Chattooga County Commissioner Blake Elsberry says that a recent grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission for renovations at the Tooga Theater will go towards engineering and architectural plans that are needed before more renovation work can be done at the theater in Summerville.  In 2021 the county received a $26,000 grant from the Fox Theater Institute.  That money was used to restore the facade, windows and doors and to install the marquee.  In March of 2021, Commissioner Elsberry told WZQZ News that he believed it would cost between $500,000- $700,000 to totally restore the historic theater in downtown Summerville.  The theater was purchased from the Chattooga County Shrine Club by former Commissioner Jason Winters.

The USDA Forest Service is banning all campfires across the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest (Forest) in response to high fire danger resulting from the dry conditions caused by the severe drought and unseasonably warm temperatures in Georgia. Today’s fire ban by the Forest Service is supported by several counties in North Georgia who already instituted local fire bans. Most fires are human-caused and the fire bans are an effective tool to prevent wildfires on the Forest near residences located in the wildland-urban interface (WUI).

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The Town of Trion will have a workshop and regular monthly meeting for the month of November coming up this evening at Trion Town Hall.  The workshop will get underway at 6 PM and the regular meeting will follow shortly thereafter.  You can see a complete agenda for tonight’s meeting below:

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Here are the latest health inspection scores from the Chattooga County Environmental Health Department for the first half of November, 2023:

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The U.S. Forest Service continued to battle a fire on Taylor’s Ridge on Wednesday.  The fire was reported on Tuesday and at nightfall was around 3.6 acres.  As of Wednesday afternoon, the fire had been contained to 11.5 acres.  A helicopter was brought in to do water drops on the fire and a hard line was created to contain the fire.  Chattooga County Sheriff Mark Schrader told WZQZ News on Wednesday afternoon that the U.S. Forest Service had contacted him to let him know that the Forest Service Law Enforcement would be on the scene on Wednesday to investigate the cause of the fire.  In the mean time, the U.S. Forest Service issued a no burn order for all of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, which includes U.S. Forest Service land on Taylor’s Ridge.  The ban is on ALL burning outdoors including campfires and even BBQ grills.  You can see the order from the U.S. Forest Service below, along with a previous Chattooga County Burn Ban that was issued by Commissioner Blake Elsberry.

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Here is the latest arrest report from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office for Wednesday, November 15, 2023:

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A wildfire was burning on Taylor’s Ridge on Tuesday night.  Chattooga County Sheriff Mark Schrader posted on social media saying smoke was heavy in the Spring Creek Road area in the northeastern part of the county.  The Georgia Forestry Commission was on hand trying to get the fire under control.  With no significant rainfall in the past eight weeks in the area, conditions remain extremely dry.  A burn ban is still in place in both Chattooga and Walker Counties.  “There’s been no measurable rain for over a month, and conditions are critically dry,” said Georgia Forestry Commission Director Tim Lowrimore. “Seasonal leaf fall, along with sustained gusty winds, are contributing to high fire risk conditions”.  Remember, do not burn outside for any reason.  Be extremely cautious using lawnmowers or other equipment that could ignite dry leaves.  Under no circumstances should you throw a cigarette out of the window of a vehicle.  The weather forecast is only showing slight chances of rain between now and Sunday.

Pentecostal Power Ministries will be passing out Thanksgiving dinner this Saturday at Dowdy Park in Summerville.  The Lyerly church will be giving out plates with turkey, dressing, green beans and a roll with a bottle of water.  The Feed the Hungry Thanksgiving Dinner will be from noon until 2 PM, Saturday, November 18th.

Mark your calendars for November 13–17, as the Georgia Department of Public Safety (DPS) joins forces with the national Crash Responder Safety Week (CRSW) to bring to light the courageous and often underrepresented stories of our local responders. Every day, these heroes put their lives at risk to ensure our roads are safe and functional.

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Chattooga High School is congratulating Lady Indian Softball players. Addie Veatch was selected Region Co-Player of the Year. Addie also had the highest batting average in the region with a .571. First Team All Region: Ally Croy, Kaymin Calaway and Emily Hughes. Second Team: Libby Ann Veatch, Katie Hogue, Sophie Webb and Tori Ward. Third Team All Region: Brinley Thomas. Congratulations Ladies