The Baldwin City Council will discuss HB 581 and HB 52 during its work session on Tuesday, April 8. (Jerry Neace/NowHabersham.com)
The Baldwin City Council will be discussing two homestead exemption bills during its work session on Tuesday, April 8.
The first bill that will be discussed by the council is HB 581. The bill is the property tax relief and reform law that was passed last year. This was the bill that local governments had to make a decision to opt-out of and hold three public hearings for public input.
The city did not opt-out and passed a resolution to remain in the law providing tax relief for property owners that have the homestead exemption on their residential property.
The second bill the council will discuss is House Bill 52. This bill proposes changes to the law regarding homestead exemptions for the surviving unmarried spouses and minor children of disabled veterans. It aims to allow these individuals to receive a homestead exemption on any future home they own, not just their current home.
The bill also seeks to clarify existing language in the law and ensure it complies with constitutional rules. Additionally, it includes provisions for a public vote (referendum) on the changes and sets effective dates for when the changes would apply.
The Baldwin City Council will meet Tuesday, April 8, at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Police Department Training Facility located directly behind the Baldwin Police Department at 155 Willingham Avenue in Baldwin.
Part of White Sulphur Road in Hall County will be closed next week so crews can complete the connection of a new road.
Beginning at 7 a.m. on Monday, April 7, White Sulphur Road will close in the area of the new Cagle Road connection (near Kubota Manufacturing). The road will remain closed through Friday, April 11, at 5 p.m.
Local traffic will still be able to access the road, but through traffic will be detoured onto Ramsey Road and Cornelia Highway.
Signage is already in place to notify drivers of the upcoming closure, and additional signs will be installed to assist with navigating the detour.
The project’s completion date is subject to change due to weather or other unexpected factors.
The city of Demorest has lifted the boil water advisory it issued on April 2 for customers in the downtown residential district.
The advisory was issued as a precaution after crews repaired a leaky water valve at the intersection of Holly and Pine Streets.
Demorest public works crews repaired this water valve leak at Holly Street and Pine on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (Jerry Neace/NowHabersham.com)
City water customers in the following areas may now resume normal water usage: Holly Street, Cedar Avenue, Blue Ridge Avenue, Indiana Blvd, Porter Street, and Tennessee Street.
The past several days of heavy rains engorged streams and rivers across Arkansas. This National Weather Service map forecasts flood stage at various points along major rivers. (Source: National Weather Service Little Rock)
JONESBORO (Arkansas Advocate) — Willadean Hergott of Jonesboro clutched a stuffed toy monkey while sitting in the Craighead County safe room in Jonesboro Friday evening and waited for the next round of storms.
“I don’t like tornadoes. I don’t like seeing what happened in Lake City,” she said, referring to a twister that smashed the western edge of the Craighead County town Wednesday evening with winds of 150 mph.
“You never know anymore where one will come up,” she said.
Hergott sat in a chair inside the shelter, which has a capacity for 600 people. She said she had the monkey for her grandchildren who would show up shortly.
At 5 p.m. Friday, there were already 60 people inside the shelter, which can withstand 250 mph winds. Storms did not reach Jonesboro until around 9 p.m. Friday. Large television screens inside the shelter showed live weather coverage from the local ABC television affiliate.
On Wednesday, more than 800 packed into the shelter. Deputies had to turn back another 200 people because it was overcrowded.
Rachael Townsend also went to the shelter Friday, hours before the inclement weather hit.
She moved to Jonesboro about a week before a tornado hit the town on March 28, 2020, and is still shaken by the memory.
“I have PTSD,” Townsend said. “I have really bad storm anxiety. I can’t sleep at night anymore because of these storms.”
Townsend stayed in a friend’s storm shelter when the Lake City tornado struck. Lake City is about 15 miles east of Jonesboro. This time, she said, she sought safety early.
Storm anxieties have ramped up since early March when the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, forecast an extremely high potential for tornadoes in Arkansas on March 14. Twisters hit Cave City, Cushman and Diaz that evening, validating people’s fears. Three died in Cushman and 32 were injured in those storms, the Arkansas Public Safety Department reported.
Then, the March 28 tornado hit Bay, Lake City and Monette, injuring four people and damaging 25 structures. Another storm hammered Cross County Friday evening, and on Saturday, the National Weather Service issued tornado warnings for Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Mississippi, Poinsett and St. Francis counties.
Torrential rains hindered cleanup efforts in the tornado-ravaged areas Saturday, but it also created record level river-flooding, adding to the mounting fears.
The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management reported Sunday that there have been 13 injuries and one fatality related to Friday’s and Saturday’s storms. The fatality was a 5-year-old child at a home in Pulaski County.
Some parts of central and northeast Arkansas received between 10 and 15 inches of rain in the five days preceding April 6, 2025, according to this map from the National Weather Service.(Source: National Weather Service Little Rock)
In Hardy, the Spring River rose to 23.5 feet by late Saturday afternoon. Flood stage there is 10 feet. Water covered a riverside park and lapped against railroad tracks that cut through the town.
“It’s the worst I’ve ever seen,” Hardy Fire Chief Joshua Moore said of the flooding. ‘”We had advanced warning this was coming since Tuesday, and we warned people that they needed to evacuate.”
Emergency officials did rescue two people trapped by high waters Saturday morning, he said. Rapids also washed out a train trestle in Mammoth Springs, he said.
“This has been a lot,” he said. “Four weeks ago, we had wildfires. Then we had the tornadoes on March 14, more wildfires and now flooding.
“As best as I can tell, people here are staying home and out of all the weather,” Moore added. “My guys are tired, but we’re not quitting.”
The White River in Newport, where the flood stage is 26 feet, is expected to crest at 33 feet Tuesday. The record stage there is 35.9 feet.
The Buffalo River in St. Joe is forecast to crest at 48 feet Sunday. Flood stage is 27 feet.
President Donald Trump issued a federal disaster declaration for much of Arkansas Saturday, releasing funds for cleanup and rebuilding. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders made the request in a 12-page letter earlier in the week, saying damage from the storms exceeded $11.6 million and estimated debris removal costs $3.7 million.
Sanders also released $250,000 from the state’s emergency fund for cleanup efforts.
In addition to the rains Saturday, the National Weather Service issued several tornado warnings in Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Mississippi, Poinsett and St. Francis counties. For the fourth time since the safe room first opened in the new Craighead County Courthouse Annex building in early March, people crowded into the shelter.
“There’s always a lot of hype with storms,” Craighead County Office of Emergency Management Director Anthony Coy said. “People post pictures all over Facebook and social media. There is massive community storm anxiety.”
He said storm chasers flood YouTube with videos of storms and the seeming constant live reports on local television add to the fear.
On Friday, scores of chasers swarmed into Arkansas in expectation of severe weather, increasing the already heightened fears of Arkansans. One storm chaser, while live streaming his trip on YouTube, called out, “Here, ’nado, ’nado, ’nado,” as he drove through Newport.
“Fears and anxieties can be caused by a lot of variables,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Jeff Hood in North Little Rock. “Everybody reacts to trauma differently. They see the media pictures of all the damage from tornadoes every day lately. The media conveys how dangerous it is.”
He said it’s rare that meteorologists deal with the constant weather events like they’ve had this time.
“We were talking about that,” Hood said. “It’s been 10 or 20 years since we’ve had something like this. It’s not typical that we have something day after day after day.
“It’s unfortunate that we’re seeing all these ingredients line up like they’re doing,” he said. “Arkansas is in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Advocate Editor Sonny Albarado contributed to this story.
Easter has always been a joyous occasion for my family, filled with cherished memories. As a young girl, I eagerly anticipated our trips to Nashville with Mom to buy my Easter dress and shoes. While Mama’s hand-stitched dresses were always a delight, Easter meant a special store-bought one.
There was a children’s store on the outskirts of town that had the prettiest dresses a young girl could imagine. Hats with lace trim, white gloves, ribbons, and petticoats filled every corner as little girls and their mothers oohed and aahed.
On Easter Sunday, church pews were filled to the brim with women donning wide-brimmed hats and men dodging them when their lady turned their heads. Excited children snickered and squirmed, babies cried, and the choir sang louder than usual.
After the Sunday services, our family traveled to meet the cousins for our annual egg hunt at our grandparents’ home, an hour away. There were seven of us who were close in age and competitive. Nancy and I were the only girls, so we needed to be diligent. Those crazy boys would cheat and do all sorts of stunts to find the egg worth one crisp dollar bill.
Granddaddy always hid the golden egg, while our grandmother helped us by yelling, “You’re getting hot!” and when we took a step, “Nope, you just cooled off!” She had more fun than anyone by often giving crazy directions that turned us in circles.
This old verse comes to mind: “When I was a child, I spoke as a child and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I became an adult, my thoughts grew far beyond my childhood, and now I have put away the childish things.” Corinthians: 13:11
Well, kind of. I still love to hunt eggs, buy a new dress, and diligently try to defeat the boys who cheat. However, as the years and the Easter Sundays fade into memories, I know where gold is hidden.
The happy moments of our childhood are like a warm blanket woven within us. My cousins and I were truly blessed to be surrounded by such love from our family.
There isn’t one of us who hasn’t endured hard times, broken hearts, and illnesses, but we learned early that locating the golden egg wasn’t the prize; finding Christ was. As much as our parents and grandparents loved us, the Lord loved us more.
At a recent church service, many 13-year-olds were confirmed. Several spoke to the congregation about how much Jesus meant to them. As I listened, I realized nearly everyone said, “Christ is my best friend.”
No matter our age or who we meet, we will never know a friend, companion, or father like Christ. He doesn’t care about the dress or suit we wear or the money or games we win, but He treasures the day we seek and find Him.
I remember a very lonely time in my life. A relationship had ended, my father and brother had passed away, and my children were grown. I felt completely alone. It was dark in my living room as I sat on the sofa, resting my head on a pillow and crying like a baby. In the midst of my sorrow and despair, I thought I felt someone sitting next to me on the cushion.
Startled, I sat up to find no one there. However, a wave of comfort washed over me, and I distinctly heard a voice say, “Lynn, you are never alone, even in your loneliest moments.”
Jesus reminded me that even if we can’t feel His touch, He is still holding our hands.
My friend still sits on my sofa when lonely days drift in and out of the years. He listens without judgment, calms my worries, and always hands me a lesson in faith and hope.
I can’t begin to count the times the Lord reminded me of a story or nagged me until I wrote it. And the many times my sins made Him cry, yet He forgave me even when I couldn’t forgive myself.
Because He lived through death, I have no fear of dying. I hate hate, love love, and know without Christ coming into this world and giving His life for us, I would know very little and be very small. I would probably still be looking for the dollar bill to make me wealthy instead of the golden riches I found in the risen Lord.
Pastory Ryan Ginn of Purpose Church speaks during the Faith & Futures fundraising breakfast at the Tim Lee Boys & Girls Club in Mt. Airy on March 27, 2025.
MT. AIRY, GA – The Boys & Girls Clubs of Lanier (BGCL) held its Faith & Futures community partnership breakfast on March 27 at the Tim Lee Boys & Girls Club in Mt. Airy. The event brought together local church and community leaders to support the organization’s mission of serving Habersham County youth.
During the event, BGCL Advisory Chairman Wade Rhodes highlighted the club’s impact, stating that it served 544 youth across six locations in 2024. The organization provides a safe and supportive environment where students can thrive physically, emotionally, and mentally.
One of the key programs discussed was Faith for Futures, a collaborative effort between BGCL and the community that focuses on character development and leadership through faith-based activities.
“Each child that enters one of our Clubs enters through a door of opportunity that assures success and exposes them to unique and creative strategies to embrace a brighter future,” said BGCL’s Chief Executive Officer, Steve Mickens. “This movement is a movement of saving lives, and it is our responsibility to ensure youth have the tools and resources they need to reach their full potential.”
The event featured Pastor Ryan Ginn of Purpose Church leading the occasion and prayer, and a southern-style breakfast donated by Food Factory. BGCL’s Co-Directors of Development, Kendall Sims and Brittany White, concluded the event by sharing a call-to-action for the community to get involved and help BGCL make an even greater impact on Habersham’s youth.
A Minecraft Movie follows in the footsteps of Barbie and The Lego Movie as a popular IP that will undoubtedly entertain the multitudes who are familiar with the material. It has an impressive visual style that is also faithful to its video game counterpart, combined with performances that match its jolly energy level.
However, the movie fails to craft a story worthy of its visuals. Instead, it borrows heavily from other franchises and cliches to compensate for its lack of narrative focus.
Jack Black stars as Steve. When we first meet him, he’s a little kid who stumbles upon a mine thanks to a couple of little devices known as the Orb of Dominance and the Earth Crystal. By doing so, he enters a land called the Overworld.
Steve is able to build his own city out of blocks, but he also discovers another world called the Nether, which is inhabited by pig-like creatures. Their ruler is Malgosha, who forbids creativity due to her painful past and is bent on destroying the Overworld.
Jason Momoa costars as Garrett “The Garbage Man” Garrison, a video game champion in the 1980s who is now facing financial troubles. He lives in a small town in Idaho and enters an auction to win stuff that unknowingly belongs to Steve. He comes across the Orb and Crystal.
Emma Myers and Sebastian Hansen play a brother and sisters who move to an Idaho town after their mother’s death. There, they meet Dawn (Danielle Brooks), a real estate agent with a petting zoo. (Apparently, the real estate game is not what it is cracked up to be in this world.)
The four of them, through a series of contrivances, stumble upon the magical devices that lead them to the Overworld, and when they do, this is where the movie’s energy kicks into high gear. Its target audience will marvel at the colorful spectacle and will not be disappointed.
I wasn’t expecting a whole lot from A Minecraft Movie, for better or worse. Where it lost me was focusing too much time on the rules of its world and not enough time blending it into a cohesive story with real stakes.
Black and Momoa play their roles with enough camp factor to be a distraction and they are very likable as characters. They’re the perfect foils to the more low-key cast members; in that case, the casting is done well.
The movie dazzles with eye-popping special effects, but leans too heavily on fan service. Visually impressive, it ultimately lacks the depth to match its stunning appearance.
A Minecraft Movie will entertain and will undoubtedly spawn a franchise if successful, but it needs more than just special effects at its core.
Grade: B-
(Rated PG for for violence/action, language, suggestive/rude humor and some scary images.)
Monkey Doodle Acres is located at 6539 Ransom Free Road, Clermont, Georgia. (Monkey Doodle Acres)
In a conversation with Lori Cash, owner of Monkey Doodle Acres, she shared a slightly suspenseful moment from home. Late one night, she couldn’t find her youngest daughter. She searched every corner of the house, from the attic to the parlor, calling her name with growing concern.
Eventually, she spotted her: curled up on the front porch, nestled in an overstuffed chair,
breathing in the fresh air of a gentle spring night. A reminder that sometimes, the quietest corners hold the coziest stories. And the story of Monkey Doodle Acres radiates coziness.
Nestled in the rolling hills of North Hall, this modest sanctuary may span only a handful of acres, but it pulses with life. Across the pastures, animals graze and gallivant in a kind of pastoral ballet—roosters grandstand, a bull nudges for kisses, and a donkey named Anna gently tucks her head beneath your hand, asking—politely—for a pat. In the distance, Daniel and Deborah—the resident alpacas—watch with quiet calculation, appraising the scene before stepping forward in cautious hope of treats and adoration.
At the center of it all stands the farmhouse welcoming visitors with its warm, open arms like a kindly grandmother. Just beyond the house rests a 100-year-old barn—weathered by time, yet steadfast in its quiet purpose, still sheltering and serving those four-legged creatures that live within. As I bend down to pet a baby goat, I am persuaded that Monkey Doodle Acres doesn’t just exist—it nourishes.
Sourdough Helped Her Grow
Lori Cash, a mother of four and the quiet force behind the farm, never set out to be a farmer. She had no generational claim to land or legacy. What she did have was a loaf of sourdough.
“I started selling through Friends of Clermont,” she says, the kind of local group name that sounds like a gospel trio or a quilting circle. “That’s how I met people. It grew from there.”
What grew wasn’t just bread dough—it was a modest patch of land into something beautiful, useful, and distinctly 21st-century Southern. Monkey Doodle Acres now operates as an agrotourism grotto, offering guided farm tours, farm-to-table brunches, and gentle experiences that feel worlds away from both industrial agriculture and curated, performative country life.
The Name of the Farm
The name Monkey Doodle is not a brand, exactly. It’s a memory: a mash-up of childhood nicknames—Monkey Pants and Doodle Bug—given to Lori and Patrick Cash’s children. The moniker carries the informality of a family joke, but like everything here, it was chosen with care.
Care is the governing principle of Monkey Doodle Acres. It’s visible in the way the goats are named—Mary and June, as if they just left the church potluck. I can picture Lori scolding them mid-lesson while homeschooling at the kitchen table (“Mary! No! We do not eat the window screen!”). And it’s certainly there in the way Deborah, the farm’s bossiest alpaca, is tolerated with the weary affection normally reserved for an eccentric aunt.
Children and the Everyday
The Cash children—Norah and Eliza—are homeschooled on the farm. Their curriculum includes mathematics, literature, goat discipline, zipline testing, and alpaca affection. There is no divide here between education and life. One minute, the girls are diagramming sentences; the next, they’re separating feuding roosters or diagnosing a feverish goat.
When I asked if the girls missed Alpharetta and city amenities, Norah announces that she loves farm life. Eliza says, with theatrical emphasis, “I’m all about this life.” I believe them.
Monkey Doodle is not a petting zoo and it’s not a production farm. It’s something softer: a relationship with animals and the land. The alpacas arrived in October 2023. The cows came later—Noah was born during Hurricane Helene, a detail Lori shares casually but that feels weighted with symbolism. Storm-born, tenacious, and a little wild—he fits right in.
“You’re very strong. Please don’t do this,” Lori says to the misbehaving Highlander—in a voice overflowing with affection, as he tries to force her attention.
The roosters, like characters lifted from an imitation of Chaucer’s “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale,” argue, preen, and posture—loudly and endlessly, with no resolution in sight. Meanwhile, Deborah the alpaca remains reliably saucy.
Opportunities for Intimacy and Family Reunion
Trails wind organically through the property—not manicured for Instagram, but beautiful in the quiet, unassuming way that only lived-in land can be. Guests wander beneath canopies of trees to shaded picnic spots, where tablecloths and charcuterie boards await, already paired with glasses of sweet tea. Farm brunches are served with effortless charm, each detail thoughtful and inviting. Nearby, photography sessions unfold against the weathered barn, its wooden frame leaning ever so slightly—heavy with a century of stories, still standing, still telling.
The Cashes have begun to host events—bridal showers, baby showers, and intimate family reunions. Nothing flashy. The elegance comes from restraint. Lori, who learned everything about domestic husbandry and animal health from observation, research, and necessity, has no interest in flashy glamour. “We felt blessed, and we wanted to bless others,” she says. That’s not a mission statement. It’s just a fact.
Farming, Without the Pretension
If Willa Cather had imagined agritourism, it might have looked like this: a deeply human, pleasingly messy, non-commodified version of farm life. This isn’t some rebranded influencer retreat with denim overalls and curated baskets of eggs. Monkey Doodle Acres is an actual working home that happens to open its gates.
The family is currently working with the local planning commission and navigating the sort of conditional use red tape that only modern zoning departments can conjure. “It’s owned agriculture,” Lori says, as if repeating the magic words might make the barn build itself. They’re not frustrated—just patient. Farm life demands patience. It also demands humor, a good pair of boots, and the ability to redirect both toddlers and livestock with the same sentence.
Monkey Doodle Acres is part of a much larger movement sweeping the American South and beyond. Agrotourism—where farms offer recreational and educational experiences to the public—has become a booming industry. According to the USDA, agritourism revenue tripled between 2002 and 2017, reaching nearly $950 million in 2017, and has continued to climb.
A recent study predicts the global market will hit $141 billion by 2030. In Georgia alone, farms offering agrotourism earned over $31 million in 2022—accounting for nearly 9% of all farm-related income.
The average Georgia farmer who opened their land to guests brought in nearly $42,000 from those efforts (UGA Extension). For farmers like Lori and Patrick, it’s not just about income—it’s about integration. Their farm doesn’t pretend to be a product. It’s an extension of their family life. The food served at brunch? Wholesome and filling. The picnic tables? Set up with the same hospitality they’d offer friends. The experience, in other words, is not curated—it’s offered.
Conclusion
There is something quietly revolutionary about Monkey Doodle Acres, not in its scale or branding, but in its values. It represents a rejection of speed, spectacle, and digital fatigue. Guests come here to slow down. They leave with sun on their shoulders and goat hair on their pants. Lori and Patrick aren’t reinventing agriculture, and they’re not chasing trends.
They’re simply opening the gates to their lives and letting others experience what it’s like when beauty grows alongside responsibility. It’s not a tourist attraction. It’s a family. It’s a farm. And sometimes, it’s a little chaotic. But it’s always intentional.
Which is to say: it’s Monkey Doodle.
Carly McCurry is the publisher of The Cute North Georgian magazine. Her work appears on NowHabersham.com in partnership with Now Network News.
ATLANTA (AP) — Here’s how a Georgia legislative session is supposed to end:
After a last-minute rush of negotiations, lawmakers jam through final agreements on a few more bills as the clock ticks past midnight.
Legislative staffers crowd into chambers as leaders thank employees against a soundtrack of paper being ripped into pieces.
Finally, the presiding officer recognizes the climactic motion to adjourn “sine die,” a Latin phrase that means to leave without a day to return.
Then everyone tosses shredded paper into the air and cheers.
Friday, though, Georgia’s state Senate just left.
The motion to adjourn by Republican Senate Majority Leader Steve Gooch of Dahlonega came shortly after 9 p.m. with none of the usual buildup. There was no thanks to the staff. Senators hadn’t even torn up much paper.
Maybe next year
Georgia lawmakers can pick up bills in 2026 where they left off Friday, the second year of a two-year session, but they left plenty on the table.
The sudden departure came after it became increasingly clear some Senate measures were languishing in the House and that Senate leaders had lost their appetite to bargain. It was possible to leave early because lawmakers had already agreed on a budget and other highest-priority legislation including tax cuts, a school safety bill, new limits on lawsuits and banning transgender girls and women from participating in women’s sports.
The collision was reminiscent of the 2023 legislative session, the first year Burns and Jones led their chambers. Many big issues didn’t pass after the chambers got into a standoff over the budget and licensing rules for hospitals. Then, it appeared Jones was trying to force his will on the House, a reversal of the traditional dynamic in Georgia, where the House has often had its way.
As senators cheered their departure Friday, veteran state Rep. Alan Powell was at the microphone in the House proposing changes to a hotly debated bill to regulate automated speed detection cameras in school zones.
Suddenly, there was no reason for the Hartwell Republican to continue, as there were no senators left to agree to amendments.
Republican House Speaker Jon Burns of Newington and his staff exchanged bewildered glances as House lawmakers murmured.
“It appears that the Senate has checked all their priorities, all their political priorities, and decided to end their night early instead of finishing their work on behalf of the people we represent,” Burns told the House. “Of course, they’re free to do as they please, but this chamber puts policy over politics.”
Many longtime lawmakers were baffled. House Rules Committee Chairman Butch Parrish, a Swainsboro Republican who has served since the 1980s, said senators “broke new ground.”
Representatives approved a few more bills that didn’t need further Senate action, and then also went home early.
Conflict may not cause lasting damage
Jones downplayed any conflict.
“What do you mean what happened?” Jones said afterward. “We ended session.”
Jones said senators had achieved their goals and he had been bucking for an early adjournment all day.
“We got a lot of things done,” he said. “And so there was no need to stay here until midnight.”
Some minority Democrats were ecstatic because bills they opposed didn’t become law. “Victory!” shouted Atlanta Democrat Shea Roberts as she left the Capitol.
“The reality is that a lot of this session was spent on political messaging bills and on politics instead of focusing on Georgian families,” said state Sen. Jason Esteves, an Atlanta Democrat considering a run for governor in 2026.
Both Jones and Burns said there are no hard feelings over how things ended Friday, although Burns said he would have liked to clinch an agreement on school zone speed cameras.
House Majority Whip James Burchett, a Waycross Republican, said that while House members may have held off on passing Senate proposals to “fully vet” them, the chambers have no choice but to work together.
“The Senate needs the House and the House needs the Senate,” Burchett said. “It would do no good if anyone were to hold some sort of grudge for this.”
ATLANTA (Georgia Recorder) — A proposed last-minute attempt to limit the public’s access to police reports and communications with state lawmakers was abandoned Friday as quickly as it emerged.
The proposed changes to the state’s open records law had popped up unexpectedly Wednesday in the gatekeeping House Rules Committee, bypassing the usual legislative committee process.
Rep. Rob Leverett, an Elberton Republican, said he had seen the proposed changes as just “extensions of existing law and were not really reflecting any new policy.”
But the proposal, Senate Bill 12, was immediately met with opposition from First Amendment advocates who warned the changes would weaken transparency laws.
Under the proposal, police departments would be able to shield almost all information about officers’ stops, arrests, and incident responses. And it would have created broad new exemptions to prevent public disclosure of the General Assembly’s activities, including communication with other parts of state government.
The change narrowing what police records are available for public inspection appeared to be in response to a lawsuit filed by the Appen Media Group against Sandy Springs that accused the city of withholding public police reports. The state Court of Appeals had recently ruled in Appen’s favor.
Gov. Brian Kemp also seemed cool to the proposal Friday.
“I haven’t seen what the Legislature has done other than just reading a blip in the paper about it,” Kemp told reporters. “But we’ll look at the legislation today. We’ll see what ends up passing or not passing. But I think the General Assembly knows that I’m a pretty transparent person, as you can see being out here answering your questions today.”
The House ultimately retreated from the changes Friday and passed a version that was more in line with the original proposal – to the relief of the bill’s sponsor, Danielsville Republican Sen. Frank Ginn.
“You don’t want to get into an argument with people that buy ink by the train car load,” Ginn said, referring to concerns from newspapers and others.
Ginn said he was trying to pass a “pro-business bill.” His proposal came in response to a Georgia Supreme Court ruling last year that unanimously found that a private contractor working for a public entity is still subject to the law and can be sent requests for public records they may possess.
Senate Bill 12 said that requests for those public records should go through the local governmental agencies that contracted with those third parties. This version is what now sits on the governor’s desk.
Georgia Recorder freelancer Maya Homan contributed to this report.
Jerry Anthony Blackburn, 72, of Highway 72 East, Carlton, GA, husband of 53 years to Sheila Jean Autry Blackburn, passed away on Friday, April 4, 2025, at his residence.
Mr. Blackburn was born in Demorest, GA, on September 12, 1952, a son of Pearl Goss Blackburn and the late Raymond Vance Blackburn. Jerry was a member of New Hope Worship Center and served his country faithfully in the U.S. Marine Corps.
He was a graduate of South Habersham High School, received a bachelor’s degree from Holmes Bible College, and studied Spanish for one year. Jerry worked as an over-the-road truck driver. He was a missionary having served in Texas, Mexico, and Honduras. In his free time, he enjoyed woodworking and working on lawnmowers.
In addition to his wife of the residence and mother of Alto, GA, he is survived by sons: Anthony Jason Blackburn of Carlton, GA, and Shannon Matthew Blackburn of Crestview, FL; siblings: David Blackburn of Alto, GA, Tim Blackburn of Alto, GA, and Libby Gragg of Cornelia, GA; grandchildren: Taylor, CJ, Emilee, Dustin, Brent, Zack, and Madison; one great-grandchild; and numerous nieces, nephews, and other relatives.
The family will receive friends on Sunday, April 6, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at Berry Funeral Home in Elberton, GA.
Graveside services will follow at 4:30p.m. at Forest Hills Memorial Park in Elberton, GA.
Officiating will be the Revs. Herman Nation and Scott Ledbetter, and pallbearers will include Jason Blackburn, Shannon Blackburn, Jerry Autry, Tim Blackburn, Dustin Weaver, Brent Weaver, and Shane Purcell.
Flowers are accepted and contributions may be made in his memory to the charity of one’s choice.
Those wishing may sign the online guestbook at berryfh.com.
Berry Funeral Home & Crematory of Elberton, GA is respectfully in charge of arrangements for Mr. Jerry Anthony Blackburn.
View of Big Ridge Fire area looking north toward Rabun Bald on April 4, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Schardt)
Two weeks after the Big Ridge Fire broke out in Rabun County, the Forest Service is slowly winding down its firefighting operations. The wildfire, which ignited on March 22 in the Sarah’s Creek area northeast of Clayton, consumed 3,434 acres and remains nearly 90% contained. The Forest Service said that it did not expect any additional spread Saturday.
Wildland firefighters are using an infrared drone to locate hotspots in large logs and stump holes. A multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional team of 199 personnel is working to extinguish these hotspots. They’re also working to repair damage and minimize potential soil erosion in the fire area.
On Saturday, the Type 3 team assumed command of the Big Ridge Fire from the Southern Area Gold Complex Incident Management Team.
“I want to thank our local communities of Sky Valley and Clayton for your support and putting your trust in us during the Big Ridge Fire,” says Towdy Tipton, District Ranger for the Chattooga River Ranger District. “I want to thank the Gold Team for your professionalism and willingness to help us with these suppression efforts. And finally, the firefighters who came from many places to literally put their lives on the line for our community’s safety, thank you for your bravery and for being who you are.”
The U.S. Forest Service Law Enforcement and Investigations team is working to find out what caused the fire. They’re asking anyone with information to please come forward.
If you were in the area of Sarah’s Creek or the Warwoman Wildlife Management Area on March 22 and saw anything suspicious, let them know. To report suspicious activity, call the Georgia Forestry Commission Arson Hotline at 1-800-428-7337.
“Each child that enters one of our Clubs enters through a door of opportunity that assures success and exposes them to unique and creative strategies to embrace a brighter future,” said BGCL’s Chief Executive Officer, Steve Mickens. “This movement is a movement of saving lives, and it is our responsibility to ensure youth have the tools and resources they need to reach their full potential.”
Jerry Anthony Blackburn, 72, of Highway 72 East, Carlton, GA, husband of 53 years to Sheila Jean Autry Blackburn, passed away on Friday, April 4, 2025, at his residence.