Georgia is a nationally-recognized leader in election security and voter access. One reason for Georgia’s success is that the General Assembly voted on and passed two of Secretary Raffensperger’s election integrity bills (HB 316 and SB 202) in 2019 and 2021 to address security concerns related to elections. In 2019, the General Assembly passed legislation, HB 316, to secure future Georgia elections by instituting an auditable paper ballot voting system. This system provides multiple layers of security to ensure accountability and to give every Georgia voter the power to secure his or her ballot. SB 202 further strengthened election integrity by requiring photo ID for absentee by mail voting and drop box security measures.

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Georgia’s transportation commissioner will get another $100,000 boost in pay.

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On Tuesday of this week a Summerville woman called police about an accident on Fourth Street.  The woman told a responding officer that someone had sideswiped her car as she was traveling.  The other vehicle stopped and both drivers got out of their vehicles.  The woman said that after speaking with the other driver, she walked back to her car to get her insurance information, and the other driver fled the scene.  The woman said that she wasn’t familiar with the other driver, but did give a description of the vehicle to police.  The incident is still under investigation.

The Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the report of a burglary at two storage units.  The complainant called last Sunday to report that someone had broken into her storage unit on Moore Road in Pennville.  The woman said that around $2,500 worth of household items had been stolen.  The complainant and responding deputy then traveled to another storage unit that the woman rents on Tate Road in Trion.  The lock had been cut off of that storage unit, but the complainant couldn’t tell if anything was missing.  The case was turned over to an investigator.

School bells are ringing for the state’s youngest learners as Georgia’s Pre-K Program begins the new school year. The first day of Georgia’s Pre-K Program will vary based on school system and child care provider. It starts as early as July 27, in Taliaferro County and will start as late as the week of September 5, in Murray and Wheeler counties. Most Georgia school systems begin classes during the first two weeks of August.

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On Thursday, John “Fargo” Collette was presented with the “Friend of the Community Award” by the City of Summerville.  Mr. Collette is an active member of the Chattooga County CERT Team. The award was presented during Friendship Week in advance of the Friendship Festival coming up on Saturday.

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Photo Credit: WRGA Radio

WRGA in Rome reports that the old Dairy Queen building at Five Points has been demolished and now the new Varsity restaurant is starting to go up. There is no word yet on an official opening date.

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The Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a theft that happened last week on Walker Street in Trion.  According to the complainant, a sliding glass door of the residence was left unlocked.  Later, the complainant’s son found that his gold, class ring had been taken.  There was nothing else missing from the residence, according to the complainant.  The complainant identified a family member as the possible suspect.  The case was turned over to an investigator with the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office.

The carcass of a dead black bear was discarded on the side of Highway 48 on Lookout Mountain.  Someone had killed the bear, skinned it and taken the bear’s head.  WZQZ News notified Chattooga County Sheriff Mark Schrader on Thursday morning about the carcass that was seen on the side of the road on Wednesday evening by passing motorists.  The bear carcass was beginning to smell and is covered in flies and maggots.  Sheriff Schrader told WZQZ News that he would notify the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.  According to the sheriff, as of Thursday afternoon, a DNR Ranger had been notified and was going to investigate.  It is legal to take bears in season in Georgia, but it is a crime to kill a bear outside of season.  It is likely that the bear was killed somewhere on Lookout Mountain and the carcass was discarded on the side of the road.  WZQZ News will have more information as it becomes available.