Elizabeth Miller Turner Woods Waldrep, age 79, of Demorest, Georgia, died Wednesday, December 8, 2021.
Memorial graveside services will be announced at a later date.
Arrangements are entrusted to the Whitfield Funeral Home and Crematory, North Chapel, 245 Central Avenue, Demorest, Georgia 30535. Phone number 706-778-1700
First responders and public safety officials from all over the state have spent the past week at the Habersham County Aquatic Center receiving their Peer Counseling Certification, a state-funded program to help first responders process traumatic events and gain access to mental health services.
“Habersham County Emergency Services, Sheriff’s Department and E-911 are honored to host the Georgia Peer Counseling Certification Class for the North Georgia area this week,” Habersham Emergency Services Director Chad Black said. “While Public Safety personnel are the ones who respond when others are in need, our own sometimes need help. What they see, experience and witness can put unbelievable strain and stress on anyone that is human, and now, we have ways for not only recognizing this but providing the necessary help to our personnel.”
Black has worked with public safety support groups like the Southern Outreach Support for Public Safety and S.O.S for Public Safety for nearly 2 years. He says he has “a huge affinity” for programs like peer counseling, and wanted to make sure Habersham County was a sponsor for North Georgia’s peer counseling program.
Firefighters, E-911 operators and police officers from Habersham County, Gainesville, Cartersville, Gwinnett County, Georgia Tech, Georgia State Patrol, Dillard, Union City, Morgan County, Coweta County, Forsyth County and Lumpkin County attended the training.
“We [first responders] are two to three times more likely to use drugs and alcohol, and we’re also two or three times more likely to commit suicide than the general population,” Fire and EMS Peer Counselor Shane Smith says. “It’s because we don’t talk. We’re the helpers, we never think we need help and we don’t want to tell [anyone] when we do.”
Smith says he became involved in the program when he learned how high suicide, drug and alcohol abuse rates are for firefighters due to repressed trauma, and he wanted to make sure that none of his fellow first responders were suffering in silence.
“If we can go out and help complete strangers we don’t even know, why can’t we help our fellow brothers and sisters?” Smith asks.
The class certifies first responders in “Peer Counseling,” which helps first responders support other first responders following critical incidents and traumatic experiences. The program also helps first responders get in touch with important state-funded public safety mental health resources, like counselors and other mental health professionals, through the Office of Public Safety Support.
Because of the nature of some of the discussions and lessons in the class, traumatizing experiences first responders have experienced can surface during the certification course. That’s why mental health professionals, trained peer counselors and therapy dogs have been available to the public safety officials taking the class.
“We can run call after call and nothing ever bothers us, but for whatever reason, something happens, and when it does, that’s when we start spiraling,” Smith says. “We hold it together well in front of our crews, but . . . what they [show] on the outside might not be what’s going on inside.”
Smith encourages first responders to open up to one another and reach out for help when they need it. He also encourages family members of first responders to keep an eye out for signs of distress, like acting out of character, dependency on alcohol or drugs or zoning out when coming home from work. If you notice something is wrong, reach out.
If you or someone you know works in public safety and needs to talk to a peer counselor, call (404) 624-6077 to be connected with one.
Firefighters responded to the North Georgia Technical College campus in Clarkesville on Thursday after a grease fire broke out in the kitchen.
Around 12:44 p.m., Habersham County 911 received a call reporting an automatic fire alarm in the Ramsey Hunter Dining Hall.
“Immediately after receiving the initial alarm, our 911 center was notified by the alarm company this was an actual fire,” says Habersham County Emergency Services Director Chad Black.
Firefighters from multiple stations including Habersham County, Clarkesville, and Demorest responded to the scene. Habersham EMS also responded to the campus located at 1500 GA-197 North.
“Units arrived to find smoke showing from the exterior of the kitchen area,” says Black. The dining hall’s fire suppression system extinguished most of the flames with dry chemicals. Firefighters put out the remaining fire and helped clear smoke from the building.
There were no injuries, according to Black, and the fire appears to be accidental. He says most of the damage was contained to the stovetop, with the “majority of that from the fire suppression system doing its job.”
The Ramsey Hunter Dining Hall closed for the holidays on December 8. It is due to reopen on January 5.
The City of Cornelia is set to make the final vote on their 2022 budget later this month at a special called meeting on Dec. 20 at noon.
The proposed 2022 budget for the city rings in at a total of $5.78 million, down $465,048 from the 2021 budget. Taxes account for 54 percent of the city’s total revenue, with other fees such as licenses, permits and charges for services making up the majority of the rest of the revenue.
Cornelia also accounted for a 5 percent increase in sanitation fees and an increase in building fees in their proposed budget.
The budget for the Cornelia Police and Fire Departments makes up 66 percent of the budget, with the police department’s budget set at $2,204,513 and the fire department’s budget at $1,624,514.
Cornelia’s proposed water and sewer budget for 2022 has increased by $976,999. According to Cornelia City Manager Dee Anderson, the reason for the budget increase is due to the prices of chemicals for treating water, as well as the costs of personnel, increasing.
Water and sewer fees account for 85 percent of the budget’s revenue, with the water fee revenue estimated at $4.5 million and the sewer fee revenue estimated to be about $5 million.
The water and waste treatment plants are budgeted for 45 percent of that revenue, and 29 percent is budgeted for maintenance costs, which includes the water treatment center’s capital projects for the coming fiscal year.
Click here to view the Cornelia 2022 budget
Mayor John Borrow encourages any citizens with questions or concerns regarding the budget to contact City Manager Dee Anderson or City Financial Director Melanie Chandler.
The mother that helped donate 140 coats to Head Start in memory of Habersham County Head Start Teacher Tiffany Moss has started another drive in Moss’s memory, this time for booster seats.
Moss passed away in the fall of this year due to COVID-19, and left behind a legacy of love and care for her students, extending far beyond the classroom. Samantha Ray, the mother of one of Moss’s former students, wanted to keep giving back to Head Start students in her honor.
Ray organized a coat drive that collected more than 140 coats to donate to Head Start, but she knew that coats weren’t the only things that many Head Start students and their families need. Ray says that she learned from the school’s family resource officer that 50 to 75 percent of Head Start’s students are dropped off and picked up from school every day without a booster seat.
After learning about the need for booster seats and with the safety of Head Start’s children in mind after recently losing one student in a fatal wreck, Ray got to work.
“It has given me so much more purpose,” Ray tells Now Habersham. “I know Tiffany would be thrilled knowing that all of the kids are warm and safe. I’m so proud of our community for coming together.”
Ray began collecting booster seats Dec. 1 to donate before Christmastime so that children could travel safely during the holidays.
“[Donations] started out slow,” Ray said. “I wasn’t sure what kind of response we would get since so many in our community had already helped with the coat drive.”
But that wasn’t the case for long. Alongside Jessica Thompson, whose daughter was also in Moss’s class with Ray’s daughter, the booster seat drive has collected more than 20 booster seats with 10 more on the way.
“My friend at Arnold Drug Co. has had several brought to him,” Ray said. “I’ve received donations towards online orders, I have even had co-workers offer to get some and bring them to work.”
If you or anyone you know would like to donate booster seats, they can be dropped off at Arnold Drug Co. in Cornelia, or you can contact Ray via email to arrange a pickup. She plans to donate the booster seats she and Thompson have collected to Head Start on Monday.
Since losing the Georgia governor’s race in 2018, Stacey Abrams has become a national figure and Democratic rising star. But she promises her second campaign to lead the state is still down to earth and focused on improving the lives of all Georgians.
“I want to see us have one Georgia, and that means being willing to serve everyone, including those who don’t always agree with you,” Abrams said in an interview Wednesday. “And we have not seen that happen at the state level.”
After falling about 55,000 votes short of becoming America’s first Black female governor, the former state House minority leader says current Republican leadership has not done enough over the past three years to tackle the biggest problems people are facing, whether it’s health care or education or the coronavirus.
“As a policy matter, I’ve watched us grapple with the pandemic and grapple with the exposure of the broken parts of our public infrastructure,” Abrams said in an interview Wednesday. “And the major galvanizing force for me has been the remarkable inactivity of the governor, his refusal to try to fix the broken pieces.”
A central tenet of Gov. Brian Kemp’s campaign and first term of office has been boosting rural Georgia, with initiatives like the Rural Strike Team and record-setting investment and expansion of economic growth. But Abrams said there are still pockets of the state that are being left behind.
“We should be a place where opportunity thrives for every single part of our state,” she said. “We have work to do, but we also have the opportunity to grow these communities. We have too many parts of our state that are leading the nation in its poverty rate and income inequality. Those are solvable problems, but you have to have a governor who is more excited about solving problems than taking credit for solutions that others have created.”
Georgia is divided in many ways, but one of the more noticeable splits is the widening gulf between the fast-growing, economically thriving metro Atlanta area and the rest of the state, as evidenced by recent U.S. Census numbers that show 67 of 159 counties losing population in the past decade while four counties around Atlanta accounted for half the state’s growth.
Some call it the “Two Georgias.” Abrams wants to fix that.
“We have watched failed leadership refuse to respond to imminent crises in the state,” she said. “People are in real pain, and we need real leadership, and that’s my focus. That was my focus in 2018, and it will be my focus in 2022. If I’m elected, it will be my focus for four years as governor of Georgia.”
With Georgia serving as a new battleground state, every vote counts, and both Democrats and Republicans must search for ways to reach more people than their most dedicated base, but Abrams is no stranger to expanding an electorate.
While Democrats dominate in metro Atlanta, larger cities and across the Black Belt in Southwest Georgia, she has long focused on visiting communities that don’t typically vote Democratic, too. She became House minority leader in 2010 when Democrats had little power and traveled the state, building relationships and identifying areas where an impact could be made at the local level.
“I know that if you talk to every voter, if you go to every part of our state, you can see changes happen,” she said. “We’ve been able to work with organizations across the state who were simply waiting for someone to see them and to say that ‘No, you don’t have to be a marquee race to be an important opportunity for change in the state.'”
In the past decade, Democrats have steadily grown their power, winning control of local governments, flipping state legislative seats, two U.S. House seats, both U.S. Senate seats and electing a Democratic president for the first time in nearly 30 years.
Some of that is helped by the nationalization of races, and Abrams has become a household name in the past three years through work with her Fair Fight political organization, best-selling books, delivering the response to the State of the Union in 2019, and more.
Abrams is unashamedly progressive and running as a Democrat, of course, but her opening ad lacks the overt partisan rancor that is dominating national politics. That’s because while her allegiance may be to the Democratic Party, her message is for everyone, she said.
“That’s why I’ve sponsored and supported legislation that serves Georgians regardless of their partisan beliefs,” Abrams said. “I want people to vote for me not simply because of my party. I want them to vote for me because as a person, I’ve demonstrated myself to be someone who spent the last three years working on the very same issues I said I would work on had I become governor.”
Voting rights was a central tenet of her run for governor, and will likely feature prominently in this election cycle.
Kemp, the former secretary of state, is not guaranteed to win the GOP primary. Former President Donald Trump, who has obsessed with Georgia’s elections after narrowly losing the state, has endorsed former Sen. David Perdue’s bid to challenge Kemp. Perdue’s campaign so far is focused upon false claims of election fraud and attacking Abrams.
Once again, Georgia’s elections will serve an outsized role in political commentary and the future of American politics, and once again Abrams will play an outsized role in Democratic voters’ hopes (and Republicans’ fears) about what the Democratic Party can accomplish.
When asked about the attention and if people have placed too much of the world on her shoulders, Abrams was quick to respond that she recognizes her role as a personification for political and demographic transformations the country and state has experienced recently.
“I take great pride in being part of building this new coalition for Georgia, building a coalition that is in all 159 counties and building a coalition that reflects the needs of all Georgians, whether they agree with me or not,” she said. “And if I can be that avatar, I can be one of those rallying points. I am happy to do so, because I know the work is being done by thousands of people across the state. And if I can bring attention to their work and help bring investment to the values that are Georgia values of access to education and opportunity, then I’m happy to have that role.”
This article appears on Now Habersham through a news partnership with GPB News.
WASHINGTON (GA Recorder) — The U.S. Senate passed a resolution Wednesday night to block President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate on private employers, with every Republican and two Democrats casting votes aimed at preventing that pending requirement.
Democratic Sens. Jon Tester of Montana and Joe Manchin III of West Virginia joined with the GOP in backing the resolution, which passed 52-48.
Tester, a centrist Democrat representing a conservative state, cited concerns from business owners and other constituents in deciding to oppose the vaccine mandate set to kick in Jan. 4.
“Over the past few months, I’ve repeatedly heard concerns from Montana’s small business and community leaders about the negative effect the private business vaccine mandate will have on their bottom lines and our state’s economy,” he said in a statement ahead of the vote.
Tester said that with his vote, he was “defending Montana jobs and small businesses against these burdensome regulations.”
The Senate rebuke was the latest blow for the president’s proposed vaccine requirements, which have faced a slew of legal challenges.
Related mandates requiring vaccines for health care workers and federal contractors have been temporarily blocked as lawsuits weave through the court system.
The next step for the congressional effort to halt the requirement on private employers would be a vote in the Democratic-controlled U.S. House, where all 212 Republican legislators have cosponsored a related resolution sponsored by Pennsylvania Rep. Fred Keller.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki has said Biden will veto the resolution if it reaches his desk.
Under the vaccination requirement outlined by Biden earlier this fall, private employers with at least 100 employees must either ensure their workers are vaccinated against COVID-19, or that they undergo weekly testing.
The requirement is projected to affect some 84 million American workers, and non-compliant businesses would face fines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Congressional Republicans are challenging the vaccine requirement under the Congressional Review Act, which can be used by federal legislators to overturn certain federal agency regulations. The vote under that act cannot be filibustered, so only a simple majority is needed.
GOP opponents of the requirement have decried it as an overreach of federal authority, and one that will have significant effects on the U.S. workforce at a time when businesses are having difficulties finding enough workers.
“This is not about being anti-vaccine,” said Sen. Steve Daines, (R-Mont.), during a news conference Wednesday, noting that he was part of the Pfizer vaccine trial. “I’m pro-science, pro-vaccine. But I’m anti-mandates.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican who survived polio as a child, made a similar argument on the Senate floor Wednesday, noting his own support for vaccines as he highlighted the judicial rulings that already have blocked aspects of the vaccination requirement.
“The United States of America is a free country. The federal government, elites in Washington, cannot micromanage citizens’ personal choices without a legitimate basis in the law and the Constitution,” McConnell said. “And that goes double for presidents going far beyond the bounds of their office and their authority.”
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, (D-N.Y.), expressed frustration with the argument from Republicans that while they may have chosen to get vaccinated, others shouldn’t be required to do so.
“If the only damage was to the person — him or herself who didn’t get vaccinated — maybe some people would say that’s okay,” Schumer said. “But it’s not just to them: When there’s a large pool of people unvaccinated, even if it’s not the majority, that allows the COVID virus to spread, to mutate, to create new variants, and create stronger new variants.
“The biggest thing standing between us and the end of the pandemic is Americans who have refused to get vaccinated,” Schumer added.
A Wall Street Journal poll released Tuesday found Americans sharply divided over the vaccine requirement on private sector employers, 50% in support compared to 47% opposed.
A slightly larger share of voters supported state and local vaccine mandates for public safety workers, such as police officers, firefighters and first responders, with 55% in favor and 44% opposed.
The Biden administration released a statement Tuesday evening saying the president “strongly opposes” the Senate resolution to undo his vaccine requirement.
“At a time when COVID is on the rise, a new variant is on the loose, and more Americans are choosing to be vaccinated, it makes no sense for Congress to reverse this much-needed protection of our workforce,” according to the administration policy statement.
“It puts our recovery in danger, and a vote for this resolution risks a return to shutdowns, layoffs, and closures that result from allowing COVID to spread more easily in the workplace.”
The Georgia High School Association set new regions for classes 3A to A on Wednesday after approving seven appeals to move down and rejecting seven others.
Approved to move down to Class 2A were Jordan and Spencer. Approved for Class A Division 1 were Mount Vernon and Pelham. Approved for Class A Division 2 was Trion. Approved to Class A Division 2 were Chattahoochee County and Seminole County.
Those denied appeals were ACE Charter, Gordon Lee, Bacon County, Commerce, Early County, Irwin County and Schley County.
Below are the regions, which remain subject to lateral appeals. Schools can shift to different regions, but their classifications are set.
Region 1
Carver, Columbus
Columbus
Crisp County
Dougherty
Monroe
Thomasville
Region 2
Jackson
Mary Persons
Peach County
Pike County
Upson-Lee
Region 3
Beach
Calvary Day
Groves
Johnson, Savannah
Liberty County
Long County
Savannah Christian
Savannah Country Day
St. Vincent’s Academy*
Region 4
Cross Creek
Harlem
Hephzibah
Morgan County
Richmond Academy
Salem
Region 5
Bremen
Carver, Atlanta
Cedar Grove
Douglass
Sandy Creek
Region 6
Adairsville
Coahulla Creek
LaFayette
Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe
Ridgeland
Ringgold
Region 7
Dawson County
Gilmer
Lumpkin County
Pickens
Wesleyan
West Hall
White County
Region 8
Franklin County
Hart County
Hebron Christian
Monroe Area
Oconee County
Stephens County
Region 1
Berrien
Cook
Dodge County
Fitzgerald
Sumter County
Worth County
Region 2
ACE Charter
Central, Macon
Jordan
Kendrick
Northeast
Rutland
Southwest
Spencer
Region 3
Appling County
Brantley County
Jeff Davis
Pierce County
Savannah Arts Academy*
Tattnall County
Toombs County
Vidalia
Windsor Forest
Region 4
Butler
Davidson Fine Arts*
Glenn Hills
Johnson, Augusta*
Josey
Laney
Putnam County
Technical Career Magnet*
Thomson
Washington County
Westside, Augusta
Region 5
Callaway
Columbia
Eagle’s Landing Christian
Elite Scholars Academy*
Landmark Christian
McNair
Redan
Towers
Region 6
B.E.S.T Academy
Coretta Scott King Academy*
KIPP Atlanta Collegiate
Mount Paran Christian
North Cobb Christian
South Atlanta
Therrell
Walker
Washington
Region 7
Fannin County
Gordon Central
Gordon Lee
Haralson County
Model
Murray County
North Murray
Rockmart
Region 8
Athens Academy
Banks County
East Jackson
Fellowship Christian
Providence Christian
Union County
Region 1
Bacon County
Brooks County
Early County
Irwin County
Pelham
Region 2
Bleckley County
Dublin
East Laurens
Jefferson County
Swainsboro
Region 3
Bryan County
Claxton
Metter
Savannah
Screven County
Woodville-Tompkins*
Region 4
Brookstone
Crawford County
Heard County
Lamar County
Schley County
Temple
Region 5
Jasper County
Oglethorpe County
Our Lady of Mercy*
Prince Avenue Christian
Social Circle
Stilwell Arts*
Region 6
Atlanta International*
Drew Charter School*
Galloway*
King’s Ridge
Mount Vernon
Mount Bethel Christian*
Mount Pisgah Christian
Paideia*
St. Francis
Weber School*
Whitefield Academy
Region 7
Armuchee
Chattooga
Coosa
Dade County
Dalton Academy*
Darlington
Pepperell
Trion
Region 8
Athens Christian
Barrow*
Commerce
Elbert County
Rabun County
Tallulah Falls*
Region 1
Baconton
Baker County*
Calhoun County
Miller County
Mitchell County
Pataula Charter
Quitman County*
Randolph-Clay
Seminole County
Southwest Georgia STEM*
Stewart County
Terrell County
Region 2
Atkinson County
Charlton County
Clinch County
Echols County*
Lanier County
Turner County
Region 3
Emanuel County Institute
Jenkins County
McIntosh County Academy
Portal
Savannah Classical Academy*
Savannah Early College*
Steam Academy*
Region 4
Dooly County
Hawkinsville
Montgomery County
Telfair County
Treutlen
Wheeler County
Wilcox County
Region 5
Georgia Academy for Blind*
Georgia Military
Glascock County
Hancock Central
Johnson County
Twiggs County
Wilkinson County
Region 6
Central, Talbotton
Chattahoochee County
Furlow Charter*
Greenville
Macon County
Manchester
Marion County
Rainey-McCullers*
Taylor County
Webster County*
Region 7
Atlanta Classical*
Ben Franklin Academy*
Bowdon
Christian Heritage
DeKalb School of the Arts*
Excel Christian*
Fulton Leadership Academy*
Georgia School for Deaf*
Greenforest Christian*
Mount Zion, Carroll
Pinecrest Academy
Southwest Atlanta Christian*
Towns County
W. D. Mohammed*
Woody Gap*
Region 8
Aquinas
Georgia Fugees Academy*
Greene County
GSIC*
Lake Oconee Academy
Lincoln County
Taliaferro County*
Warren County
Washington-Wilkes
*Schools that do not have football teams
Months of workouts, practice, and games come down to this. The GSHA Football State Championships get underway today in Atlanta with matchups in Class A Public and Private.
Class 2A, 4A, and 6A compete for their respective titles on Dec. 10.
The finals wrap up Saturday, Dec. 11, with Class 3A, 5A, and 7A title games.
All games will be played at Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta. Visit GHSA.com for ticket and parking information.
Milton vs. Collins Hill
When, where: 7 p.m. Saturday, Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta
Records, rankings: Milton is 13-1, the No. 1 seed from Region 5-7A and No. 3; Collins Hill is 14-0, the No. 1 seed from 8-7A and No. 1.
Last meeting: Milton won 44-15 in the first round of the 2017 Class 7A playoffs.
Things to know: Collins Hills can become the first team in the highest classification to win every game by 15 or more points since Valdosta in 1971. Only five teams in any class have done it. A national title also is in play as MaxPreps and USA Today each rank Collins Hill at No. 3. QB Sam Horn is 221 passing yards from becoming the eighth player in GHSA history to reach 10,000 for his career. WR Travis Hunter has 3,654 yards receiving and 45 TD catches in his career. Milton’s offensive weapons are QB Devin Farrell (2,088 yards passing, 936 rushing) and RB Jordan McDonald (1,537 yards rushing, 201.3 per game the past three rounds). While Hunter is the state’s top senior prospect, Milton DL Lebbeus Overton holds that honor among Georgia juniors. Milton was the preseason No. 1 team but took a step back after losing to North Cobb in August. Milton has won 12 games since. The biggest difference between the teams is points allowed. With six shutouts, Collins Hill gives up 5.8 points per game. Milton is allowing 19.9.
Maxwell Ratings’ projected score: Collins Hill 30, Milton 14
Hughes vs. Buford
When, where: 7 p.m. Friday, Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta
Records, rankings: Hughes is 13-1, the No. 1 seed from Region 4-6A and No. 3; Buford is 13-1, the No. 1 seed from 8-6A and No. 1.
Last meeting: Buford won 44-15 in the 2020 Class 6A quarterfinals.
Things to know: This game matches the state’s most frequent champion this century – Buford has won 12 titles since 2001, including the past two, and 13 overall – against a 13-year-old Hughes program playing in the finals for the first time. Neither team has been challenged in the postseason, as both have won all four of their playoff games by at least 15 points. Hughes advanced with a 47-28 semifinal victory last week against Dacula, which finished second behind Buford in Region 8-6A and lost to the Wolves 42-7. Both teams are relatively balanced offensively, rushing for slightly more than they pass. Hughes averages 189.1 yards rushing and 182.9 passing. The offensive leaders are Prentiss Noland (2,473 yards passing), Antonio Martin (953 rushing) and Rodney Shelley (725 receiving). Buford averages 177.8 rushing and 163.6 passing. Ashton Daniels (1,603 yards passing), Victor Venn (911 rushing) and Isaiah Bond (873 receiving) are the leaders. Buford’s Bryant Appling can become the first coach in GHSA history to win three titles in his first three seasons as head coach. His team’s are 14-0 in playoff games in his three seasons.
Maxwell Ratings’ projected score: Buford 26, Hughes 7
Warner Robins vs. Calhoun
When, where: 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta
Records, rankings: Warner Robins is 13-1, the No. 2 seed from Region 1-5A and No. 4; Calhoun is 12-2, the No. 2 seed from 7-5A and No. 6.
Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.
Things to know: Warner Robins and Calhoun are only the seventh pair of finalists in GHSA history that weren’t No. 1 seeds (first since Pace Academy and Fitzgerald in 2015). Each beat the other’s region champion in the second round – Warner Robins over Cartersville and Calhoun over Ware County, both surviving with goal-line stands. Warner Robins, the defending champion, is the fifth school in history to reach five straight finals. This edition is noted for its run-game prowess. Malcolm Brown (1,332 yards rushing) hasn’t played since the first round, but Fred Perry has posted two 200-yard playoff games in Brown’s place and reached 1,208 for the season. Chaz Sturn, lightly used in the regular season, has rushed for 172 and 163 yards the past two weeks. But the Demons can pass, too. Christon Lane has thrown for 2,391 yards. Calhoun passes a bit more as Christian Lewis has 3,038 yards passing with 33 touchdowns. Cole Speer, a speedy Georgia commit, has 1,120 receiving yards despite missing games early with a hand injury. Calhoun is after its fourth state title, first under third-year coach Clay Stephenson and first above Class 3A.
Maxwell Ratings’ projected score: Warner Robins 28, Calhoun 21
Carver (Columbus) vs. Benedictine
When, where: 3:30 p.m. Friday, Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta
Records, rankings: Carver is 13-1, the No. 1 seed from Region 2-4A and No. 3; Benedictine is 12-2, the No. 1 seed from 3-4A and No. 2.
Last meeting: This is the teams’ first meeting.
Things to know: This will be the first game between these perennial playoff programs, which are located about 250 miles apart on opposite sides of the state. Benedictine won Class 2A championships in 2014 and 2016 and was a semifinalist last season. Carver won the Class 3A title in 2007 and was a quarterfinalist in 2020. Carver lost to Lee County in its opener and Benedictine lost its first two games against out-of-state opponents, but neither has lost since. Carver’s players to watch include RB Jaiden Credle (1,973 yards, 23 touchdowns rushing) and QB Devin Riles (1,992 yards passing, 827 yards rushing, 22 combined TDs). In a 22-21 semifinal victory against Cedartwon last week, Credle scored on a 54-yard run with about three minutes left, and Riles ran in the two-point conversion for the winning points. Benedictine is led by QB Holden Geriner (committed to Auburn) and Justin Thomas (committed to Georgia for baseball). Geriner is 209-of-313 passing for 2,980 yards and 32 touchdowns. Thomas has 1,371 yards rushing, 798 yards receiving and 35 combined touchdowns. Benedictine head coach Danny Britt and Carver’s Corey Joyner were teammates at Georgia Southern in 1994.
Maxwell Ratings’ projected score: Benedictine 31, Carver 21
Cedar Grove vs. Carver (Atlanta)
When, where: Noon Saturday, Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta
Records, rankings: Cedar Grove is 11-3, the No. 1 seed from Region 5-3A and No. 5; Carver is 11-2, the No. 2 seed from 5-3A and No. 8.
Last meeting: Cedar Grove won 17-0 on Sept. 24.
Things to know: Carver has never won a state title. Cedar Grove has won three of the past five in Class 3A. Carver is in its first championship game since 1967 and can become the first Atlanta city school to win a championship since Southwest Atlanta in 1973. Cedar Grove can become the first DeKalb County public school to win four state titles, breaking a tie with Avondale and Lakeside. Carver averages 356.9 yards rushing per game, the most of any finalist. Jarveous Brown (1,608) and Quintavious Lockett (1,393) have rushed for more than 1,000 yards, each despite missing games injured. Bryce Bowens has thrown for 1,627 yards. Cedar Grove leans heavily on Rashod Dubinion, an Arkansas commit with 1,626 yards rushing, although QB Jamar Graham had his best game this season against Appling County last week, when he threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns. Cedar Grove’s trump card is its defense. CB Kayin Lee (five interceptions) and DE Carlton Madden (8.5 tackles for losses) are committed to Georgia, and LB Christen Miller (16.5 TFL) is a four-star prospect.
Maxwell Ratings’ projected score: Cedar Grove 21, Carver 17
Fitzgerald vs. Thomasville
When, where: Noon Friday, Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta
Records, rankings: Fitzgerald is 12-2, the No. 2 seed from Region 1-2A and No. 4; Thomasville is 13-1, the No. 1 seed from 1-2A and No. 2.
Last meeting: Thomasville won 15-8 on Oct. 22.
Things to know: This is a rematch of the teams’ regular-season game in October that ultimately decided the Region 1-2A championship. Thomasville stopped Fitzgerald on fourth down at the Thomasville 10 in the final two minutes to preserve the victory. Thomasville has won five state championships but none since 1988. Fitzgerald’s only title came in 1948. Fitzgerald attempts only about nine passes per game and averages only 58 yards through the air, the only team in the finals averaging less than 120. Instead, the Purple Hurricane relies on a running game led by DeNorris Goodwin, who has rushed for 1,145 yards and 16 touchdowns on 190 carries. Jakorrian Paulk (553 yards) and Donald Wilcox (517) also contribute to the running game. Thomasville averages 139.4 yards passing – QB Shannen White has thrown for 1,885 yards – but the Bulldogs also lean heavily on the running game. Malik Harper has surpassed 1,000 yards for the year (he has 1,208), and Ricky Fulton isn’t far behind with 921 yards and also could reach the milestone. White has added 463. Thomasville leads the series 15-13-2, and the teams have split the past 10 meetings.
Maxwell Ratings’ projected score: Thomasville 21, Fitzgerald 14
Trinity Christian 55 – Prince Avenue 28 FINAL
When, where: 5 p.m. today, Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta
Records, rankings: Trinity Christian is 13-0, the No. 1 seed from Region 4-A Private and No. 1; Prince Avenue Christian is 13-1, the No. 1 seed from 8-A Private and No. 3.
Last meeting: Prince Avenue Christian won 41-21 in the 2020 Class A Private championship game.
Things to know: The roles are reversed for this rematch. In 2020, Prince Avenue was heavily favored and had state player of the year Brock Vandagriff, now at Georgia, although sophomore Aaron Philo has had a record-setting season in his place. Philo has thrown for 4,204 yards and 44 touchdowns. Prince Avenue could wind up with three 1,000-yard receivers – Bailey Stockton (1,133 yards), Elijah Dewitt (1,063) and Ethan Christian (949). Prince Avenue gets 79% of its total offensive passing, the highest percentage of any finalist. Trinity Christian returned almost all starters from the 2020 runner-up team, including brothers David Dallas (3,641 yards passing, 45 touchdowns) and Josh Dallas (1,142 yards receiving), who are committed to Western Michigan. Junior WR/DB Aaron Gates is committed to Florida. LB Christian Hanson was his region’s defensive player of the year. Until last week’s 48-45 victory over Eagle’s Landing Christian, Trinity hadn’t had a game closer this season than its 34-3 victory over ELCA on Oct. 1. Trinity, of Sharpsburg, can become the first football champion from Coweta County, whose five schools have won more GHSA games (1,112) without a title than any other Georgia county.
Maxwell Ratings’ projected score: Trinity Christian 35, Prince Avenue Christian 20
Irwin County 28 – Brooks County 56 FINAL
When, where: 8 p.m. today, Center Parc Stadium, Atlanta
Records, rankings: Irwin County is 12-2, the No. 1 seed from Region 2-A Public and No. 1; Brooks County is 11-2, the No. 2 seed from 2-A Public and No. 2.
Last meeting: Irwin County won 21-13 on Sept. 24.
Things to know: Irwin County can become the first Class A public school to win three straight titles since 1985-87 Lincoln County. Irwin is one of five schools in history to reach five straight state finals. Warner Robins this season is another. Brooks County is in the finals for the third straight season (the first was in Class 2A) but hasn’t won a state title since 1994. This game will be the fourth meeting in two seasons between these south Georgia schools that are about 70 miles apart. Irwin has won the previous three, each by eight points. In the Sept. 24 game, Irwin held Brooks to 145 total yards. Both shut down the other’s passing game (combined 8-of-23 passing). Each got as much traction as it could from its feature back. For Irwin, that’s Damarkus Lundy, who rushed for 105 yards. He’s run for 1,562 yards on the season, and he’s peaking, averaging 167.5 yards in the playoffs with nine touchdowns. Brooks’ Omari Arnold, held to 83 yards against Irwin, has rushed for 2,224 yards this season and 6,238 for his career, making him one of the 25 most prolific rushers in state history, according to GHSFHA.
Maxwell Ratings’ projected score: Brooks County 27, Irwin County 23
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(GA Recorder) — Former Republican U.S. Sen. David Perdue says he would not have signed off on the certification of the 2020 election results had he been governor, Axios Atlanta reported Wednesday.
The statement, said in an interview, was a shot at Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who reluctantly signed the election certificate last November as part of a tight deadline required by law. Kemp, who also last year resisted calls from some in his party for a special session, immediately found himself in the crosshairs of former President Donald Trump and his supporters who peddled unfounded accusations of widespread voting fraud.
Although Kemp has repeatedly said he was following state law, he was critical of the process after an audit turned up 5,900 missing votes in four counties, netting Trump 1,400 votes. Certifying the results opened the door for a Trump-requested recount and multiple lawsuits challenging the results that were either dismissed or withdrawn. After three counts, including one by hand, the results confirmed Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s victory.
Perdue, the Trump-endorsed candidate for governor, lost his bid for a second term in the U.S. Senate to now-Sen. Jon Ossoff in January. He announced Monday he will challenge Kemp in the GOP primary next year, triggering what has already proven to be a bitter contest.
Now, Perdue claims he would not have signed off the 2020 election results. The governor’s signature is one of two at the state level needed to certify the presidential election results after they are turned in by local election superintendents.
From the Axios interview: “Not with the information that was available at the time and not with the information that has come out now. They had plenty of time to investigate this. And I wouldn’t have signed it until those things had been investigated and that’s all we were asking for,” Perdue said.
Investigations by the Secretary of State’s office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the FBI did not uncover evidence discrediting the outcome of the election while also squashing claims about significant illegal counting of ballots ballot harvesting and rigged voting machines.
Perdue also told Axios he pushed Kemp to call a special legislative session not to overturn the election results but to “protect and fix what was wrong for the January election.”
Kemp’s campaign quickly disputed Perdue’s claims. Cody Hall, Kemp’s spokesman, called Perdue “a desperate, failed former politician who will do anything to soothe his own bruised ego.”
“David Perdue lies as easily as he breathes,” Hall said. “Perdue never asked the governor to call a special session. Period. In fact, his campaign – and Perdue himself – asked for there not to be a special session called. At the time, they knew that a special session could not overturn the 2020 general election and that changes to election rules for an election already underway are not allowed under state law or court precedent.”
Election law attorney Bryan Sells, who has worked for the Democratic Party of Georgia, agrees with Kemp’s interpretation of the law and said that a governor or secretary of state who does not sign off on the results would likely see a judge ordering them to verify the election or finding them in contempt.
When the governor receives the results from the secretary of state, he is required to certify them, and that starts the clock to contest an election under state law, Sells said.
“But such refusal might have the effect of delaying the results of the election past the deadlines in the Electoral Count Act,” he said. “That would raise the possibility that the will of Georgia’s voters would not be followed in the Electoral College.”
Charles Bullock, University of Georgia political science professor, said Perdue’s comments are signifying that he has Trump’s back and that he doesn’t want to risk losing the support of the former president.
“What he’s doing here is he’s signing in blood that he’s Trump’s man,” Bullock said.
According to early polls, Perdue would have the best shot at winning the May primary with Trump on his side, but that support might backfire if he faces Democratic frontrunner Stacey Abrams in the general election, Bullock said.
“If Perdue ends up being the Republican nominee, then it can be used by Democrats to remind the critical swing vote of white, college educated suburbanites who voted against Perdue and (Sen. Kelly) Loeffler because of their linkage to Trump,” Bullock said.
On the other hand, if Kemp emerges from the GOP primary, his distance from Trump could play out in his favor.
“This works to the advantage of Brian Kemp if Brian Kemp is nominated,” Bullock said. “Because for the voter who says, ‘I generally like Republican policy or maybe like some of the things that Donald Trump does, but I can’t stand him,’ well, there’s no mistaking that Kemp is not Perdue.”
Georgia Recorder Deputy Editor Jill Nolin contributed to this report.
The White County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help to find a teenager who has been missing since Tuesday.
A social media post from the sheriff’s office only identified the youth as Maria, a 16-year old black female. She has black hair and brown eyes and was last seen in Helen.
Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call Investigator Kenny Thompson at the White County Sheriff’s Office at 706-865-5177.
Mildred Grogan, age 87, of Cornelia, Georgia passed away on Tuesday, December 7, 2021.
Mrs. Grogan was born on June 1, 1934, in Dawson County, Georgia to the late E.J. and Annie Gregory Collins. Mrs. Grogan was a member of First Baptist Church of Cornelia. She was also a retired owner/operator of The Western Auto in Cornelia since 1964.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her loving husband of sixty-eight years, Rex Grogan.
Survivors include her son and daughter-in-law, Vic and Allison Hogan Grogan, of Alto; daughter and son-in-law, JoAnne and Tony Addis, of Clarkesville; grandchildren: Ansley Grogan Goodman and her husband, Nick Goodman; Toby Addis; Jamie Addis Wilson and her husband, Ashton Wilson; Kayla Grogan, and Amanda Grogan; great-grandchildren, Madison Shirley, Blyth Wilson, and Jimah Wilson.
Private Family Memorial Services will be held at Yonah Memorial Gardens in Demorest, Georgia.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Whitfield Funeral Homes & Crematory, North Chapel at 245 Central Avenue, Demorest, Georgia 30535. Telephone: 706-778-1700.
