An accident on Highway 27 in the Gore community on Friday ended with fatalities.  The accident shut down traffic on Highway 27 on Friday afternoon for a period of time.  The Georgia State Patrol confirmed to WZQZ on Friday evening that their were fatalities as a result of the accident.  According to reports, the accident took the life of Lori McWhorter.  McWhorter was employed with LaFayette High School.  The school issued a statement on Friday evening saying, “It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Mrs. Lori McWhorter, a cherished member of our Walker County Schools and LaFayette High School community. Mrs. McWhorter was a revered teacher, a devoted mother, and a loving wife, whose sudden and tragic loss leaves an irreplaceable void in our community”.  WZQZ will have more details on the accident when they are released by the Georgia State Patrol.   You can read the complete statement from the Walker County School system below:

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Here is the latest arrest report from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office for Friday, September 29, 2023:

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The Town of Trion will hold a Municipal General Election on Tuesday, November 7, 2023. This Election is to fill the Town Council and Trion School Board Seat #4 & Seat #5.

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An eighty-two-year-old man was arrested last Saturday after he was accused of going on a neighbor’s property and damaging traps.  Jesse Wayne Cline told a responding deputy that one of his dogs had gotten into a trap and that it injured the dog. According to the neighbor, the traps were there because of problems with coyotes, and the traps are not designed to hurt an animal, only to trap them.  However, one of the traps had been damaged, with what appeared to be a sledge hammer.  Cline had received trespass warning before about being on the neighboring property.  Cline admitted to damaging the trap – which was worth about $50.  Cline was arrested and transported to the Chattooga County Jail for two counts of criminal trespass.

Faith & Blue was launched in 2020 by MovementForward, Inc., working with the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) at the U.S.Department of Justice, to facilitate safer, stronger, more just and unified communities by directly enabling local partnerships among law enforcement professionals, residents, businesses and community groups through the connections of local faith-based organizations.

The initiative aims to re-calibrate police-community relations through solutions-focused, in-person, socially distanced and/or virtual activities that are organized jointly by faith-based or other community groups and law enforcement agencies.

Georgia State Patrol Post 38 in Rome will be hosting its 3rd Annual Faith and Blue Blood Drive, Monday October 9th, 2023 from 10 AM until 2 PM. Blood Assurance will be on hand accepting donations. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend and donate blood.

The 2023 Summer burn ban for fifty-four counties in Georgia will come to an end on Saturday.  The burn ban is in place for most of north Georgia, including Chattooga and surrounding counties, from May 1st – September 30th.  Residents will be able to burn outside legally, staring Sunday, October 1st. Remember, it is only legal to burn hand-piled vegetation.  Man-made materials and trash cannot be burned at anytime, anywhere in Georgia.  Also, you should be aware of conditions. With no significant rain in recent days, and not much chance of rain for the next several days, burning outside could be dangerous.

The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) is embarking on a groundbreaking journey to revolutionize the state’s unemployment system, ushering in a new era of modernization. This ambitious transformation, undertaken in partnership with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), represents a significant step forward in the GDOL’s mission to enhance the state’s unemployment insurance benefit, tax, and appeal systems.

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AgGeorgia Farm Credit is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2023 AgGeorgia Farmers Market grant program. Grants in the amount of $2,000 each were distributed to five local markets throughout the cooperative’s territory for use in advertising and promotional objectives. This is the third year of the program, with the cooperative so far awarding $24,500 to help support rural Georgia markets and their vendors.

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