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Stockton named Gatorade POY

By
Staff Report
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(image from MaxPreps)

Rabun County quarterback Gunner Stockton is the Gatorade Georgia Football Player of the Year, Gatorade announced Tuesday.

Stockton passed for 4,134 yards and 55 touchdowns with only one interception for a Class 2A quarterfinal team this season. Stockton, who is committed to Georgia, set state career records for passing touchdowns (177), touchdowns passing and rushing (254) and yards passing and rushing (18,024).

The 6-foot-1, 220-pound senior quarterback is a four-time All-State honoree and was selected to play in the 2022 All-American Bowl.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Stockton as Georgia’s best high school football player,” Gatorade says.

Stockton has maintained an A average in the classroom.

A devoted member of his church community, Stockton has volunteered locally on behalf of food donation drives.

Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Football Player of the Year award, Stockton joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners, including Emmitt Smith (1986-87, Escambia High School, Fla.), Matthew Stafford (2005-06, Highland Park High School, Texas) and Christian McCaffrey (2012-13 & 2013-14, Valor Christian High School, Colo.).

“Gunner Stockton is special,” said Stewart Young, head coach at Saluda (S.C.) High School. “He’s big, fast and he can flat out spin it. He can fly on his feet and he seeks out contact when running. I’ve never coached against a quarterback like him.”

Recent Gatorade POY Georgia winners are Brock Vandagriff of Prince Avenue Christian (2020), Arik Gilbert of Marietta (2019), Jamious Griffin of Rome (2018) and Trevor Lawrence of Cartersville (2017). Stockton is the first to be chosen from Rabun County High School.

Short term rental gets silent treatment from Cleveland Council

By
Joy Purcell
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(file photo)

Cleveland City Council members apparently are not interested in allowing short term rentals in the city. The idea to amend the city’s zoning ordinance to allow for this type of operation was first proposed in August by City Administrator Tom O’Bryant. At that time, some council members had some concerns and O’Bryant said those issues could be addressed before the second reading and adoption.

Monday night, the issue was back on the council’s meeting agenda for consideration and possible adoption, but when Mayor Josh Turner called for a motion for adoption all council members sat silently for over a minute.

Finally, Mayor Turner ask City Attorney Grant Keene if there is no motion does the issue die, attorney Keene said “I think so.” The mayor then moved on to the next item on the agenda.

Despite the council’s inaction, the issue still may not be dead.

“There is an interest for short term rentals within our community,” O’Bryant tells Now Habersham. “We allow hotels, but we don’t allow short term rentals.”

He says he will consult with the city attorney on how to proceed, adding, the amended ordinance could be presented at a later date.

Dean Dyer of WRWH contributed to this report

Cancer hospital chain CTCA to be acquired by City of Hope

By
Andy Miller
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Cancer Treatment Centers of America, a hospital chain with a facility in suburban Atlanta, has agreed to be acquired by the California-based nonprofit system City of Hope, the organizations announced Wednesday.

The acquisition, with a reported $390 million price tag, is expected to close in early 2022, pending full regulatory approval. After the deal closes, City of Hope, a cancer research and treatment organization, will seek to convert CTCA to a nonprofit.

CTCA has been embroiled in political turmoil in Georgia for years over its status within the state’s health care regulatory apparatus. The company continually sought legislative approval to expand its bed capacity at its Newnan hospital and end state-imposed restrictions on the number of Georgia patients it could serve.

The Georgia Legislature in 2008 allowed CTCA to build its hospital in Newnan through an exemption from the state’s health care regulatory process known as certificate of need, or CON. But legislators also set specific restrictions on the hospital, requiring that it have no more than 50 beds, and that no more than 35 percent of its patients come from Georgia.

After the Newnan site opened, Georgia hospital organizations argued that the Newnan facility had not met state requirements to deliver a certain amount of charity or indigent care.

State restrictions on CTCA, though, ended in 2019 after the General Assembly passed House Bill 186.

The newly announced deal would allow City of Hope to expand farther beyond its Southern California base.

CTCA hospital in Newnan

STAT reported that City of Hope was instrumental in the development of synthetic insulin and the basic technologies behind many cancer drugs.

CTCA, meanwhile, has been criticized for aggressive marketing and how it selects patients and their insurance, the STAT article noted.

“I know CTCA is controversial, and there absolutely will be and should be questions about City of Hope acquiring a chain that’s known for being, let’s say, aggressive in its claims about cancer treatments,” Arthur Caplan, a professor of bioethics at New York University Langone Medical Center, told STAT.

“I’m not saying they’re wrong, I’m just saying they’re loud and aggressive,” Caplan said. “That’s going to be something that the new owner is going to have to decide how to manage. It will become their ethical responsibility.”

CTCA recently closed hospitals in Tulsa and Philadelphia. Besides the Newnan facility, it runs hospitals in Illinois and Arizona.

Stone

“Building on more than three decades of unparalleled patient experience and quality care, we’re excited to become a part of City of Hope, and to take a step closer to reaching so many more cancer patients with our unique, patient-centered model,” Dr. Pat Basu, president and CEO of CTCA, said in a statement. “Through the shared, patient-centric values of both organizations and expanded access as a result of the collaboration, cancer patients across the nation will be the ultimate beneficiaries of this relationship.”

Combined, City of Hope and CTCA will have about 11,000 employees.

Basu will remain CEO of CTCA and report to Robert Stone, president and CEO of City of Hope.

“This is a defining moment in the fight against cancer and a powerful opportunity to reach more cancer patients with the leading treatments, care and advanced research they critically need,” Stone said in a statement. “CTCA has a strong commitment to patient-centric cancer care, and combining its network and services with City of Hope’s scientific expertise, clinical trials and patient care strengths will significantly increase the number of people who can access the latest lifesaving treatments.”

Congress gives up on attempt to make women register for the draft after GOP outcry

By
Ariana Figueroa
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A proposal to require women to register for the military draft was cut from the National Defense Authorization Act of 2022 under consideration by the U.S. Senate.

Pit Vipers finish 2021 season ‘smoking hot’

By
E. Lane Gresham
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Shown, from left, are Jake Owensby, Joel Bourlet, Matthew Wolfe, Lily Turpin, President and Head of School Larry A. Peevy, Brooke Hayes, Zach Freeman, Teyrk Tilley and Head Pitmaster Tom Tilley. Not shown is Marc Crotta.

The Tallulah Falls School Pit Vipers competition barbecue team finished the 2021 BBQ season as repeat state champions (Georgia BBQ Championship Series), Reserve Champions for the Southeast (Rufus Teague Series), eighth place in the KCBS national team rankings (Kansas City BBQ Society) and World Junior BBQ League Champions. They are currently ranked No. 1 in the KCBS preseason 2022 rankings.

“I am so proud of the accomplishments of this group of kids,” says President and Head of School Larry Peevy. “I’m really enjoying my role as volunteer recipe taster/quality control sampler.”

The Pit Vipers had a very extensive barbecue travel schedule this season which included South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and Oklahoma. They finished the season with three Grand Championships, three Reserve Championships and 11 Top Ten finishes.

“We’ll take a well-deserved break and enjoy the holidays,” says Head Pitmaster Tom Tilley. The team returns to competition for the 2022 season on March 4 at the Sip & Swine BBQ Festival in Lawrenceville.

The TFS Pit Vipers include sophomores Brooke Hayes of Cornelia, Matthew Wolfe of Clarkesville, Joel Bourlet of Tallulah Falls, Marc Crotta of Cornelia, freshmen Jake Owensby of Cornelia, Teyrk Tilley of Tallulah Falls and Zach Freeman of Clarkesville. The TFS Pit Viper dessert maker is freshman Lily Turpin of Demorest.

 

Cranberry-orange squares

By
Mitzi Oxford
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All this month I promised we would feature great cookie recipes for holiday baking. I had to renege on that when my niece, the baking queen in our family, shared this recipe. The flavors of cranberry and orange together are scrumptious and perfect for this time of year.

Even though they aren’t cookies, I’m adding these to my own baking list for Christmas. I can not wait to taste them!

Ingredients:

Streusel Topping

½ cup flour

¼ cup sugar

½ tsp orange zest

¼ tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

¼ cup butter, chilled

Batter

½ cup butter, melted and cooled

2 large eggs

¼ tsp vanilla

1 cup sugar

1 tsp orange zest

1/8 tsp salt

2 cup fresh cranberries

2 Tbls coarse sanding sugar

1 cup flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 8×8 pan, line with parchment or spray with Baker’s Joy.

Whisk together melted butter with eggs, vanilla, sugar, zest and salt. Gently stir in cranberries and remaining flour until moistened and mixed.  Spoon into prepared pan. Sprinkle with sanding sugar & top with streusel.

Bake until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean, 45-50 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Cut into ¼” squares.

Recipe notes

*I add a dash of nutmeg, allspice, and cloves anytime I make these.

*Reserve part of the batter flour and roll those cranberries in it. Flour helps them to not sink to bottom of pan.

*I added a splash of orange juice in the last batch I made (maybe 2 Tbls, tops) and it gave it an extra citrusy-sweet edge!

*I never make the 8×8. I double it and do a 9×13 pan. Trust me, you’ll want to do the same. These get gobbled up pretty quickly!

Editor’s note: My food pictures never turn out like this. Guess that’s what happens when you are not just a baker but also a professional photographer:)

Advocates rally against plan to bypass healthcare.gov as feds seek public input

By
Jill Nolin
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Gov. Brian Kemp originally unveiled his plan to reshape Georgia’s private insurance market back in 2019. (Jill Nolin/Georgia Recorder)

(GA Recorder) — Advocates are calling on the public to weigh in – again – on the governor’s plan to bypass healthcare.gov.

Gov. Brian Kemp’s health care proposal would divert consumers looking for insurance to a privately run process. His plan was approved by the Trump administration last year but is now being scrutinized by the Biden administration, which is reviewing all previously approved state health care waivers.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reopened Georgia’s waiver for public comment in November. The deadline to submit a comment is Jan. 9.

Advocates from groups representing a range of constituents, from immigrants to rural, low-income residents, panned the proposal in a virtual event Tuesday hosted by the Cover Georgia coalition.

“The plan was not a good fit for Georgia when it was proposed in 2019, and it’s an even worse fit for our state now,” said Martha Shockey with the left-leaning Indivisible Georgia Coalition. “Gov. Kemp’s plan dismantles the most widely used and only unbiased place that consumers can shop for comprehensive coverage.”

The advocacy groups are urging people to take time during the busy holiday season to contribute to an official record that they hope will help doom the plan.

This part of Kemp’s health care proposal also sparked opposition during the public comment period last summer, including from those who said they found the state’s replacement plan confusing.

“Georgia’s choosing to leave consumers on their own to navigate this incredibly varied, very complex network of qualifying plans and subsidies,” said Abbie Fuksman, representing the Jewish Community Relations Council of Atlanta. “There’s simply no way for a consumer to do a direct apples-to-apples comparison, while also being informed about what government subsidies and other options are available.

“There is right and wrong, and purposely causing people to have less access to their care choices is about as wrong as wrong can be. It is time to speak up,” Fuksman said.

The governor’s office has criticized healthcare.gov as being clunky and difficult to use. The Kemp administration has also defended his health care proposal and accused federal officials of trying to backtrack without justification.

“CMS already conducted a comprehensive and robust analysis and approved Georgia Access, and there have been no relevant changes since then to either the governing legal framework or the nature of the program,” Grant Thomas, director of the governor’s Office of Health Strategy and Coordination, wrote in an August letter to federal health officials.

Thomas said state officials were concerned about the feds’ apparent disregard for “the significant investments” from the state and others to “facilitate a seamless implementation.”

State officials have brushed off requests from the Biden administration to provide more information on how recent changes on the national level, such as increased funding for outreach to enroll people, would affect the proposal. The Kemp administration has instead notified federal officials that Georgia intends to move forward under its earlier approval with plans to launch in 2023.

But the 1332 waiver plan includes another provision creating a reinsurance program that has been more favorably received.

The 1332 waiver is separate from another one being held up by the Biden administration that would allow slightly more people to sign up for Medicaid but only if they satisfy work or other requirements.

Georgia is one of 12 states that have not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. The so-called Build Back Better Act that cleared the House last month includes a federal workaround plan for holdout states, but the bill faces a tough journey in the Senate.

Georgia judge blocks Biden vaccine mandate for federal contractors

By
Ross Williams
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A sign at the University of Georgia encourages students to get their vaccines. A vaccine mandate for employees and contractors who do federal work there and at Georgia Tech will be temporarily blocked following an order from a federal judge in Augusta. (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)

AUGUSTA (GA Recorder) — A federal judge in Augusta has temporarily blocked the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate set to go into effect for federal contractors next month.

The decision, which will have a nationwide impact, comes in response to a lawsuit filed by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Attorney General Chris Carr, Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black and the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents and leaders from six other states.

U.S. District Judge R. Stan Baker of the Southern District of Georgia agreed with the plaintiffs that President Joe Biden’s mandate exceeded the White House’s constitutional authority.

Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, Gov. Brian Kemp and Attorney General Chris Carr outlined their plans to challenge the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate last month. Jill Nolin/Georgia Recorder 

“Even in times of crisis this Court must preserve the rule of law and ensure that all branches of government act within the bounds of their constitutionally granted authorities,” the Trump-nominated judge wrote. “Indeed, the United States Supreme Court has recognized that, while the public indisputably ‘has a strong interest in combating the spread of [COVID-19],’ that interest does not permit the government to ‘act unlawfully even in pursuit of desirable ends.’”

Kemp celebrated the news on Twitter.

“Georgia is now 3 for 3 in our fight against Biden’s unconstitutional vaccine mandates!” Kemp posted. “This nationwide injunction for federal contractors will provide necessary relief to many Georgians who were in fear of being forced to choose between this vaccine and their livelihood.”

Biden signed the executive order instituting the mandate in September. Originally, contractors and those who work “in connection with” them had until Dec. 8 to be fully vaccinated, but the deadline was later pushed back to Jan. 18.

Tuesday’s order comes on the heels of decisions by other Trump-nominated federal judges in Missouri and Louisiana blocking a vaccine mandate for health care workers.

In Georgia, the debate centered on public universities, which receive hundreds of millions of dollars in federal contracts each year. In order to keep that money flowing, the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech told workers they would need to comply with the mandate in October.

Other public schools would not have been affected, said American Association of University Professors Georgia chapter president Matthew Boedy.

“While I am disappointed the legal process has taken this turn, there was already limited benefit to college campuses in Georgia as only a few had contracts that forced the vaccine mandate,” he said. “While I believe many of my fellow faculty and staff are fully vaccinated, this mandate would have pushed more to get the shot, and so made those schools more protected. Hopefully many had already gotten a shot and those who are scheduled to because of the mandate will follow through despite today’s ruling.”

For now, workers who have not gotten the shot are off the hook, but this decision is not the end of the story, said Georgia State University law professor Anthony Michael Kreis.

“The administration will appeal to the 11th Circuit for sure,” he said. “It’s hard to say what the timing will look like. My guess is that they’re going to try to get this up to the Supreme Court as quickly as they can so that they can get some kind of national resolution because if the whole goal is getting folks vaccinated, particularly in the wintertime and particularly as these new variants are popping up, they’re not going to want this to linger for weeks on end.”

The high court has ruled on vaccine mandates in the past. Late last month, they denied an appeal from Boston hospital workers who did not want to be vaccinated, and the month before, they blocked a similar push in Maine, but the order out of Georgia is based on different circumstances than those cases, Kreis said.

“The court has really been hesitant to touch the state level, liberty-based claims,” he said. “That might be somewhat of an indication that they may be somewhat hesitant to overturn the Biden administration’s requirements, but at the same time, the nature of the claims are slightly different, and so they might find some light in between them in order to deal a blow to the Biden administration here.”

Theron Downey Bryant

By
Now Habersham
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Theron Downey Bryant age 89, of Gillsville, entered heaven in the early morning hours of Tuesday, December 7, 2021.

He passed away peacefully in his sleep at his residence. Downey was born November 10, 1932, to the late George Dewey & Mary McGinnis Bryant of Murrayville. He was preceded in death by his twin brother, Dean, sister Jane Coleman and brother, Jack. Downey served his Country in the United States Air Force having served during the Korean War era. Downey was very talented and enjoyed machine shop work. He trained at Northeast Georgia Technical College in Clarksville and went on to teach machine shop classes at the MDT Center in Gainesville. He retired in 1994 from the US Postal Service after a number of years of service in the Gillsville Post Office. Downey, along with his wife, Carolyn, was a charter member of Pine Grove Baptist Church, now known as Emmanuel Community Church, where he taught the Adult Men’s Sunday School Class for a time and served as a Deacon for 25 years.

Survivors include his loving wife of 67 years, Carolyn House Bryant; son, Bobby (Charlotte) Bryant; daughters, Jan (Rick) Eckert & Karen (Paul) Montecalvo; brother, Sidney Bryant; Grandchildren, Austin Montecalvo, Dylan Montecalvo & Kellen Vanhook; great-grandchild, Peyton Vanhook; a number of nieces & nephews also survive.

Funeral services honoring Downey will be held at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, December 9, 2021, at the Emmanuel Community Church, Gillsville (formerly known as Pine Grove Baptist Church) with Rev. Seth Harvey & Rev. Kip Wright officiating. Burial will follow in the church cemetery with Rev. Sam Henderson officiating. Downey will lie in state at the church from 2:00 p.m. until service time. The family will receive friends in the church fellowship hall after the burial service.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Hospice of Northeast Georgia Medical Center, 2150 Limestone Parkway, Gainesville, GA 30501.

Please share online condolences with the family at www.wardsfh.com. Ward’s Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Theron Downey Bryant.

Habersham County Christmas Parade brings lights to Cornelia

By
Staff Report
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The Habersham Sheriff's Office's float had a "Mele Kalikimaka" vibe, with surfboards and flamingos decorating a tropical float. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)

The Habersham County 2021 Christmas parade was a success, with more than 50 groups participating.

Many participants decorated their vehicles, parade attire and lights around Christmas movies, this year’s parade theme. Lighted cars and parade floats had beloved Christmas movie characters waving to crowds, like the Grinch and his dog Max, Buddy the Elf, children on the Polar Express and the Peanuts gang around Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree.

The Cornelia Fire Department’s Ladder 2 truck was covered with Christmas lights. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)

 

Apart from themed floats, public safety vehicles were dressed up with Christmas lights and decorations to showcase their holiday spirit. The Baldwin Fire Department showed off their ladder truck with a real flame that burst from the side as it drove down Main Street, and Habersham County Sheriff’s Office members walked along with their float.

The parade began at 6:30 p.m. at Cornelia Elementary School and made its way to the Big Red Apple. A video of the parade will be available from Now Habersham in the near future.

Aubrey Higgins signs LOI with Berry College

By
TFS Athletics
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Aubrey Higgins with parents Sarah and Dee Higgins during his recent signing. (photo by Lane Gresham)

On Tuesday afternoon at Tallulah Falls School, senior Aubrey Higgins of Cornelia signed his letter of intent to pursue his academic and baseball career at Berry College.

The Berry Vikings are located in Mount Berry, GA, and reside in the Southern Athletic Association as a member of NCAA Division-III.

“We are very excited for Aubrey to join our program next year at Berry College,” says Berry baseball coach David Beasley. “He is a tremendous talent on the mound and we look forward to him growing as a pitcher at the next level. I would definitely like to thank Coach [Justin] Pollock for all of his help during the recruitment of Aubrey.”

Last season, Higgins anchored the Indians’ rotation, as we sported a 5-2 record with a 4.45 ERA, striking out 78 batters in 50.1 innings of work. He was a vital part of the school’s first state playoff team that put up a program-record 13 wins last season. His 7 career wins is first in school history, as is his single-season 78 strikeouts and single-game mark of 12 strikeouts set last season.

“Since middle school, Aubrey’s passion for baseball, for his teammates, and for developing into a respected young man has been a joy to watch,” says TFS Athletic Director Scott Neal. “His dedication to skill development, to offseason training, and to his peers as a consistent leader has earned him the ability to continue playing the game he loves while earning the respect of those around him.”

Higgins marks the seventh TFS baseball player to sign to play at the college level, and makes it a third year in a row that the Indians have had a college signee.

Clarkesville to instate package sales ordinance in early 2022

By
Hadley Cottingham
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During their meeting on Dec. 6, the Clarkesville City Council decided to table until next year the ordinance governing liquor stores in the city. Voters approved package sales in November. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)

The City of Clarkesville decided to table voting on a package sales ordinance at their Dec. 6 meeting until early 2022 as they continue to discuss their plans for the ordinance.

The city’s voters approved the sale of distilled spirits within city limits during the Nov. 2021 municipal election, and while the city has the ability to start selling on Jan. 1 if an ordinance is in place, the council isn’t worried about having the ordinance done by the first of the year.

City Attorney Janney Sanders discusses the drafted package sales ordinance with the Clarkesville council. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)

Clarkesville city attorney, Janney Sanders, and city manager, Keith Dickerson, have worked together to lay out a draft of the ordinance over the past few months, but the council hasn’t put their final touches on it.

“I think we should take our time with this,” Councilman Steven Ward said. “We need to look at a map and make sure [we agree with] where Keith has outlined and maybe just go out and drive to see where these locations would be.”

The council needs to decide on specifics of the ordinance, such as how many stores will be allowed within city limits, store inventory minimums, where liquor stores can be located, licensing fees and other specifics that will designate how liquor stores would populate the city.

Councilwoman Roxie Barron expressed her concerns that the number of liquor stores in the city needed to be controlled to preserve Clarkesville’s historic charm. Barron also shared that she believes the city doesn’t need more than two liquor stores, and that letting demand control where, and how many, liquor stores came to the city wasn’t wise.

Councilwoman Roxie Barron shares her concerns about preserving Clarkesville’s history in the ordinance. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)

“We just got the historic designation,” Barron said. “I think we need to really focus on maintaining some of our quaintness and our [history], rather than saying the market is going to control it. I don’t always trust the market.”

State laws indicate that liquor stores cannot be in residential zones, and must be 100 yards away from churches and 200 yards away from schools. The council seems to be in consensus that they are not interested in allowing liquor stores in the historic downtown area.

The council plans to further discuss the ordinance at their work session, and vote on an ordinance in February.

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