Rabun County Sheriff's Office held a multi-jurisdictional meeting on Wednesday, April 11, 2024, following a string of auto thefts in the region. (Jerry Neace/NowHabersham.com)
Authorities in Northeast Georgia have charged two juvenile suspects with several car break-ins and vehicle thefts in the region. The two male suspects, ages 14 and 16, were identified by leads developed during a multijurisdictional meeting organized by the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office, according to investigator Kevin Angell.
The charges stem from an incident that happened in early April in the Warwoman community and across the state line in South Carolina. The suspects are also believed to have stolen a Toyota Tacoma in Toccoa that was found abandoned in the Warwoman community on the same day and in close proximity to the two vehicles stolen from that area.
Authorities say the initial evidence in the case was scarce, but security cameras and FLOCK camera systems helped investigators narrow the timeline and identify the suspects.
After local investigators met, Investigator Angell says Toccoa police interviewed the suspects. They charged them with theft by taking for allegedly stealing the Tacoma.
In addition to the Toccoa charges, the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO) charged the teens with theft by taking and one count of entering an auto.
RCSO investigators forwarded juvenile delinquency complaints to prosecutors. The suspects’ names are not being released at this time as more charges are pending with other agencies, Angell says.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Rabun County Sheriff’s Office at 706-782-3612.
Mrs. Sarah Pollard Hawks, 85, passed away on April 26, 2024, in Gainesville, GA. Born March 24th, 1939, in Galax, VA, she was the youngest daughter of the late Rom Woodrow and Sarah Pollard Hawks.
“Sally,” as she was lovingly known, grew up in Galax and went on to study Art History at Stratford College in Danville, VA. She married Raymond Thomas Hawks on September 26, 1961, in a formal military wedding in Verdon, France, where they lived for several years.
She and “Tommy” eventually settled in Clarkesville, GA, where they raised their two sons.
Sally was very active in her community and the Clarkesville United Methodist Church. She always loved the arts and spent years creating beautiful ceramics, paintings and stained glass. She devoted over 20 years of her life in Clarkesville supporting education through her work for the Habersham County Public School system.
Sally spent the last 14 years of her life in Hoschton, GA, where she continued a very active social life and bonded with her friends and neighbors, often through gardening. As described by a life-long friend, Sally was a true artist and often said “the flowers in the yard were like the colors in the palette of creating a beautiful painting.”
When Sally wasn’t with family or gardening, you could find her in a bocce ball tournament where despite her vision challenges, she was a “champion” competitor.
Her love of travel took her on adventures to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and beyond. She also enjoyed touring Napa while visiting her son Scott in San Francisco.
Sally will be lovingly remembered by her two sons, Timothy Woodrow Hawks (Misty) of Toccoa, GA, and Raymond Scott Hawks of San Francisco, CA, and her sister, Libba Hawks Beamer. She loved being “Gaga” to her grandchildren, Brittnye Hawks Sosebee (Matt) and Mason, Cooper, and Catlin Long. She will also be greatly missed by her great-grandchildren Camden, Cole, and Case Sosebee.
She was predeceased by her nephew Stephen Monday Beamer (Adrienne) and will be greatly missed by her nieces and nephews, Sally Beamer Silverman (Mel), Richard Arlen Beamer, Jr. (Angela), and Ann Beamer Williams (Jamie), and their families, who cherish memories and good times they had over the years with “Auntie.”
She would want to be remembered as a devoted mother, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother and aunt who loved her family more than anything.
Friends and family will gather on Friday, May 31, for a private service in her honor.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Macular Degeneration Association in her honor at macularhope.org
BrightFocus Foundation
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A man working in a church in Demorest, Georgia, was injured after making contact with electrical wires while running HDMI cables. The man was taken to the hospital with electrical burns and other unspecified injuries, according to a news release from Habersham County Emergency Services.
Around 3:15 p.m. on Sunday, May 5, Haberhsm E-911 received a call about a possible electrocution at Habersham Church of Christ at 326 Double Bridge Connector. Two people were reportedly running the cables when the man came into contact with the wires.
The accident happened at Habersham Church of Christ on the Double Bridge Connector in Demorest on Sunday, May 5, 2024. (Jerry Neace/NowHabersham.com)
When emergency crews arrived, the man was hanging from the ceiling, the news release states. He was rushed by ambulance to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville. His condition is not currently known.
Firefighters from Habersham and Demorest responded to the scene, along with units from the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office and Alto Police Department.
A Georgia Department of Natural Resources helicopter helped retrieve the victim's body from the nearly 1,000 foot deep gorge. (Rob Moore/Habersham County)
A 19-year-old man is dead after he drowned while hiking in Tallulah Gorge Friday, according to a release from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Exauce T. Kabeya of Gainesville fell into the river above Oceana Falls and did not resurface, the release said. A search party, including drone and rescue teams, was dispatched around 12:40 p.m. on May 3 to locate Kabeya. They found him dead a few hours later and recovered his body from the water.
Multiple state and local agencies assisted in the search, including DNR, Georgia State Patrol Aviation, and GEMA/Homeland Security. Rescuers and first responders from Lee Arrendale State Prison, Rabun, Habersham, and Tallulah Falls, along with the dive team from the Hall County Sheriff’s Office, also responded.
Habersham County Emergency Services crew members and Tallulah Falls Police Chief Tonya Elrod gather to assist in the search at Tallulah Gorge in Rabun County. (Rob Moore/Habersham County)(Rob Moore/Habersham County)(Rob Moore/Habersham County)
The Tallulah River runs through Tallulah Gorge—a two-mile-long, nearly 1,000-foot-deep canyon located in Tallulah Falls, Georgia. The gorge, with its hiking trails and scenic vistas, is a popular tourist destination in Northeast Georgia.
North Georgia Technical College (NGTC) has appointed Stephanie Benson as its next vice president of academic affairs.
Benson brings over two decades of experience in higher education, having previously served as the executive vice president of workforce development and institutional effectiveness at Roanoke-Chowan Community College in Hertford, NC.
She also spent more than a decade at Athens Technical College, where she was most recently the vice president for adult education and institutional effectiveness.
“We are extremely happy to welcome Stephanie to our Leadership Team at North Georgia Technical College,” said NGTC President John Wilkinson. “Her wealth of experience with workforce development and institutional effectiveness certainly will serve to strengthen our college and the academic experience for our students.”
Benson will assume the role of vice president of academic affairs in June following the retirement of Mindy Glander.
Republican Sen. Bill Cowsert asked several Fulton County officials at a May 3 investigation committee hearing whether they believed county officials should have a greater influence over the special prosecutor appointed by the district attorney. (Stanley Dunlap/Georgia Recorder)
(Georgia Recorder) — The chairman of a Georgia Senate committee says he will subpoena Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis if she refuses to appear before the panel that is investigating accusations of misconduct against the prosecutor pursuing felony charges against former President Donald Trump and his allies.
On Friday, Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts, Chief Financial Officer Sharon Whitmore, and County Attorney Soo Jo testified at a four-hour committee hearing at the Georgia State Capitol about the degree of autonomy constitutional officers like district attorneys have, as well as recent changes county officials have made to close ethical and financial reporting loopholes for those elected officials.
The county officials said Friday that they updated a county code in April to close loopholes that allowed Willis to avoid getting county approval before hiring Nathan Wade in November 2021 as special prosecutor in the 2020 presidential election interference case.
Willis has dealt with a hit to her public image since January after it was revealed that she had a romantic relationship with Wade, who was leading a case that in August resulted in felony racketeering charges against Trump and 18 co-defendants. Wade resigned in March.
Athens Republican Sen. Bill Cowsert, chairman of the special investigation panel, said Friday he hopes Willis will appear voluntarily before a state Senate panel that is investigating allegations that Willis committed prosecutorial and financial misconduct.
Willis cannot be sanctioned by the Senate committee, but it can subpoena her to turn over evidence and to testify under oath. Former Gov. Roy Barnes, who declined Willis’ offer to serve as special prosecutor in 2021 in the case against Trump, attended Friday’s hearing with plans to serve as legal counsel for Willis if she is subpoenaed.
“She’s a key part of the investigation that her viewpoints are valued by us,” Cowsert said. “We need to hear what she has to say and her explanation of what she thinks are the appropriate rules ought to be going forward so we don’t have this kind of scandal give Georgia a black eye.”
The first public accusations that Willis and Wade were romantically linked became public in January in a motion filed by an attorney for Trump co-defendant, Michael Roman, who argued that Wade and Willis’ undisclosed relationship improperly financially benefited Willis.
In April, the Fulton County Commission updated its ethics and anti-nepotism policies to cover elected officials like the district attorney. Under the new rules, all constitutional officers must report any gifts valued at $100 on their financial disclosures. Willis would have been prohibited from having a personal relationship with someone she supervises under the expanded anti-nepotism policy.
Cowsert asked Fulton County Attorney Soo Jo if she agreed with his interpretation of the state law, which would seem to imply that Willis would need permission from the County Commission in order to hire an independent contractor such as Wade.
According to Jo, previous court rulings have interpreted the law as allowing district attorneys to appoint and determine compensation for special assistant district attorneys without the county board’s consent.
She also said disputes over finances and control usually turn into a tug-of-war between constitutional offices and local elected officials, who set the budget but must also cover shortfalls and legal ramifications.
“I do believe there are some practical and legal challenges for all counties and elected officials who are in and in between state where you have independence, but you depend on the county for finances,” Jo said.
Cowsert on Friday recommended state legislators consider implementing a statewide policy that addresses tensions between county commissioners and constitutional officers over how much discretion and autonomy they should have.
“We need to have a state law that provides ethical guidelines for prosecutors, for sheriffs, for clerks of court, for tax commissioners,” Cowsert said. “They are not county officers, but they need to have accepted norms of conduct and ethical guidelines. It’s our job in the state government to come up with that from the state level.”
Pitts said that the Fulton Commission should be able to have more control since the board sets the multimillion-dollar budgets.
Fulton County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts said following a May 3 Senate committee meeting that he would support legislation that gives county commissions more authority over budgets for constitutional officers. (Stanley Dunlap/Georgia Recorder)
Pitts said that he agrees with prosecutors having the right to determine which cases their office will prosecute, including sweeping racketeering cases like the one Willis is pressing against Trump and his co-defendants. However, he said he believes that the county officials who set the budget should have similar financial control over elected officials like the sheriff, district attorney, tax commissioner, probate court judge and superior court clerks as they have with other local departments.
Pitts said that he and other county commissioners were unaware of Willis hiring Wade until it was reported by local media.
“We give millions of dollars and I think as an elected official with a fiduciary responsibility that I should have the right to know how the money is being spent,” Pitts said following Friday’s committee hearing.
Willis told a crowd at a community outreach event in Atlanta Friday that she finds it interesting that the Republican majority Senate is attacking her credibility at a time when more Black people like herself are being elected as district attorneys in Georgia.
This year, Willis is seeking a second term as district attorney. Her biggest challenge will be in the May 21 Democratic Party primary when she faces Christian Wise Smith, who’s served as Atlanta city solicitor and as a Fulton County prosecutor. The winner of the Democratic primary will have a significant advantage in the Nov. 5 general election in a match up against Courtney Kramer, a self-described MAGA attorney who has worked in the Trump White House. Kramer faces an uphill battle in heavily Democratic Fulton.
Willis said prosecutors and law enforcement have been working closely as part of an increased emphasis on locking up violent criminals and outreach programs that led to a significant drop in Atlanta’s crime rate this year.
“They can look all they want,” Willis said in a video footage taken by several Atlanta news outlets on Friday. “The DA’s office has done everything according to the books. We are following the law.”
“I can prosecute high-profile cases and I can prosecute every day cases when they need to be prosecuted,” Willis later said.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis would take the stand as a witness during a Feb. 15 hearing for the 2020 election interference case. (Alyssa Pointer-Pool/Getty Images)
The scandal surrounding Wade and Willis’ relationship garnered national headlines as hundreds of thousands of people watched live streams of Wade and Willis testifying at a February hearing on motions from Trump and co-defendants seeking to disqualify Willis from the election interference case on grounds of prosecutorial misconduct.
Willis has denied any allegations of professional misconduct and misappropriation of government money. Both Wade and Willis testified during the Superior Court hearing that they did not become romantically involved until several months after Wade was hired as a special prosecutor in November 2022 and that they stopped dating in the following summer.
But critics of Willis not disclosing having a personal relationship have accused the two of taking advantage of Wade being paid about $750,000 by Fulton by splurging on vacations that included a Caribbean cruise and touring wineries in California. To cover her share of vacation expenses, Willis testified that she paid Wade several thousand dollars in cash in order to cover her share of vacation expenses.
Four of the co-defendants pleaded guilty to various charges in the case, while Trump and the remaining 14 defendants have pleaded not guilty.
A Georgia Court of Appeals is expected to render a ruling by May 13 whether to grant a motion by Trump and several of his co-defendants asking the court to review Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee’s decision to allow Willis to remain on the case following Wade’s resignation. In the March 3 ruling, McAfee wrote that Willis actions showed a tremendous lapse in judgment but that the defense was unable to prove there was conflict of interest that warranted dismissing the case.
Sen. Harold Jones, an Augusta Democrat, said that Friday’s lengthy committee meeting was a waste of time, arguing Fulton’s government website and a few follow up questions could have answered a most of the senators’ questions.
“There’s nothing that you learned as far as the state Senate committee is concerned except maybe now we’re about to start having constitutional officers just change the way they do their budget, a process that has been in effect for over 30 years,” Jones said. “I want all constitutional officers to realize that apparently the Georgia State Senate is about to change the law because of one event to happen in Fulton County.”
Seven students from northeast Georgia have been awarded $2,000 scholarships by The Classic Center Cultural Foundation for their work in the performing arts.
The Classic Center Cultural Foundation provides resources to entertain and educate the local community. The goal is to foster economic growth by providing and supporting diverse performing, visual, and culinary arts programs, as well as workforce development initiatives.
Ivy Ramage, Director of the Classic Center Cultural Foundation, is thrilled to award each of the seven graduating seniors with a Performing Arts and Visual Arts Scholarship, and an additional $500 to their school program.
The 2024 class consists of high school students from Oconee County, North Oconee County, and Home School.
Recipients of the 2024 Performing Arts and Visual Arts Scholarships are Abel Clark, Oconee County High School; Amy Shan, North Oconee High School; Kimberly Bateman, Home School; Madison Streeter, Apalachee High School; and Yehyun Hong, North Oconee High School.
In addition to the Performing Arts and Visual Arts Scholarships, a visual arts scholarship was also awarded to Songhan Son, North Oconee High School. Cassidy Ruiz, an Oconee County High School student, received the Ann and Jack Crowley Scholarship Fund for the Visual Arts.
The Classic Center Cultural Foundation’s mission is to provide resources and opportunities for the arts, culture, and economic growth of Northeast Georgia. The Foundation grants a total of $60,000 in annual hospitality education, performing arts, and visual arts scholarships throughout the year. For more information on the talented recipients of the 2024 performing arts and visual arts scholarships, visit ClassicCenter.com/Scholarships
Jimmy Franklin recognizes Kinsun “Frank” Chan’s numerous accomplishments in ballet at the 2024 TFS Homecoming event.
Tallulah Falls School recently named Kinsun “Frank” Chan its 2024 Alumnus of the Year. Chan, a 1985 graduate of the school, is known worldwide for his accomplishments in ballet as a dancer, choreographer, and set designer.
Dean of Students Jimmy Franklin presented Chan with the award.
“He is a rock star in the ballet world as a performer and choreographer,” said Franklin. “Frank was always of strong mind and had a strong work ethic. Most importantly, he had a great heart and always helped others.”
“It is a pleasure to be back on the TFS campus,” said Chan. I learned a lot about time here at TFS. Here, they organize your time. I learned there is time for learning, working, and playing, but also to discover, create, and build friendships. It is a great model to carry forward.”
From break dancing to ballet
Chan’s love of art and dance developed at TFS. While he was a student, former math teacher Martha Cantrell entered his artwork into an art contest on two separate occasions. Chan won both times, and his artwork was featured on the cover of two different Mathematics Teacher magazines!
Some say his dancing career started here at TFS. Chan was well known for his break dancing.
Kinsun “Frank” Chan enthusiastically receives the 2024 Alumni of the Year Award at the 2024 TFS Homecoming event.
“Frank Chan and Mark Burdette were break dancers,” said long-time faculty member Linda Harris. “They would perform in talent shows. It was so amazing. He did it as well as anyone ever did.
A lot of the kids learned from him. He was a dance instructor here in the dorm, helping and teaching students to dance.”
Today, Chan is a distinguished choreographer and designer who works internationally in various artistic disciplines. The Swiss-Canadian studied art, graphic design, and dance in the United States at Virginia Intermont College, Georgia State University, and the University of Louisville.
Chan discovered the ballet world at a late age. He began his professional dance career in the United States and came to Europe when he was invited to join Ballet Zürich and later Ballet Basel. He performed many soloist roles from renowned choreographers. His first choreography was created at the Ballet Zürich. Soon after, he was invited to choreograph for the Noverre Society at the Stuttgart Ballet.
His choreographies have been performed by multiple academies, companies, ballets, and schools. His creation for the Hong Kong Ballet was invited to the Jacobs Pillow Festival (USA) and Festival des Arts de Saint Sauveur (Quebec, Canada).
Global career
Alongside his choreography, Chan is a stage and costume designer who has created designs for his own works and those of other international choreographers. He has lectured at the University of Florence, Mount Holyoke College, the University of Zürich, and the Zürich University for the Arts.
Chan is an Honorary Fellow recipient from the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts. He has also been a jury member for the prestigious international ballet competition Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland and has two contemporary solos as part of their repertoire (ECHO and RAIN). Most recently, he created the choreography and designs for the 2024 Partner School Choreographic Project at the Prix de Lausanne.
Chan’s choreography brings full circle his work in art and design, encompassing a dynamic visual language. As of the 2019-20 season, he became the director of the Tanzkompanie des Theaters St. Gallen in Switzerland. Beginning with the 2024-25 season, Kinsun Chan will begin his new tenure as Director of the Semperoper Ballet in Dresden, Germany.
A Northeast Georgia teenager is dead after an ATV accident in Elbert County.
According to the Georgia State Patrol, the single-vehicle wreck happened around 7:25 p.m. on April 29 on Mobley Hill Road east of Elberton.
Elbert County Deputy Coroner Beth Seymour identified the teen as 14-year-old Colton Rousey of Elberton. She says Rousey died Saturday night, May 4, at Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital in Greenville, South Carolina.
Paramedics airlifted Rousey to the hospital after the ATV he was riding ran off the road, hit a tree, and overturned, the Georgia State Patrol said.
Elbert County EMS, the Elbert County Fire Department, Elbert County Sheriff’s Office, GSP, and AnMed Life Flight responded to the incident. The Georgia State Patrol is investigating.
The GBI has arrested two Toccoa residents in connection to an elder abuse investigation.
In February, agents arrested Daniel Bennett, 58. In May, Jeffrey Roberts, 74, was taken into custody, a news release from the GBI states. Both men are charged with neglect to a disabled adult, elder person, or resident.
The GBI says its investigation into the matter is still ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to call the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Cleveland at 706-348-4866. Anonymous tips may also be sent to 1-800-597-8477, online, or through the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
A GBI public affairs spokesperson says that once the investigation is done, the case will be turned over to the Stephens County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
Sofia Talvik will be performing at the Wayfarer Chapel Summer Concert series June 2nd at 2 p.m. (submitted)
Wayfarers Chapel, in the beautiful foothills of Dillard, Georgia, is kicking off their Summer Concert Series on the deck beginning May 19th. This is a family affair experience and a favorite of the locals and visitors.
This year they will feature a new artist, Sofia Talvik, a Swedish-born musician. She is known for her storytelling and masterfully crafted melodies. Her latest album, “Center of the Universe” was released in 2023 and was up for consideration for a Grammy nomination in the Best Folk Album Category. Talvik looks forward to the experience, “I’m thrilled to be performing at Wayfarers Chapel. The venue’s serene atmosphere perfectly complements the intimate nature of my music, and I can’t wait to share my songs with the audience in Dillard.”
Talvik has taken her music across Europe and through 48 U.S. states. She travels in her 1989 Winnebago Warrior called Lil’ Chief with her husband Jonas Westin at the wheel. It is through her travels that Talvik has found her unique blend of Nordic and American sounds. Talvik finds inspiration in her journeys and uses these experiences in her songwriting.
The tour across America is all about her new album. Talvik shares stories of her tours and her life as an artist for the past 10 years with the audience.
She has played at big festivals such as Lollapalooza and SxSW. Talvik has opened for artists like Maria McKee and David Duchovny. You can expect almost one-on-one communication as Talvik jokes with her audience.
”That’s one thing I love about touring in an RV. I get to see so much that other touring European artists never get to see. And you can tell it is reflected in my songs as well. It’s a true inspiration to get to experience the vast and beautiful nature here,” says Sofia.
She will be the featured artist on June 2nd at 2 p.m. The concert is free of charge. You are welcome to leave a donation. Wayfarers Chapel is located at 182 Wayfarer Lane, Dillard, GA. You can contact (706) 746-3303 for more information. The summer series concerts begin May 19th and run through September 8.
A small boat caught fire on Lake Lanier Sunday afternoon, and four boaters jumped into the water to escape the flames, the Hall County Fire Marshal’s Office said.
One of the boaters was treated at the scene for minor injuries, the fire marshal’s office said.
Fire crews said they received reports of the fire at Balus Creek Park about 4:41 p.m. When they arrived, the boaters had already jumped into the water and swam to safety away from the flames.
Hall County Fire Rescue’s Marine Rescue team tethered the fully involved ski boat, and pulled it closer to shore to extinguish it. The fire on the small boat was almost completely out by the time it reached land.
The fire marshal’s office said the cause of the fire remains unknown.
