COVID-19 and last week’s storming of the U.S. Capitol loomed large in the Georgia General Assembly Monday as lawmakers were sworn in to begin the 2021 legislative session. Eleven new senators and 20 new House members took the oath of office, as the two chambers – still controlled by Republicans following the November elections – […]
Posted inYour Government
Here are the top issues for Georgia lawmakers as they start work today
Legislative leaders are promising to tackle two issues that dominated the news in Georgia and across the nation when the 2021 General Assembly session kicks off on Monday. Weeks of protests and legal challenges sparked by President-elect Joe Biden’s razor-thin victory over President Donald Trump in Georgia and other battleground states have prompted a call […]
Posted inCrime
Georgia woman arrested and charged with sexual exploitation of children
A 45-year-old Habersham County woman has been arrested and charged with sexual exploitation of children. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Kristina Townsend was charged with the Sexual Exploitation of Children (Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material) on Friday. The GBI Unit began an investigation into Townsends’s online activity after receiving a cybertip from […]
Posted inCoronavirus
Where to get a coronavirus vaccine in Georgia
You may not yet be eligible for the coronavirus vaccine, but when you are, a new website will be able to tell you where to get one. The Georgia Department of Public Health is launching a COVID vaccine locator on the department’s website at https://dph.georgia.gov. The tool allows users to search by county for a vaccine provider […]
Posted inCrime
Stabbing suspect on the loose in Roswell
ROSWELL — Police in Roswell are searching for a suspect in a stabbing death that took place just after midnight Saturday. According to police, Roswell dispatchers received a call about a group of people fighting in the parking lot outside a bar at 1085 Holcomb Bridge Rd. Multiple officers converged on the scene but all […]
Posted inCrime
Dade County police chase ends in Alabama
A police chase that started in Dade County ended in in a field in Alabama Friday afternoon. According to the Dade County Sheriff’s Office, at about 1:30 p.m., a patrol K-9 Deputy was on a separate call when he observed a suspicious vehicle in the area of Newsom Gap Road. The deputy attempted to make […]
Posted inCrime
Georgia man charged with impersonating a police officer
The Savannah Police Department and the Chatham County Police Department have filed charges against a man accused of impersonating a police officer. The Savannah Police Department arrested 34-year-old Donald Williams, Jr. on January 5 and charged him with Impersonating a Police Officer or Employee and Blue Light Restrictions on Vehicles. Both crimes are felonies. On […]
Posted inCoronavirus
Cherokee County schools close due to coronavirus surge among staff
Schools in Cherokee County will be closed at least through Jan. 19 after a coronavirus surge in the county and throughout the school system caused the absence of 400 staff members system-wide. The school system just reopened for in-person learning on Wednesday. “Cases are higher in our community, our state and our nation than ever […]
Posted inYour Government
Ralston does not plan to end no-excuse absentee voting
Georgia’s most powerful state lawmaker threw cold water Thursday on calls by some top Republican officials to eliminate no-excuse absentee voting after the 2020 election cycle. House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, indicated he may not support any legislative moves to require Georgians to give specific reasons for requesting mail-in ballots, following a recent push […]
Posted inLocal
Cherokee High School art teacher chosen to complete mural on Railroad Street
CANTON — With a submitted rendering of a mural representing the history and diversity of Cherokee County, Shanna Coulter, a fine art instructor at Cherokee High School, was selected as the featured artist to complete a three-foot-high and 540-foot-long mural on Railroad Street. The City of Canton and the Downtown Canton Main Street’s Public Art […]
Posted inCoronavirus
Hospitals across Georgia can’t keep up with coronavirus surge
A Georgia town’s current status as a COVID hot spot has left its mark on the local hospital. Dublin, in Middle Georgia, is now listed as No. 7 among U.S. metro areas in per capita rate of COVID-19 infections over the past two weeks, according to the New York Times. About one-third of Fairview Park […]
Posted inCoronavirus
Fulton County to make COVID-19 vaccines available to residents 65 and over
The Fulton County Board of Health is making COVID-19 vaccines available to all residents who are age 65 and over. As the vaccine distribution begins, the board of health is asking for residents to be patient as national vaccine stocks are limited and will be for some time. Here’s what you need to know about […]
Posted inNational
Capitol raid will become Trump’s legacy
The president promised he would be there every step of the way. It was a pledge Donald Trump made to thousands of supporters who had gathered Wednesday morning to protest Congress’s certification of the Electoral College vote. Behind bulletproof glass on a stage at the Ellipse, only a quarter-mile from the U.S. Capitol, Trump insisted […]
Posted inCoronavirus
Emergency services in Habersham County are maxed out due to COVID-19
Habersham County Emergency Services is asking the public to use caution and only dial 911 if there is a true medical emergency. With COVID-19 cases continuing to rise, local emergency services agencies have been stretched to their limits. County officials say all hospitals south of Gainesville are on a diversion. While North Georgia Medical Center […]
Posted inYour Government
Vernon Jones says he’s joining the Republican party
On the day after an election that looks like it will seat two democrats from Georgia in the U.S. Senate, firebrand political figure Vernon Jones announced that he is joining the republican party. Jones, who has always run as a democrat when serving in the Georgia House of Representatives and as CEO of DeKalb County, […]
Posted inFire
Pets die in Woodstock house fire
WOODSTOCK — A Woodstock homeowner lost several pets in a house fire last night, according to the Woodstock Fire Department. The Woodstock Fire Department and the Cherokee County Fire Department responded to a structure fire at a home in Buckingham Place in Woodstock at 5:42 p.m. Tuesday. On arrival, crews were met with heavy fire […]
Posted inWeather
Here’s where it might snow in Georgia on Thursday
Forecasts predicting snow in North Georgia on Thursday have been updated and give a better picture of the area that might see some snow flurries. A low pressure system will bring rainfall to much of the area on Thursday afternoon. As temperatures begin to drop later on Thursday, there’s the potential for rain to transition […]
Posted inYour Government
Warnock defeats Loeffler in Georgia Senate race
A steady trickle of Georgians mostly breezed in and out of polling places across the state for the final day of voting in the state’s high-stakes U.S. Senate runoffs, adding more than 1 million votes to the already 3 million cast before Tuesday. The nation watched as voters here narrowly elected Democrat Raphael Warnock, making […]
