Toccoa Police officers are back on the job after spending week last week in intensive training at the Police Training Center. About 25 law enforcement officers from agencies around North Georgia participated in the intensive tactical training designed to improve citizen safety.

"A lot of shooting, a lot of physical activity such as repelling and they lean how to take care of any critical incident involving bad guys that mean harm to people. That benefits our community because now we'll have officers trained to deal with critical incidents that could possibly occur at a school, business or bank somewhere," explained Toccoa Police Chief Jackie Whitmire.

Whitmire pointed to the recent incident at Virginia Tech in which a gun-toting student killed 32 people as a reason for the need for this kind of training.

Recently, Stephens County Recovery Academy Director Jon Gailor told WNEG the potential for that kind of violence happening in our community is higher than we think. Whitmire said he is glad his officers are prepared.

"You just never know. I go by the Boy Scout motto, and that is 'Be Prepared.’ I pray we never have an incident like that close to home, but we want to be prepared," he concluded.

Three people face extradition to Lavonia from Atlanta after being arrested for stealing a car. According to Lavonia Police Chief Randy Shirley, it happened last week at the Race Trac on Highway 17.

"A young lady was getting gas at the Race Trac in Lavonia near the Interstate. She left her keys in her vehicle while she went in to pay for her gas. When she came back out, her 1996 Ford Explorer had been stolen. A witness said that a black male was standing by the vehicle and got it in it and drove away," Shirley explained.

Investigators placed the Ford Explorer into the state GCIC as stolen. It was found several days later on Clay Street in South DeKalb County in metro Atlanta. Atlanta Police have arrested three suspects and charged them with theft by receiving stolen property.

They are identified as 25-year old Wayne Ford, 22-year old Joshua Griffith, and 36-year old Derrick Copeland. Shirley said it’s not known where the men are from. He said the investigation is continuing with more arrests expected.

A South Georgia man on the run from authorities in Lavonia now faces additional charges. 50-year old Arthur Lafate Murray of Sardis, GA had rented two rooms at the Best Western Motel on Highway 17 several weeks ago along with a Martin woman and two teenage girls.

Police were called there when Murray reported his cell phone and $800 in cash missing. Investigators discovered that Murray and 36-year old Stacey Orum were with two 14-year old teenage girls who were later found to be runaways from Hart County.

Warrants have been issued for Murray and Orum’s arrests. They are were originally charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, but now also face the additional charge of concealing the runaways who were listed as fugitives.

Contractors working on downtown building renovations are encouraged to attend an important training session tomorrow at City Hall.

"It will be here at City Hall and will last an hour. We will have two historic preservation experts that will be here to conduct the training. One is Tim Wall from Athens, the other is Chip Wright whom you may have seen around down. He is a preservation planner for the Georgia Mountains RDC. So we just want to invite all the local contractors to come out and participate in this training session on Tuesday, May 1, at 2 p.m.," explained Toccoa Planning Commission Director Connie Tabor.

Since the concrete canopies have come down in downtown Toccoa, there has been a lot of activity by storeowners to renovate their storefronts. Workers have been tearing off old siding and preparing to renovate their facades. All of this is in anticipation of the second big phase of the downtown restoration – the re-opening of Doyle Street.

Last week, downtown business owners met with the Toccoa Historic Preservation Commission to get approval for their storefront designs.

"I've had a good bit of repair work. Now the property owners are preparing for the designs that have been given to them through the Georgia Mountains RDC and Chip Wright's group. They will now request Certificates of Appropriateness for the work that's being done and from there obtain building permits for that work," Tabor said.

Wright is offering his services free of charge to owners to help them with the design and renovation of their storefronts. So far, he has assisted with the design of most of the buildings downtown including Frames n’ Things, Whistlestop Antique Mall, Cornerstone Restaurant, Stuart’s Pharmacy and the Toccoa Record.

Phase II of the downtown renovation plan is expected to begin later this summer.

While Franklin County citizens mourn the loss of yet another of their soldiers to the war in Iraq, one community is working to remember the fallen. The Carnesville Chamber of Commerce is planning to place a memorial park bench honoring those who died in the war on terror on the grounds of the county courthouse.

"Eddie Wayne Grizzle, one of the Franklin County commissioners actually proposed this to the Chamber of Commerce as one of our community projects. So, our civic committee took this on as a Chamber of Commerce project. The bench is going to be located on the grounds of the Franklin County courthouse in Carnesville," explained Chamber executive secretary Cindy Smith.

The bench will be made of granite and will list the names of those who died defending our country in Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11. Smith said talks are still underway as to how names for the bench will be submitted.

"Primarily, their focus began with soldiers who had attended Franklin County High School. I believe they are now taking it on a case-by-case basis, such as someone who was a resident of Franklin County but maybe did not attend or graduate from Franklin County High," she said.

Organizers hope to have the bench ready to dedicate by Memorial Day. The Franklin County Chamber of Commerce is taking donations to help fund the project.

Legacy Link, a senior advocacy group based in Gainesville, is seeking nominations for the 2007 Older Worker of the Year and Older Employer of the Year.

The awards will be given out to persons and employers in the group’s 13-county Northeast Georgia region. The Older Worker Award recognizes skill, dependability, and positive work ethic associated with workers over the age of 60.

It honors persons in the workforce who have made significant contributions to their companies or organizations. The employer of the year award will be presented to a company or business in the area that hires and retains older workers.

Both the winning employee and employer will be placed into statewide competition later in the summer.

For nomination forms for either award, contact Faye Christopher at legacy link. That number is toll-free: 1-800-845-5465.

The Georgia department of natural resources, wildlife resources division is making it easier than ever for Georgia anglers to validate their outstanding catches this year.

The revised 2007 rules for the WRD's Angler Award Program is making it easier to receive recognition for impressive trophy fish.

Senior fisheries biologist Ed Bettross tells WNEG the Angler Award Program was designed as a means of encouragement for anglers of all skill levels - from youth and adult beginners to more experienced anglers.

Official rules for WRD's 2006 Angler Award Program were reviewed and revised by a qualified angler award committee who determined the need for changes in two main aspects - qualifying standards and application acceptance.

Qualifying standard weights were altered for a number of species. Of 40 species listed, 19 minimum weights were lowered, one minimum weight was increased, and 3 species were added to the list.

In addition, the application acceptance process was revised. The new rules now accept angler award applications meeting a qualifying weight or length rather than just basing the fish on weight, as previously required.

Anglers now are allowed to submit applications by mail, including a clear, side-view photo of the fish for identification purposes.

One of the fastest growing churches in the area is Tate’s Creek Baptist Church, located on Georgia Highway 184.

Sunday afternoon, pastor Jerrell Beatty and his congregation dedicated their new "Family Life Building, located right next to the main church building.

Rev. Beatty said that the Family Life Center has been several years in the planning and they are very proud of it.

"We started about three years ago." Rev. Beatty said. " God has really blessed us and we’re excited about it. We have a full gym a beautiful facility, our fellowship hall and Sunday school rooms and people have been so committed. And they are a hard working group. Of course we give God all the glory."

Mr. Warren Wilkinson has been a member of Tate’s Creek Baptist Church for many years and said that the church needs more space for parking and perhaps a new church building.

"We have completed the grading of the parking lot and anticipating the needs we have." Wilkinson explained. "I’m not sure yet what the plans are, either to build a new church building or expand the current facility and we’re very fortunately. We need to accommodate more people and we are planning for that. We have a planning committee which is working on that. We’ve been very blessed that we’re growing and we’re looking forward to phase of our goal in the future."

Last year, Tate’s Creek Baptist Church was recognized by the Georgia Baptist Association as having the fastest growing Sunday School attendance in the state of Georgia.

An apparent rash of non-emergency calls to 911 is causing problems for dispatchers and law enforcement.

That has prompted Toccoa Police chief Jackie Whitmire to issue an announcement regarding whom to call for what. Whitmire said it appears citizens are not sure which number to use.

"We’re transferring a tremendous amount of calls back and forth between City Hall and the Police Department and the 911 Dispatch Center. When you start transferring calls, you take a chance that calls might be lost or dropped or routed to the wrong number. So, just to relieve some confusion and frustration for the citizens, I wanted to reiterate which numbers people need to call for which problem," Whitmire explained.

Whitmire asks citizens to only use 911 if it is a true emergency and use the dispatch center and police department numbers for non-emergency and service calls.

"And that’s 706-779-3911. That is if you need to file a police report or something, that is the number you call and they will send an officer out to wherever you are. And that is for non-emergency calls. A lot of people need to call the Police Department to talk to an officer or a detective or ask about court or a report, and they really do not know which number to call. That number is 706-282-3244," he said.

Again, those non-emergency numbers are 706-779-3911 at the dispatch center and 706-282-3244 for the police department.

The Hart County Commission is looking to build an EMS station to house ambulance crews. Reporter Pierce Adams with Anderson-Independent tells WNEG that this week, the commission voted to seek bids to purchase a mobile home to house an EMS crew and equipment at the former Airline Elementary School on Georgia 77.

The Hart County School Board agreed to lease the land to the county for the purpose. Hart County Commissioners last month agreed to establish another EMS station in order to reduce the amount of time needed to reach any call in the county.

Commissioner Dan Reyen, however, urged the county to use caution in committing to the additional expenses since the county is looking at a $650,000 shortfall this year.

Reyen told Adams that at last month’s meeting, the housing price was $10,000 with a $50-thousand dollar budget for personnel. This meeting, that budget was closer to $100,000.

However, it was noted that at the March meeting, the commission agreed to spend up to $150,000 to establish a new EMS station and hire additional personnel.

Noted World War II author, Kevin Hymel will be in Toccoa tomorrow to sign copies of his book, "Patton’s Photographs: War As He Saw It." An assistant editor for Army Magazine and freelance writer, Hymel says he stumbled on the photos by accident while doing research at the Library of Congress.

"I was going through what’s called a Finding Aid of Patton’s materials and in there I discovered an entry for photo albums. I did not understand what that was so I had them pulled and brought to my table. What these were, were huge, coffee table-size books and they were nothing but photo albums. They were all the pictures that Patton took during World War II from his landing in North Africa, all the way to the invasion of Sicily, his time in England, the invasion of France, all the way to the end of the war in Germany," Hymel explained.

Hymel quickly realized that no other historian had ever accessed the photos before. Under each photo, Patton had written information about where, when the photo was taken and who was in it.

That yielded a wealth of new information about Patton and his military career during world war two.

Hymel says even Patton’s own family did not know the photos existed. He copied a few photos and sent them to noted military historian Martin Blumenson.

"I showed him what I had and he didn’t even know these things existed. So I knew I was on to something hot. So what I did was I put together a series of photographs for an article in a magazine called, WWII History. When it ran, it increased sales for the magazine by 10%," Hymel said.

Blumenson then encouraged Hymel the idea to publish the photos in a book and the two worked on the project until Blumenson’s death in 2005. Hymel will be at the military museum in the Mitchell Allen Reception Hall Saturday from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. and again from 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.

There will also be a special program at 2 p.m.

Voters will have ten Congressional candidates to choose from when they go to the polls in June.

Qualifying for the 10^th Congressional District race ended at noon Thursday. Of the ten candidates, six are Republicans.

They include Republicans Erik Underwood from Atlanta; Dr. Paul Broun from Athens; State Senator Jim Whitehead from Evans, GA; Mark Myers of Loganville, Bill Greene from Braselton, and retired U.S. Army officer Nate Pulliam from Conyers.

Three Democrats have qualified. They are James Marlow, Jr. from Lincolnton, GA; Denise Freeman from Augusta; and Evita Paschall from Evans.

One Libertarian also qualified. He is Jim Sendelbach of Conyers.

Right now, it appears Senator Whitehead is the Republican favorite and James Marlow is the Democratic frontrunner. The election is June 19 and there will be no primary beforehand. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, a runoff will take place July 17.

Hundreds of thousands of teens nationwide are expected to participate in the sixth annual National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy next Wednesday.

North District Health spokesman Dave Palmer says the purpose of the national day is to focus the attention of teens on the importance of avoiding too-early pregnancy and parenthood.

Next Wednesday teens will be taking part in various activities across the country to raise awareness about teen pregnancy.

In the 13-county area of North Health District, there were 3,224 girls between ages 10 and 19 who became pregnant during the years 2002 to 2004.

Here in Stephens County, 160 teen girls had gotten pregnant during those two years. That is higher than Franklin, Rabun, and White counties, but lower than Habersham, which had 304 teen pregnancies during that same period.

"Parents need to take an active role and talk to their teens about risky behavior. Whether it is sex or drugs or any type of risky behavior that they might choose to participate in. They need to know the consequences of that behavior," Palmer noted.

According to the North District Health office, 31% of young women become pregnant before age 20; eight of ten of these pregnancies are unintentional; and 81% are to unmarried teens.

The unemployment rate in Stephens County dropped almost a full percentage point in March.

The rate stood at 4.8% - down from 5.4% in February. Stephens County’s labor force stood at 13,709 last month. Of those 13,045 were employed while 664 were without jobs.

In the Georgia Mountains area overall, the unemployment rate was 3.5% in March, down three-tenths of a percent from 3.8% in February.

The state’s jobless rate declined as well because Georgia had 14,917 fewer people on the unemployment roles in March. Also, the state added 18,500 payroll jobs during that time.

A new realty company in town is now a member of the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce.

Currahee Realty on South Big A Road held a ribbon cutting Thursday at their new office next to Stephens Memorial Gardens.

Owner Crystal Roesch told those in attendance she got the idea to start the business from her builder husband.

"That got us into real estate because we were always buying properties and flipping them or selling them, or buying them. Last year I was with ReMax, a great company, and decided to go out on my own, because our family was buying and selling and many agents around here do not buy and sell. They may sell, but they don’t buy and so it kind of took us on a different turn so we could sell you something, build you something or find you something," she said.

Currahee Realty is located on S. Big A Road across from Toccoa Speedway and has been opened since March.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete for a Franklin County soldier recently killed in Iraq. Private First Class Ryen King of Bowersville died Monday in the Diyala Province of Iraq. The 19-year old King was a private in the U.S. Army serving as a cavalry scout with the 82^nd Airborne out of Fort Bragg, NC.

King was a 2005 graduate of James County High School. Principal Dianne Toney described King as well liked and a good athlete. King played on the Lions baseball team in his sophomore and junior years. Coach Derrick Davis remembers King as a hard worker who gave it his all.

"He was a good baseball player because he got every ounce of potential out of what the good Lord gave him," Davis remembered. "He was always hustling, always working hard. You know he wasn't the greatest athlete, but he respected the game, he respected what talent he was given and got the most out of it," he concluded.

Nine paratroopers died and 20 others were injured Monday when two truck bombs exploded near a patrol base. The blast caused an interior wall to crumble and the second floor to collapse, which resulted in the deaths.

It was the biggest one-day combat loss for the 82^nd since the Vietnam War when 12 paratroopers were ambushed in 1969. This is the second Franklin County soldier to die in Iraq in the past year and Davis said it’s hard to take.

"When it hits home like this; especially with a kid that I was personally involved with, you kind of question why, but I promise you Ryen knew why. he didn't question. Everything he was over there doing, he was doing to make it a better place. That's just the type of kid he was," Davis said.

Ryen’s body is expected to be back in the states sometime within the next seven to ten days. Strickland Funeral Home Lavonia Chapel is handling the arrangements, which will be announced later.

Toccoa and Lavonia Police are looking for a woman who scammed a local pet store out of hundreds of dollars and merchandise. Evelyn Nelson, the owner of Sandi’s Pets, told police the woman purchased two of her puppies, a dog crate, and collars totaling over $700 and paid for it all by check.

The check turned out to be fake. Drawn on Pinnacle Bank, employees at the bank told Nelson they had no such account number and no one by that name had an account with them.

Nelson said the woman might have used a fake name and drivers license, but a real address. Authorities in Lavonia discovered the woman no longer lived at the address on the check.

Main Street director Connie Tabor called WNEG late this morning to say they do plan to go ahead with the event. Tabor said most of the restaurants taking part have covered canopies they will be using.

Those who don’t will set up in the walkway area downtown by the restrooms. In the event of pouring rain, the entertainment will move to Thacker Hall.

This year, some new restaurants are expected to join tonight’s Taste of Toccoa celebration.

Taste will feature 24 food vendors along with entertainment and rides for the kids, according to Tabor.

"We have a fun evening planned with a wide variety of foods. We have some different types of foods this year than we've had in the past. With 24 food vendors I think there'll be something downtown for everybody, as well the downtown stores having extended store hours," she explained.

Food will range from low country shrimp and grits to burritos, bbq, to cabbage casserole and marinated shish kabobs. And don’t forget desserts, which will include hand-dipped ice cream, homemade pies, and other assorted goodies.

Visitors can enjoy their meals while listening to a wide variety of live entertainment on two stages, kicked off by the Stephens County High School Jazz Band.

Taste of Toccoa will run from 5p.m. to 8p.m. tonight. Tokens can be purchased in advance at the local banks, Frames N’ Things, and Troup’s Hallmark and Photo.

The Banks County Board of Commissioners has voted to become part of a Tri-county Development Authority, along with Habersham and Rabun counties.

Norton Native Intelligence reports that previously, Banks and Habersham had a joint development authority although the group has not been active.

Members of the Rabun County commission spearheaded the move. Rabun has recently seen the loss of some businesses and a manufacturing plant. Banks hopes the three counties working together will help attract new business and industry, as well as larger grants.

Banks County Development Authority chair Wayne Abernathy would represent the county on the three-county authority.

A non-profit land conservation group has finalized a deal to sell 204 acres to the state, enabling it to link Smithgall Woods Conservation Area and Hardman Farm State Historic Site in White County and create a canoe trail along the Chattahoochee River.

According to the Norton Native Intelligence report, the land deal between the Trust for Public Land and the State Department of Natural Resources closed March 9, with the trust agreeing to sell the land to the state for $1.7 million. 

The property has a fair market value of $4.68 million with the deal taking about eight years to complete.

The entry point for the canoe trail will be near Hardman Farm and will lead all the way down to Lake Lanier with five public access points.

Gary Gaines, a Gainesville business owner and board member of Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, said he thought of the idea in the mid-1990s after he helped form the Lanier Canoe & Kayak Club.

Work on the historic county courthouse is expected to begin within the coming days. At yesterday’s meeting, the Courthouse Restoration Authority got a preliminary look at the interior design from architect Gene Barrington.

The plan calls for offices for the county clerk, county administrator, county finance director, and human resources on the first floor. The second floor will continue to be a courtroom as planned with the original balcony.

It will also house the offices of the county marshal and the county facilities manager. The authority also went over and approved a two-page list of work that has to be done on the interior and exterior of the building.

Work will be done in stages and most of the major work, such as electrical and HVAC will be bid out. Barrington will now go back and work on the detailed restoration and construction plans.

Meantime, member Jack Stovall said they would begin work immediately in a couple of areas.

"We have several things we could be doing. We were going to put a new roof on, but we decided to hold up on that for awhile. We're going to decide if need to remove the existing tin ceiling on the second floor and put a new ceiling in rather than try to fix the one that's there. We've got a couple of leaks to work on. There are several things wee can be doing until we get the construction plans in six to eight weeks," Stovall explained.

For his part, Barrington said he was pleased with yesterday’s meeting and the Authority’s willingness to get things done quickly and he said some work could be started now.

"I'm going to immediately start the mechanical, plumbing, and electrical engineers on their work. We're going to go ahead and write the specifications on all that mechanical equipment, such as the elevator and things like that. I'm going to continue my research on colors, tile patterns, areas like that so that we can go ahead and get that work designed because it is rather detailed and intricate. We want that done now so we can go ahead and start that design process as well," Barrington said.

In an interesting footnote, Barrington has discovered yet another fascinating aspect of the old courthouse – a shaft and tunnel from the judge’s seat on the second floor to the basement.

"Still don't know why that shaft from the courtroom all the way down to the boiler room exists," Barrington noted. "It was part of the original construction, but I don't know why. And in the boiler room, someone when they poured that concrete foundation wall down there, someone actually chipped out a round hole and dug a tunnel from that boiler room to intersect that shaft. I don't know why," he said.

There is also said to have been an underground tunnel from the train depot to the courthouse that was used to bring prisoners in for trial. However, it has not yet been found.

The City of Toccoa will once again sell off some surplus property as a way to raise money for a new reserve fund. This week, commissioners approved the sale, which City manager Billy Morse says will be done online.

"The City has four vehicles that the City has surpluses and we will sell those online at Govdeals.com, which is an online auction service. We have three passenger cars and a pick up truck. A passenger car and the pick up are out of the Fire Department and the two passenger cars are from the Police Department," Morse noted.

Several months ago, City commissioners authorized the establishment of a new reserve fund. Money from such sales and other unexpected sources will go into the fund, Morse says, for safekeeping.

"The funds that are generated in this sale, as they were from previous online sales, will go in a reserve account that the commission has established for a rainy day. It's something to sock away a little money just for who knows what. They haven't determined what they're going to use that money for, but it's their attempt to start to really help the City get out of the fact that we end each year with no surplus," Morse explained.

Govdeals provides services to various governmental agencies that allow them to sell surplus and confiscated items via the Internet. Each participating agency has its own auction rules and regulations and may be subject to state and local ordinances.

More and more senior citizens are falling victim to bait and switch tactics from unscrupulous salesmen pretending to be selling Medicare plans. Here in Stephens County, one local pharmacist, Steve Spruill of Maddox Drugs, wants seniors to be extremely careful.

"We're seeing a lot of customers enrolled in the Medicare plan and people are signing them up on different plans and they really are not sure what they're buying," Spruill explained. "A lot of times they’re being enrolled in what we call a Medicare Part C plan, which actually replaces Medicare. So, they're losing their Medicare benefits and those are being replaced by a different plan, a private plan," he said.

During the last open enrollment, many seniors throughout Georgia were switched to Medicare Part C or the Medicare Advantage plan without realizing it. Stephens County Sheriff chief deputy Mike Crozier says one local victim was a 93-year old who was switched by a company in Florida. He said it has taken relatives and an attorney to get them switched back. Spruill says the salesmen are not fully explaining what a switch to a new carrier will mean to their coverage.

"They're being told it's going to be a lower cost for them, but when they come to the drug store their medications either are not covered or it's at a higher cost. When they go to the hospital, some of the services that were covered are no longer covered. The social workers at the hospital have had a problem with people being switched and people do not seem to realize they have been switched. Many of them say they never did agree to be switched," Spruill said.

If someone calls or comes to your door offering you a cheaper Medicare plan, Spruill has some advice before you sign on the dotted line.

"The people who are signing you up are not telling you the truth on some of these plans. That is not true on all of them, but I always tell everybody never sign anything. Whether I give it to you or some door-to-door salesman gives it to you. Never sign anything until you've had a chance to verify it yourself, because there's a whole industry out there just trying to take advantage of senior citizens," Spruill warned.

A senior advocacy group in Gainesville, Legacy Link, offers free counseling for seniors looking to switch Medicare plans. You can contact them toll free at 1-800-845-5465.

Members of the Stephens County Courthouse Restoration Authority are reviewing a preliminary design for the interior of the historic courthouse. Architect Gene Barrington went over his ideas for restoring the interior of the building to its original design while maintaining a modern office environment.

Plans are for some offices currently in the courthouse annex to move into the historic courthouse once it is renovated. At last month’s meeting, members decided to level the first floor and put period tiling over the concrete slab as opposed to removing the slab and installing wood flooring.

Other items decided upon last month included how to install modern telephone and computer systems. Members decided to go with both a wireless phone system and wireless computer network. Still to be determined, however, is where to put the new heating and air conditioning system, and where to install electrical outlets. Those items were to be discussed today.

City commissioner Bob Troup is speaking out against a story WNEG aired last week about a recent public meeting called by the board of the Stephens County Recovery Academy (SCRA) last week.

It was called to get ideas and input from the community about how to keep the program that works with expelled student afloat.

However, after two hours of presentations and discussion, no solutions, ideas or sources of new funding were offered. In our story last week, we said the Recovery Academy’s concerns for the troubled youth of our community, "fell on deaf ears."

In a statement Monday night, Troup said while it has not given the program any money, the City has done its fair share to help.

"The City of Toccoa has responded from the very beginning to the Recovery Academy. We provided them with free office space to house their operation and we have provided them with services to relieve them of having to do their accounting and payroll and all that sort of thing. The city of Toccoa has responded, I think, generously. And I just want people to know that," Troup asserted.

At that same meeting last week, county administrator Darrell Hampton said it is illegal for the County to contribute to a school-related program. In addition, assistant school superintendent Ed Whitworth said the school board could not help because the students are no longer in school.

Currently, the Recovery Academy is helping 11 expelled teens and 50 family members, but director Jon Gailor said the problem of unruly and troubled youth in Stephens County is getting worse.

Qualifying for the 10^th Congressional District race got underway yesterday and so far, most of the candidates are Republicans. They include Erik Underwood from Atlanta; Dr. Paul Broun from Athens; State Senator Jim Whitehead from Evans, GA; and retired U.S. Army officer Nate Pulliam from Conyers.

Three Democrats have qualified so far. They include James Marlow, Jr. From Lincolnton, GA; Denise Freeman from Augusta; and Evita Paschall from Evans, GA. However, the frontrunner so far is 45-year old Marlow.

He was one of a group of potential candidates who spoke last week at a Chamber-sponsored Pie and Politics forum at Toccoa Falls College.

In his 10-minute speech, Marlow outlined his views on the war in Iraq. Marlow advocates a three-pronged approach.

"We need to be prepared to strike our enemies here and abroad whenever necessary," Marlow stated. "We secondly need to truly support and honor our troops. We need to that in several ways. The first thing is when they do come home we need to take good care of them. The second thing is that when they are in the field, we need to provide them the body armor that they need. We need to put the shields on the Humvees when they need it, and we do not want to put them in the wrong place, at the wrong time, at the wrong numbers. And lastly, I say the quicker we can have an honorable exit from Iraq, the better," he concluded.

A successful businessman in the high-tech field, Marlow said he believes the U.S. must extricate itself from its dependency on foreign oil.

"We cannot have national security, if we're not energy independent. We cannot have economic security if we do not have energy independence. Therefore, we have got to look at alternate forms of energy. We have got to take some of that eight billion dollars that we are spending every month in Iraq and let's invest that in alternate energy research, plus let's invest it in solar, in wind and biofuels. We what really need is the flux-capacitor. We actually need to look at the movie, Back to the Future and we need to come up with innovation," he explained.

So far, neither Democrats nor Republicans have officially endorsed any candidate, but Marlow appears to be the Democratic frontrunner. Republican Senator Jim Whitehead has raised the biggest war chest of any candidate on either side - over $265-thousand dollars. Whitehead is the Republican Party favorite.

The election is June 19 and there will be no primary beforehand. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, a runoff will take place July 17.

City commissioners and staff have reviewed the last areas of the FY2008 budget and expect to have a preliminary budget ready in the coming weeks. At a work session Monday evening, the group reviewed four areas of concern, including their recycling budget, the golf fund, the fire department, and the water fund.

City finance director Emory Stephens tells WNEG they are taking a hard look at the golf fund this year, but he doesn’t expect any big changes.

The golf fund has been a money loser for the City for years despite raising fees last year. Next month, city manager Billy Morse will present a preliminary budget to commissioners. After that, public hearings will be held before the budget is passed. State law requires the budget be passed by June 30.

Stephens County is planning for the future. That is the assessment of County Administrator Darrell Hampton who responded to an editorial in last week’s Toccoa Record.

In the editorial, the Record applauded the county’s removal of over 1,000 private drives, but questioned whether it was taking into account future growth. Hampton issued a press release yesterday in which he recounts the events leading up to the removal of the private drives.

According to Hampton, the change in the county ordinance and the subsequent repeal of the private drives is allowing for future growth.

"We're positioning ourselves for growth just like any other government would. We are maintaining an inventory of roads that we address so that we can have room for fill-in housing in the future. We are just trying to let folks know that we realized that we had a problem, our consultants overstepped, and we're doing the best we can to pull those back into range and make sure we're doing what's in the best interest for the citizens of the county," Hampton explained.

Questions have also been raised about what happens to the signs that are removed and the poles. Hampton says the county is keeping an inventory of private drive names to be used again if necessary and all materials can be recycled.

"We're not throwing the posts away, we'll reuse those because there's always a need for those. The blades that come back in we can reuse those. We can take a blue sign and make a green sign out of it relatively inexpensively, so we can recast those back into the field when we need them," he said.

E-911 interim director Rex Nelms told WNEG earlier this month that when he started in 2005, the County had almost 2,500 private drives. About 640 are left. Nelms said he expects there will only be about 500 private drives left in the county once this removal project is complete.

Traditions Credit Union says their customers’ account numbers are secure despite a rash of fraudulent transactions in recent weeks. Stephens County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Mike Crozier tells WNEG a person or persons has stolen checking account numbers, used them to print fake checks, and then gone on a spending spree at retailers up and down I-85.

Most of those charges were done at Auto Zone stores from South Carolina to Alabama over a period of three weeks. Authorities believe the suspect got the account numbers off of legitimate checks customers used to make purchases or pay bills at area businesses and retailers. 

Traditions Credit Union spokesman Eddie Powers says no one has hacked into their computer system and stolen account numbers.

"We value our members and we take every precaution we can to make sure our members' account numbers are safe," explained Powers. "There is no loss to our members. Since this activity began, we have been working with federal and local authorities to bring an end and resolution to this. But we want our members to feel confident in that there has been no breach in our data system and that we are monitoring this on a daily basis to make sure that we are protecting everything we possibly can for our members," he concluded.

Crozier said two more fake checks drawn on Traditions accounts crossed his desk yesterday. Powers said anyone who has been a victim of such fraud or is concerned about their account at traditions, should contact the credit union immediately.

"If they have any questions or concerns, we have two offices in Toccoa and they call either one. Our main office is on Highway 145. That number is 70-6-886-3143. Of course, our Currahee branch is 706-886-4743. Any employee in the credit union will be glad to help them," he said.

Authorities are investigating several thefts in the county.

• In Martin, a home on Seymour Road was burglarized last Thursday. The victim told deputies her son came home and discovered the break in. She said items in the home had been moved and cabinet doors opened. Taken were several pairs of blue jeans, pants, and shirts valued at $800 and a cashbox containing $7,500 in cash. That investigation continues.
   

• A home in Oakway Estates was burglarized over the weekend. The victim said he came home after being out all night to discover his computer and television missing. He gave deputies the name of a possible suspect, but no arrests have been made.
   

• Investigators are searching area pawnshops for a stolen laptop. The computer was taken from an office in Gem Industries on Highway 145 sometime last week. It’s described as a Hewlett Packard laptop valued at $1,400. The manager told deputies doors to that part of the office building were not locked at the time the computer went missing.

Members of the Toccoa-Stephens County Community Theatre are well into rehearsals for next month’s production of "You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown."

Show dates are May 10 -13 and May 17 - 20 at the Schaefer Center. TSCCT board member Jeff Thompson says You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown is the ideal first show for those who have never been to a musical.

"It's really a compilation of Charles Schultz's ‘Peanuts’ cartoons that we've all become familiar with. It's the story of how Charlie is constantly working through his mishaps and misfortunes in the Charlie Brown kinda way," Thompson noted.

The cast is small and the routines are simple with fun, laughter, and sincerity building the mood. Directed by Gail Martin, musical numbers include, "The Baseball Game," "Suppertime," and "Happiness."

Lavonia Police are investigating a burglary at a law office. It happened at the offices of Vandiver and Vandiver on Vickery Street in Lavonia. Lavonia Police Chief Randy Shirley says they think they know who is responsible.

"We found papers scattered all over and 357-magnum revolver was missing. We believe we know who is responsible and we are working with Franklin County and Hart County authorities to find these individuals. However, we understand from our sources on the street that the gun has already been sold," Shirley said.

Shirley said they are not ready to release the name of any suspects at this time. He said he also believes the gun has already been sold on the street.

Members of Earth Resources, Inc. in Carnesville are in Atlanta today to receive a multi-million dollar check from the USDA for their new power plant. Earth Resources, Inc. is receiving $28,970,000 to fund the nation’s first poultry litter-to-electricity plant.

The Franklin County plant, known as "Plant Carl," will use a gasification system to convert poultry litter into electricity. Georgia is the largest poultry-producing state in the United States and the fourth largest in the world. It is a $17 billion industry in Georgia, according to the University of Georgia.

Two million tons of poultry litter is produced annually here alone. The 20mw of power produced at this plant will produce enough electric power to provide energy to 15,000 typical homes.

Consortiums of 32 EMCs have already signed an agreement to purchase the electricity over the next 20 years, including Hart EMC. Plant Carl also plans to use woody biomass and other renewable sources.

All of the woody biomass will be diverted from landfills and used as fuel, reducing the volume in landfills. Also, oil and grease that is collected by various companies will also be pre- processed and delivered to the power plant, including waste cooking oil, grease from restaurants, and waste fat from chicken processing plants in Georgia.

Another downtown business was welcomed into the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Family Eye Care Clinic is now in one of the oldest homes in Toccoa on Doyle Street.

Owned by Dr. Kay Royal, the home has undergone a renovation over the past several months to bring it back to its original beauty. "I’ve always wanted to own and restore an older home and the timing was perfect since my lease was up at our old location," she explained.

The old home had been divided up into apartments and covered over with various changes over the years. Dr. Royal is so happy with the results, she has invited the public to come take a tour of the house and see some of the things they discovered during the renovation process.

"Absolutely. We are thinking about putting in a little historic area to display all of the items we found during the renovation. We found old postcards and letters that go back to 1907, items from the 1920’s, and I think the latest we found things were from the late 1950’s," she said. To get more information on the old house, contact Dr. Royal at 886- 5214.

Additional kindergarten registration is coming up on Tuesday May 8 at all Stephens County elementary schools. Then on May 10,Camp Trailblazer – a fun time for newly registered kindergarten students to preview their new school – takes place at all schools.

All children who were enrolled in private kindergarten who will be entering first grade in the fall should also attend this registration.

Parents must bring their child and register them at the school they will be attending. Also, bring your child’s birth certificate, official immunization record, social security card, and proof residence such as a utility bill, pay stub, or rent receipt. It should take about 20 minute to complete the entire process.

Dozens of middle and high school athletes competed Friday in the Stephens County Special Olympics event.

23 different sports are offered for athletes to experience - ranging from badminton, swimming, soccer, track and field, and gymnastics. Athletes ranging from age six through senior may participate in Special Olympics, gaining life skills and confidence in their athletic ability. Special Olympics Georgia invests in people with intellectual disabilities, helping them to develop athletic skills, while also promoting the abilities of the athletes off the field.

One of the organizers of this year’s event, high school teacher Chris Doud said when the athletes succeed, it changes their attitudes. Statewide, volunteers are dedicated to providing the highest quality programs and services to the athletes and serve as area directors, certified coaches, event staff, unified sports partners, and fundraisers.

County commissioners are getting their first look at a draft budget for fiscal 2008. Finance director Phyllis Ayers presented the draft to commissioners Monday night, but she cautioned it is still very preliminary.

"One reason it's just a draft is that we don't know what the digest is going to be yet. So, we do not know what our property tax number is. We just estimated a very small growth in the digest less what we think the loss in the Homestead Exemption credit will be," Ayers said.

Ayers expects the loss in Homestead exemption credits will mean about a $500,000 loss in property tax revenue for the county’s general fund – a 4% decrease from last year. And despite the decrease in the budget this year, Ayers does not expect the County to have to raise the millage rate. Ayers said instead, that shortfall could be recouped from other areas.

"We'll make up that deficit in a couple of ways and one is we have our fund balance to use. Two is we just have areas where we may not fund their full request, and we will probably make that decision closer to when we find out what the digest will be. If the digest is not ready by the time we need to adopt this budget, I fully expect that for the first time we will be amending the budget at our meeting July first," Ayers explained.

Once the tax digest numbers come in,