Brady Lee Haney, age 83, of Alto, passed away Wednesday, March 1, 2023.
Born on July 21, 1939 in Habersham County, he was a son of the late Hubert Haney and Effie Hamilton Haney. Mr. Haney served in the Army during the Korean War. He was the owner/operator of Haney’s Garage for over 43 years. During his spare time, Brady enjoyed racing and working on cars. He was of the Baptist faith.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Doris Tyler Haney; two brothers and three sisters.
Survivors include sons and daughter-in-law Curtis Haney of Carlton and Randy Haney (Phyllis) of Alto; sister and brother-in-law Ethel Crawford (Al) of Senoia; six grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and his companion, Selva Jean Dorsey.
One person was found dead inside a studio apartment attached to this burning barn in Hall County on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023. (Hall County Fire Rescue)
Investigators have identified the man whose body was found last month in a burning apartment in the Lula area.
The individual, Anthony Cavanaugh Murphy, 68, lived in the studio apartment attached to a barn on the property in the 8800 block of Forrester Road. The Hall County Sheriff’s Office says investigators have notified Murphy’s next of kin.
Hall County Fire Rescue (HCFR) personnel responded and fought the fire on Sunday morning, February 19. Firefighters located the body during their search of the building. HCFR received the call for the barn/apartment fire while they were battling a house fire roughly one mile away on the same property. Authorities have not said whether the fires are related but are looking into that as part of their investigation.
The sheriff’s office is investigating Cavanaugh’s death. Autopsy results are pending. His cause of death has not been determined.
The Hall County Fire Marshal’s Office is handling the fire investigation. HCFR Public Information Officer Kimberlie Ledsinger says fire officials are finishing up their investigations and are waiting on the sheriff’s office to release their findings.
“We will update the determination once they are finished,” Ledsinger says.
Georgia public school families could get $6,000 to send their children to private school, but educators worry diverting funds from public classrooms will leave children behind.
A new school voucher bill passed out of a Senate committee Tuesday and could be headed for a full Senate vote.
Senate Bill 233, authored by Cumming Republican Greg Dolezal, would allow the parents of nearly all of Georgia’s nearly 1.7 million public school students to pull their children out of class in exchange for an annual $6,000 scholarship to a private school.
“What we see when we look at other states where programs like this have been implemented, it has lifted the outcomes for not only those whose parents decided to seek an educational opportunity for them outside the public school, but it has actually lifted outcomes … to those who remained in the public school system,” Dolezal said at a meeting of the Senate Education and Youth Committee Tuesday.
Republican-led states around the country have been working to implement voucher programs; Iowa and Utah passed sweeping voucher bills last month, and Georgia lawmakers have pushed similar bills for years.
Proponents say these bills empower parents whose local districts are not meeting their children’s needs. Opponents say they funnel public school funds into private institutions without government oversight.
Lisa Morgan, president of the Georgia Association of Educators and a kindergarten teacher, said the Legislature would better serve Georgia students by setting aside more of its spending for students living in poverty.
“Six thousand dollars is less than half of the average private school tuition in this state,” she said. “So my students who are 100% free-and-reduced lunch, who are unable to come to school without school bus transportation, and who are unable to remain after school for (tutoring) without school bus transportation home, in no reality would this, quote, ‘scholarship’ provide them an opportunity to attend any school other than our public schools.”
The average private school tuition in Georgia is $11,541 per year, according to Private School Review, and prices range from $1,042 to over $57,000.
Dolezal said the voucher amount was set to $6,000 because that is about 10% lower than the average amount the state spends on each student per year, which he said would mean each student who participates would lower spending for the state than if he or she stayed in public school. The program would only be funded if the state fully covers its share of per-student spending, known as Quality Basic Education.
Dolezal cited a study by state economist Jeffrey Dorfman:
“I reviewed that study today,” he said. “Of the 181 systems, 176 actually will have their per capita amount of funding increase because the local money stays in that district under a program like this with the $6,000 number.”
Stephen Owens, education director at the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, said that math doesn’t add up.
“That only makes sense if enough students leave to actually lower the cost for the school,” he said. “And I think it’s important to recognize that lowering the costs of the school means firing teachers because we know the vast majority of dollars that go into a school are spent directly into a classroom.”
A student transferring out would cost the school that portion of the student’s share of state funds but would not equally lower the school’s costs, he said.
“You can’t lower the air conditioning by two students’ worth, and you can’t cut two seats off a school bus,” Owens said. “So it’s just additional costs for the local school and kind of a handout to the private schools that come with very little expectations of how they are supposed to use it.”
If 1% of Georgia’s public school students took advantage of the program, more than $101 million would be diverted from state school funds.
Sen. Greg Dolezal presents his school voucher bill to the Senate Education and Youth Committee. (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)
The bill requires participating students to be enrolled in public school, so private school families could not use vouchers as a coupon to send their children to the same school they were already attending. It includes exemptions including for students in schools run by the state Department of Juvenile Justice, those who are not citizens or permanent resident aliens, and students who have been convicted of certain drug-related felonies.
To participate, parents would need to submit an application to the Georgia Student Finance Commission. If they are accepted, they would receive quarterly payments in a special account which can only be used on qualified educational expenses. A committee of eight parents appointed by the head of the commission would be in charge of determining which expenses would qualify.
The bill is nearly identical to one that was shot down in the Senate last year, with a few differences. Language requiring participating schools to employ teachers with a bachelor’s degree or other credentials was removed.
“That’s something that I think worries a lot of parents in Georgia, which is we have a standard for who’s going to be watching over their kids inside the public school,” Owens said. “Is that the same standard that the private school is going to be held to? And if not, why are we kind of lowering the level of safety for our children to advance a private school voucher bill?”
Saly Phetkhosa, age 74, of Cornelia, Georgia, passed away on February 22, 2023.
Memorial Services are scheduled for 4:30 p.m., Thursday, March 9, 2023, at the Level Grove Baptist Church, Student Ministry Building, 1725 Hwy 441 Bypass, Cornelia, Georgia 30531.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Whitfield Funeral Homes & Crematory, South Chapel, at 1370 Industrial Boulevard, Baldwin, Georgia 30511. Telephone: 706-778-7123.
Joey Brown spoke in opposition to the plan for Habersham County to take over Total Fitness. He said the program lost over $126,000 in the past two years. He implored commissioners to address existing services and not create new ones. (Jerry Neace/Now Habersham)
In a called meeting Wednesday evening, the Habersham County Commission approved a full-time position for the Parks and Recreation Department in an effort to take on the responsibilities and operations of Total Fitness.
The meeting was held at 5 p.m. at the county administration building in Clarkesville. Commissioners Jimmy Tench and Bruce Harkness were not present due to scheduling conflicts.
Opposition
At the beginning of the meeting, Chairman Ty Akins requested that the agenda be amended to allow for public comments. Two citizens signed up to speak. Both spoke in opposition to the county’s plan to take over Total Fitness and hire another full-time person at the recreation department to run it.
“Why do we want to get into the gym business?” asked Joey Brown. He explained to the commission, from documents he obtained from the hospital, that the hospital lost $126,720 for 2021 and 2022 combined. “Reckon why they want to get rid of it?” he asked rhetorically.
Brown told commissioners that over the last week, he stopped by Total Fitness at various times to see how many people were using the facility. During his visits, he said he counted a total of six people. He asked the commission to address the services the county already has and not increase services. Brown also asked the commission to address the jail and landfill issues and improve recycling opportunities in the county.
‘Bloated government’
Keith Canup spoke out against the county’s plan to take over Total Fitness. He also questioned commissioners Akins, Palmer, and Mealor about the timing of their called meeting. (Jerry Neace/Now Habersham)
Keith Canup asked the commission to start classifying employees as essential and non-essential and then asked them to increase the number of essential employees, such as EMTs, firefighters, road workers, and road deputies and cut the number of non-essential employees.
“This does not make sense to me [adding personnel to the recreation department],” Canup said. “Already bloated government added to bloated government doesn’t make fiscal sense to me as a taxpayer. I guarantee you’re going to go up on the millage rate either this year or next year.”
Canup said that since the hospital was losing money on Total Fitness, he was concerned the county would be no different. He expressed concern that taking over the program would result in money being poured into it.
“You know, 47,000 residents in this county should not shoulder the burden for a few on a bad deal,” he said.
Canup implored the commission to get their facts before making decisions. He also expressed his concerns about the meeting itself and the time and date.
“Don’t rush out and table the vote at the meeting then all of a sudden create an emergency meeting because it’s like some big thing’s got to be done tomorrow and fix it on a day when most people are at church or ain’t even off work yet,” he said.
About a dozen people turned out for the called meeting. Keith Canup and others criticized the meeting’s timing at 5 p.m. on a Wednesday when many people were leaving work or getting ready to attend church. (Jerry Neace/Now Habersham)
Habersham County Manager Alicia Vaughn explained to the commissioners that the county is in a better position than what the hospital was related to billing with the Silver Sneakers program. According to Vaughn, Medicare only reimbursed the hospital for the use of the Total Fitness facility, whereas now, with the county, Medicare will reimburse the county whether the program member uses the fitness center, the pool, or just walks inside the recreation department.
Vaughn assured the commissioners that the county could run the operation much more efficiently than the hospital because the county won’t have the overhead costs that the hospital had.
The hospital leased space at the recreation department for Total Fitness at a cost of $18,000 a year. The hospital had one full-time employee and three part-time employees. According to Vaughn, the county only needs to hire the one full-time employee. She said the recreation department already has the needed part-time staff on payroll.
The position requested would be a Programs and Fitness Specialist. The starting pay is anticipated to be $42,000 a year or $20.19 per hour. Recently, Commissioner Bruce Palmer stated publicly to Now Habersham that the position would start at $18 per hour.
At the February commission meeting, Brooke Whitemire presented that the midpoint pay would be $24.89 per hour.
Commissioners Mealor, Akins, and Palmer, along with county manager Alicia Vaughn, presided over the called meeting one week after tabling the decision at the commission’s regular monthly board meeting. (Jerry Neace/Now Habersham)
Commissioner Palmer stated that once the county gets into it, if it doesn’t work, the county would reevaluate it at that time.
“In my opinion, we can move forward with it; we can evaluate it come budget time,” said Palmer.
Habersham County Commissioner Dustin Mealor had a different perspective about taking over Total Fitness.
“We had no business being in the hospital business, I really don’t think we should be in the gym business,” Mealor said. His idea is to keep Total Fitness open temporarily and then issue a request for proposals (RFP) to see if a private entity would want to run it. At budget time, he suggested they reevaluate the service.
Should the service make a profit and no RFP is received, then the county should continue running it, Mealor said. However, if the county does receive an RFP, then it should be run by a private business. If it runs at a loss and there is no RFP, he would no longer support the county running it.
The commissioners present voted 3-0 to approve the full-time position for the recreation department. Commissioner Palmer made the motion “to approve the creation of a full-time Program and Fitness Specialist position to be reevaluated at the beginning of the 2024 budget year either to maintain or submit an RFP for operations.”
This is the eighth new position the Habersham County Commission has approved for the recreation department since December.
Medlink link?
After the meeting, Now Habersham spoke with Vaughn about the possibility of Medlink taking over the operations of Total Fitness, as discussed at the Hospital Authority meeting. She stated that she had reached out to Dr. Derrick Klemm of Medlink in Demorest last week but had not heard back from him.
Total Fitness currently has around 550 members. (Jerry Neace/Now Habersham)
After the meeting, Now Habersham reached out to commissioners Tench and Harkness for their reaction to the decision.
“I am a trial lawyer, and I cannot be given 24-hour notice of meetings, but I thought there was no real rush for today’s meeting because I think we still needed more information because, one, if the hospital could not make it work, how can the county make it work? Two, the county government should not be running a private gym in direct competition with the taxpayers of this county who own and operate gyms within just a few short miles.”
“The people who are currently using the gym could have still used the Aquatic Center to walk daily for free, and the Senior Center offered to take over the gym equipment, and I believe they could have run it at no extra charge to the county,” Harkness said. “I am for taking care of our people, but yet we have to be wise and prudent in how we spend the taxpayers’ money, and I am very conservative and plan to continue to be so.”
Habersham County Historical Society Executive Director Audrey Davenport, and Board of Directors members Jackie Durham Hodges and Debby Satterfield are shown with a proclamation from the Habersham County Board of Commissioners celebrating the Historical Society’s 50th Year Golden Jubilee Celebration set for March 11 at Piedmont University in Demorest. Shown, from left, are Habersham County Commissioners Bruce Harkness, Jimmy Tench, Chairman Ty Akins, Dustin Mealor, and Bruce Palmer. (Rob Moore/Habersham County)
The Habersham County Historical Society Inc. is gearing up for its 50th Year Golden Jubilee Celebration set for March 11 at Piedmont University in Demorest.
Last week, the Habersham County Board of Commissioners recognized the work of that organization with a proclamation.
Habersham County Historical Society Executive Director Audrey Davenport and Board of Directors members Jackie Durham Hodges and Debby Satterfield received the proclamation from Habersham County Commission Chairman Ty Akins.
Members of the Board of Commissioners and all city officials of Habersham County will be honored with a Fon Ouay Pon Thon Hap (Blessing Dance) by the Laotian community at 11:15 a.m. Saturday, March 11, at The Commons at Piedmont University.
FILE PHOTO - An Atlanta police cruiser burned on Spring Street next to CNN Center in 2020 after a peaceful protest march deteriorated into a night of arson and shattered glass on downtown streets. (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)
(GA Recorder) — State House lawmakers passed a pair of GOP bills targeting demonstrators who resort to violent tactics when protesting, but opponents decried the tough-on-crime measures as unnecessary and wrong-headed.
One of the proposals would make it a felony to riot and add rioting to the list of offenses where bail must be set by a superior court judge. The bill passed Wednesday with a 98-to-73 vote.
The second bill would carve out a new arson offense for setting a police car ablaze and allow a judge to fine someone up to $100,000 for the damage or send them to prison for a minimum of five years – or both. This one cleared the House with a 100-to-69 vote.
The bills now move over to the state Senate for consideration.
Proponents framed the measures as necessary to send a message to out-of-state demonstrators and pointed to a recent protest of a proposed public safety training facility in Atlanta where a police car was burned. Many of the protestors hailed from outside the state of Georgia.
Protests that started off peacefully in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in the summer of 2020 also turned violent and led to the destruction of a police car and several businesses in downtown Atlanta.
A photo of an Atlanta police cruiser in flames was cast on a large digital screen in the House chamber Wednesday.
“I don’t know why people can’t understand that Georgia people don’t do this and so don’t come to Georgia if you’re going to burn a police car or break into businesses. We don’t want it,” said Rep. Penny Houston, a Nashville Republican.
Rep. Gregg Kennard, a Lawrenceville Democrat, said making it a crime to destroy a police car makes sense. But he argued lawmakers were whittling away at the changes made during former Gov. Nathan Deal’s administration.
“For five years now, I’ve seen measure after measure that chips away at that legacy, that erodes that legacy. We have done an about-face on criminal justice reform, and this measure is proof positive of that,” Kennard said.
But supporters countered that it would still be up to the judge whether to sentence a person to both the maximum fine of $100,000 and a prison sentence ranging from five to 20 years. They argued the special offense and penalties are warranted since the police cruiser is one of the most important tools a police officer has. Today, it’s already a crime to damage government property.
“When you burn one of the vehicles, it’s an assault on law and order all across this state,” said Rep. Clint Crowe, a Jackson Republican.
Some Democrats also warned that the plan to increase penalties for rioting could be loosely interpreted by prosecutors and have a chilling effect on free speech. One lawmaker evoked the legacy of the late Civil Rights leader John Lewis, who was famously beaten on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma.
Currently a misdemeanor, rioting would become a felony punishable by between one and 20 years in prison. Rioting is defined as “any two or more persons who shall do an unlawful act of violence or any other act in a violent and tumultuous manner commit the offense of riot.”
“Georgians proudly defend the rights of peaceful protestors but will not tolerate violence that damages people or property,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Mike Cheokas, an Americus Republican. “We will prosecute the violent in order to protect the peaceful and innocent.”
Cheokas, who chairs the House Small Business Development Committee, said the images of destruction broadcast on the news hurts downtown Atlanta’s convention and tourism business, and his bill would help protect those valuable industries from “brand damage” caused by more rioting.
But Rep. Carolyn Hugley, a Columbus Democrat, said the change would only make it harder and more expensive for people and their families to bail them out of jail ahead of their day in court.
“People who break the law are not watching us and know that we are making this a higher penalty, but families are the ones who are going to suffer,” Hugley said.
House Minority Leader James Beverly, a Macon Democrat, blasted the bills in a statement Wednesday.
“We should be discussing how to stop the relentless scourge of gun violence. We should be discussing the many Georgians who will be without health insurance in a month,” Beverly said, referring to the upcoming end of a pandemic-era Medicaid coverage rule. “These are the issues that our efforts should be focused on.
“If you aren’t going to help Georgians, you cannot criticize the way in which they cry out against injustices.”
The North Georgia Technical College Foundation recently awarded $23,860 in scholarships to students enrolled at the college for spring semester 2023. Scholarship assistance ranged from $200 to $1500 per student and included tuition and fees, books and dormitory fees, the college announced.
“The Foundation at North Georgia Technical College awards numerous scholarships thanks to so many generous donors in our community who want to make technical education possible for students who need extra financial assistance,” said
The NGTC Foundation raised more than $36,000 last November during its very first National Day of Giving campaign for student scholarships. The NGTC Foundation’s Board of Directors oversees scholarship awards.
“They all have a true passion for assisting students who have the desire to learn new skills to become more employable,” Hulsey said.
NGTC offers scholarships for fall, spring and summer semesters to students in various programs at all three NGTC campuses in Clarkesville, Blairsville and Stephens County.
Summer semester begins May 22. Scholarship applications are currently available. Visit northgatech.edu/foundation to apply. The deadline is Thursday, April 27.
Tracey Nance, the 2020-21 Georgia teacher of the year, testifies on Georgia’s so-called “Dont say Gay” bill. (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)
(GA Recorder) — A watered-down version of a bill opponents called Georgia’s version of “Don’t Say Gay” legislation appears dead in the water after failing in a crucial Senate committee Wednesday.
The first version of the bill would have restricted schools, camp counselors and other authority figures from answering children’s questions about gender identity or sexual orientation. The latest version would have required all local boards of education to develop a policy for dealing with parental involvement and child privacy related to issues of gender identity.
It also would have required all private schools or camps that planned to instruct children on issues of gender identity to get parental signatures first, with exemptions for religious schools or camps. A violation could have led to withholding of funds for a public school or loss of accreditation for a private school.
Tom Rawlings, a child welfare attorney assisting Cordele Republican Sen. Carden Summers with the bill, said the changes were made in response to complaints from LGBTQ advocates.
“I understood from our colleagues who advocate on these issues that there were some significant concerns,” he said. “And so we made our best effort to address those concerns while focused on the real purpose of this bill, making sure that when a child is dealing with an issue that is so important as gender identity, that to the extent that it is appropriate and safe, that parents be involved in that decision.”
“We are not here trying to shut down any conversation,” he added. “We’re not trying to limit. What we are trying to do is make sure that for private institutions that parents who sign up to send their child to a private school can, if they’re going to talk about gender identity, if they’re going to have a curriculum or instruction in gender identity, then they just need to tell the parents, to get their buy-in.”
Many advocates were not convinced. More than 30 people signed up to speak, mostly against the measure, though only a handful got the chance because the meeting included discussion of three bills and was only allotted one hour.
“I want us to say no to this,” said Tracey Nance, the 2020-21 Georgia teacher of the year. “I want us to trust teachers, and I can tell you one of the very best ways to run off the best teachers in this state is to tell us that we have to lie to our students and that we have to turn them away.”
Nance said she believes the real issue is that too many children do not feel like they can trust their parents.
“I have had children come to me and come out to me, even in a foreign country on study abroad,” she said. “I’ve had children from families where they have four moms. What message are we sending when we other our LGBTQ+ students and their families?”
Speaking to the Recorder after the hearing, one group of LGBTQ students said the conversations with adults that stuck with them were not dramatic coming-out stories but small acts of kindness.
The students asked that their last names not be published for privacy concerns with their schools and extended families.
Isabella, a Forsyth County student who identifies as lesbian, said her middle school choir teacher made a big difference in her life by treating her like everyone else, chatting about girlfriends and crushes the same way she did with straight students.
“It really did mean so much in that moment to have not a grand gesture, support, but even just that subtlety, that confirmation that I’m not really that different from anybody else,” she said. “I can’t fathom what it would have been like if a bill like Senate Bill 88 was in place, I just would not have that freedom at all.”
Arya, a Gwinnett student who identifies as part of the LGBTQ community, said she remembers an incident where a student used a homophobic slur in class and the teacher interrupted the lesson to have a conversation about respecting others.
“That was the first time that I had a teacher openly address queer subjects and homophobia within their classroom, and it made me feel safe,” she said. “Like, I had not felt safe inside of a classroom until that moment.”
Neha, a metro Atlanta student who identifies as queer, had a similar story about an orchestra teacher calling out another student for homophobia.
“It’s small displays of allyship and small displays of people saying that, hey, doing things that are homophobic and disrespecting people who are different than you is not okay, and we should be open and accepting to all types of people,” she said. “Large displays of support aren’t really what I want, and I appreciate even the small displays of just like, we’re here for you, and we support you, even if it’s not directly aimed at yourself.”
Georgia School Board Association lobbyist Stephanie Tanner said a blanket policy could lead to cases of child abuse and open educators to lawsuits. It could also prevent the types of reassuring interactions the students described.
“It takes away local autonomy by forcing local boards to have policies around gender identity and parental notification,” she said. “It’s impossible to account for every situation, so that opens boards up to more lawsuits. So instead, GSBA wants to handle these on a case-by-case basis so that we can maintain the dignity of all involved parties.”
Even the Georgia Baptist Convention opposed the bill. Lobbyist Mike Griffin said he appreciates the goal of encouraging parental involvement.
“However, we have heard from many folks including our legal partners and activists from around the state on this issue with this bill, and we believe that this bill has dramatic unintended consequences for parental rights and for children in public schools as well,” he said. “Those concerns have not all been addressed, and so as it stands, we’re concerned with this bill, although we certainly share the motivation of the sponsors.”
Members of the Republican-controlled committee appeared to feel the same way. A motion to table the bill passed nearly unanimously, with Majority Leader Steve Gooch of Dahlonega the only one opposed.
Protesters silently held up signs during the vote on Georgia’s so-called “Don’t say Gay” bill. Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder
Jen Slipakoff, an LGBTQ advocate and mom of a transgender child, was among a large crowd celebrating in the hallway after the vote.
“I’m absolutely thrilled that it was tabled,” she said. “It looks like we’ve kind of held it at bay for at least another legislative session. I think that this bill does not have the best interest of kids in mind, and so I’m happy that we were able to avoid passing a bill that would really harm LGBTQ+ kiddos.”
Georgia Equality executive director Jeff Graham was also smiling after the meeting, but he said this win does not represent a total victory.
“While I’m pleased that this particular bill has been tabled, I remain concerned that this kind of talk is generating so much attention here in the Legislature this year, and the very debate is causing harm to kids,” he said.
LGBTQ Georgians have raised the alarm about other bills winding their way through the Legislative process, including SB 140 and 141, which seek to limit gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, and SB 180, a religious freedom bill.
Monday is Crossover Day, the deadline for a bill to pass the House or Senate without extra legislative maneuvers – last year, on the final day of the session, lawmakers revived a bill that led to transgender girls being banned from girls’ school sports teams.
UGA defensive lineman Jalen Carter is charged with reckless driving and racing in connection to the fatal crash that killed a teammate and recruiting staff member. (Facebook)
UGA football star Jalen Carter says he will return to Athens to answer to the misdemeanor charges against him. The defensive lineman also says he expects to be cleared of any criminal wrongdoing in the wreck that killed one of his teammates and a UGA recruiting staffer in January.
In a statement released on social media Wednesday afternoon, Carter says police notified him by phone that he had been charged in the case.
“This morning I received a telephone call from the Athens, Georgia, police department informing me that two misdemeanor warrants have been issued against me for reckless driving and racing. Numerous media reports also have circulated this morning containing inaccurate information concerning the tragic events of January 15, 2023. It is my intention to return to Athens to answer the misdemeanor charges against me and to make certain that the complete and accurate truth is presented. There is no question in my mind that when all of the facts are known, that I will be fully exonerated of any criminal wrongdoing.” – Jalen Carter
Carter’s teammate Devin Willock and UGA football recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy died in the January 15 wreck on Barnett Shoals Road in Athens. The Athens-Clarke County Police Department says toxicology reports show LeCroy’s blood alcohol level was above the legal limit of .08 at the time of the crash.
According to police, the investigation found that LeCroy, 24, and Carter, 21, were operating their vehicles in a manner consistent with racing shortly after leaving the downtown Athens area around 2:30 a.m. on January 15. LeCroy was driving a Ford Expedition carrying Willock and two others and Carter was driving a Jeep Trackhawk.
Around 2:45 a.m., the Expedition crashed. Willock was pronounced dead at the scene. LeCroy died at the hospital.
The wreck injured UGA offensive lineman Warren McClendon and UGA recruiting staffer Tory Bowles.
“The evidence demonstrated that both vehicles switched between lanes, drove in the center turn lane, drove in opposite lanes of travel, overtook other motorists, and drove at high rates of speed in an apparent attempt to outdistance each other,” says Athens-Clarke County Police Department Public Information Officer Lt. Shaun Barnett.
Evidence indicated that shortly before the crash, the Expedition was traveling at about 104 miles per hour.
Chandler LeCroy (Instagram)
The toxicology report indicated that LeCroy’s blood alcohol concentration was .197 at the time of the crash. Investigators determined that alcohol impairment, racing, reckless driving, and speed were significant contributing factors to the crash.
Athens-Clarke police confirmed they have been in contact with Carter’s agent and representatives.
“ACCPD has been in contact with Mr. Carter’s representatives, and it is my understanding that Mr. Carter is making arrangements to turn himself in,” says Lt. Barnett. He says the case will now be turned over to the Solicitor General’s Office in Athens.
In a statement released after the police department’s announcement, UGA head coach Kirby Smart called the charges against Carter “deeply disturbing.”
The old Habersham County Courthouse is considered by many to be the ugliest courthouse in Georgia. (Margie Williamson/Now Habersham)
Officials from Habersham County and Clarkesville say they’re working together to determine how best to use the old courthouse property in Clarkesville. In an informal meeting on Friday, officials from the two governments, including representatives of the development authority, sat down to open a dialogue on the matter.
According to Habersham County Public Information Officer Rob Moore, no quorum was present at the meeting.
In a joint press release issued Tuesday, officials said they discussed what types of businesses and uses would be most beneficial to both city and county residents. They also discussed pursuing joint grants and other funding opportunities to upgrade utilities and infrastructure and possibly working together to clean up the county-owned property on Monroe Street.
“I am encouraged at the positive tone of our discussions and look forward to working with Clarkesville officials as we together chart a course for the future success of the county and city,” said County Manager Alicia Vaughn in a press release. “We do not want to make hasty or one-sided decisions that are not looking 30 to 50 years down the road, nor do they, and these open, ongoing discussions are key to planning.”
The old courthouse has sat vacant and decaying on the Clarkesville square since the county moved its administrative offices into the new administration building southeast of town in 2019. Officials are jointly looking at ways to clean up the property and make it more attractive for potential developers or development.
Years of decay have taken their toll on the old county courthouse, which sits in the center of downtown Clarkesville. (Margie Williamson/Now Habersham)
Clarkesville City Councilman Franklin Brown, who was in Friday’s meeting, said he wants to clear up a public misconception that the city is not willing to work with the county.
“I would like to set the record straight that the City of Clarkesville has always been willing to work with the county,” Brown said. “We want to work cooperatively to come up with the highest and best use of that property to benefit downtown Clarkesville and Habersham County through a joint public/private partnership if need be.”
Brown said if the numbers are right, the city is ready to proceed.
“I want us to get things started immediately – as quickly as possible,” he said.
Habersham County Commission Chairman Ty Akins said he is optimistic about the future of the property.
“We look forward to working together with the City of Clarkesville to find a win-win solution for the best use of the property for the entire community,” Akins said.
Prior to Friday’s meeting, plans to develop the old courthouse property were essentially on hold after a failed bid by Clarkesville to obtain the property. Soon after, on February 6, Clarkesville imposed a six-month moratorium on new apartments in Clarkesville. Shortly after that, the Habersham County Development Authority withdrew its request for proposals for 90 days.
Going through the juvenile system would grant eligible 17-year-old defendants more privacy than in state superior court – where records are usually available for public inspection – and place them in a more rehabilitation-focused setting. (Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice photo)
(GA Recorder) — A House panel signed off on a bipartisan plan Tuesday to divert more 17-year-old defendants to the state’s juvenile court system, backing the bill over the objections of Georgia sheriffs.
Georgia is currently one of three states where 17-year-olds accused of a crime are adjudicated alongside adults in state superior court. The bill’s sponsor, Canton Republican Rep. Mandi Ballinger, has pushed to change that for several years now through her “raise the age” proposals.
Ballinger’s proposal was voted out of the juvenile justice committee that she chairs a second time this year Tuesday as a key deadline quickly approaches. A bill must clear at least one chamber by this coming Monday to have the clearest shot at becoming law this year.
The measure was sent back to her committee by the gatekeeping Rules Committee Tuesday morning so lawmakers could adopt a change that would give the state more time to pay for the costs to implement the policy. The new age cut-off rules would expire in 2030 if left unfunded.
“The sheriffs are strongly opposed. We have some fundamental concerns,” Michael Mitchell, a lobbyist for the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association, told lawmakers Tuesday.
The group representing county sheriffs across the state has raised concerns about the cost, the potential strain more trips to regional juvenile detention centers would have on staffing and whether it’s even a good idea to mix older teens with younger children.
“I don’t know that we’re ever going to get over those ‘fundamental concerns’ of 17-year-olds are evil or they’re going to be a bad influence on 16-year-olds,” Ballinger said.
“Although how putting 17-year-olds with adult offenders in adult jails isn’t corrupting 17-year-olds who get arrested for open container, I don’t know how that’s not corrupting them. I’m at a bit of loss,” she said.
Ballinger has argued that science is on her side and proves that a 17-year-old’s brain is still developing and vulnerable to the kind of peer pressure an adult is better equipped to rebuff.
Sending eligible older teens through the juvenile court system would grant them more privacy and place them in a more rehabilitation-focused setting.
The bill would not apply to 17-year-olds who have committed a gang-related crime, who are not first-time offenders or who have committed the most serious offenses, like murder.
Ballinger’s bill now goes back to the Rules Committee, which decides which bills make it to the full chamber for a vote and where sheriffs are trying to head it off. A group of sheriffs sent a letter Tuesday to the Rules Committee chairman warning that the policy “is not practical for many reasons and will inevitably render Georgians less safe.”
But if the bill is passed, the association is asking for implementation to be pushed back a year to Jan. 1, 2026, to give the state more time to ramp up the bed and staffing capacity within the state Department of Juvenile Justice.
The sheriffs also want to rename a proposed “implementation committee,” which would meet in the meantime to review the cost and plans to adapt the system to accommodate the 17-year-olds. They argue it should be called a “feasibility committee” or something that would indicate that adopting the policy is not a foregone conclusion.
Ballinger said the implementation committee’s role would be to ensure the infrastructure is in place for the Department of Juvenile Justice. The state will cover the cost to increase the capacity, although she argued the limitations included in the bill will likely keep the number of newly eligible 17-year-olds small.
“I don’t know how else to assure y’all that that’s going to be paid for by the state,” Ballinger said. “I think it says it pretty clearly in the bill.”
Brady Lee Haney, age 83, of Alto, passed away Wednesday, March 1, 2023.
