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261 North Georgia congregations leave the United Methodist Church

By
Staff Report
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Members of the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church gather in Athens on Saturday, Nov. 18, to vote on the disaffiliation requests of 265 UMC churches. (North Georgia Conference photo)

Fifty-seven area churches will leave the United Methodist Church at the end of this month. They’re among 265 congregations in North Georgia and metro Atlanta that voted to disaffiliate from the denomination largely due to a split over LGBTQ issues.

Members of the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church ratified the disaffiliation requests of 261 of those churches on Nov. 18 during a special called session at the Classic Center in Athens.

“I realize how sad this time is for many, including myself. I just hate that those who are leaving us, I will not have the opportunity to meet or to be with,” said conference leader Bishop Robin Dease.

Conference members did not ratify the requests of four congregations following discussion by members of the Annual Conference. Those churches are The Fountain UMC at Sugarloaf in Duluth, McEachern Memorial UMC in Powder Springs, Trinity UMC in Rome, and Griffin First UMC.

A ‘solemn day’

The 261 churches that are leaving the conference account for a sizable percentage of its nearly 700 churches. Their exit marked a “solemn day,” church leaders said in a news release.

The disaffiliations become effective on Nov. 30. After that, the departing churches may no longer use the “United Methodist” name nor the denomination’s logo. They will have 30 days to fulfill their financial obligations to the UMC, including purchasing church property if their congregation chooses to keep it. And they’re prohibited from pursuing further litigation against the conference.

Hundreds of congregations in Georgia and across the country sued for the right to have their disaffiliation requests heard.

The church disaffiliations in North Georgia come after 193 congregations once belonging to the UMC South Georgia Conference left the denomination in May, also due to the ongoing debate over LGBTQ issues.

A church divided

In 2019, the United Methodist Church strengthened its bans on gay clergy and same-sex weddings, prompting a backlash from more progressive congregations. Some churches viewed the measures as punitive and discriminatory and left the denomination because of them. Many progressive UMC church leaders refused to enforce the rules. That, in turn, upset the more conservative congregations. They’re now leaving the denomination because of its failure to uphold the church’s stated belief that “homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.”

Bishop Robin Dease, leader of the North Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church. (Conference photo)

As of early August 2023, over 6,200 of the UMC’s 30,000 congregations in the United States had been approved for disaffiliation since 2019, according to the UMC’s website.

In a briefing ahead of the Nov. 18 vote, Bishop Dease told conference members, “This is a difficult season in the life of the church and we all are grieving, and yet we know who the healer is.”

“I just want you to be reminded and to please know and to be assured that the sun will rise on November 19,” Bishop Dease said. “And on December first and on January first, and on each of those mornings, like every morning, I will give thanks for the United Methodist Church and our connection.”

The North Georgia Conference followed Dease’s lead in looking ahead to the future.

“In December, approximately 440 North Georgia Conference churches will continue the work of fulfilling the mission of the United Methodist church in our communities and beyond,” the news release said. The conference said it anticipates opening “several new United Methodist churches” next month.

List of disaffiliated churches in North Georgia

Central East District
Barrow, Clarke, Oconee, Gwinnett, and Walton Counties
Atlanta Bethany UMC Buford
Bishop UMC Watkinsville
Campton UMC Monroe
Korean UMC of Hamilton Mill Buford
Monroe First UMC
New Pentecost UMC Winder
New Prospect UMC Athens
Norcross First UMC
Pentecost UMC Winder
Pleasant Valley UMC Monroe
Rays UMC Bishop
Snellville UMC
St James UMC Athens
Statham UMC
Sugar Hill UMC
Trinity UMC Duluth
Walnut Grove UMC Loganville
Young Harris Memorial UMC Athens

Central North District
Fulton and Clayton Counties
Alpharetta First UMC
Antioch UMC Fairburn
England Chapel UMC Jenkinsburg
Mt Pisgah UMC Johns Creek
Mt Zion UMC Atlanta
New Hope UMC Clayton County
St James UMC Alpharetta
St John UMC Atlanta

Central South District
DeKalb, Henry, Newton, and Rockdale Counties
Bethel UMC Stockbridge
Conyers First UMC
Harvest Point UMC Locust Grove
Jodeco Road UMC Stockbridge
Julia A. Porter Memorial UMC Porterdale
Mt Carmel UMC Hampton
Philadelphia UMC McDonough
Red Oak UMC Newton County
Rockland UMC Lithonia
Shiloh UMC
Skyland UMC Brookhaven
Turners UMC McDonough
Union UMC Stockbridge

Central West District
Carroll, Cobb, Douglas, Haralson, and Paulding Counties
Bethel UMC Hiram
Bethel UMC Tallapoosa
Bethlehem UMC Bremen
Buchanan UMC
Carrollton First UMC
Center Point UMC Temple
County Line UMC Acworth
Covenant UMC Smyrna
Crawford Chapel UMC Bremen
Due West UMC Marietta
Flint Hill UMC Hiram
Hope UMC Dallas
Kennesaw UMC
Lithia Springs UMC
Mountain View UMC Marietta
Mt Nebo UMC Dallas
New Beginnings UMC Kennesaw
New Covenant UMC Douglasville
New Hope UMC Carrollton
Old Camp UMC Carrollton
Pleasant Grove UMC Temple
Pleasant Hill UMC Villa Rica
Poseyville UMC Bremen
Shiloh UMC Carrollton
Shiloh UMC Kennesaw
Smyrna UMC Dallas
St Stephen UMC Marietta
Tallapoosa First UMC
Temple UMC Carroll County
Victory UMC Carrollton
Wesley Chapel UMC Villa Rica

North East District
Banks, Dawson, Habersham, Hall, Habersham, Hart, Forsyth, Franklin, Jackson, Lumpkin, Madison, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, and White Counties
Antioch UMC Clayton
Arbor Pointe UMC Hoschton
Bethel UMC Dawson County
Bethesda UMC Hartwell
Bold Spring UMC Carnesville
Clarkesville UMC
Clemons Chapel UMC Gainesville
Cleveland UMC
Colbert UMC
Commerce First UMC
Confidence UMC Stephens County
Confidence UMC Union County
Cool Springs UMC Clarkesville
Creekside UMC Cumming
Dahlonega UMC
Ebenezer UMC Cumming
Ebenezer UMC Hollywood
Ebenezer UMC Jefferson
Gordon’s Chapel UMC Athens
Hartwell First UMC
Hickory Flat UMC Lula
Holly Springs UMC Jackson County
Homer UMC
Jones Chapel UMC Danielsville
Lebanon UMC Gillsville
Liberty Hill UMC Hartwell
Loudsville UMC Cleveland
Lula UMC
Macedonia UMC Cleveland
Macedonia UMC Hart County
McKee’s Chapel UMC Dawsonville
Midway UMC Gillsville
Mountain City UMC
Mt Bethel UMC Commerce
Mt Pleasant UMC White County
Mt Zion UMC Alto
Nacoochee UMC
New Hope UMC Dillard
New Salem UMC
Pennington Chapel UMC
Piedmont UMC
Providence UMC Hart County
Providence UMC Stephens County
Providence UMC Union County
Redstone UMC
Redwine UMC Hart County
Redwine UMC Gainesville
St James UMC Toccoa
St Paul UMC Lumpkin County
Sunshine UMC
The Highlands UMC
The Vine UMC
Tiger UMC
Toccoa First UMC
Union Hill UMC Hiawassee
Vanna UMC
Wesley Chapel UMC Dahlonega

North West District
Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Fannin, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Polk, Murray, Pickens, Walker, and Whitfield Counties
Aragon UMC
Ball Ground UMC
Barnsley UMC Kingston
Bethel UMC Morganton
Bethel UMC Summerville
Big Springs UMC Woodstock
Blue Ridge UMC
Canton First UMC
Cedartown First UMC
Center Valley UMC Chatsworth
Chatsworth First UMC
Elizabeth Lee UMC Chickamauga
Eton UMC
Fairmount UMC
Farmville UMC Calhoun
Five Springs UMC Dalton
Hillside UMC Woodstock
Jackson Chapel UMC Cave Spring
Kingston UMC
Kresge UMC Cedartown
Liberty Hill UMC Morganton
Lindale UMC
Little River UMC Woodstock
Lyerly UMC
Macedonia UMC Alpharetta
Menlo UMC
Mineral Springs UMC Dalton
Mizpah UMC Kingston
Mt Gilead UMC Woodstock
Mt Pleasant UMC Rome
Mt Zion UMC Chatsworth
New Echota UMC Calhoun
New Haven UMC Dalton
Oostanaula UMC Rome
Orange UMC Canton
Plainville UMC
Pleasant Grove UMC Dalton
Rock Spring UMC
Rockmart First UMC
Rush Chapel UMC Rome
Shannon UMC
Silver Creek UMC
Sixes UMC Canton
Union Hill UMC Canton
Varnell UMC Cohutta
Wesley Chapel UMC Calhoun
West Rome UMC
White UMC
Williamstown UMC McCaysville
Woodstation UMC

South East District
Baldwin, Columbia, Elbert, Greene, Hancock, Lincoln, McDuffie, Morgan, Oglethorpe, Putnam, Richmond, Taliaferro, Warren, and Wilkes Counties
Anthony Chapel UMC
Barton Chapel UMC
Berlin UMC
Blythe UMC
Burns Memorial UMC Augusta
Central UMC Putnam County
Cokesbury UMC Augusta
Coldwater UMC
Crawfordville UMC
Dearing UMC
Devereux UMC
Dunn’s Chapel UMC
Eatonton First UMC
Elberton First UMC
Fork Chapel UMC
Francis Asbury UMC Elberton
Friendship UMC Hephzibah
Gaissert UMC
Greensboro First UMC
Harlem UMC
Hephzibah UMC
Hopewell UMC Milledgeville
Independence UMC
Johnson UMC Warrenton
Knowles Chapel UMC
Liberty UMC Hephzibah
Lincolnton UMC
Macedonia UMC Warren County
Martinez UMC
Midway UMC Lincolnton
Milledgeville First UMC
Montpelier UMC
Mosaic UMC
Pennington UMC
Philadelphia UMC Eatonton
Philadelphia UMC Harlem
Prospect UMC Morgan County
Prospect UMC Norwood
Rutledge UMC
Salem UMC Thomson
Shiloh UMC
Siloam UMC
Sparta UMC (Pierce Memorial)
St James UMC Augusta
St Mark UMC Washington Road Augusta
St Paul UMC Eatonton
Swords UMC
Thomson First UMC
Union Point First UMC
Washington First UMC
Wesley Chapel UMC Eatonton
Young Memorial UMC Thomson

South West District 
Butts, Coweta, Fayette, Harris, Heard, Jasper, Lamar, Meriwether, Monroe, Pike, Spalding, Troup, and Upson Counties
Aldora UMC Thomaston
Bethany UMC Fayetteville
Big Springs UMC
Caney Head UMC Roopville
Christ UMC Forsyth
Concord UMC Pike County
Culloden UMC
Ebenezer UMC Barnesville
Ebenezer UMC Fayetteville
Ebenezer UMC Forsyth
Forsyth First UMC
Harmony UMC LaGrange
Highland UMC Griffin
Hillcrest UMC LaGrange
John Wesley UMC Grantville
Korean UMC of LaGrange
Korean UMC of Newnan
Life Springs UMC Zebulon
Mountville UMC
Mt Zion UMC Campground
Pomona UMC
Prospect UMC Mansfield
Providence UMC Fayetteville
Stark UMC Butts County
The Rock UMC
Thomaston First UMC
Trinity On The Hill UMC LaGrange
Turin UMC
Welcome UMC Roopville
Williamson UMC
Woodbury UMC
Yatesville UMC

Area scoreboard: Playoffs Round 2

By
Zack Myers
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STEPHENS COUNTY (10-2) VS WESLEYAN (9-3)

The Indians’ season came to an end Friday with a 33-26 loss to the Wolves.

Wesleyan will play on the road against Calvary Day in the third round.

RABUN COUNTY (9-3) VS WHITEFIELD ACADEMY (6-6)

The Wildcats won big over the Wolfpack, 42-14, to move on to the third round of the state playoffs.

Next, Rabun County will go on the road to Quitman to face the Brooks County Trojans.

LUMPKIN COUNTY (12-0) VS OCONEE COUNTY (5-7)

The Indians survived a double-overtime affair with the Warriors, 45-42, at the Burial Grounds to advance to the third round of the playoffs.

Lumpkin County will host Savannah Christian.

GAINESVILLE (12-0) VS BLESSED TRINITY (9-3)

The Red Elephants rolled past the Titans, 35-12.

Now, Gainesville will play Woodward Academy to try to get to the state semifinals.

ELBERT COUNTY (10-2) VS TRION (11-1)

The Blue Devils pulled out a tight, 42-41, race against the Bulldogs.

With a trip to the state semifinals on the line, Elbert County hosts Swainsboro.

A year of thankfulness

By
Lynn Walker Gendusa
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Every day, a new poll is released by someone regarding different issues in America.   Would you vote for him or her? Do you believe the economy is the most critical American problem? Is the country headed in the right direction or not? Countless polls whose tallies change daily according to what is going on in the news.

No matter what the polls say about us and how we feel about our society, there is one matter we should agree on…. Thankfulness. The truth is we are not grateful enough for our blessings. I mean, none of us… zero, nada, no way, etc. We can’t vote thankfulness into our world, nor can we convince another to be humbled, but each November, we are reminded to count our blessings. Does it take a season to remind us to update our appreciation?

If we become more thankful daily, it will cure many of our ills. One thing is for sure: it would calm our anger and settle our nerves. Being grateful for the smallest of life’s gifts increases the size of our hearts. We become more empathetic and understanding. And the main benefit derived from thankfulness is we see God clearer.

Last year, on Thanksgiving Day, my husband was in a hospital’s Cardiac Care Unit recovering from open heart surgery. The week prior was a whirlwind of negativity. He didn’t know there was a problem with his heart until an intelligent physician questioned what we thought was a benign ailment.

Thanksgiving Thursday was David’s worst day. A problem arose in recovery due to an erratic heart rate, and for a few hours, I wasn’t so sure about tomorrow. I spent most of that day staring at a heart monitor, afraid I would miss something significant if I took my eyes off the squiggly lines jumping up and down. Of course, buzzers blared if something went haywire, but one can never fully trust automation, right? The polls say some medical equipment might be made in China anyway!

After midnight, I tried to rest near the room’s window, where cool, damp air seeped under the glass.  As I thought about families who had gathered around tables thanking God for their bounty, my prayer that evening was quite simple, “Dear God, get David’s heart rate down!”

It was nearly 1 am Friday morning when I rose, almost frozen from the seeping air, and walked toward David’s bed, where he was dozing.

Again, I stared at the monitor.  His heart rate was too high, hovering around 150 beats per minute, and I knew the buzzer would alert the staff at any moment. “God, please help us!”

“What does the monitor say?” David woke and asked as he must have felt my panic. “It’s okay, honey, not too bad.”  I lied, knowing he couldn’t turn to see the actual number on the machine behind him. Of course, he knew I was lying.

One minute later, I glanced at the numbers again, and his heart rate had dropped to a normal 72 beats per minute.

Folks celebrated last year and thanked God for the feast before them. They will do the same this year.  The holiday season will arrive on time, and most of us will join in the cheer and joy.

Until last year, I thought I was thankful enough for my life and grateful for the folks in it, but no, I wasn’t. I am more than thankful to see my husband playing golf or tennis today or getting frustrated when the dust settles on his little red car.

Last Thanksgiving Day, I ate a piece of cheese and drank many cups of coffee.  I didn’t see Santa arrive in a parade, but I watched lines jump on a monitor instead. I didn’t feel the warmth of family around me but felt cold, damp air seep under the glass.

Yet, the beauty of that Thanksgiving Day was I saw God clearly. How grateful I am for the blessing of life and love and to know that no matter where we are on this Thanksgiving Thursday, there will be God also.

If the Lord were conducting a poll, what would be the questions? Do we judge others? Are we influenced by power or kindness? Do we vote for goodness or evil? Are we grateful for our blessings? Is it better to be revengeful or forgiving?

Thank goodness God doesn’t need to conduct polls; He just reads our hearts. If we remember to be thankful for life and those who share it with us, we will all see God clearly, and He will lead us where we need to be.

Thanksgiving is a beautiful day, but to be thankful through all our days heals our souls and captures God’s heart.

________

Lynn Walker Gendusa is a Georgia author and columnist. Her latest book is “Southern Comfort: Stories of Family, Friendship, Fiery Trials, and Faith.” She can be reached at www.lynngendusa.com. For more of her inspirational stories, click here.

Go West, young man: 95 in an 80

By
Tyler Penland
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(Photo by Tyler Penland)

Editor’s Note: In October, Now Habersham weatherman and outdoor feature reporter Tyler Penland traveled out West to watch and report on the annular Ring of Fire eclipse. Traveling with his father, he witnessed many other amazing sights along the way. This is the second in a series of photo essays Tyler has written about their western adventures.

Leaving Colorado National Monument, we found ourselves quickly exiting the state of Colorado. Utah would become the second state we would visit on our trip out West and it started off very, should we say, fast.

Living in the mountains, we are used to speed limits of 45-55 MPH in most places. Even the interstates max out at 70 MPH. Out in the middle of nowhere, Utah, however, they like to live life in the fast lane. An 80 MPH speed limit made for an exciting drive through the wide open spaces.

80MPH speed limit sign on I-70 in Northern Utah (Credit: Brent Penland)

You could easily see what seemed like a hundred miles in any direction, with the next major mountain being the La Sal range, which was covered in snow. During the drive, I looked down at one point while not paying much attention and realized I was doing 95 MPH but it certainly seemed like I wasn’t moving very quickly at all. Certainly, a strange experience, and I won’t be driving 95 MPH again anytime soon, anywhere that isn’t on a racetrack.

We arrived at our next destination by mid-afternoon at one of the most famous National Parks in the country: Arches National Park. The geography of this region wasn’t wildly dissimilar to the Colorado National Monument we had just left with towering rock faces and spires all around. These spires and outcrops look otherworldly, especially when placed with the towering La Sals in the background.

A rock outcrop in Arches National Park (Photo by Tyler Penland)
Rock outcrops in Arches National Park (Photo by Tyler Penland)
Balance Rock (Photo by Tyler Penland)

The main road through the park passes by many beautiful spots but we were on a time crunch and had to limit our sightseeing. Our first stop was Balance Rock. This 126-foot tall rock spire appears to have a large boulder balanced on top of it.

In reality, the rock is attached but has just eroded this way because there are two different rock strata. The one on top is much harder than the one beneath, so it erodes slower. Up until 1976, Balance Rock had a smaller sister rock, but it collapsed.

One day, the 3,600-ton rock left standing will also collapse, and it will likely make a big racket when it does.

I got one of my favorite photos of the trip from the trail around this spot. The park is obviously best known for its namesake: Arches. From the Balance Rock trail, you get a wonderful view of a large arch in the distance. On this particular day, it was framed by the snow-covered mountains behind and looked almost fake.

Distant arch and rock outcrops with the La Sal mountains in the background (Photo by Tyler Penland)

After spending a short time at Balance Rock, we moved on to our main goal for the visit.

There is one arch in the park that almost everyone has seen a photo of at one point. It is no doubt the most photographed and famous arch in the world and even appears on the Utah license plate.

Known as Delicate Arch, this massive sandstone arch is freestanding and a spectacular 52 feet tall. It is nearly impossible to get a photo of this arch without people in it, but with a little patience, you might get lucky.

Delicate Arch (Photo by Tyler Penland)

In fact, having people in the photo isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It is nearly impossible to accurately capture the scale of the arch without a person in the shot. The below photo gives some idea of just how big it is.

Delicate Arch with people in it for scale (Photo by Tyler Penland)

The landscape in the area immediately around Delicate Arch is quite fascinating. The sandstone is worn smoothly in some spots and rough in others. Just behind the arch, you can see a half dome worn into the surrounding cliffside. Beneath it, the cracked sandstone is untouched by humans and looks like it belongs on the moon rather than the Earth.

Rock formations around Delicate Arch

The hike up to Delicate Arch passes by the only water we saw in our time in the park. A very small pond was giving water to some nearby plants and one of the taller trees we saw this day: quite something considering what we are used to in North Georgia.

Small oasis near Delicate Arch (Photo by Tyler Penland)

After visiting Delicate Arch, it was nearly dark so we made a quick jaunt to a spot I had noticed on the way up to catch the sunset and put an end to our first full day of exploring.

Sunset from Arches National Park (Photo by Tyler Penland)

We had a long drive ahead of us to Farmington, New Mexico, where we would see the Ring of Fire eclipse the next morning.

SEE ALSO

Go West, young man: taking flight

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

By
Justin Hall
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Just like “Harry Potter” and “The Lord of the Rings” before it, “The Hunger Games” was almost inevitable to get its own series of prequels. “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” proves that there might be intriguing elements to how the Games got started, but ultimately, too many stretches keep it from reaching its potential.

This prequel takes place 64 years before the events of “The Hunger Games.” Tom Blyth stars as a young Coriolanus Snow as a mentor in Panem, teaching Tributes how to survive the Games.

Snow’s Tribute is Lucy Gray (Rachel Zegler), a musician who manages to charm Snow and the rest of Panem with her singing abilities. She’s the Songbird in the title. Together she and Snow have nice moments of chemistry.

Peter Dinklage is Dean Casca Highbottom, the creator of The Hunger Games, who has a personal vendetta against Snow and wants to see him fail.

The scenes involving the Tributes are somewhat effective, and the movie has impressive eye candy that holds our attention. One thing in favor of this series is its consistently fascinating visuals.

“The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” was directed by Francis Lawrence, who made the last three movies in the series. He is in his element and knows how to make the material come alive in ways that most Young Adult novels never realize.

Still, this prequel hits quite a few roadblocks. For every scene with great energy and style, there are a few that bog down the movie with plot points that lose our interest and make it hard to stay invested in any future follow-ups.

The characters are only marginally intriguing, but Blyth, Zegler, Dinklage, and even Viola Davis as a gamemaker do get their scenes to shine. I only wish they were given a better script to fit the world they’re trying to build.

There are some unique inconsistencies at work here. While “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” doesn’t succeed narratively, it carries the same spirit as its predecessors. I just hope the odds will be in favor of better scripts for the rest of this series.

Grade: C+

(Rated PG-13 for strong violent content and disturbing material.)

Dominant fourth quarter leads Piedmont women to 79-54 win over Greensboro

By
Danielle Percival
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(Photo by Dale Zanine)

SALEM, Va. – Thanks to a dominant fourth quarter, the Piedmont women’s basketball team coasted to a 79-54 win over Greensboro Saturday. With a five-point lead heading to the final period, the Lions left no doubt, outscoring the Pride 25-5 in the final 10 minutes.

In the first quarter, Piedmont fell behind early, but not for long. After a tight battle through the opening minutes, the Lions used a 7-0 run near the end of the first quarter to take a 24-19 lead into the second.

It was close through the second quarter as the Lions held the edge at the half, 40-34. Laken Stiles led Piedmont in the first half with 15 points, including going 6-of-8 from the free throw line.

The third quarter was the only time the Pride outscored the Lions taking the edge 15-14, but the fourth was all Piedmont, as was the final score line.

Four Lions scored 13 or more, led by Laken Stiles, who posted a career-high 22 points.

Up next, the Lions will face Stevenson in the Roanoke Classic in the championship game on Sunday at 3 p.m.

TURNING POINT:
–Piedmont left no doubt in the fourth quarter outscoring Greensboro 25-5.

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
—Laken Stiles scored 22 points for a new career-high mark to lead all scorers in the game.
–Both Andelin Hill and Kennedi Henson added 16 points as well.

Piedmont Lions down Alma 80-71 in Lee Pfund Classic Championship

By
Danielle Percival
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(Piedmont Athletic Communications)

WHEATON, Ill. – The Piedmont men’s basketball team claimed the Lee Pfund Classic Championship with a win over Alma Saturday 80-71. Ryan Jolly led all scorers with 28 points and has scored 20 or more in all four contests this season.

In the opening minutes, it was all Jolly for the Lions as he scored 13 points before a single missed shot. Jolly was 4-of-4 from the floor to start the game including 3-of-3 from 3-point range through the first eight minutes.

Three-pointers were the key in the opening half as Alma was 10-of-24 scoring 30 of their 43 points from deep. Piedmont was able to capitalize on seven 3-pointers shooting 58% from deep to Alma’s 42% in the first half.

Piedmont held the edge 44-43 at the half but in the opening minutes of the second half, both teams were cold with just five combined points in the opening five minutes.

After 19 points in the first 12 minutes of the game, Ryan Jolly did not score again until the 13:33 mark in the second half. Jolly would total 28 points adding nine in the second half and possibly more importantly contributing five assists in the game.

Piedmont had a total of six players with eight or more points in the game as Joe Helenbrook was the lone additional Lion in double figures with 13 points. Helenbrook also led the way with nine rebounds while Fisher Darden added six.

Up next, the Lions will host Methodist on Saturday, November 25 at noon inside Cave Arena.

TURNING POINT:
–In the final minutes, Piedmont was able to hold off the Scots who came as close as five points in the final five minutes.

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
–Ryan Jolly’s hot start to the season continued as the graduate student continues to impress with 28 points Saturday including 19 in the first half.
–Joe Helenbrook came up just one rebound shy of a double-double as he scored 13 points and added nine rebounds.

NEWS AND NOTES:
–Ryan Jolly was named the Will Landry MVP of the tournament and Joe Helenbrook was named to the All-Tournament team as well.
–Piedmont forced 16 Alma turnovers as the Lions have averaged forcing 20 turnovers per game.

Devastating fire sweeps through downtown Blue Ridge

By
Joy Purcell
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It took a ladder company, six engines, and more than 40 emergency personnel to contain the downtown Blue Ridge blaze. (Fannin County Emergency Management Agency photo)

A section of downtown Blue Ridge burned Saturday after a fire broke out inside a cafe and spread to adjoining buildings.

Fannin County E-911 dispatched firefighters to the blaze around 1:39 p.m. on Nov. 18. Over 40 county personnel responded. Neighboring Union and Gilmer counties brought in additional firefighters and equipment to provide mutual aid.

In a scene reminiscent of the devastating fire that swept through downtown Clarkesville in March 2014, firefighters used a ladder truck to attack the flames from above. It took the ladder company and six engines two hours to get the fire under control.

The Fannin County Emergency Management Agency says firefighters saved three businesses and three homes that were directly exposed to the initial fire.

These photos by Kara Macsuga show the devastating aftermath of the fire. The store where she works is located just a few buildings away from where the fire broke out.
(Photos by Kara Macsuga)

Point of origin

EMA says the fire started at Danielle’s Cafe in the center of the popular North Georgia tourist town and destroyed several downtown businesses. Officials issued an alert, asking people to avoid the downtown area and keep roads clear for public safety crews.

An employee at Sunrise on Blue Ridge who witnessed the fire tells Now Habersham, “It was heartbreaking.”

Kara Macsuga is the store manager. She captured several photos showing the aftermath of the fire. In a social media post, the store said, “Downtown Blue Ridge will never be the same.”

The Fannin County Chamber of Commerce posted a statement to social media saying, “Our hearts go out to all those affected by this unforeseen incident.”

The Chamber added, “In these moments, the resilience and spirit of our community shine the brightest. We extend our deepest gratitude to the brave first responders who acted swiftly and diligently to control the situation.”

There is no word yet on how the fire started or if anyone was hurt.

Thurman John “Termite” Allen

By
Now Habersham
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Thurman John “Termite” Allen, age 83, of Demorest, Georgia, went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, November 18, 2023.

Born in the Batesville Community of Clarkesville, Georgia, on April 17, 1940, he was a son of the late Fred Thurman & Eunice Wood Allen. Thurman retired as a machinist with Scovill Manufacturing with over 44 years of dedicated service. He was a faithful member of Bethel Baptist Church. In his spare time, Thurman had the gift of talking with people and often told stories of his many fishing adventures. He was also passionate about helping others and enjoyed giving vegetables away out of his plentiful garden. Most of all, Thurman loved spending time with his family, especially his children and grandchildren.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brothers, Jake Allen & Kenneth Allen.

Survivors include his loving wife of 25 years, Patsy Jones Allen; children and their spouses, Lavenia & Daryl McDuffie; Timothy John Allen; Deanna & Darrell Westmoreland; grandchildren, Levi & Christy Price, Cristen & Matthew Rabern, Dusty Allen, Rally Maney, Malachi Hilts, Breanna & Mitch Bardenwerper, Clayton Westmoreland, Ema Fisher, Eliza Fisher, Zeke Fisher, & Eden Fisher; great-grandchildren, Elijah Price, Emma Price, Aaron Rabern, Landon Bardenwerper, Lennon Bardenwerper, & Thurman Levi Allen; sisters & brother-in-law, Dorothy Thompson, Lavalle & Harrison Nix; brothers & sisters-in-law, Donald & Pat Allen, David & Lynn Allen, Jeff & Toni Allen; numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives, & friends.

Funeral services are scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Monday, November 20, 2023, at Bethel Baptist Church in Sautee, with Rev. Robert Abernathy officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery.

The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 19, 2023.

An online guest registry is available for the Allen family at www.HillsideMemorialChapel.com.

Arrangements are in the care and professional direction of Hillside Memorial Chapel & Gardens of Clarkesville, Georgia. (706) 754-6256

Nettie Cleo Blair Ayers

By
Now Habersham
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Nettie Cleo Blair Ayers, age 96, of Mt. Airy, passed away on Friday, November 17, 2023.

Funeral services will be held graveside at 12:30 PM, Monday, November 20, 2023, at Hazel Creek Baptist Church Cemetery, with Rev. Billy Burrell officiating.

The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Monday, prior to the service, from 11:00 AM until 12:00 PM.

Flowers will be accepted, or memorials may be made to the Hazel Creek Baptist Church Heating and Air Conditioning Fund, 243 Hazel Creek Road, Mt. Airy, GA 30563.

Arrangements are in the care and professional direction of Hillside Memorial Chapel & Gardens, Clarkesville, GA. 706-754-6256

Shoppers and Santa visit Christmas Bazaar

By
Staff Report
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Shoppers check out the tables loaded with arts and crafts and merchandise at the Habersham County Senior Center Christmas Bazaar in Demorest. The two-day event ended Saturday afternoon, Nov. 18, 2023. (Jerry Neace/NowHabersham.com)

Local shoppers enjoyed pre-Thanksgiving shopping at the Habersham County Senior Center’s Christmas Bazaar. The two-day event, which wrapped up Saturday afternoon, featured arts and crafts and a variety of merchandise for sale.

On Saturday, Santa visited the Demorest Municipal Conference Center, where the event was held, so that people could snap selfies with him. Outside the Center, volunteers grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, selling lunch plates to hungry shoppers.

The Christmas Bazaar was a fundraiser for the Senior Center.

 

Environmental groups call for federal action after regulators OK Georgia Power coal ash permit

By
Jill Nolin
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An under construction cap to a coal ash pond at Georgia Power’s Plant Yates on Sept. 7, 2023. Plant Yates is one of five sites where Georgia Power intends to cap ponds where coal ash sits partially submerged in groundwater. (Grant Blankenship/GPB News)

(GA Recorder) — Environmental advocates are calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to act after state regulators issued a final permit signing off on Georgia Power’s plans to leave coal ash partly submerged in groundwater at Floyd County’s Plant Hammond.

The permit is the first to be finalized under Georgia’s state-run coal ash disposal permitting program. More than 1 million tons of toxic coal ash sit at the site in an unlined pit near the Coosa River in northwest Georgia.

The decision can be appealed within 30 days.

The state’s decision came nearly two years after the Biden administration pushed back on the utility’s plans to dispose of massive amounts of coal ash using a close-in-place method at five locations where the ash is in contact with groundwater. Toxic ash is the waste left behind after decades of burning coal to generate electricity.

In January of last year, the federal agency announced it planned to enforce an Obama-era rule designed to limit the chances of coal ash toxins leaking into groundwater or waterways. The state EPD director at the time called it a “new interpretation” of the federal rule.

Jesse Demonbreun-Chapman, who is the executive director of the Coosa River Basin Initiative, said the Rome-based organization was “profoundly disappointed” by the state agency’s decision.

Georgia Power’s Plant Hammond coal-fired units shut down in July 2019 after generating electricity in the Rome region since 1954. (Coosa River Basin Initiative)

“We now look for EPA’s response,” Demonbreun-Chapman said. “A few miles downstream of Plant Hammond, the Coosa River crosses into Alabama, where EPA just rejected (the Alabama Department of Environmental Management’s) bid to manage coal ash pond closures specifically for approving these types of cap-in-place closures that threaten groundwater.”

The federal agency is in the process of denying the state of Alabama’s plan to allow Alabama Power to continue storing coal ash in unlined ponds, arguing the state left groundwater infiltration inadequately addressed.

In Georgia, the Plant Hammond permit has been closely watched because it is considered a bellwether for how the state may handle other – and larger – coal ash sites around the state, where some observers now expect draft permits to emerge soon. The state received nearly 2,000 public comments on the Plant Hammond permit.

Critics had also warned that the karst landscape at Plant Hammond, which was retired in 2019, also makes the site vulnerable to sinkholes.

State regulators countered many of the concerns in a written response issued this month. They argued that the regulations target water – like rainfall – that moves down into the soil, not groundwater that moves laterally. The cover installed over the pond, they reasoned, protects against such vertical threats.

And they said other safeguards are in place.

“The groundwater monitoring system and required reporting is designed to detect any migration of contaminants before there are offsite impact on human health or the environment,” the state agency wrote. “If contaminates are present above regulatory thresholds, corrective action will be taken. Corrective action may include a variety of remedies up to and including removal of the waste.”

In response to the public comments and what the state agency called the EPA’s “modified interpretation,” the state added a couple of conditions to the permit, including a requirement that the utility update the groundwater model to show elevations and the amount of ash in groundwater every five years.

A Georgia Power spokesperson defended the utility’s approach to storing coal ash at Plant Hammond. The utility is capping nine ash ponds where they are while excavating 20 ash ponds, including three others at Plant Hammond, and moving that waste to a lined landfill.

“Georgia Power continues to work in compliance with state and federal regulations to close its 29 ash ponds across the state,” Kelly Richardson said in a statement Friday. “At Plant Hammond, as we have at all our ash ponds across the state, we are utilizing proven engineering methods and technologies as part of customized, site-specific closure processes. This permit issuance is an important step as we continue our ash pond closure efforts at Plant Hammond.”

‘The gauntlet has essentially been thrown by Georgia EPD’

But clean water advocates are pressing federal officials to intervene. They argue the EPA should no longer allow Georgia to run its own permitting program overseeing the disposal of coal combustion residuals. Georgia is one of three states that have established their own permitting program.

“The ball is in EPA’s court to answer a very simple question: Does a CCR rule prohibit ash from groundwater for some states and not others?” said Chris Bowers, senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. “The language is the same. The science is the same. The contamination is the same.

“And so the gauntlet has essentially been thrown by Georgia EPD by this permit, and the big question is whether or not the EPA is going to allow states to basically ignore the standards by virtue of its permit program,” he added.

Bowers argued the state permit is “not worth the paper it’s printed on” because it does not comply with the federal rule against coal ash mixing with groundwater.

To Dori Jaffe, managing attorney at the Sierra Club’s Environmental Law Program, the Plant Hammond permit illustrates why the organization has always argued against Georgia running its own permitting program.

“This is kind of where we thought this was going to end up, but with EPA’s interim decisions, we thought, well, maybe there’s a chance EPD is going to do the right thing. Unfortunately, that is not the case,” Jaffe said.

Fletcher Sams, executive director of the Altamaha Riverkeeper, which is gearing up for the Plant Scherer permit, said the federal agency should have seen the state’s decision not to rescind the Plant Hammond permit as a sign that Georgia officials “were not planning to play along.”

“The big question on my mind is, is EPA going to enforce the law or are they going to let Georgia be the only state where they’re not enforcing the third highest environmental priority of this administration,” Sams said.

When asked how the EPA plans to respond, an agency spokeswoman, Angela Hackel, said Friday in a comment that the federal agency and state regulators are “engaged in productive dialogue on closure strategies.”

But she also noted that federal regulations bar these surface impoundments from being closed if coal ash continues to be saturated by groundwater.

“We will continue working with EPD to ensure that CCR permits address all applicable requirements and are consistent with the federally approved Georgia CCR Permit Program,” Hackel said. “We are committed to our partnership with Georgia and to pursuing our shared goals of protecting groundwater from contamination and ensuring robust protections for communities.”

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