I have had the pleasure of working with Melissa Grier for the past several months through the Experience Works program. Melissa’s time here ended last Friday, and I wish her well at her new job.

I am again “holding the fort down” by myself. For this reason, the office will be closed noon to 1 p.m. daily. This also means that I may not be able to get out of the office to take photographs and such as often as I normally would do. I will have to rely more upon others to get news material to the newspaper, and I greatly appreciate your assistance.

The Millen News is committed to providing the citizens of this community with local news coverage and will continue to do so.

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We celebrated the first birthday of our little granddaughter Jaylee on Saturday at the home of her great-grandmother Lottie Alice Godbee. She is the daughter of our son Jason and wife Kim, and is also the granddaughter of Don and Susan Godbee.

It was a wonderful occasion – celebrating a life just begun with family and friends. I can hardly remember what life was like before she arrived!

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Happy birthday this week to: Ethelene Young, Sydney Hooks, Linda Fuller, Bessie Lee Saxon, Susan Brown, Glynn Bassett Jr., Jaylee Bennett, Jessica Herrington, Matt Wallace, Dee Dailey, Florine Aaron, Sharon Jenkins, Dean Brinson, Iesha Williams, Charlotte Becton and Terry Thompson.

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Celebrating wedding anniversaries are: Mr. and Mrs. Charles Oliver and Mr. and Mrs. Danny R. Becton.

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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.