The Habersham County School Board Office was snowed in during Winter Storm Izzy on Jan. 16, 2022. (nowhabersham.com)
The remnants of Winter Storm Izzy continue to impact the northeastern corner of Georgia. Habersham and Rabun County schools announced changes to their schedules, among others.
Rabun County will switch to online learning on Thursday, January 20, and Friday, January 21. Habersham County Schools will operate on a 2-hour delay Thursday.
Administrators in both systems say icy road conditions on rural back roads caused them to alter their schedules.
This past weekend’s winter storm forced dozens of Northeast Georgia schools to close earlier this week. Habersham and Rabun were hit hardest by the storm. Habersham received between 4-6 inches of snow, while some areas of Rabun got up to 9 inches. As of Wednesday afternoon, about 300 Georgia Power customers in Rabun County were still waiting on their electricity to be restored.
(Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
Habersham County School Superintendent Matthew Cooper issued this statement to the media and parents on Wednesday regarding the school system’s decision to delay classes on Thursday:
“Once again, school officials have been checking road conditions this afternoon.
Conditions have improved greatly from yesterday. There are still some isolated icy areas in the shade but temperatures will remain well above freezing tonight. We also expect rain late tonight which will aid continued thawing.
Our transportation department has requested a 2-hour delay on Thursday. The primary purpose of the delay is to allow our school buses to navigate in daylight. There is still some concern with low-hanging lines and trees in roadways. It is impossible to check every road and it’s best to deal with any unknowns in the daylight. Most of our buses spend an hour or more in the dark on a normal schedule. The delay will also address any isolated icy spots that remain on back roads.
Internet and phone service has now been restored at all schools which is great news.
We encourage everyone to be prepared for more winter weather Thursday night into Friday. The timing of the event could be a worst-case scenario with students being at school when snowfall begins. Be prepared for a possible closure or delay on Friday. We will be watching that situation closely.”
The state budgets have ballooned in response to surging state revenues, due partly to the federal relief money. But that revenue growth is expected to slow soon. (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)
(GA Recorder) — The state economist predicts Georgia’s economic growth will slow this year as federal coronavirus aid dries up and the state’s economy works to pick up the slack.
“Not a recession, just a slowdown as we sort of struggle with replacing all the free money with actual productive income earned in the economy, but we should do it,” said Jeffrey Dorfman, a University of Georgia professor who has served as the state economist under Republican Gov. Brian Kemp.
Dorfman offered his economic outlook for the new year to state lawmakers Tuesday as the governor handed off his proposed $30.2 billion budget for next year. Budget hearings will continue Wednesday.
State Economist Jeffrey Dorfman gave his annual economic update virtually Tuesday. (Screenshot of legislative livestream)
“When you look back over the last two years, we’ve all had to make some very tough but necessary decisions to ensure this great state could withstand whatever we might face and we’ve hunkered down,” Kemp said to lawmakers. “And as you can tell, we’ve emerged stronger because of it.
“Despite the uncertainty of the last two years, I’ve never been more optimistic about our state,” he said.
The governor’s revised spending plan through June has also swelled to about $29.9 billion – up about $2.6 billion since originally approved last year. That doesn’t include the $1.6 billion Kemp wants to send back to taxpayers through refunds ranging from $250 to $500. The governor, who is running for reelection this year, also packed big-ticket items like a $5,000 pay hike for state workers into his budget offering.
The state budgets have ballooned in response to surging state revenues, due partly to the federal relief money.
But Dorfman tempered expectations for future revenues after a string of eye-popping monthly reports, including one month where tax collections were up a whopping 68% over the same month in 2020.
On the whole, last year’s revenues were up 13.5% – or $3.2 billion – over a tumultuous 2020 when revenues initially plummeted as the pandemic brought the economy to a crawl and unemployment spiked to a record high. In the summer of 2020, lawmakers cut $2.2 billion from the budget.
Revenues this year have so far also continued to climb, with tax collections over the first six months up 18.1% – or $2.3 billion – over the first half of the last budget year. Last month alone, revenues were up 24.3%, according to a new report released Tuesday.
But the state economist predicted economic growth to slow to a “more normal pace.”
“We’re going to be comparing revenues to when the economy was very strong in 2021, and so it’s going to be much tougher to beat the sales tax and the income tax collections that we had last year,” he said.
On the upside, Dorfman pointed to the $75 billion Georgians have socked away during the pandemic. He said the average savings rate has since dropped to pre-pandemic levels, which he attributed to the “free money from Washington D.C.” ending. He is referring to the federal stimulus checks and extra unemployment payments, which Georgia ended early last June.
“That’s about two months’ worth of normal spending. So, Georgia consumers have a lot of money available to spend. They spent a fair bit on Christmas this year, but they still have an awful lot left, and that is going to support our economy going forward,” Dorfman said.
The state economist said many of the people who were able to boost their savings were the state’s poorer residents.
“This is a case where we see actual, considerable improvement in the financial situation of people at the bottom of the income distribution,” Dorfman said.
For now, though, many Georgians continue to get by on those savings as the pandemic flares up anew with the omicron variant. Dorfman said there is also significant churn in the workforce, with workers moving on to better jobs or employers firing the employees they took a chance on in a pinch. He said he expects workforce participation to increase as the pandemic recedes.
“We are hiring new employees at exactly the same rate as they are quitting or being fired, and so that means our employers are working really hard just to sort of tread water and keep the number of employees and job openings even,” he said. “We just can’t get ahead.”
The labor shortage has affected state agencies as well. The Georgia Department of Transportation, for example, shed more than 600 people in the last year, with more than half of those workers quitting.
Kemp is proposing to help combat the problem with the $5,000 increase and other sweetened perks like an increased 401(k) match. But it may not be enough, some of the agency heads cautioned.
As an example, Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black told lawmakers about an employee who left to do the same state job in Iowa for $60,000 that he was being paid $36,000 to do in Georgia. Black is pushing a strategic plan for reviewing his agency’s wages.
“I would suggest to all of us that the ship of state of Georgia is sailing toward an iceberg. and that iceberg is who is going to run this government five and 10 years from now,” said Black, who is also a GOP U.S. Senate candidate on the ballot this year. “The things that we’re doing with this package are very good, but it is going to be an ongoing thing that all of us are going to have to be committed to address.”
The Biden administration will free up 400 million N95 masks from the government's Strategic National Stockpile to give away free to people through pharmacies and health centers.
Beginning next week, the Biden administration will make 400 million N95 masks available to U.S. residents for free.
The White House announced Wednesday that the masks will come from the government’s Strategic National Stockpile, which has more than 750 million of the highly protective masks on hand. The masks will be available for pickup at pharmacies and community health centers across the country.
The masks will be available through pharmacies in the federal retail pharmacy program — which includes major grocery stores and retail pharmacy chains such as CVS and Walgreens.
“We know masks are an effective way to stop the spread of COVID-19. We are currently finalizing the operational details of this program and will provide more information once available,” a Walgreens spokesperson said in a statement.
The White House said that “to ensure broad access for all Americans, there will be three masks available per person.”
Stronger protection
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday updated its guidance on face coverings to more clearly state that properly fitted N95 and KN95 masks offer the most protection against COVID-19. Still, it didn’t formally recommend N95s over cloth masks.
The best mask “is the one that you will wear and the one you can keep on all day long, that you can tolerate in public indoor settings,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said last week.
Previously, the CDC didn’t recommend that the general population wear N95 masks or KN95s, a similar type of mask made in China, fearing that demand would impact the supply in health care settings.
KN95 masks, as well as N95s, filter out at least 95% of air particles, but N95 masks have stricter pressure drop requirements and are regularly considered the “gold standard” for masking.
In addition to the free masks, the government is offering free at-home rapid COVID tests to citizens and health insurance providers are now required to cover the cost of up to eight at-home COVID-19 tests per person per month. The measures are part of the administration’s effort to curb the spike of omicron variant cases that have overwhelmed hospitals and schools.
The Associated Press and NBC4 contributed to this report
Treated wood was used to replace the bridge's "substandard" deck. Now, Mt. Airy is working to raise the Seventh Street Bridge weight capacity to allow school buses to travel on it. (Tim Jarrell/Mt. Airy)
Mt. Airy’s Seventh Street Bridge is back open to traffic after being closed for two months for repairs. The town’s city manager and police chief, Tim Jarrell, announced the reopening on Wednesday. [While the bridge is repaired and officially approved for travel, it is temporarily closed because of the snow.]
“Although it is open, we are not allowing any vehicles exceeding 5 tons to utilize it. We are awaiting approval from GDOT to allow the weight classification to be increased to our goal of 15 tons,” Jarrell says. “The 15 ton limit will allow for a loaded school bus to cross over the structure.”
Vehicles that exceed the current weight limit must continue to use alternate routes, Jarrell says.
The Seventh Street bridge in Mt. Airy, GA, was built in 1947 and, prior to 2021, was last repaired thirty years ago. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
The bridge was closed on Nov. 22, 2021, for crews to install new decking. It was initially expected to reopen in mid-December. Norfolk Southern owns the bridge, built in 1947, and Jarrells says the railroad company is paying for the repairs.
The last time the Seventh Street Bridge was repaired was in 1992.
Improved space for Habersham County’s 911 dispatchers could be up and running within the next two years, according to county officials, at the new Habersham County Emergency Services central station in Demorest.
The new HCES station, which has not been designed at this point, will include a new E-911 center, providing an upgraded facility from the center’s current 70-year-old building.
The HCES central station
The wooded area pictured here, next to Demorest Elementary School and across from Wilbanks Middle School, will be the location of the new HCES central station. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
The central station will be located on Demorest Mt. Airy Highway, next to Demorest Elementary School in the area that used to be their soccer field; the area was abandoned and is now overgrown. The county purchased the land from the board of education for a total of $252,264 to build the new station on.
The county is currently in the process of finding the architectural candidate with the right qualifications to design the facility. Then they will move to the design phase, and later building phase, of the new station. Interim County Manager Alicia Vaughn estimates the project could be completed between one and two years from now.
An overview of E-911 and their facilities
Habersham County’s E-911 Center dispatches emergency services and public safety around the county, managing calls from 911 emergencies, like fires, to non-emergency calls, like sending an officer to help someone get their keys out of their car.
The E-911 center is essential to making sure first responders can arrive on the scene to save lives when people need those services the most. But they’re not just dispatching calls for Habersham County, with cellphones pinging different towers in Northeast Georgia, Habersham’s dispatchers sometimes receive calls from other counties that need to be rerouted, or they need to dispatch for other entities, like Georgia State Patrol.
E-911 Director Lynn Smith says E-911 is understaffed right now; the department is working with an average of three employees per shift with five dispatching stations to operate.
While those employees work long hours to keep the county safe, the facility they work in isn’t up-to-date. Habersham County Commission Chairman Bruce Palmer describes the current E-911 facility as “like a dungeon.”
Habersham County E-911 Director Lynn Smith says that there isn’t much that can be done to the current facility E-911 uses, and it has no opportunity for growth as it is. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
The underground building, which is at least 70 years old according to QPublic records, has no windows and only one door— one way in, and one way out. The only other point of exit in the building is an escape hatch. With the walls being 16 inches thick, Smith says there isn’t much she can do to the building.
“The facility is old and there is not a lot I can do to make it better. With a new facility, hopefully, it will boost morale and help us recruit new employees.”
New location, new facilities
While there have not been any specific plans for the new E-911 facilities announced, Palmer and Smith have discussed what they hope to see in the new location.
E-911 dispatchers often work 12-hour-long shifts in a dark room at the underground facility. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
Palmer shared his concerns for the morale of the employees at the E-911 center during his public safety town hall meeting in December. He says that he hopes this new facility will provide dispatchers, who often work 12-hour-long shifts in a dark room in the facility, with a workspace that gives them a chance to see outdoors.
Smith says that having more space to communicate and coordinate during major events, like Winter Storm Izzy that caused damage to homes and businesses, power outages, downed trees and powerlines and wrecks would be a welcome improvement.
Georgia State Prison in Reidsville was constructed in 1938 and is the oldest prison in the state. Gov. Brian Kemp and the Department of Corrections are proposing to replace four outdated prisons with two newer secure facilities. (Judson McCranie/ Creative Commons)
(GA Recorder) — Georgia’s prison system could undergo a radical change with Gov. Brian Kemp’s proposal to spend $600 million to open two new prisons that would replace four outdated correctional facilities with the aim to make prisons safer and cut costs.
The governor recommended in his spending plans that the state purchase a newer prison and build a 3,000-bed facility, a decision he called a historic investment when he announced the plans last week.
Criminal justice reform advocates say that resources would be better spent on education, mental health and other areas that could keep more people out of the criminal justice system and better prepare formerly incarcerated people for the workforce.
Kemp said his proposed spending on corrections is overdue.
“As our judicial system has focused on providing rehabilitative support in the community where appropriate for low-level, nonviolent offenders to avoid recidivism, our state prison population has become filled with increasingly violent offenders,” he wrote in the budget report. “Our aging prison facility infrastructure was not intended to house the level of offender who resides there today, and it requires higher levels of staffing and facility maintenance to manage these dangerous environments.”
Department of Corrections Commissioner Timothy Ward is scheduled to speak Wednesday before the state legislative joint Appropriations Committee where lawmakers can ask about plans for the prisons.
Georgia’s prison officials struggled to contain a number of problems in recent years, including accusations of mistreatment of inmates, riots, deadly assaults on inmates, attacks on correctional officers, and concerns about the poor physical condition of the facilities.
In September 2021, a federal civil rights investigation began looking into prisoner deaths, rampant violence and abuse of gay, lesbian, and transgender people held in Georgia prisons.
As of December, Georgia had 34 state prisons housing 47,020 inmates, according to the corrections department website.
Rep. Josh McLaurin, a Sandy Springs Democrat and lawyer who has focused on Georgia prisons, said he understands why Kemp and the Department of Corrections are focusing on deteriorating facilities, but that is only a surface-level response to systemic problems that would result in many of the same issues in newer institutions.
“Simply purchasing a new prison or building a new prison is not going to change the basic conditions that these people find themselves in,” McLaurin said. “And the reason is because as a society we have lacked the political will to pay real attention to the torturous conditions that these people are facing.”
Corrections spokeswoman Joan Heath said the department will announce which facilities will close in the coming weeks once local staffers are notified.
The closure of state prisons would result in the loss of jobs in rural communities, where jobs are hard to find and prisons are often among the largest employers.
And with aging infrastructure and the need for better security measures given for reasons for opening up-to-date facilities, Georgia State Prison, built in Reidsville in 1938 and the oldest in the state, would seem to be a prime candidate to close.
Georgia State Prison holds about 1,000 male inmates in a community of fewer than 5,000 people. It’s located in southeast Georgia’s Tattnall County, which is also home to two other state prisons, Rogers State Prison and Smith State Prison in Glennville.
Corrections officials proposed closing Autry State Prison and five other state facilities in 2020 in order to save $22 million while offering employees the opportunity to work at other facilities.
Carolyn Maddux of the Georgia Interfaith Public Policy Center said modernizing prisons is a positive step for inmates.
“But I do wish that given that Georgia’s incarceration rate is No. 4 in the entire United States, even though our crime rate is only 20, that he would address the fact that we’re putting too many people in them in the first place,” said Maddux, archdeacon of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta.
More money should be dedicated to underlying causes such as mental health that could help people stay out of prison, she said.
“When you build prisons, you build them to fill them,” Maddux said.
Georgia prison officials made a concerted effort to reduce the inmate population for health precautions following the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak, resulting in 46,132 people held at the end of 2020, a dip from more than 53,000 the previous two years. The state Pardons and Parole board accelerated early releases for hundreds of inmates incarcerated for nonviolent offenses.
Over the last decade, Georgia also made strides in criminal justice reform that reduced the prison population and led to the legislature passing a bill last year allowing some former inmates to end probation early.
Habersham EMC and co-op crews work to repair power lines damaged during Winter Storm Izzy. Over 200 linemen from 17 co-ops from around Georgia and other states are assisting HEMC with restoration. (HEMC Facebook)
UPDATE (Jan. 18@8pm) – Georgia’s electric providers are making significant progress in restoring power to homes and businesses left in the dark by this weekend’s winter storm. As of late Tuesday, there were fewer than 1,000 EMC members and Georgia Power customers still without electricity, the vast majority of them in Habersham and Rabun counties. That’s down significantly from the 14,000 the were without power late Monday.
Habersham EMC says it still expects to have power fully restored to its members who can receive power by late tonight, January 18. Georgia Power previously estimated it would be Wednesday before full service was restored to its customers in Rabun County.
Crews have been working non-stop since Winter Storm Izzy blew through Georgia, leaving a path of destruction from high winds, heavy snow accumulations, and ice.
“We will continue working through the night until every member is restored,” HEMC said in its evening member update.
The local cooperative serves over 26,000 members in Habersham, Hall, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens, and White counties. HEMC brought in crews from 17 other co-ops to assist with its restoration efforts, evidence of just how hard Izzy hit this northeast corner of the state. The storm system dumped upwards of eight inches on the higher elevations of Habersham and Rabun counties, and more snow may be on the way.
Forecasters are keeping a close eye on a weather system forming to the west.
“The models have shown a couple of solutions. One of them is for the snow to come in as early as Friday, but other modeling has shown a delayed onset until Saturday into Sunday,” says Now Habersham’s Tyler Penland. “Either scenario would likely bring snowfall back to North Georgia, and there certainly seems to be potential for some big totals.”
Wintry blast
Demorest (Chris Hill)
While snow lovers may delight at the thought of another winter storm, public safety, public works, and utility crews are already battling exhaustion as they work to clean up the mess left by Winter Storm Izzy.
The storm moved into Northeast Georgia before dawn Sunday, January 16, bringing with it blustery winds and fast-accumulating snow. Wind chills dipped into the low 20s and remained in the 20s throughout the day. Within hours, E-911 centers in Habersham County and across the region began fielding phone calls about trees down on powerlines as limbs broke under the weight of the snow aided by the gusty winds.
State and local road crews continue to clear roads as they can, but recurring overnight freezes are making it difficult to shed the snowmelt and black ice. Icy road conditions still pose a potential hazard for drivers and the National Weather Service is again warning about the possibility of black ice Wednesday morning.
The Habersham County School Board Office will sit quiet for at least another day after administrators canceled school due to the weather. (nowhabersham.com)
A number of Northeast Georgia school systems and some private schools have again called off classes on January 19 due to the road conditions and continued outages.
Now Habersham is closely monitoring the current conditions and developing weather situation and will bring you continuing updates throughout the week.
Christina on her first rescue horse, a Tennessee Walker.
“If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans.” ― James Herriot, All Creatures Great and Small
Christina Ladd may not be the country vet embodied by James Herriot in the renowned books but she has a kind soul and shares his sentiments, dedicating love and loyalty to many animals. She has made life better for her four-legged friends, especially the ones most overlooked. Senior animals, great and small, have found a home on her 10-acre farm in Cornelia including horses, dogs, and cats. The ones that touch hearts but no one wants, many with medical issues that stem from neglect or abuse, have found a caring home with her.
“With senior animals, you really have to love them and just be content to care. Providing a safe place for them far outweighs the emotional impact on me.”
All things wise and wonderful
In 1973 Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes and became the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years.
When she was five years old, Christina watched Secretariat win the Belmont by 31 lengths. For some background, he set and still holds the fastest time record in all three races. We are talking the Triple Crown – the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont. Secretariat is widely regarded as one of the greatest racehorses of all time.
That makes quite an impression on an animal lover, the kind you never forget.
“I will always remember that. Growing up, I never had horses. We did have dogs but never inside our home. I think that is where my love for animals began.”
When her future husband Bart and Christina began dating, they talked about animals. That shared love of animals was the beginning of a beautiful marriage.
Today, the granddaughter of Secretariat, Invincible Spirit, lives on their farm. She never had a stellar racing career. When a thoroughbred doesn’t win or produce winning foals, they are discarded. She has been in Christina’s care since July.
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Christina with the granddaughter of Secretariat, Invincible Spirit, aka Trinity.
Both Trinity and Christina love Louie.
“We call her Trinity. She has debilitating arthritis. She is in pain but happy with the love, medication, and care she receives from us. We are her family now.”
Trinity loves her farm mate, Louie. He is a Standardbred 21-year-old horse who came to their farm with stifle injuries.
Stars N Studebakers
Christina’s former life included growing up in New Orleans, a degree in political science and later excelling in advertising, marketing, political consulting. and real estate. Most of that work-life is in the past.
“I still dabble in real estate to make extra money to pay the feed, farrier, and vet bills,” she explained with a chuckle.
Stars (the pets) N Studebakers (her husband’s love of rebuilding those vintage vehicles) is the name of their Cornelia farm.
There you’ll find a menagerie of cats, dogs, and horses and a family who works together to provide unconditional love for all of them.
Beagles rescued from Habersham County Animal Shelter now live a happy life with the Ladd family.
“They are hard work but they give us so much more. It’s unconditional love that is the best therapy in the world.”
The ‘Main’e connection
Christina’s oldest daughter Liberty was somewhat of a prodigy who wanted to go to school when she was still in diapers.
She excelled from the beginning in math and science. The Ladd’s finally found a school in Gainesville that would accept a three-year-old in Pre-K. Eventually, they found a gifted program in St. Simons. When Liberty was in 5th grade, a new chapter of their lives began in Falmouth, Maine.
“We found the best school for her gifted needs. We moved there and my husband commuted from our farm in Georgia.”
While living in Maine, Christina connected with a horse rescue operation called Double B Equine Rescue. She learned that many horses were being transported from Maine to Canada for slaughter. Christina began donating to sponsor rescues, trailers, and provide other resources to help Double B rescue some of the horses destined for Canada.
“The Green family who runs Double B knew of my love for Secretariat. That was how I ended up with his granddaughter. ”
Soon after her daughter entered MIT, Christina returned to the farm in Cornelia and away from the cold winters of Maine.
Back home in Georgia
Her youngest daughter, Lucy, is also an animal lover and helps with all the barn chores when not in classes at Tallulah Falls School. She dreams of being a veterinarian and is getting plenty of experience on their farm tending to the needs of rescues with a variety of medical issues.
“Lucy’s first pony, Coco, was a rescue. Lucy used to sneak her into our mudroom when we lived in Maine.”
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Lucy Ladd and her first rescue pony, Coco.
Christina's youngest daughter, Lucy, is an accomplished equestrian.
Today Lucy is also an accomplished hunter/jumper equestrian and has had great success at area shows, on a rescue horse, of course. She’s also a champ in supporting rescue animals, horses, dogs, and cats, as a community service program.
The Ladd’s also support the Old English Sheepdog Rescue Network of the Southeast. They rescued Toby, crippled with hip dysplasia, and Maggie, with congestive heart failure. The 14-year-old sheepdogs are now living their best life with them.
Bart Ladd with Toby and Maggie, Old English Sheepdog rescues.
Closer to home, Christina is a familiar face at Habersham County Animal Shelter. She has adopted cats and dogs who are now living the happy life down on the farm. Just this week, she stopped by the shelter and connected with a husky who needs a home. Don’t be surprised if he ends up in the care of the Ladd family, where there is always room for another fur baby.
“I never thought I would end up every minute of every day thinking about and caring for animals but I feel very blessed.”
And what a blessing for all of those animals, great and small, that Christina Ladd recognized their special needs and cared enough to rescue them.
“I wish people would realize that animals are totally dependent on us, helpless, like children, a trust that is put upon us.” – James Herriot
Edie Schroeder Bolton, age 72, of Clarkesville, Georgia, went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, January 18, 2022.
Born in Detroit, Michigan on October 13, 1949, she was a daughter of the late Robert G. & Grace Emma Shurmur Schroeder. Edie was an honor graduate of Piedmont College where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration. She was a pre-school teacher for many years & retired as Human Resources Manager with Habersham Mills Corporation. In her spare time, she was a past Cub Scout Den Mother, an avid reader, and enjoyed painting and music. Edie was a member of Clarkesville First United Methodist Church where she taught the pre-K Sunday School Class and enjoyed singing in the church choir for many years. Most of all, she loved her family and taught all 5 grandchildren from an infant age through Kindergarten.
Survivors include her loving husband of 53 ½ years, Bill Bolton of Clarkesville, GA; daughter & son-in-law, Grace Bolton Jones & Darrell Jones of Clarkesville, GA; sons & daughters-in-law, Ben & Stephanie Bolton of Sautee, GA; Chris & Laura Bolton of Clarkesville, GA; grandchildren, Austin Jones, Ashley Jones, Addie Bolton, Clay Bolton, & Aubrey Bolton; several other relatives, & a host of friends.
Funeral services are scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Sunday, January 23, 2022, at Hillside Memorial Chapel with Pastor Keith Cox officiating.
The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 1:00 p.m. until the service hour on Sunday.
Matthew Monetti, age 79, of Baldwin, Georgia passed away on Monday, January 17, 2022.
Born in Newark, New Jersey on December 12, 1942, he was a son of the late Michael & Carmella Villaggio Monetti. Matthew retired as a machinist from Johnson & Johnson Family Company after 25 years of dedicated service. In his spare time, he enjoyed boating, fishing, tinkering with his machinery, and creating various things for his family. Matthew was a faithful member of St. Mark Catholic Church.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sisters, Charlotte Bongiovanni & Michelle Pucciarello.
Survivors include his loving wife of 58 years, Dottie Lavinia Monetti of Baldwin, GA; sons & daughters-in-law, Matthew A. & Anne Monetti of Lawrence, NJ; Richard & Dawn Monetti of Toms River, NJ; daughter & son-in-law, Donna & Robert Kintner of Clarkesville, GA; brother & sister-in-law, Michael & Frances Monetti of Monroe, NJ; sister & brother-in-law, Angela & Michael Juganne of Vero Beach, FL; 9 grandchildren; many nieces, nephews, other relatives, & friends.
Funeral services are scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Monday, January 24, 2022, at St. Mark Catholic Church. Interment will follow in the Hillside Gardens Cemetery.
The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Sunday.
Those attending visitation and funeral service are requested to observe all social distancing guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control regarding Covid-19.
Rev. Dennis Elmer Fish, age 72, of Cleveland, Tennessee, formerly of Habersham County, Georgia passed away on Tuesday, January 11, 2022.
Rev. Fish was born on December 14, 1949, in Culllowhee, North Carolina, to the late William and Carolyn Stephens Fish. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Lavonia “Pinky” Andrews, and nephew, Cory Fish.
Mr. Fish was a Vietnam Veteran having served in the United States Marine Corp. He was Associate Pastor of the Cleveland Cowboy Church in Cleveland, Tennessee. Mr. Fish served as a Sheriff’s Deputy for Habersham County Sheriff’s Office from 1991 to 2000 and from 2009 to 2012. Between his times of service with the Sheriff’s Office, he served as a Habersham County Commissioner for two years. While working with the Sheriff’s Office, Rev. Fish was called into the mission field taking short term mission trips to Kenya, Peru, Brazil, and Ireland. Dennis retired from the Habersham County Sheriff’s Department and his wife, Rosilyn retired from the Habersham County School System to serve as full time missionaries in Wyoming. Dennis and Rosilyn served in Casper, Wyoming, at the Oil Field Ministries through the Wyoming Southern Baptist Commission. During his mission work, Dennis became an ordained minister and pastored Bairoil Community Church in Bairoil, Wyoming.
Survivors include his loving wife of 50 years and 12 days, Rosilyn Fish, of Cleveland, TN; sons, Thomas, Dennis, Jr. and Phillip. daughters-in-law, Connie and Maison; brothers and sisters-in-law, Bruce Fish and Dixie, Kenny Fish and Renee; eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Funeral Services will be held at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, January 20, 2022 at the Whitfield Funeral Home, North Chapel with Rev. Brian K. Williams, Rev. Trent Smith and Mr. Arthur Stevens officiating. Interment will directly follow in the VFW Memorial Park in Demorest, Georgia with military honors provided by the United States Marines and the Grant Reeves Honor Guard.
The family will receive friends from 11:00 a.m. to 1:45 p.m., Thursday, January 20, 2022 at the funeral home prior to the service at the funeral home.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Whitfield Funeral Homes & Crematory, North Chapel at 245 Central Avenue, Demorest, Georgia 30535. Telephone: 706-778-1700.
The Habersham County School Board Office was snowed in during Winter Storm Izzy on Jan. 16, 2022. (nowhabersham.com)
Habersham County Schools will be closed for a second day due to the continuing poor road conditions that exist as a result of Winter Storm Izzy. At least five other Northeast Georgia area school systems will be closed Wednesday along with a number of private schools. Franklin and White County Schools will operate on a 2-hour delay.
(Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
Habersham County School Superintendent Matthew Cooper released this statement in regard to administrators’ decision to close the county’s public schools on Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022:
“Our team has been assessing the aftermath of the winter storm all afternoon. We still have quite a mess on many of our backroads.
We still have ice and/or snow on some roads. The major concern for tomorrow morning is refreezing. Many roads have standing water from snowmelt. Temperatures will be at freezing by 11:00 p.m. which will result in treacherous road conditions in the morning. In addition, there are low hanging lines in many areas that our buses cannot navigate.
The other major issue we are dealing with is phone and internet service is down at all schools. That issue is with our service provider.
Due to all these issues, schools will be closed for students and staff on Wednesday, January 19th.
We will make every effort to have school on Thursday but there are certainly no guarantees. We are already concerned about areas with hard ice pack as well as low hanging lines which present an issue for our buses. We also need to make sure phone and internet service is restored at all schools.
We need everyone to be aware that there is a chance for more snow Thursday night and Friday. We will be watching that developing weather event very closely.”
Habersham County road conditions • Jan. 19, 2022
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Correction: A previous version of this article stated that schools would be closed on Friday. That was incorrect. Area schools are closed Wednesday, January 19. No school closings have been announced beyond that date.
