty Chief Officer Andy D. Crosby, U.S. Navy, Elroy Destroyer, Norfolk, Va.; Stephanie Crosby, R.N., U.S. Navy, Lafayette Destroyer; Jimmy Cooper, U.S. Army National Guard, 878th Engineering Battalion-Augusta, Persian Gulf ; 1st Lt. J.R. Taylor, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Iraq; SPC. Daniel Stuart, 18th MEDCOM, 121 General Hospital, Seoul, Korea; Jeffrey Sweat, U.S. Navy, USS Kauffman, MM3 59/E-Division, A-Gang, Norfolk, Va.; Cpl. Larry Lamont Clark, U.S. Marine Corp, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Bagdad, Iraq; Khan Young, U.S. Navy, U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, Persian Gulf; Robert Milton Jr., E-3, U.S. Army, Ft. Stewart, Hinesville, Ga., Mission Kuwait; Arnold R. Mosley, 2nd Lt., U.S. Air Force, Randolph AFB, Texas; and Debra A. Mosley, Tech. Sgt., U.S. Air Force, Randolph AFB, Texas.