Eight year tax dispute finally settled; costs county $160,000

Commissioners Jerry Barnes, Becky Denney and Rob Jones at what will soon be the county's new recycling center. 

The county’s entire recycling and trash operation at the Camp Road location will relocate to property off Appalachian Court, which was recently home to Self Recycling. 

Commissioners, who approved purchase of the 18 acres and a 28,000 square foot building at their Thursday, Nov. 21 meeting, met on site the next day to give a tour of the facility. Commissioners believe moving the recycling facility to the more secluded location off Highway 515 north of Walmart is a huge improvement from Camp Road, which is cramped and has a difficult time accommodating traffic,

The Grandview Hotel was three stories high and had twenty-one rooms. After purchasing the hotel for $1,000 and restoring it, W. H. "Bill" Jones eventually sold the property to the Salvation Army, and for a time, the hotel structure was incorporated into part of Camp Grandview. Photo courtesy of Peggy Petty.

By Larry Cavender

Contributing Writer

Ever since travelers stopped for overnight rests at taverns scattered along the Old Federal Road nearly 200 years ago, Pickens County has had a tradition of unique lodging establishments.

Among some of the more notable ones was Jasper's Lenning Hotel just north of downtown, which eventually became the Woodbridge Inn, and is recognizable to almost all Pickens countians. Then there are those lost to history that few people in this area can remember. There was, at one time, Pickens County's contribution to the new motoring hostelry industry of the 1950s and '60s, the motel. Archer's Court, constructed of flagstone, once stood at the corner of East Church Street and Burnt Mountain Road in Jasper where Walgreen's Pharmacy is today.

Book in Photos / Pickens Sheriff's

Bee’s owner accused of paying for rival restaurant fire first, then conspiring to torch his own place

“We were surprised but not that surprised” says sheriff spokesman over tie in arson cases

        In a case of country-fried arson, sheriff investigators believe that the owner of Bee’s Home Cookin’ paid men to burn Mary Ann’s Country Cooking to eliminate the competition. The restaurants sit on opposite sides of downtown Jasper on Church Street.

When that didn’t increase his own business, he then paid to have Bee’s torched, say investigators.

The work by sheriff investigators, the Jasper Fire Department and the State Fire Investigations Unit led to the arrest of six men on charges tied to the two fires.

        See full story in this week's print and online editions. 

Book-In Photos / Pickens Sheriff's Office

       More than 50 officers led by Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad (CMANS) and including Pickens deputies, investigators, command staff and SWAT teams raided five locations in Pickens County Monday, arresting 14 on drug charges.

Pickens County formed a partnership with Cherokee County, joining the drug task forces about three months ago.

Sheriff’s spokesman Kris Stancil said from information that both agencies had at that time, they began working the case that led to the sweep Monday. “They already had some information and we had some information, so we were able to start building cases immediately,” he said.

        See full story in this week's print or online editions.