The Chatter Box
By Deborah Bennett

As I was "making the rounds" in town this week, I was struck by the realization that the appearance of our little town is slowly changing - for the better.

Construction on the Savannah River Parkway is changing the appearance of U.S. Highway 25 immensely, the buildings at the railroad tracks on Winthrope Avenue are in the process of being torn down, several businesses have relocated to newer buildings, a beautiful new gymnasium graces the campus of Jenkins County High School and several residences throughout the community are getting "facelifts."

Change is never easy, seldom quick and not always welcomed. It is, however, necessary in order for a community to grow and prosper.

We are fortunate to have several groups of local citizens and community leaders who are working to bring change to Millen and Jenkins County in many areas, not just improving the appearance of our community. It will not happen overnight. However, that fact does not mean that they should stop trying to bring it about or that we should withhold our support of them and their efforts.

We are all in this together - those of us that call Millen and Jenkins County "home." And we must work together to make our community better not just for the present citizens but for the generations to come.

Yes, change is finally here. Let's hope it hangs around for awhile.

Happy birthday this week to: Johnny Becton Sr., Pearl Myers, Callie Dailey, Zan Turner, Ann Saxon, Wesley Kent, Emma Coney, Rachel Lynn Griner, Rachael Boynton, Jackie Landrum, David Waters, Leila Ann Seibert, Christina Buczkowski, Charles (Jack) Burke and Lisa Troisi.

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Military Active Duty List: Lance Cpl. Patrick Barnette, U.S. Marines, Twenty Nine Palms, CA; 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; 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.