As the weekend ends and next week begins, residents should prepare for a big drop in temperatures. A strong wave of freezing air will hit the area, bringing some of the coldest weather so far this season. Meteorologists are monitoring a weather pattern from Canada that will last into midweek. On Monday, highs are expected between the low 40s and low 50s, but the northeast portion of Georgia may only reach the mid-30s. The coldest temperatures will be on Tuesday morning with lows around 20 degrees in Northwest Georgia. Some areas in the northeast portion of the state could see temperatures in the teens. There is a small chance of flurries in mountainous regions, and as the week goes on, colder air will move east, leading to possible rain by Wednesday and Thursday. By midweek, temperatures may rise to the mid to upper 30s, mostly leading to rain, but some areas in north Georgia might see a wintry mix overnight Wednesday into Thursday. Meteorologists advise residents to watch for updates as weather patterns may change with a frontal system expected by next weekend. Stay warm be prepared for cold weather.
On Wednesday, a man from Chattooga County died in a two-vehicle crash in Cherokee County, Alabama, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA). Gerone L. Evans, 58, from Summerville, Georgia, was driving a 1994 Nissan pickup when it was hit by a 2023 Nissan Altima. The accident happened on Alabama Highway 35 near the seven-mile marker, about three miles north of Gaylesville. Preliminary reports indicate that Evans was not wearing a seatbelt, which led to him being thrown from the vehicle as it overturned. He was taken to Floyd Medical Center in Rome, Georgia, where he was pronounced dead. The driver and two passengers in the Altima were also injured, along with two young children who were taken to a nearby hospital. ALEA’s Highway Patrol Division is investigating the crash.
The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) have renewed their agreement to provide $1 million annually for three federal fish hatcheries, which have stocked waters in Georgia and Tennessee with millions of trout. This partnership also includes the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
A Northwest Georgia man is being held for authorities in Florida following his arrest on Dean Avenue in Rome earlier this week. According to Floyd County authorities, 37-year-old Mark Kristopher Pegg, of Silver Creek, Georgia, is wanted in Bay County, Florida on warrants charging him with child abuse, homicide, and negligent homicide by vehicle. According to the arrest report, Pegg was picked up by the U.S. Marshals Service Southeast Fugitive Task Force. He remains in the Floyd County Jail on a felony fugitive from justice charge.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Georgia warns shoppers about rising scams this holiday season, with online shopping scams increasing by 125%. Red flags for holiday shoppers include sellers asking for payment through gift cards, offering multiple items for the price of one, and urgent payment demands via Cash App or Venmo. The BBB advises against giving personal information online, especially for deals that seem too good to be true. When buying from new sellers, research thoroughly, check for a BBB profile, and watch for fake gift cards. Additionally, be cautious of porch pirates by ensuring secure delivery methods.
Curative Insurance Company, in partnership with the Health Analytics and Insights Group, published results from a survey highlighting significant issues faced by Georgians with employer-sponsored health insurance. About 55% of people in Georgia get their health benefits from their jobs. The survey of 500 adults in Georgia revealed concerning trends, such as 41% of working Georgians delaying healthcare and 50% not filling prescriptions due to high costs, even though they have insurance.
The Summerville Depot and East Washington streetscape will become a “Winter Wonderland” today from 10:00 a. m. to 3:00 p. m. , featuring over 44 craft and food vendors for the Christmas shopping season and Small Business Saturday. The public can enjoy shopping, dining, children’s activities, and visits with Santa.
Chattooga County Sheriff Mark Schrader announced that Justice Cardoza, a 26-year-old man reported missing from Trion, was located safely on Friday. Cardoza had been missing since Thanksgiving Day, having last been seen on India Drive in Trion. Sheriff Schrader noted that Cardoza is autistic, which heightened concerns for his safety during the search. The sheriff revealed that Cardoza has previously managed to reach Summerville quickly when he had left his home in Trion. The sheriff reported around 11:15 AM that Cordoza had been found safe, but did not reveal where the man was located.
The Trion Bulldogs are in rare air. For the first time since 2015, the Bulldogs are in the quarterfinals of the GHSA state playoffs, better known as the “Elite 8”. Trion made it as far as the quarterfinals in both 2015 and 2012, but as the playoffs were structured at that time, Trion only had to reach the second round in the playoffs to get into the Elite 8. This year, Trion has advanced to the third round of the playoffs and the last time Trion reached the third round of the playoffs was way back in 2003, better know as the “Dome Team”.
The Bulldogs will face a team that have some recent history with in the playoffs in the Irwin County Indians. Tonight will be the 4th meeting between the two teams with all four of those meetings taking place in the playoffs. Trion won the first contest in the series back in 2012 but Irwin County has won two straight lopsided contests against the Bulldogs in 2013 and 2015. Their last meeting in 2015 was a quarterfinal matchup just like tonight that the Indians won 21-0.
There will be something unique about tonight’s game between the two teams. In each of the three previous meetings, Trion has had to make the four and a half hour trip to Ocilla, GA to play the Indians. Tonight will be the first time the Indians will have to travel to Sam R. McCain Stadium. Both Trion and Irwin County are the #3 teams from their respective regions and have had to pull upsets against higher seeded teams in each of the their two playoff victories this postseason. After Trion defeated Telfair County last Friday night, the Bulldogs were pulling hard for Irwin to upset Region 1 Champion Early County because an Irwin win would mean a home playoff game for the Bulldogs. Irwin County did just that by defeating Early County 28-20.
Irwin County is a proud program that has had a lot of success over the past decade. Irwin County has been a region champion in 8 of the last 11 seasons and won back to back state championship in 2019 and 2020. Tonight, Irwin County comes into the game ranked # 3 in the state while Trion is ranked # 7. Irwin County is 11-1 on the season with their only loss coming at the hands of Clinch County 34-28. Clinch County is currently ranked # 2 in the state and will be playing Bowdon tonight. Brooks County, Clinch County and Irwin County all ended up in a three way tie in Region 2-A and Irwin County ended up with the # 3 seed despite defeating the region champion Brooks County 17-14.
The winner of tonight’s game will advance to the Final Four and play the winner of Bowdon vs Clinch County in the semi-finals.
Due to GHSA rules and the fact that Trion High School is an NFHS member school, WZQZ will not be able to video stream tonight’s game from Sam R. McCain Stadium. However we will be audio streaming the game live on the WZQZ Facebook page and on the radio on 99.1 FM and AM 1180. Join WZQZ’s Paul Cavin, Jeremy Burke, cameraman Jim Warnock and engineer Sam Kohler for live coverage tonight beginning at 6:45 pm with kickoff to follow at 7:00 pm.
