Habersham EMC officials say a tree is responsible for a string of overnight power outages that affected more than a thousand of its members.
The outages first occurred late Sunday night in the Batesville and Sautee areas of northern Habersham and White counties. A few dozen other outages were reported early Monday in Rabun County.
In some cases, members went without electricity for several hours as crews worked to isolate the problem and restore service.
HEMC crews fully restored service before dawn Monday.
Wild hog memes have been circulating to laughs on social media lately, but there’s nothing funny about the damage they can do.
Feral swine are reported to live in all of Georgia’s 159 counties, likely only trailing the massive feral swine populations in Texas and Florida. The Georgia Association of Conservation Districts calls feral swine “one of the greatest invasive species challenges facing Georgia.”
Crop damage from feral swine (photo by Tyler Campbell, USDA)
State conservation officials estimate that last year alone feral swine caused $150 million in damage to Georgia’s agricultural crops and natural resources.
The Upper Chattahoochee River Soil and Water Conservation District offers feral swine trapping services for residents of Habersham, White, Lumpkin, Dawson, and Forsyth counties. Since March, the area SWCD has captured 46 hogs. Over 1,600 have been captured statewide.
The Upper Chattahoochee River SWCD board would like to see more people participate in the program to help cut down on the feral swine population.
Landowners and farmers who are experiencing problems with wild hogs should contact their local Hog Control Custodians. In Northeast Georgia, call Nathan Turner at (770) 654-9686.
This map depicts in pink the Conservation Districts that currently have hog trapping programs. (Source: GACD)
Pictured from right to left: Mike Bramlett, Madi Nix, and Randy Haney
Help spread the howliday cheer this year (and get on Santa’s nice list!)
The Habersham Humane Society and Habersham County Animal Care & Control are joining forces to provide low-cost spay and neuter to our community. You can help by donating to their GA Gives Day fundraiser on Tuesday, December 1.
Visit https://www.gagives.org/story/U0tvnf to donate. Also, visit Now Habersham’s Facebook page hourly from 1-5 p.m. on December 1st as HCACC Director Madi Nix gives away donated gifts to top donors.
Then, on Saturday, Dec. 5, bring your pets to the Habersham Animal Shelter for a Drive-Thru Rabies Clinic and photo with the Grinch.
Already got your rabies shots? Then get a shot of you with your pets during the shelter’s “Howliday” photo fundraiser.
All proceeds will benefit the shelter. Photo sessions are limited. Call 478-216-8464 for an appointment.
The Pileated Woodpecker is striking in its coloring and top notch. (Photo by Craig Taylor)
Last Sunday, we woke up to a beautiful sunrise. The sun glimmered off the tree limbs that had lost their leaves. The evergreens’ color vibrantly stuck out among the bare trees, bringing life to the scene. The whole picture was gorgeous and I thanked God that we get to live in such a place of beauty. I’m grateful.
On the way to church, a Belted Kingfisher flew directly in front of our car. I’ve only seen one on one other occasion, and never in Clarkesville, so that was a wonderful surprise.
The Belted Kingfisher is not always easy to see, much less photograph. (Photo by Craig Taylor)
Then, we saw a Pileated Woodpecker, a stunningly beautiful bird that I haven’t seen often. I thanked God that those birds showed up in such a way so we couldn’t miss seeing them. They were both extraordinary in that moment. I was grateful to be there at those specific and special moments in time.
The Pileated Woodpecker is usually seen deep in the woods, drumming on dead trees. (Photo by Craig Taylor)
The year 2020 has been a bust for so many reasons. Our parents are not able to do the things they’ve enjoyed. Their lives have become limited and often disappointing. Our kids haven’t been to our house since last Christmas. We feel the loss of getting with our family on special occasions. But we’re all healthy. We have the ability to be together virtually. I’m grateful that we’re safe and that the bonds of our family are made stronger through absence.
I don’t want what I’ve lost this year to prevent me seeing what I have. So, here’s my list of what I’m most grateful this year.
I’m grateful for our families, and for how I’ve seen God strengthen those relationships during this time.
I’m grateful that we were able to be present in June when our six-year-old granddaughter was baptized in a swimming pool after she made her profession of faith. She wasn’t willing to wait for COVID to be over before she did that.
I’m grateful to be part of a church family who loves each other and our community well. I’m grateful that God has led us to this place at this time and made our lives better for it.
I’m grateful for friends, both old and new, who have made life in the pandemic tolerable. Life is better with friends–either in person or virtually or through texts or social media.
I’m grateful that God opened the door this year for me to join the Now Habersham staff and for the challenges He places before me as a writer. And I’m so grateful for the skills of Craig Taylor, our friend who shares his knowledge, expertise, and photos with Bob and me as new birders and with this column. I couldn’t do what I do in Confessions of a Rookie Birder if Craig didn’t have a personal library of photos he’s taken over the years that he’s willing to share.
Above all, I’m grateful because I know that God is sovereign–He is greater than coronavirus and greater than any struggles the virus has created. He is greater than everything. And like the evergreens that haven’t changed even as all the trees around them do, God is constant and unchanging. His presence is with us as surely as the evergreens keep their color year-round. What an amazing gift to us that is.
I’m grateful for so much. What are you grateful for this year?
Jamie Tyler, Todd Lunsford, Angelica, Chad Black, and Jason Garrett.
It’s the kind of reunion first responders don’t often get, but the kind they relish when they do. Habersham County Emergency Services personnel recently reunited with a woman whose life they saved three years ago.
On November 27, 2017, Angelissa Pitts suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while traveling in a car. When first responders arrived, they found her unresponsive, lying in the median of Georgia Highway 17. She had no pulse, no breath, and at that moment, it seemed, no future. But thanks to the efforts of the trained professionals who showed up that day – Jamie Tyler, Todd Lunsford, Chad Black, and Jason Garrett – Angelissa survived.
Habersham County Emergency Services shared a photo of their reunion and the events that led up to it on Facebook.
“After a team effort of multiple shocks, drug therapy, and airway maintenance” they successfully resuscitated Pitts and transported her to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, the post stats. “Several surgeries later, an implanted defibrillator, she is married and back at work.”
Pitts met the team from HCES a few days before Thanksgiving. The post accompanying their reunion photo reads, “blessed and a great reason to be thankful this holiday season!”
Habersham County Judicial Center (Daniel Purcell/Now Habersham)
The wheels of justice turn slowly, even under the best of circumstances. Add to the customary legal hurdles the extraordinary challenge of a pandemic, and you end up with a backlog that local prosecutors are just now starting to dig their way out from under.
“We are doing the best we can,” says Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney George Christian. “We have had three confirmed cases of Covid-19 between our three offices and have had to quarantine from time to time and work from home.”
In a normal year, the Habersham County Grand Jury would have been seated on July 1. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the grand jury was only recently empaneled. Jurors met for the first time on November 9. They issued a flurry of indictments during their two-day session – the first indictments handed down in Habersham County since courts closed in mid-March.
While Grand Jury proceedings have just recently resumed, the courts have tried to keep up with what they can. Many bond hearings and probation violation hearings are held virtually. Still, it could be well into next year before prosecutors catch a break in their scheduling.
Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney George Christian
“What has happened is that those cases that were on a calendar from the January 2020 Grand Jury and those added ‘Accusation cases,’ for the most part, are still pending due to a lack of trial terms after the Georgia Supreme Court issued it’s First Judicial Emergency Order,” explains Christian. “What this essentially means is that we have that calendar and the new calendar (yet to be published) that will need to be addressed in 2021.”
Prosecutors anticipate the total number of cases on those two calendars will be twice as many as they normally address during the same time period. In addition, they’re working on cases for the January 2021 grand jury term. “Those indictments and other filed ‘Accusations’ will be on top of the [other] two calendars,” he says.
Despite the daunting task before them, Christian says everyone associated with the criminal justice system “is dedicated to continuing to perform our jobs under all of the in place guidelines and protocols.” Asked how long he expects it will take for grand juries and prosecutors in the circuit to catch up on pending cases, Christian says, ” I don’t know. There are too many variables.”
The current term of the Habersham County Grand Jury ends on December 31.
Rome's defense swarms Central's QB Joshua Pickett who made an electrifying 80-yard TD run to pull within 7 of the Wolves in the first quarter. (photo by Daniel Purcell)
The opening round of the state playoffs saw a handful of local programs in the big dance. For some, their season ended in Friday night action. A few are still set to play on Saturday. Those who advanced to the next round include Commerce and Dawson County.
#2 Rome 35 – #3 Habersham Central 14
The Raiders were within 14-7 after a quarter, though Rome notched a late TD to close out the first half up 21-7. That score held up to the fourth quarter when Joshua Pickett had an electrifying 80-yd TD run to cut the deficit to 21-14. Rome responded with a TD pass to re-up the lead and extended it to 35-14 a bit later.
#1 Rockmart 48 – #4 White County 35
The Warriors fell behind quickly but ended very strong in a valiant effort. White County was down 20-0 at the end of the first quarter. The rest of the way, the Warriors outscored Rockmart 35-28. J Ben Haynes notched a rushing score to open the second quarter, though Rockmart responded to pad the lead at 27-7. Just before the half, Haynes connected on a 27-yd TD to Darius Cannon to cut it to 27-14. Silas Mulligan’s 1-yard plunge in the third bridged the gap to 27-21 before Rockmart pounded out an 80-yd TD on the ensuing kickoff in response. Mulligan scored again from 7 yards out midway through the third, making it 34-27. Two straight TDs by Rockmart put the game out of reach, though Haynes threw his final TD pass of his amazing career to Reece Dockery to cap the scoring. In his final game, Haynes delivered 2 passing and 1 rushing TD.
#1 Commerce 52 – #4 Manchester 20
The Tigers didn’t disappoint and scored a program record 52 points in a playoff game. Commerce got a Trey Huff first quarter TD, then came one from Elijah Burns, then Michael Sherman in the second. Add in a Diaz FG before the break, and it was 24-0 Commerce. Manchester put 12 points up in the third, but Dreylan Martin got some of that back with a TD run to make it 31-12 going into the final quarter. Martin got another TD in the fourth to make it 38-12, and Manchester pulled within 38-20. Shawn Cunningham had a late score as the Tigers rolled into the second round.
#3 Dawson County 45 – #2 Adairsville 31
The Tigers went on the road and smoked Adairsville, 45-31 to advance to the second round. It looked the part of a low-scoring game, when Dawson went up 7-0 and held a 7-3 lead after one quarter. However, things picked up in the second. A 1-yd Zach Holtzclaw TD run, followed by a Conley Dyer 40-yd TD run made it 21-3 Tigers. The tides quickly turned with a 9-minute flurry of TDs for Adairsville, who took at 24-21 lead into the locker room. Dyer opened the second half scoring with a 39-yd TD, followed by a Holtzclaw 75-yd TD pass to Dakohta Sonnichsen to re-up the lead to 35-24. Caleb Bonesteel hit a clutch field goal before the end of the third, pushing it to 38-24. Adairsville got a big-time TD pass to cut it to within 38-31, and then recovered an onside kick. However, a botched fake punt led to a Dawson TD to seal the win, 45-31. The Tigers advanced to take on powerhouse Oconee County in round two.
Other area games
#4 Martin Luther King, Jr.14 – #1 Clarke Central 41
#4 Franklin County 7 – #1 Greater Atlanta Christian 37
#3 Gainesville 14 – #2 Archer 21
#3 Hart County 21 – #2 Carver, Atlanta 32
#3 North Murray 28 – #2 North Hall 36
#3 Lakeview 7 – #2 North Cobb Christian 28
#4 Lafayette 7 – #1 Cherokee Bluff 35
#4 Douglas County 0 – #1 Buford 48
#3 Discovery 0 – #2 Denmark 63
#4 Hebron Christian 28 – #1 Prince Avenue Christian 63
#4 Westminster 7 – #1 Oconee County 21
#3 Meadowcreek 14 – #1 West Forsyth 39
Saturday, Nov. 28:
#1 Jefferson vs #4 Mt. Zion
Jefferson will play a Saturday afternoon game against Mt. Zion to open their playoff run. Mt. Zion isn’t really in the same stratosphere as the #1 Dragons. Should be over quick.
#1 Rabun County vs #4 Haralson County
Rabun will host Haralson County in the opening round on Saturday. This is probably the biggest game in the 2A bracket in the first round. One win separated Haralson County, who is ranked #5 in 2A by MaxPreps, from the 5-AA region champion team. This is a bonafide top-10 matchup early.
#3 Union County @ #2 Heard County
The Panthers will travel on Saturday to Heard County in the opening round of the playoffs. Union closed the regular season with a much-needed win over Gilmer, but there are still more questions than answers. Will Jonah Daniel play? Ultimately, Heard County can throw when it needs to but has a lethal running game that features 5 players with 300 or more rushing yards.
#1 Callaway 7, #4 Banks County 0 (FFT)
Banks County forfeited their playoff game due to COVID concerns within the program. The Leopards close their season at 1-10 overall.
#3 Luella @ #2 Flowery Branch
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Responding to growing demand and a rising student population, Piedmont College’s Executive and Finance Committees of the Board of Trustees approved construction of a 268-bed residence hall.
The 60,000 square-foot structure, Mystic Hall, will be located near Plymouth Hall on a crest that overlooks the Demorest campus. When completed in December 2021, the facility will be the college’s largest residential complex and pave the way for a string of additional housing renovations.
Despite concerns about the pandemic, Piedmont enrolled 251 first-year students this fall, among the largest freshman classes in the institution’s history. And overall enrollment at the college’s main campus in Demorest has never been higher.
Looking ahead, the college – to be renamed Piedmont University next April – plans to boost its residential student population to 1,000, up from 750. Piedmont also operates an Athens campus, which enrolls approximately 500 commuting students. The college’s overall enrollment is more than 2,500.
The housing addition comes on the heels of other momentous campus improvement projects. The college recently completed a $10.1 million Conservatory of Music and, last month, dedicated the Charles and Catherine Sewell Center for Teacher Education, a 12,000 square-foot building that is located on the college’s historic quad. Piedmont’s new Athens campus, a modern four-story brick building at 1282 Prince Avenue, will open in March. The college is experiencing historic highs in alumni giving and has also purchased 90 acres near the Demorest campus for expansion.
“These projects and our growing level of support illustrate Piedmont’s emergence as a burgeoning comprehensive regional university,” said Piedmont President James Mellichamp.
Construction on Mystic Hall – to be completed by Scroggs & Grizzel of Gainesville – will begin in January.
The residential hall is named after a Connecticut seaport and recognizes Piedmont’s historical ties to Congregational Churches, which were established by Pilgrims throughout New England during the 1600s.
Once Mystic Hall is completed, the college will begin renovating existing housing facilities, according to a college news release. Purcell Hall, which was built in 1969, will be closed for a year-long renovation project. After the Purcell project is completed, Wallace Hall, built in 1959, will be razed to make room for a parking lot, and Getman-Babcock will be converted to administrative offices.
Come Play is a horror movie that utilizes atmosphere and suspense. With effective performances at its center instead of cheap thrills or idiotic characters, this film works well even if it’s not really memorable.
The movie focuses on an autistic boy named Oliver (Azhy Robertson) who can only communicate with a cell phone. His parents (Gillian Jacobs and John Gallagher Jr.) are trying to get Oliver to become more social, but their efforts prove to be less than successful as Oliver is bullied by other kids.
Oliver has a scary story downloaded into his phone and it tells about a monster named Larry who communicates with Oliver and tells him that he wants to be his friend.
Soon Larry takes on a life his own which manifests through multiple electronic devices. Oliver does his best to let others know, but as usual, no one takes him seriously.
On the surface, Come Play checks off the boxes of this kind of movie such as the aforementioned reasons about the parents and others not believing the kid in order to advance the story.
What makes it work is the commitment of the actors to their performances as well as a genuine atmosphere that doesn’t call attention to itself. As a result, the actors are able to easily inhabit the atmosphere.
Come Play should’ve spent more time on constructing a story with fewer cliches and more on crafting ways that would make it feel elevated, but it’s solid entertainment that knows what it is.
Grade: B
(Rated PG-13 for terror, some language, and frightening images.)
An 80-year-old Clarkesville man was injured Thanksgiving Day when his pickup ran off the road and overturned in the Soque River. A Habersham Sheriff’s deputy vehicle responding to the call also overturned.
William Walters was driving a Ford-F-150 on GA-197 North south of Batesville when he failed to negotiate a curve and ran off the road. The truck traveled down an embankment, overturned, and came to rest on its top in the Soque River.
William Walters, 80, of Clarkesville, ran off the road in a curve and down this embankment. His truck landed upside down in the Soque River.
According to the Georgia State Patrol, Walters was able to exit from the rear window. A passing motorist helped him climb the embankment to the shoulder of the road.
A K-9 deputy from the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office who was in the area responded to the scene.
“While attempting to make the area more visible to oncoming traffic, the deputy backed his patrol vehicle on the right shoulder of GA 197 North,” says Trooper First Class Vance Henry of Georgia State Patrol Post 7 in Toccoa. “The soft shoulder and drainage pipe beneath the roadway gave way, causing the vehicle to overturn.”
The deputy’s Ford Explorer landed on its top. Deputy Jason East and his K-9 both escaped uninjured.
The accidents occurred shortly after 8:30 a.m. Thanksgiving Day amid dense, foggy conditions. Habersham EMS transported Walters to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville for treatment of his injuries.
Habersham County election officials conduct a machine recount of the county's Nov. 3 presidential race. Here they are shown on the first day of the recount on Nov. 24, 2020. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
The Habersham County Board of Elections has completed its state-mandated machine recount of the November 3 presidential race. The statewide recount began on Nov. 24 after the Trump campaign requested it.
This marks the second time Georgia’s votes have been recounted. The first time, election workers recounted the ballots by hand as part of a statewide risk-limiting audit.
Election records show there was one vote difference between Habersham’s certified vote total and the official recount: Biden lost one vote and write-in candidate Howie Hawkins picked up one absentee vote. The recounted totals for Habersham County are as follows:
Donald Trump 16,637
Joe Biden 3,562 (-1)
Jo Jorgensen 232
Write-In Candidates
Gloria La Riva 2
Howie Hawkins 3
Brian Caroll 7
The Habersham County Elections Board will re-certify the results of the recount at 4 p.m. Monday, November 30 at the Habersham County Administration Building.
Habersham set a record 72.59% voter turnout during the general election. While Trump won the county by an overwhelming 81%, he lost statewide. The results of this latest recount are not expected to change that outcome.
RosaLee Wheeler Whitworth, age 83, of Mt. Airy, passed away on Wednesday, November 25, 2020.
Born on December 11, 1936, in Demorest, she was a daughter of the late D.C. and Cora Lee Vinson Wheeler. Mrs. Whitworth was a winder operator at Habersham Mills. She was a member of Unity Baptist Church and loved her family dearly.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Howard Ellison Whitworth; daughter, Lisa Whitworth Thomas; brothers: Doug Wheeler, Paul Wheeler, and Junior Wheeler; and sister, Blondine Whitmore Tomlin.
Survivors include her sons and daughter-in-law, Curtis Whitworth of Atlanta and Cliff and Jessica Whitworth of Toccoa; daughter and son-in-law, Trish and Roy Berliner of Flowery Branch; nine grandchildren; eleven great-grandchildren; brothers, Bill “Willie D” Wheeler and wife, Elaine of Demorest and Randy Wheeler of Cowpens, SC; and sisters: Linda Sanders of Mt. Airy, Nellaree Ellison of Clarkesville, Dot Hill and husband, Frank of Mt. Airy, and Andrea Catlett of Mt. Airy.
The family will receive friends from 2-4 pm on Monday, November 30, 2020, at McGahee-Griffin & Stewart Funeral Home.
All attending should maintain social distancing and adhere to public health guidelines regarding COVID-19.
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