GRIFFIN — City of Griffin Fire Chief Tommy Jones will retire after over 32 years of service to the community. Jones joined the department Aug. 2, 1987 at the rank of firefighter. He served in the old Station No. 1 at the Historic City Hall for the first three years of his career and rode […]
Posted inTraffic & Transportation
Motorcycle driver dead after collision with Chevy Tahoe
DACULA — A 27-year-old motorcycle driver is dead after a collision with a Chevy Tahoe Saturday evening. The Gwinnett County Police Department is investigating the fatality crash. The original incident occurred on Saturday, Feb. 15 at about 7:30 p.m. According to police, the preliminary investigation revels that Braetan Petraro was traveling east on Braselton Highway […]
Posted inLocal
Construction is beginning in St. Simons Sound. Here’s what you can expect
St. Simons Sound Incident Response contractors are scheduled to begin construction of an environmental protection barrier Thursday around the grounded motor vessel Golden Ray. The pile-driving operation is the first phase in the construction of the barrier. Weeks Marine workers will begin the process of driving about 80 piles into the sea floor over an […]
Posted inYour Family
Relief for Georgia family hit with $11,000 surprise medical bill
An agreement between a health insurer and a Rome hospital has shaved more than $10,000 off a surprise medical bill for a young asthma patient. Liam Stina’s hospital bill of more than $11,000 was featured in a Georgia Health News article last week. But the state department of insurance said Wednesday that a verbal agreement was reached […]
Posted inWeather
Snow threatens North Georgia again Thursday
Get ready, North Georgia. Snow is expected again. The Georgia Emergency Management Agency has issued a winter weather advisory for Fannin, Gilmer, Union, Towns, Pickens, Dawson, Lumpkin, and White Counties. A mixture of freezing rain transitioning to snow is expected to begin at 5 a.m. Thursday and could keep falling until 1 a.m. Friday. Total […]
Posted inYour Government
If this new law passes, you’ll need to buckle up when you ride in the back seat
Legislation aimed at requiring back-seat passengers to wear safety belts in Georgia hit speed bumps Wednesday as key Senate lawmakers disagreed over penalties and court implications for violators. Georgia has required front-seat passengers to wear belts in most vehicles since 1988. It remains one of 20 states that lack similar rules for the back seat. […]
Posted inCrime
Police search for clues in Gwinnett County hit and run
DULUTH — The Gwinnett County Police Department needs your help to identify a vehicle involved in a hit and run on Feb. 15. The police were notified of a man in the middle of the roadway on Pleasant Hill Road at Club Drive at 7:06 p.m. When officers arrived, they located the victim, Aurelio Peneda. […]
Posted inCrime
The body of a missing Fort Valley State student has been found. Her boyfriend has been arrested
CRAWFORD COUNTY — The boyfriend of a missing Fort Valley State University student who’s body was found in a wooded area in Crawford County yesterday has been arrested. On Tuesday, February 18, 2020, at approximately 3:20 p.m., the body of Anitra Lashay Gunn was discovered in a wooded area on Greer Road in Crawford County, […]
Posted inGeorgia People
Meet Georgia’s new acting public safety commissioner
Former Tift County Sheriff Gary Vowell has been tapped to fill Georgia’s public safety chief post after former public safety commissioner Col. Mark McDonough was forced out last week. McDonough was asked to resign by Gov. Brian Kemp following a cheating scandal involving 30 state troopers. Today the Board of Public Safety voted unanimously to […]
Posted inCrime
Georgia police search for bank robbery suspect
GAINESVILLE — Police in Gainesville need your help finding a suspect in a bank robbery that occurred Tuesday morning at a BB&T on Jesse Jewel Parkway. The robbery occurred at about 10:15 a.m., when the suspect entered the business through the main lobby and walked up to a bank teller. The suspect passed a note […]
Posted inYour Family
Bill to end Surprise Medical Billing in Georgia moves forward
Legislation aimed at ending the practice of “surprise billing” of medical patients in Georgia cleared a committee in the state House of Representatives Tuesday. Lawmakers have been trying for years to help patients hit with unexpected charges from hospitals that participate in their insurance plan’s network for health-care services provided by out-of-network specialists. “People are […]
Posted inCrime
Search continues for Georgia man wanted for arson
MORGAN COUNTY — Authorities are still searching for a Morgan County man they believe set fire to a pickup truck and a house last year. On Jan. 31, the Morgan County Grand Jury indicted 30-year-old Clifford Cole Walker for two counts of Arson in the First Degree and one count of Arson in the Second […]
Posted inIn The News
Former Georgia schools turnaround chief sues to block public release of damaging report
After resigning last month, the head of efforts to turnaround struggling schools in Georgia has filed a lawsuit against the state Department of Education to block public release of a damaging audit the agency completed that led to his resignation. The lawsuit was filed two days after the education agency notified Chief Turnaround Office Eric […]
Posted inLocal
Landlords in Atlanta can no longer refuse to rent based on someone’s source of income
ATLANTA — The city of Atlanta is cracking down on housing discrimination by prohibiting landlords from rejecting an applicant based on that applicant’s source of income. The Atlanta City Council approved an ordinance Monday prohibiting such discrimination, which would also include denying the acceptance of government vouchers. The legislation was approved by a vote of […]
Posted inCrime
14-year-old girl killed in fatal crash in Bibb County
MACON — A 14-year-old girl is dead after a police chase and crash that occurred in Bibb County early Monday morning. The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the fatal crash on Napier Ave. near Habersham Ave. at 1:40 a.m. Bibb County Sheriff’s Office Patrol deputies witnessed a Nissan Sentra fail to stop at the […]
Posted inLocal
Rockdale County hit by ransomware attack
ROCKDALE COUNTY — Rockdale County was hit by a ransomware attack earlier this month, but the county reports the attack did not compromise any personal or financial data. According to county officials, the city received alerts that unusual activity was present on the Rockdale County network Feb. 6. After a brief investigation, abnormally high CPU […]
Posted inLocal
Atlanta Mayor halts development around Westside Park
ATLANTA — Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has halted new construction permits and rezoning requests in the area surrounding Westside Park due to concerns about “pricing out” longtime residents. Bottoms issued an executive order directing the Directors of the Office of Buildings and the Office of Zoning and Development to “refuse to accept new applications […]
Posted inIn The News
Brown water, doing donuts in the snow and other news you missed over the weekend
It’s time to play a little game of catch-up for those local news items you may have missed over the weekend. For many Georgians, Valentine’s Day weekend blended into Presidents Day or a winter break for school-aged kids. Here is a rundown of some of the things you may not have heard about over the […]
