Another sign that the seasons are changing – it’s time to spring forward. This weekend daylight savings time goes into effect at 2 a.m. Sunday morning. In conjunction with the "change your clock, change your battery" fire safety program, Toccoa fire chief Rodney burdette says it’s also a good time to check your smoke detectors. "Batteries in smoke alarms usually last about six months, so this is an excellent time to check to make sure the batteries in your smoke alarms are working," Burdette said.

And according to Chief Burdette anyone who needs help checking or replacing their smoke alarms, can contact the fire department. "Anyone who needs help with checking or installing their smoke alarm is welcome to call the Fire Department and someone will come to their home and help them to make sure their smoke alarms are in good working order," he said.

You can call the Toccoa Fire Department at 886-8656 for more information and information on how to get a free smoke detector for your home.

With the first signs of spring come the Annual Home and Garden Show in Stephens County.

Sponsored by AM30 WNEG Radio, this year’s show takes place tomorrow at the Recreation Center on Rose Lane.

Station manager Phil Hobbs says there’ll be some new vendors at the show this year.

"One for example is Aquatic Elements who sells ponds. We've got people who deal in construction and we've got landscaping businesses. We've got more of those this year than we've had in the past," Hobbs said.

And the FFA is jumping in with something new for kids to do at this year’s Home and Garden Show. According to Hobbs it will be fun for the kids and give parents a break. "The kids can go and enjoy crafts while they're parents look around. We're going to have peddle tractors for the kids in the adjacent gym. So that's going to be a fun thing that the FFA is doing," he said.

The Home and Garden Show will run from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. and is free.

A local psychologist will be heading up a support group for people affected by a rare behavioral disorder. It’s called Asperger’s Syndrome. Dr. Catherine Scott will hold the first Asberger’s support group meeting tomorrow at St.. Matthias Church. Asperger's’ syndrome is a neurobiological disorder in which average, even intelligent children and adults significantly lack social behavior skills.

Dr. Scott says the disorder was only recently diagnosed in the early 1990’s and it’s not known how many people are affected. What is known however is that there are certain signs in affected children that distinguish them from a shy or introverted child. "The biggest thing is they choose to be alone," Dr. Scott explained. "Most children want to play with other children and adults want to be with other adults, but these children prefer to play alone," she said.

They also tend to be clumsy, use repetitive language, and display no emotion in their voice.

Tomorrow’s seminar at St. Matthias will go over these signs and discuss current therapies.

Scott says anyone interested can attend.

"Anyone can come to the support group. It doesn't have to be just a parent, it could be a teacher or a someone who knows someone who has an AS child or anybody interested in getting general information on Autism or Asperger's," Scott said.

The support group will begin at 4 p.m. St. Matthias is located on east Tugalo street. You can get more information by calling Dr. Scott at 282-5249.

Now that the boys and girls club is back up and running, two major fundraisers will be taking place this spring. One is their annual steak and burger dinner coming up the first week of May.

Board spokesman Gary Donohue says this year; the dinner will be held at gate cottage this year.

Another important fundraiser for the club, according to Donohue is their annual golf tournament.

"The tournament is April 21^st at Apple Mountain," Donohue said. "We hope local businesses and organizations will come out and help raise money to support the Club," he said.

The tournament is four-man Lauderdale with best ball. Anyone interested in getting more information on either of these two events can contact Donohue at 886-7110.

It’s been falling down on its own for years, now what’s left of the old drew funeral home is being torn down. This week, work to take down the dilapidated structure on Broad Street began in ernest. For years, the old building has slowly fallen apart on its own with the roof collapsing, vines, and trees covering it.

Toccoa code enforcement officer Ken Cox said he finally had to issue a notice to the building’s owner. "What happened there is that we saw that the building was falling down. "I contacted Randy Smith, the building inspector who went and found that it does not meet our standards. He issued me a letter stating that the building had been condemned," Cox explained.

Cox said an inspector with the environmental protection division said there was not enough asbestos in the old funeral home to warrant special hazmat teams. According to Cox, while most people think he makes the decision to condemn a building, that job actually belongs to someone else.

"I don't do any condemning of buildings. All I do is notify the property owners," Cox noted. "The condemning of the building is done by the building inspector and then he gives it to me. I find out who the owner is and contact them and advise them what they need to do to rectify the problem," he said.

When the program was first announced, the previous code enforcement officer quit soon after receiving numerous threats. However, Cox says most people he’s had to contact regarding their properties have been courteous and law abiding.

"I've not contacted a single person who has said, 'Oh no, we're not going to do that.’ And I think that as people see what we're doing, how it's making the City look better, we'll have more," Cox said.

Since it began a year ago, the city’s code enforcement program has condemned just over 30 structures – most of which have already been torn down.

Toccoa police are investigating a theft at the Hardee’s on Big A Road. It happened sometime last Saturday night. The store manager told officers she received a call from the bank saying that night’s receipts were $500 short. So far, no arrests have been made.

Two people were arrested and charged with marijuana possession following a routine traffic stop.

It happened last Sunday afternoon on Currahee Street. Arrested were Francis Drake of Eastanollee and Stephen Bolmon also of Eastanollee. Both are charged with marijuana possession and open container. The driver was also charged with obstruction of an officer.

Workers at Boyd field called police Monday after they discovered graffiti. Maintenance workers discovered the vandalism when they arrived at the park early Monday. Police say someone spray-painted vulgar language all across the concession stand.

Tallulah falls will be flowing once again this weekend. Kayakers and whitewater rafters will be hitting the rapids Saturday and Sunday in Tallulah gorge when the park service conducts one of its annual water releases. This weekend’s water release is the first of two weekend white water releases this month – the second is next weekend.

Spectators may watch the kayakers and rafters from the rim. Then every weekend through memorial day, the park service will do aesthetic water releases. During those releases, visiting artists from the southeast will be demonstrating and selling their creations in the 16,000 square foot Jane Hurt Yarn Interpretive Center. Park rangers say that during the weekend releases, no gorge floor or climbing permits will be issued. Water releases take place twice a year – in the spring and in September and October.

The recovery of some concrete frames last week lead to an arrest and the discovery of even more stolen goods. Last week, the owner of Stephens County Iron and Metal reported aluminum concrete frames he had purchased from a Canon man turned out to be stolen. According to Sheriff Gene Sorrells, a follow up investigation resulted in the arrest of 53-year old Bruce Bramlett of Canon. "We received a tip that lead to a home in Franklin County. We contacted the Franklin County Sheriff’s office and they assisted us. We were able to recover a bush hog and tractor that had been taken from the Clary Connector," Sorrells explained.

That residence is located off Highway 63 in Carnesville near the Leatherwood Fish Lodge. Sorrells said Stephens County investigators took out a search warrant through Franklin County and conducted a search of the home.

The Mitsubishi tractor and bush hog were taken from a locked warehouse in the Meadowbrook Industrial Park on March 6th. Some other stolen items were also recovered and more arrests are expected. Bramlett, meantime is charged with theft by deception and theft by receiving stolen property. He has been released from the Stephens County Jail on $10,000 bond.

He’s still a police officer but Toccoa’s Code Enforcement Officer will now be based out of the City’s Planning Commission Office. This week, City Commissioners voted to move officer Ken Cox out of the Police Department and back to where the Code Enforcement Officer was to have been located originally.

The original Code Enforcement officer received so many threats, he quit the job and the decision was made to appoint a Toccoa Police Officer who has been working out of the Police Department. Now that Officer Cox has been in the job for a year, his office will move back to the Planning Commission. City Manager Billy Morse says, however, the move to the new digs does not remove Cox as a police officer. "Officer Cox will still remain a working police officer, but now that he has gotten settled into the job it was felt he could best operate out of the Planning Commission office and we think that will work out very well," Morse noted. Morse says the Code Enforcement program has been very successful in helping the City clean up dilapidated and vacant buildings.

Next week, the Ninth District Opportunity will begin a commodity food distribution. The first will be held in Franklin County on Wednesday, April 5^th at the Franklin County Community Services Center. Food will be handed out on a first-come, first-serve basis. Any household in Franklin County that is 130% below the poverty level is eligible to receive the free food.

Here in Stephens County, the food distribution will be Thursday, April 20^th at the Toccoa church of god.

Stephen County Ninth District Opportunity Director Di Irvin says this is one of the better food give-always.

"It will be two bags of food per household and we generally do 600 households in Stephens County so we'll be bagging about 1200 bags. It's about 30 items and it's a really good list of food this time," Irvin said.

Volunteers are needed on Wednesday, April 19^th to help bag the groceries. Each recipient will get two bags full of good quality food, according to Irvin.

"There are four juices, and there are three or four canned meats, green beans, black-eyed beans, carrots, corn, peas, vegetable soup, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cherries, apple sauce, mixed fruit. I think we're getting three different cans of peaches; beef stew, salmon, lima beans, kidney beans, peanut butter and roasted peanuts," noted Irvin.

Anyone picking up food for someone else must have a permission note from that person that includes their name, address, monthly income, and signature.

As you have no doubt been hearing, we in Northeast Georgia will have to start doing what they have been doing in Atlanta for years – dialing all ten digits, including the area code, when making local calls. The ten-digit dialing has really been in effect since last September, but has been optional. Starting Monday, it will be mandatory.

As more and more people use cell phones, fax machines, internet dial up service, more phone numbers are needed, along with a new area code for all of north Georgia. Public Service Commission spokesman Bill Edge once the mandatory 10-digit dialing goes into effect next week, so will the new area code.

"Existing phone numbers are not affected as far as the 10-digit dialing, whether you're making a local call or long distance, you've got to dial 10-digits. Only existing numbers will retain the 706 area code. It's only new numbers coming online that will get the 762 area code," Edge said.

The 762 area code is an "overlay" area code, which is designed to provide relief in the 706-service area.

Based on planning projections, the North American Numbering Plan Administrator or "NANPA" estimates this new area code will last for at least 13 years before another area code is needed in our area.

Parents planning to enroll their children in pre-k next fall will want to take advantage of a Pre-K Readiness Fair coming up tomorrow. Sponsored by Partners For Success and SELF, the fair will feature a number of booths filled with important information, according to representative Lisa Prickett.

"There are several pre-k programs in the community along with Head Start that will be in front of the Super Wal-Mart Friday from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. to answer questions of parents who have children who will be going into the pre-k program and Head Start programs this year - both public and private," Prickett explained. "We want to make sure that parents know what their child needs to get into the program and what the parent needs to bring when they do register their child," she said.

There will also be another booth from the Read at Home Program, which will be giving away free books for preschoolers. The players in this year’s Stephens County Disc Golf Ice Bowl tournament donated the books. Since it began last year, the Read at Home Program, which mails a free book a month to homes with preschoolers, has continued to grow. In April, some 300 children in Stephens County will be receiving a free book.

The bodies of an Oconee County, SC couple found murdered in their Lake Hartwell home are in the hands of the medical examiner for autopsy. Meantime, their son, 31-year old Jason Mark Carter remains in custody as the prime suspect in the double homicide.

Oconee County, SC Sheriff’s deputies say neighbors of Kevin and Debbie Perkins called authorities Tuesday morning to do a welfare check after the couple had not been seen for some time. When deputies arrived at their sprawling lake home in the Friendship Community, they found the pair murdered. They believe the couple was murdered sometime late last week. So far, no information on a motive for neither the killings nor how the pair died is being disclosed.

A local drug dealer and career criminal will likely spend the rest of this life in jail. On Monday, a Stephens County jury convicted 40-year old Willie Brown of Toccoa of cocaine possession. The conviction stems from a July 2005 arrest where Toccoa police officers found crack cocaine in the front seat of Brown’s car.

Brown also plead guilty to another charge of obstruction of an officer. Brown admitted fighting with officers as they tried to arrest him for the cocaine possession. Brown will serve 30 years in prison with no possibility of parole.

In issuing the 30-year sentence, Judge Ernest Woods III noted brown’s lengthy criminal career beginning in 1992. Court records show Brown was convicted of burglary and cocaine possession in White County in 1992. In Stephens County, Brown was convicted of burglary in 1994, cocaine possession in 1998, and making terrorist threats in 2001. His most recent conviction was in 2002 in Carroll County on forgery charges. Next week, brown will again go on trial in Stephens County on burglary charges.

You may have seen them yesterday on top of the Stephens County Courthouse in the rain. Crews from the Melton Painting Company in Statham, Georgia began work yesterday to repair the Courthouse dome.

County Commissioner Steve Chitwood says in addition to the roof repairs, the Company might also fix rotting doorframes. "We want to see if we can use a plastic material for the door frames, which would be cheaper but it might not fit with the Historic Registry guidelines," Chitwood. "So, they’re looking at the door frames today as well," he said.

In January, the County Commission awarded $300,000 in SPLOST IV money to the Stephens County Restoration Authority to begin immediate structural repairs. Earlier this month, the Authority awarded a $50,000 painting and roof repair contract to Melton Painting. Melton worker Elbert Loggins said the first priority is to construct a stable work environment. "First we’re having to build scaffolding around the entire dome," Loggins said. "Then we will replace the metal on the dome and repaint it and then repaint the entire steeple," he said.

After looking over the roof and the dome, Loggins said their biggest concern was the proper restoration of the dome itself. "I’m concerned about the metal on the dome. We are going to have to go through archives to find a photo of what it originally looked like so we can put it back to the original. I’m also concerned about the clock faces, they’re in bad shape," he said.

Weather permitting; work on the roof should take about eight weeks. In addition to repainting, the crew will repair the clock faces and windows around the dome and re-enforce the roofline at the base of the dome.

A new manufacturer is looking at moving to Stephens County. Yesterday, the Stephens County Development Authority approved an inducement resolution for the new company. Development Authority Director Mitch Griggs says the resolution is an incentive. "A resolution inducement is just that. It offers an incentive for the company to move here," Griggs explained. "Today we approved a tax free bond resolution that will allow the company to borrow money at a much lower interest rate," he said.

At a called meeting yesterday, Griggs told the Authority the manufacturer will employ 15 people to start with expansion likely over the next several years. The start-up manufacturer is a new business that as yet, has no corporate name. According to Griggs, the owner is already looking at possible sites in Stephens County. "They have picked out some land, and the bond resolution is the first step that will allow them to go ahead and close on the land," he said. Griggs would not say when he expects an official announcement and the name of the new business to be disclosed.

Another new cell tower could be going up – this time in Toccoa. City commissioners are considering a request by Terminus Towers to erect a 250-foot cell tower on a quarter acre of land near Lake Toccoa.

Under their proposal, the Company will pay the City $10,000 a year to lease the land north of the lake with a rent increase of 15% after five years. However, after some discussion Monday night, commissioners voted to send City Manager Billy Morse back with a counter proposal. "The city will go back to them with a counter offer. Instead of 15% every five years, we are proposing 3% every year, which should increase revenue a little bit," Morse, said.

The tower will extend service for Nextel customers, but Terminus also plans to lease to other cell phone providers. Morse says the City would like a piece of that revenue as well.

"We also want to make sure that if there are e911 communication towers that need to go in that area, that we might be able to co-locate them on this cell phone tower. Additionally, we would like to get 20% of all revenue from sub-leases in addition to the $10,000 one-time fee that they are proposing," he said.

If the counter proposal is accepted, the city will likely approve the tower at their next meeting in April.

Residents in Stephens County who have been waiting for help from the government to pay their heating bills will not have to wait much longer. Yesterday, the Ninth District Opportunity received word that more funding is on the way.

This week, the U.S. Senate passed a measure that will provide an additional $1-billion dollars for low income heating assistance programs across the country. Ninth District Director for Stephens County, Di Irvin says the portion that Stephens County will receive will wipe out her waiting list. "Our supervisor sent us an email telling us we would be getting those funds for this current heating year and to start scheduling appointments. I have about 70 clients left on my waiting list at this time so I should be able to clear out all of them," Irvin explained.

Surprisingly, both of Georgia’s Republican Senators, Johnny Isakson, and Saxby Chambliss voted no for the extra funds. Irvin says the extra funding applies only to fiscal 2006, and another round of funding is expected for next winter.

"The money that was appropriated will be for this heating season. Congress will appropriate again in October, probably for the 2007 heating season, but it will start in November for citizens 65 years and older," she said.

Irvin notes if you did not apply for heating help this winter, but think you might be eligible, you should still call the ninth district opportunity offices in Toccoa because there might be money available to help more people than those on the waiting list.

Live in the city, use city services. No?

"We will not be using gas service in the complex. The apartments will be all electric." That comment from a representative of the Braden group last night did not sit well with city commissioners. The company is planning to build a two-story upscale senior citizen apartment complex on rose lane. Last night, commissioners approved their request to annex the entire property into the city limits. But it was a reluctant approval, after they were told the complex would be totally electric.

Toccoa natural gas is already facing a big loss of revenue later this summer when Rabun apparel – its second-largest customer – closes its doors in august. Commissioner Ferrell Morgan called on the City Planning Commission to make using all of the city services, including gas, a requirement for annexation.

"I don't know how this one fell through the cracks, but we more or less talked to the Wal-mart people and asked in a nice way and they did it. And the subdivision we approved off Skyline Drive we asked them to use gas and they agreed," Morgan recalled. "I think in the future anyone who wants to be in the City and use City services we should encourage them up front. I understand this one is a little late because the architects have already moved on that, but I think that's something that should be considered in the future," he concluded. Other commissioners agreed and said people who want to live in the city, should use all city utilities.

The U.S. Postal Service in Atlanta is responding to a report on WNEG Radio regarding a citizen’s allegation that their disability check was given to someone else by a postal worker. According to a report by the Stephens County Sheriff’s office filed earlier this month, an Eastanollee couple told deputies a check in the amount of $600 had been taken from their post office box. However, U.S. Postal Service spokesman Michael Miles says that’s not what happened.

"The inference was that the postal worker gave this check improperly to someone who was not authorized to receive it," Miles explained. "That, in fact, is not what happened. We placed the check in the post office box as we typically would do. Then someone who had access to the box took the check and they passed it on to someone else. It wasn't the postal worker," he said.

According to Miles, the victims allowed someone else to share their post office box and that person took the check. In their complaint to Sheriff’s deputies, the victims also claimed the postal worker routinely hands out government checks over the counter. Miles says that does happen, but it’s not a common practice.

"We don't routinely hand checks over the counter, but certainly in some instances where in our attempt to serve our customers we will hand over a check over the counter from time to time. but we will do that only if we have proper id shown to us and we know without a doubt that we are giving the mail to whom it is addressed," Miles said.

But the bottom line, notes Miles, is that the original key holder is responsible for maintaining their post office box security. "A post office box is essentially the same as a residential box so you want to safeguard that properly. You want to safeguard those keys and make sure you know who has a key to your mailbox and take good care of those keys," he said.

Any instance, according to Miles, in which it appears mail in a post office box has been tampered with, should be immediately reported to the postmaster.

The 65^th Annual Pilot Club Civic Night Banquet Monday night brought forth the announcement of a new project.

Many listeners may be familiar with the "Companion For Life" program which provides the elderly an emergency device in which they can signal emergency personnel in case they fall or have another emergency in the home.

The new project deals with people who have a brain disorder, according to Pilot Club President Cindy Tatum. "This is for people with Alzheimer’s patients or autistic children that are prone to wander, "Ms. Tatum explained. "It’s a bracelet with a transmitter that they wear. The sheriff’s department will have the tracking equipment and if one of these people wanders, their caregiver will call the sheriff and they would immediately start tracking them. This is called ‘Project Lifesaver’. We have been awarded our grant and should be ordering the equipment very soon."

A special guest at the dinner was Evelyn McCain, from the Pilot Club of Warner Robins, who introduced the project to the members. She was accompanied by Corporal Brian Blanton with the Houston County Sheriff’s Department, who performed a demonstration of the device.

Ms McCain said that the device has had a great deal of success in her county. "We’ve had 24 searches since we put this in place in Houston County,." She said. "From the time that 911 receives the call, it takes between 25 minutes and a hour and a half to find the person. Not only does it save lives, it keeps the caregiver from suffering any unwanted stress plus saves the county money for countless man hours that would be sued searching for this person if the system were not in use".

According to Ms. McCain, there are some 715 people in Stephens County who have some kind of disorder who should be wearing the device, and whose caregivers may not know about it.

The device is the only electronic tracking system that exists in the country today.

Stephens County Sheriff Gene Sorrells said that he was approached earlier by the Pilot Club members and he endorses the project. "I think it’s something we really need and that the county needs." Sorrells indicated. "If it works the way they say it works and the way they show that it works, it will really be helpful in finding these people. The Pilot Club will be funding the project and I want to thank the group for bring this project to me and we’re looking forward to gettin’ it."

Corporal Blanton told the audience that of the people who have Alzheimer’s disease and other brain disorders, 79 per cent of those will wander at some point. The survival rate of those patients who are not found in the first 24 hours drops by 50 per cent.

Good sidewalks, new housing, better restaurants, and more things for the family to do together. These are all issues high on the priority lists of the five winners of this year’s "If I Were Mayor" contest. The five sixth graders were honored at last night’s City Commission meeting and each had an opportunity to read their essays in public.

First place went to Lauren Poole, who said promoting tourism and renovating the downtown would be her goals if she were mayor.

"If I were mayor, I would make more nature reserves in order to make our city more appealing to tourists,. I would make the sidewalks safer by placing more lighting to discourage crime," Lauren said. "I would renovate the older buildings downtown to give it a more vintage era appearance. I would encourage more cafe style indoor and outdoor dining, some old general store shops and cultural art shops. I would encourage the opening of a downtown movie theater with Saturday and Sunday matinees for children. For family enjoyment after the movie, a soda fountain style ice cream shop and book store would be a nice wholesome family outing," she said.

Poole also said she would raise money to build a civic center which would also include an indoor ice skating rink and a children’s theatre group.

Other winners included Houston Spencer, who won second place, Andrew Watkins who received third place, Deanna Pator who got a fourth place ribbon for her essay, and fifth place went to Hanna Kate Howell. The top five won out over 245 of their classmates.

So much for a friendly game of softball. Stephens County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the Rose Lane Recreation Center over the weekend to investigate threats allegedly made to an umpire. Coaches from the Habersham Metal and Jackson EMC teams were told deputies the umpire was not calling the plays fairly.

The umpire, who was not identified, said he eventually ejected both coaches.

He called the Sheriff’s office when those coaches, identified as James Whitlow of Clarkesville and Troy Colley of Jefferson allegedly threatened to beat him up after the game. Both Whitlow and Colley denied the allegations. No charges were filed and the matter was turned over to the Recreation Park Director Joe Gailey.

A resident of Davis Road told Sheriff’s Deputies someone had gone under his house and cut out all the copper water pipes under all the sinks. They also stripped out the aluminum and stole an air compressor.

An Eastanollee man reported a break in and theft to his work shop on Mountain View Road. The victim told deputies a Sony video camera had been taken from the shop with a value of $500.

Another Eastanollee man reported both of his houses had been robbed. It happened last Thursday at two homes on Scott road. The victim told deputies both homes, which are not lived in, had been broken into and everything taken out. That investigation is continuing.

The U.S. Postal Service in Atlanta is responding to a report on AM630 WNEG Radio recently regarding a citizen’s allegation that their disability check was given to someone else by a postal worker.

According to a report by the Stephens County Sheriff’s office filed earlier this month, an Eastanollee couple told deputies a check in the amount of $600 had been taken from their post office box at the Eastanollee Post Office by a postal worker. In that report, they also claimed the postal worker routinely hands out government checks over the counter.

In a prepared statement emailed to WNEG radio, U.S. Postal Service Spokesman Michael Miles said, "The check in question was not given to Ms. Stamps by an employee of the Eastanollee Post Office. Ms. Stamps obtained the check from Tim Johnson who had access to the post office box. The post office has obtained a statement from Ms. Stamps verifying that she received the check from Mr. Johnson.

It is the policy of the U.S. Postal Service that mail addressed to post office boxes be placed in boxes for pick up and not handed across the counter. It is the responsibility of the box holder to safeguard post office box keys and to report any misuse of illegal activity associated with their post office box."

WNEG radio tried to reach Mr. Miles for a phone interview but was unsuccessful.

City Commissioners will take time out tonight from their usual duties to honor the winners of the annual "If I Were Mayor" contest. Winners’ essays are currently posted in the main lobby of City Hall. In other business tonight, Commissioners will hold three public hearings. The first has to do with an annexation request by a resident on Rothell Road.

They will also hold a hearing regarding the initial zoning for a planned senior citizen apartment complex, "Imperial Place." Earlier this month county commissioners approved a request by the Braden Group – the complex builders – to be annexed into the city limits.

In a third hearing tonight, Commissioners will hear from the public regarding amendments to the City’s sign ordinance. "What we are trying to do is regulate the maximum size of a business sign to 150 square feet in all business and industrial zonings," noted Planning Commission Director Connie Tabor. The amendment does not affect the height of the signs, which is 35-feet.

However, Tabor says the Commission will be reviewing the entire sign ordinance in the coming months. Tonight’s meeting begins at 5 p.m. in the commission meeting room of City Hall.

Authorities in Franklin County are searching for an escapee from the Franklin county jail. It happened early on the morning of march 7^th. Authorities say Brian Keith Segars walked out of the jail through a side door while officers were escorting detention trusties to an exterior trash bin. Segars had been a trusty

He was being held on a probation violation, aggravated assault on a police officer and other offenses.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the Franklin county sheriff’s office.

Georgia's Agricultural Commissioner -- Tommy Irvin – said he had no reports Friday of immigrant work stoppages on Georgia farms. Immigrant communities called for the one-day work stoppage Friday to protest a bill passed by the Georgia House last Thursday that allows sweeping changes to the State's policies on immigrants.

The bill, which must get Senate approval before going to Governor Sonny Perdue, would deny state services to adults living in the U.S. illegally and impose a 5% surcharge on wire transfers from illegals.
Irvin says congress needs to resolve immigrant worker issues so farmers can count on having a legal, reliable work force.

Many Georgia farmers are concerned about a possible worker shortage this year because of the growing concern about illegal immigrants. Farmers also believe that many migrant workers have gone to the Gulf of Mexico for higher-paying jobs clearing the wreckage of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Supporters of the bill say the plan is a vital homeland security measure that frees up limited state services for Georgia residents who are legally entitled to them. Opponents say it unfairly targets workers who are merely responding to the demands of some of the state's largest industries.

A bill passed by the state house last week would ease restrictions on private cemeteries. House bill 910 would shift over $218 million dollars currently being held to guarantee upkeep of perpetual care and private cemeteries from the secretary of state’s office to a six-member board of cemeteries appointed by the governor.

In 2000, that responsibility was given to the secretary of state after hearings in which families told of family burial plots not being maintained, cemetery plots being sold to more than one person, and cemeteries declaring bankruptcy.

The bill affects 210 private cemeteries in Georgia, but does not apply to traditional church or municipal graveyards. The legislation is supported by the funeral home and cemetery industries. Opponents fear HB910 could allow the industry to reduce those payments, which he said might mean a return to the scandals of the past.

The unemployment rate in Georgia rose to 5.1% in February – up a tenth of a percent from January, according to the State Labor Department. Last month, Georgia added 23,300 jobs and gained 88,600 new jobs over the past 12 months.

Most of those job gains were in the service-related industries. During the same one-month period a year earlier, Georgia added 20,700 jobs with many of those also in the service industry.

Lavonia Police are investigating several thefts.

There has been another gas drive-off from the Race Track service station. This time, a customer pumped $26.29 in gas and then drove of without paying for it.

Four tires and wheels were reported missing from the Sleep Inn Parking Lot. An investigation is underway by detectives.

An arrest has been made in connection with a burglary on Poole. Street. Twenty three year old Antonio Mayfield of Lavonia was charged with robbery, burglary, assault and battery and cruelty toward a child.

Local City, County and State officials braved the cold this morning to officially dedicate the Toccoa train depot. For the past two years, the City has been working on the depot renovation project, which has been spearheaded by the Toccoa Planning Commission. Mayor Bob Troup says it is a project that has actually taken a lot longer. In his opening remarks, Troup said the depot project was the result of a community with vision.

"We are a community that still has a dream," noted Troup. "A lot of communities our size have lost that dream and because of that dreaming the next step is to go into a vision. In addition, when you get a vision then you start working on it and developing it. This vision started ten years ago. Wayne Payne and some others carried a check for this building down to the Southern Railway people. And they did not know what to do with it so they gave it back to us. So this vision has developed over a long period of time," he concluded.

Because this is the 37^th day of the 40 days of the State General Assembly, neither State Representative Jeanette Jamieson nor State Senator Nancy Schaefer were able to attend the dedication ceremony. However, Bruce Schaefer, a native of Toccoa, spoke on behalf of his wife and recalled his own childhood memories of the depot beginning with his father, Dr. Bruce Schaefer, leaving for war in 1942 and the passing through Toccoa of President Roosevelt’s casket in 1945.

In addition to the AMTRAK offices, the renovated depot houses the new offices of the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce and the Toccoa-Stephens County Historical Society Museum and Military Museum.

Earlier this month, Toccoa Mayor Bob Troup called for members of the Consolidation Study Committee to regroup in order to educate the public. Next week, the Committee, now called the Consolidation "Education" Committee will reconvene to prepare for that task, according to spokesperson Daphne Paxton.

"We’re meeting next week simply to go over our presentation," Paxton explained. "We will each make the presentation in front of the group and then critique each other in preparation for going before the public," she said.

The Consolidation Education Committee will report to the public the results of the consolidation study on the advantages and disadvantages of consolidating city and county governments. So far, Paxton says two groups have contacted them to schedule presentations. "We have had two groups contact us so far, the Chamber of Commerce and the Senior Sector are scheduled," she said.

Next week’s committee meeting takes place at the fire station on Fernside Drive at noon on Monday.

Anyone interested in having a member of the committee speak to their group on the consolidation study results, can contact Jim Shurley at 886-1997.

State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond is promising help for the more than 1,200 workers about to lose their jobs in three northeast Georgia textile plants. Fruit of the Loom’s Rabun Apparel plant plans to shut its doors in late August, throwing some 930 people out of work.

In Hart County, Hartwell Weaving and Hartwell Yarn plan to close by the first of the year leaving over 300 workers without jobs. Labor Department spokesman Sam Hall says is already working with those companies and their employees to soften the unemployment blow. "Whenever you have a large number of lay offs, the labor dept will meet with the employer and then the employees to make sure everyone will understand the wide range of services that are going to be available for them. Then when the lay-offs begin to occur, we will work with the employees to help make sure they get their unemployment claims filed as quickly as possible and simultaneously we will begin working with them to help them find new employment as quickly as possible so they can continue to support themselves and their families," Hall said.

Meantime, Thurmond wants Rabun Apparel and Hartwell workers to know they are not alone in dealing with their impending unemployment. He says local unemployment offices and career centers are also ready to help those workers with additional job training and other resources to help them get back to work when the time comes.

U.S. Representative Charlie Norwood is calling on congress to enact an immediate 27.5% trade tariff against all goods from communist China in response to the communist nation’s continued violation of trade agreements with the U.S.

That violation, claims Norwood, is what lead to the more than 1,200 lost jobs due to textile plant closings in Northeast Georgia. Norwood is pledging full congressional support for approving the maximum possible allocation of federal Trade Adjustment Assistance funds for hard-hit Rabun and Hart counties.

Norwood says China’s illegal dumping of cheap goods on the U.S. has resulted in the highest trade deficit and foreign debt in history.

State Senator Nancy Schaefer has announced the appropriation of $100,000 in state funding to benefit Northeast Georgia tourism. The Senate Appropriations Committee approved the funds this week as part of the State’s F2007 budget.

The proposed funding includes more than $100,000 to fund signage to promote the Georgia Wine Highway from Braselton to Clayton. "I’m very grateful for this funding," Schaefer noted. "The Senate has recognized the importance of tourism to our area….These Georgia wineries and vineyards are producing the finest varieties of Georgia wines. Whether travelers take a day trip or a weekend getaway, they will find excellent dining, lodging, and unique shopping along the Georgia Wine Highway," she said.

Stephens County right to life is calling for high school juniors and seniors to participate in the national right to life’s oratory contest. The local contest will be held Monday, April 3 at grace covenant fellowship.

Organizer Kellie Austin says the contest is designed to help young people fine tune their views on abortion.

"The purpose is to raise awareness of the pro-life movement and to give young people an opportunity to formulate their thoughts on abortion and to be able to express that perspective," Austin said. "It's especially important for high school juniors and seniors. They are about to be on their own. They're about to go to college where they will be called upon to have an opinion on pro-life and abortion and that whole platform," she concluded.

All high school juniors and seniors are eligible to participate. Judges will include State Senator Nancy Schaefer, the Reverend Roger Schwartz, and Dr. Daphne Paxton. Austin says students should prepare a written speech on the right to life. "The speech needs to be five to seven minutes in length pertaining to the pro-life movement, such as ‘Why I Am Against Abortion.’ First place winners will receive a $100 cash prize, second place will receive $50. The first place winner for Stephens County will go on to compete at the state and hopefully the national level. To get more information or register, contact Keri Powell at 886-9223.

The Stephens County Sheriff’s office reported another case of theft of cooper wire. This time, the suspect was almost caught in the act.

A truck driver, returning to Whitlock Recycle Center, was attempting to return his rig to the lot for the night. Larry Goforth told officers that a small maroon color car smashed through gate and sped past him before he could move his truck to block it. Goforth immediately called the sheriff’s office to report the incident. Investigators found that a lock had been cut and the copper wire missing. A flashlight was also found inside the building and that was taken into evidence.

A resident of Old Seven Forks Road told officers that broke into his home by breaking a latch on the back door. The only items missing were several bottles of medicine from the bathroom and a plastic coffee jar with approximately forty dollars in assorted change.

The announcement yesterday of Rabun Apparel’s closing is sending ripple effects to other communities, including Toccoa-Stephens County.

Not only does the company employ a large number of Stephens County workers, the Fruit of the Loom plant is one of Toccoa Natural Gas’s biggest customers. The company is TNG’s second largest customer and the largest on the northern gas line. City manager Billy Morse says its loss will be felt.

"They represent about 3% of our customer base for natural gas so that's a pretty significant hit for us. I understand that they're closing on August 26th so that gives us some time to prepare for that and budget for next year accordingly," Morse said.

Morse assures customers that the loss of revenue from Fruit of the Loom will not be passed down to the customer next year in higher heating bills. However, TNG is hoping the facility will one day be occupied by another major gas customer.

"You like to think that someone would move into that facility that would need gas service," Morse commented. "Of course we're always working up that way to add customers and we are constantly adding customers, but you'd hope that you'd get another large industrial," he said.

Fruit of the Loom made the decision to close the Rabun plant due to overseas competition.

The plant will close the end of August.

A body found in the rubble of a burned out home last month has been positively identified as that of 41-year old Brian Keith Lee. Lee’s charred remains were discovered by firefighters after putting out the three-alarm blaze on foxfire drive late the night of February 5.

The body was sent to the GBI Crime Lab in Atlanta for autopsy. Using dental records, authorities were able to give a positive identification. However, it is still not clear how Lee died nor whether his death was accidental. Stephens County Sheriff Gene Sorrells tells WNEG it could be months before they have an answer to those questions.

Toccoa is richer for its volunteers and those business owners who have invested in the downtown area. That was the theme of this year’s 16^th Annual Main Street Awards Reception Tuesday at City Hall. The reception is a time to thank those who have contributed to helping revive downtown Toccoa.

Since it began 15 year ago, Main Street has witnessed 88 new businesses and 58 business expansions in downtown Toccoa. First to receive recognition were the volunteers of the 2005 Promotions Committee. Downtown Development Authority Chair Art Sutton said many of the City’s annual events would not be possible without volunteer help.

"It's appropriate that at the beginning of our program that we recognize volunteers because it's not just our elected officials who are important to the success of a community," Sutton noted. "But really the crux of any community's success are its citizens and their willingness to be involved in things that help their community. And I think the Downtown program demonstrates that very well," he said.

Longtime downtown business owner Dean Scarborough credited the City Commission for their commitment to revitalizing downtown Toccoa.

"Over my years of being involved in the Downtown Development Authority, we're very thankful for the City Commission for helping to maintain what has to be maintained in a downtown. The City structure has to be the one that takes the lead role in financial commitment in keeping a downtown vibrant, and they certainly have over the years in the Streetscape Program and other things as well, Scarborough explained. "The City of Toccoa through the downtown renovation program, Depot Renovation Project, through the preliminary engineering consultants fees for the mall removal project - all these were funded in 2005," he concluded.

Among the awards presented, Mayor Bob Troup accepted the best historic preservation award on behalf of the City for its work to renovate the Train Depot. In addition, Best New Construction went to the Stephens County Historical Society for the new Military Museum. A complete list of award winners is listed on our web site, www.wnegradio.com.

People interested in bringing the arts and entertainment to Northeast Georgia are needed. The Northeast Georgia Community Concert Association brings an annual season of performances to our area every year.

Tonight, the group Bjorn Again will be performing the songs of the 1980’s group, ABBA at Garrison Auditorium, sponsored by AM630 WNEG and the Concert Association. It is the kind of event where volunteers are needed, but according to Concert Association board member John Durham, volunteers are also needed in other areas.

"We've had a pretty big board over the past four or five years, but it's dwindled down to about five or six now so we could certainly could use some more volunteers," Durham said. "We're stressing that anybody who's interested in helping out with the Northeast Georgia Community Concert Association to give us a call," he said.

If you’d like to get more information on how you can get involved with the Northeast Georgia Community Concert Association, contact John Durham at 886-2191 or Terry Carter at: 297-7264.

A Canon man recently sold some concrete forms to Stephens County Iron and Metal that turned out to be stolen. Stephens County Sheriff’s Office reports the items were identified by Jim McCollum as those taken from his business recently on the Clary Connector.

All of the forms were returned to him. Authorities are looking for the suspect who tried to sell the concrete forms.

More counterfeit checks in Toccoa. This time, the manager of the Ingles Store on Big A Road told police an Hispanic male identified only as Lendell McCord, successfully cashed four fake checks totaling more than $400. Police have no suspects.

A child playing in the woods behind his grandfather’s house in Eastanollee came across a handgun. The boy’s mother called sheriff’s deputies and turned the weapon over to them. A check of the 32-caliber revolver’s serial number did not turn up any owners.

Because it is so old, it predates when records started being kept on guns. Authorities believe the gun was made around the 1940s.

If you travel to or from Franklin County using State Route 320 or 106 expect some slowdowns. Georgia Department of Transportation crews will begin a major resurfacing project on both roads beginning today.

The roadwork begins on SR 320 from SR 59 to SR 106 in Franklin County. DOT crews will be working each weekday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., weather permitting. Contractors will begin patching SR 320 today.

DOT District Engineer Russell McMurray asks motorists to please slow down when driving through the work zone. A pilot car will lead vehicles through the work areas. It is also a good idea to give yourself some extra time in the morning and for the next several weeks to get to your destination if you use SR 320.

After months of searching, Stephens County finally has a new clerk. County Commissioners have hired Donna Patterson, a native of Toccoa-Stephens County for the job. County Administrator Darrell Hampton says Patterson comes to her new job with a wealth of experience. "She is a native of Toccoa-Stephens County, but for the past ten years she has been traveling two hours to Gwinnett County to work for the City of Duluth," Hampton explained. "She will be starting Monday and has a background in being a clerk and in other government functions. She has an excellent public service background," he said.

The County has been without a clerk since last August when former clerk Nancy Downs resigned after 30 years of service. In January, Commissioners interviewed four candidates and made an offer to one, but she turned it down. Patterson starts her new job on Monday.

An elderly Lavonia woman has found herself victim to phone scam artists. The victim’s caregiver contacted police after discovering a series of unauthorized electronic withdrawals from her checking account.

Money was taken out over a period of weeks starting in early December, according to Lavonia Police Chief Randy Shirley, by a company identifying itself as "priority savings group." Each time the amount was for $398

"What has happened is this is a scam and we're early on in the investigation. They were able to retrieve her checking account number over the telephone and so we are working with First Citizens home office in Columbia, SC trying to track down this Priority Savings Groups and the investigation is continuing. The bank has made the forgeries good," Shirley explained.

The victim told authorities she had given out her checking account number to someone over the phone. Chief Shirley warns citizens, especially senior citizens, to never give out personal information, such as bank account or credit card numbers to people over the phone.

Another Northeast Georgia textile plant falls victim to overseas competition. This time, it’s the Fruit of the Loom’s Rabun Apparel plant in Rabun County. The company announced today it plans to close the plant in August, throwing over 900 workers – many from Stephens County – out of work.

In a prepared release, Fruit of the Loom said competition with imported textiles from the far east made the closure necessary. Plant manager Lynn Wilson would not comment on the decision.

However, Rabun County Economic Development Authority Director Emory Brock says the closing will certainly hurt the local economy. "Obviously this is a blow to the economy of Rabun County. "We’re going to be looking at this and are certainly going to try to do everything we possibly can," Brock said.

Workers received the bad news yesterday. The plant will shut its doors August 26^th.

About a dozen residents of the Avon Street neighborhood now have a better idea of the changes they want to see happen there. Monday night, they met with two city commissioners and a representative from the Georgia Mountains Regional Development center to work on a vision statement and set goals.

This was the third such meeting and participants were asked to write down what they treasured most about their community. Most indicated the neighborhood, which encompasses Edwards, Owens, Vernon, and Spring Streets and the west side of North Broad Street, is a quiet, friendly, neighborhood that is close to town.

On the bad side, however, several obstacles to redevelopment were listed. Resident Jack Keeling said a major problem on his street is drainage.

"Across from my property the City turns water on, and that's just not right, and not maintain it. They actually turn it into the ditches across from the property and they came along ten or so years ago and dug the ditch out and piled it up on the side of the ditch - a big hump of dirt about four foot high," Keeling noted.

Another major problem is vermin. Jan Daniel has lived on Avon Street for 18 years and said there are rats everywhere. "I got a cat that probably weighs 20lbs and I'm telling you he wrestles rats all the time. It's a constant thing over there. You have to keep poison out and I have to try to put it where my cat can't get to it. It is a problem over there. And it has been a problem almost the whole time we've lived there," Daniel said.

However, the biggest problem, according to everyone at the meeting, is all the vacant decaying houses in the area and the lack of new affordable housing. Mayor Bob Troup told the group they need to bring those issues before the City Commission.

"Let me tell what, as a neighborhood you need to do," Troup began. "Now, I might not be real happy to see you come because I know you have an issue, but what really has an effect if four or five of you come as a group and say 'Hey, we've got a grading problem over there on Elberton St. Would you please look at it and see what could be done about it?’ Once you do that then you become a priority and we start looking at it seriously. We want that neighborhood be made better," he said.

The City is hoping to use the information gathered at these meetings to apply for block grants in order to revitalize that part of Toccoa – a project they say, could take up to five years to complete.

Ever since the new Stephens County Middle School was built two years ago, the system has received compliments on how it looked from the outside and the inside.

School Superintendent Gary Steppe said that now, the school has received a national recognition. "We’re real pleased and a little surprised," Steppe told WNEG News. "Our architect, James W. Buckley and Associates, has sent our middle school in to a national publication for a review. The school was one of 201 schools nationwide that were chosen for publication in ‘American School and University Magazine."

Steppe said that he and the board are very proud of how the Middle School turned out and surprised by the recognition. "It’s nice to have out school recognized on a national level. It was recognized because of its design, and its functionality and longevity in the program and overall integration of design. So we’re very proud of our middle school."

Members of the Board of Education were shown the four picture, color layout in the magazine at Tuesday night’s meeting.

For this coming academic year, the starting times for classes at Stephens County Middle School and Stephens County High School will remain the same. Classes will begin at 7;45AM.

At Tuesday night’s Board of Education meeting, and the third public hearing on the issue, parents were very vocal about changing the starting times to 8AM or 8;30AM. They stated that it would be a hardship on those parents who have to be at work early and who take their students to school. They also cited traffic problems at that time of the morning.

After hearing from the parents, the school board voted 5-1 to leave the starting time at 7;45AM for both schools. School Board Chairman Jerry Steele said that he had heard the parent’s comments and felt that the decision was a good one…

"I was very pleased with the turnout here tonight," Steele said. "I had heard from a number of parents who wanted the time to stay the same and we felt we needed to leave it the way it was."

Steele indicated that the board will continue to look at starting times in the future…

"We will continue to take a look at the starting times. There is a possibility of putting a flex schedule into place, maybe as early as next year. Whatever is good for the students is what we’re interested in."

The lone dissenting vote was cast by board member Elizabeth Pinkerton, who wanted to wait until April and get the results of a parent phone survey.

Following the vote the board adopted the 2006-2007 calendar, which gives the students 11 weeks of summer vacation before returning to classes. The calendar has only three half days and no weather make-up days. School Superintendent Gary Steppe said that any days missed due to weather would be made up at the end of the year. The system would try to keep the Spring Break intact, if at all possible. The last day of school would be May 18^th.

Franklin County voters, or at least 11 per cent of them, voted to continue the county SPLOST tax for the next five years.

The money will go toward school improvements in Franklin County. School Superintendent Dr. Rick Ayer said that he was glad for the support the community has given the schools. "Actually, it’s a five year commitment," Dr. Ayer explained. "We’re expecting it to raise somewhere between 18 and 20 million dollars. It will allow us to bring all of our schools to be refurbished, and re-do heating and air conditioning and really just make all of our schools services for the next 20 years. We’re really grateful to the community for the support they have given us."

Dr. Ayer said that just about every school in the county will get some kind of upgrading. "Basically, all of our schools will be renovated under this SPLOST. Which means currently we’ve got four elementary schools a middle school and a high school. We had to cut some of the projects out of the last SPLOST to keep the projects under 16 million. So we’ll add back in the items that we had to cut the last time. All of the elementary schools will be totally re-done in the next two to three years. We’re just very excited about bringing those schools up to the standards of the newer schools."

In Franklin County, the sales tax is currently 7 cents. The past tax generated about 17 million dollars and went to build a new elementary school and a new middle school.

Reports from Sky 104 Radio in Clayton indicate that Rabun Apparel Inc, one of the largest employers in Rabun County, will be closing. The announcement came on Tuesday.

According to a company press release, the company indicates that competition with imported textiles made the closure necessary. Neither Plant Manager Lynn Wilson or Fruit of the Loom Spokesman John Shivel would comment on the plant’s closing for Sky 104 Radio.

According to the news release, the plant will be fully closed by August 26^th of this year. The plant employs some 930 people, including a large group of people from Stephens County who drive to work there or are shuttled every day.

Georgia’s initial unemployment claims dropped in February. The state Department of Labor announced that 29,854 laid-off workers filed for first-time unemployment benefits last month. That’s down 44% from January.

In Stephens County, 184 workers filed for first-time benefits – down from 379 in January. Most of the claims were in the manufacturing, trade, and services industries.

Initial unemployment claims are considered a leading economic indicator because they measure newly lay off workers.

The ongoing investigation by Lavonia police into the string of drug burglaries at Wilbanks Pharmacy has lead to another suspect.

Lavonia Police Chief Randy Shirley said last week, his investigators interviewed a woman in Anderson, South Carolina regarding her dealings with Phillip Wooten, the Canon man charged with breaking into in the pharmacy on at least three occasions. "She admitted to being in Lavonia and being with Wooten several times when he was selling Loritab," Shirley said. "She also admitted to selling Loritab in Lavonia. She is currently in Anderson, SC and we have issued a warrant for her arrest. We cannot give out her identity at this time because our investigation is ongoing," he said.

The woman’s name has not been released as the investigation is continuing and more arrests are expected.

45-year old Wooten was caught in the act of trying to break into the pharmacy with a crowbar. Detectives were able to connect Wooten to three previous prescription drug burglaries at Wilbanks Pharmacy in August 2004 and May 2005 in which large quantities of oxycodone and hydrocodone were taken.

Meantime, Lavonia investigators are looking into a case of forged prescriptions at another pharmacy.

According to Chief Shirley, several suspects from Toccoa are involved. "Two young ladies from Toccoa presented the fake prescription at Riggins Pharmacy for another suspect who is also in Toccoa. We are currently investigating and expect arrests to occur in the near future," Shirley said. Shirley said the Riggins Pharmacy case is not related to the break-ins at Wilbanks Pharmacy.

The first 100 troops of the Georgia National Guard's 48th Infantry Brigade are back home from their tour in Iraq. They are the first of about 4,300 members of the 48th Brigade who were sent to the Middle East last May.

Most of the reservists have been separated from their families and regular jobs since January 2005, when they were mobilized for training at Fort Stewart. The 48th Brigade lost 26 soldiers in Iraq, 11 of them in one 11-day period.

The remaining soldiers should be home between mid-April and mid-May, said Brig. Gen. Larry Ross, commander of the Georgia National Guard's 78th troops command, who greeted the soldiers at Fort Stewart. The 48^th Brigade has more than 2,500 citizen-soldiers from Georgia.

The Bible might be an elective for high school students next year. Yesterday, the State House overwhelmingly passed a bill that would offer state-funded courses on the Bible. The bill passed 151 to 7 and now goes back to the Senate for final approval.

Originally passed in the Senate, the bill requires the State Board of Education to adopt curricula for two electives, "History and Literature of the Old Testament" and "History and Literature of the New Testament." Neither course would be mandatory and would be taught objectively.

House members believe the bill will pass muster in the Supreme Court because it has already done so in other states. Critics, however, fear the courses would favor Christianity over other religions. The ACLU objects to the bill because, they say, other religious books, such as the Koran are not being taught.

Taking matters into your own hands is not the way to resolve problems with the neighbors. That’s what a Toccoa man was told by police officers recently. Workers at Morgan Concrete called police after David Harden allegedly walked into the company and reportedly began yelling and cursing at workers.

Harden, who lives across the street, told officers he yelled at the workers because he believes one of their cement trucks had knocked over his mailbox. Workers admitted to police a large truck that had turned around in their parking lot may have knocked over Harden’s mailbox. Harden told officers he has been having problems with workers at the cement company for years. Police told Harden to contact them first if he ever has any more problems.

And from our, "What Were They Thinking?" file….

A Stephens County man is lucky to be alive after his trailer caught fire last week. It happened at the Martin Trailer Park off Prather Bridge Road. Authorities say the victim told deputies he was trying to start a log fire on top of his kerosene heater - inside his trailer, when – as one might expect – the trailer caught fire.

The victim was not injured, but his trailer was damaged by the blaze.

The Stephens County School Board is seeking input from the public on two matters. Late Friday, next year’s academic calendar was posted on the school system’s Web site for review. Anyone interested may look over the calendar, and according to School Superintendent Gary Steppe, post their comments. "We’ve already received input from a lot the parents, but this is also a way the general public can look over the calendar then give their comments on it," Steppe said.

Another matter that the Board has been considering is moving back start of classes for the middle and high school from 7:45 a.m. To 8:30 a.m. Two public hearings have been held so far with little parental response and a third will be held tomorrow afternoon. However, Steppe says overall, it does not appear to be a big issue with parents. "We haven’t gotten much response from parents on it, so I don’t think they consider it to be a big issue. If it were, the public meetings we have had so far would have had standing room only. So I don’t think it’s a matter of concern for most people," Steppe concluded.

Recent studies suggest teenagers learn better in their morning classes if they start a little later. Tomorrow’s third hearing takes place at 5 p.m. at the school administrative offices on Mize Road.

The weather outside is frightful – considering it’s the first day of spring, and my mother used to say at the first sign of warm weather after a long cold Wisconsin winter – "It’s not as warm as you think it is."

That bears repeating today as spring is ushered in to Georgia with some unusually cold temperatures and strong thunderstorms expected. According to meteorologist John Tomko with the National Weather Service in Greenville, while March came in like a lamb, it’s expected to go out like a lion. "Yes it is. We’ve got a rather unsettled weather pattern for the next several days. Although we should see a little bit of warming after tomorrow, it’s not going to be terrific warming. We’re still going to be below normal for some time," Tomko said.

In 1993 a similar warm weather pattern in early march lead to the worst blizzard in Georgia in almost 100 years. It might not get that cold, but Tomko said it would stay unseasonably cool for at least the next week.

Over the next 24 hours, severe storms will rumble through the Deep South and are expected to unleash a few powerful, long-track tornadoes, mainly in southeastern Louisiana, southern Mississippi, and southern Alabama. Up to three inches of cold rain could fall across Georgia and the Upstate in today and overnight with temperatures staying in the upper 30s to low 40s.

Authorities are still trying to find out the identity of a Stephens County High School student who was to be the recipient of a gun brought on campus by a 15-year old. It happened last Tuesday.

The school’s resource officer received a tip that the 15-year old student was carrying a gun. Officers searched his book bag and discovered a 9mm berretta semi-automatic pistol in the front pocket. The boy told the officer he brought the weapon to school for another student, but Sheriff Gene Sorrells says he still will not give out the other student’s name.

The 15-year old is charged with bringing a weapon to school. He made a brief court appearance last week in juvenile court and was returned to the Youth Detention Center in Gainesville. Under Georgia’s Zero Tolerance Law, students caught with any kind of weapon on campus are automatically suspended.

Ninth District Opportunity, in cooperation with local volunteers will once again distribute USDA surplus foods in Franklin County at the Franklin County Community Services Center, located on Highway 145 in Carnesville, on April 5^th from 9am until 12 noon.

Any household whose gross income is 130% below poverty level and is a resident of Franklin County is eligible for the program.

Any person picking up food for another household must have a completed permission form, available at the local Ninth District opportunity office or a hand written permission note with the name of the authorized person to pick up the food, the number of people in the household, complete street address, monthly household income amount, and the signature and date. Authorizations forms may be found on line at www.ndo.org.

For further information on the Commodity Foods Distribution or to volunteer, call Anne Marcengill, Community Resource Coordinator, at 706-384-3495.

Several businesses and volunteers will be honored tomorrow at the 16^th annual Main Street Awards Reception. According to Main Street Program Director Connie Tabor, the reception is a time to thank those who have contributed to helping revive downtown Toccoa.

The reception takes place Tuesday at Toccoa City Hall, beginning at 5 p.m. Mayor Bob Troup will review 2005 downtown revitalization efforts during the reception and present the awards. Tabor says overall, this past year has been one of change and growth. The public is invited to attend the reception. If you would like further information, contact the Main Street office at 282-3232.

R.D."Bulldog"" Smith, a former National Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, was recently in the nation’s capital, attending a convention of VFW officials.

As a part of the agenda for the veterans, the VFW hosted the national Voice of Democracy dinner, in which students from all over the country who won state Voice of Democracy contest were honored.

Smith said this was one of the really impressive events of the week. "We had the 54 winners from the various states at the dinner," Smith said. "We presented $146,000 in scholarship money. A young lady from California was the national winner and got a $30,000 scholarship. From there, students from across the county got $15,000, then another student got $10,000. Each student who was in attendance received at least $1000."

Smith said he didn’t see why every eligible students in Stephens County didn’t enter this contest. The contest has monetary prizes from the local level through the district level for high school seniors and younger students through the "pin" program.

There will be no beer and wine sales in Carnesville. That was the decision recently of the Carnesville City Council and it came as the result of a survey the City conducted last month. According to a report in the Franklin County Citizen, Carnesville mayor Harris Little read the results of a committee survey mailed to citizens.

The survey asked if beer and wine should be allowed to be sold at convenience stores Monday through Saturday. Of those who responded, 75 were against the idea, 59 for it; but 98 did not respond at all.

Despite that, Mayor Little called for a motion to adopt a beer and wine sale ordinance, but it died for lack of a second. Council members Sid Ginn and Gene Eavenson had opposed the ordinance all along. A third Councilman, Scott Andrews said he would vote with the majority of survey respondents.

A reminder that Democratic candidate for State School Superintendent Carlotta Harrell will be speaking tonight in Lavonia. Harrell is a former law enforcement officer who served as an undercover officer with the GBI and as a Henry County police officer.

According to Franklin County Democratic Committee Chair Patty Payne, Harrell’s experience in law enforcement offers a unique perspective on the challenges students face today in the classroom.

Payne says this is a good opportunity for parents to come out and let a candidate know about your concerns and ask questions as well. Harrell will be speaking at the Lavonia Carnegie Library at 6:30 p.m.

The time has come to begin planning for this year’s Camp Toccoa Reunion. A preliminary open meeting will take place next Tuesday morning at the new Chamber of Commerce offices. It is a project that requires a huge number of volunteers, but according to Chamber Director Cynthia Brown, it is also an opportunity.

"It's an opportunity for people to meet the most interesting and amazing group of people that will have the pleasure of knowing," Brown noted. "It's an opportunity for this community to express its appreciation. It is an opportunity for us to have an experience with living history. All that said, we want people to step up to the plate in Stephens County and say, 'Welcome' to all these veterans, their families, friends, and admirers. We're going to have a lot of people here and the activities are not only fun, but educational," she said.

This year, the Camp Toccoa Reunion will be expanding its military memorabilia show at the airport. In addition, Brown says they will also be honoring one division of paratroopers who trained on Currahee Mountain.

"This year we will be dedicating the museum, so that's going to be a real highlight. One of the other things we're going to do here is spotlight one of the regiments that has not gotten the publicity of the regiments that included the Dirty Dozen, Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers, but also served their country in a marvelous way. We're going to look at the contributions and the accomplishments of the 511^th," Brown said.

The Camp Toccoa Reunion will be held the first weekend in October. Next Tuesday’s meeting takes place at 9 a.m. at the train depot.

Two U.S. Forest Service offices in Northeast Georgia will be closing. District Ranger David Jensen announced this week the Forest Service will close the Clarkesville and Clayton offices and open a new office centrally located between the two. Jensen said the decision to close the two locations rested upon several factors.

"One is we've got a lot more facilities now. 16-20 years ago, we had about 250 employees on the force. Today it's around 150-180 so we have many more facilities than we need. We're trying to cut down on our expenses. We're looking at consolidation of some facilities," Jensen explained.

The estimated cost savings to the forest service will be about $2.3 million over the next ten years.

Jensen said he will continue to work closely with both communities to ensure that the move does not have a negative impact.

Meantime, this is the spring fire season in Georgia and Rangers and workers with the U.S. Forest Service and the State Forestry Commission has been out conducting controlled burns. Yesterday, a controlled burn was conducted near a new subdivision in Mt. Airy. Still, Jensen says Georgia is not as dry as other states.

"Well yeah, we are getting dry so people need to take some precautions when they burn, but we're not nearly in the situation that they are out in Texas and other western states where they haven't had rain for about six months. Fortunately we're not in that shape yet here," he said.

For information on controlled burning, you can contact the U.S. Forest Service office at 706-782-3320.

A planned lottery to fill slots for pre-kindergarten classes in the fall has been cancelled. The lottery was to have taken place at 9 a.m. today because of the overflow of applications. Most of those applications were for Big A Elementary School’s Pre-K program.

Late Thursday, Stephens County Pre-K Program Coordinator Annetta Mayfield announced parents of the overflow students have agreed to enroll their children in Pre-K classes at one of the three other elementary schools where there is space available. The Pre-K classes in the four elementary schools are free and are funded by grants from the State of Georgia.

Democratic candidate for State School Superintendent Carlotta Harrell will be speaking Monday in Lavonia. Harrell is a former law enforcement officer who served as an undercover officer with the GBI and as a Henry County police officer.

According to Franklin County Democratic Committee Chair Patty Payne, Harrell understands first-hand the issues facing children in the classroom. "With all the social issues today, children have a lot on their minds to start with, but it's not just the teacher - everybody blames the teachers. It's everybody's problem. We’ve got to quit blaming the teachers. It's the elected officials, it's the parents, and it’s the community. We all need to get involved," Payne, noted.

Payne says this is a good opportunity for parents to come out and let a candidate know about your concerns and ask questions as well. Harrell will be speaking at the Lavonia Carnegie library at 6:30 p.m. Monday evening.

Today is St. Patrick’s Day and a lot of us will celebrating our Irish descent with a toast to the great saint - or maybe two. Which is one reason the Georgia State Patrol will be have extra patrols on the highways and byways to make sure motorists who have had a little too much green beer don’t harm themselves and others.

Colonel Bill Hitchens with the GSP tells WNEG troopers will not hesitate to lock up an impaired driver and impound their vehicle if stopped. Hitchens says troopers will be teaming with local law enforcement to conduct checkpoints and help secure revelers.

If you’re going to Savannah today for the St. Patrick’s Day parade, expect extra patrols around the city. In Atlanta, the Nighthawks DUI Task Force will join troopers in Kennesaw, Atlanta, and Forest Park to patrol the metro area. Hitchens says if you plan to drink, designate a sober driver to make sure everyone gets home safely.

The Georgia Department of Transportation Regional Engineer Russell McMurray has announced the annual spring-cleaning of state routes and interstates. GDOT work crews routinely retrieve trash that was tossed from cars and debris from unsecured truckloads, but dot spokeswoman Teri pope says it’s a dirty job.

"It's extremely frustrating to stop other things you should be doing and pick up somebody else's trash," Pope explained. "And it can be very gross, too. We pick up everything from dirty diapers to fast food litter - anything you can imagine. So, it's not something we like to do, but we do it for everybody's safety. At the same time, we'd like to encourage people not to litter. It's not just lazy and tacky, but it could hurt somebody," she said.

Litter pick up is an ever increasing problem for Georgia taxpayers and today it’s a $14-million problem for the state, the public and the business community. Pope says litter in the roadways can also pose a danger to motorists. "Think about if you're driving down the road and something like a grocery bag gets blown up onto your windshield and blocks your line of sight. It can literally cause problems. Even things like larger road kill can cause large crashes. So trash can definitely be a safety hazard," Pope concluded.

The GDOT is warning motorists to watch out for work crews who will be out in the medians and along the shoulder of the roads picking up trash.

Just a reminder that today is Absolutely Incredible Kid Day in Georgia. Sponsored by Campfire USA, it’s day when adults are encouraged to tell their children how special they are.

Meantime, there’s a new Camp Toccoa Director in town and he has some big plans. John McNeal, a graduate of the University of Georgia, took over the position last fall as the camp program manager. Since then, McNeal says he’s been working to renew stability at the camp, which is run by Campfire USA.

"One thing I'd like to work on is increasing the number of children who can come and take advantage of the great facilities that we have," McNeal explained. "The past few years there's been a lot of transition at the Director level which hopefully with me coming on board we'll have a bit more stability so that we can increase the usage of our great facility," he said.

With summer camps just around the corner, McNeal says one of his goals is expand the activities at Camp Toccoa.

"One is that in addition to the traditional programs we have, archery, canoeing and horseback riding, we also have a couple of adventure programs where the children will go offsite and go whitewater rafting, rock climbing, things like that might add a little bit of an exciting trip that the kids can go on," he said.

Registration for summer camp is going on now. McNeal says more information can be obtained by calling 886-2457.

A local church plans to build a major entertainment and youth center in Toccoa. Christ Fellowship on South Big A Road recently closed on 10 acres of land on Brookhaven Circle. Reverend Scott Collett says in addition to a new sanctuary, the goal is to build a youth center that will offer a variety of activities for young people.

"In Phase One we're going to be building a 20,000-foot facility and approximately 6,000 square feet of that will be a Youth Explosion Center. It will have video games, a ministry area, and a stage for live bands, rock-climbing walls. Those are some of the things we're looking at right now. Then 140,000 square feet of the new facility will house our church and a new 400-seat sanctuary," Collett said.

The church had tried to buy the old Wal-Mart property on Big A Road last year, but that deal fell through.

The Vanguard Group – commercial real estate developers based in Atlanta, purchased that property.

Several businesses and volunteers will be honored next week at the 16^th Annual Main Street Awards reception. According to Main Street Program Director Connie Tabor, the reception is a time to thank those who have contributed to helping revive downtown Toccoa.

"This is the 16th year we've had the awards reception. It's just a way that we recognize the revitalization efforts that property and business owners have made in our downtown and also volunteers that have done a great job for us in the past - we like to recognize them as well," Tabor said.

The reception takes place next Tuesday march 21^st at Toccoa City Hall, beginning at 5 p.m. Mayor Bob Troup will review 2005 downtown revitalization efforts during the reception and present the awards. Tabor says overall this past year has been one of change and growth.

"We netted three new businesses and 16 new employees- that's counting the businesses that closed and opened. So, we're very happy about that. We had over $2 million dollars in private investment spent last year on the downtown area alone," she said.

The public is invited to attend the reception next week. If you would like further information on the awards reception contact Main Street office at 282-3232.

On Capitol Hill, the U.S. House will hold a the second of a series of hearings on U.S. mine safety beginning today. Workforce Protection Subcommittee Chairman Republican Representative Charlie Norwood said he plans to make good on his January 20^th commitment to investigate the safety of American mines following two major mine tragedies within weeks in West Virginia.

Today the Subcommittee will hear testimony from several House members representing both parties.

On March 1, the Subcommittee heard from federal safety officials and other mining stakeholders on the unique challenges of underground mining, the federal role in mine safety, training, and current regulatory activity.

Registration for next fall’s pre-kindergarten classes at Stephens County Elementary Schools ended yesterday, but not the need for those classes. That’s why a lottery will be held Friday morning at the School Administrative Offices to fill the remaining class, according to Pre-k Coordinator Annetta Mayfield.

"Toccoa has 20, Liberty has 20, Big A has 20 and Eastanollee Elementary has two classes so they have 40 spaces. Registration started March 3 and today was the end date. By this end date, Big A had more applications than spaces available, so that's why having the lottery for that class," Mayfield explained.

The lottery will take place at 9 a.m. Friday and parents who want their preschoolers to attend pre-kindergarten in the fall but do not have a space, are encouraged to attend the lottery. For a child to be eligible for pre-k class they must turn four years old by September 1, 2006. Your child must also have a birth certificate, a social security card, immunization record, and proof of residency to register. The pre-k classes in the four elementary schools are free and are funded by grants from the State of Georgia.

Students at Toccoa Falls College are collaborating with the Toccoa-Stephens County community to help meet special needs in our area. It’s called, "Project Seedsower" and it aims to gather resources in order to reach out and improve the community.

Over 250 students have committed their time and energy towards the three-day service project, which begins April 10. Sponsored by TFC’s student government association, the students hope to raise money and use it as seed money in the community.

Participants are currently compiling a list of projects that they hope to complete over the three days. Some of those projects include cleaning and repairing homes, community buildings, and city parks. They also plan to help finish painting the iron gate around the Toccoa City Cemetery and help out at the Boys and Girls Club.

The question of whether to push back class start times at the high school and middle school is a bit of a yawn, apparently, for parents. So far, parent turnout has been minimal to two of the three public hearings the School Board has held.

Last night, the Board held a second public hearing at the middle school to get parent input and only three parents showed up. Of the three, two were in favor of pushing the start time for school back from 7:45 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

School board member Dr. Beth Pinkerton said last night her concern is not so much for the c