A twenty-two-year old Rome woman was arrested for DUI at a checkpoint in Chattooga County earlier this month.
On Thursday of last week, the Georgia Department of Labor released unemployment claim numbers for the month of November. Georgia’s November unemployment rate was 3.4 percent, unchanged from a revised 3.4 percent for the third consecutive month. The unemployment rate was three-tenths lower than the national unemployment rate. Chattooga County saw 340 first-time claims last month, up from 211 in October and 192 last year. Statewide, jobs were up by 14,300 (0.3%) over the month and up by 103,700 (2.1%) over the year to 4,952,400, an all-time high. “This holiday season, the greatest gift we can give Georgians is a future filled with opportunity,” said Commissioner Bruce Thompson. “With record-high job numbers, a thriving economy that stands among the nation’s best, and a workforce eager to embrace new opportunities, Georgia is poised to enter the new year with hope and boundless possibilities for all.”
This past week, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp promised teachers and other state workers a $1,000 year-end bonus. While the Governor made the announcement in time for Christmas, most state employees and teachers won’t see the money until later this week.
You may have been dreaming of a White Christmas, but it looks like we are going to have a wet Christmas. The National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Georgia tells us that we have a 100% chance of rain for tomorrow, Christmas Day. Temperatures are expected to be 10 to 15 degrees above average and we are expecting highs in the mid-60’s. An upper level trough is building across the region that is expected to usher in some very wet weather moving in from the Midwest. While today, Christmas Eve, is expected to be dry and cloudy, the rain will move in after midnight tonight and continue throughout our Monday. A few thunderstorms are possible, but right now, no severe weather is expected. The rain will push out on Christmas night and we will have partly sunny skies on Tuesday. As we head throughout the week, temperatures will drop down into the 50’s for daytime highs and lows overnight in the mid 30’s.
Here is the latest arrest report from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office for Saturday, December 23, 2023:
As the Christmas and New Year’s holidays rapidly approach, Georgia State Patrol (GSP) Troopers and Motor Carrier Compliance (MCCD) Officers across the state are preparing for the back-to-back holiday weekends and will conduct high visibility patrols on the heaviest travel days to remind motorists to drive safely.
Chattooga County Commissioner Blake Elsberry held a budget meeting on Friday at his office in Summerville. The commissioner is proposing a budget of just over $17 million for the 2024 fiscal year. The commissioner said on Friday that he plans to fully fund the pay increases for Chattooga County deputies that was requested by the sheriff. The sheriff’s department budget is historically the largest expenditure on the county’s budget and this year is no exception. The commissioner’s budget calls for $2.3 million for the sheriff’s office and just over $2 million for the jail – which is a separate line item on the county’s budget. The commissioner will hold another meeting next Friday, December 29th at his office to adopt the budget. You can see a copy of the commissioner’s 2024 budget HERE
Karen Craven, lead teacher and site manager for Adult Education in Floyd County, was named Georgia Northwestern Technical College’s (GNTC) Adult Education Teacher of the Year for 2024. She also received the award in 2023.
A fifty-three-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday of this week after he was found in a building on property located on Taylor Street in Summerville. Police say that they were called to the residence and spoke with Rico Perry and asked him what he was doing at the residence. Perry told the responding officer that he had been invited there, but when officers checked with people at the residence, they said that Perry shouldn’t be there. Perry was arrested for loitering and prowling and trespass and was booked into the Chattooga County Jail.