The Georgia General Primary is just about six weeks away and county Registrar Theresa Kelley says absentee balloting is already underway. "Absentee ballots came in Friday. We've sent about 50 of them out today. So if anybody wants an absentee paper ballot you can request one and we'll get it out in the mail to you within the next day," Kelley said.

Voters do not need a reason to vote using the mail-in paper absentee ballots. Nor do you need the new required photo ID for the mail-in absentee ballot. However, you will need a photo id to vote absentee using the touch screen computers, which Kelley says will be available next week.

"Touch-screen absentees will probably start sometime next week," Kelley explained. "We're doing the L & A testing, which is programming the machines and setting them for the election on Thursday. So hopefully, everything will be ready and we'll start absentee on the machines next week," she said.

Voters needing a photo ID will be able to get a free id made at the registrar’s office. Kelley says the photo ID machine is in, and should be installed and ready for use sometime next week.

The unemployment rate in Stephens County dropped in April a tenth of a percent. Last month, the rate stood at 4.4% - down from 4.5% in March and almost two full percentage points from a year ago when it was 6.1%.

Part of the reason for the drop in unemployment, according to Stephens County Development Authority Director Mitch Griggs has to do with local industries expanding. "What we're seeing in the unemployment rate is a function of a couple of things. A lot of what we're seeing is local industry expansions. Several of our local businesses and industries have been doing well over the last year or two and have expanded their employment roles," Griggs noted.

Recently, Standard Registry announced plans to hire 15 new workers; Wal-mart expanded their employee base by 300 when they moved to their new location. Another reason for the lowering unemployment rate also has to do with several new businesses that have announced plans to move here totaling about 100 new jobs in the county. Axis Products, ITR Manufacturing, and Scrap Masters are currently all hiring for their new plants.

Griggs says the fact that more industries are looking at Stephens County to set up shop has to do with the community pulling together. "We've kind of collectively gotten our act together, if you will. The City of Toccoa and the County are cooperating extremely well to help foster new development. The Development Authority itself has some stability on our staff. We've expanded our ability to perform our job through our committees and the various volunteers that have been on board for months now helping us accomplish a lot of this," he concluded.

Currently, the labor force in Stephens County is 12,956. Of those 12,384 are employed with 572 looking for work.

County Commissioners will get their first look at a preliminary FY2007 budget tomorrow when they meet for a special work session. So far, Commissioners have been meeting with individual department heads and other agencies to go over their needs and requests for the coming year.

"Tomorrow, Commissioners have their first pass at the budget," County Administrator Darrell Hampton said. "They had some folks with some requests. There were some things that they questioned that we have researched. So the second draft addresses those, requests for funding and requests for additional funding. It will give Commissioners a bottom-line look at it and tomorrow we will look at what the Commissioners are leaning toward and not leaning toward. Hopefully, we will then know how soon we can have a proposed budget ready for public comment," he said.

Unlike the City of Toccoa, which released details of its preliminary fiscal budget at the outset, the County has yet to reveal any hard numbers. Hampton says that’s because of outside variables involved in putting together the budget, such as requests for funding from different organizations. "I honestly am not trying to hide anything. I've just always been in an environment where the media and the citizens understood that once we had something that Commissioners were comfortable with we will make it available to everybody," Hampton said.

The County, notes Hampton, is the primary funder for a number of organizations and this year other groups, such as the Recovery Academy have also requested help. Another factor keeping any hard numbers from being released according to Hampton is the tax revaluation. Once the preliminary budget is approved, there will be two public hearings. Hampton says unlike last year, Commissioners have vowed to approve the FY 2007 budget by June 30^th.

The Stephens County Literacy Foundation has joined with Thrift Recycling Management to raise money to support the literacy program in Stephens County. SELF is collecting gently used or new hard and soft cover books of all genres including, children’s, textbooks, and other educational books.

According to Director Lisa Prickett, SELF is splitting the profits with the schools, library, adult literacy programs and the read-at-home program. Books can be dropped off at any Stephens County school and the Stephens County Schools Administrative Office on Mize Road.

Other drop-off points include the County Annex Building, the County Government Building, Toccoa City Hall, The Java Station, North Georgia Tech, and The Toccoa-Stephens County Library. No dictionaries, encyclopedias, bibles, or magazines of any kind will be accepted.

In Avalon, more problems for the owners of a home that burned last years. Gus Gonzalez told Stephens County Sheriff’s deputies someone broke into the storage shed on his property at 9991 Highway 17 and stole most of his tools. The missing items include $500 worth of hand tools and two 2.5-ton floor jacks. Entrance to the shed was made by removing the screws to the shed doors. Deputies have placed an extra watch on the property.

With out-of-town vacationers coming up to the lake for the summer season, more boats and boating equipment are being reported stolen. Over the holiday weekend, thieves took parts off a boat parked at a cottage on Century Drive. The owners, who live in Alpharetta, GA, told deputies they found the boat cover and parts off the boat’s engine had been taken.

In another instance, lake homeowners from Duluth, GA found their holiday weekend disrupted when they discovered the radio in their boat had been taken and a storage bin on his dock had been broken into. So far, Stephens County Sheriff’s investigators have no suspects, but patrols around the lake area have been increased.

A court hearing has confirmed that Carol Jackson does reside in the 50th State Senatorial District. That means that she will be able to continue her campaign to regain the 50th District Senate seat currently held by Nancy Schaefer. The residency question arose when Dr. Mark Chetta of Clarkesville filed suit challenging Ms. Jackson's claim to reside in the 50th District. 

During the hearing, Dr. Chetta, testified that he was asked to file the residency challenge by the incumbent senator’s husband, Bruce Schaefer, hours prior to the deadline.

A spokesman for the Jackson campaign said. "While there is no law against the ignorance or arrogance of the complaint, there are laws concerning ethics, trespassing and stalking. We’re working with legal counsel on those issues now."

Ms. Jackson said…"We must await the judges ruling, but make no mistake, the campaign for ALL the people will continue."

Carol Jackson is challenging incumbent Senator Nancy Schaefer for the 50^th State Senatorial District which includes Stephens County, Habersham County, Bank County and a portion of White County. It was the portion of White County that Ms. Jackson lives in that was the focal point of the residential challenge.

The Francis Wood Wilson Foundation Inc. has awarded a $75,000 grant to Emanuel College’s Communication Department to purchase Canon video cameras, Apple/Mac computers for Avid video editing, and other video-related equipment.

Paula Dixon, Communications Department Chair, said, "The companies that hire our communications graduates are always impressed to know they were trained with Canon xl cameras and are proficient Avid editors. Recently, we also upgraded to NewTek’s VT4 for our live productions from the Swails Center auditorium, so you can see we’re committed to training our students with the best technology on the market.

For more information about the Emanuel College Communications Department, contact the Department Chair, Paula Dixon at 706-206-2925.

The number of food stamp recipients in Stephens County seems to have dropped over the last six months.

Kenny Jarvis, Director of the Stephens County Department of Family and Children’s Services says he’s not exactly sure just why that has happen, But he feels there are a few more employment opportunities for people in the county than in the past…. "We reached sort of a high point about 6 months to a year ago where we were up to about 1500 or so clients." Jarvis reported " I had not seen that in almost the nine years that I’ve been here. Most of the time it’s been about 900 to 1000 cases. It went up and down, but up to 1500 was quite a mark. We’ve seen that shrink back a little in the low 1400s and I don’t know exactly why that has happened. Perhaps there’s a little more employment opportunities that have come about. We certainly hope so."

Jarvis said that his office is now working more with clients who come in and apply for TANIF, which is a work program and they strongly emphasize that part. Jarvis said that each client is told that the goal of the program is to make food stamps a temporary part of their life and to try and get them back into the full time work force.

Habersham Bancorp was named this week as one of Georgia’s Top 100 public companies in the "Best of Business 2006" rankings. The list, published annually by the Atlanta Journal Constitution, ranks publicly traded companies headquartered in the state based on their performance in 2005. The rankings are compiled by analysts at Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP, an international accounting firm and business consulting firm.

Five weighted variables are considered in the final rankings: annual revenue, year-over-year revenue change, annual percent change in profit margin, return on equity and total return on investment for 2005. Habersham Bancorp achieved and overall ranking of 54 in the total list of 100 and was ranked number 13 in the banking category.

David Stovall, President and CEO of Habersham Bancorp, responded to the announcement by saying, "We are delighted that the AJC has recognized Habersham Bancorp as one of the Top 100 public companies in Georgia. The board of directors, management team and staff are all very proud of what our company accomplished in 2005 and it is gratifying to see our performance acknowledged on such a prestigious list. we look forward to what we will accomplish in 2006 as we continue to expand and fulfill our vision of being the financial services company of choice in the communities we serve."

Habersham Bancorp owns Habersham Bank, which is headquartered in Clarkesville and has full service offices in Cornelia, Baldwin, Braselton, Cleveland, Canton, Eastanollee, Hickory Flat, Toccoa and Warrenton. Construction is underway for the company’s newest branch in Forsyth County.

The annual Memorial Day Remembrance service was held this morning at the Leon Williams VFW Post 4346 in Toccoa. A nice crowd was on hand as veterans organizations in the county presented wreaths in honor and memory of veterans around the world. State Representative Jeanette Jamieson was the special guest speaker for the occasion.

Ms. Jamieson said that to pay tribute on this Memorial Day to all of those veterans who fought and returned ,but need medical attention, we should at all times make sure that these veterans receive these services. "In the memory of those who will not return, we should always remember that those who do return should receive all of the medical services that are due to them and their families. "Ms Jamieson declared.

One other issue that Ms Jamieson touched on was the support of all of the veterans fighting around the world today, regardless of political affiliation. "We find ourselves again in a time like we had back in the Viet Nam War. The public is divided on whether they support our action or not. Ladies and gentleman, it matters not whether you support the President or the Vice President, whether you support the Governor or the State Representative. That is not the main issue. The main issue is today, as we have done for generations, we must love respect, appreciate and honor those men and women in uniform, those that are currently out there."

A bugler played Taps to officially end the ceremony.

Memorial Day marks a change in the 911 telephone system in Toccoa and Stephens County.

City Manager Billy Morse told the city commissioners last Monday night that the city will change the 911 telephone system over to the county early on that morning. He hopes that the public will not even notice the change. "It will be a big day in Toccoa and one which we hope the citizens will not even notice the change." Morse indicated. "At about 6am on that day, we’ll change the Toccoa police dispatch phone lines over to the new 911 center and the dispatchers will become county employees. We think it will be a smooth change, one that the public should hardly notice that has been made."

In another aspect of the Memorial Day Holiday, Chaplain Dr. Henry Field urged citizens to fly their American flag during that holiday in order to honor those brave people who have fought to preserve our freedom.

Morse also stated that City Hall will be closed today for Monday Memorial Day and garbage that is normally picked up on Monday will be picked up the following day.

An additional kindergarten registration will be held at each Stephens County Elementary School Tuesday, May 30 from 8:30AM to 3PM

All children who are now enrolled in private kindergarten and who will be entering the first grade in the Stephens County School System should also attend this registration. A child must be five years old on or before September 1, 2006 in order to enter kindergarten, and six years old on or before September 1, 2006 in order to enter first grade.

Parents must bring their children to the registration and should register at the elementary school the child will be attending. It should take about 20 minutes to complete the registration process. Only the "lollipop test", which is a test of the school readiness, will be administered during registration, The additional vision, hearing, dental and speech screening will be conducted at the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year. The following documents are needed in order to register a child for kindergarten or first grade.

1.Official birth certificate

2.Official Immunization certificate

3.Social Security card

4.Proof of residence (utility bill, rent receipt, etc)

The Stephens County Sheriff’s Department is investigating several thefts.

A resident of Mountain View Road told deputies that a generator was stolen off of her front porch. The generator had been borrowed from the New Hope Volunteer Fire Department. Patricia Pullium said that she and her family entered their home from the back door. When she drove up to her house, she heard a noise on the front porch. She did see two subjects actually take the generator and put it in a blue or black Chevy Blazer or Bronco. She screamed at them to stop but they took off in the vehicle.

A woman had two bags taken from her vehicle while she was parked at Bell’s Restaurant. One of the bags was tan, the other was gray. A search of the area did not reveal any of the stolen bags.

A resident of Leverette Lane told deputies that he had parked a car at Stovall Buildings Supplies after it had been wrecked. When he went back to check on the car, the back driver’s side glass had been broken and some miscellaneous tools had been stolen.

The 2005-2006 school year winds down officially with commencement exercises at the Stephens County High School football stadium this evening.

George Sanders is just concluding his first year as principal of Stephens County High School. He said that this year has been an interesting one to say the least, but one that he has enjoyed. "There’s never a dull moment around Stephens County High School," he quipped. "When we go on trips or when someone comes to visit our high school, they always say what a fine group of students we have here. That’s not saying we don’t have our problems like any other school, but for the most part we have some really great kids here at the school."

Hopefully, the weather will cooperate with the evening’s festivities. Sanders said he has his fingers crossed regarding any showers. "I’ve been talking to the weatherman." he joked. "But we will be getting underway at the stadium at 8PM tonight. We have approximately 260 seniors who will be graduating tonight. We’re going to do things a little differently this evening. We think graduation is graduation from all of the schools. So we’re going to have some of the retired principals and others to help us in the ceremony tonight."

Sanders said that academically, this class has performed very well with their test scores and achievements. The Class of 2006 will be presented with a total of 3 million dollars in scholarships this evening.

The Class Valedictorian, Zack Morrison and the Salutatorian, Jacob Taylor, will be the special guest speakers this evening.

An Oconee County South Carolina man was killed Thursday morning as he tried to cross I-85 at the South Carolina Welcome Center.

The victim has been identified as Herman Kimbrell, age 72, who lived in a lakeside community on Lake Hartwell. Kimbrell apparently worked at the South Carolina Welcome Center and was in his Chevy Camaro driving southbound in the interstate when he was struck from behind. The other vehicle was driven by Derrick Milligan of Owing, Maryland.

Oconee County Coroner Karl Addis reported that Kimbrell was not wearing a seat belt and died of blunt trauma at the scene. No charges have been filed against Milligan.

Traffic was blocked southbound on the interstate for a couple of miles and didn't get back to a normal flow for a couple of hours. The accident occurred about 6:30 am. Kimbrell was a maintenance worker at the Welcome Center.

The 2006 AM 630 WNEG Senior Expo was held Thursday at the Rose Lane Recreation Complex.

Thirty-five exhibitors gave the seniors and all of those in attendance a glimpse of products and services that are available in the community.

Entertainment was provided by Peggy Pelfrey and Poverty Ridge.

The highlight of the event was announcement of the Senior Man and Woman of the Year.

Betty Swords of the Stephens County Historical Society and Jim Shurley of the Senior Sector of the Chamber of Commerce were recipients of the awards.

WNEG’s Phil Hobbs spoke with the winners who were surprised and appreciative. "I’m just so surprised." Betty Swords said. "I appreciate it so much. Who could not be appreciative of such an award."

Jim Shurley had just returned from out of town . " I was in Gatlinburg and just drove and got a message to get down here. I enjoy working with the seniors and I enjoy what I do and it was really a surprise and thank you to everybody."

The Expo featured a number of free screenings including vision and blood pressure checks.

With Memorial Day officially starting the summer season, the American Red Cross is asking the public’s help to keep the supply of blood up to the levels that it needs to be for the summer months.

Blood drives will be held today and Saturday at the Gainesville Blood and Platelet Donor Center, at 311 Jesse Jewell Parkway in downtown Gainesville. You may call 770-532-4620 for an appointment. Walk-in donations are always welcome.

Another blood drive will be held next Monday and Tuesday from 12 noon until 7PM.

All donors are asked to bring a form of identification, such as an American Red Cross donor card or driver’s license. For more information or to make an appointment, call the American Red Cross at 1-800 GIVE-LIFE or 1-800-448-3543.

There are a number of children across the state of Georgia who will be leaving foster care and going into the workplace. As you might expect, this is a pretty tough transition.

The Stephens county Department of Family and Children’s Services will be working with a statewide program to help these teenagers get prepared for life skills. The program is called "Teen Work".

Kenny Jarvis is the director of the Stephens County DFACS office. He thinks the program is very valuable to the young people as they prepare for life outside of foster care. "This is the second year of what we’re calling the Teen Work program " Jarvis explained. "It’s a program designed to get job experience for teenagers who are in foster care. We find often times that our teenagers in foster care need a lot preparation for life after foster care. Part of the preparation is to learn how to work, how to find a job, and to get connected with the workforce. They will be developing marketable skills that will help them in later life.

First Lady Mary Purdue and Commissioner Walker last year put together a program and we’re implementing it for the second summer. It gives the kids a little self esteem and puts a little money in their pockets. We have four children here in Stephens County who will be taking part in the program."

For more information, call the Stephens County Department of Family and Children’s Services office at 282-4505

The second year of the Freshman Academy in the Stephens County School System has just concluded, The program separates the ninth grade students from the rest of the high school student body while they adjust to the higher education curriculum.

Jerry Brown is completing his first year as the principal of the Freshman Academy and he has a very positive report regarding the students and the faculty. "I feel like we had a good year," Brown reported, "There’s always a learning curve when you get into something like this. But the teachers are fantastic, they care about the kids, they look after the kids, stay after them and really take care of the big stuff. We have seen an improvement, We’re keeping more kids involved and we have a larger sophomore class this year. I think we’ll see a larger enrollment and I think kids will be staying in school longer."

The board adapted the Freshman Academy when it was shown that students in other counties that have similar education experiences have done better in their sophomore years and have stayed in school longer than in the traditional educational setting .

Toccoa police are investigating a couple of thefts that occurred recently.

Billy Saylors came to the police department and reported that a Suzuki 50 dirt bike was taken from the back of his house on E.Tugalo Street. The bike is yellow in color and was taken sometime between May 3^rd and Wednesday.

A Troy-Built pressure washer was taken from a residence on Andrews Road.

And Charles Sheriff reported damage to windows on several vehicles parked behind the Bi-Lo Shopping Center

The Stephens County Sheriff’s office is investigating the theft of a radio from a boat on Malibu Drive in Martin. John Dantzler of Alpharetta said that when he came back up to the lake, he notices the tarp was pulled back and thought at first that the wind might have blow it back. The radio is an AM-FM 3-disc CD changer. The value of the missing radio is placed at about $250.

One of this community’s finest citizens and businessmen, Truman Blasingame, was honored at a reception Wednesday afternoon.

Mr. Blasingame has served the banking industry for the past 50 years and was recognized by his friends and former colleagues.

Joe Ferguson, president of Stephens Federal Bank , said that Blasingame has served the local community since 1956. "Stephens Federal Bank is 73 years old and Truman Blasingame came to us in 1956, fifty years ago," Ferguson stated. " He has been a vital part of this organization and of this community. If you can’t pay tribute to someone who has given 50 years to the community, I don’t know who you pay tribute to. The people who know him know what he has done for the community. It’s very common , as I talk to folks in this community for decades, they will remember that Truman gave their first home loan. Those are the memories that anybody in any business should like to carry with them forward."

Blasingame told WNEG News he was surprised by the outpouring of friendship that was shown to him during the event. "This is overwhelming," he exclaimed "I really enjoyed it. I didn’t expect to see so many friends, but I’m glad they came. And I’ve seen a lot of people that I hadn’t seen in a long time.

Stephens Federal Bank is very special because of it’s service to the people. That’s all that we have. That’s what we try to do, try to meet people and be friends with them as they come in."

Blasingame was honored with a proclamation by the Toccoa City Commission, which was read during Monday’s meeting. The proclamation was read again Wednesday by City commissioner David Austin.

The Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce would like to congratulate the Award winners who were announced at the annual Chamber Luncheon last week.

The Service/Professional service award was won by Ed Burton Senior and bob Pless; Caterpillar was named the Outstanding Manufacturer in the county; The Outstanding Retailer went to the Super Wal-Mart; Toccoa Falls college was named the Best Promotion and Tourism winner and Brenda Owens took the Award for the Best Volunteer of the Year.

The chamber also wished to salute outgoing President Buddy Cheek along with board members Jim Shurley, Burt Holmes, Kim Hudgins, Dean Scarborough, Kim Stroud and Bob Troup.

The Stephens County Sheriff’s Office and the Piedmont Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad and the Governor’s Task Force arrested William Parker LeCroy, age 41 of Rock Quarry Road in Toccoa. LeCroy has been charged with manufacturing marijuana.

While conducting a countywide helicopter fly over by the Governor’s Task Force, the suspect was found to have a marijuana plant growing in his backyard. When approached by deputies, about the plant, he gave permission to search the residence. A back room of the basement revealed eight more plants, growing lights, fans and paraphernalia used for growing, smoking and harvesting marijuana.

Additional, deputies seized marijuana that was being hung to dry and a calendar numerically identifying each plant according to its age.

LeCroy is currently in the Stephens county Jail awaiting bond set by a superior court judge.

This coming week-end is Memorial Day Week-end. Unfortunately, there are very few signs of salutes to veterans in the community during this time. However, Stephen Memorial Gardens will continue a tradition of marking veteran’s graves with American Flags.

Bill Rainey, the memorial counselor at Stephens Memorial Gardens, said that they are proud to do this for the veterans who gave so much so that we can be free today. "For the past 18 years, on Memorial week-end, we have been putting American flags on all veteran’s graves. "Rainey said. " We do that, honoring our veterans because those who have served our country in all branches of service have kept us safe, free and able to walk around and do the things that we want to do. We think it’s our duty and it’s a pleasure to do this."

Rainey said that they don’t want any veteran to be left out and he’s asking the public’s help…

"We keep pretty good records, but sometimes we might slip up and miss one or two. If anyone knows of a veteran or they want to make sure their veteran has a flag, be sure to call us. We have some extra flags for any veteran who needs a flag."

Rainey said that there are over 3000 people buried in Stephens Memorial Gardens and about 1000 are veterans.

The same Toccoa police officer arrested the same suspect twice in two days, driving two different vehicles.

Sunday, Officer Kaiser stopped a 1996 GMC Sonoma on Highway 17 and Rosedale, The driver, 18 year old, Quentin Dupree Parrott, was stopped for having a headlight out on his truck. Once the driver stopped the truck, the driver got out and ran. He was apprehended and charged with obstruction, driving on a suspended license, DUI and driving with one headlight out.

The next day, Officer Kiser stopped Parrot again. this time, he was driving a 1997 Pontiac Grand Am. He was stopped on Persimmon Street for having a tail light out. He was arrested again and charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and carrying a concealed weapon.

Another traffic stopped resulted in an arrest and a look-out for the driver. A 1984 Chevy Caprice was stopped at Pond and Elberton Streets because no-one, including two children had seat belts fastened. An investigation revealed that the passenger had some drugs in his shoe. The passenger was arrested and they are searching for the driver, who fled on foot after it was discovered that he, too had some illegal drugs in his possession .Police know the identity of the driver and are looking for him.

Another traffic stop on the Big A Road resulted in the arrest of Jonathan Duncan of Currahee Street. He was charged with possession of marijuana, as well as a violation of the state seat belt law.

Former State Senator Carol Jackson will be going before an administrative judge in Atlanta on Friday to plead her case involving a challenge to her residency and her candidacy for the up-coming State Senatorial race.

A Habersham County physician, Dr. Mark Chetta, recently filed a letter with the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office challenging the residency of Ms. Jackson. Both Carol Jackson and incumbent, State Senator Nancy Schaefer are the only candidates for the State Senate race in the newly re-drawn 50^th District. The District includes Stephens, Banks, Habersham, Rabun, Towns, Hart and a portion of White County.

Dr .Chetta indicates in his letter that her letter of residence on her financial disclosure form is from a Cleveland, Georgia address that is outside of the 50^th State Senatorial District.

Ms Jackson told WNEG News that she wouldn’t be able to fully comment on the matter but did say the challenge has no merit. "I cannot say a lot about this challenge ,"Ms Jackson told WNEG News. " This has been filed by a man in Habersham County, I suspect maybe on behalf of another candidate, I don’t know. Anyway, it is absolutely without merit. I am qualified and I would still be in the Senate had not the Republican regime not chosen to re-district me out. I had to move to get back into the district, I’ve met all of the qualifications and in my opinion, this is just a little form of harassment. It’s a mountain to climb, but I understand the view from the top is magnificent and that’s where I’m headed."

A decision by the judge is expected to be made in an accelerated manner to as not to disrupt any of the candidates plans or have to make a change in plans.

The American Red Cross now has an office in Toccoa.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Tuesday morning at Convalescent Equipment on Falls Road where the Red Cross will have an office.

Cheryl Shockley, the Community Relations Officer for Stephens County said that the red cross has been very active in the community for a number of years. Now they actually have an office where people can come in and either get help or information. "We have been in Stephens county for many, many years ,"Ms Shockley stated. "I just feel that I need to have an office here so people can see me, and see the Red Cross and it’s presence in this community. Even though we do go out to single home fires, we do CPR classes, it’s just more visual. We have now an office and when people see that Red Cross they know they can get help. They can call me or come by and see me if I’m in."

Another service center is located on South Main Street in Cornelia. If you would like to cal Sheryl’s office, the number is a cell phone number 706-499-3542.

As the school year winds down, many organizations are holding year-end banquets to honor their outstanding members.

One of the organizations that the community gets to enjoy at football games and concerts throughout the year is the Stephens County High School Band and Auxiliary. The group had it’s annual banquet Tuesday night at the Stephens County Middle School Cafeteria.

Tamara Cash is the Director of the Auxiliary and Flag Corps .She expressed her thanks to the seniors and the other members who made this past year a great one. "It was an exciting night to wind up our year," Ms Cash said. " We lose 11 seniors this year and that’s always a sad thing. I’d like to fix it to where they would always stay with me. But really, I’d like to wish them all the best as they are excited. Many of them will be headed for college next year and new paths, so I’d like to wish them all the best."

Band Director Scott Wilcher echoed Ms. Cash’s comments about the success of the band’s performances this year with senior leadership recognized at the banquet. "I thought we had a great year and a great fall and marching season," he said. " We had an equally great symphonic band. We scored superior this year and I was real proud of the kids. We had 45 seniors to recognize tonight and that’s a lot of seniors in anybody’s account. They’ve been tremendous all throughout the year. They put their heart into what they do and it’s great to recognize them on a night like this."

One of the highlights of the band’s season was a trip to Orlando, Florida this spring to play at a theme park’s parade and then a week-end trip to the Bahamas.

Summer is here and now is the time to learn how to play it safe around the lake. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lake Hartwell Office is offering free water safety programs for children and adults.

Church youth groups, area camps, day care centers, business and civic organizations and scout groups are some of the organizations that can benefit from a water safety program.

Program length and content can be tailored to the age group and range from 10 minutes to one hour, according to Tonya Grant, a Hartwell Lake Ranger. Programs are offered on weekdays between 8am and 4;30PM and are held at a group’s location or at the Lake Hartwell office located one mile past the Hartwell Dam on US 29 in Hartwell. Reservations are required .

Grant said," Our programs help kids, adults and senior enjoy and use our lakes safely."

For more information or to schedule a program, contact Grant toll-free at 1-888-893-0678 ext 323 or 706-856-0323.

At one time the most counterfeited piece of currency was the twenty dollar bill. Here more recently, the $100 bill has been the bill of choice for counterfeiters. The Toccoa police have had several reports of fake $100 bills turning up in numerous locations in the city.

Toccoa Police Chief Jackie Whitmire said that his department has several leads and the Secret Service is lending a helping hand. "We used to get a lot of fake twenty dollar bills and now, I guess the price has gone up," Whitmire quipped. "We have a couple of leads and we’re being helped by the Secret Service. Some of these guys are out of Atlanta and some of them are home made! But in either case, when we get a suspect, he usually gets the bills from someone else. We’re trying our best right now to follow some leads and track ‘em down."

Reports of phony $100 bills have come from Northland Cable, Auto Zone, Wendy Restaurant and Ingles Supermarket.

The City of Toccoa has accepted a bid from Robert and Company of Atlanta for the demolition of the downtown Toccoa canopies and the re-opening of Doyle Street.

Downtown Development Authority Director Connie Tabor said that the city has worked with this company before. "We had five solicited proposals in our request for qualifications for the mall canopy project." Ms Tabor said. "Robert and Company was selected tonight by the Toccoa City Commission. They are out of Atlanta. They worked with us on phase one, two and three of the Streetscape program, so they are very familiar with Toccoa. They also submitted a lump sum bid where the other bidder submitted percentage bids based on the construction costs and we felt good about the flat fee bid from Robert and Company."

Ms. Tabor stated that the company would have some composite drawings ready for the commission’s approval in a couple of months. "Now they will hire their surveyor who will come in and finish the completion of the survey work on the mall proper. We already have survey work on the other streets. From there, the surveyor will have about four weeks to complete their part of the work and then they will turn their work over to Robert and Company who will then go through the preliminary design phase and construction drawings."

Robert and Company was selected from an initial pool of 21 engineers and then were chosen from the top five firms selected by a committee.

Meanwhile the city is hoping to hear from a couple of grant programs, the main one being the One Georgia grant, which could produce a little over one million dollars for the renovation project.

The upcoming Memorial Day holiday will be a big day some employees of the City of Toccoa.

City Manager Billy Morse told the city commissioners Monday night that the city will change the 911 telephone system over to the county early on that morning. He hopes that the public will not even notice the change. "It will be a big day in Toccoa and one which we hope the citizens will not even notice the change." Morse indicated. "At about 6am on that day, we’ll change the Toccoa police dispatch phone lines over to the new 911 center and the dispatchers will become county employees. We think it will be a smooth change, one that the public should hardly notice that has been made."

In another aspect of the Memorial Day Holiday, Chaplain Dr. Henry Field urged citizens to fly their American flag during that holiday in order to honor those brave people who have fought to preserve our freedom.

Morse also stated that City Hall will be closed on Monday Memorial Day and garbage that is normally picked up on that day will be picked up the following day.

ANOTHER STEP IN THE DOWNTOWN CANOPY REMOVAL PROCESS TAKES PLACE TONIGHT WHEN CITY COMMISSIONERS DECIDE ON AN ENGINEERING FIRM FOR THE PROJECT.

FIVE FIRMS BID ON THE PROJECT ACCORDING TO CITY MANAGER BILLY MORSE, THROUGH A SEARCH THAT WAS DONE IN-HOUSE.

ONCE THE ENGINEERING FIRM IS SELECTED THEN WORK WILL BEGIN, ACCORDING TO MORSE, ON CANOPY REMOVAL, STREET RE-OPENING AND REDESIGNING DOWNTOWN TOCCOA.

LAST WEEK, CITY PLANNING COMMISSION DIRECTOR CONNIE TABOR TOLD WNEG THEY ARE STILL WAITING TO HEAR ON A FINAL GRANT APPLICATION FOR THE $1.2 MILLION DOLLAR PROJECT.

SO FAR, TOCCOA HAS BEEN AWARDED TWO STATE GRANTS TOTALING $900,000.

TABOR SAYS THEY SHOULD HEAR WHETHER THE ONE-GEORGIA GRANT APPLICATION HAS BEEN APPROVED SOMETIME IN JUNE.

IT USED TO BE WHITMAN STREET HIGH SCHOOL, BUT SINCE THE HIGH SCHOOL CLOSED THE OLD BUILDING ON THE CORNER OF BROAD AND WHITMAN STREETS HAS HAD MANY USES.

NOW A MEMBER OF MOUNT ZION CHURCH IS ASKING THE CITY TO DONATE THE OLD BUILDING.

VELMA RIDLEY SAYS SHE DECIDED TO ASK THE CITY FOR THE BUILDING BECAUSE IT’S FALLING INTO DISREPAIR.

CURRENTLY, THE BUILDING IS BEING USED BY THE CITY OF TOCCOA FOR STORAGE OF CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS AND OTHER YEARLY FESTIVAL ITEMS USED BY MAIN STREET.

IT HAS ALSO SERVED AS THE FORMER HOME OF THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB AND AS A SOUP KITCHEN.

CITY COMMISSIONERS WILL VOTE ON THE REQUEST AT THEIR REGULAR MEETING TONIGHT.

GOVERNOR SONNY PERDUE IS APPEALING A COURT RULING LAST WEEK THAT THREW OUT THE STATE’S BAN ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE.

LAST TUESDAY, JUDGE CONSTANCE RUSSELL OF FULTON COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT RULED THAT THE MEASURE VIOLATES THE STATE'S "SINGLE-SUBJECT RULE" AS IT ASKED VOTERS TO DECIDE ON MULTIPLE ISSUES IN ONE AMENDMENT.

STATE REPRESENTATIVE JEANETTE JAMIESON SAYS THE DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP WAS NOT SURPRISED AT THE DECISION.

TWO YEARS AGO, JAMIESON TRIED TO INTRODUCE HER OWN VERSION OF THE BILL, WHICH ONLY ASKED THE QUESTION, "SHOULD MARRIAGE ONLY BE BETWEEN A MAN AND A WOMAN?"

HOWEVER, SHE WAS OVERRULED BY THE HOUSE REPUBLICAN MAJORITY.

THE MEASURE THAT PASSED IN NOVEMBER, 2004 ADDRESSED OTHER ISSUES THAN SAME SEX MARRIAGE, SUCH AS CIVIL UNIONS AND THE POWER OF GEORGIA COURTS TO RULE ON DISPUTES ARISING FROM SAME-SEX RELATIONSHIPS.

ON THURSDAY, PERDUE APPEALED THE COURT’S DECISION TO THE SUPREME COURT, AND IT COULD BE SEVERAL MONTHS BEFORE A RULING IS HANDED DOWN.

IF THE LOWER COURT’S DECISION IS UPHELD, THE GOVERNOR PLANS TO CALL A SPECIAL SESSION TO WORK ON THE BILL.

The benefits of having a super retailer in town are becoming apparent to those receiving SPLOST tax revenue – such as the Stephens County School system. At this week’s School Board meeting, Assistant School Superintendent Ed Whitworth announced the school system collected a record amount of SPLOST revenue because of the Super Wal-Mart.

"Normally we collect about $250,000 a month in SPLOST tax revenue," Whitworth noted. "This month however we broke a record because of the Super Wal-mart and we collected $320,000," he said.

That money comes from the 1-cent sales tax allocated to the Schools system through SPLOST II and III.

Last month, School Superintendent Gary Steppe told the school board that the extra monies would take some of the burden off the property owners.

The extra money will be used for a number of things, according to Steppe, including the purchase of new school buses and will go towards future building projects.

One of the community’s biggest family oriented charity fund raising events return to its original site this evening when the annual "Relay For Life" steps off tonight. All of the money raised will go to cancer research.

Those who will be spending the night tonight will start setting up their campsites around the Noon hour and preparing for various events throughout the evening and into Saturday morning.

Chairman Rene Carroll said that the local chapter is glad to be back at the high school after moving around to several locations the past few years…

"We’ll get started this evening about 7pm with the survivor’s walk and caregiver’s lap." She said. "We’re glad to be back at the high school which seems to be an ideal place to hold an event like this. We’re hoping for a good turnout, good weather and we’ll be enjoying lots of activities until Saturday morning."

The goal for this year’s Relay is $115,000. About half of the goal has already been collected and with much of the fund raising money to come in this week-end, the chapter hopes to obtain their goal.

Ms. Carroll said she understands that many people in the county have lost their jobs in the past year, but she is still confident that those people who believe in the cause will help the campaign as best they can.

AM 630 WNEG will be broadcasting live from the event ,starting with a report on the 5PM News and then giving updates until Atlanta Braves baseball this evening.

The Historic Preservation Commission for the City of Toccoa is holding the second of two called meetings this afternoon. At this meeting, the Commission will discuss design guidelines for areas of the city to be designated historic districts.

Last fall, the Downtown Development Authority came up with a set of historic district guidelines and asked the Historic Preservation Commission to review them. Today’s meeting will be the first time the commission will look at the guidelines.

The guidelines will spell out such things as, what kinds of renovation materials will be accepted, the kinds of awnings that can be used, etc. Today’s meeting takes place in City Hall’s third floor meeting room at 2:30 p.m.

Officers with the Georgia Department of Public Safety will be participating in three national traffic safety campaigns beginning Monday. The annual campaigns include "Operation Click It or Ticket", "All American Buckle Up Week," and "Operation C.A.R.E."

All are an effort to save lives and reduce serious injuries from motor vehicle crashes during the upcoming memorial day holiday period.   And as we've been telling you, Georgia State troopers are already out in force in Stephens County conducting safety checkpoints.

In addition to seatbelt violators, troopers will also be keeping a sharp eye out for impaired drivers.

The Hart County Community Theatre is looking for people to star in their next production. It’s a comedy entitled, "The Foreigner," which will be presented the end of August. Beginning Sunday, directors will hold auditions at their theatre on Depot Street in downtown Hartwell.

Sunday’s audition takes place at 2 p.m. Auditions will also be held Monday and Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Directors Darcy and Samantha Kelley ask auditioners to bring a 3 x 5 photo with them. They will be casting for five men’s roles and two women’s roles.

Toccoa Police have made a couple of drug arrests, one coming on a traffic stop.

An officer stopped a vehicle on Davis Street for driving without headlights. The driver, identified as 37 year old Wayne Donald Shedd of Jacksonville, Florida was arrested and charged with DUI and possession of illegal drugs.

Another arrest was made following a search warrant at the A-1 Car Wash located behind the Labor Finders on Currahee Street. Arrested was 31 year old Rashad Beasley. Beasley was charged with possession of marijuana.

Another counterfeit $100 bill was discovered in Toccoa. A representative of Region’s Bank told police that a fake $100 bill was found in a deposit from the Dollar General Store. The bill was taken into evidence and turned over to the detective division.

Residents of the Avon-Edwards-Broad Streets neighborhood heard from two State Representatives Tuesday night regarding the City of Toccoa’s plan to revitalize their part of town. Tuesday’s meeting at the Boys and Girls Club was the third and final one conducted by the City Planning Commission and the Georgia Mountains Regional Development Center.

At the last meeting in March, citizens discussed the major problems of their community, which includes drainage problems, rats, and lack of adequate housing. Also on hand for the final meeting was a representative from the State Department of Community Affairs to discuss housing programs offered by the State for older neighborhoods.

Meantime, the RDC has completed their neighborhood condition assessment and will be working on a final report, according to RDC rep John Flowers.

Once all the information is finalized, the City Planning Commission will begin applying for neighborhood block grants and other funding to revitalize the neighborhood.

A new fundraising campaign initiated by the Stephens County Recovery Academy appears to be bearing fruit already. The effort was launched in early may by Academy Director Jon Gailor. Gailor is asking private citizens, as well as clubs, churches, and other organizations to pledge a monthly amount of support.

So far, Gailor says the response has been very good. "We’ve been getting more and more small donations in our mailbox and we really appreciate that," he said.

The non-profit group that helps expelled students get back in school and graduate has been working hard to find new sources of funding since it ran out of grant money in December. Word of the program, which is the only one of its kind in the country, is reaching beyond the borders of Stephens County. And donations are coming in from all over the country. "They have. We have gotten donations from people in Atlanta, and from as far away as Florida. And we even got donations from people in Illinois who heard about our program, looked at our Web site and decided it was something they wanted to support," he said.

Despite the new income, Gailor says the next two weeks are critical for the Academy. Summer is their busiest time, and Gailor says he must begin planning for the summer program but cannot move forward unless more funds come in.

The Stephens County School budget for FY2007 is due out shortly. That’s according to Assistant School Superintendent Ed Whitworth. This year’s school budget is expected to increase and Whitworth says the preliminary budget is now in the hands of Superintendent Gary Steppe. "We’re right on track," noted Whitworth. "It’s currently in the hands of Mr. Steppe and I expect we will present the budget to the Board at our next meeting in June," he said.

This year, Stephens County’s state allotment has increased considerably, but Whitworth says most of the increase will go towards teacher pay raises. "Last year we received $18-million and this year we will be getting approximately $20-million. Of course most of that money will go towards the 4% teacher pay raises and raises for other school staff and lunchroom workers," explained Whitworth.

14 Stephens County High School seniors will graduate in the top five percent of their class this year.

Those students were honored this week at the "Top Five" banquet held at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center Tuesday evening.

Sponsored by the Rotary Club, the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce and other civic organizations, this is the 45^th year for the banquet in Stephens County. It’s one of the oldest honors programs in the state and that impressed school superintendent Gary Steppe. "I told my wife, most communities in the State didn’t start honoring students until the 1980’s, but Stephens County has been doing it for 45 years," he said.

This year, donations to the Top Five scholarship fund were higher than ever, which increased the amount of the scholarships each student received. Program coordinator Cynthia Brown says the quality of the students receiving those scholarships also increased. Each of the 14 top five students received $1,200 scholarships.

Brown says the increase in the scholarship fund shows the community is solidly behind the program and the students of Stephens County.

This is the start of the summer vacation season and the Georgia State Patrol is already conducting safety checkpoints on state roadways, including here in Stephens County.

Monday marks the official kick-off for the statewide "Click it or Ticket" safety belt enforcement campaign in Georgia, which lasts through the Memorial Day holiday driving period. However yesterday, GSP troopers were at the intersection of Red Hollow and Camp Road checking seatbelts and drivers’ licenses.

And this weekend, 100 Atlanta-area churches will celebrate "Buckle-up Faithfully" on Sunday. It is the latest lifesaving safety belt campaign to come from the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety.

GOHS director Bob Dallas tells WNEG he wants to see "Buckle-Up Faithfully" help jump-start safety belt awareness not only in Atlanta but also across the state on Sunday.

Many of Atlanta’s faith leaders have agreed to display brochures, place safety information in their church bulletins and message boards or make announcements during services. 34 people died on Georgia highways during last Memorial Day holiday.

Toccoa Police have made a couple of drug arrests, one coming on a traffic stop.

An officer stopped a vehicle on Davis Street for driving without headlights. The driver, identified as 37 year old Wayne Donald Shedd of Jacksonville, Florida was arrested and charged with DUI and possession of illegal drugs.

Another arrest was made following a search warrant at the A-1 Car Wash located behind the Labor Finders on Currahee Street. Arrested was 31 year old Rashad Beasley. Beasley was charged with possession of marijuana.

Another counterfeit $100 bill was discovered in Toccoa. A representative of Region’s Bank told police that a fake $100 bill was found in a deposit from the Dollar General Store. The bill was taken into evidence and turned over to the detective division.

Lavonia police are looking for a gunman who robbed the Super 8 Motel on Highway 17 and I-85.

It happened last night about 8 p.m. Authorities say the man entered the office of the motel and put a gun to the clerk’s head. He then ordered her to give him all the money in the office before ordering her to the ground.

As he fled, the clerk was able to get a good description of the suspect and his vehicle, according to Lavonia Police Chief Randy Shirley.

"Because of her good work and descriptive information, we've been able to trace him back to South Carolina. We're in touch with South Carolina authorities and have since been able to get a photo," Shirley said. "We're waiting on additional information before issuing a warrant for his arrest," he said.

According to Shirley, South Carolina authorities are very familiar with the suspect and want him in connection with another crime in South Carolina. Shirley says the suspect may still be in the area. He is described as a black male in his 20s, about 150lbs. He is believed to be driving a 1978 gray Oldsmobile Royal with South Carolina tag number 894-SJD. If you see this vehicle, you are asked to contact Lavonia police at 706-356-4848.

It’s been a rather rocky road for the Northeast Georgia Boys and Girl’s club this past year, but there was reason to celebrate Tuesday night at the annual "Steak and Burger" fund raising dinner. The meal, attended by sponsors and the children who attend the club after school, was held at Gate Cottage.

Mary Richey and Bob Pless are the Co-Chairman of the project.

Bob Pless said he was thrilled by the show of community support for the Boys and Girls Clubs, especially this year when things have been pretty tough. "It’s been outstanding, maybe more than we expected because we got started so late,"Pless said. "I believe we had a total of 19 or 20 tables and a table is purchased by groups, churches, banks or individuals who put up $500 and then come to share them with the children involved in the program."

Mary Rice is the full time director of the club, which is located on Whitman Street in Toccoa. She said that the job has been pretty tough, but there are a lot of good people behind her and the project is for the children of the area.

"Well, certainly this is not a one-woman job or a one-man job." she stated. " The whole community has come together to get the call out so that we are at the point where we are at today. And we will continue to make the strides to make it the best club in the Boys and Girls Club of America. So that’s where we are right now."

There are approximately 115 students being served by the club at one time or another. An average of 43 students go to the club everyday and take part in a number of educational program offered. The students are showing an extremely high grade point average and Ms. Rice said that they are trying to get the summer programs ready.

"We have a good group who attend the club. Right now, we’re sort of gearing down because school is about to end for the year, so we’re busy trying to keep them interested in coming to the club, but mainly the kids are doing that themselves."

The Boys and Girls Clubs Board of Directors will be holding a summer fund raising drive starting next month in which they will be asking 1000 people to contribute $25 to the club. There will be more information forthcoming in the next several weeks.

The government is calling on over-the-road truckers to help them spot terrorism threats. A new Georgia law requires all truck drivers holding a commercial drivers license go through a one-hour safety/security training course.

The training program is called, "Highway Watch" and is being funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. According to Curt Earnest, spokesman for the Georgia Motor Trucking Association, terrorists often use a step-by-step method to plan attacks that, if trained properly, a long-haul trucker could spot.

"The training helps them recognize what kind of events could be potential terrorism training efforts that terrorists go through before they perform some kind of event. So they learn how to observe and assess whether something they've seen is worthy of making a report on. Then they make a report if they feel their assessment is important enough to make a report," Ernest said.

Georgia’s legislation is the first of its kind in the nation and goes into effect July 1. Training is free, noted earnest and can be obtained in a number of ways.

"The training is available in a variety of formats - DVD, they can do classroom training, and they can do audio training. Essentially, what they do is after they go through the training they submit their registration information and that generates their unique ID, their Highway Watch card, which they'll present to the Drivers' Services people," he said.

Earnest tells WNEG this is one-time only training for truckers and there is no need for future renewals. To get more information on the Highway Watch program or training materials, contact Earnest at 770-444-9771.

The problem of domestic violence isn’t one that stays strictly in the home. Often, other people in other places feel its effects, such as in the workplace. That’s why a one-day seminar designed to educate employers about domestic violence will be held later this month in Clarkesville.

It’s sponsored by Circle of Hope, the non-profit group that helps battered women and their children in Northeast Georgia. Circle of Hope executive director Suzanne Dow says many employers don’t realize that bad performance at work could be a sign of serious problems at home.

"I think a common solution sometimes is an employer a lot of times will terminate the employment of a victim because they might not understand what the real issue that's going on," Dow noted. " They just see a loss in productivity or a lot of absenteeism and don't know that it's due to domestic violence. They're only addressing the issue they're seeing at the job and not knowing what's going on behind the scenes. So it's being able to recognize what some of those signs might be and talking to the employee and offering some solutions that could help her get out of that situation," she concluded.

The seminar takes place at North Georgia Tech in Clarkesville on May 23 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and is free. It also includes a free breakfast. Registration is requested by calling Circle of Hope at: 706-776-3406.

Last weekend’s food drive by the postal service has resulted in a windfall of groceries for the Stephens County Food Bank. The Food Bank received over 3 tons of non-perishable goods from the Stamp Out Hunger food drive last Saturday.

Delivered yesterday, volunteers will sort it out and put it up to help feed dozens of families in Toccoa-Stephens County. Food Bank spokesman Melvin Engram says they feed over 100 people every week.

"Let's say between 30 and 40 families a week, with about four to the family. So we're going a little over a hundred people a week. Depending on the family, we have a chart that we go by and we prorate it out by the number of members in the family. We distribute that way each Tuesday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. They go to the annex uptown and if they qualify for the food then we give it to them," he explained.

Food Bank workers would like to thank the postal workers and citizens of Stephens County for their donations and for the letter carriers’ hard work in gathering up 6,000 lbs of food last weekend. According to Engram, the food came just in time as the cupboard was looking bare.

"Our shelves were getting very bare, and this will stock them back up. Our donations and our contributions we get come from United Way and others each month," he said.

Despite that, Engram says the post office stamp out hunger food drive is the largest contributor each year to the food bank. However, anyone can donate food by calling Engram at 706-886-0158 or by stopping by the Food Bank at the Courthouse Annex any Tuesday afternoon.

U.S. House Workforce Protections Subcommittee chairman Charlie Norwood has announced the subcommittee will introduce new legislation addressing mine safety later this month.

Norwood tells WNEG the committee has concluded multiple hearings to find out what is wrong with U.S. Mine safety in light of the tragedies that occurred in West Virginia.

For the third time in as many weeks, an outside manufacturer announces plans to move to Toccoa. This time, Axis Products, an Indiana manufacturer of trailer axles and auto accessory parts will be opening a new division in Toccoa. According to Company president Eric Overbey, Axis Products will invest $2 million dollars in state-of-the-art robotic equipment in their Toccoa facility.

Axis Products employs over 150 people nationwide, and ships trailer axles, trailer accessories, and parts to 48 states and Canada. The Company bought a building in the Meadowbrook Industrial Park. Manufacturing is scheduled to begin in June, employing 40 people to start. 

The Georgia division will complement the Elkhart, Indiana headquarters and the Beebe, Arkansas division, according to Overbey, and will offer customers even better service and capacity.  Overbey said he decided to locate a division in Toccoa because he was impressed with the dedication and skills of the people in Toccoa-Stephens County and with the friendly business environment.

Authorities have charged a Toccoa man with the armed robbery and beating of a man on Yearwood Street.

Stephens County Sheriff’s spokesman major Tim Jarrell said it happened the evening of May 6^th when the victim, Joe King, heard a knock at his door. "After investigating the incident we found that the suspect went to Mr. King’s home the night of May 6^th . He beat Mr. King and robbed him of over $220," Jarrell said.

28-year old Bradley Herschel Ragsdale turned himself in to authorities yesterday. King reportedly identified Ragsdale as his attacker from a photo line-up. He also told investigators he recognized Ragsdale voice the night of the attack. Ragsdale remains in the Stephens County jail awaiting a bond hearing in Stephens County Superior Court.

Residents of the Avon- Edward-Broad Street neighborhoods will have a chance tonight to hear the results of their input on the City’s plan to revitalize their community. Another meeting with the Georgia Mountains Regional Development Center and the City of Toccoa will be held tonight at 6 p.m. at the Boys and Girls Club on Whitman Street.

RDC staff will go over the plan they have developed for one of Toccoa’s oldest sections that is based on needs given by citizens at the last meeting in March. At that time, 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, including poor drainage in some areas and rats, which one resident said are everywhere. Also tonight, a representative from the State Department of Community Affairs will be on hand to discuss home ownership and neighborhood revitalization programs.

Stephens County Hospital’s next renovation project is the remainder of the older portion of the building, which includes a number of patient rooms.

Now the hospital has to issue a certificate of need in order to gain the funding for the project.

Hospital Administrator Ed Gambrell said that the Hospital Authority gave it’s blessing to the measure Monday night…

"A Certificate of Need is a process through which hospitals in Georgia go through before they can begin a building project over a certain amount." Gambrell explained. "The threshold is about one point six million dollars. The renovation project we’re planning is significantly over that amount. We’re working on the application right now. I hope to be able to submit it to the state by around the first of June."

The Authority also approved the expenditure of $121,433 for the purchase of a new anesthesia machine and six monitors. One of the hospital’s older machines is in non-repairable condition.

Reckless and often destructive driving of four-wheelers has become a problem in Stephens County in recent months. The subject came up at the Martin City Council meeting Monday night.

A resident told the council that 4-wheelers are being driven throughout her neighborhood at early hours of the morning. Sometimes the riders are young kids, at other times, the 4-wheelers are driven by adults.

Since Martin has no police department, she calls the sheriff’s department. But by the time a deputy arrives, the 4-wheelers have already left the scene or the riders totally ignore the deputy’s warning.

Mayor Don Foster said some of the council members have also received complaints about the vehicles and they will be looking into it. "The City can actually go to them and if they are destroying property, which we understand that they are, we can get them for that," the mayor stated. "There’s a lot of it going on and as the weather gets warmer and the kids start ridin’ we’re going to have more and more of it. It’s one of those things we have to deal with. We’ve had it a while. We’re working with the local law enforcement authorities to try and get them to understand our side of things and what’s going on."

Martin City Attorney Don Tabor said that if he can identify the riders, they will be sent official letters of complaint from the city explaining that they can be fined for violation Martin City ordinances against noise and property damage.

A reminder from County Registrar Theresa Kelley - make sure you’re registered to vote if you plan to cast a ballot in this year’s elections. "The deadline to register to vote is June 19^th if you want to vote in the July Primary," Kelley said.

In local races, voters will be going to the polls to elect a County Commissioner, seats on the Stephens County School Board, a State Representative, and a State Senator. Four Democrats and one Republican have qualified for the County Commission Post One seat. There are four seats open on the Board of Education.

For State Representative incumbent Jeanette Jamieson is running against Republican challenger Dr. Bill Quarterman. State Senator Nancy Schaefer will run against Democratic challenger Carol Jackson.

In addition, all voters must present a valid photo ID when you go to the polls this year. Kelley says she expects to receive equipment that will allow people anyone who needs a photo ID to obtain one free.

You can call the Registrar’s office to make sure you are registered by calling 706-886-8954.

Sheriff’s deputies were called to Moore’s Feed and Supply on Currahee Street Friday afternoon after workers there discovered a man lying face down in the parking lot. The man, identified as Ronnie Gibby of Toccoa, was found unconscious and deputies at first were unable to revive him. When they finally did, deputies say Gibby became combative. He was arrested and charged with public drunkenness.

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Toccoa police are investigating a shooting at the AMVET’S nightclub on Broad Street. It happened late Friday night. When officers arrived, they found Aressha Pulliam of Orr Street lying in the road. He was taken to Stephens County Hospital.
Pulliam and witnesses were able to identify the assailant. Investigators are now looking for that suspect who faces charges of aggravated assault.

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A site has been chosen for the new County jail. Last week, County Commissioners, Sheriff Gene Sorrells and staff met with the design group contracted to build the new facility to look over three different sites.

All three sites are located around the current jail on Scenic Drive.

"That’s the one that we decided we would go with. It has the best location," Sorrells said.

After walking the land last Tuesday afternoon, Commissioners went with Sheriff’s Sorrells recommendation to build on site two, which is land located between the current jail and the maintenance building.

However, the new jail will not be as large as originally planned, according to Sorrells, because of the rising cost of materials. "Three years ago when the SPLOST was past, we went over the drawings and decided how many beds we would need, which would have been 217 beds, if we would have built the jail three years ago. Now the $7.2 million set aside through SPLOST IV will not build that jail now. So we’re going to have to delete beds and other items to try get the jail built for $7.2 million," Sorrells explained.

The plan now is for a smaller jail, which will house 150 inmates as opposed to a 220-bed facility. Engineers will now conduct soil tests on the chosen site. If all goes as expected, groundbreaking will take place in January 2007 with a completion date of December 2007.

The Stephens County High School and Middle School Bands presented their Spring Concert last Thursday night at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center’s Garrison Auditorium.

As part of the program, the Annual Steve Stovall Scholarship Awards were presented to certain band members. The scholarship will pay for music lessons this summer for students. The scholarship fund is named in memory of Steve Stovall, who was the band conductor at the high school until his death in 1974. The interest from the fund, which now totals over $110,000, pays for the annual scholarships, according to Stovall’s father, Jack Stovall.

"This is the 32^nd year that we’ve done this," Stovall noted. "In the past 32 years we’ve awarded $61,861 dollars to deserving students in Stephens County’s high school band. We’re real proud of that," he said.

10 Middle School students were awarded private lessons with Dr. Archie Sharretts this summer. They include, 6^th grade: Peyton Hanson, Hannah Howell, and Stephen Lee; 7^th grade: Evan Alexander, Grayson Ash, Josh Carswell, and Zach Smith; 8^th grade: Ben Bradshaw, Houston Owens, and Matt Yergin.

Five High School students received scholarships to attend the University of Georgia’s Summer Music Workshop. They are, Tiffany Chambers, Andrew Ivester, Trent Nickens, Tori Poole, and Amy Pressley.

In addition, Jack Stovall also presented the Middle School with a new piano for their Music Department.

Midnight tonight is the deadline for Medicare beneficiaries to enroll in a prescription drug plan if you have not already done so. Over 500,000 Georgians are now enrolled in either a stand-alone prescription drug plan or through a Medicare managed care plan.

Roger Perez is the acting regional administrator for the centers for Medicare Medicaid services in Atlanta.

Perez says there are three simple steps necessary to enroll. "You just need to gather all your prescription medications, call the Medicare toll-free number and sign up for the plan that is best for you," Perez said.

A customer service representative will guide callers through a series of questions to determine the three or four best-suited drug plans. Prescription drug coverage is available to everyone in Medicare, regardless of income or how they get their Medicare coverage.

After an absence of many months, the Stephens County Co-operative Extension Office officially has a new County Agent.

Forrest Connelly, who has been working in Nashville, Georgia for the past eight years, has assumed his new duties here in Stephens County.

Connelly said one of his goals is to work very closely with area farmers to help them increase their production. "What I want to do is to continue the visibility we have in the county." Connelly said. " I do to increase a little bit the work we’re doing with the cattlemen with research trials and increasing forage quality and yield and helping the cattlemen in that area."

Connelly said he’s already been getting some call into the office regarding the very dry Spring. He thinks we’ll get some of the much needed rain in the near future, but that won’t make up for what we’ve lost so far. "We’ve been dry up to now but our forecast from the University of Georgia is that the rainfall will be about normal for the rest of the summer. That’s not going to make up for the dry start that we’ve already experienced up to now."

The County Extension office now has a full contingent of staff to work with the various County Extension programs including the very popular 4-H program. "Susan Yearwood will be working with our 4-H program here in the office. And we also have Gina Gailey, the 4-H County Agent, who works Stephens and Banks Counties. She implements programs and she and Susan kind of head them up here in the county."

For more information from the County Extension office, you can call 706-886-4046.

A local jeweler is now in their new location at the Currahee Shopping Center on the corner of Highway 17 South and the 17 Bypass. Goldcraft Jewelers celebrated the move Friday with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Owner Al Rohrig says he had a good reason for moving. "We’re now open in our new location. We increased the size of our showroom," Rohrig explained. "We increased by three times our repair department and added extra facilities. We have a lot more jewelry lines for our customers to look at and we have had gift lines. We listened to what our customers said they were wanting and what extras we could provide," he said. Goldcraft Jewelers is a full service store that also offers in-store repair service.

The Lavonia Police and the Piedmont Northern MANS unit combined to make a drug arrest.

Twenty-four year old Kenyta Green of Lavonia was arrested at Royal Foods on Vickery Street. The suspect was charged with selling crack cocaine.

Over 50 adult local artists will be displaying their work tomorrow at the annual Currahee Artists Guild Arts and Craft show. The show takes place at Thacker Hall on the downtown mall beginning at 10 a.m. Guild member Debra Hartley says this is the biggest art show the guild has ever sponsored. "We have a judge, Angela Jorenson who’s coming from Commerce, GA to judge our show," noted Hartley. "We will have school children participating. We will be hanging up their art on the downtown mall. We have students from the schools that will be bringing in their own art to be judged," she said.

According to Hartley, artists will be judged in eight separate categories. In addition to the regular show, entrants in the Cleo Alexander Floral Competition will have their work on display. "Harold Alexander sponsors the award every year. He tells the artist what flower he would like them to depict. They can be done in any medium the artist would like to use. He then judges the entrants on Saturday," Hartley explained.

This year’s show will also include a bake sale, craft show, book sale, and activities for children.

More copper thefts in Stephens County. This time, Stephens County Sheriff’s investigators are looking for a red Ford Courier after a Toccoa man told deputies he saw it the same day copper wiring went missing from his father’s house.

The victim told deputies when he went to his father’s trailer on Keener Road last Saturday; he noticed the cover to the water heater had been moved. That same day he said he saw the Courier loaded with scrap metal on Keener Road.

When he went back to his father’s trailer several days later, he discovered the copper pipe had been ripped out of the water heater and was missing.

Agents with the Federal Aviation Administration are combing the wreckage of a plane that crashed in Alabama that killed two men from Rabun County. The wreckage was discovered last evening after an intensive search.

State troopers, sheriff's officers, and the Civil Air Patrol began searching for the plane after the Federal Aviation Administration reported it had not reached its destination in Florida. The aircraft had taken off from Habersham County Wednesday morning and had disappeared from radar a short time later.

While it will be some time before the exact cause of the crash is known, authorities say severe weather in Alabama could have played a role. The victims are identified as 58-year old John Martin and 33-year old Warren Palmer.

There is still some money left for those low-income households needing help paying off their home heating bills. Di Irvin with Ninth District Opportunity says she has gotten to the end of her waiting list and there is still some money left.

The Ninth District Opportunity will be taking applications for heating assistance through the end of May.

Moreover, with hot weather approaching, there is also funding to help low-income families pay their cooling bills this summer. Irvin says applications for cooling help will begin in June.

Appointments will be taken for cooling help by telephone only. The Georgia Department of Human Resources will help pay cooling costs for electricity only, making a one-time payment to electric suppliers on behalf of eligible households.

Irvin tells WNEG depending on funding availability; the regular program will open to the general public on June 12.

School employees are on the alert after they were notified a computer hacker was able to obtain their personal information via the state computer system. In addition, one Stephens County School Employee found herself the victim of identity fraud as a result.

The employee told Stephens County Sheriff’s investigators someone opened a charge account at several stores in Atlanta. One of them was Parisian where they racked up over $1,600 in phony charges. Another account was opened at a Best Buy where $4,500 was charged. The suspects also opened up charge accounts at stores in Phipps Plaza.

Investigators advised the woman to contact her bank and credit card companies to report the crimes.

All of her information was turned over to CID. No word on how many state education workers have been victimized.

The Stephens County High School and Middle School Bands presented their Spring Concert last (Thurs) night at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center’s Garrison Auditorium. As a part of the program, the Annual Steve Stovall Scholarship Awards were presented. The Scholarship Fund is named in memory of Steve Stovall who was student band conductor in 1974 when he died from injuries received during a lightning storm at the high school campus. The interest from the fund, which now totals over $110,000, pays for the annual scholarships.

Steve Stovall’s father, Jack Stovall, said over the last 32 years,

$61,863 has been presented in scholarships to 235 deserving students of the Stephens County Band Program.

A total of 10 middle school students were awarded with private lessons from Dr. Archie Sharretts this summer: From the 6th grade—Peyton Hanson, Hannah Howell, and Stephen Lee; from the 7th grade—Evan Alexander, Grayson Ash, Josh Carswell, and Zach Smith; and from the 8th grade—Ben Bradshaw, Houston Owens, and Matt Yergin. Five high school students were presented with scholarships to attend the University of Georgia Summer Music Workshop—Tiffany Chambers, Andrew Ivester, Trent Nickens, Tori Poole, and Amy Pressley.

In addition, Jack Stovall said the scholarship committee decided to make a special donation of $1,200 to the Stephens County Middle School Piano Fund to help purchase a baby grand piano for the school. Stephens County Middle School music teacher, Loretta Cheek, accepted the award on behalf of the school.

The number of people claiming first time unemployment benefits went up in April, according the State Labor Department. The Georgia Department of Labor announced 35,130 laid-off workers filed for unemployment for the first-time last month – up 12% from March. Initial claims are considered to be a leading economic indicator because they measure newly laid-off workers.

Meantime, State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond says his department will help employees at the Cooper Tire and Rubber plant in Athens find new jobs. Staff members with the Georgia Department of Labor will meet with company officials to discuss options for laid-off workers. Cooper Tires recently announced they are closing the plant over the next three months, which will put 140 employees out of work.

Georgians should begin preparing now for an early and volatile hurricane season. That is according to University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the National Weather Service in Greenville, SC.

By early May, much of the Caribbean Sea had already reached the critical 82-degree level, which is necessary to support the development of tropical storms. In addition, regions in the Gulf of Mexico where we expect early season tropical systems to develop are now or soon will be at or above the critical temperature level. That means Georgia is also in the path of severe weather.

Disparaging remarks in a Georgia magazine about Toccoa has the Mayor up in arms and other City Commissioners planning to write letters. The article appeared in the April 2006 issue of "Points North" magazine in a section promoting golf courses around the state. Written by Carl Danbury, Jr. it profiles the golf course at the Currahee Club.

In one section, Danbury states, quote, "The Currahee Club is far enough away from Tawdry Toccoa …."

At this week’s City Commission meeting, Mayor Bob Troup said he found the description offensive.

"It makes me mad," said Troup. "But I realize that we can only do so much. We are taking down some of the buildings that are in need of repair, but the general citizenry including the kids at Stephens County High School, every one of us has got to take pride in our community and clean up our neighborhoods and do something about it," he said.

The Currahee Club is using the article as a promotional piece, but changed the word, "tawdry" to "quaint."

Not good enough for Commissioner David Austin, however, who said he plans to write a strongly worded letter to the magazine.

Stephens County Hospital has announced their "Nurse Hero" for 2006. It is Sheryl Howard, who serves as the critical care nurse manager. Sheryl began her career at Stephens County Hospital 21 years ago as a staff nurse in the intensive care unit.

The award takes place during National Nurses Week, which is observed annually during the second week of May. Director of Nurses, Faye Taylor tells WNEG, employees nominate the Nurse of the Year based on a number of criteria, including:

Other nominations this year included:

Taylor congratulates Howard and all of those nominated for the hard work they do everyday.

U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss is speaking out against the Kennedy-McCain immigration bill. Called, The Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act, the bill is supposed to secure our borders and make our country safer by strictly enforcing immigration laws.

This approach includes a coordinated and up-to-date enforcement at our borders, as well as the so-called "Essential Worker Visa Program" with a new category called "H-5a." But Chambliss says he has a problem with another part of the bill.

"Primarily because it has an amnesty provision in it that I just think is wrong," Chambliss said. "I’m one of six members of the Senate, which includes Senator Isakson that are leading the charge for an anti-amnesty provision in whatever immigration reform bill that we pass. We debated this on the floor of the Senate for two weeks and the Democrats would not let those of us who oppose that bill bring up any amendment to the base bill. And that’s just wrong. That’s not the way our legislative process is supposed to work and as a result of that we were successful in bringing that bill down," he said.

The bill will be back on the Senate floor next week, according to Chambliss, now that Democrats have agreed to hear some of the amendments proposed by Republicans.

"We will have included in there some anti-amnesty provisions and hopefully we can get them passed and a number of other provisions that seek to improve the base bill relative to immigration reform. However, the fact is if we don’t secure the border, then we’ve done nothing when it comes to immigration reform," Chambliss concluded.

Chambliss says he supports the House immigration reform bill and is calling on President Bush to immediately shut down the borders and put more troops in support roles along the U.S.-Mexican border.

As fiscal 2006 winds down, the City of Toccoa is holding its own financially, according to City Finance Director Emory Stephens. Stephens said Toccoa’s cash position improved during the past 30 days. "The total cash available in the City treasury is $1,390,090 as of April 30. That is about $150,000 more than we had on March 31. So our cash position has improved about $150,000 over the past month," Stephens explained.

In his monthly report to Commissioners, however , Stephens said the City will likely not end the fiscal year as well as he had hoped. "In the past two or three years, my projections have tended to be a little pessimistic with the result sometimes coming out better than I expected," noted Stephens. "For the past few months I have been predicting that we would have a positive cash flow and probably end this year with a few hundred thousand dollars more than when we began. However, I have to put my pessimistic cap back on at the end of April because we’ve got almost exactly the same amount of money as we had a year ago," he said.

Stephens said the City will likely end the fiscal year with between a million and $1.2 million in the bank. Stephens also told Commissioners the number of 90-days past due accounts increased last month. City manager Billy Morse recommended Stephens go ahead with a plan to hire an outside collection agent to try to recoup some of that money,

A Martin man is charged with burglary charges after the Stephens County Sheriff’s office says he was caught red-handed by the homeowner. It happened Tuesday afternoon at a home on Wilmer Shirley Drive in Martin.

According to Sheriff Gene Sorrells, the homeowner returned to find 34-year old Joseph Scott Alford inside her house. The victim told deputies Alford tried to run out the back door, but not before she managed to hit him in the face. She then grabbed her gun and fired into the air to scare him off. It worked.

Alford ran off and was later arrested on Julian Westmoreland drive in Martin after a struggle with several deputies. Alford is charged with one count of burglary and one count of felony obstruction of a law officer. He was released from the Stephens County jail on $21,000 bond.

An additional kindergarten registration will be held at each Stephens County Elementary School on Tuesday, May 20 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. All children now enrolled in private kindergarten and who will be entering first grade in Stephens County should attend the registration.

A child must be five years old on or before September 1 2006 to enter kindergarten and six year sold on or before September 1 to enter first grade. Parents must also bring their children to the registration along with the child’s birth certificate, social security card, immunization record, and proof of residence.

You can get more information by calling the Stephens County Schools administrative office on Mize Road.

A legal challenge to the new voter photo ID law has been overturned and voters will have to produce a valid