It’s 2015. Time to look ahead but also time to reflect on the the people, places and events that shaped our lives this past year.
2014 was an exceptionally busy, sometimes traumatic, year for our community. Here’s Now Habersham’s list of the Top 14 stories of 2014.
1. Clarkesville Fire
Late in the evening of March 5, 2014, fire broke out inside Sweet Breads Cafe in downtown Clarkesville. The popular restaurant – located just off the eastern side of the historic, downtown Clarkesville Square – quickly burned. Flames spread to a block of nearby historic buildings and one whole side of the Square was in danger of being destroyed. Thanks to the quick response of Clarkesville firefighters and fire departments from throughout Habersham and neighboring counties no one was injured and most of the buildings were saved. Sweetbreads and one other building were completely destroyed. Four others sustained severe damage.
The Habersham community rallied around the businesses owners and employees who were displaced and started a fund to help them while they were out of work. The Clarkesville Strong movement gained wide-spread momentum, especially in the northern end of Habersham County where the businesses were located.
On June 10, 2014, after three months of investigation the State Fire Marshall’s Office ruled the cause of the fire “undetermined.”
2. Baby Bou Bou
In the early morning hours of May 28, 2014, a Special Response Team (SRT) from the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office executed a “no-knock” warrant at a Cornelia residence during a drug raid and threw a flash grenade into the home. The device landed in a playpen where 19-month old Bounkham “Bou Bou” Phonesavanh was sleeping. He was critically injured.
Bou Bou spent more than five weeks in an Atlanta hospital where he was treated for injuries to his face, chest and lungs. In the wake of the raid agent Nikki Autry resigned from her job with the Mountain Judicial Circuit’s drug unit and Chief Magistrate Judge James Butterworth who signed the “no-knock” warrant announced his retirement.
The Phonesavnah’s story gained worldwide media attention following the raid and has remained in the national spotlight ever since. The incident spurred debate over “no-knock” warrants and the militarization of law enforcement. On Dec. 19, 2014, ABC’s 20/20 ran an investigative report on the Bou Bou case.
The Phonesavanh family still has the option to file a civil lawsuit and a federal investigation is now underway by the office of Sally Yates, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.
3. Grand Jury Report on Drug Raid
On Oct. 6, 2014, a Habersham County Grand Jury issued its findings into the drug raid that resulted in serious injury to Baby Bou Bou. After six days of testimony, jurors elected not to indict any of the officers involved but did find “the drug investigation that led to these events was hurried, sloppy.” The Grand Jury offered a series of recommendations on how law enforcement should handle future drug raids.
4. SPLOST VI Passes
On November 4, 2014, Habersham County voters approved a special local option sales tax referendum. It was a hard won victory for SPLOST VI suppporters. A similar measure was defeated at the polls in last year’s off-year election.
Supporters of the tax, led the SPLOST VI Committee and Habersham County Chamber of Commerce, held a series of nine town hall meetings and public forums to educate the public about the proposal and advocate for its passage. They announced the formation of an Oversight Committee that would monitor tax revenue and spending and report back to the public twice a year.
Voters flocked to the polls on Nov. 14, 2014. The referendum passed 58%-42%.
5. Demorest’s New Mayor and Missing Money
On Jan. 1, 2014, Demorest welcomed its first new mayor in over three decades. Piedmont College professor and former State Representative Rick Austin took over the job after defeating long-time mayor Malcolm Hunnicutt in the November 2013 municipal election. Hunnicutt led the city of Demorest for 39 years.
Austin took over at a tumultuous time. The city is embroiled in a desperate search to find out what happened to hundreds of thousands of dollars missing from city coffers.
6. Demorest Bookkeeper Fired
The City of Demorest fired its bookkeeper on Sept. 24, less than 24 hours after launching an internal probe into more than $275,000 in missing city funds.
Altea Muller of the Duluth-based accounting firm, Muller & Partners, CPA, was terminated effective immediately. Demorest Mayor, Rick Austin, issued a press release saying, “The termination is immediate and is based upon the learning that the accounting/bookkeeping services provided to the City of Demorest did not meet accepted standards and delayed the City’s discovery of fraud.”
7. Crumley Demoted
In December 2014 long-time Demorest City Manager, Treasurer and Clerk Juanita Crumley was demoted. The Demorest City Council voted on Dec. 17 to remove her from her positions as manager and treasurer and retain her services as city clerk. The move came on the heels of an investigative report that indicated gross financial mismanagement at city hall may have contributed to the disappearance of more than $275,000.
Crumley, who is the sister-in-law of former Demorest Mayor Malcolm Hunnicutt, served as city manager for 39 years.
NOTE: In January 2015 investigative results released by the City of Demorest upped the amount of missing money to $601,867.70. The report indicates the money disappeared over the course of four and a half years between 2009 and May 17, 2013. Crumley resigned/retired from her job as city clerk on Jan. 27, 2015.
8. Habersham Medical Center In The Black
The Habersham County Commission agreed to make the monthly bond payments on Habersham County Medical Center’s $37 million debt. The hospital had been on life support for more than a year. The unusual deal saved the hospital from bankruptcy and immediately put HMC back in the black. As part of the deal Habersham County will eventually take over the hospital’s assets, making it a wholly county-owned hospital.
9. Soque Scenic Byway Stalls
After more than a year of heated public debate the proposed Soque Scenic Byway stalled. The Clarkesville City Council withdrew its support for the project on the heels of a third public hearing during which about 100 residents who live along the proposed route showed up to protest the plan.
The proposed Byway was first presented by the City of Clarkesville to the Habersham County Commission and other leading civic organizations in May 2013 as a way to promote tourism in the region.
10. Snowmageddon
Snow blanketed Habersham County and much of northeast Georgia for more than two weeks between January 28 and February 15, 2014. While folks in the mountains enjoyed time off from work and school, Atlanta was burned by the snow. Motorists on interstates going into and out of the city were stranded in their cars for more than a day due to extremely poor road conditions. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed as well as city and state agencies were lambasted for poor planning.
11. Highway 365 Wreck
On Sept. 9, 2014, a four car accident on Hwy. 365 in Cornelia left one man dead and injured nine others. The Georgia State Patrol launched an investigation into the accident. GSP investigators still have not released their findings or issued any charges in connection with the accident.
12. John Kollock Dies
Famed local artist John Kollock died of natural causes on March 10, 2014. He was 85. Among his many accomplishments, Kollock helped revitalize Helen, Georgia. It was his vision and sketches that laid the framework for the city’s redesign as an Alpine-themed village. Thousands of tourists flock to the city each year to eat in its Bavarian-style restaurants and shop in its import stores.
13. Raiders Win First Game In Two Years
It wasn’t a trick, but it sure was a treat. On Halloween 2014 the Habersham Central High School Raiders snapped the team’s 21-game losing streak with a 32-7 rout of North Forsyth. The orange and blue went on to win the High Five Sports Team of the Week trophy from Fox Five TV news in Atlanta.
14. Habersham Central High School Head Coach Michael Pollock Resigns
Two weeks after his team posted their first win under his leadership, Habersham Central High School Head football coach Michael Pollock resigned from his job. He held the top spot for two years.
