From left, White County Chamber President Beth Truelove presents the 2024 Business of the Year Award to Chris and Leigh Ammons of Ammons Grave Restoration. Chamber Board Chair Shanda Ginn and incoming Chair Kelly Wilkins are pictured with them. (Dean Dyer/WRWH.com)
White County Chamber of Commerce members gathered Wednesday, August 21, at Strong Rock Camp and Retreat, north of Cleveland, for the 2024 Annual Meeting. The meeting included reviewing the past year’s work and recognizing some special people serving the community.
The Chamber Business of the Year Award went to Chris and Leigh Ammons of Ammons Grave Restoration (pictured above) for their exceptional investment in the vitality of White County. The Ammons restore and replace historical and grave markers.
(Dean Dyer/WRWH.com)
“This couple began their business to honor those of our loved ones that have passed. Out of care for the living, they started a part-time business that has grown into a more than full-time career for both of them,” said Ginn.
The Entrepreneur of the Year Award is presented to an entrepreneur who has been in business for at least three years and has developed his or her business to meet changing community and consumer demands. This year’s award went to Stephen and Marilyn Martin of Farmhouse Coffee.
The Martins were recognized for having a vision of a place where friends and neighbors could hang out and enjoy a cup of coffee. The Chamber said that, today, their business has grown to add not just one but two locations, and “their dedication to Farmhouse staff is remarkable.”
White County District 1 Commissioner Terry Goodger was awarded the Citizen of the Year Award.
White County Chamber Board Chair Shanda Ginn said Goodger has served his nation as a Marine, his church family in many capacities at Cleveland First Baptist Church, and serves the people of Cleveland on the Cleveland Downtown Development Authority.
“Without his diligent efforts, we would not have the beautiful Freedom Park,” said Ginn.
From left, White County Chamber of Commerce President Beth Truelove, White County District 1 County Commissioner Terry Goodger and wife Barbara Goodger, Chamber Board Chair Shanda Ginn, and incoming Chair Kelly Wilkins. (Dean Dyer/WRWH.com)
The Chamber’s Customer Service Award was presented to Ahmed Amilari of Dunkin’ Donuts.
Ginn said, “He greets every guest with a smile. Long before the sun rises, he is at work because it’s time to make the donuts, and he makes every guest feel special.”
From left, White County Chamber President Beth Truelove, Dunkin’ Donuts of Cleveland, GA. owner Ahmed Amilari and wife Rozina, Chamber Board Chair Shanda Ginn, and incoming Chair Kelly Wilkins. (Dean Dyer/WRWH.com)
This year’s Volunteer of the Year Award went to Dana Berry of Berry Foods IGA. According to Ginn, as a member of the Talent Pipeline Management program of the Chamber, Dana offered innovative ideas to help propel our efforts in ensuring our citizens have economic mobility in their personal lives. By understanding her own employees needs, she was able to share a solution that could help every White County business.
From left, White County Chamber of Commerce President Beth Truelove, Dana Berry of Berry Foods IGA, Chamber Board Chair Shanda Ginn, and incoming Chair Kelly Wilkins. (Dean Dyer/WRWH.com)
At the end of the special event, outgoing Chamber Chair Shanda Ginn passed the chairperson’s gavel to Kelly Wilkins, who will lead the Chamber Board this year.
Ginn recognized the great success of the past year, saying, “The Pearls of Wisdom was our first event, which brought all the women in our community together. I think it was very successful, with 170 women attending our first one. That was my favorite thing this year.”
New President Kelly Wilkins sees a great year ahead for the Chamber with The Workforce Taskforce and the Chamber’s 40th anniversary in September.
Wilkins recognized the hard work behind her team.
“The staff and the board of directors are all tuned into the community, we work really well together and without the employees of the Chamber, we wouldn’t be anywhere. We have to thank Beth, Kayla, Robin, and Carol for all they do because they make it easy for us to deliver the initiatives to the community,” she said.
Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during the Democratic National Convention Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
CHICAGO (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accepted his party’s nomination for vice president Wednesday night, using his Democratic National Convention address to thank the packed arena for “bringing the joy” to an election transformed by the elevation of his running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris.
“We’re all here tonight for one beautiful, simple, reason: We love this country,” Walz said as thousands of delegates hoisted vertical placards reading “Coach Walz” in red, white and blue.
Walz described his upbringing in Nebraska and teaching and coaching football in Minneosta and told the crowd, “Thank you for bringing the joy to this fight.”
“While other states were banning books from their schools, we were banishing hunger from ours,” he said. In a dig at his Republican counterpart, JD Vance, he added, “I had 24 kids in my high school class, and none of them went to Yale.”
Gus Walz cries as his father Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during the Democratic National Convention Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
When Walz talked about the difficulty conceiving his daughter, Hope, she made a heart with her hands and held it over her chest. His son, Gus, wept watching his dad speak and at least once shouted, “That’s my dad!”
“I haven’t given a lot of speeches like this but I’ve given a lot of pep talks,” Walz said.
Democrats gathered at Chicago’s United Center are hoping to build on the momentum Harris has brought since taking over the top of the party’s presidential ticket last month. They want to harness the Democratic exuberance that followed President Joe Biden stepping aside while also making clear to their supporters that they face a fierce battle with former President Donald Trump.
Many Americans had never heard of Walz until Harris made him her running mate. In his first weeks of campaigning, he’s charmed supporters with his background and helped to balance Harris’ coastal background as a cultural representative of Midwestern states whose voters she needs this fall.
Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during the Democratic National Convention Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
But Walz also has faced scrutiny, including questions about embellishing his background. His wife this week clarified that she did not undergo in vitro fertilization, as Walz has repeatedly claimed, but used other fertility treatments. Republicans also have criticized Walz for a 2018 comment he made about carrying weapons in war. Though he served in the National Guard for 24 years, he did not deploy to a war zone.
Benjamin C. Ingman, one of Walz’s old high school students, introduced the man many speakers — and Harris at times — have referred to as “Coach Walz.” At Ingman’s prompting, many of Walz’s former players decked out in their red and white jerseys took the stage to help introduce him.
The Bill and Oprah Show
Walz’s speech followed former President Bill Clinton who returned to a place he knows well, the Democratic National Convention stage, to denounce Donald Trump as selfish and praise Kamala Harris as focused on the needs of Americans — firing up his party with his trademark off-the-cuff flourishes.
Former President Bill Clinton speaks during the Democratic National Convention Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Clinton was meant to add heft to a third DNC night headlined by vice presidential nominee Tim Walz ‘s introduction to a national audience.
“We’ve got a pretty clear choice it seems to me. Kamala Harris, for the people. And the other guy who has proved, even more than the first go-around, that he’s about me, myself and I,” Clinton said.
The nation’s 42nd president and a veteran of his party’s political convention going back decades, Clinton was once declared the “secretary of explaining stuff” by Barack Obama, whose reelection bid in 2012 was bolstered by a Clinton stemwinder at that year’s DNC.
Now 78 — the same age as Trump — Clinton’s delivery was sometimes halting, his movements slower and he mispronounced Harris’ first name twice. His left hand often shook when he wasn’t using it to grip the lectern.
Still, he delivered several memorable, homespun pronouncements including asking. “What does her opponent do with his voice? He mostly talks about himself. So the next time you hear him, don’t count the lies, count the I’s.”
Winfrey, who long hosted her signature talk show from Chicago, picked up on one of Democrats’ favorite themes of late, scoffing at Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance having once derided “childless cat ladies” as he argued that Americans should be having more children.
Oprah Winfrey speaks during the Democratic National Convention Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Winfrey said that if a burning house belonged to a “childless cat lady,” neighbors would still help and “try to get that cat out too.”
“We are beyond ridiculous tweets and lies and foolery,” she said of Trump, before referencing a recent comment he made to supporters about only having to vote once more — for him — and never again.
“You’re looking at a registered independent who’s proud to vote again and again and again, because that’s what Americans do,” she said. “Voting is the best of America.”
A focus on ‘freedoms’
The night’s theme was “a fight for our freedoms,” with the programming focusing on abortion access and other rights that Democrats want to center in their campaign against Trump. Speaker after speaker argued that their party wants to defend freedoms while Republicans want to take them away.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis used a prop that has become a convention staple, an oversized book meant to represent the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, a sweeping set of goals to shrink government and push it to the right, if Trump wins. Polis even ripped a page from the ceremonial volume and said he was going to keep it and show it to undecided voters.
Gwen Walz claps as Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during the Democratic National Convention Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
The former president has distanced himself from Project 2025, but its key authors include his former top advisers. His running mate, JD Vance, wrote the foreword for the Heritage Foundation CEO’s new book.
Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz told the story of a woman in her state, which enacted new abortion restrictions after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, who was forced to carry to term a child with a fatal illness, only to watch the newborn die just hours after birth.
Dana Nessel, Michigan’s attorney general and an openly gay woman, declared, “I got a message for the Republicans and the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court: You can pry this wedding band from my cold, dead, gay hand.”
Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi spoke about the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He chaired a congressional committee that investigated the mob overrunning the Capitol, saying, “They wanted to stop the peaceful transfer of power for the first time in American history.”
“Thank God they failed,” Thompson said.
Trump bashed the convention as a “charade” and noted the fact that he has been a frequent topic of conversation. He also singled out his predecessor, Obama, for a highly critical convention speech Tuesday night, saying Obama had been “nasty.”
A recognition of the Oct. 7 hostages
Jon Polin, left, and Rachel Goldberg, parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, speak on stage during the Democratic National Convention Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Democrats recognized the hostages still being held by Hamas after its Oct. 7 attack on Israel in which 1,200 people were killed. Jon and Rachel Goldberg-Polin brought some in the arena to tears as they paid tribute to their son Hersh, who was abducted in the attack.
Freeing hostages “is not a political issue. It is a humanitarian issue,” Jon Goldberg-Polin said, adding that “in a competition of pain there are no winners.”
The Israel-Hamas war has split the Democratic base, with pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrating outside the United Center and several speakers this week acknowledging civilian deaths in the Israeli offensive in Gaza. More than 40,000 people have died in Gaza, according to local health authorities.
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Associated Press writers Zeke Miller in Chicago, Jill Colvin and Ali Swenson in New York and Chris Megerian in Washington contributed to this report.
A line of voters stretched outside the Clarke County Elections Office on the first day of early voting, October 22, 2022. (Julianne Akers/WUGA)
ATLANTA (AP) — County election officials in Georgia are asking the State Election Board to stop changing the rules ahead of the November election, citing concerns about creating unnecessary confusion for poll workers and voters.
The state board has been considering a slew of rule proposals in recent months and has adopted several of them. At a meeting Monday, state board members adopted a new rule having to do with certification of election results and indicated they planned to consider more rules at a meeting on Sept. 20.
Any rules adopted at the September meeting would take effect 20 days later, after overseas and military ballots have started to go out and just as in-person early voting is about to begin.
The Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Election Officials, known as GAVREO, said in a statement Tuesday that its members are “gravely concerned” that any additional changes will disrupt poll worker preparation and training that is already underway.
“Any last-minute changes to the rules risk undermining the public’s trust in the electoral process and place undue pressure on the individuals responsible for managing the polls and administering the election,” organization president W. Travis Doss Jr. said in the statement. “This could ultimately lead to errors or delays in voting, which is the last thing anyone wants.”
Two members of the five-person State Election Board — the nonpartisan chair and the lone Democrat on the panel — have similarly expressed concerns about enacting new rules so close to the November election. But a trio of Republican members who have won the praise of former President Donald Trump have pushed ahead with adopting new rules.
“We urge the State Election Board to seriously consider the impact of further rule changes and to prioritize the integrity and smooth operation of the upcoming election,” Doss said in the GAVREO statement. “Our poll workers, election administrators and voters deserve clarity and consistency in the rules that will guide this critical process.”
Antonio Agustin faces charges in the disappearance of 12-year-old Maria Gomez-Perez of Gainesville, GA. (Source: Tuscarawas County Sheriff's Office)
A bond hearing was held on Wednesday, August 21, in the case against Antonio Agustin-Ailon, the 34-year-old Guatemalan Nationalist accused in the disappearance of Maria Gomez-Perez. Perez was the subject of a two-month-long search after she vanished from her home on May 29.
Augustin appeared with his attorney at the bond hearing and agreed to be held without bail.
The Tuscarawas County Grand Jury handed down a six-count indictment on August 9 for interference with custody, rape, gross sexual imposition, and pandering sexually-oriented material involving a minor. On Friday, August 16, he pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in Ohio.
His pretrial scheduling conference is set for September 5, at which a trial will be scheduled.
From left to right, Department of Community Health Commissioner Russel Carlson, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Insurance Commissioner John King at a public meeting Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, on the Patients First Act. (Sofi Gratas/GPB News)
Shopping for health insurance will be slightly different come November with the final approval for Georgia Access, a piece of Gov. Kemp’s Patients First Act.
Georgia is moving forward with a state-based health insurance exchange following the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service’s approval.
This means things will look a little different this fall for people looking to buy health insurance coverage during open enrollment. For one, thousands of Georgians will be redirected from Healthcare.gov to GeorgiaAccess.gov come November.
In 2019, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed the Patients First Act in part to move Georgia away from the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace established under the Affordable Care Act.
Mental illness, suicides and drug overdoses lead preventable pregnancy-related deaths
In doing so, it needed approval from the federal government, which it received conditionally last year. Final approval came last week. There are 19 other states with state-based exchanges.
The Patients First Act also paved the way for Georgia’s reinsurance program and for the state to implement Kemp’s Pathways to Coverage program, though soon after that program became embroiled in court battles. Enrollment in Pathways has been ongoing since last summer, years after its intended start date.
Georgia Access also faced its share of resistance from the Biden administration. But Georgia’s move to the state-based exchange marks a major milestone in health care policies championed by Kemp, who campaigned on the issue during his run for governor.
“I’m proud to say that we rejected the top-down, one-size-fits-all approach,” Kemp said during a public meeting with health care leaders Monday.
Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King said that a state-based exchange gives Georgia more options to adapt.
“We no longer rely on the federal government for technology outreach, enrollment assistance, and plan oversight,” King said. “This is a matter of scale.”
On Georgia Access, private sector health care plans will be featured equally alongside subsidized plans. The site will also direct people to insurance navigators and brokers to help shop for insurance. Some of those navigators may be from care management organizations, the idea being to emphasize a variety of coverage options. Executives with Peach State Health Plan, Amerigroup and CareSource were included in the meeting Monday.
King said a state-based exchange also redirects user fees from the site to Georgia, rather than to the federal government.
Georgia saw an almost 50% increase in people enrolling in marketplace plans during the last enrollment period, higher than the national average which had already broken records. It’s expected that enhanced subsidies and Medicaid redeterminations contributed to that growth.
But Georgia leaders also take credit, pointing to a major marketting campaign and saying they’ve been able to double the number of marketplace insurance carriers through upped reimbursement rates and lowered insurance premiums, the cornerstones of Georgia’s own reinsurance program. That means users could see more options in rural Georgia, previously found to have inadequate coverage.
A recent study refuted some of those claims, however, showing that people with incomes between 300 and 400% of the federal poverty level saw premiums go up slightly, resulting in a slight decrease in enrollment.
Meanwhile, Kemp announced a change to how many people his administration expects to cover under the Pathways to Coverage program.
Previously the administration announced around 240,000 people would be eligible for the program. Pathways is open to people up to 100% of the federal poverty level, but requires those enrolled to prove 80 hours of work, volunteer time or education each month in order to receive coverage.
Now, leaders say it’s more like 168,000 people. That’s because more people have private health care coverage, Kemp said, touting job growth in the state.
“We’ve had a tremendous amount that the agency has had to fight through,” Kemp told the press. “We’re just now on the other side of that. So you’re going to see a 100% effort going into Pathways and Access continue.”
The program has come under fire for its slow start, and has been tied in with an unwillingness by Georgia lawmakers to fully expand Medicaid, which would reach people up to 138% of the federal poverty level.
Laura Colbert, director of health care advocay group Georgians for a Healthy Future shared a statement following the Monday meeting.
“The statements and numbers presented at today’s round table discussion paint an incomplete picture of Georgia’s health coverage landscape,” Colbert wrote. “We cheer the meaningful increases in private health insurance enrollment among Georgians, but that does not resolve the larger issue at hand. Hundreds of thousands of Georgians remain uninsured and without meaningful access to health care until Georgia leaders fully close our state’s coverage gap.”
To get more people enrolled in Pathways, the Department of Community Health has launched a new marketing campaign in Atlanta and other parts of the state. Commissioner Russel Carlson said that’s included sending text messages to 160,000 parents with kids on Medicaid who could be eligible for the program, and an effort to reach out to 17,000 recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which also has its own eligibility requirements.
The Georgia governor was quick to point out that Pathways has always been intended as transitional.
“The goal of Georgia Pathways is not, and has never been, to keep hundreds of thousands of Georgians on government-run health care forever,” Kemp said. “Georgia Pathways was meant to be exactly that: a pathway to an education, a job, a career and a better life without government assistance.”
Pathways remains the only Medicaid program with work requirements in the country.
Kemp said that 400,000 people have been moved from Medicaid to private sector insurance through the Medicaid redetermination process, in which state agencies checked the eligibility of all 2.7 million people with Medicaid in the state and either kept them on, removed them from the rolls or redirected them to other insurance coverage.
This article comes to Now Habersham in partnership with GPB News
The Henson Family with house number 78 to call their own. (Brian Young/Habitat for Humanity of Northeast Georgia)
It is house number 78 for Habitat for Humanity of Northeast Georgia. The dedication and ceremony will be on August 25 starting at 2 p.m. on 136 Carriage Lane in Clarkesville, Georgia.
All important details, but, for Jenny and Matt Henson, it is so much more.
The Hensons wanted to be homeowners for a long time but nothing ever seemed to work out for them. “We hit so many roadblocks. We needed more space and we wanted a place for us and our children to call our own,” Jenny and Matt Henson said.
Going through the process
The Hensons were put in contact with Habitat for Humanity of Northeast Georgia and the rest, as they say, is history.
Sweat equity hours are a requirement of Habitat for Humanity. Jenny is in the middle with volunteers. (Brian Young/Habitat for Humanity of Northeast Georgia)
Executive Director for Habitat for Humanity of Northeast Georgia Brian Young talked about the excitement he shares with the Hensons. “We are looking forward to this celebration on Saturday, August 25. As a Partner Family, the Hensons have put so much time (300 sweat hours) into the completion of their new home and we couldn’t be happier for them.”
Jenny and Matt Henson described their favorite part about belonging as a Partner Family. Getting to know everyone who is involved with Northeast Georgia Habitat has been an amazing experience for them.
Sweat equity hours
“Words can’t explain how special and exciting working on your own home is! We learned so many new skills in the process. Working with the other volunteers and others from the community has been such a blessing. These volunteers put heart and soul into what they do,” the Hensons said.
Best wishes, scriptures, and quotes are written on the foundation and 2 x 4s of the home by volunteers. (Brian Young/Habitat for Humanity of Northeast Georgia)
They want to encourage anyone to join and become a part of the Partner Family Program. “It may seem like a lot to process at first but it is worth it all. You will not walk through this journey alone.”
The Hensons plan to continue to be an active member of the Partner Family Program. They would like to become a mentor to other partner families.
Becoming a mentor
“We want to help mentor other families and help in building other homes. Working on our own home, knowing our time and energy were put in combined with working with these amazing volunteers and learning a little about them along the way has been absolutely remarkable!”
Deputy Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, Kevin Bales with Hall County School District Teacher of the Year Rubia Castro. (West Hall High School)
Rubia Castro, a teacher at West Hall High School, was surprised at school on August 19th by Superintendent Will Schofield and Deputy Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, Kevin Bales with exciting news. She was named the 2024-2025 District Teacher of the Year. They were joined by the West Hall High School Administration as well.
Bilingual Mentorship Program
Castro teaches English as a Second Language, IB Spanish, and AP Spanish. She has also served as lead ESOL Teacher, World Scholars Program of Choice Coordinator, Dual Immersion Teacher, Sources of Strength Advisor, and Sponsor of HOPE (Hispanic Organization Promoting Education).
Bales applauded Castro for her innovative Bilingual Mentorship Program which gets students involved in welcoming new students. These students help acclimate English language learners. Bales stated in a press release, “Ms. Castro exemplifies what it means to be a part of an organization that is striving to be the most caring place on Earth.”
Rubia Castro will compete for the honor of Teacher of the Year for the state of Georgia. (West Hall High School)
Principal Dr. Ley Hathcock described Castro as a rare teacher with the “perfect blend of passion, skill, and determination sufficient to envision, build, and manage programs that truly impact the culture of the entire school community.”
Hathcock said that Castro leads with her heart. “She is wonderfully the same person inside and outside of the classroom. The world needs more of that.”
Little changes every day
Castro considers it a great honor to represent Hall County and West Hall High School. She expressed the importance of “living each day, embracing kindness, working for the common good, and practicing compassion and listening with your whole heart.”
Castro emphasized the importance of a quote by Mother Teresa who said, ‘Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love’.
Castro wants to encourage people of the importance “to make that little change every day—in the classroom, at school, in the community, and at home. Be an agent of change. As educators, we have that choice, that privilege, that gift!”
From here, Castro will compete for the honor of Teacher of the Year for the state of Georgia. Since 2019, the Melvin Douglas and Victoria Kay Ivester Foundation has provided a check for $10,000 to every Hall County School District Teacher of the Year.
Raquel Robinson poses with her one-year-old daughter Londyn Crenshaw at their home in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Wednesday, June 12, 2024. After her daughter was born in October 2022, Robinson was diagnosed with postpartum depression. (AP Photo/Phil Long)
A report from an organization that advocates for equity in health care ranks Georgia among the worst states for women’s health.
The Commonwealth Fund’s scorecard ranks states’ performance on maternal and infant mortality rates, access to maternity providers and uninsured rates among pregnant women.
Georgia’s report specifically mentions maternal and infant mortality, poor access to health care and a lack of insurance for people of reproductive age (15 to 44), lead author Sara Collins said.
“Women’s inability to afford needed health care of all kinds is most pronounced in states that haven’t expanded their Medicaid programs,” Collins said. “And we see that pattern play out in Georgia in particular.”
When people don’t have physical and mental health care prior to pregnancy, they lack an established networks of physicians and health care providers.
Georgia is one of 10 states including Texas and Alabama that has not expanded Medicaid.
Georgia has the second-highest rate of uninsured women in the United States after Texas, with about 15% of women in the state who are uninsured.
This is three times the rate of Massachusetts, the top-rated state, Collins said.
Gov. Brian Kemp’s program to expand health care coverage in Georgia is called Pathways to Coverage, and he said it is meant to help more lower-income Georgians receive Medicaid health insurance. But it includes a work requirement.
Georgia is the only state in the nation requiring 80 work hours per month or participation in education, job training, or other approved activities, such as community service.
Qualifying adults are between ages 18 and 64, earn less than 100% of the federal poverty level, and are not otherwise eligible for Medicaid.
For 2022, the federal poverty level was $13,590 for a single person and $27,750 for a family of four.
The fund’s scorecard ranks Georgia 46th overall for women’s health, and notes that, nationwide, mental health conditions are the most frequently reported cause of preventable pregnancy-related death, including deaths by suicide and overdoses related to substance use disorders.
States that screened for postpartum depression at the highest rates also had the lowest rates of postpartum depression, Collins said.
‘Maternal mental health must be taken into consideration’
Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) can affect all women, regardless of ethnicity, age, or socioeconomic status. Often, the term “postpartum depression” is used to generalize these conditions, but mothers can experience more than just depression.
An estimated 30,000 Georgia women experience these illnesses every year, according to the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, and close to 700 Georgians reported postpartum depressive symptoms in 2020, though the number of unreported cases likely makes that number much higher.
Between 2015 and 2020, there were 28 deaths by suicide in Georgia where the person was “pregnant at time of death, within one year of death or not otherwise specified,” according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Overall, Georgia also has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the country.
As of 2010, more than half of mothers of infants participated in the labor force (56%), making these statistics especially significant to employers across the country losing $44 billion a year in lost productivity and $12.4 billion in health care expenses.
“Maternal mental health must be taken into consideration, if not for the human and quality of life cost, for the economic savings,” according to the Mental Health of America’s Georgia chapter.
The fund’s scorecard notes that the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade in June 2022 significantly altered both access to reproductive health care services and how providers are able to treat pregnancy complications in the 21 states that ban or restrict abortion access.
Georgia’s six-week ban on abortion is a factor in the number and quality of maternity health care workers available, Collins said.
“In states with bans we’re seeing a drop off, for example, in medical students who are applying for residencies,” she said. “So, it raises concern about that policy decision, raises concern about Georgia’s ability to maintain an adequate maternal health care workforce, and also raises concerns about being able to attract physicians in all specialty areas.”
This article comes to Now Habersham in partnership with GPB News
The grant was officially awarded during a reception held at Hard Labor State Park in Social Circle, Georgia. Pictured left to right are Grant Administrator Chelsea Turner, White County Public Information Officer Bryce Barrett, White County Animal Control Interim Operations and Training Coordinator Astrid DeWeever, and Companion Animal/Equine Program Manager Jason Smith.
White County Animal Control has received a $1,500 grant to help reduce overpopulation of dogs and cats in the community through spay and neuter procedures.
The Georgia Department of Agriculture’s Dog and Cat Sterilization Program awarded the grant, according to a release from the White County Animal Control Division.
The funds will help offset the costs of spay and neuter services for local government animal shelters, licensed rescues, and veterinary medical foundations. These services help prevent unwanted litters.
“This grant is a significant step forward in our ongoing mission to address pet overpopulation in White County,” said White County Animal Control Division Chief Don Strength. “We are committed to using these funds to provide spay and neuter services that will benefit our community and help ensure a better future for our animals.”
Since 2003, the Dog and Cat Reproductive Sterilization Support Program has funded thousands of sterilization procedures across the state, according to the release.
The Georgia Department of Agriculture manages the program through funds from special dog and cat license plates, tax returns, and direct donations.
Ashley Vick and son Tanner St. Germin (Source: Roswell Police Department)
A 4-year-old Georgia boy who was the subject of a Levi’s Call early Wednesday is back home safe, according to the Roswell Police Department.
Tanner St. Germain and his mother, 32-year-old Ashley Vick, were located shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday, August 21, within hours of the alert being issued.
Suspect Brian Thomas Betenia was taken into custody in Forsyth County. (Source: Roswell Police Department)
Authorities identified Brian Betenia as the suspect and said at the time, the child was believed to be in “extreme danger.”
Betenia was taken into custody by the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office after a brief vehicle pursuit, police say.
“We are deeply grateful to the GBI, Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, our media partners, and the members of the public who immediately called in tips in response to the Levi’s call, all of whom worked together to bring about the quick recovery of everyone involved,” the Roswell Police Department says in a news release.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation issued the statewide Levi’s Call – Georgia’s version of an Amber Alert – after the young boy was reported as abducted.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama greets former First Lady Michelle Obama as he arrives to speak on stage during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on Aug. 20, 2024, in Chicago, Illinois. (DNC livestream image)
CHICAGO (States Newsroom) — As he did in his first speech to a Democratic National Convention 20 years ago, former President Barack Obama emphasized the connections binding Americans together and called for a more positive national atmosphere on the second night of this year’s convention Tuesday, while rallying Democrats to campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris.
At the United Center, in a convention hosted by their hometown, Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, who spoke immediately before the former president, scattered references to the 2008 and 2012 White House races he won as they made the case for Harris.
“America, hope is making a comeback,” Michelle Obama said, referring to the theme of her husband’s 2008 campaign and tying it to Harris.
The energy among the Democrats since Harris became a presidential candidate a month ago could be described as “the contagious power of hope,” she said.
The couple also trained criticism on Republican nominee former President Donald Trump, painting him as an agent of division and calling for voters to reject him in favor of a more inclusive nation.
“Donald Trump wants us to think that this country is hopelessly divided between us and them,” Barack Obama said. “Between the real Americans, who of course support him, and the outsiders who don’t.”
He called for Americans to turn aside that point of view.
Republicans in their response also sought to tie Harris to Obama.
“Democrats want to evoke memories of 2008,” Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley said in a written statement. “But this isn’t Barack Obama’s Democrat Party — Kamala Harris is even more dangerously liberal.”
Michelle Obama’s change in tone
In a marked shift from her convention speeches eight and four years ago, when she encouraged Democrats to take the moral high road in response to Trump’s attacks, Michelle Obama took a much more confrontational tone Tuesday night toward the Republican nominee.
“Who’s gonna tell him the job he is currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?” she said, in reference to a comment Trump had made about immigrants taking “Black jobs.”
Harris would be the second Black president, after Obama.
Earlier, with veiled shots at Trump, the former first lady contrasted him with Harris.
Harris “understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward,” she said. “Who will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth. If we bankrupt a business or choke in a crisis, we don’t get a second, third or fourth chance.”
Some Republicans have called Harris, a Black and South Asian woman, a “DEI hire,” an implication that her race and gender were more important than her career and character qualifications. Trump gained an inheritance from his father, who was also a real estate developer.
Trump oversaw bankrupted businesses before he entered politics. And Democrats have said he bungled the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Barack Obama also leveled attacks on Trump, calling him “a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he came down off his golden escalator” when he announced his 2016 presidential bid.
Trump alternative
Both Obamas said Harris provided a strong alternative to Trump.
Not born into privilege like Trump, she has the empathy he lacks, Barack Obama said.
“In other words, Kamala Harris won’t be focused on her problems,” he said. “She’ll be focused on yours.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, also provided a counterbalance to Trump, Obama said, adding that he loved Walz’s authentic Midwestern persona.
Both Obamas called on Democrats to work hard for Harris’ cause over the 11 weeks until Election Day.
Michelle Obama made “do something” a refrain of her speech.
“You know what we need to do,” the former first lady said. “Michelle Obama is asking you — no I’m telling y’all — to do something. This election is going to be close. In some states, just a handful of votes in every precinct could decide the winner.”
Biden tribute
Barack Obama dedicated the first portion of his roughly half-hour speech to honoring his vice president, President Joe Biden.
Biden guided the country out of the COVID-19 pandemic and led a strong economic recovery while lowering health care costs, Obama said.
And Biden deserved credit for sacrificing his political ambition by bowing out of his reelection race, he said.
“At a time when the other party had turned into a cult of personality, we needed a leader who was steady, and brought people together and was selfless enough to do the rarest thing there is in politics: putting his own ambition aside for the sake of the country,” Obama said. “History will remember Joe Biden as a president who defended democracy at a time of great danger.”
He nodded along as the crowd chanted “Thank you, Joe.”
Appealing to unity
Both Obamas repeated slogans from campaigns that had his name on the ballot and his presidency, seeking to tie his historic election victory to Harris’ campaign.
“On health care, we should all be proud of the progress we made through the Affordable Care Act,” Barack Obama said, referring to the major health care law he championed in his first term. “I noticed, by the way, that since it became popular they don’t call it Obamacare no more.”
Harris “knows we can’t stop there,” he continued, and would work to lower drug costs.
He also called for Americans to focus on common bonds.
“The ties that bind us together are still there,” he said. “We still coach Little League and look out for our elderly neighbors. We still feed the hungry in churches and mosques and synagogues and temples.”
In his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, Obama also invoked Little League to stress national unity.
“The vast majority of us do not want to live in a country this bitter and divided,” he said Tuesday. “We want something better. We want to be better.”
The excitement for the Harris campaign showed that was a popular idea, he added.
To close his speech, he invoked the first president nominated at a Chicago convention, elected in the most bitterly divided period of American history — Abraham Lincoln.
“As much as any policy or program, I believe that’s what we yearn for: A return to an America where we work together and look out for each other, a restoration of what Lincoln called, on the eve of civil war, ‘our bonds of affection,’ when America taps what he called ‘the better angels of our nature,’” he said. “That’s what this election is all about.”
Habersham County school administrators have confirmed that a juvenile brought a loaded handgun to Raider Stadium on Thursday, August 15. The incident occurred during the Habersham County Middle School’s football game against Hart County Middle School.
According to a statement issued by Director of School Safety/Chief of Police Murray Kogod, a school resource officer (SRO) was alerted to a juvenile spectator who appeared to be carrying a handgun. The SRO immediately took control of the juvenile and separated the individual from the rest of those attending the event. The officer secured the loaded weapon and the juvenile without incident.
An investigation into the incident has revealed that there was no intent to harm anyone. At no time was anyone at the event in any danger, Kogod said. However, he did not state what the motive was. Now Habersham is seeking more information to clarify how and why the youth was in possession of the gun.
It was determined that the juvenile is not a student of the Habersham County School System.
Kogod states that the juvenile was detained by the Department of Juvenile Justice.
Habersham County School Superintendent Matthew Cooper confirmed that the juvenile was not a Habersham County student. “The juvenile involved is not enrolled in our school system.”
Cooper adds, “I am thankful that we had an SRO on duty at the game that evening. I am also thankful for the way the situation was handled by law enforcement and that the investigation revealed there was no intent to harm anyone at the event.”
Now Habersham will update this story as new information becomes available.
