AdventHealth Redmond has named Rebekkah “Reba” Lackey as the recipient of its first-quarter 2026 DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, an international recognition honoring nurses who provide exceptional care and compassion to patients and their families.
The Department of Veterans Affairs says thousands of Veterans who rely on prosthetic limbs should soon receive them faster after the agency streamlined its purchasing process.
According to the VA, previous procurement rules required all prosthetic limb orders to be approved by a contracting officer, adding several weeks to delivery times. On April 22, 2026, VA Secretary Doug Collins exempted about 95 percent of prosthetic limb orders from that review process.
The change allows local purchasing agents to order directly from local suppliers when prosthetic limb prices are already set by Medicare. VA officials say that removes unnecessary review steps where no price negotiation is needed.
The VA says the changes have already reduced wait times by about 10 days. Once fully implemented nationwide, the department expects average delivery times to fall by more than 40 percent, from 94 days to 54 days.
“Every day counts for Veterans,” Collins said, adding that the changes are aimed at helping clinicians and procurement teams provide prosthetic care faster.
More than 45,000 Veterans receive major limb loss care through the VA each year.
A man was arrested in Chattooga County after deputies responded to a loitering complaint at a Menlo-area business, according to a report from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputy Riley Reeves reported that he was called to America’s One Stop on Highway 48 after a suspicious male was reportedly approaching customers and asking for money. The man was identified in the report as 27-year-old Christian Freeman Jackson.
According to the report, Jackson had been asked not to return to the business after allegedly loitering around the store and asking customers for money and rides. Deputies later found him at the Handi-Mart, where he allegedly gave false information about his name and date of birth.
The report states that after further investigation, authorities determined Jackson had two valid felony warrants out of Florida, one from Broward County and one from Bay County. Broward County requested a hold be placed on Jackson for extradition.
Jackson was charged in Chattooga County with loitering or prowling and giving a false name to law enforcement officers.
Ice cream lovers, train enthusiasts, and families are invited to the Summerville Depot on Saturday, June 20, for the 2026 Chill & Churn Homemade Ice Cream Contest and Dairy Day at the Depot celebration.
Chattooga County voters headed to the polls Tuesday for Georgia’s Primary Runoff Election, with unofficial and incomplete results showing turnout of 13.02 percent among the county’s 15,410 registered voters. A total of 2,007 ballots were cast across the county’s five precincts.
MR. FRANK GARY MORTON, SR. – Age 83, of Trion, GA passed away Sunday, June 7, 2026. He was born July 4, 1942. Frank was the son of the late, Frank Morton, Sr. and Velma Lee Starling Morton; He was preceded in death by his wives, A. Elaine Lemons Morton and Mary Ann Echols Morton; son, Rodney Jackson; and grandson, Ricky Jackson.
Frank was retired from Dekalb County School System and General Motors Corporation. He was a member of New Bethel Baptist Church, Summerville, GA. Frank’s friends would call him “Frank Nitty” and “Radio”. Frank was also an avid Atlanta Falcons fan.
Survivors are his sons, Timothy F. Morton, Frank Gary (Jillian) Morton, Jr., Joe Ward, Jr., Demetrius (Zina) Echols, Michael (Constance) Abbott; daughters, Phyllis Young and Shannon Smith; thirteen grandchildren and thirteen great grandchildren; brothers, Wiley Joe (Curtiss) Morton, Stanley Deforest (Dorothy) Morton, and Kenneth Scott (Faye) Morton; sister, Judy Lorraine Adams; and host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
Graveside Service and Interment will be Friday, June 19, 2026 at 1:00 P.M. at Allgood Cemetery, Trion, GA, with Pastor Kevin Roach, Officiant and Eulogist. Funeral Arrangements entrusted to Willis Funeral Home, Inc., Dalton, GA.
MRS. FRANCES LUCILLE HAMBY, age 87, of Beavers Road, Summerville, Georgia, passed away Monday evening, June 15, 2026, in a Rome hospital. She was born in Trion, Georgia on January 1, 1939 to the late Claude H. and Jewell Lucille Fulton Hix. She was a home maker, a member of the Summerville First United Methodist Church, and in addition to Parernts was preceded in death by Her husband, the late Edwin Hill Hamby on May 13, 2024 and a grandson, the late Luke Grogan.
Surviving are daughters, Fonda (Dwight) Morgan, Sonya (Ronnie) Dixon, and Kim (Tim) Grogan; several Grandchildren, Great Grandchildrem, Nieces and Nephews also survive.
Funeral services will held Friday, June 19th, at 6:00 P.M. from the Summerville First United Methodist Church, with Pastor Rev. John Wesley Privett officiating, interment in Garrett Cemetery. The Family will receive friends Friday from 4 until 6 P.M. at the Church.
Earle Rainwater Funeral Home in charge of arrangements for Mrs. Frances Lucille Hamby, who passed away Monday evening.
Here is the latest arrest report from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office for Tuesday, June 16, 2026:
Northwest Georgia residents can expect a stretch of cooler-than-normal temperatures and daily opportunities for showers and thunderstorms through the upcoming weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
Today is Election Day in Chattooga County as voters head to the polls for Georgia’s Primary Runoff Election. Polls are open today, Tuesday, June 16, from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.
