As 2009 draws to a close and 2010 stretches out before us, I have come up with the following “Wish List” for the coming year for our community.

1. Jobs, jobs and more jobs for our citizens who have been unemployed for so long. Our citizens want to work. They need to work. So, jobs must be at the top of the list.

2. Completion of the Savannah River Parkway through the City of Millen and Jenkins County. The project began statewide in 1989, and it is long past time to bring it to completion. Our highways and streets have been torn up for what seems like “forever” now. Hopefully, the project will soon be completed.

3. Completion of the City of Millen TE grant project on Cotton Avenue. This project is actually nearing completion, and the results thus far are amazing. I look forward to seeing the finished product.

4. Rehabilitation of the lot on Winthrope Avenue that is the site of the SOC station. The City has acquired ownership of the property and is in the planning stages for its rehabilitation. Removal of this eye-sore is long overdue!

5. Development of the industrial sites of the Jenkins County Development Authority. I know the group is working diligently to bring jobs to this community, and development of these sites would certainly be a major asset to their efforts.

6. Replacement of the Herndon bridges over the Ogeechee River. The need for this has been proven. It is time to do something about it.

7. Utilization of Magnolia Springs State Park to increase tourism in our county and city.

I am sure there are many other items that could be added to the list, but these are just a few that come to mind.

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The Millen News will be closed Thursday and Friday this week for the New Year holidays. Hope your holiday is a safe and happy one. Happy New Year!

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Happy birthday this week to: Chester Joyner, Nicole Wilson, Sandra McNeely, Roger Green, Megan Johnson, Debbie Davis, Rodney Garvin, Dustin Brown, Earl Jones, Al Jackson, Jack Kent, James Carlton Cowart and Mabelle Wiggins.

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Military Active Duty List: 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.