April 3, 2019 Page 3B
iRe orter
I
By Rk rd Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
The Mary Persons boys track
team placed ninth out of 16 teams
with 30 points at the Oconee
County-Barberitos Track Classic
at Warrior Stadium in Watkins-
viUe on Friday.
Baldwin was the boys meet
champion with 117 points, fol-
lowed by Loganville in second
place with 94.5 points. North
Oconee finished in third place
with 77.33 points.
Two Mary Persons boys athletes
captured individual events.
Sophomore Justin Wachtel took
first place in the 1,600 meters with
a time of 4 minutes, 16 seconds to
edge second-place Myles Collins
of Archer by a half-second. Also,
MP junior Rico Harden took the
top spot in the long jump with
a leap of 22 feet, 2 inches to top
second-place Elijah Hamm of
Oconee County by a half-inch.
Other MP boys athletes who
scored points at Friday's meet in-
dude& Rico Harden, who placed
seventh in the 100 meters with a
time of 11.27 seconds, Wachtel,
who placed eighth in the 800
meters with a time of 2 minutes,
6 seconds, William Stewart, who
placed sixth in the 200 meters
with a time of 23.53 seconds
and Connor Battles, who placed
seventh in the 3,200 meters with
a time of 10 minutes, 29 seconds.
Also, MP's No. 1 4 x 100-meter re-
lay team of Stewart, Rico Harden,
Kelvin Harden and De24drek
Afford placed seventh with a time
of 43.78 seconds.
Other boys teams in attendance
on Friday in order of highest to
lowest finish included: Archer,
North Oconee, Madison County,
Franklin County, Collins Hill,
Clarke Central, Washington-Wil-
kes, Morgan County, East Jack-
son, Athens Academ Westside
(Augusta) and Lincoln County.
Meanwhile, the MP girls track
team also competed in Watkins-
vine on Friday, placing 1 lth out of
17 teams with 24 points.
Collins Hill was the girls meet
champion with 89 points, fol-
lowed by Archer in second place
with 81 points. Oconee County
finished in third place with 78
points.
MP girls athletes who scored
points at Friday's meet included:
Campbell Brown, who placed
sixth in the 100 meters with a
time of 13.03 seconds and placed
sixth in the 200 meters with
a time of 27.20 seconds, Ava
McKallip, who placed seventh in
the 3,200 meters with a time of
13 minutes, 2 seconds, Maradeth
Leverett, who placed eighth in
the 3,200 meters with a time of
13 minutes, 13 seconds, Cheyla
Tafolla, who placed fifth in the
pole vault with a vault of 8 feet, 6
inches, and Precious Gaines, who
placed seventh in the shot put
with a heave of 31 feet, 3 inches.
Also, MP's No. 1 4 x 100-meter re-
lay team of Brown, Alyssa Green,
Alvina Shannon and Demarria
Scandrett placed sixth with a time
of 51.48 seconds, and MP'S No. 1
4 x 800-meter relay team of Caro-
line Hampton, Leverett, Rilyn
McKallip and Katie Hollis placed
third with a time of 11 minutes,
38 seconds.
Other girls teams in attendance
on Friday in order of highest to
lowest finish included: North
Oconee, Washington-W'tlkes,
Baldwin, Madison County,
Clarke Central, Franklin County,
Morgan County, Athens Acad-
emy, Westside (Augusta), Athens
Christian, Lincoln County, He-
bron Christian and East Jackson.
The MP boys and girls track
teams will next compete at FPD at
4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10.
Mclaurin takes
home second-
place ribbon at
Florida event
Isabel Mclaurin of Monroe Coun-
ty continued her successful senior
season at the Interscholastic
Equestrian Association (lEA) Zone
4 Finals, held in Pensacola, Fla.
on March 23. Mclaurin competed
against 17 other riders from six
different states who each had
qualified for Zones by qualifying
for and winning his/her Region
Finals. Mclaurin placed second
in her Open Flat class, earning
her a place as one of the top 18
riders in the lEA Open Division
fiat in the U.S. and qualifying her
to compete at lEA National Finals
held in Harrisburg, Pa. in April.
Mclaurin is the daughter of Cole
and Audri Mclaurin of Smart, and
the granddaughter of Jerry and
Ann Greer of Smart and Jerry
and Gail Mclaurin of Jackson.
(Photo/Cole Mclaurin)
Middle win: 10-1
Monroe County resident Avery Sinyard (above) and the Rock Springs
Christian Academy Eagles Middle School baseball sqaud defeated Griffin
Christian 10-1 on Tuesday, March 26 and to stay undefeated against the
Crusaders. (Photo/RSCA)
q
top international
com in Fin
ing
petition
Former Mary Persons soccer star Shane King (left), who is in his second year of studies at Richmond
International Academic & Soccer Academy (RIASA) in Leeds, England, competed with his academy
squad at a tournament in Finland last month. King's group flew into the capital city of Helsinki before
heading to the city of Kotka to play at historic Arto Tolsa Areena, a soccer stadium that opened during
the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. After suffering a loss in Kotka, King's team then proceeded to nearby Kymi,
where RIASA recorded a victory in a contest played in a dome. King served as a team captain for both
matches. RIASA's competition included reserve and academy teams from Finland's premier soccer league.
King's mother Kay said her son has mostly international teammates and has gotten to meet people from
all over the world thanks to his RIASA experience. This includes RIASA'S head academy coach Rob Jones,
a former professional player with over 470 appearances in various British soccer leagues. King will be
headed home in May for the summer before returning to RIASA in the fall, where he will head to China
to compete in another international tournament in October and continue his pursuit of a degree in inter-
national sports business management. King's parents, Dave and Kay, recently visited their son in England
over Christmas before traveling around northern Europe for vacation. (Photo/Kay King)
By Ridmrd Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
Monroe County Commissioners will allow Monroe County
EMS to outsource its billing services to a private company.
At the recommendation of Monroe County fire/EMS chief
Matt Perry, commissioners contracted on Tuesday, March 19
with Hinesville-based Trinity EMS Billing and Consulting for 12
months. Trinity EMS Billing and Consulting will be entitled to
6 percent of total gross collections, which Perry estimated was
about $500,000 in 2018.
Perry said the county's EMS department has insufficient staffing
with only one designated employee to perform billing duties,
which has resulted in the county getting about eight to 10 weeks
behind on sending out bills. He said the shortage in staffing,
intermittent internet issues and outdated software are among
the reasons Monroe County staffers make too many data entry
miscues, which has resulted in a 15 to 20 percent reimbursement
denial rate. He speculated that because of these shortcomings
the county is missing out on hundreds of thousands of potential
collections.
Perry took proposals from five different companies of which
Trinity EMS Billing and Consulting requested the lowest percent-
age of total collections.
By Richard Dumas at least 119,000 miles on them. into the physical custody of a
forsyth@mymcr.net staffer at one of the three loca-
In other Board of Commis- tions, the child is unharmed
Monroe County Commis- sioners' news: and that the child is no more
sioners agreed to spend up to than 30 days old. Signs desig-
$190,000 to buy and outfit a Monroe County Commis- nating Monroe County fire sta-
new ambulance, sioners on Tuesday, March 19 tions as "Safe Haven" spots for
At the request of Monroe spent $25,963 to buy 13 porta- newborn babies to be left will
County fire/EMS chief Matt ble radios for volunteer Monroe be erected on the buildings.
Perry, commissioners bought County firefighters/EMTs from Procedures for county fire-
on Tuesday, March 19 a 2019 Williams Communications, Inc. fighters/EMTs to follow in-
Ford F-450 from an Orlando, The radios will include: char- dude: taking protective custody
Fla.-based dealer. Perry es- gers, spare batteries, belt clips of the infant, attempting to ob-
timated the new ambulance and remote microphones. Mon- tain information about the baby
could be ready to go into ser- roe County fire/EMS chief Matt from the parent while trying to
vice within two months. Perry said the radios will be maintain the parent's anonym-
Commissioners also approved used by volunteers who do not ity, encouraging the parent to
to spend $114,791 to remount participate in structure fires, get his/her own medical evalua-
an existing ambulance box on tion, contacting Department of
a 2013 Chevrolet to put on a Monroe County Commis- Family and Children's Services
Ford F-450 truck chassis. The sioners approved on Tuesday, to notify them that the infant
funds to pay for the remount March 19 a standard operating is being transported by ambu-
will come from 2014 Special procedure for Monroe County lance to a medical facilty and
Purpose Local Option Sales firefighters/EMTS in case a making the county fire chief or
Tax (SPLOST) proceeds while newborn baby is left at a county deputy fire chief aware of the
fire station, situation.
the new ambulance will come
from the county's general fund Per state regulation, a parent Monroe County fire/EMS
to be repaid using future 2020 leaving a newborn in the cus- chief Matt Perry said there have
SPLOST proceeds, tody of a medical facility, fire been no previous instances of
Five of Monroe County's six station or police station would babies being left at a county fire
current ambulances have had not face criminal prosecution as station.
major parts replaced and have long as the child is volunteered
