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JAMES
BROWN'S TOCCOA CONNECTION REMEMBERED Funeral Services for legendary singer James Brown will be held Saturday in Augusta. The "Godfather of Soul" died Christmas morning at 1:45AM at the Emory University Hospital in Atlanta of apparent heart failure after a bout with pneumonia. Brown spent his teenage years in the Toccoa area, but was sent to reform school in Alto for breaking into some cars. Meanwhile, Bobby Byrd, of Toccoa had a gospel group called the Gospel Starlighters. He also played baseball for the Stephens County High School baseball team and literally ran into James Brown at third base. "I first met James on the ball field when Stephens County played the Alto prison team." Byrd explained "I was at third base and he was coming around and hit me pretty hard and knocked me down. He extended his hand." Brown already had the nickname "The Music Box" while in Alto. After serving his time. Byrd picked him up at the school, took him home and asked his mother if Brown could stay with them. The gospel group later changed their name to the "Famous Flames, signed a record contract in 1956 and hit the Top Ten with a hit called "Please, Please, Please". Byrd said he is still affected by Brown’s death because the two had just had a conversation last week. "It just knocked me to my knees. I couldn’t believe it because just last Thursday we talked for about 45 minutes about the good old days in Toccoa. He was working at the plastic factory and I was at Troup’s Photo Studio. We talked about our younger days and what we would do if we ever got really big. We didn’t think that would ever happen. We were just seven guys from Toccoa, Georgia, never dreaming we would become a part of the greatest entertainer in the world." Brown would often come back to Toccoa and have a reunion with his friends. The Rock and Roll Icon received three Grammy awards. He was 73 when he died. GERALD
FORD REMEMBERED Former VFW National Commander R.D. "Bulldog" Smith of Toccoa is fondly remembering former President Gerald Ford, who passed away this week at the age of 93. Gerald Ford was President when Smith was serving as the National Commander. Smith said that he often saw Gerald Ford when he was in Congress before he became president. Smith said that he was impressed with the man and thought he was a very "down to earth" type of guy". Smith said that one time, he had to introduce Gerald Ford, who at the time was the President of the United States, at a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. He said that he worried just how his introduction would go over before a national TV audience. But once at the cemetery, the President turned around, shook his hand and talked with him a little bit and all of the nervousness went away. The body of Gerald Ford will be at St. Margaret’s Church in Palm Desert, where the former president and his wife, Betty, frequently attended. Tomorrow, Ford’s body will be flown to Washington in the late afternoon, where a stop is planned. The state funeral will conducted in the Capitol Rotunda Saturday evening. Ford will lie in state until Tuesday morning, in a closed casket. His casket will then be taken to the National Cathedral for a funeral service. Ford will be buried in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION OBSERVANCE SCHEDULED The 39th Annual Emancipation Proclamation services will be held on New year’s Day, January 1st 2007 at the Mount Zion Baptist Church, on Whitman Street in Toccoa at 12 noon. The keynote speaker will be Elder Leslie Harrison Dorsey of Cornelia, formerly of Toccoa. The Emancipation Proclamation program is presented annually by the Toccoa Improvement Committee. MAN
WOUNDED IN OCONEE COUNTY Oconee County, South Carolina officers indicate a man was shot four times near Westminster, and managed somehow to survive. The wounded man, identified as 40 year old Carlos Alberto Jaimes, apparently spent only a brief time at Oconee Memorial Hospital. One of the shots actually struck the man in the head. Captain Mike Crenshaw of the Oconee County Sheriff’s office indicated that the 40 year old Jaimes was wounded Christmas morning at a location along East Bennett Road. The officer said that a 9 millimeter gun was used but the victim has not given officers much information to help their investigation. He says they have partial name ascribed to the shooter ,but that’s about all of the information they have. TOCCOA
POLICE REPORT Two people have been arrested on drug charges following a traffic stop on East Currahee Street. Mathew Thomas Chumley of Brookdale Extension and Derek Keith Nicholson of Mt. Airy have been charged with possession of marijuana. The car was originally stopped because of a speeding violation. Police are investigating the theft of a Smith and Wesson.38 pistol. The gun was taken from a residence on Pine Street. The gun’s owner told police that someone broke down the door to his house. It will cost $125 just to repair the door. Police have the serial number of the weapon, but there do not have any suspects at this time. A Toccoa man, identified as Ollie Drinkard has been arrested and charged with shop-lifting following a call from Quality Foods. Drinkard reportedly was found to have a pack of hit dogs and a can of tuna fish in his possession. The suspect was taken to the Toccoa police Department for processing and then bond was posted. The manager of the Huddle House told police that someone paid for their meal with a fraudulent credit card. The suspect paid for his meal with a card and apparently did not sign the name that was imprinted on the card. The manager said that he walked out of the restaurant and left the card. The card belonged to a woman and is from MasterCard from the Hall County Community Credit Union. GSP ON
PATROL FOR NEW YEARS Right on the heels of the long Christmas Holiday driving period comes the New Year’s Holiday. Georgia State troopers and local law enforcement will again be patrolling the highways looking for impaired drivers in an effort to cut down on accidents and fatalities. The state patrol had predicted 13 people would be killed during the Christmas Holidays and unfortunately, the toll ended up being 17 fatalities. The New Year’s holiday officially begins this evening at 6pm and ends at Midnight on Monday, January 1st.The Georgia Department of Public Safety has estimated that 16 people will die over the long 78 hour holiday in 2500 accidents. They also predict there will be 1,152 people hurt during the holiday in those accidents. Colonel Bill Hitchens, Department of Public Safety Commissioner and State Patrol Commander asks motorist to plan ahead when traveling this New Year’s Holiday. He says to choose a designated driver if you are going to be at a party. Also ,slow down, obey the posted speed limits and wear your seat belt. Local law enforcement agencies are taking part in Operation Zero Tolerance, the state’s high visibility impaired driver enforcement program, designed to intercept the impaired driver before and harm can be done on the highways.
SHERIFF'S REPORT The Stephens County Sheriff’s office investigated a theft at the Carnes Creek Volunteer Fire Department. Fire Chief Jody Marcus reported that a new gas can and eight gallons of gasoline were taken from the station. He did give deputies the name of a suspect. The gas can was later returned, but was damaged so badly it could not be used. The incident will be turned over to the magistrate’s office. A man on Gully Road reported to deputies that a man had taken a company truck and had not shown up at the workplace for two days. The victim did not want to press charges, but did want the vehicle back. Deputies are continuing their investigation and have the name of a suspect.
CORNELIA BLOOD DRIVE SATURDAY It takes a whole community to save a life. You can make a contribution when Cornelia teams up with Life South Saturday December 30th to host the largest blood drive they have ever had at the Wal-Mart. The blood mobile will be at be at the Wal-Mart, located at 2160 Highway 441 North in Cornelia between the hours of 10am and 4pm Chili and other food and drinks will be served. All donors will receive a recognition item and a free cholesterol screening. It only takes a few minutes to save three lives when you donate a pint of blood. Donors must be at least 17 years of age, weigh 110 pounds or more and show a photo ID at he time of donation. For more information, call toll free 888-795-2707 or visit www.lifesouth.org. SERIAL
BURGLAR ARRESTED IN LAVONIA A Lavonia man remains in the Franklin County jail without bond – charged with multiple counts of burglary. The burglaries happened between September and mid December, 2006. Authorities arrested 33-year old Richard Nathaniel Wood last week after they suspected he was the one breaking into homes on Lake Hartwell. Franklin County sheriff Steve Thomas says wood targeted homes he knew were unoccupied. Thomas tells WNEG the investigation lead authorities to two homes where search warrants were executed during the overnight hours of December 18th. Once inside, detectives say they seized stolen property taken in Brittany Harbor burglaries. According to Thomas, a break in the case came from one of the victims. A judge denied bond for Wood who, at the time of these burglaries, was out on bond on previous burglary charges. HOME DEPOT RUMOR NOT TRUE There is no truth to the rumor that Home Depot is backing out of its plan to build in Stephens County. That’s according to city manager Billy Morse. The company is looking to purchase some 35 acres on the corner of the 17- bypass and Memorial Drive. The home improvement retail chain has already submitted plans to the city planning commission for a 106,278 square foot store with an attached 28,086 square foot garden center. Home depot’s projected annual sales for the Toccoa store, considered a small-market store, will be about $20 million dollars. Two weeks ago, city commissioners approved the company’s request for annexation. Morse says some problems with the land have caused the company some concern. Morse says the city, in conjunction with the county development authority, is working very hard to accommodate Home Depot to make the project happen and discussions are continuing in earnest. THE YEAR IN REVIEW FOR
CITY OF TOCCOA This week we’re looking back on the major news events of 2006 here in Toccoa and Stephens County. Today, we look at the city government stories topping the news this year. The beginning of 2006 found city commissioners debating whether to allow an Atlanta developer to build approximately 450 multi-level homes around the city’s only watershed. Alan nix and Sean Harrington presented their plan for a gated, restricted subdivision to commissioners in late 2005. In the spring, commissioners directed city manager Billy Morse to get estimates from engineers for an environmental study on the impact development might have on the watershed. But after months of discussion and public input, it was money – or rather, the lack of it - that shelved any plans the city might have had, including expanding the pines golf course. And in late August, commissioners took the entire idea off the table. The city staff focused much of their attention this year on revitalizing the downtown area. In February, after years of planning and a lot of public controversy and debate, Toccoa mayor Bob Troup announced that the city had over $900,000 in grant money to move forward with taking down the canopies and re-opening Doyle Street. Another $350,000 in grant money from One Georgia Authority came in June. By the fall, engineers began surveying downtown for the removal process. In an October work session, Robert Benson of Robert and Company, the architect in charge of the project, outlined the project for commissioners. In December, city commissioners awarded the canopy removal contract to Martin Construction and Grading. Martin Construction will do the job for $327,000. Work gets underway in early January. Toccoa city saw more annexation requests in 2006 than it had probably seen in decades. Among the major industries asking for and receiving annexation was home depot, which purchased over 30 acres next to the new Super Wal-Mart on the 17-bypass and Memorial Drive. Construction on their new store is expected to begin in early 2007. And an Atlanta commercial developer, metro development l-l-c, purchased 47 acres directly across from the Super Wal-Mart. In December, city commissioners approved their request to become part of the city of Toccoa. Also in December, commissioners approved the annexation of 407 acres behind Stephens county hospital for a new subdivision. The Toccoa Falls estates foundation is building a multi-phase subdivision. The land is being developed into a large subdivision community, which will include some 400 new homes, a park, walking trails, and streams. Phase 1 is expected to begin in the coming months and will include about two miles of streets at a cost of over $2-million dollars. One of the biggest feathers in Toccoa’s financial cap this year was the sale of water to Habersham County. After discussions back and forth, Habersham agreed to Toccoa’s proposal and the deal was ratified by both governments December 18th. Afterwards, city commissioner Billy Chism thanked the staff for their hard work. Under the terms of the deal with Habersham, Toccoa will sell them about a million gallons of water a day at a rate of $2.11 per 1,000 gallons for the next 20 years. SCDA EXCITED ABOUT GROWTH
THIS YEAR Both the city and the county made a concerted effort to work together for the betterment of the entire community and that effort is beginning to be felt. And that, says Stephens county development authority director Mitch Griggs, has made 2006 an exciting year. Since he took over as director a year ago, Griggs says he’s seen a difference in attitude – especially with local leadership. Griggs says over the past year he’s seen a lot of positive moves forward. Another highlight was Toccoa’s designation as a signature community by the state of Georgia’s Department of Community Affairs. That award will serve to bring more economic opportunity to Toccoa-Stephens County, along with more interest from outside sources, noted Griggs. According to Griggs more and more communities and the state are noticing the cooperation between governments and how we do business here. However, he says there’s more to building and growing a community than bringing in new jobs. Griggs says you also have to build a community people and industries want to move to. Griggs believes the development authority’s proudest accomplishment was helping the city and county become more unified in their vision for the future of our community. GAINESVILLE FIRST NIGHT
CANCELLED The New
Year's Eve "First Night" celebration in Gainesville won't be held this year but
a couple of towns in the area are planning special events to welcome 2007. PEEPLES CALLS FOR MORE
CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN 2007 Stephens County will begin its new year officially on January 9th with the first regular County commission meeting of the year. New commissioner-elect Harold Andrews will take the oath of office begin his four-year term and commissioners will then elect a chairman. Stephens County ended 2006 with a clean bill of financial health from their auditors and commissioners and staff plan to continue that positive momentum in 2007. However, there is one thing that commissioner Ken Peeples says he hopes to see more of in 2007. “My dream is to have more people come out and attend our meetings and find out what’s going on in the County,” Peeples said. “We always welcome citizens’ questions and concerns. I’m always available by phone as well,” he said. The first County work session will be Monday, January 8 and the first regular meeting on Tuesday, January 9. HIGHLIGHTS OF 2006 As we do every year, AM630 WNEG News looks back at some of the more memorable news stories of the past year. It was an eventful year in law enforcement in Toccoa-Stephens County. 2006 saw two murders and the recovery of the body of a person believed to have been missing for almost four years. However, there has still not been a positive identity on the body that was fished out of the Tugaloo River in early December. In July, two men from New York City were arrested for the murder of a Toccoa man. 38-year old Van Allen Caffee and his nephew, 31-year old Raheem Shands are charged with the execution-style killing of 57-year old James Robert Lewis in July. Caffee and Shands were denied bond and remain in jail. The year ended with another shooting death that resulted in murder charges against a Toccoa man. It happened the night of December 5th at a trailer on red rock road. "After a lengthy investigation, we have charged 46-year old Roger Gary Jackson of Highway 123 with the murder of Wayne Kevin Wilson, Jr.," Stephens County Sheriff Gene Sorrells announced December 7th. Wilson died from a gunshot wound to the chest. Investigators took a rifle and handgun into evidence, but it’s not clear yet which one was used in the shooting. Wilson was known to have had a violent temper, according to authorities and a criminal history. Jackson remains in jail without bond. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Also pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter this year was Randall Sherman Lacy. Lacy plead guilty to accidentally causing the death of a bystander during a fight at the Huddle House two years ago. He was sentenced to four years probation. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Some other notable cases this past year include ABC Package Store and KB Fishbones owner Ken Black. Black was convicted in April of one count of first-degree arson, one count of second-degree arson and one count of conspiracy for hiring a man to burn down his package store. In 2005, Black paid Alan Barrett $25,000 to burn down the ABC Package Store on Currahee Street. Superior Court judge James Cornwell sentenced Black to 10 years in prison on the arson counts with five to serve and a $5,000 fine, and three years in prison on the conspiracy charge. Since then, the ABC Package has closed and KB Fishbones was sold.
Local businessman Eddie Seay plead guilty in early December in Stephens County Superior Court to two counts of felony cruelty to children in the second degree. Seay, who owns Big A Signs and T’s on Big A Road, had been indicted in October on two counts of aggravated sodomy, two counts of aggravated child molestation, four counts of child molestation and two counts of child cruelty. His trial ended in a hung jury. Under a plea agreement, Seay admitted to two counts of failing to report suspected child abuse, but denied charges he molested his son and daughter over a two-year period. Seay was sentenced to 10 years in prison with two to serve on the first count and five years probation on the second count to be served consecutively.
In addition, the case of a Toccoa firefighter accused of trafficking in child pornography continues to drag on. In April, a Stephens County Grand Jury indicted Stacy Palmer on 24 counts of sexual exploitation of children. GBI prosecutors claim that in January 2004, Palmer had in his possession nine digital images of children engaged in various sex acts. A GBI investigation further discovered that in 2005 Palmer allegedly had in his possession 15 computer videos of child pornography. That case has not yet gone to trial. HOLIDAY DEBT CAN SPOIL A
HAPPY NEW YEAR For many consumers, the joy of the holiday season will soon be replaced by the stress of paying holiday debt. Many people overdo a good thing and then struggle to make even minimum payments on their credit cards after the holidays when the bills come in. Consumer Credit Counseling Service advises consumers to top their list of New Year’s resolutions with a commitment to improve their financial outlook. CCCS suggests following the following tips: § Know how much you owe. § Create a spending plan. § Pay off credit card debt. § Build a savings cushion. § Develop a strategy for your financial future. CCCS provides confidential budget counseling, money management education, debt management programs, and other services to help consumers. Contact CCCS at 800-251-cccs or online at www.cccsinc.org. LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTICIPATE IN OPERATION ZERO TOLERANCE December 27, 2006 Lavonia police are joining Franklin, Stephens, and Toccoa law enforcement in participating in the statewide “Operation Zero Tolerance” program, which runs through midnight New Year’s Day. Chief Randy Shirley tells WNEG his department is conducting saturation patrols and random sobriety checkpoints to identify and remove drunk and impaired drivers from Franklin County roadways. So far, it’s been a deadly holiday on Georgia roads. As of midnight Monday, 17 people had died in traffic-related accidents during the Christmas holiday weekend which began Friday night. The Georgia State Patrol had predicted 13 fatalities during that time – two of those occurred in North Georgia. And it doesn’t look too promising for New Year’s weekend either. The New Year’s holiday period begins at 6 p.m. Friday and ends at midnight, Monday, New Year’s Day. Predictions are for 2,500 traffic crashes, 1,152 injuries and 16 traffic deaths during that 78-hour period – one more fatality than last year. Each year in Georgia, more than 500 people are killed in crashes where alcohol, drugs, or a combination of the two are involved. DELAYS EXPECTED ON I-985
NEXT WEEK Expect more traffic delays on I-985 next week. Once the holidays are over, work will resume at a couple of locations, according to Georgia DOT spokeswoman Teri Pope. Pope tells WNEG that on January 3 and 4th, crews will be setting beams for widening the Atlanta Highway Bridge over I-985. Wednesday the 3rd crews will set the beams over I-985 south. The left or inside lane will be closed from 8:00pm to 5:00am Thursday. Traffic will be paced or slowed down four times during the lane closure for about 5 to 10 minutes at a time as each beam is moved over the interstate. The same schedule will occur for Thursday night into Friday morning work; the left or inside lane northbound will be closed from 8:00pm to 5:00am and traffic will be paced four times for about 5 to 10 minutes each time. Once the beams are in place, the work will begin on the same schedule the 5th and 6th. POLICE NEWS A woman on Myrtle Street told police her home was broken into last week. The victim said she left home for a few hours and when she returned, her back door was open. Inside, she found CD’s scattered across the floor and her stereo missing along with game cube. Police have no suspects. TOCCOA REMEMBERS JAMES
BROWN One of the most dynamic figures in music history, James Brown, the “Godfather of Soul,” passed away Christmas morning at Emory Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta. Brown had been hospitalized Sunday, diagnosed with pneumonia. He died about 1:45am Monday morning. The cause of death has now been determined to be heart failure. Though a native of Augusta, Brown spent some of his childhood in the Toccoa area, but it was not a happy time. In 1949, he was sentenced to three and a half years in the Alto Reform School for breaking into cars in the area. While there, he met Bobby Byrd, whose family took Brown into their home. Byrd had a musical group and took Brown into the group, which was called the Gospel Starlighters. Former WNEG radio station owner Roy Gaines, knew Brown well and remembers his time in Toccoa. “He worked for a time at a motor company and he and Bobby Byrd had a little band. At the time, WNEG had a PA system and we would loan it out to anyone who needed it. James would come in to the station from time to time and borrow it for their gigs,” Gaines recalled. They soon changed their name to the Famous Flames and began a career of rhythm and blues. In January of 1956, King Records of Cincinnati, OH signed the group and their first hit was called, “Please, Please, Please” which hit the top ten. Gaines said whenever Brown came to town he would call WNEG from the airport to let everyone know where he would be. Gaines says Brown’s death came as a shock. “I didn’t realize he had health problems and am surprised he died so suddenly,” Gaines observed. Brown won a Grammy for lifetime achievement in 1992, as well as Grammys for “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” and “Living In America.”
TOCCOA LOOKS FORWARD TO YEAR OF GROWTH, SAYS AUSTIN December 26, 2006 The City of Toccoa is looking forward to a more prosperous new year in 2007. Speaking last week to Ken Brady on WNEG’s Currahee Christmas show, City commissioner and next year’s mayor, David Austin says 2007 promises to be an exciting time of growth and renewal for Toccoa. "We'll be building on what's happened in the past and we want to continue that, of course," Austin explained. "We secured funding for the downtown renovation. We will be starting that in a couple of weeks after the start of the New Year. The canopies will start coming down. We've got just a lot of growth going on in Toccoa-Stephens County, as you know with new businesses coming in. That affects us in a positive manner in that because of the new retail businesses, sales taxes go up. That benefits the taxpaying citizens of Toccoa by keeping their taxes low," he said. There is also a new spirit in Toccoa, according to Austin and he says more and more people are discovering what our town has to offer. "A lot of sparks of interest in Toccoa. I was listening to your radio station the other day and I heard the news story about Westminster looking at Toccoa and how great things are going here and trying to model themselves after us. That says a lot. We used to have this pre-eminent position in Northeast Georgia. This used to be a shopping mecca. And I think those kinds of things are going to come back and growth will continue. And we want to be ready for that growth and take care of it," Austin concluded. Work on the canopy removal begins in early January. Austin says they also hope to enter into more water sale discussions next year, this time with Banks County.
HABERSHAM BOE CHAIR RETIRES December 26, 2006 Habersham County’s Board of Education will be appointing a new chairperson next month. That’s because after 40 years in public education, chair Diane Gallagher stepped down this week. Gallagher told Access North Georgia she’s looking forward to her retirement and spending more time with her husband and family. She says she plans to travel.
DEADLINE FOR MLK TALENT/FASHION SHOW THIS WEEKEND December 26, 2006 Once again, it’s time to sign up for this year’s dr. Martin Luther King, Junior Talent and Fashion Show. The show is coming up Saturday, January 13 at 5p.m. at the Schaefer Center and the deadline to sign up is December 31 . Co-organizer Juanita Johnson says they’re looking for all kinds of talented people to be a part of the show. Sponsored by the Black Christian Men’s Association and Auxiliary, the show kicks off a weeklong celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior. Anyone interested in being part of the Talent and Fashion Show should call Juanita Johnson at 706-886-8959.
December 26, 2006 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wants you to know you can bring your Christmas tree to them for recycling when you take it down. The Corps will be accepting Christmas trees for recycling beginning today through January 7. Christmas trees may be dropped off at the big oaks recreation area on U.S. 29 in Hart County. Recycled trees will be used as fish attractors in Hartwell Lake. Also, the “Keep Toccoa-Stephens County Beautiful” group is holding a Christmas tree recycling events between December 28 and January 6. Trees may be dropped off at the County Farm Road and at the Robinson Road convenience sites next Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. You can also drop them off at the Tower Road, White Pine Road, and Wolf Pit Road convenience sites on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
GEORGIA UNEMPLOYMENT DIPS SLIGHTLY December 26, 2006 The Georgia Department of Labor reports Georgia’s unemployment rate declined to 4.4 percent in November, down three-tenths of one percent from 4.7 percent in October. However, the State's
jobless rate continues to exceed the national unemployment rate, as it has for
six of the last seven months. The U. S. Rate in November was an unadjusted 4.3
percent, up from 4.1 percent in October.
EXPECT A WET CHRISTMAS – NOT
A WHITE CHRISTMAS Northeast Georgia has been under a flash flood watch with heavy rain expected to continue through tonight. John Tomko, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Greenville says we could see up to an inch of rain today. That could cause problems if you plan to drive anywhere for Christmas. "You can expect some flooding on roads and even some snowfall in elevations over 2,500 feet," Tomko said. Now the big blizzard in the Midwest is not headed our way, but we will see more rain this weekend – especially on Christmas Eve and Christmas day, according to Tomko, with a good chance for another inch or more of rain by next Tuesday. And it looks like all the unusually warm weather we’ve enjoyed this past week is also a thing of the past, caused, Tomko says, by a rare weather pattern. The rain should clear out by Tuesday but temperatures will remain in the mid 50s.
GOVERNMENT OFFICES CLOSED
MONDAY AND TUESDAY All city and county offices will be closed Monday and Tuesday in observance of the Christmas holiday. In the City, routes for garbage pick up for Monday will be done on Wednesday and the normal Tuesday pick up will be done on Thursday. Commercial garbage scheduled for Monday will be picked up on Tuesday, but yard waste and other items will not be picked up. Toccoa police and fire departments will be on duty during the Christmas holiday. In addition, utility department employees will be on call in the event of an emergency. The Pines Golf Course will be closed on Christmas Day. All County government offices and services will be closed on Christmas.
NO ROAD WORK ON GEORGIA
HIGHWAYS NEXT WEEK The Georgia Department of Transpiration will not have any lane closures on Georgia highways, roads and Interstates next week in order to help motorists make it to family and friends over the holidays. DOT communications officer Teri Pope said there will be no lane closures on I-985 at Exit 16 next week nor at I-85 and SR 316 – two major construction areas in Northeast Georgia. Work will also cease on the widening project of Winder Highway and SR53 and SR17 from Lavonia to Stephens County next week. Pope, however, advises motorists to slow down and plan extra time if you are driving through any work zone even if there is not actual work going on. In addition, the speed limit through work zones will remain at 55.
NEGA
MEDICAL CENTER OFFERS BREAST
MRI Northeast Georgia Medical Center now has a new tool to aid in the detection and treatment of breast cancer. It is an Breast MRI that will allow women to get a more accurate diagnosis, according to hospital spokeswoman Kati Dubnik. MRI’s have been shown to increase the accuracy of diagnosing breast cancer as a supplement to regular mammography or ultrasound. Dubnik says it is also helpful in preventing the spread of the disease in patients who already have breast cancer. The new Breast MRI is available at the hospital’s imaging center on Sims Street in Gainesville.
STEPHENS COUNTY HOSPITAL
OFFERING BUSINESS FLU CLINICS Stephens County Hospital is offering flu vaccines to local employers. According to hospital spokeswoman Lynn Crunkleton, the program is designed to help employers protect their most valuable investment – their employees. Business owners interested may schedule an inoculation program at their place of business at a cost of as little as $20.00 per vaccine. Hospital workers will administer the vaccines at the place of business and provide educational and informative literature for your staff. To sign your business up for the flu vaccine program, you can contact Crunkleton via email at lcrunkleton@stephenscountyhospital.com, or by phone at 706.282.4254.
CITY UPDATES UTILITY PAYMENT
POLICY Some changes to how Toccoa utility customers pay their bills. This week, City commissioners adopted a revised utility policy after weeks of work by commissioner Andy Pavliscsak and City finance director Emory Stephens. Most of the changes have to due with curbing the growing number of late and delinquent accounts. Utilities are due 20 days from the date of mailing and are considered past due if paid after that. They are considered delinquent if not paid after 35 days. "Accounts are cut off now after the 35th day when they are not paid and are delinquent," Stephens explained. "We have had a lot of people who are making arrangements when their bills are $300 this month and they say ‘Well I can’t pay that, but I can pay $100 right now and $50 next week or the week after’ or ‘I’ll pay an extra $50 or $100 a month extra on my past due balance.’ I think the intent here is to reduce those arrangements and to try and keep everything current. That means the less money falling into the delinquent account side, the better," he concluded. Other changes included deposit amounts for businesses. Water deposits will now be $100 for commercial businesses, and $300 for industrial. For gas customers, the deposit for commercial businesses will be $300 and $500 for industrial. Deposits for both residential and business customers will be refunded after 12 months of a good payment history.
USE CAUTION WHEN WALKING
ALONE, ADVISES TOCCOA POLICE Toccoa police are warning citizens – especially women – to use care when out alone after one woman was approached by a strange man while walking downtown. It happened Monday afternoon. Misty Reed, a part-time employee of WNEG, says she was walking to the post office when a man she did not know began following her. "I heard him turn around and start to follow me, but shortly he stopped. I made it to the post office and started on my way back. He was sitting on a wall partition waiting on me, smoking. As I passed, I heard him get up and start to follow me again. He crossed the street when I did and got closer until he was next to me. He continued to stare at me and as I was almost back to where I started from he propositioned me," Reed remembered. The man continued to follow her until a friend called to her and the suspect left. That incident left reed shaken and she says made her feel vulnerable. "Made me very sad that you can’t walk down in front of the Courthouse and Police Station in broad daylight without someone making you fee violated," Reed said. Because he did not harm Reed, the man was not arrested and he cannot be identified. However, Toccoa Police detective Ginger Currans tells WNEG they know the person and he does have a criminal history for that kind of behavior. Currans advises women to always carry some kind of protection, such as mace or pepper spray with them at all times and to always be aware of their surroundings. And she says, do not be afraid to defend yourself if you have to. "You ALWAYS have the right to defend yourself," Currans stated. "If someone lays their hands on you, then you have a right to get yourself out of that situation the best way you can. And that means defending yourself no matter what the cost," she said. Police did confront the suspect, who is on probation, and gave him a verbal warning. He is also barred from walking the streets of downtown Toccoa.
WINTER BEGINS TONIGHT –
OFFICIALLY Today marks the official beginning of winter and the shortest day of the year. It is the Winter Solstice – one of two times during the year when the sun is farthest from the equator. That will happen tonight at 7:22 p.m. We will now see the days get a little longer every day.
T-60 GRILL OWNER TO BUILD
SUBDIVISION IN WESTMINSTER T-60 grill owner Joe Crosby is teaming up with two Georgia developers to build a cluster-home development across the Tugaloo River in Westminster, SC. Angus Morrison of Alpharetta, GA and Larry Torrance of Hartwell, GA are part of the venture they’re calling the "Low Country Retreat." Crosby is famous for his low-country boil on Friday nights at the T-60 Grill in Fair Play, SC. Morrison says they want the development to a family-friendly atmosphere. "It’s on what a lot of people around here know as the Cleveland Plantation. It is a beautiful piece of property. Our concept is a family-friendly concept. Grandfather, parents, kids, kids of kids, all the way up and down the family tree. About 45-50% of the property will be common area. We will have an equestrian center and access to the lake. Small homes clustered around the lake in the hardwoods as well estate lots around the perimeter of the property," Morrison explained. The announcement of the new subdivision came at a vision meeting in Westminster this week. Morrison said he and his partners support Westminster’s improvement efforts. "When people come together, you always need leaders, and the mayor is a great leader. You just have to try and push people forward and growth will come from that. That will benefit all of the citizens here in Westminster as well as Oconee County," he said. Crosby once owned a restaurant in Toccoa, but closed it after a year due to low sales and to pursue other ventures.
SECOND SUSPECT IN ARMED
ROBBERY ARRESTED A suspect wanted in connection with that armed robbery in Seneca, SC Monday is now in custody. 20-year old Lloyd Andrew Lash of Seneca turned himself in to authorities Tuesday night. Police say lash and 21-year old Ashley Michelle Campbell broke into a home in the Clincscales area of Seneca early Monday morning. Campbell was arrested a short time later. Lash is charged with burglary in the first degree, armed robbery with a deadly weapon, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. He remains in the Oconee County jail.
BRING ONE FOR THE CHIPPER
NEXT WEEK Georgia department of Community Affairs (DCA) Commissioner
Mike Beatty is calling on Georgia families to make "environmentally-friendly"
post-Christmas disposal plans by participating in the state's 17th annual "Bring
One for the Chipper" recycling program. Trees may be dropped off at the County Farm Road and at the Robinson Road convenience sites next Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. You can also drop them off at the Tower Road, White Pine Road, and Wolf Pit Road convenience sites on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Be sure you remove all ornaments, garland, and the tree stand before you bring your tree to be recycled. Those who recycle their tree will receive a tree seedling. Since its inception in 1991, Keep Georgia Beautiful's "Bring One for the Chipper" program has collected nearly 4.5 million trees and provided over 1 million tree seedlings to program participants. More than 226,600 trees were recycled statewide in 2006.
ISAKSON SAYS HE WILL FIGHT TO
KEEP DELTA FROM TAKEOVER U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson is fighting to keep Delta Airlines from being taken over by U.S. Airlines. This week, Delta again rejected U.S. Air’s advances and announced its intention to emerge from bankruptcy as an independent airline. Speaking to a joint state House and Senate panel Tuesday afternoon, Isakson said most of Delta’s employees are taxpaying citizens of Georgia. Isakson also cited the many route overlaps between Delta and U.S. Air, which would not only mean cut routes, but a cutback in service to customers. With its hub at Hartsfield-Jackson International, Isakson said Delta is the reason many businesses have relocated to Georgia and it remains a vital part of the state’s future economic success. "Now when two competitors go to one, what happens to the flying public? What happens to them is their rates go up," Isakson said. "The second thing that is so important to the flying public and Georgia’s business people are those secondary markets that feed into Atlanta that go to the rest of the world to do their business. People that you represent. The people of Albany, Columbus, Savannah, and Augusta Georgia whose lifeline to get to Hartsfield and the rest of the world are those commuter flights. We have a great state, but there’s no question that if we didn’t have our ports of Savannah and Brunswick, if we didn’t have our Hartsfield International and Delta airlines we would not be the economic engine we are today and trust me, if this merger were to take place, we would not be in the future what we are today," he concluded. Despite the rejection by Delta, U.S. Airways told USA Today it remains, "a determined bidder."
HABERSHAM WATER DEAL VITAL TO
CITY, SAYS MORSE Habersham County Commissioners gave the official OK to the Toccoa water deal at their regular meeting Monday night. Habersham County administrator Ed Sealover tells WNEG the architect firm of Jordan, Jones and Golden will begin immediately working on the engineering and design of a new pump station and water line after the first of the year. Meantime, at Monday’s City Commission meeting, City manager Billy Morse told commissioners many Toccoa-Stephens County citizens might not understand the importance of this deal to our community. In a brief statement, Morse outlined some of the benefits of the water sale to Habersham. "When the Coats American plant closed a few years ago, the City of Toccoa lost its largest water customer," Morse began. "that was a loss of water sales well over one million gallons per day. Therefore, our water plant went from operating at well over 50% of capacity to well under 50% of capacity. With that, we lost the efficiency of producing higher volumes - economies of scale. The loss of the Coats American water sales also hit our city at an extremely low point in our financial history. We need to keep in mind that water sales are the single largest source of revenue for our General Fund." "Additionally, without water sales, our City taxes would be much higher. These water sales are enabling the City to regain its financial strength and are vital to the future success of our community. In summary, outside water sales will help fill the void left by Coats American, make the water plant more efficient, generate significant revenues, support the General Fund and keep taxes low, allow the City to expand our infrastructure, and support economic development in Stephens County, all while maintaining a sufficient water supply to support our own growth in Toccoa-Stephens County," he concluded. Additionally, Morse said that without water sales, the city’s taxes would be much higher. He went on to say water sales such as these are enabling the City to regain its financial strength and are vital to the future success of our community. Under the terms of the deal with Habersham, Toccoa will sell them about a million gallons of water a day at a rate of $2.11 per 1,000 gallons for the next 20 years.
CITY ELECTS NEW MAYOR, MAKES
ANNUAL APPOINTMENTS As happens every year, the City of Toccoa will see a new mayor and vice mayor for 2007. This week, City commissioner David Austin was elected next year’s mayor by the commission. Commissioner Andy Pavliscsak will serve as vice mayor. Also re-appointed for another year were: Dr. Henry Fields as the City chaplain Jo Gleason as the City clerk Billy Morse as the City manager Willie Woodruff will serve again as the Municipal Court judge and Gary Jackson will once serve on the Airport Authority In a final address to the citizens of Toccoa, mayor Bob Troup praised the City staff and commissioners for their hard work and said more than any other year, 2006 saw increased cooperation between the City and County.
FIRST TOYS FOR TOTS DRIVE A
SUCCESS Almost 200 families in Toccoa-Stephens County will receive a little help this Christmas from the U.S. Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots program. This afternoon, parents will be picking up bags of new toys donated by generous citizens in our county. Local Sheriff’s deputy and former U.S. Marine, Dan Angell, who credits volunteers with getting the toys ready, spearheaded Stephens County. "We received most of our toys Monday around 5:30p.m. We unloaded them and they are down at Ebenezer Baptist Church. We've got them lined up alphabetically. And the parents will start coming by Thursday and Friday from 5:30p to 8 p.m. to pick these toys up," Angell said. This is the first year there has been a local Toys for Tots drive in Stephens County and Angell says so far it has been a big success. "We've done extremely well in Stephens County for the first year that we've held this drive. The merchants have worked real well with us and right now we're ahead of the game," he said. Toys for Tots worked closely with the Salvation Army in Toccoa to make sure no child is forgotten in Stephens County this Christmas. TANK UP
AND RUNNING WATER IN MARTIN The City of Martin is enjoying it’s new water tank that is now serving the increased demand for water by residents and some others who would like to be served by that city. Mayor Don Foster said that the city received a plaque from the agency who helped fund the project, expressing their satisfaction with the way the City of Martin handled the tower’s financial support. "We went through the GEFA plan and they loaned us the money in that particular situation." Foster explained " They sent us a plaque for our water tank, in honor of it and also for the way we constructed it. Everything worked out real well. It took us a long time, but once we got through it and got started in it went real well. And they were real proud of the way we handled the GEFA funding." The City of Martin is getting some help from the county’s E-911 office is obtaining some more road signs. "911 is cooperating very well with the City of Martin and they’re going to help us out with some additional road signs. These are ones that we didn’t have up. They are mostly private drive signs, the rest were already up. But they’re going to help us out and they can make the signs faster they we can get them, so they’re helping us out with them." Two goals for the City of Martin in the year 2007 is the effort to draw some commercial business to the city and to obtain some new playground equipment for the local park.
PREPLANNING FOR HEALTH EMERGENCIES AT HOSPITAL Dealing with health issues is a constant challenge for Stephens County Hospital. Any time the community is faced with illness or injury, whether the source is a natural disaster or a man-made calamity, one of the first parts of the community that is affected is the local hospital. The most recent issue that federal, state and local officials have been preparing for is a potential bird flu pandemic. Stephens County Hospital, along with other hospitals in the state and around the country are actually being tested as to their ability to handle illnesses connected with the bird flu. Faye Taylor, Director of Nursing at Stephens County Hospital reported to the Hospital Authority this week that the hospital has had meetings regarding their procedures, should an epidemic occur in this area. Taylor said that the meetings dealt with different aspects of handling such a crisis. "Our hospital participated with around 150 other hospitals around the state in these meetings." Ms. Taylor told WNEG News. "This was coordinated by the Georgia Hospital Association Over a three day period, we had a drill where we started with a small number of flu patients and very rapidly, increased to a large number They gave us scenarios of all sorts of problems that would occur in the community if this were to actually occur. It was quite a learning experience." A couple of times a year, Stephens County Hospital holds a mock disaster drill to see how their employees would re-act in case of certain situations. Ms. Taylor indicated this year’s drill again dealt with the bird flu pandemic on a local level. "The following week, we actually did our annual drill here and we followed on through with our employees on the pandemic flu outbreak scenario. We got a lot of ideas and there are a lot of things we have to work on. We are in preparation for a pandemic if it were ever to occur. We have started increasing our supply of masks and IV supplies, some respiratory supplies just so that we’ll be more prepared in the event that it did occur." Faye Taylor is the chairman of the County Health Committee, designed to deal with local emergencies such as illness or disasters.
POLICE NEWS A Martin woman told sheriff’s deputies someone broke into her home and took her handbag. Entry was made through the back door of the home on poplar springs road. The victim said inside her purse was two different prescription drugs, credit cards, drivers license, checkbook, and over $500 in cash. Deputies processed the scene but were unable to come up with any fingerprints. A Toccoa man ended up in jail after causing problems at the Wal-mart. Authorities say 48-year old Jackie Kimbrell became irate with store employees when he tried to return items he did not have a receipt for. When the store refused to return his money, police say Kimbrell began shouting and cursing at the store manager. He then allegedly took some gold spray paint and began spraying it all over the store. Kimbrell was finally arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.
GSP CRACKS DOWN ON IMPAIRED
DRIVERS OVER HOLIDAYS With Christmas on the weekend this year, many people are getting an early start on their travels to family and loved ones. Georgia State troopers and officers with the Motor Carrier Compliance and Capitol Police divisions of the Georgia Department of Public Safety are preparing for back-to-back 78-hour Christmas and New Year’s holiday travel periods. Troopers and State officers will be patrolling during the holiday periods and concentrating on dangerous drivers who pose a threat to traffic safety on Georgia roads. The Christmas holiday travel period begins Friday, December 22 at 6 p.m. and continues until midnight Monday, December 25. Traffic predictions from the Georgia Department of Transportation’s Crash Reporting Unit and the Georgia State Patrol are for 2,212 traffic crashes, 1,001 injuries and 13 traffic deaths. Last year, 11 people died on Georgia roads during a Christmas holiday period that was 78 hours long. There were 2,280 crashes and 949 injuries recorded. Colonel Bill Hitchens, DPS commissioner and State Patrol commander reminds motorists who plan to travel during the holiday periods to plan carefully and choose a sober designated driver before partying or if you plan to drive. He said law enforcement officers would not hesitate to arrest an impaired driver or ticket anyone who jeopardizes the safety of the motoring public.
U.S. ARMY CORPS TAKING OLD
CHRISTMAS TREES NEXT WEEK You may have just gotten your tree up but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wants you to know you can bring it to them when you take it down. The Corps will be accepting Christmas trees for recycling beginning December 26 through January 7. Christmas trees may be dropped off at the Big Oaks Recreation Area on U.S. 29 in Hart County. Recycled trees will be used as fish attractors in Hartwell Lake. The trees will be tied in bundles, weighted with concrete anchors, and submerged in various locations marked with buoys. They will provide cover for fish, particularly as nursery areas for juvenile fish. They will also provide habitat for aquatic insects – an essential food for juvenile fish.
EQUINE HERPES VIRUS
DISCOVERED IN FLORIDA Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin is alerting Georgians that Equine Herpes Virus (EHV) has been detected in Florida resulting in cancellation of two horse shows and quarantines. The cases in Florida have been linked to a single horse imported from Europe to Florida where it became ill. Florida agriculture officials have reported five more cases of EHV. Equine Herpes Virus Type One causes a more common horse disease known as Rhinopneumonitis and is preventable with a vaccine. Although no reported cases of EHV have been reported in Georgia, the virus has the potential of presenting itself where horses congregate, according to Irvin. Equine Herpes Virus is contagious and the Department of Agriculture is urging horse owners to make sure their horses are vaccinated against the disease.
CURRAHEE MOUNTAIN FIRE
INVESTIGATED A fire yesterday afternoon on Currahee Mountain may have been deliberately set. Rangers from the U.S. Forest Service and the Georgia Forest Service are back on the mountain today to try to determine a cause. The blaze broke out about 1 p.m. just below the summit Monday. Firefighters from three volunteer fire stations and the U.S. Forest service worked for over an hour to put out the fire, which at one point came very close to a cement block building. Gary Roberts, chief ranger in Stephens, Franklin, and Hart counties for the Georgia Forestry Commission says crews working on towers on top of the mountain spotted the blaze. "It actually started at the top and was backing its way down," noted Gary Roberts, chief forest ranger for the Georgia Forest Service in Stephens, Franklin, and Hart counties. "So it had burned about an acre by the time we got there. The fire departments did a good job of knocking it down with water and we were able to get the hoses pulled. It wasn't in a really remote area, it was near the road," he said. That stretch of road is near Look Out Rock. Roberts said the fire was darting in and out around the rocks and scorched about two acres before firefighters put it out. The fire was out by 4 p.m. Meantime, WNEG has learned authorities are looking for two vehicles that were seen in the area around the time the fires started. Since the U.S. Forest Service owns the mountain, they are in charge of the investigation.
DEVELOPERS SEEK ANNEXATION
FOR 407 ACRES Some 407 acres behind Stephens County Hospital could soon be part of the City of Toccoa. The Toccoa Falls Estates Foundation, LLC is requesting annexation to the City under a zoning code not currently part of the City’s zoning classifications. On Thursday, the Planning Commission will have two issues to decide upon regarding the Foundation’s request, according to director Connie Tabor. "First of all they'll have to consider the request for annexation and then from that point if it's approved as far the recommendation from the Planning Commission to the City Commission then they would come up with the zoning classification for that development. The request is suburban residential," explained Planning Commission director Connie Tabor. The purpose of suburban residential is to address residential growth in forested, hillside, and stream valley areas along the perimeter of a city. Generally in such developments, lot sizes are larger to preserve natural and scenic resources in the environment. "This is more a zoning that would consider larger lot sizes and a little bit more stringent zoning because of the lay of the land with the hillside, and the streams so that it would be protected more. Also with this zoning classification, you look at the forestry, the accessory uses and the setback requirements are a little bit different," Tabor said. Foundation representative David Scott of Atlanta and Dennis Gehringer, land use planning consultant for the development, proposed the new designation at a City commission work session in June. The land is being developed into a large subdivision community, which will include some 400 new homes, a park, walking trails, and streams. Plans are for the subdivision to be developed in four phases. Phase 1 is expected to begin in the coming months and will include about two miles of streets at a cost of over $2-million dollars. The overall project is expected to take approximately five years to build.
REC POOL CLOSED FOR REPAIRS The pool at the Recreation Center is closed today and will remain closed through the beginning of the year. New Rec director Richard Adams says crews will be doing some much-needed maintenance. The pool will re-open on January 2. Next month, two new classes will begin at the pool. One is called, "Turbo Waves – Session II" – a water aerobics class, which begins January 16. The second is another water aerobics class called, "Making Waves," which will start on January 2. For more information on these classes, contact the Rec Center at 706-886-5101.
GROUP SEEKS DAY TO HONOR
FIRST RESPONDERS A group of first responders is calling on Congress to make September 22, "National First Responders Appreciation Day." Yesterday, the First Responder Coalition (FRC) urged Congress to set aside a day to honor the work of millions of first responders nationwide. The FRC’s draft resolution cites the tireless efforts of the country’s 1.1 million firefighters, 670,000 police officers, and 742,000 emergency medical personnel. The FRC chose September 22 as the date for the proposed "National First Responders Appreciation Day" as it was in the aftermath of September 11th that first responders received widespread praise for their heroic work. Congress is expected to consider the measure in early 2007.
AUTHORITIES ARREST WOMAN FOR
ARMED BREAK IN Seneca authorities continue their search today for one of two suspects who they say broke into a home early yesterday at gunpoint. It happened about 4 a.m. Monday in the Clincscales area of Seneca. Seneca police say the suspects were armed. Authorities say the residents were robbed, but declined to say what the items were. One of the suspects, a woman, was arrested later Monday morning. She is identified as 21-year old Ashley Michelle Campbell. Campbell is charged with burglary first degree, possession of a weapon during a violent crime, and armed robbery while armed with a deadly weapon. An extra watch was placed on a nearby head start center on Perkins creek road.
WILKINSON CENTER CENSUS DOWN The Stephens County Hospital Authority heard some good news and some bad news at their meeting Monday. On the downside, Director Karen Barnes reported that the census at the Wilkinson Center is now at 29, the lowest it has been since 1999. Administrator Ed Gambrell was asked about the problem and how he feels the Authority can solve it. "Well, we probably need to do more marketing." Gambrell surmised. "The census at both personal care homes goes up and goes down. It’s kind of hard to figure out why at certain times. We definitely need to do more advertising and more marketing to try to let people know what we have out there and increase the census there." On the plus side, the month of November set a record for the number of births at the hospital. "We had 67 births at the hospital during the month of November. And we had 597 during the last year. We are having more births than ever. It’s a great problem to have. We are very crowded sometimes, but we’re very thankful for it too." The Authority authorized the expenditure of $129,000 for a new digital imaging machine which can be used by a number of departments within the hospital. The current machine is 7 years old and since it was the only one in use, was causing some overtime while attempting to take care of patients.
CITY OF MARTIN LIGHTS UP
CHRISTMAS The town of Martin continues to get rave revues on its Christmas lights this year. Mayor Don Foster urges folks to come down and see the lights and the many decorations. "We are getting a lot of compliments ,especially from folks from out of town and those people who have never been in Martin before during the Christmas season. Some people just came in here recently and stopped and asked about the lights. So if you haven’t been down here lately, come on down to Martin and see the lights. We’re very proud of them." However, all is not merry and bright. Someone stole the reindeer from in front of the Community Center. "Yes, somebody decided to take the reindeer from in front of the Community Center. Whoever got them, I’d ask them to bring them back." A couple other reindeer were moved but were not damaged. A similar incident occurred last year when another reindeer light was taken. City Clerk Bob Stovall said that some street signs have also been either knocked down or removed all together. The Stephen County Sheriff’s office has indicated it will be increasing it’s patrol in that area.
PSC INVESTIGATES BUZZ TELECOM Some Stephens County residents who had their long distance service hijacked by Buzz Telecom will be happy to know the company will likely be kicked out of Georgia. Last week, the Public Service Commission held an emergency hearing to determine whether there are sufficient grounds to suspend or limit Buzz Telecom’s certificate to provide phone service in the state. Tomorrow, the PSC will vote on their findings. "The Commission will take a vote on that on Tuesday," said PSC spokesman Bill Edge. "They also will vote on whether to go ahead with a formal proceeding on what type of penalties, if any, should be leveled against Buzz Telecom for the allegations of fraud and deception," he said. Since January, more than 100 consumers filed complaints about the Company’s practice of slamming customers – including people here in Stephens County. Customers told the p-s-c that buzz switched their long distance service without their knowledge or consent. Some customers said the Company was simply billing them for service without having switched them – which could be interpreted as theft. Edge says the company did not send a representative to the hearing last week, but did send a letter. "They did send an email to the Commission saying that they were no longer doing business in Georgia and that they had sold all of their assets to another company. However, at this time have not been able to confirm that and that certainly doesn’t absolve them of any wrongdoing or any penalties that may be leveled against them for their past practices," Edge noted. Since October 24, buzz telecom has not responded to complaints forwarded to it from the p-s-c staff. Commission rules require Buzz Telecom to commence an investigation into a complaint within five business days from the date of initial contact. If the complaint has not been resolved within thirty days, the telephone utility shall make a status report on the matter to the p-s-c. As of last week, Buzz Telecom had not responded to about 116 of the complaints forwarded to them, according to the PSC.
CREDIT UNION MEMBERS
VICTIMIZED BY PHISHING SCAM Another scam is a little closer to home. It involved a "phishing" scam at North Georgia Credit Union, according to spokeswoman Laura Williams. "A phishing scam directs individuals to a false Web site and asks them for confidential and personal information. First it’s sent with an email and it directs you to the false Web site," Williams explained. North Georgia Credit Union has been warning its customers about the phony email and Web site. After conducting their own investigation, Williams says they were able to get the fake Web site off the Internet. "The national credit union association was working on it, which of course, they’re not really professionals in that field so it was taking them a little bit longer. So we decided to go ahead and consult with the companies that actually takes care of that and they shut the site down," she said. The fake Web site looked very authentic and the email asking customers to update or correct their personal information online appeared to make a lot of sense. However, Williams said that is not how a financial institution contacts customers. "One thing to remember is that any credit union, bank, or financial institution will NEVER send you an email asking you for your personal information. If you remember that, really you’ll be ok," Williams said. Williams said if you receive any kind of official looking email asking you to update your personal information online, it is a scam and just delete it.
TOCCOA TO HOLD PUBLIC
HEARINGS TONIGHT The City of Toccoa will hold public hearings tonight for two groups looking to develop land on the 17 Bypass. In the first hearing, public comment will be solicited for Home Depot’s parking variance request for a planned store on the Bypass and Memorial Drive. The City of Toccoa zoning code requires one parking space for every 200 square feet of commercial development. Based on the City code, that means home depot would need to provide 672 parking spaces for their new store. However, the Company contends they will only need about 400 parking spaces and will likely not utilize even that many. That’s based on a parking study conducted by Home Depot’s southwest division. The other hearing tonight is an annexation request by a Marietta, GA developer who has purchased some 40 acres directly across from the Super Wal-Mart. Metro Development LLC purchased over 47 acres on the corner SR17 and the 17 Bypass. The Company plans to divide it up and market it to retailers. According to plans submitted to the Toccoa Planning Commission, Metro Development plans to have 14 out parcels ranging from one acre to 17 acres. Last month, the Toccoa Planning Commission approved their application to be annexed into the City and zone the area B-2/Commercial District. If approved by City commissioners tonight, Metro Development will begin marketing the property. In other business tonight, City commissioners will elect their new mayor for 2007 as well as appoint certain offices. They include the city chaplain, city clerk, city manager, and municipal court judge. Also tonight, commissioners will re-address the utility account policy revisions. The City wants to toughen the collection policy for past due accounts, among other things. And finally, the City will decide if two local businesses will have their alcohol beverage licenses renewed. Commissioners tabled a decision on whether AMVETS Post 600 on South Broad Street would be renewed because of a concern about its owner. Willie G. Martin has four undisposed DUI’s on his record from over ten years ago. While that should not affect his license, commissioners asked time to consider the application. Tonight’s meeting begins at 5 p.m. in City Hall.
CHITWOOD HONORED BY COUNTY As he will tell you, outgoing County commissioner Steve Chitwood has one vote left until January 1, but friends and coworkers gathered last week to bid him a fond farewell. A reception for Chitwood was held at the Courthouse Annex, attended by State and local officials. During the reception, commissioner Ken Peeples presented Chitwood with a plaque and thanked him for his service to the County. Chitwood has been in office since 2002. He told those in attendance it’s now time to take a break. "I think everybody should have to do this job for at least four years," laughed Chitwood. "Of course every job has its good and its bad time, but it’s been quite an experience and I don’t regret it. Irene and I need to get back on the road again. We haven’t had a long vacation in over four years so we plan on traveling a little bit. I appreciate all the help that each of you have been and the encouragement I’ve gotten from all of you and I hope the future is bright for all of you," he concluded. Recently, Chitwood told WNEG News that he believes helping bring the County out of a financial crisis was his biggest accomplishment while in office.
LAST DAY TO GET PACKAGES
MAILED IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS If you want it to get there by Christmas, today is the last day to mail it from the Post Office and it will have to go first class. Last Wednesday was the last day for parcel post packages. Now if you cannot get to the Post Office today, your package will still arrive on time if you send it priority mail by no later than Wednesday. And for the rest of us procrastinators, you have until the 22nd to mail your packages, but they will have to go express mail. The Post Office will deliver express mail on Christmas day. But for those who would rather pay less for shipping and would prefer to avoid those last-minute lines, the time for holiday shipping is now.
POLICE NEWS More shoplifting occurs during the Christmas holidays that any other time of the year and Wal-mart is seeing its fair share. A Martin woman is charged with shoplifting after store security observed her taking a TV out of the store without paying for it. Officers also allegedly found a comforter set and coats that had been taken. Total value of the merchandise was almost $600. Police arrested 39-year old Angela Kim Hanson of Seven Forks Road in Martin and charged her with felony shoplifting. Another reminder this time of year to keep your handbag, wallet and credit cards close at all times. Two customers at Wal-Mart reported having their purses stolen last week. In both cases, the pocketbooks were taken out of the shopping carts when the women were not looking. If you’re going to steal a car, especially a luxury vehicle, at least make sure it runs!. Someone must have really wanted a Mercedes. Sharon Dooley of Locust Street told Toccoa Police that someone took her vehicle that had gold rims. However it doesn’t run and had to be towed from the property. Police are investigating a burglary at an apartment at Forest Park Apartments. The resident told officers that someone entered the unit and took his Play Station II. The thief left behind the controller and the power adapter.
BOE SAYS ‘NO’ TO COUNTY LAND
REQUEST A request to the Stephens County School Board from the County to turn over unused land at the old middle school has angered some School Board members. A letter from the County Commission was read at the BOE’s regular meeting Tuesday night. County commissioners want all of the surplus property at the old middle school turned over to them. Their request brought a swift response from BOE members James Thomas and Curtis Waters – no thanks. Thomas said it’s just another example of the County’s inability to work with them on the big issues. "Well the only time they ever communicate with us is when they want something from us," asserted Thomas. "We've been trying for four years to work together as a community for what's best and that's what we want to continue to do, but we need communication. We need their cooperation rather than just their demands and what they want," he said. Commissioner Rex Anderson said buildings and land are not being used by the school system, have fallen into disrepair, and are liability to the County. Additionally, he said the property could be a benefit to the community as a public park and ball field. "It's an excellent place to utilize for Little League teams or some of the other teams that would like to play down there," Anderson observed. "It has the old football field and a stadium built there that's useable. We have a lot of people using the track to walk on for exercise. There's also a potential that I feel like we could put some picnic tables in there and fix it up and make a nice park out of it that people could use," he said. However, this week BOE members said the land is already being used by the FFA for their projects. At the end of the discussion, members George Payne, Jerry Steele, and Curtis Waters said they would be willing to discuss the matter further with the County.
TOCCOA REVENUE HIGHER THAN EXPECTED IN NOVEMBER The City of Toccoa may finally be starting to emerge years of stagnant growth. This week, City finance director Emory Stephens told commissioners Toccoa’s operating cash for November was the best he has seen in a long time. "The operating cash in all funds stood at $1,834,700," Emory said. "Billy (Morse) was looking back the other day and that's the largest number we've had in over five years. So, that makes us feel good," he said. Stephens credits that increase with tax bills going out early. However, most of the City’s revenue is in the water fund, according to Stephens. One reason is interest income. Stephens told commissioners the water fund received over $2,000 in interest income this last month – more than he had projected for the entire year. Also doing well is the general fund with a balance of $500,000 at the end of November. "There was a little bit of good news in the general fund revenue. Sales taxes are running ahead of budget as was noted recently. For the five-month period, we are approximately $56,000 ahead of the budget as far as sales tax revenue, so that's positive. Recorders court is also running ahead of budget - about $40,000 for the five-month period. So there's $90,000 that we didn't anticipate. It's better than our budget projections, so that's good," Stephens concluded. Stephens said the City has only spent about 31% of its general fund budget. Despite the rosy report this month, Stephens said he still expects Toccoa will end the year either short or break even. That’s because he said the gas fund is not expected to do as well as last year because of falling oil prices.
TOCCOA-STEPHENS COUNTY THE ENVY OF NEIGHBORS Toccoa-Stephens County’s neighbors to the northeast are a bit jealous of all the growth going on here lately. This week, Westminster mayor Derek Hodgin and chamber president Bob Moir admitted they are envious of the commercial and industrial successes of our community. Hodgin and Moir are pointing to us as a way to motivate their own city to meet the recommendations of the Westminster vision project. Hodgin and Moir are circulating an accounting by the Stephens County Development Authority that lists new business and industry to our area in recent years. On Monday, the Westminster vision committee will meet again and the mayor is hoping for a big turnout. At that meeting, members will examine how action-planning teams can work together more effectively to reach their objectives. That meeting will be held Monday evening from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Westminster Masonic lodge.
SUSPECT BUYS HOUSE WITH TEEN’S SOCIAL SECURITY
NUMBER The experts tell us it’s always a good idea to periodically check your credit report. A Stephens County man found that out when he discovered he’d been a victim of identity fraud for at least four years. The 20-year old victim told authorities he received a letter from State Farm Insurance recently telling him his insurance would be cancelled because of a bad credit report. After looking up his credit report online, he discovered someone took out a mortgage using his Social Security number back in 2002. The victim told investigators that it couldn’t have been him because at that time he was only 16. State Farm is cooperating with authorities to clear up the matter. The victim has also contacted credit agencies to report the fraud.
NAILS CREEK BRIDGE RE-OPENS TODAY The Georgia Department of Transportation announces the project to reconstruct the bridge on SR51 over Nails Creek in Franklin County is finished and the bridge will open to traffic today. That stretch of SR 51 in Franklin County has been closed since early spring while DOT crews worked replaced the old bridge. DOT communications officer Teri Pope tells WNEG her office expected the work to continue through at least January 2007 but crews finished the project early. This morning, crews removed the detour signs along the detour route. Barricades were removed from the bridge and it opened this afternoon. The cost of replacing the bridge was $1.2 million. Pope said some punch list work will continue but it will only require minimal impact to traffic.
STEPHENS COUNTY HOMELESS TO BENEFIT FROM FEMA
GRANT Georgia counties, including Stephens, are the recipients of over $4 million dollars in homeless prevention aid awards. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s federal emergency management agency (FEMA) today announced that federal funds totaling $4.5 million dollars have been awarded to help prevent homelessness and hunger. Stephens County’s share is $14,919. That money will likely go into the County coffers, according to County administrator Darrell Hampton, but be distributed through the County Emergency Management Agency. Franklin and Habersham counties are also receiving funds. Franklin will receive $12,644 and Habersham will receive $17,173. FEMA is directing the money be used at the local level to help pay for groceries, pay rents, and mortgages and pay utility bills for those in most desperate need.
STATE UNEMPLOYMENT RISES IN
NOVEMBER 47,487 laid-off workers filed first-time claims for unemployment insurance benefits in November. That’s up 20% from October. The State Labor Department reports initial claims were also up from 36,042 filed in November 2005 for an over-the-year increase of 32%. Most of the increase in claims over the month and year came in manufacturing and construction. Initial claims are
considered a leading economic indicator, because they measure newly laid-off
workers. The Stephens County Emergency Management Agency celebrated it’s annual Christmas Dinner Thursday night and included a retirement ceremony for out-going director Joe Anderson. The agency awarded service pins to Debra Reed and Brad Payne for 10 years of service, Bruce and Sheryl Cleveland for 20 years and Aaron Wilkinson for 25 years of service. Becky Wall, the Deputy Director of the EMA was named the “Employee of the Year”. Ms. Wahl also serves as the public relations spokesman for the agency. Becky said that the EMA works with a number of organizations in the County. “We’ve been out on several searches recently and helping other agencies out with their activities.” Ms. Wahl said. “Our group represents a cross section of different talents, whether it be law enforcement, medical or otherwise. We just work to coordinate between them and help them in any way we can.” Director Joe Anderson retires at the end of the month after serving 40 years in the organization. Anderson said that the group was formed under the late Toccoa Fire Chief Lloyd Rumsey. “Back then, Chief Rumsey was with the fire department and he wanted to establish a rescue unit.” Anderson told WNEG News. “ That was back in 1967. I was in the first group that joined up and took all of the classes that the state made us take and all that kind of thing. It just graduated from there and I never got out if it.” Anderson said that there are more rules and regulations today than there ever has been and the Federal Government requires the EMA to do certain things. “We couldn’t make it without the community support. And this thing is getting bigger and bigger and bigger. We now have more responsibilities. The federal people are putting a lot more into it now and it will continue to grow. They are making these disaster plans and plans for the bird flu and things like that. So I think it will continue to grow and I’m going to sit back and watch it grow.” Joe and his wife Nell will be doing some farming in the future, now with Joe having more free time. The group also wished to remember one of their own. Mark Sosebee is in the United State Army, serving at a base in Iraq, about 45 miles north of Baghdad. Mark’s parents were at the dinner Thursday night as guest of the EMA. POLICE BLOTTER Toccoa police were investigating a theft a residence on Moore Avenue. Rebecca Aguilar told offices that someone entered her yard and took some car ramps and a tag frame off of a truck, parked in the yard. The thieves also took a red bicycle from the yard as well. ---------------- A case of theft by deception is being investigated by the police after an incident at the Ingles Branch of Community Bank and Trust. A teller cashed a couple of money orders for a Toccoa man, then later discovered that the money orders were fraudulent. Police have the name of the suspect but have not been able to locate him.
TOCCOA APPROVES CANOPY
REMOVAL CONTRACT City commissioners have gone along with the Planning Commission’s recommendation and voted to award the canopy removal contract to Martin Construction and Grading. Martin construction will do the job for $327,000. Canopy removal is just phase one, City manager Billy Morse told commissioners, of a multi-phase downtown renovation project. "Phase One is of course the canopy removal and all the canopies in the downtown area will be removed as well as the planters located in the mall area," Morse said. Removal will begin next month and will start with the canopies on West Doyle Street from the Toccoa Record to Gold’s Gym. "Basically, it's a two month project. We're hoping they'll get started in early January and it will be completed in early March," noted Morse. Phase 2 begins in April and will involve taking down the concrete planters in the mall and removing the mall area. At this week’s meeting, commissioner Ferrell Morgan thanked Martin Construction for what he called, "leaving a lot of money on the table" and helping the City out with keeping costs down.
SOIL EROSION CLASS OFFERED IN
JANUARY The Stephens County Soil and Water Conservation District is co-sponsoring a Level 1-A Erosion Certification class. If you work in construction, land grading, or landscaping, you are required by state law to take the class. House Bill 285 states all persons in land-disturbing activities must be trained and state-certified no later than December 31, 2006. Depending on your level of involvement in the land disturbing activities, you or several of your employees will probably need to attend a Level 1-A class and successfully pass a formal examination, according to Soil and Water Conservation member Roger Shepherd. "This is local contractors. On your own property and your own gardening, you don't have to be certified, but if you're doing work for someone else and you're disturbing land, disturbing soil, you must be certified and be a card-totin' person," he said. The Soil and Water Conservation District is collaborating with North Georgia Tech to provide the class on January 23. Shepherd says this is only for those professionals who work land-disturbing businesses, such as landscapers, developers, grading contractors, septic tank installers, electricians, and plumbers. "North Georgia Tech has hosted two of these classes in Stephens County and there's been some overwhelming numbers that have appeared. And kind of a partnership with the Stephens County Soil and Water Conservation District, we're going to take on the sponsorship of one held down at the Straw House. I think most folks will be very interested in even looking at the Straw House. So that's where the class is going to be held," he said. Applications are available at the County Marshall’s office, at Ace Hardware on Big A Road or by calling the RC&D Council at 706-894-1591.
RECEPTION HONORS OUTGOING BOE
MEMBERS Stephens County School Board members, staff, teachers, family, and friends honored two outgoing board members this week. A special reception was held Tuesday evening at the school administrative offices for Elaine DeFoor and Debbie Horton. Both have served on the board for the past four years. Horton described her term as quote, "an education, and an eye-opener." She says the board faced some big challenges during her time in office. "We certainly had a hard time with budget cuts from the State," Horton remembered. "It was quite difficult trying to rob Peter to pay Paul. That was probably one of our biggest challenges. I feel very positive about our test scores. So, I think we were in the right direction there," she said. Elaine DeFoor is not only leaving the school board but also the field of education altogether. Prior to running for the school board, DeFoor taught elementary school in Stephens County for some 30 years before retiring. School superintendent Gary Steppe said he will miss working with both of them. "Both ladies who are retiring this year are both wonderful people who have served this county and the school children and teachers well for the last four years. They're both very dedicated to the children of this County for quality education. From my perspective, they've been a pleasure to work with for the last four years," Steppe said. Both Horton and DeFoor tell WNEG they plan to spend a lot more time playing with their grandchildren. And as Horton and DeFoor retire, two newly elected board members are coming in. Jeff Webb and David Fricks were sworn in Tuesday night along with returning members James Thomas and Jerry Steele. Just before Tuesday’s board meeting, all four took the oath of office administered by Stephens County Probate Judge Glenda Earnest. Webb and Fricks attended this week’s school board meeting, but will not officially assume their new duties until the January meeting.
SHOPLIFTING INCREASES FOR THE
HOLIDAYS This is the season for an increase in the number of shoplifters at local retailers. Two Morganton, GA women are facing shoplifting charges in Stephens County and in Lavonia. Store security allegedly caught Christy Holloway and April Anderson at the Super Wal-mart last Friday. The loss prevention officer says the pair stole miscellaneous items from the store. Once in custody, the security officer informed the women a warrant was being obtained to search their vehicle to see if any more stolen items could be recovered. Authorities say that’s when the women admitted to shoplifting at other retailers, including the Dollar General in Lavonia. Inside the back of their Dodge Durango, Toccoa police say they found 31 Play Station games, two DVD’s, two UGA gift bags, two UGA Rubik’s Cubes, and two packs of boot laces. Holloway and Anderson were transported to the Stephens County jail with holds placed on them for Lavonia. And a man walked into the Fernside Package Store recently and asked the manager for a job. However, the manager told police he noticed the man was hiding something in his jacket. When he asked the man what it was, the suspect ran out of the store. The manager told officers he chased the suspect all the way up to the Subway on Big A Road and was able to get the bottle of liquor back. Later, the manager called officers to say store surveillance video revealed the suspect had been in the package store three times that day shoplifting. So far, no arrests have been made.
EXPECT LANE CLOSURES TODAY ON
I-985 A reminder for commuters traveling down 365/I-985. Expect lane closures around Exit 16 beginning this morning. The Georgia Department of Transportation has been working for the past several months to reconstruction the exit ramp there. DOT communications officer Teri Pope tells WNEG crews will be installing overhang brackets on I-985 bridge over 53. That means no traffic can be running underneath that work. Crews will be working from early Thursday morning until about 3 p.m. The right/outside westbound lane will be closed first and then the left or inside lane. Pope says this is the only lane closure planned this week on the project and you can expect delays during peak rush hours. The DOT is urging motorists to slow down and plan extra time in your schedule if you are driving through any dot work zone. The speed limit on I-985 within the construction project limits; north of the Elachee Bridge to about 1 mile south of Exit 16 – SR53 has been lowered to 60MPH.
POLICE BLOTTER A woman on Sweetgum Road in the County called authorities after she spotted three men with guns in her yard. The homeowner told Stephens County Sheriff’s deputies her son had recently been threatened by his mother-in-law and believed the men had been sent there by her. Deputies searched the area but didn’t find anyone. An extra watch was placed on the area. Extra watches were also placed on a business in Eastanollee on Eastanollee Road. The shop owner told deputies he discovered electrical wires to the shop had been cut, but nothing inside had been taken. Deputies responded to a report of a theft on Jordan road. The victim told authorities someone entered his home and took his son’s bass guitar when no one was home. He told deputies the front door had been left unlocked.
HABERSHAM EXPECTED TO APPROVE
LATEST WATER DEAL Toccoa City Commissioners have ratified their deal with Habersham County to sell them water, but that does not mean it is a done deal -yet. The move happened at Monday night’s regular city commission meeting. Habersham commissioners are expected to ratify the contract when they meet on the 18th. A sticking point in the contract was a "hold harmless" agreement that would require Habersham to pay as much as $500,000 in court and attorneys fees should any lawsuits arise from the water sale deal in the first 24 months. Habersham initially balked at the clause, but Habersham County administrator Ed Sealover said after consulting with their attorneys, Habersham has agreed to the clause. "After those discussions with the folks at ACCG who handle our liability insurance and also with our county attorney, they believe the language would be ok. So after that last meeting, I had talked to Billy Morse and Toccoa said they approved it and 'We're going to send it on over to you.' So we'll go ahead and approve it at our meeting on the 18th and it will be a done deal," Sealover said. This week City commissioner Billy Chism thanked city staff for their hard work on the deal. "I believe this agreement is an excellent example of local governments working together for the good of our region and all of our citizens should benefit from this water deal," Chism said. "Our water supply has been compared to gold, but it is much more valuable. It is life-giving and we must be vigilant in protecting our water supply for the long term. This means we must protect the water upstream," he said. The sale of water to Habersham County is not illegal, but that might not stop some municipalities from suing or from the EPA from stepping in. Habersham county is in two water basins – the Chattahoochee river basin in the western half and the savannah river basin in the eastern half. Toccoa is part of the Savannah River Basin and according to the State Environmental Protection Division, so it is legal for Toccoa to sell water to Habersham County.
TOCCOA APPROVES CANOPY
REMOVAL CONTRACT City commissioners have gone along with the Planning Commission’s recommendation and voted to award the canopy removal contract to Martin Construction and Grading. Martin construction will do the job for $327,000. Canopy removal is just phase one, City manager Billy Morse told commissioners, of a multi-phase downtown renovation project. "Phase One is of course the canopy removal and all the canopies in the downtown area will be removed as well as the planters located in the mall area," Morse said. Removal will begin next month and will start with the canopies on West Doyle Street from the Toccoa Record to Gold’s Gym. " |