We are waking up to temperatures in the single digits across the area and the windchill is below zero.  We have a windchill advisory in place until 10 AM this morning.  Prolonged exposure could lead to frostbite and hypothermia.  We will see sunny skies today, warming up a bit with a high of 37 degrees. Cold overnight tonight with a low of 13.  Tomorrow, sunny skies will give way to clouds and a high of 47 degrees.  Thursday night – 70% chance of rain with a low of 32 degrees.

Chattooga County Schools are operating on a two-hour delay this morning and Trion City Schools are on regular schedule. Walker County Schools are closed today. Summerville City Hall will open at noon today and Trion City Hall opens at 10 AM.  The Chattooga County Health Department and county offices will also open at 10 AM this morning.

Also in the news this morning on WZQZ, a wanted sex offender from Alabama was arrested recently in Chattooga County.  According to the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office, the Cherokee County, Alabama Sheriff’s Office notified local authorities that the man was believed to be living in Trion.  He was apprehended after a traffic stop on Highway 27.

Also, officials in Floyd County announced yesterday that ice skating will continue at Ridge Ferry Park.  Originally, the plan was for ice skating to end on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  Now, plans are to extend ice skating until the end of the month.

Be sure to listen for the news on WZQZ at 5 AM, 7 AM, 10 AM, Noon, 3 PM and 5 PM.

Monday was supposed to be the last day for ice skating at Ridgeferry Park, but the decision has been made to extend operations until the end of the month.

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Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is referring 17 casefiles to district attorneys related to individuals suspected of voting twice in the 2022 General Election. These individuals are suspected of voting once in Georgia as well as casting an additional ballot in the 2022 General Election in another state. District Attorneys will evaluate these casefiles and pursue indictments where appropriate.

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A Gore area woman reported a case of fraud to the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office last week.  A responding deputy spoke with the complainant who said that someone in Connecticut had used her husband’s debit card twice to purchase an iPhone.  The debit card had been charged a total of $1205.60, with the last charge being made on January 10th.  The woman advised the deputy that she needed a report from the sheriff’s office for her bank.

A fifty-year-old Alabama sex offender was arrested on fugitive from justice charges in Chattooga County last week, according to a report from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office.  An investigator with the Cherokee County, Alabama sheriff’s office told the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office that they believed that the suspect was living in Chattooga County.  A deputy noticed a car, fitting the description of the suspect’s at a motel in Trion but was unable to make contact with the suspect.  Later, he found out that the suspect was staying at a residence on Harrell Street in Trion.  Deputies noticed the vehicle at the Harrell Street address on a couple of occasions and were able to apprehend the suspect after a traffic stop on Highway 27 in Trion. Stacy Lamar Croy was arrested on the felony charge of being a fugitive from justice and was booked into the Chattooga County Jail.

Last week, the Dollar General Store located on Commerce Street in Summerville was forced to close after a portion of the roof collapsed following heavy rains.  WZQZ reached out to Dollar General Corporation, headquartered in Goodletsville, Tennessee, to ask how long the store would be closed.

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Georgia education officials want to provide literacy coaches to help train teachers to improve reading instruction, even as some prominent lawmakers say the state Department of Education isn’t doing enough to implement a literacy law passed last year.

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Due to the wind chill advisory that is in effect for our area in the morning, Chattooga County Schools will operate on a two-hour delay tomorrow, Wednesday, January 17, 2024. Please check school websites and local news outlets for updates.

The Chattooga County Health Department Will delay opening until 10 AM on Wednesday.

The Summerville City Hall will delay opening until Noon on Wednesday.

Trion Town Hall will open at 10 AM on Tuesday.

Chattooga County Governmental Offices will delay opening until 10 AM on Wednesday.

Due to the extreme frigid temperatures today and tonight, Chattooga County EMA and the county government, along with the City of Summerville have a free warming station available to anyone that needs a warm place to stay.

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