The Millen News will be closed for Christmas noon, Wednesday, Dec. 23, through Friday, Dec. 25. We will be closed for New Year’s Thursday, Dec. 31, and Friday, Jan. 1.

Items for inclusion in the Dec. 30 edition should be submitted by 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 23. Items for inclusion in the Jan. 6 edition should be submitted by 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 30.

We appreciate your cooperation in observing our holiday deadlines.

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I wish to extend my condolences to the families of Don Rich and Doris Rabitsch both of whom died unexpectedly last week.

Don, as most of you know, was Jenkins County’s tax assessor/ appraiser. I knew Don through the tax office and found that he was always courteous and helpful when I had questions. He will be missed on both personal and professional levels by those who knew him.

I have known “Miss Doris” a long time as she was a frequent visitor to The Millen News through the years with garden club news. I will miss seeing her and receiving calls from her.

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Happy birthday this week to: Janice Pennington, Ed Davis, Richard McNeely, Dallas Suggs, Dean Bassett, Myra S. Herrington, Rodney Smith, Morah Johnson, Cindy Linder, Anna Kate Waters and Bill Wilson.

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Celebrating wedding anniversaries are: Mr. and Mrs. Ed Davis.

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Military Active Duty List: PV2 Brianna Joiner, U.S. Army National Guard, Ft. Benning, GA; PV2 Jeremy Johnson, U.S. Army, 59th Quartermaster Company, Ft. Carson, Colorado; Ronnie Perryman, Charlie Troop, 108th Calvary Division, 4th Platoon, Afghanistan; Lance Cpl. Adam Lanier, U.S. Marines, 8th & I Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C.; E-4 Sr. Airman Roy Davis, U.S. Air Force, RAF Molesworth, United Kingdom; Lance Cpl. Patrick Barnette, U.S. Marines, Baharia, Iraq; Sgt. Adam Demshar, 44th Signal Battalion, Baghdad, Iraq; Cpl. Lee Ogden, U.S. Marines, Camp Pendleton, CA; E5 Petty Officer 2nd Class Eric B. Kelsey, U.S. Navy, NSA Naples, Italy; Senior Airman Charles F. Woods, Moody Air Force Base, Valdosta, GA; Stuart Burrus, U.S. Air Force, Osan AFB, Korea; SPC 4 Travis D. Motes, 1st Calvary Division, T. Hood, Texas; Capt. Donald Slade Burke, 735th Air Mobility Squadron Detachment 1 Commander, Richmond Royal Australian AFB, Richmond, Australia; 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; and SPC Charles “C.J.” Amerson, U.S. Army, Camp Adder, Iraq.