The School of Humanities at Georgia Highlands College has opened registration for the eighth annual Highlands Writers Conference on March 8. It’s free for GHC students, staff, and faculty, while community registration is $50, including lunch. Virtual-only registration is $25. Keynote speaker Marcela Fuentes will present, and there will be virtual workshops available this year. See full details and a link to register below:
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division (WRD) is urging anglers, boaters, and lake visitors to help stop the spread of invasive snail species. Recent studies show these snails can carry a worm that may cause illness in humans if consumed. Recently a rat lungworm was discovered in Georgia.
The Summerville Police Department is investigating a vehicle theft involving a grey Volkswagen Passat. The car was reported stolen on February 3, 2025, by its owner, Zack Christopher, who stated it was last seen at 7:05 PM the previous evening. He mentioned that the keys were left inside the car.
The Summerville City Council will hold its monthly meeting tomorrow, February 10th, at 5 PM at Summerville City Hall. Community members can join a Q&A session starting at 4:30 PM. The council will read and vote on the 2024 Year-End Budget Ordinance and discuss the 2024-2025 Mid-Year Budget Ordinance. They will also review meeting minutes from January, approve a payment for a project, and address various policy updates. Additionally, they will consider a mobile home request from Kaleb Park. WZQZ will broadcast the meeting on Facebook.
Here is the latest arrest report from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office for Saturday, February 8, 2025:
Residents of Northwest Georgia are waking up to temperatures in the low 60’s and cloudy skies. Today, skies will remain cloudy, but mostly dry across the area, with highs int he low to mid-70’s. Patchy dense fog might occur this morning where low clouds are minimal and winds are calm. Tonight, showers are likely with mostly cloudy skies, westerly winds gusting to 15 mph, and low temperatures in the low 50’s. Chance of rain overnight is 70%.
Chattooga County voters will go to the polls in March to decide on renewing the one-penny Special Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) for another five years. County Commissioner Andy Allen is encouraging voters to support this extension.
Chef Greg Paulson, program director and instructor of the Culinary Arts program at Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC), and his family won the grand prize on “Family Feud.”
U. S. Senator Jon Ossoff is urging the Trump Administration to quickly provide expanded Social Security benefits for Georgia law enforcement and teachers. Along with a bipartisan group of Senators, he is calling for immediate delivery of full benefits under the Social Security Fairness Act, which he supported. This act repealed the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) that lower or eliminate Social Security benefits for certain workers. Sen. Ossoff emphasizes the need for quick action due to the long wait times stated by the Social Security Administration. He also seeks monthly updates on the implementation status and continues to improve conditions for Georgia seniors through various legislation. See the full press release from Senator Ossoff below:
Every child deserves a safe, loving home and the promise of a bright future, especially those navigating the complexities of foster care. Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA) is seeking compassionate individuals to step up and make a lasting difference in the lives of these vulnerable children.
