Baldwin has canceled its municipal court this week. All hearings that were scheduled for Tuesday, December 13, and Wednesday, December 14, have been rescheduled for 11 a.m. on Wednesday, January 11, 2023.
Baldwin Clerk of Court Susan Newsom says the change was necessary due to unexpected circumstances.
If you have any questions, please contact Newsom at 706-776-5256 extension 210.
Back in November, Cornelia City Manager Dee Anderson announced Norfolk Southern Railroad offered to pay the city $100,000 to get rid of the Hoyt Street Bridge. On top of that, he said the railroad agreed to remove the bridge and clean up the area at no cost to the city.
Cornelia city commissioners said they wanted more time to explore the matter and get input from residents before making a decision. They’re still assessing things.
Cornelia Mayor John Borrow this week told Now Habersham that comm waiting to hear from people living in the neighborhoods that will be most affected by the change. Since there’s no rush to take Norfolk Southern up on its offer, commissioners are holding off on a decision for now.
The steel and timber-girded bridge crosses high above the railroad tracks, providing a convenient cut-through between the north and south sides of town.
In need of repair, the Hoyt Street Bridge has the third-worst safety rating of all the bridges in Habersham County. Because of that, the city has lowered the weight limit to discourage heavy trucks from using the bridge.
Explaining the commission’s measured approach to deciding on the future of the Hoyt Street Bridge, commissioner Don Bagwell previously said, “Once the bridge is gone, it’s gone forever.” At the time, he said he wanted the city to analyze how removing the bridge might affect traffic patterns and city services.
(GA Recorder) — The Georgia Department of Community Affairs has received an inquiry from the state’s Democratic congressional members over the agency’s decision to stop accepting new applications for a $1.1 billion program designed to keep thousands of families with a roof over their heads.
Six Democratic members of the Georgia delegation sent a letter to Christopher Nunn, commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs, asking him why he closed off new applications for the Georgia Rental Assistance program and how the remaining funds would be distributed.
The department announced on its website that it would no longer accept new applications after Oct. 28, an abrupt decision that caught off guard housing rights groups and other nonprofits working to assist low-income families who are depending on the payments to cover their rent.
According to the congressional letter, 235,217 evictions were filed between April 2020 and October 2022 in Atlanta despite federally enacted eviction moratoriums.
“This termination potentially leaves thousands of Georgian families without shelter, jeopardizing Georgia’s economic recovery,” reads the Dec. 2 letter from U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson and his Democratic colleagues. “These Georgians work and operate small businesses, have young children at home, or are trying to put their life back on track following a global crisis, and they deserve answers about why DCA suddenly ceased accepting new applications for the federally-funded Emergency Rental Assistance Program.”
DCA announced in late October that it would no longer accept new tenant and landlord applications due to insufficient funding. Since March 2021, nearly 90% of the $989 million in funding has been paid or committed to pay to more than 8,000 landlords for rent owed to 54,000 tenants. The Treasury Department has also reallocated $280 million to local governments.
The decision did not affect existing participants’ eligibility for additional rental assistance.
Nunn responded with a Dec. 6 letter to the Democratic delegation that the claim that it took days to notify agencies that new applicants were no longer being accepted was incorrect.
“Based on the advice and experience of other programs, GRA did not provide advance notice so as not to generate a surge of applications that the program would likely not be able to fund,” Nunn wrote. “For reference, GRA’s new applications peaked in June 2022 and has continued to trend down since that point.
“To imply it took days to communicate is simply inaccurate,” Nunn said. “Not only did DCA include a simple status update on the portal, along with detailed updates to Frequently Asked Questions, but GRA also sent more than 130,000 emails to tenants and landlords who had submitted applications.”
DCA is recommending that tenants contact their landlords directly to ensure their landlord has applied to the program, and applicants should respond promptly to documentation requests from program staff.
Funds are typically transferred directly to landlords whose delinquent tenants are at risk of becoming homeless due to job losses or other hardships during the pandemic. The federal program requires participants to earn less than 80% of the median income in their area.
A state improvement plan was submitted in November 2021 after Georgia’s 9% distribution rate fell significantly below the Treasury Department’s 30% threshold. Multiple other states were well ahead of the Georgia agency in allocating funds, but the state complained that launching the program was difficult due to the quick turnaround and bureaucratic red tape.
At the time, Georgia’s agency detailed the steps it took to improve a program that was delivering aid to renters and landlords 60% faster.
‘Tis the season for all things bright and beautiful. ‘Tis the time to celebrate, decorate, and congregate. The Holiday season is always chaotic and filled with expectations for the young and old. We all desire it to be full of the same childlike wonder we once enjoyed and sprinkled with elfin dust.
Christmas becomes difficult and painful for many who are going through hardships as if grief needs more heartache. There are those whose financial circumstances feel pressure to purchase items they can ill afford while their children search for Santa in the night sky above them. Yes, sometimes the season can fall flat, joyless, and painful for some.
The other day as I walked toward the kitchen to grab my coffee, I heard a snippet on the news that struck me. I have no idea what story it was related to, but when I heard it, I wanted to jump up and down while singing, “Joy to the World!”
“It seems people are growing tired of hatred.” That such a sentence was so profound that it made the news and stopped me in my quest for my morning java is miraculous.
Antisemitism, racism, intolerance, conspiracies, and violence have inundated our world at warp speed and created distrust in all aspects of our lives. We have been so caught up in our beliefs and opinions in the last few years that maybe we should keep putting up campaign signs instead of Christmas trees.
Tired of hatred? Duh, you bet ya! Yet, how do we stop it? How can we help those suffering, and how do we return to a Christmas filled with comfort for all? Well, it goes back to the first sentence of this story, “Tis the Season!’
God looked down upon this world 2022 years ago and said (in my own words), “My poor children need some help down there! They love to hate, and they lose their way through outside influences. They surely can’t see the forest for the trees, and if a miracle landed on their front porch, many would stomp on it before they recognized it was a priceless treasure. Yep, I created every one of them in every color and gave them a good brain with free will to discern right from wrong. Shoot, and sometimes they get it all wrong, so I must take immediate action before it becomes downright dangerous!”
So, on a cold winter night, a baby was born to show the world the face of God. The forest opened, the light was shown, and a miracle was delivered to save us. The son of God was given to us from love, not hate. Christ came to forgive, to teach, and to spread the absolute joy of his Father.
He lived to comfort the grieving and the downtrodden and to encourage us never to give up hope. And if we understood the story of Christmas, we would all be tired of hate and denounce those who promote it. If we comprehend the miracle of Christmas, we will see God standing with us during all our suffering and pain.
‘Tis the season to promote goodwill and peace, not discord and distrust. It is the time to look to a righteous and just God who loved us enough to send his son to take the fall for us. Do we not understand, after all this time, that hate will never, ever, not in a million years, win?
So take the campaign signs down, store the anger away, destroy the bitterness in your heart and let Christmas flow right in. Trust God to heal our pain and forgive our distrust. We must celebrate the greatest gift that costs absolutely nothing to obtain if we just open the front door.
The Lord is still with us, walking among us, reminding us to be of good courage and filled with humility, generosity, love, and kindness. He expects us to hear and honor him in everything we do and say. ‘Tis the season to praise God from whom all blessings, comfort, strength, and elfin dust flow.
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel” (which means “God with us.”) Matthew: 1:23
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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.
A late-night fire Saturday in Hall County destroyed an empty commercial chicken house.
Firefighters were dispatched to the scene in the 3600 block of Bob Bryant Road around 9:40 p.m. on December 10.
Upon arrival, crews found the structure to be fully involved, as well as a camper that was nearby. Both the structure and the vehicle are a total loss, says Hall County Fire Rescue Public Information Officer Kimberlie Ledsinger.
Due to the size of the structure, it took firefighters more than an hour to put the fire out. No animals or people were injured in the blaze. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
A Hartwell woman was struck and killed by a vehicle as she attempted to walk across a Hart County highway Saturday evening.
The state patrol says 54-year-old Barbara Brenda Teasley died after being struck by a Ford Flex traveling westbound on GA 8/US 29 near Norman Road.
Troopers from Georgia State Patrol Post 52 in Hartwell were dispatched to the scene at approximately 6 p.m. on December 10. According to their report, Teasley was walking north attempting to cross the westbound travel lanes when she was hit. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The wreck did not injure the couple in the vehicle. They’re identified as Helen Annette Ross, 54, and Frank Charles Ross, 58, both of Hartwell. Troopers say Helen Ross was driving at the time of the crash. No charges are expected to be filed.
The Indians had the ball with six seconds on the clock and trailing by a point but were unable to get off a last shot despite hard contact on a drive by Anfernee Hanna. #10-ranked Oglethorpe County held on for the 66-65 win Saturday at Tallulah Falls in a top-10 matchup.
The #5 Indians had a flurry of 3-pointers in the first quarter, as Hanna (two), Vlad Popescu, and Krystian Jankiewicz all connected from downtown to help TFS to a slim 23-21 lead.
In the second, the visitors used a 9-0 run before Hanna’s driving layup ended a TFS scoring drought and pulled the game within 30-25. Popescu drained another trifecta and Hanna dunked later in the quarter, though the Indians trailed 36-30 at the break. Hanna had 15 points in the first half.
Oglethorpe went ahead by 10 before Diego Crotta nailed a tray from deep in the third. Popescu and Crotta hit back-to-back threes moments later to make it a one-point game at 43-42. Oglethorpe was ahead 47-44 heading into the final stanza.
Hanna had a put-back with just under three minutes remaining to knot the game at 60 apiece.
Hanna paced the offense with 21 points, while Popescu tallied 13, Crotta 12, and Zakhar Valasiuk 10. Jankiewicz finished with five and Lincoln Hall four to round out the scoring. TFS is now 7-2 on the season.
The JV Indians also moved to 6-0 on the season with a tight 43-39 win over Oglethorpe, keeping their unblemished record intact.
GIRLS
The #8-ranked Lady Indians dropped their sixth game in a row in a tough 57-54 loss at home Saturday to Oglethorpe County.
TFS was outscored 18-9 in the first, and trailed 34-22 at the haltime break. The Lady Indians stormed back in the third, pulling within 47-41 going into the final quarter. Oglethorpe would hold on for the 3-point win.
Breelyn Wood had a team-high 17 points, followed by Allie Phasavang’s 12, and Denika Lightbourne’s 10. Molly Mitchell chipped in with nine and Tanisha Seymour seven in the losing effort.
TFS is now 2-7 overall.
The JV girls lost 33-18 to Oglethorpe as well, moving them to 0-2 on the season.
Mildred Grace Christoffersen, age 88, of Mt. Airy, Georgia, went to her Heavenly Home on Friday, December 9, 2022.
Mildred was born on May 30th, 1934, in Ord, Nebraska, to the late John and Velma Meese. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Ernest Christoffersen; son, David Christoffersen; son-in-law, Mike Uddin; brother, Raymond Meese; and sister, Charlotte Meese.
Mildred was a devout member of St. Mark Catholic Church in Clarkesville, Georgia. She was honored to serve by assisting with readings of the Gospel at Sunday services and delivering communion to homebound members of her Congregation.
Mildred was a loving mother of seven children, sixteen grandchildren, and twenty-five great-grandchildren. More than a mother, she was a remarkable woman who provided her family and friends with unconditional love, despite her many hardships. We as a family always felt loved and fulfilled. We want to thank you for providing us with a strong foundation. If we could only be half the person you were. We love you. You will always be our hero.
Survivors include her children and their spouses, Joy Uddin, of Oviedo, FL; Mary and David Conner, of Nicholson; Anne Wheeler, of Gainesville; John and Bridgette Christoffersen, of Fellsmere, FL; Paul and Kimberly Christoffersen, of Lavonia; Terri and Bill Tucker, of Mt. Airy; sister, Adaline Absalon; brother, Bill Meese.
A Private Inurnment will be held at the Demorest City Cemetery.
The family and friends will gather at 12:30 p.m., Wednesday, December 14th, 2022, at the Whitfield Funeral Homes & Crematory’s Family Connection Center, 255 Central Avenue, Demorest, Georgia 30535.
Flowers will be accepted, or memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Whitfield Funeral Homes & Crematory, North Chapel, at 245 Central Avenue, Demorest, Georgia 30535. Telephone: 706-778-1700.
A Stephens County man was taken to jail after GBI agents allegedly found child sex abuse material on one of his electronic devices. On December 7, agents with the Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes (CEACC) Unit arrested and charged 32-year-old Alan Savage with one count of sexual exploitation of children.
The investigation into Savage’s alleged online activity began after the GBI received cybertip reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). That led to a search of Savage’s electronic devices and his arrest. Agents transported Savage to the Stephens County Jail upon his arrest.
Savage is being criminally charged in Oconee County, Georgia, where it was determined his crime was committed, the GBI says. The FBI and the Georgia Department of Community Supervision assisted with the investigation.
Anyone with information about other child exploitation cases is asked to contact the CEACC Unit at 404-270-8870 or NCMEC’s CyberTipline.org.
Anonymous tips may also be submitted at 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
Gov. Brian Kemp is renewing the gas tax suspension for the sixth time this year.
“In total, we have saved Georgians well over a billion dollars at the pump,” Kemp said during a press conference at the Capitol on Dec. 8, 2022. “…Saving Georgians 29 cents for every gallon of gas.”
The latest executive order extends the gas tax suspension until Jan. 10. Under the moratorium, Georgia has among the lowest gas prices in the nation.
Georgia House Speaker Jan Jones, Speaker-Nominee Jon Burns, and Lt. Gov.-elect Burt Jones joined Kemp as he also announced his legislative priorities, including refunding some of the state’s budget surplus amassed over two years.
That surplus continues to grow. Since the fiscal year began on July 1, Georgia’s net tax revenue collections have totaled $10.32 billion for an increase of $744 million, or 7.8%, over the 2022 fiscal year, according to the governor’s office.
“I’m calling for a second, one-time tax refund of equal size to the first,” Kemp told reporters “Again, we will give up to $1 billion back to the Georgia taxpayers.”
Like the previous tax refund last spring when Kemp signed House Bill 1302, Kemp’s plan calls for single filers to receive a maximum refund of $250, and married couples who file joint returns could receive a maximum rebate of $500.
The governor also wants to offer a billion dollars in property tax relief.
“This would save the average homeowner in Georgia between 15% and 25% or about $500 on average on their local property tax bill,” Kemp said.
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This article appears on Now Habersham through a news partnership with GPB News
One person was killed and four people were injured in a head-on collision Friday evening in Rabun County.
According to a report released Saturday morning by the Georgia State Patrol, 49-year-old Curt Lamar Talley of Tiger suffered fatal injuries in the wreck around 6:33 p.m. on December 9 on GA 15/US 441 at North Johnson Avenue.
Talley was a passenger in a Ford Focus driven by Gregory Scott Chamblee, 40, of Clayton. According to state troopers, Chamblee was driving north and moved into the left southbound lane while attempting to pass.
“The blue Ford Focus was traveling north in the left southbound lane, and the front of the blue Ford Focus struck the gray Ford Explorer head-on,” says Georgia State Patrol Post 7 Commander Donnie Sadler.
Four Rabun County residents were traveling in the Ford Explorer.
After impact, the Focus rotated counterclockwise and came to rest in the left southbound lane facing west. The Explorer traveled off the west shoulder of GA 15, and the front struck a pedestrian crosswalk sign.
Talley was transported to Habersham County Medical Center in Demorest, where he succumbed to his injuries, Sadler says.
Chamblee sustained chest, head, and foot injuries and was transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville.
The Explorer driver, 34-year-old Jessica Abel of Lakemont, was not reported as being injured in the wreck, but three passengers in her vehicle were.
25-year-old Caleb Andrew Watson of Rabun Gap complained of head and hand injuries but was not transported to the hospital. 11-year-old Audrey Abel of Lakemont complained of neck and back pain, and 15-year-old Riley Abel suffered colon and hip injuries.
The highway was blocked at the crash site for several hours. The Georgia State Patrol’s Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team is investigating the crash.
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The Georgia State Patrol initially incorrectly reported that the deceased driver’s name was Kirk Talley; it is Curt Lamar Talley. This article has been updated with that correction.
The Habersham County Board of Tax Assessors is not commenting on news Now Habersham broke Thursday about an apparent scheduling error that forced the county to refund nearly $334,000 in taxes.
Deputy chief appraiser Amy Garmon says her office is gathering more information about what led up to the county’s failure to schedule eight appeal hearings that resulted in the tax forfeiture.
In a letter dated November 30, the Board of Tax Assessors asked Habersham County Clerk of Court David Wall to review his office’s procedures related to the matter.
“Our office forwarded to your office several Hearing Officer Appeals from 2019 and 2020 that are required to be heard within 180 days of the date of filing. We were notified after the deadline had elapsed that a Hearing Officer could not be located,” the letter states. “This resulted in 8 appeals, several of which involved multiple tracks, impacting the county by the appellant receiving their asserted value in the amount of $66,667,519.00. This oversight has resulted in Habersham County refunding $333,837.64 to the 8 appeals.”
The letter was signed by the board of assessors members Mariah Holbrooks, Denise York, Jim Kiger, Amy Sgro, and Barry Trotter. They encouraged Wall to review office procedures “regarding this situation to prevent future occurrences and to prevent further penalties to the taxpayers of our county.”
Wall could not be reached for comment Friday. A staff member in the clerk’s office told Now Habersham he was out of the office.
Habersham County Manager Alicia Vaughn has scheduled a press briefing Monday to answer questions about the matter. Now Habersham will be in attendance. Check back here for updates.
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