A wounded war veteran in Charlotte, North Carolina will receive a mortgage-free home thanks to the partnership of local builder Classica Homes and non-profit organization Operation Finally Home. Bill Saint, president and CEO of Charlotte’s premier custom builder Classica Homes, attended the 2013 International Builders Show (IBS) in January to see the latest building products and trends. What was already shaping up to be a great show became even more special for Saint once he was introduced to the Operation Finally Home team. Upon learning about its mission to provide housing for wounded war veterans, Saint committed to partner with Operation Finally Home and build a home in Charlotte this year.

All homes built through Operation Finally Home are custom-designed to accommodate the special needs and disabilities of the soldier recipients. Best of all, the homes are given to each family mortgage-free. The organization partners with corporate sponsors, builder associations, builders, developers, individual contributors and volunteers to help severely wounded war heroes and their families succeed in a challenging new world.  For example, Mohawk has donated flooring for Operation Finally Home houses since December of 2011.

It was through Mohawk’s established relationship with Operation Finally Home that Saint first learned about the opportunity to become involved at a benefit concert during IBS. The concert was held at the House of Blues and featured country music artist Kix Brooks. The event kicked off with the non-profit’s founder and president, Dan Wallrath, providing an overview of Operation Finally Home’s mission and profiling those veterans in attendance who received homes in the past.  Saint attended the event with his Mohawk sales representative and was moved by what he heard. 

“Sometimes things all fall into place for a reason and this was a perfect example.  My wife, Terri, had been talking for months about finding a way to help returning veterans.  While we didn’t know how we could help, we do know how to build homes.  As soon as we heard the story, our team attending the event all looked at each other and nodded our heads in agreement, we had to participate,” said Saint. He was not the only builder who made such a commitment that night. Seven more companies from across the country also pledged to donate a home in their cities that night. “Being only a two year old company, we couldn’t do this without the generosity we’ve seen from so many key players in the building community, and within our own community and homeowners.  On behalf of our entire Classica team, I can’t express enough the excitement and gratitude we have in being able to give back to those heroes who have given everything for our country – we can never thank them enough.”

Classica Homes opened its doors in 2010 with an award winning team that worked together for years at Charlotte's finest homebuilding company. Classica Homes is committed to building inspired homes and neighborhoods that feature timeless design, exceptional care and lasting value. To learn more about Classica Homes, visitwww.classicahomes.com.

More information about Mohawk’s partnership with Operation Finally Home can be found athttp://www.mohawkflooring.com/about-mohawk/default.aspx?pg=5.

Mohawk is a leading supplier of flooring for both residential and commercial applications. Mohawk offers a complete selection of carpet, hardwood, ceramic tile, laminate, stone, vinyl, rugs and other home and business products. These products are marketed under the premier brands in the industry, which include Mohawk, Karastan, Columbia, Century, Dal-Tile, American Olean, Quick-Step, Lees, Bigelow and Durkan. Mohawk's unique merchandising and marketing assist our customers in creating the consumers' dream. Mohawk provides a premium level of service with its own trucking fleet and over 250 local distribution locations.

The Whitfield County Grand Jury met last week and handed down indictments.  Two Chattooga County residents facing charges were not indicted by the grand jury during last week’s deliberations.  Lloyd Arthure Grasser, age 36 had been facing with charges stemming from an arrest in Whitfield County for terroristic threats and acts and Aaron Blake Hedgepath, age 20 of Trion had been originally charged with terroristic threats and acts and battery.

Eight-year-old Kameron Burnette, a Chattooga County resident, recently won the state championship in her division in a tournament in Duluth.

Kameron won each of her matches with first-round pins.

Female Olympic wrestler Kelsey Campbell attended the event. Campell signed autographs and offered tips to the young wrestlers. Burnette is a four-year member of a wrestling team in LaFayette.

 The U.S. Small Business Administration is reminding small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private non-profit organizations of all sizes that April 29 is the filing deadline for federal economic injury disaster loans available in Chattooga, Floyd and Polk counties in Georgia as a result of the drought between July 3 and Aug. 27, 2012.

"These counties are eligible because they are contiguous to one or more primary counties in Alabama.  The Small Business Administration recognizes that disasters do not usually stop at county or state lines. For that reason, counties adjacent to primary counties named in the declaration are included," said Frank Skaggs, director of SBA's Field Operations Center East in Atlanta.

Under this declaration, the SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loan program is available to eligible farm-related and nonfarm-related entities that suffered financial losses as a direct result of this disaster.  With the exception of aquaculture enterprises, SBA cannot provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers.  Nurseries are eligible to apply for economic injury disaster loans for losses caused by drought conditions.

The working capital loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 4 percent for eligible small businesses and 3 percent for non-profit organizations with terms up to 30 years. 

Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA's secure website athttps://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela.

Disaster loan information and application forms may also be obtained by calling the SBA's Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing) or by sending an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.  Loan applications can be downloaded from the SBA's website at www.sba.gov. Completed applications should be mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155. 

Completed loan applications must be returned to SBA no later than April 29, 2013 

A former Department of Driver Services employee pleaded guilty Monday to creating fake identification cards, authorities said.

Former license examiner Frederick Lawson admitted to six counts of bribery and six counts of false statements for supplying fake I.D. cards to Lamondi Benton. Benton pleaded guilty to two counts of false statement after the commencement of jury selection, according to the Attorney General’s Office.

Benton was connected to 10 false I.D. cards and one driver’s license going back to 2008. An investigation revealed that Lawson provided Benton with six of those falsified documents. Lawson later admitted he was bribed by Benton to produce the false material, according to the Attorney General’s Office.

Benton and Lawson were sentenced to one year in jail and five years probation. Lawson was ordered to pay a $3,000 fine. Benton was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.

Atlanta Journal Constitution

Georgia DOT’s Maintenance crews will continue their work on repairing the deteriorating edges of pavement of SR 1/US 27 and SR 140 in Floyd County. Work will proceed daily this week between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., weather permitting.

Edge repair is a maintenance activity that is intended to guard against pavement failure along the edges due to the action of traffic and the loss of edge support that occurs due to the presence of water, aggressive-growth vegetation, and wind from either traffic or the atmosphere.

Georgia DOT’s edge repairs are designed to minimize the effects of shoulder drop offs and maximize the safety of the roadway for the traveling public.