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Father shoots daughter’s boyfriend to stop attack, investigators say

By
Joy Purcell
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A father shot his daughter’s boyfriend during an altercation at a residence in the Sautee area, the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office says. The girl’s father, identified as 55-year-old Cory Merchant, shot Justin Rachal, 26, of Winterville, in the abdomen.

“There was a violent altercation between the boyfriend and daughter,” says Habersham County Sheriff’s Lt. Murray Kogod. The father tried to intervene but was unable to stop it. He then shot Rachal, Kogod says.

Habersham E-911 dispatched deputies to the scene at 615 Mill Run around 10 p.m. Tuesday, October 5. They found the wounded Rachal at the address along with Merchant, his injured daughter and a young girl who also lived in the home.

Deputies rendered aid until EMS personnel arrived and transported Rachal to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville. The daughter had “visible injuries” the sheriff’s office says, but did not go into detail about the assault, saying the case remains under investigation.

Habersham’s Crime Scene Unit processed the scene. Officials say, initially, the evidence suggested that the incident involved an aggravated assault between Merchant and Rachal. Deputies transported Merchant to the sheriff’s office to be interviewed and possibly charged.

After interviewing Merchant and his daughter, investigators determined Rachal had committed “several acts of violence against the victim.” They deemed the shooting “justified” to protect both the victim and the young girl at the residence from further harm.

The Habersham County October 6 jail report initially listed Merchant as charged, but the sheriff’s office pulled back the report and released a correction removing his name.

“We ended up not charging him because his actions did not constitute a criminal act,” Lt. Kogod tells Now Habersham.

Investigators charged Rachal with one count of aggravated assault, false imprisonment, and third-degree cruelty to children under the Family Violence Act.

Rachal’s injuries appeared to be non-life-threatening, officials say. He was placed under guard at the hospital and will be jailed once he’s released.

The sheriff’s office says more charges may be filed as the investigation continues.

GSP: Man surrenders after taking stolen side-by-side for a ride

By
Joy Purcell
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(file photo)

State troopers charged a Toccoa man with DUI after he allegedly stole a powersport vehicle and took it for a spin on the highway.

61-year-old Bobby Griffin of Toccoa surrendered after being spotted by state troopers on GA 106 near the GA 17 Bypass.

Just before 2 p.m. Wednesday, Post 7 troopers were asked to locate the side-by-side after it was stolen from Mega Motorsports in Toccoa. The dealership manager followed the vehicle as Griffin drove it south on GA 145 then north on Georgia 106, says Georgia State Patrol Post 7 Commander Donnie Sadler.

After the troopers spotted him, Griffin pulled into a nearby gas station and “threw his hands up” to surrender, says Sadler.

The Stephens County Sheriff’s Office assisted with the arrest. More charges may be pending.

Boston “House Hunters” bring HGTV to Clarkesville

By
Hadley Cottingham
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Whitney Kleinert on set during the filming of their episode of House Hunters. (Photo courtesy Whitney Kleinert)

Northeast Georgia natives Whitney and Alex Kleinert have returned to the place they call home after ten years of living in Boston to slow down from city life, be near family and bring the skills they’ve learned back to their hometown. But they didn’t come back alone— they brought HGTV’s “House Hunters” with them.

When the Kleinerts lived in Boston, they starred in season 140 episode 3, “Country Mouse and City Mouse,” of the HGTV show as they searched for a new home within the city. When they decided to return to Habersham, “House Hunters” came with to document their search for their new home.

Whitney, mom Shawn Knight, husband Alex and the House Hunters Crew all pose for a group photo during filming. (Photo courtesy Whitney Kleinert)

“Every day was a new adventure,” Kleinert said on filming the episode. “The crew is super sweet and it was really cool for us to get to know the different crews that we worked with. They were long [filming] days, but fun days.”

Even with a group of strangers tagging along for their house hunting experience, it wasn’t long before they all felt like friends. Kleinert’s mother, Shawn Knight, was more than happy to extend her southern hospitality to the California film crew, cooking breakfast for them and even bringing them a Sugartopia cake. Kleinert says that over the course of filming, the crew was falling for Northeast Georgia.

“They [the crew] love Northeast Georgia,” she said. “You get backhanded comments sometimes from people, but they never said anything [unkind] about Northeast Georgia. They were like, ‘Oh my God, these mountains are gorgeous, this is so much more relaxing than California.'”

The couple’s real estate agent, Kelly Ausburn with the Norton Agency, says that while working on the episode was hard work, it was a rewarding experience.

Realtor Kelly Ausburn and the Kleinerts worked together alongside HGTV and the “House Hunters” crew to find the perfect home for Whitney, Alex and their dogs. (Photo courtesy Kelly Ausburn)

“It was laborious but exciting,” Ausburn said. “To be part of helping the Klienerts find their way back home being my goal, but adding the Hollywood elements in the mix, was over-the-top. Everyone involved in this project was fabulous. From guidance from my broker Diane Brown to the sweet personal assistant to the set director, Zach, I could not have had a better experience.”

Kleinert said the episode was like filming a 22-minute “live photo album,” commemorating a move that brought them back to their families. Knight was also involved in the episode, and Kleinert says that her mother being on-screen with her made the episode even more special.

“We’re all super excited, especially my mom,” she says. “My husband and I are excited to see it [the episode]. It’s a cool way to commemorate moving back down here.”

One of the adjustments to returning to Habersham has been the ten-minute drive to get coffee— but the Kleinert dogs, Walter and Lula, aren’t complaining. (Photo courtesy Whitney Kleinert)

She says one of the changes that stands out most, other than Alex looking at buying a tractor, is the 10-minute drive to get coffee. But she says the trade-off of seeing nature right outside her door and on her drive every day, being closer to family and making an impact in her hometown are all well worth the drive.

Kleinert says that coming back to her hometown with a “new set of eyes” after her experience in Boston and seeing how her hometown has blossomed has been an exciting experience. The Kleinert dogs are enjoying their big yard to run in, something they haven’t had, and Whitney and Alex are thrilled about the parking situation at their home.

While there is no announced air date, the episode is scheduled to run at some point next year.

This article has been updated.

Level Grove Road closing again for “about a month”

By
Hadley Cottingham
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(Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)

Level Grove Road reopened eight weeks after it initially closed, just in time for the City of Cornelia’s Big Red Apple Festival. While locals are finally enjoying the use of the road that connects Downtown Cornelia to the rest of the city, they’ll have to wait a little longer to go back to using the road regularly. Cornelia City Manager Dee Anderson reports that next week, the road will close again for another month.

The road was closed to replace the sewer main and install drainage right across from the Peaks of Cornelia apartments, but construction was delayed when the contractor working on the road discovered several water lines that the city was unaware of.

“The second closure is to allow the contractor to complete the installation of the sewer and storm [drainage] piping,” Anderson said at the city’s Tuesday night meeting.

Now that those lines have been discovered and taken care of, the city needs to finish the project the road was originally closed for. The road will close again on Monday, Oct. 11.

Demorest budget, millage rate in limbo

By
Hadley Cottingham
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The Demorest City Council is down to the wire for setting the city’s millage rate with only weeks left to the Nov. 1 due date, and the council hasn’t seen the budget yet.

While Mayor Rick Austin advocated for setting a millage rollback to 5.16 mills at Tuesday night’s meeting, the council wasn’t comfortable setting a millage rate before seeing the rough outline of the budget.

Austin said that after speaking with City Accountant Alan Burton, who is creating the budget, he was advised that rolling back the millage rate for the city was “easily achievable,” and that the council could move forward with a rollback.

“At the end of the day, we’re either for tax increases or we’re not,” Austin said. “Every person in this nation—and let’s just talk about this city— is paying more for gas at the pump, paying more for groceries at the grocery store, paying more for clothes, and if you’re trying to buy ammunition or a firearm, you’re probably not finding it, and if you are, you’re paying five times the price for it. Everybody is paying more.”

However, the members of the council did not want to move forward without seeing the budget themselves and speaking with the accountant.

“We’re supposed to be looking at the budget, a rough version of the budget, and I know we have to get this done, but I would like to talk to Mr. Burton myself,” Councilman Nathan Davis said. “I don’t want to be rushed to do this, and I feel like I’m being rushed tonight to do this, I’d like to at least see the rough budget and see where we are.”

The city will discuss its audit report at an upcoming public meeting, followed by its budget and millage rate discussions, public hearing and vote.

The city council has tentatively set dates for budget and millage rate discussion, vote and public hearing. Those times and dates are Tuesday, Oct. 19 at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 26 at 11 a.m. and at 6 p.m. in the Demorest Municipal Courtroom.

A recording of the meeting is available on the city’s Facebook page.

Janet Carol Smith Whitfield

By
Now Habersham
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Janet Carol Smith Whitfield, age 67 of Demorest, passed away on Tuesday, October 5, 2021.

Born in Toccoa, Georgia on November 16, 1953, she was a daughter of the late Joseph Travis Smith and Frances Emmalene Savage Smith. Janet loved her family, arts and crafts.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by brothers, Joey Smith and Marvin Smith.

Surviving are her husband, John Whitfield of Demorest; daughters and sons-in-law, Tonya & Donald Smith of Demorest, Brandy & Walter Anderson of Alto and Kimberly Whitfield of Demorest; step-daughter, Krystian Whitfield of Helen; step-sons, Toby Whitfield of Demorest and Shane Whitfield of Clarkesville; 16 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; brothers, Ira Smith and Ralph Smith both of Baldwin, James “Hoss” Smith of Demorest; several nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

No formal services are planned at this time.

Those in attendance are asked to please adhere to the public health and social distancing guidelines regarding COVID-19.

An online guest register is available and may be viewed at www.mcgaheegriffinandstewart.com.

McGahee-Griffin & Stewart Funeral Home of Cornelia, Georgia (706/778-8668) is in charge of arrangements.

Reports of COVID-19 at UGA hit semester low

By
UGA News
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(UGA Today)

ATHENS, GA – Cases of COVID-19 reached an all-time low for the semester at the University of Georgia, with 47 cases reported for the week of Sept. 27-Oct. 3. The latest figure, a 48% decrease from the previous week, shows an overall decline in cases reported on campus, mirroring similar recent trends in the local community and across the state.

The University Health Center (UHC) posted the data as part of the weekly update on its website Wednesday morning. Of the 47 cases reported in DawgCheck, 33 were students, 11 were staff members and three were faculty.

The positivity rate for UGA’s surveillance testing was low again this week, with 9 of 843 asymptomatic individuals testing positive for a rate of 1.068%. The UHC can test up to 800 individuals a day, and this service is offered free to the campus community.

“We’re extremely pleased to see the latest low reports of COVID-19 in our campus community and continue to be encouraged with the declining trend of reports throughout the area,” says Jen Swails, interim executive director of the University Health Center and co-chair of the University’s Medical Oversight Task Force. “The best path to success in fighting this virus remains for our community to get vaccinated. We’re grateful that so many students, faculty and staff have taken the shot, yet we remain ready and willing to continue to vaccinate the rest of our community.”

RELATED: Faculty job security is new fight on Georgia campus after months of mask dustups

The University Health Center is offering COVID-19 vaccinations free of charge to faculty, staff and students and their dependents over age 16. To date, more than 27,000 vaccines have been administered to members of the UGA community. The university is also offering incentives for vaccinations, such as $20 gift cards and T-shirts, while supplies last.

The UHC began offering booster shots of the Pfizer vaccine last week to faculty, staff, students and their eligible dependents who had received their second dose at least six months ago. The FDA approved the administration of boosters on Sept. 22.

“These latest numbers show our continued fight against COVID-19 is working, but our community needs to remain vigilant every step of the way,” said Dr. Shelley Nuss, campus dean of the AU/UGA Medical Partnership and co-chair of the University’s Medical Oversight Task Force. “Booster shots, for those who are eligible, offer continued protection against the virus, and there remains plenty of vaccine available on campus and in the surrounding area for those who have yet to be vaccinated.”

Last week, the names of another 25 fully vaccinated individuals were selected to win $1,000 cash prizes in the university’s vaccine drawing. The first 50 names were selected on Sept. 15, with the final drawing to be held on Oct. 15. In all, $100,000 in federal relief funds will be awarded.

As it did last year, the university is maintaining a stock of rooms on- and off-campus to accommodate isolation and quarantine housing, as needed. At present, less than 1% of the housing stock is in use.

The UGA community consists of nearly 50,000 students, faculty and staff. UGA is a part of a university system of 26 members institutions and must follow the directives of the University System of Georgia (USG) Board of Regents. The USG does not allow its institutions to enact mask or vaccine mandates, but vaccinations and the wearing of masks indoors are strongly encouraged.

The weekly DawgCheck reporting data consist of tests from four sources: (1) tests conducted through UGA’s surveillance testing program; (2) symptomatic tests conducted at the University Health Center; (3) reports from Athens-area medical providers; and (4) reports of positive tests from other sources.

Cornelia commission appoints Habersham County teacher to Ward 1 seat

By
Hadley Cottingham
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Habersham County teacher and coach Jeff Wilson has been appointed to serve as the City of Cornelia Ward 1 Commissioner. (Habersham County Schools Athletics)

The City of Cornelia has completed its search to fill the Ward 1 commissioner seat after the sudden death of Cornelia Commissioner Wes Dodd, appointing Habersham teacher and Cornelia business owner Jeff Wilson to serve.

Their pick ended up being someone Dodd encouraged to run just as he began his battle with cancer.

“Wes [Dodd] and I talked about the Ward 1 position this summer as he was beginning his cancer treatments and he encouraged me to consider serving if the opportunity presented itself,” Wilson tells Now Habersham. “Being a member of the Cornelia community, I see the commission position as an opportunity to serve my neighbors and all the citizens of Cornelia.”

In a unanimous vote Tuesday night, the commission voted to appoint Jeff Wilson to the position. Commissioner Don Bagwell made the motion and Commissioner Tony Cook seconded.

Preceding the meeting, the commission met with and interviewed the applicants before making a decision and voting at Tuesday night’s meeting. The city had three total applicants to fill the position, former Ward 1 Commissioner candidate Mark Reed, City of Gainesville Civil Engineer Tracy Robar and Wilson.

Wilson is a Habersham Central High School Social Studies and Physical Education teacher. He previously taught at both the Habersham Success Academy and Habersham Ninth Grade Academy. He is also the co-owner of Crossfit Change in Cornelia.

“Hopefully my experience as a small business owner and teacher in the county will contribute a perspective to the Commission that is beneficial to the growth and prosperity of the city,” Wilson says. He says Cornelia’s downtown development is important to him, and hopes to use his position on the commission to bring more restaurants and businesses to the city.

Wilson will be sworn in at the citys’ regular commission on Nov. 2. The Ward 1 seat will be on the ballot on March 15, 2022, at which point Wilson will have to run to hold his position on the commission.

“Ultimately, I intend to serve the community in the best way I am able,” Wilson says. “And add to Cornelia’s city commission with a positive attitude and a willingness to work with the other commissioners to give the city an opportunity to thrive.”

This article has been updated.

At home tailgating

By
Mitzi Oxford
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It’s on! Football season in the South and it’s a big deal around these parts. We gather with friends to attend games or watch on TV. The outcome for your favorite team may not be a given but the food you serve before, during, and after the game certainly can be.

The official definition for tailgating is: “Host or attend a social gathering at which an informal meal is served from the back of a parked vehicle, typically in the parking lot of a sports stadium.”

However you define it the food served can involve grilling or serving some simple, easily prepared food that can be just as memorable as the game itself. Whether you are actually in the stadium parking lot or watching from home with a few friends, we’ve got some go-to foods that are sure to score a big win!

Today we are serving up 3 simple recipes for tailgating that are tasty and require a minimum of prep. I’m a big advocate of using “frozen” foods on occasion, especially for appetizers or finger foods for something like tailgating. If frozen is good enough for Southern Living, it’s ok in my book. Besides, if frozen stuff is “dressed up,” it can taste like you spent as much time prepping the food as the coaches did working out all those Xs and Os.

Potato Skins Ingredients:

How many potatoes to bake will depend on how many friends you are hosting. This will be based on four people total. You can add more as needed.

  • 6 baking potatoes (Russet, Yukon Gold, or Red are all good choices)
  • Cheese (cheddar or Colby jack are both great choices)
  • Bacon bits (You can either fry bacon and crumble or use a good brand of bacon bits)
  • Sour cream for topping

Directions:

Potatoes can be baked in the oven (325 degrees for 1 hour or microwaved for 10 minutes or longer depending on the number of potatoes.)

Let the potatoes cool. Cut in half and scoop out inside to about 1/4 inch. (Leftover potato insides can be used later for mashed potatoes or potato pancakes.)

Add shredded cheese or sliced cheese and bacon bits, if desired. Put in oven until melted.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Little smokies ingredients:

I didn’t have Little Smokies for our at-home tailgating so I used hotdog wieners. Either will work just fine.

  • Pack of Little Smokies or a pack of eight hotdog wieners cut into bite-sized pieces.
  • cup of barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays because that is what I had on hand.)
  • 1/4 cup of grape jelly
  • 1 Tbls Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

Combine all and simmer until all ingredients for a sauce and wieners or Little Smokies are cooked and begin to thicken a bit. Shouldn’t take more than about 20 – 30 minutes.

Meatball ingredients:

You could make meatballs from scratch but we went with frozen Italian meatballs. You can use your favorite go-to brand or Rosina’s are available at Walmart in Cleveland, Georgia and they are very good.

  • 2 Tbls Dijon mustard
  • 2 Tbls Spicy honey mustard
  • 3/4 cup apple jelly
  • One pack of frozen meatballs (there were 20 larger meatballs in the pack we used. Next time I will look for the bite-sized, smaller meatballs.)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a cast iron or another large skillet. Stir and coat meatballs. Simmer until done about 30 minutes. If you like a little “heat” you can always add a squirt of Sriracha sauce.

These could be transported to the stadium parking lot if you have a hotbox or way to keep them warm or you could keep the game on at home and cheer on your favorite team while cooking and enjoying the outcome.

What are your favorite tailgating goodies? Drop me an email at [email protected]

 

 

 

9th grade students explore mortality through art

By
Dylan James
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Pictured L to R: Kathrine Davis with her Vanitas painting completed in oil on wood panel, HNGA Art Teacher Dylan James, and Grace Dooley who completed her composition with graphite on paper.

HNGA Art students have been studying Vanitas, a still life tradition, in conjunction with Harmend Steenwyck’s painting “Still life: An allegory of Vanities of the Human Life.”

Vanitas is a still-life artwork that includes various symbolic objects designed to remind the viewer of his/her mortality and the trivialness of worldly goods and pleasures in comparison to the importance of one’s relationships with others as well as his/her individual inward human experience.

As a class, students spoke about human mortality and the Latin phrase “Memento Mori,” different subject matter that might be used to symbolize our own mortality and our ties to earthly pleasures, and the rules of creating a successful composition.

Each student was tasked with acquiring symbolic objects, composing his/her objects to create a still life, and then photographing his/her own compositions.

Harmend Steenwyck’s painting “Still Life: An Allegory of Vanities of the Human Life” was the source of inspiration for HNGA art students’ Vanitas project. (photo submitted)

Having the students choose their subject matter and organize it created a chance for each student to express himself/herself through individual choices, experiment with the rules of composition and lighting, and have the opportunity to experience first-hand how much effort and thought goes into composing a successful and unique composition.

Once the photograph had been established, they were tasked with rendering it in a realistic style using graphite as their medium, except for one student who wished to experiment with oil paints.

Lady Indians split at White County

By
TFS Athletics
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TFS outside hitter Alba Romanos Gracia (photo by Austin Poffenberger)

The Lady Indians traveled to White County for a tri-match on Tuesday evening, earning a split in the process. The girls took a win over White County but fell in three sets to Habersham Central.

The JV Lady Indians also played both White County and Habersham and dropped both.

Varsity

The Lady Indians earned a 2-0 win over White County, starting with a 25-21 win. The second set was even tighter, as TFS won 32-30 in a marathon set to take the straight-set victory.

The finale against Habersham saw TFS drop the opening set 22-25. A 25-13 dominating second set evened the match before the Lady Indians lost 8-15 in the third and decisive set.

TFS moves to 20-9 overall on the season.

JV

The Lady Indians fell in straight sets to Habersham, 14-25 and 20-25, but took White County to three sets. The Lady Indians won the first set against White 26-24, but dropped the next two 12-25 and 10-15.

TFS is now 15-10 overall on the season.

SCORES:

TFS Varsity W 2-0 vs White County: 25-21, 32-30
TFS Varsity L 1-2 vs Habersham Central: 22-25, 25-13, 8-15
TFS JV L 1-2 vs White County: 26-24, 12-25, 10-15
TFS JV L 0-2 vs Habersham Central: 14-25, 20-25

FBI to investigate threats made against school board members, teachers

By
Ariana Figueroa
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U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland this week asked the FBI to work with local law enforcement to deal with threats to school board officials.

WASHINGTON (GA Recorder) — The Department of Justice has directed the FBI to meet with local governments and law enforcement to discuss strategies for dealing with increasing threats to teachers and school board members spurred by a conservative backlash against discussions of race in public schools.

“Threats against public servants are not only illegal, they run counter to our nation’s core values,” Attorney General Merrick Garland wrote in his memorandum to FBI Director Christopher Wray, released Monday.

“Those who dedicate their time and energy to ensuring that our children receive a proper education in a safe environment deserve to be able to do their work without fear for their safety.”

School board meetings have also been under attack for mask mandates to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in schools. Metro Atlanta schools with mask optional policies have been the scene of shouting matches between parents demanding face-covering requirements and those that oppose COVID-19 safety mandates.

Garland cited a spike in harassment, intimidation and threats of violence against public school officials as the reason for the memo.

School board meetings across the country have been derailed by a furor over “critical race theory,” which generally is not taught at the K-12 level and instead is an academic theory studied in college. Critical race theory is the study of the intersection of race and U.S. law.

The National School Boards Association praised the Garland announcement.

“Over the last few weeks, school board members and other education leaders have received death threats and have been subjected to threats and harassment, both online and in person,” Chip Slaven, the group’s interim executive director and CEO, said in a statement.

“The individuals who are intent on causing chaos and disrupting our schools—many of whom are not even connected to local schools—are drowning out the voices of parents who must be heard when it comes to decisions about their children’s education, health, and safety. These acts of intimidation are also affecting educational services and school board governance. Some have even led to school lockdowns.”

The association also wrote a letter to President Joe Biden on Sept. 29 about the increase in threats to school boards and asked for assistance.

The Justice Department will also create training and guidance for local school boards and school officials on how to report certain threats to the appropriate law enforcement agency and how to “preserve evidence of threatening conduct to aid in the investigation and prosecution of these crimes.”

With the massive Black Lives Matter protests across the country during the summer of 2020 due to the murder of George Floyd by Minnesota Police Officer Derek Chauvin, many public schools have tried to discuss race and equity.

Some have incorporated the New York Times 1619 Project, which explores the 400-year history of slavery, into school curriculums. It spurred protests from conservatives who have demonstrated at school board meetings, sometimes leading to arrests.

State and congressional Republicans have moved to ban the teachings of “critical race theory” in public schools.

The Justice Department has also set up an FBI tip line for reporting threats.

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