Brandon Deshun Browner, age 43, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, went to be with the Lord on Thursday, January 5, 2023.
Brandon grew up in Habersham County and dedicated his life to sports (Go Tarheels). He was a devoted coach to many and sought to inspire the next generation of athletes and young men. Brandon coached and played on many sports teams in his lifetime, influencing countless lives in the process. Most recently, he coached football at Two Rivers Middle School in Nashville, Tennessee, and helped organize a men’s softball team on which he also competed.
Brandon worked as a paraprofessional at Murrell School in Nashville, where he was affectionately known as Coach B. He was a loving father to his two children, Brannon and Bryona Browner. Brandon had a great sense of humor and was an animated storyteller. His infectious laugh never failed to put a smile on people’s faces.
Born on July 16, 1979, in Demorest, Georgia, he was a son of JL and Betty King Browner. He was preceded in death by his twin sister, Brandi Browner, and mother, Betty King Browner. Brandon leaves behind his high school sweetheart, Rebecca Browner; two children, Brannon and Bryona; father, JL Browner; brother and sister-in-law, Brian and Lynn Browner; nephews, Brison and Brett Browner; niece, Brisa Browner; and great niece, Brea Browner.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am EST on Wednesday, January 11, 2023, in the Chapel of McGahee-Griffin & Stewart, with Pastor Marlon Mimbs officiating. Interment will follow in Level Grove Cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 6-8 pm EST on Tuesday, January 10, 2023, at the funeral home.
Flowers are accepted, or donations may be made to any Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Paul Douglas King, age 63, of Cornelia, passed away on Thursday, January 5, 2023.
Born on July 12, 1959, in Demorest, he was a son of the late Silas James King and Sarah Louise Gibson King. Mr. King worked at Magnolia/Westlake Windows and Doors for a number of years. He loved fishing, photography, driving, eating, storytelling, and was a good swimmer. Paul put everyone else before himself which was shown by how greatly he loved his family and community. Mr. King was a dedicated member of Shady Grove Baptist Church, where he served as a deacon, choir member, and trustee.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his son, David Alexander King; brother, Michael Orlando King; and grandchildren: Braédon Amir Quillian and Kanon Trombly.
Survivors include his wife, Edna Benard-King of Cornelia; sons, Jermiah King, Clarkesville, and Clinton Benard, Atlanta; daughters and sons-in-law: Ashley King, Tucson, AZ, Shunquella and Willie Mayfield, Cleveland, Sharniece Quillian, Demorest, Aleyah Malone, Clarkesville, Najhia Butler, Alpharetta, Jacquline Benard, Miami, FL, Kaylatee and Mobolaji Odetola, Sandy Springs, and Diamond Harris and William, Brooklyn, NY; 13 grandchildren; special friends, Billy Joe Jenkins and Chance; special aunt, Winnie Gibson; numerous other special aunts and uncles; and a host of other family and friends.
Funeral services are scheduled for 11:00 am on Saturday, January 14, 2023, at Shady Grove Baptist Church with Bishop Ernest Burns officiating.
The family will receive friends from 6-8 pm on Friday, January 13, 2023, at the funeral home.
She jumped out of her stroller and ran into my arms once she saw me. I swooped the toddler up and held her tight as her arms wrapped around my neck. It took a minute for me to realize that a crowd was applauding such an innocent act of delight while they were waiting for loved ones at the Atlanta airport. I will never forget such a wonderful moment.
As she grew, Delta Airlines and I became companions. Flying or driving to Ft. Lauderdale every 6 to 8 weeks was the norm until COVID disrupted our lives. I attended almost every event or milestone for my precious granddaughter. I made a vow the day she was born that I would be there for her always.
Today, the child is a young woman ready to fly into her future. College is around the corner, where she will learn to make her own decisions, find her own path to travel, and hopefully, know I am just a phone call away.
I learned from the best how to be a grandparent. My grandmother taught me many things I didn’t realize until after she flew away to that grander home in Heaven. She, too, was always there for all her grandchildren. I know she understood how much I loved her, but did I convey my gratitude for her life?
His face was ashen, and his energy was sapped, so I encouraged my husband to see his physician. When he did, we were shocked to learn that his heart was in trouble and needed repair. How did we go from planning a glorious family Thanksgiving celebration to open heart surgery within days? As he was wheeled into the operating room, I watched the doors slowly close and thought, “Did I tell David how much I loved and appreciated him?”
Did I share with my friend how valuable she was to me before she died years ago? Or why didn’t I call my old high school pal and tell her I appreciated her constant support? Was I too busy to notice others who were in pain or needed a friend?
You may be questioning why I am sharing this with you. I have learned, through aging, how time can slip away. A toddler became a young woman in what seemed like days instead of years. David, my husband, discovered quickly that hours were valuable and precious.
I realized that often it is “too late.”
We all waste time and repeatedly miss golden opportunities when we do. The hours click away, and most of us do not fully comprehend that we can’t retrieve any of the minutes lost. And the closer we get to our time running out, we run around trying to pick up the minutes we left behind.
None of us can erase past mistakes; however, there is still time to fill our days with wisdom and love. Those past errors make us wise enough not to repeat them. And thank God for his forgiveness of our many sins so that we can move onward and behave better if we have the time.
Our earthly life is short and unpredictable. We can never rely on tomorrow because we are not assured we will be a part of it. So, we better get it together today. We must ask ourselves daily, “Are we living to die, or are we living to live again?”
It is the beginning of a new year. Many of us resolve to eat better, exercise more, master our golf swing, or perhaps write a best seller. Our desire is to continually improve something about ourselves. Let’s dig deeper this year, be thankful for each day, and not waste an hour. Enjoy life, spread more kindness, love deeper, pray more, give of ourselves, and tell folks how much they mean to us.
I learned years ago, through a knowing grandmother, that wisdom is something time will grant you if you hear the hours ticking away. She also told me God watches our days and how we use them. Do we spend more time entertaining ourselves or pleasing God with goodness?
I will watch a grandchild head to college this year, see a husband laughing with friends, and lay flowers on graves. It is life, and our time flies faster than a Delta jet, so let’s make the most of it by understanding its value and purpose.
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Psalms: 90:12
One day, my time will end, and I will run into my wise grandmother’s arms and thank her for all she taught the little girl who adored her.
____________
Lynn Gendusa
Lynn Walker Gendusa is an author and columnist whose work appears regularly on Now Habersham and across the U.S. through the USA Today Network. Her work has been featured in Guidepost, senior magazines, and on MSN.com. Lynn’s latest book is “Southern Comfort: Stories of Family, Friendship, Fiery Trials, and Faith.” She can be reached at www.lynngendusa.com.
Back before Christmas, I got the privilege of once again spending a decent part of my day above the clouds. A firm wedge of cool air was in place over the foothills of the southeast US, which gave me a chance to hit the high elevations of my favorite place in the region: Grandfather Mountain.
I’d been up there above the clouds several times before, but it is always a treat to see it again. I actually went twice on the same day to the same spot, which is not something I do particularly often.
I first made it at about 3 in the afternoon. The fog had just barely settled down from my spot on the Rough Ridge boardwalk, and it was incredibly bright with the sun reflecting off the white. Fortunately, the camera doesn’t care too much about that. In the distance, I could see Grandmother Mountain just barely sticking out as the ocean of clouds swirled around. Often there are wave-type features across the tops of these fog banks, as you can see here.
From a bit higher up on the ridge, you could get a great look back at the sea of clouds swirling below. In stark contrast to the deep blue sky, this makes for a particularly spectacular view.
After deciding I didn’t want to spend the rest of the day blind from the bright white sky, I receded back down into the fog. This time, though, the time of year drug me back. For just about 3-4 weeks of the year, the sun sets far enough over that it doesn’t tuck back in behind the formidable Grandfather but instead sets into a small gap. This trip above the clouds was perfect timing, as I was able to get back in time for sunset. I was even able to get my son and bring him up with me. Unfortunately, some clouds moved in to spoil the sunset itself, but they lit up spectacularly to make a great view anyways. If you have never watched the sun set over an ocean of clouds, I can’t recommend it enough.
As the sun sank further, the clouds along the horizon turned a brilliant burnt orange and made the perfect frame for Grandmother. You can also really appreciate the “blue” ridge in these images with all the distant Black Mountain chain, the tallest east of the Mississippi, showing a blue color.
My favorite image of the day wasn’t taken by me, though. A passerby saw me with my son on the edge of the cliff and offered to grab my phone and take a quick photo. It turned out lovely and is a memory I am glad to have a photograph of. Moments like this are what make it all worth it.
Perhaps you may find yourself above the clouds sometime soon, with no airplane necessary.
Have a great week, and perhaps I will see you on the trail……
(hopefully, a snowy one somewhere around Brasstown Bald on Sat/Sun)
The GBI is investigating an officer-involved shooting in Athens late Friday night that left one man dead.
Preliminary information indicates that on Friday, January 6, at 11:45 p.m., Athens-Clarke County police officers located a stolen car in the driveway of a home off Smokey Road in Athens. Three police officers tried to locate anyone at the residence to investigate further. Two officers encountered two men in a shed in the yard. One of the men, identified as Clinton Eli Burkhalter, age 42, of Athens, had his hands behind his back, the GBI says in a press release.
According to the GBI, Burkhalter refused to show the officers his hands and then put a gun to his head. As the officers took cover, Burkhalter fired several shots into the ceiling of the shed.
“Burkhalter then began coming out of the building with the gun pointed at the officers. The two officers shot Burkhalter. He fell to the ground, but still had the gun in his hand. The officer’s maintained cover until additional units arrived,” the GBI says.
Burkhalter was pronounced dead at the scene. The GBI Medical Examiner’s Office will perform an autopsy on him.
The officers were not injured.
As part of its standard operating procedure, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department contacted the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and requested a criminal investigation. ACCPD’s Office of Professional Standards has opened an administrative investigation, and the officers have been placed on administrative leave pending an initial review of the incident, says the police department’s public information officer Lt. Shaun Barnett.
The GBI will conduct an independent investigation. Once complete, the case file will be given to the Western Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.
Authorities are investigating whether a medical emergency contributed to a single-vehicle wreck early Saturday that claimed the life of a Toccoa man.
69-year-old Rafael Emiliano Garcia died in a wreck around 7:10 a.m. on January 7 on Prospect Road near Williams Bridge Road in Franklin County.
Garcia was driving an Infiniti QX60 south on Prospect Road when the crash occurred, the Georgia State Patrol reports. According to the preliminary investigation, the vehicle struck six separate mailboxes over a nearly half-mile long stretch of road before driving head-on into a tree.
“The driver had be extricated from the Infiniti and Franklin County EMS personnel immediately began CPR in an effort to resuscitate the driver; however, the driver subsequently died at the crash scene from his sustained injuries,” says Sgt. J.R. Dean of Georgia State Patrol Post 52 in Hartwell.
“Impairment is not suspected, but the driver suffering a medical emergency is under further investigation,” adds Dean.
Troopers at the scene determined Garcia was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash.
Gina Coleman Rice, age 63, passed away peacefully on Thursday morning, January 5, 2023, surrounded by her husband of 45 years and three children.
Gina was a loyal member of the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Demorest. Due to her years in the ministry, she was adored by everyone she met. If you met Gina, you loved her immediately.
She is survived by her parents, Don and Valerie Coleman; husband, Kevin Rice; children: Michelle Rice, Shaun Rice (Brelyn), and Jasmin Rice; grandchildren: Aethan Hightower, Deian Hightower, Savanna Rice, and Devon Rice; her doting aunts, uncles, and cousins; and her best friend, Karen Jones, who was the closest thing she had to a sister. Gina will be deeply missed by all.
Gina requested that no service be held.
Acts 24:15 “We have this hope…. there will be a resurrection”
Linda Justus, age 70, of Demorest, passed away on Friday, January 6, 2023.
Mrs. Justus was born May 29, 1952, in Habersham County. She was preceded in death by her mother, Hazel Moore Nelms; brothers, David Nelms and Kenneth Nelms.
Mrs. Justus had retired as the manager of two Dairy Queens in Habersham County. Linda was a member of Northside Baptist Church.
Survivors include her loving husband of 49 years, Clay Justus, of Demorest; father, Grover Nelms, of Demorest; sisters, Carol Whisnant, of Demorest; Jody Groves, of Alto; a special nephew, Zach Mize and his family, of Maine; and a special niece, Mandy Justus, of Powder Springs.
No Formal Services are planned at this time.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 322 8th Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10001
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Whitfield Funeral Homes & Crematory, North Chapel, at 245 Central Avenue, Demorest, Georgia 30535. Telephone: 706-778-1700.
(photo by Habersham County Animal Care and Control)
Two staffers at the Habersham County Animal Shelter are undergoing treatment for possible exposure to rabies after a kitten at the shelter tested positive for the virus.
The stray kitten was brought to the shelter on December 20 by someone who said they found it in a barn on L Ansley Road off BC Grant Road in the unincorporated area of Cornelia. The kitten had a leg injury and had been kept in isolation since its arrival at the shelter.
“Upon arrival, the male kitten was placed into the shelter’s medical hold room and began treatment for his injuries. The kitten was improving physically and was a playful, friendly kitten,” says Habersham County Animal Care and Control (HCACC) Director Madi Nix.
But that soon changed.
On Tuesday, January 3, an animal care technician reported during daily rounds that the kitten seemed “off” and was acting strangely. The kitten appeared to be struggling with the injured leg. The kitten also appeared to have a decreased appetite.
By Wednesday morning, the on-duty animal care technician noticed the kitten was struggling to walk and was “jumping” at the cage door. She reported the behavioral change to Nix, who evaluated the animal.
According to Nix, the kitten appeared to be entering the “furious stage” of rabies and was aggressively attacking any objects presented to him. In addition, the kitten was displaying signs of paralysis, vocalizing loudly, had dilated pupils and hydrophobia.
These before and after images show the stray kitten before and after it began exhibiting signs of rabies. The photo on the left shows the kitten shortly after it was brought to the Habersham County Animal Shelter on Dec. 20, 2022. The photo on the right shows the kitten after it began showing signs of aggression associated with the rabies virus on Jan. 4, 2023. (photos provided by Habersham County Animal Care and Control)
Nix says the kitten was humanely euthanized and sent to the health department for rabies testing. The tests came back positive Friday afternoon, marking the first confirmed case of rabies in Habersham County this year.
Even before the test results were returned, HCACC acted to get medical help for the two animal care technicians who’d been exposed to the rabid kitten.
“It is not uncommon for staff to be bitten, scratched, or come into contact with the bodily fluids of sick and diseased animals. With the clinical signs being displayed, we made the decision to have both staff members taken immediately to the Habersham County hospital for post-exposure treatment,” says Nix.
Post-exposure treatment involves a series of shots to protect against the potentially deadly virus.
Because the kitten had been kept in isolation, Nix says no visitors to the shelter were exposed.
The shelter notified the person who found the kitten that it had rabies. While no exposure was reported, and the animal was not showing clinical signs when it was dropped off at the shelter (indicating that, at that time, it was not contagious) animal control officials urge residents to be vigilant when dealing with stray animals and wildlife. They also encourage residents to take steps to protect themselves and their pets against rabies.
“We cannot stress enough that a current rabies vaccination can literally save your pet’s life,” says Nix.
In addition to vaccines, there are other things residents can do to guard against rabies:
Avoid wildlife and animals you do not know.
Do not allow your pet to roam – it can come in contact with rabid wildlife.
Never feed or touch wild animals, especially bats, skunks, raccoons, or foxes.
Seek medical attention immediately if bitten or exposed to the saliva of a wild animal.
Contact your veterinarian if your pet was exposed to a bat, raccoon, skunk, or other wild carnivores.
Do not encourage the feeding of unmanaged cat colonies. If you do feed cats, ensure they are part of a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) colony and have been vaccinated for rabies.
State law and local ordinance require all cats and dogs that are three months of age or older to be vaccinated against rabies. Local animal control officers enforce vaccination violations to protect the human and pet populations.
Know the symptoms
The time between a bite and when rabies symptoms appear is called the incubation period. It may last for weeks or months. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a bite by an animal during the incubation period does not carry a risk of rabies because the virus has not yet made it to the saliva.
Early symptoms of rabies may be gradual and hard to spot. During the first 2-4 days of infection, cats may have a fever, less energy than usual, and decreased appetite.
Symptoms tend to progress quickly to weakness or paralysis of the legs, seizures, difficulty breathing, hypersalivation (too much saliva) due to difficulty swallowing, and abnormal behavior. Changes in behavior can range from extreme aggression to extreme depression or coma.
If you’ve been in contact with any wildlife or unfamiliar animals, particularly if you’ve been bitten or scratched, wash any wounds immediately with soap and water, then consult a healthcare provider to determine your risk for rabies or other illnesses.
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 07: U.S. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) gives a thumbs-up after being elected Speaker of the House in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 07, 2023 in Washington, DC. After four days of voting and 15 ballots McCarthy secured enough votes to become Speaker of the House for the 118th Congress. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON (GA Recorder) — The U.S. House elected Kevin McCarthy speaker early Saturday after most of the chamber’s Republicans finally gathered behind him, ending a four-day stalemate that led to the most rounds of voting for a speaker since before the Civil War.
The California Republican was able to clinch the gavel on the 15th ballot by turning many of the 20 conservative GOP lawmakers who voted against him to his side through a combination of rules changes and promises that his leadership will be different from recent House GOP speakers.
McCarthy received 216 votes to 212 for Democrat Hakeem Jeffries of New York, with six Republican members voting present.
The agreement and the vote allowed the 434 current members of the chamber to be sworn in for the 118th Congress and will allow other essential steps for the House, like adopting the rules, officially forming committees, and passing bills to move forward.
McCarthy’s campaign to become the nation’s 55th speaker ran into a significant roadblock Friday just before midnight on the 14th ballot. Verbal disputes among Republicans that nearly turned physical broke out on the floor when McCarthy fell just short of gaining enough votes.
Tensions surrounding McCarthy’s efforts to clinch the gavel he’s been working towards for years led to a chaotic scene in the chamber as the California Republican walked from his seat to where Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Matt Gaetz of Florida were seated.
The two dissenters had voted present, in what originally seemed like a goodwill gesture to help lower the threshold of votes McCarthy needed to become speaker without the two having to actually vote for him.
McCarthy and Gaetz appeared to disagree strongly, yelling at each other as North Carolina’s Patrick McHenry tried to intercede to cool tensions and work toward getting McCarthy elected, as he has been for days.
North Carolina’s Richard Hudson had to hold back Alabama’s Mike Rogers from possibly getting into a physical altercation with Gaetz in a tumultuous moment for the House Republican Conference, which has been in charge of the chamber since just Tuesday.
U.S. Rep.-elect Mike Rogers (R-AL) is restrained after getting into an argument with Rep.-elect Matt Gaetz (R-FL) in the House Chamber during the fourth day of voting for Speaker of the House. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
McHenry then called for the House to adjourn until Monday at noon. Republicans initially voted for adjournment, only switching their votes at the last seconds when McCarthy cheerfully led them in moving to stay in session for the 15th and last ballot.
The last of the Republican holdouts — Andy Biggs of Arizona, Eli Crane of Arizona, Bob Good of Virginia, and Matt Rosendale of Montana — voted present on the final ballot, lowering the threshold McCarthy needed to become speaker but not actually giving him their full support. Boebert and Gaetz also voted present on the last ballot.
Concessions to conservatives
McCarthy has made several concessions to the more conservative members of his party, many of them members of the House Freedom Caucus, including a change to the motion to vacate that will allow any one member to essentially call for a no-confidence vote on the speaker.
McCarthy also promised to cut spending, though he would need to broker a deal with the Democratic Senate and the Biden administration for that to actually happen.
The nominating speech for McCarthy on the 14th ballot came from McHenry, who is slated to become chairman of the powerful House Financial Services Committee.
“I’m one of the few members left on the Republican side who has had the pleasure of serving with Kevin for the entirety of his tenure in the House,” McHenry said. “He’s unflinchingly optimistic; the glass is always half full. That’s been a hell of a trait, especially this week. He’s relentless. The man does not quit.”
California’s Pete Aguilar, House Democrats’ caucus chair, sought to remind Republicans of the two-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump rioters and the implications of GOP rule during a floor speech ahead of the 14th ballot vote.
“Today, we adjourned amidst utter confusion. Only this time, we’re returning in the dark of night — not to cast a vote to bring this country together and to do our jobs, but one that will set the path toward division and default,” Aguilar said before the vote.
Dan Bishop of North Carolina, Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Michael Cloud of Texas, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Byron Donalds of Florida, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Mary Miller of Illinois, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Andy Ogles of Tennessee, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Chip Roy of Texas, Keith Self of Texas and Victoria Spartz of Indiana all moved to backing McCarthy on the 12th ballot.
Spartz previously had been voting present in an effort to get the holdouts in a room to work out a deal.
Maryland’s Andy Harris then flipped his vote to McCarthy on the 13th ballot.
“If the agreement we were able to finalize over the last few days is implemented, it will be the greatest change in how the House operates and becomes much more responsive to the American people in at least two generations,” Harris said in a written statement following his changed vote.
Biggs, Crane, Good, and Rosendale voted against McCarthy on the 14th ballot, but all switched to present votes, along with Boebert and Good, on the 15th ballot.
Perry and the House Freedom Caucus members who shifted their support to McCarthy said the deal under negotiation will hold the speaker accountable, curb spending and allow for more conservative representation on committees.
“It is critically important that the Rules Committee reflects the body and reflects the will of the people and that is a part of this framework,” Perry said.
Challenging outlook for House
The drawn-out speaker process highlights how challenging it will be for McCarthy to move legislation across the House floor with a four-person majority.
While many of the bills the House Republican Conference plans to move will be partisan and unlikely to get floor votes in the Democratic Senate, Congress has several must-pass bills that House GOP leaders will need to negotiate with Senate Democratic leadership and the Biden administration.
Those bills have been central to the ongoing dispute within the House GOP about how the party will handle its 222-person majority during this Congress.
The more conservative members of the party want to use the dozen annual government funding bills, which are supposed to become law by the start of the fiscal year on Oct. 1, to leverage GOP policy goals.
They’ve also touted the need to raise the nation’s debt limit sometime this year as another chance to hold up legislation in an effort to get some sort of agreement on how much the federal government spends annually.
The two deadlines and issues are separate, though some Republican lawmakers have switched them around or conflated them during interviews this week.
Congress has had several stalemates over government funding go past deadlines, leading to a funding lapse or a partial government shutdown. While the process has a significant impact on federal operations and the economy, it’s nowhere near as catastrophic as a default on the debt would be.
The United States has never defaulted on its debts and just getting close to the deadline in 2011 led to a downgrade of the nation’s credit.
Moody’s Analytics Chief Economist Mark Zandi and Assistant Director Bernard Yaros wrote in a September 2021 report released amid the last round of brinkmanship on the debt limit that a default on the debt would “upend” global financial markets and the economy.
They added that “even if resolved quickly, Americans would pay for this default for generations, as global investors would rightly believe that the federal government’s finances have been politicized and that a time may come when they would not be paid what they are owed when owed it.”
‘It will be difficult, no doubt’
Maryland Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer, who is returning to the Appropriations Committee after stepping aside from leadership, said plans to bring the annual government funding bills to the floor under a process that will allow any member to offer amendments could become problematic for GOP leaders.
“Open rules don’t work because what you have is filibuster by amendment,” Hoyer said, noting that many of the amendments will be “gotcha amendments” and not substantive policy proposals.
Oklahoma’s Tom Cole said Friday night before the chamber met for the final round of votes that House Republicans can try to “encourage good behavior” so they don’t get 4,000-page bills, but can’t “impose our will on the Senate.”
“It will be difficult, no doubt. But this is the process. And I always tell people, remember, your first bill that’s passed is just simply your negotiating position,” Cole said. “But it’s going to change as it moves through the Senate. And the administration is certainly in a position to veto things, and you can veto things if you think they spend too little as well as if too much.”
M3GAN is a sci-fi horror thriller with a familiar premise, but its ingredients are interesting. It may be considered a new Child’s Play, and while those comparisons are inevitable, it has plenty of smarts, laughs, and even some scares that make it effective.
Allison Williams from Get Out stars as Gemma, an inventor at a toy company who is granted guardianship of her niece Cady (Violet McGraw) after her parents die in a car accident.
Gemma is so desperate for her company to invent a new product that will make them a success. She has a prototype that she’s been working on known as M3GAN, a life-like doll to be a child’s companion. Gemma tries it on Cady, and the two instantly hit it off.
M3GAN is programmed to protect Cady from physical and emotional harm, but Gemma gets concerned after some of M3GAN’s antics make her question the effectiveness of M3GAN’s abilities. For example, when Gemma takes Cady to a school to interact with other kids, a boy bullies Cady and M3GAN becomes immediately aggressive.
Just like in any other man or, in this case, woman vs. machine story, the robot becomes self-aware and tries to control others. This is where the movie goes into predictable territory, but that doesn’t stop it from being intriguing.
M3GAN is another thriller that could’ve easily had nothing to offer beyond its premise. Instead, it subverts the formula by creating dark, campy humor, as in M3GAN’s dance routine, and also offers a satirical edge.
I appreciate the fact that the movie has an intelligent undercurrent to match up with its scares and laughs, and while the PG-13 rating does push it a little bit, there’s more than enough for horror fans to digest.
M3GAN proves that playtime’s over. This may be a leap forward for this kind of horror.
Grade: A-
(Rated PG-13 for violent content and terror, some strong language and a suggestive reference.)
Plunging into the chilly winter waters of Unicoi Lake near Helen is an annual tradition. (Facebook)
Folks from across Northeast Georgia will ‘plunge’ into the new year Saturday at Unicoi State Park near Helen. The park’s lake will again be the site of the annual Winter Black Bear Plunge.
The Friends of Unicoi State Park hosts the annual event. Group president Kathryn Vasquez says that along with a chilly dip in the lake, participants can enjoy a bonfire, music, hot dogs and chili, and a raffle.
“We will have an EMT on standby, DJ, raffle baskets, and food,” she told WRWH News in Cleveland.
No pre-registration is required. On-site registration will begin at 10 a.m. at Unicoi Beach on Saturday, January 7. The event will continue through 12 noon.
Registration is $10 per individual and $25 for a family of four. The plunge takes place at 11:30 am.
For more information, call Friends of Unicoi State Park at 706-878-2201
