Unleaded gas was approaching $4.30 per gallon at the Murphy Express in Cornelia on March 11, 2022. On March 18, Georgia temporarily suspended its 29¢ per gallon gas tax. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
Earlier this month, the national average price of gas hit a record high of $4.33 per gallon. Now that average has declined to $4.23. Georgia drivers are seeing savings of about 21 cents at the pump, with prices averaging $4.02 per gallon.
The decline comes after Gov. Brian Kemp suspended the state gas tax last week, which accounts for 29 cents per gallon. So why hasn’t gas gone down the full amount?
Gas Buddy Petroleum Analyst Patrick DeHaan said gas prices rely on multiple factors.
“Oil prices are up significantly; today, the wholesale price of gas is up 15 cents gallon,” he said. “So, if politicians said, ‘Effective tomorrow, we’re going to drop that tax,’ well, that tax of 20 cents a gallon could simply be gobbled up by the fact that wholesale prices are up 15 cents a gallon today.”
Crude oil prices initially surged in reaction to Russia attacking Ukraine, but they have since declined. Prices are likely to continue to fluctuate as the conflict continues and supplies and demand shift.
Another factor: AAA reports that gas prices falling right now goes against seasonal trends.
“Usually this time of year, with warmer weather and longer days, we’d see an uptick in gasoline demand as more people hit the road,” AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross said.
Georgia’s gas prices have seen the fourth largest shift in the past week following behind Florida, Delaware and Maryland, which leads the nation with a 46-cent drop in average gas prices.
This article appears on Now Habersham in partnership with GPB News
Nancy Bone Barron, age 68, of Cornelia, passed away on Wednesday, March 23, 2022, after relentlessly battling Systemic Lupus for the past 30 years with her beloved family by her side.
Born on January 12, 1954, at Athens General Hospital, she was the only child of the late Robert Franklin Bone and Lois Nancy Seagraves Bone.
Nancy attended Demorest Elementary School; freshman and sophomore years at South Habersham High School; and junior and senior years at Habersham Central High School graduating in 1972. During her freshman year she met her lifetime love, a senior named Robert Barron. They were a couple from 1968 onward and married on June 23, 1972, a few weeks after Nancy’s graduation. At her death on March 23, she was exactly three months from her and Robert’s 50th wedding anniversary.
Beginning in high school, Nancy worked in the banking industry. When she and Robert welcomed their son Jeffrey, Nancy embraced her new role and became a full-time mom. Years later Nancy managed the Stork’s Nest where she enjoyed talking to customers and helping them select the perfect outfit for their children. Nancy and Robert invested many years of their lives working with local and state Key Clubs. The Key Clubbers knew that if Miss Nancy told you to do something it was in your best interest to do it quickly! Throughout those years, many teens called the Barron residence their second home. Nancy never met a stranger because once she met you, she had made a new friend and you became family to her. She opened her home to anyone who needed a warm meal and a hug. When daughter Anna arrived, Nancy spent many days at the dance studio. She accompanied Anna on clogging dance exhibitions all over the tri-state area. She never missed a chance to watch Jeff perform in the Band of Blue as together the family supported the Raiders. Her children were her priceless gifts, and she was so very proud of their accomplishments. Her grandchildren lovingly called her Nana and their happiness and success became her greatest desire. Nana was a great role model, an expert counselor and she never failed to speak the truth – even when you didn’t want to hear it!
She knew how to make everyone feel included and loved. Holidays and birthdays were meant to be celebrated extravagantly and with elaborate decorations. At Halloween her home was the place to be as each year they provided candy for hundreds of children and a chili supper for friends who were too busy to cook before trick-or-treating. For several decades she hosted a New Year’s Eve party that was the highlight of her friends’ social calendars. Nana was an expert in growing beautiful flowers and plants. Friends often brought their ailing plants to Nancy’s “horticultural hospital” where her green thumb brought them back to life.
She leaves behind a long list of family and friends whose lives she has touched. In spite of health challenges, Nancy’s determination to live a normal life was an inspiration to everyone who encountered her. In her final months even her medical transport team were recipients of her southern hospitality as she regularly greeted them with special snacks to enjoy on their drive to the hospital. Her quick wit, positive energy and vitality for life were her most endearing qualities. For those who loved her, 68 years was not enough time; but Nancy managed to pack a lot of living in those years. Though small in stature she was big in life. In the different seasons of her life, she had been a member of Faith Tabernacle Baptist Church, First Baptist Cornelia and Level Grove Baptist Church. She loved life and she loved God. She was a fighter to the very end, and those who knew her were blessed to have known her strength and to have been recipients of her love.
Survivors include her loving husband, Robert Harold Barron of the home; son, Jeffery Barron of Cornelia; daughter and son-in-law, Anna Lynn and Daniel Ferguson of Cornelia; grandchildren: Annalise Barron and fiancé, David Gonzalez, James Barron, Conley Barron, Cooper Ferguson, and Emma Lynn Ferguson; life-long friends, Donald and Kathy Crowe of Cornelia; God-daughter, Lori Burgess, wife of Jacob Burgess, their children, Aaron and Charlotte of Port Washington, NY and God-son, Nathan Crowe and wife, Brittany of New York, NY; and loving neighbor, Haley Coursey of Cornelia.
Memorial services are scheduled for 2:00 pm on Saturday, March 26, 2022, at Level Grove Baptist Church with Rev. Terry Rice, Dr. Brian James, and Rev. Lori Crowe Burgess officiating. Inurnment will follow in Yonah Memorial Gardens with Rev. Walter Singletary officiating.
The family will receive friends from 2-4 and 6-8 pm on Friday and from 12 pm until the service hour on Saturday at Level Grove Baptist Church.
In lieu of flowers, monetary donations may be made to the Barron Family to help cover medical expenses, to the Lupus Foundation of America, Georgia Chapter, 1850 Lake Park Drive, Suite 101, Smyrna, Georgia 30080, or to the Level Grove Baptist Church Building Fund, P.O. Box 416, Cornelia, Georgia 30531.
Those in attendance are asked to please adhere to public health and social distancing guidelines regarding COVID-19.
A single-vehicle crash in Cornelia Wednesday afternoon seriously injured a Habersham Central High School student. The Georgia State Patrol identifies the driver as Miguel Martinez of Cornelia.
(HCSO)
According to GSP, Martinez was driving a 2000 Ford Ranger on J Warren Road when he lost control of the vehicle. The pickup ran off the west shoulder of the road then traveled back onto the roadway. As it did, it began to rotate, ran off the road again, and went airborne. The truck struck two trees before coming to a final rest on the east shoulder of the roadway.
First responders had to extricate the teen from the wreckage.
Habersham EMS transported Martinez to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville in serious but stable condition, says HCSO spokesperson Kevin Angell says.
The crash was reported on March 23 shortly after 2 p.m. as a rollover wreck. Habersham County deputies were first on the scene.
“It’s unknown at this time why the vehicle left the roadway,” says Angell.
A White County man is out of jail on bond following his arrest last week on child sex abuse charges.
On March 14, the White County Sheriff’s Office received information from the White County School System about a previous sexual assault. According to the incident report, a student told a school counselor that she and her sisters had been molested by a relative in 2013.
The allegations prompted an investigation and, as a result, investigators charged 44-year-old William Baker, Jr., of Cleveland with child molestation and two counts of sexual battery against a child under the age of 16.
Baker turned himself in to the sheriff’s office on March 15, says White County Sheriff’s Capt. Clay Hammond. He was released from jail the following day after posting a $20,000 bond.
The debris sits in an empty parking lot on the Habersham County Fairgrounds. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
Monday night, the Habersham County Commission came to a consensus on who would remove the pile of debris from Winter Storm Izzy at the Habersham County Fairgrounds.
The debris from the storm was piled at the fairgrounds while the county’s public works department worked to clear county roads during the storm, and has been sitting in there ever since.
The county put the removal of the debris out for bid and received a total of three bids between March 10 and March 16.
Palmer’s Firewood and Farm Services, owned by Commission Chairman Bruce Palmer’s son, James Palmer, was the lowest bidder for the project at $10,200. Rider Grinding Services, who quoted the project at $14,000, and Higgins Construction, who quoted the project at $19,750, were the two other bidders.
(Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
“I feel there’s absolutely no issue with Chairman Palmer’s son doing the work,” Vice-Chairman Bruce Harkness said. “I feel certain that it is a legitimate, honest, fair deal for the taxpayers.”
Commissioner Jimmy Tench wanted to know why the public works department couldn’t take care of the debris on their own with the chipper the commission recently approved the purchase of. Public Works Director Jerry Baggett said that the contracted service would provide a larger chipper and that the mulch created by it would be used at the county landfill.
In a 3-1 vote with Tench in opposition and Palmer recusing himself, the board awarded the bid to Palmer’s Firewood and Farm Services.
After 22 years of service to the Town of Alto, Mayor Audrey Turner announced Tuesday that she would be retiring from her position as mayor as of March 31.
“I appreciate the citizen’s support in the time I’ve been here,” Turner said. “I’m going to rest for a while, take care of my family.”
Turner tells Now Habersham that following the pandemic and helping her husband navigate health issues, she’s ready to take a step back from an overwhelming workload. She says that she’s accomplished everything she had hoped to in over two decades as mayor, and more.
“I love the people in the town, and the town, that’s why I’ve been here,” Turner said. “But it’s time.”
Post 1 Councilman Turner Griffith, who beat out incumbent Carolyn Cabe in the town’s November election by one vote, resigned from his post by letter.
“Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to work in this position for the past few months, I’ve greatly enjoyed and appreciated the opportunities,” Griffith wrote. “I have had to come across, and I have had to learn, many valuable lessons, all of which I will take with me throughout my career and my life.”
Griffith says he left his post due to “unforeseen circumstances,” that have caused him to move away from the Town of Alto.
The city will have an election to fill those open council seats in November of this year.
Yonah Coffee and Café co-owners Ben Lucas (left) and Joey Keeler (right) are ready to open their doors for business after unexpectedly closing for four months. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
After closing their doors in November, Yonah Coffee and Cafe’s owners and staff are ready to open their doors for the first time in four months.
Back in November, co-owners Ben Lucas and Joey Keeler were shocked to find four inches of standing water in the Demorest cafe after a pipe burst in the kitchen. At that time, they thought they would have the beloved local spot open in two weeks— but they were just as shocked by the water as how long it took their insurance company to get back with them.
“The insurance company decided they wanted to take two and a half months before they approved the claim and talked about numbers,” Lucas said. “They took forever to get back [with us] and say what they were going to pay for, so we just kept waiting.”
But after those two and a half months of waiting, Lucas and Keeler got to work, bringing in updates to more than just the floors and walls that sustained water damage. Upgrades-wise, they say their brand-new patio steals the show.
“I’m pretty excited about that,” Lucas said. “That’s going to add 45 more seats for us.”
Yonah has added tablets to their seating areas to display daily specials and other menu items. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
They’ve also added tablets to their seating areas to display daily specials and other menu items— as well as their expanded alcohol menu.
“A lot of people never knew that we had alcohol,” Lucas said. “So our nice, big new sign up front that says that we have booze— it’s funny because a lot of people are like, ‘there’s a new restaurant called Breakfast, Brunch and Booze next to Yonah Coffee,’ [but] it’s just a new sign for the same business.”
Co-owner Ben Lucas shows off the cafe’s orange juice squeezer, one of his favorite appliances at Yonah. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
He says he’s hopeful their new alcohol menu, from craft beer and mimosas made with fresh-squeezed-in-house orange juice, to spiked cold brew coffees, will be a hit.
Keeler says he’s most excited about their new and improved menu. They’ve added some of Yonah customers’ favorite seasonal dishes to the menu year-round, like their eggs benedict and shrimp and grits.
“I’m excited about the new food on the menu,” Keeler said. “I think the people are going to really like that and the new alcohol, all of the new stuff.”
Serving again
It isn’t just showing off their upgrades and a new menu that have the owners and staff buzzing with excitement. They all agree that they’re ready for the opportunity to start serving the community again.
Yonah continued to pay their staff during their unexpected closing, but Lucas says the staff is just as ready as he and Keeler are to get the show back on the road.
Coffee cups hang on near the barista station, ready to be in customers’ hands once again. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
“Even though they’re getting paid not to work right now, most of them are just itching to get back to work because they miss it,” Lucas said. “They miss the environment that we have. We’re a pretty tight-knit group of people, so I know a lot of them are excited to get back to it.”
He says he’s looking forward to seeing the faces of their customers again, who he says he’s missed catching up with.
“Being able to see are our regular customers— we’ve missed a lot of them,” Lucas said. “We have such a loyal [customer] base that I can think of tons of people that when they walk in, I already know what they’re going to eat, and it’s been kind of sad, not seeing these people you’re used to talking to, three, four or five times a week.”
The coffee shop will open its doors to the public for the first time in months at 6:30 a.m. Thursday, resuming their usual hours.
“We’re just happy to be able to serve them again,” Lucas said. “We’re excited for them to try some of the new things we’re going to be doing, and get back to business.”
Yonah Coffee and Cafe is located at 691 Old Historic Hwy 441 just north of Habersham Medical Center in Demorest.
Norman Bastian and mom Alexandria Gabriel (photo by Lane Gresham)
Tallulah Falls senior Norman Bastian of Nassau, Bahamas, made good on his commitment to Olivet Nazarene University on Wednesday to continue his academic and baseball career. Bastian signed his letter of intent with the purple and gold Tigers, who are located in Bourbonnais, Illinois, and are members of the NAIA Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference.
“The ONU baseball program is excited to announce the commitment of Norman Bastian,” says Olivet Nazarene coach Jeff Mullikin. “Norman comes to Bourbonnais from legendary coach Justin Pollock. We are excited to see the growth and development of Norman both on and off the field. It is always a great day in the Bourb when you can add a player of Bastian’s caliber.”
Pollock has been able to rely on Bastian’s abilities at the plate and even on the mound this season. To date, he is batting .406 with one homer and 12 RBI. He also has a spotless 0.00 ERA across 8.1 innings of work, nailing down his lone save opportunity.
“Norman is a great player and an even better young man,” adds TFS coach Pollock. “He has come in this year and made our program better on and off the field. I am excited for this opportunity for him and I know he will be a great addition to the Olivet Nazarene program.”
Though Bastian hasn’t been at TFS long, he has made the most of this opportunity both in the classroom and on the field.
“In my short time at TFS, I’ve not only furthered my education but I’ve become a new baseball player as well,” states Bastian. “I have learned a lot from my coaches and teammates. This is a special team and no matter the outcome of the season, I will be proud to say I was a part of the Tallulah Falls varsity baseball team. I am excited for what lies ahead of me in the classroom and on the baseball field at Olivet Nazarene University.”
Not many players have the chance to play at the next level, so Bastian’s next level achievement will inspire other TFS players who have similar dreams.
“Norman will be experiencing his dream of playing America’s national pastime while furthering his education,” adds TFS Athletic Director Scott Neal. “The way he plays the game and his accomplishments continue to pave the way for others who hope to further their playing career at the next level.”
Bastian signed his letter of intent with teammates, friends, and family in attendance at TFS on Wednesday afternoon. He becomes the seventh Tallulah Falls athlete to sign this school year, and eighth baseball player in program history to do so.
Hart County authorities have arrested a suspected arsonist. Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King announced Wednesday that James Cleveland, 50, was arrested in connection with a fire in Hartwell. The suspect is being charged with arson in the 1st degree and criminal damage to property.
James Cleveland (State Fire Marshal’s Office)
The fire occurred on March 12 at a 58-year-old, 1400-square-foot residence on Wayne Circle.
“The residence had been vacant since 2019 and had no utilities connected,” says Commissioner King. “The fire damaged several rooms and the roof of the residence. Mr. Cleveland was subsequently arrested by the Hart County Sheriff’s Office as a result.”
The State Fire Investigations Unit is assisting the Hart County Sheriff’s Office and Fire Department with this investigation. The suspect is being held in the Hart County Jail.
This article has been updated to reflect the correct time when the accident was reported
Attendees raised their hands when Palmer asked who would be willing to pay additional taxes to support building separate pickleball courts, rather than resurfacing tennis courts. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
A significant number of tennis players turned out to the Habersham County Commission’s meeting Monday night, filling the room to show their disapproval of the commission’s plan to resurface two of the tennis courts at the Ruby C. Fulbright Aquatic Center to become pickleball courts.
Last month, tennis players came out to the commission’s monthly meeting to share those same frustrations. But even after the outcry, Habersham County Parks and Recreation Director Kurt Cooper said that there were no plans to halt the resurfacing of the courts and that the county was ready to hire a design team to make the resurfacing happen.
This month, though, those players came out in even stronger numbers to voice their concerns, while some pickleball players came out to defend the plan.
A total of seven tennis players argued during public comments that resurfacing those two courts will negatively impact the tennis community, making it harder for them to find places to play.
Christopher Watson, a North Habersham Middle School teacher and community tennis player, spoke at the commission’s last meeting. This month, he provided the commission with photos of the tennis courts being full, as well as reminded the commissioners of a petition circulating to leave the tennis courts as they are.
He also called on the board of commissioners to better advertise pending decisions that would affect taxpayers, telling the board the tennis community didn’t know about the issue until the petition began circulating.
“Most county residents don’t attend these meetings, nor should you really expect that,” Waston said. “A sign at the tennis courts would have been a great place to start.”
Players shared their experiences with seeing tennis courts full of tennis players on the weekend— while pickleball players argue they rarely see those courts full of tennis players.
“I don’t understand why one sport is being pitted against the other,” local tennis player Clayton King said. “I see the same thing everybody else sees, but I must be seeing it through different eyes because I see the tennis courts filled up on Saturday and Sunday at specific times … if we were left with only two tennis courts, there are going to be people waiting to get on the tennis courts.”
The argument the two pickleball players who spoke up shared was that their options for places to play are limited in Habersham and that they should have their own place to play in the county. They say that their courts won’t negatively affect the tennis players.
Habersham County Pickleball Club spokeswoman Peggy Fortson says that in the past month, the club counted that 365 people play pickleball between the ages of 12 and 81.
Fortson looks on as tennis players share their opinions on the resurfacing of the tennis courts. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
“We play day and night, weekends, we’ve been playing a long time,” Fortson said. “We have never been there when the tennis courts were full, we have never been there when there were people waiting to play tennis.”
Currently, the pickleball players use portions of the tennis courts, or portions of the gymnasium at the aquatic center, to play. During basketball and volleyball season, their space and time to play in the indoor courts are greatly reduced.
Pickleball players have to set up their equipment on their makeshift courts before they can start playing, which Fortson says is a physically taxing endeavor that can take around 20 minutes with a group, but with just one or two people, can take up to an hour.
But comments weren’t an us-versus-them argument, some tennis players say that they’d be willing to fundraise, or even see a tax increase, to make sure the pickleball players got a complex of their own to use.
Wonders spoke up from the back of the room, where there was standing room only, multiple times to address the commissioners. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
“I am in support of the addition of a new pickleball complex to meet the needs of Ms. Fortson’s group,” tennis player Paula Wonders said, who plays regularly with her family. “But I do not support the loss of two tennis courts to offer a less expensive option to the pickleballer’s original proposal.”
The original proposal, which was shared with some tennis players and the commissioners, was to build a separate court area for pickleball. Land resources and costs proved to be a challenge, however, and at some point, the commission chose to change that plan to resurfacing two of the tennis courts.
Putting paving on hold
After hearing remarks from citizens once again, the commissioners decided to hold off on voting on the court resurfacing for another month so that they could look into all their options to potentially find a solution that works better for Pickleball and tennis.
The commissioners discussed speaking with the board of education to open up their tennis courts for taxpayers, looking into additional funding sources to build a complex and working with the City of Cornelia to give tennis players an idea of when the tennis courts there would be updated.
“I am fully on board with doing the pickleball courts, however, I would like us to take one more month to look into all of these things we just discussed,” Commissioner Dustin Mealor said. “I would like to make a motion to table this for one month, and then we need to make a decision. We don’t need to keep kicking the can [down the road].”
The county has 60 days before the bid for the tennis court resurfacing expires.
Reactions from tennis and pickleball players
After the commissioners’ decision, tennis players are feeling hopeful that they may have a chance to save their two courts.
“The decision that was made is actually what we [tennis players] were hoping for,” Wonders told Now Habersham. “We really weren’t even sure we could get through to them [the commissioners], I really do believe they were intending to make a decision tonight … but now they can look at it through our eyes.”
But pickleball players aren’t feeling the same kind of hope.
“I’m trying to be optimistic as opposed to very disappointed,” Fortson said. “I’m hoping that the commissioners are just doing their due diligence.”
Forston says there are a lot of places in the county for tennis players to play, from courts in other municipalities but for pickleball players, they’re limited to the tennis courts at the aquatic center. As taxpayers, she says, pickleball players also deserve to have a court that they don’t have to set up.
“We’re taxpayers, but we fund the ability for us to play pickleball,” Fortson said.
Wonders, as well as other tennis players, says they would be happy to fundraise for new pickleball courts. Fortson isn’t convinced that will happen.
“They’ll be glad to give taxpayer dollars to go towards that, for them to fund it, raise money for it— show me that,” Fortson said. “Everybody has said ‘well, we’ll give you the money.’ Okay, give us the money, and we’ll give it to the county.”
Fortson isn’t against the idea of adding a complex, but she isn’t sure that it’s feasible even if they do get the money. She says that due to the weather, and that courts can only be surfaced when the weather is 70 degrees or above, the construction process would have had to begin months ago to get a complex built.
She says she hopes tennis and pickleball can work together in the future to make that happen, but right now, she hopes the local need for pickleball courts can be met.
The Georgia House is considering a Senate bill that would provide state benefits to families of police officers and other first responders who commit suicide in the line of duty. (Photo courtesy of Georgia Department of Public Safety)
ATLANTA (GA Recorder) — A bipartisan group of Georgia lawmakers is working to get a bill across the Legislature’s finish line that would remove barriers that prevent families of police officers who died by suicide from collecting the same benefits as survivors of officers who die in the line of duty.
A House public safety panel is expected to vote in the coming days on Senate Bill 464, a measure that already unanimously passed the Senate. Its supporters say the proposed change is a long-overdue way to help overcome the stigma associated with suicide. It would modify a state program that deprives families of police officers, firefighters and other first responders from getting much-needed financial help in the wake of tragedy.
If the bill clears the House chamber and becomes law, the families of suicide victims would be eligible for $150,000 in state benefits if the death occurs within 30 days of their last date of employment. The victim’s spouse and children who are under the age of 19 or enrolled in college are eligible for the benefits.
In 2021, Georgia public safety organizations received reports of five police officers and two firefighters who died by suicide, said Stone Mountain Democratic Sen. Kim Jackson, the lead sponsor of a bill co-signed by influential Republican Sen. John Albers and other GOP lawmakers.
“Our ultimate goal is to have zero deaths by suicide,” Jackson said at Tuesday’s House Public Safety and Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing. “This to me is a stopgap measure as we continue to push for mental health reforms.”
Georgia lawmakers this session are aiming to make some significant progress to improve Georgia’s dismal national ranking for access to mental health services. Lawmakers are working to pass a wide-ranging behavioral health package before the session ends on April 4, a measure sponsored by House Speaker David Ralston, a Blue Ridge Republican.
That emphasis could also spell success for SB 464 as benefits directed through the state’s indemnification program covers expenses for job-related disabilities and deaths.
Police, firefighters, EMTs, emergency management specialists, state highway workers, and prison guards are included among the public safety professions covered.
The chair of the public safety subcommittee said during Tuesday’s hearing that he expects a vote clearing the way for the measure to reach the full committee in the coming days.
The bill comes on the heels of last year’s expansion to include benefits if an employee dies of a heart attack or stroke within a day of having performed strenuous work.
Although there is no official federal data tracking the number of suicides by police officers, data gathered by nonprofits shows that suicides increase each year. And Jackson said that up until the pandemic, suicides were the leading cause of line-of-duty deaths among police officers.
Rep. Gloria Frazier, a Democrat from Hephzibah, endorsed the bill on Tuesday, saying she’d like to see some flexibility if a former public safety employee is receiving health services at the time of their death.
“What if officers that are undergoing psychiatric help and they (commit suicide) in 32 days,” Frazier said. “I’m not trying to confuse your bill, it’s just that I want to make sure that they are also compensated.”
Community COVID transmission rates currently remain low across Northeast Georgia. Data from District 2 Public Health shows the two-week positivity rate is well below 10% in all 13 counties the District serves.
For the two-week time period ending March 17, Habersham County’s positivity rate was 2.1% with 14 new cases identified. White County’s positivity rate was 2.5% with 16 new cases diagnosed, according to data from the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Franklin County had the district’s lowest positivity rate at 1.3% while Rabun County was the highest at 6.6%.
Vaccination rates among the counties vary, with Banks County reporting the lowest number of residents who are fully vaccinated at 32%. Forsyth, Towns, and Union counties have vaccination rates at or above 50%, with Forsyth claiming the highest full vaccination rate in the District at 59% of its population.
District Two Public Health counties include Banks, Dawson, Forsyth, Franklin, Habersham, Hall, Hart, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, and White.
Since the pandemic began in March 2020, public health officials have confirmed over 1.9 million cases of the virus in Georgia. At least 30,775 people in the state have died with COVID and another 5,840 deaths are considered ‘probable’ COVID deaths.
