The Miss University of Georgia Pageant crowned its 2026 winner Friday night in Athens, naming Sailor Ott, a biological sciences major from Toccoa, as Miss UGA. Ott emerged from a field of 19 contestants, earning the title and a $1,250 scholarship.
A new exhibit at the Harbin Clinic Cancer Center in Rome is putting real cancer journeys front and center—through powerful portraits and personal stories from patients receiving care close to home. One of those featured is Miriam Little, an oncology social worker who spent a decade helping cancer patients find resources and support, before learning in 2023 that she had ovarian cancer herself.
State and federal agriculture officials have confirmed Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a second commercial poultry flock in Walker County, marking Georgia’s second detection in a commercial operation in 2026 and the fifth detection overall in the state since the nationwide outbreak began in February 2022.
Initial filings for unemployment benefits in Georgia dropped significantly last week compared with the week prior, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. New jobless claims—a key proxy for layoffs—fell to 6,067 for the week ending January 17, down from 11,988 the previous week.
Nationally, U.S. unemployment claims edged up slightly to 200,000, an increase of 1,000 from 199,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis. The Virgin Islands recorded the largest percentage increase in weekly claims, rising 136.4%, while Georgia posted the largest percentage decline, with new claims down 49.4%.
The Georgia Department of Public Health’s Northwest Health District office in Rome and health departments across 11 Northwest Georgia counties will be closed Monday, January 26, due to anticipated hazardous weather.
Counties included in the closure are Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Haralson, Paulding, Polk, and Walker. Residents needing services are encouraged to plan ahead and monitor official updates for reopening information once conditions improve.
Winter is settling in with bitter cold and frigid wind chills—enough to make anyone shiver just thinking about it. Forecasters expect a surge of Arctic air to spread across a large part of the country, from the Midwest to the Northeast, and the cold could linger into next month. With temperatures and wind chills dropping, the risk of frostbite and hypothermia rises, so safety experts say it’s important to take simple precautions now.
Here is the latest arrest report from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office for Saturday, January 24, 2026:
COMMISSIONER OF CHATTOOGA COUNTY
P. O. Box 211
Summerville, Georgia 30747
Telephone (706) 857-0700
Fax (706) 857-0742
Ice Storm Warning for Chattooga County
Chattooga County, GA — Andy Allen, Chattooga County Commissioner, urges all residents to prepare now for a significant ice storm expected to begin Saturday afternoon, January 24, 2026, and continue into Sunday.
Unfortunately, if this is an all-ice event, it will delay emergency service responses and limit the availability of county work crews. Our public works department is in place, equipped, and ready to respond as conditions allow, but icy roads and hazardous conditions will slow operations and restrict access to some areas.
Please take the following precautions:
• Stay informed. Monitor local news outlets for alerts and updates.
• Remain at home. Travel will be dangerous; avoid driving unless it is an absolute emergency.
• Prepare for outages. Be ready to be without power for a few days in the dangerous cold. Gather warm clothing, blankets, nonperishable food, water, flashlights, and a battery-powered radio or charged devices.
• Check on neighbors. If it is safe to do so, check on elderly or vulnerable neighbors before the storm and after conditions improve.
Operational note: Only essential workers will report on Monday. Nonessential county offices and services may be delayed or closed until conditions are safe.
Our crews are ready and working to keep the community safe, but your best protection is to stay home and stay informed. Please take this storm seriously and prepare now.
Andy Allen
Sole Commissioner Chattooga County
While Chattooga County and all of Northwest Georgia remain under an Ice Storm Warning, the National Weather Service forecast for our area is calling for only a slight chance of freezing rain before 10 AM this morning. Early temperatures were running marginal for widespread icing, with LaFayette and Mentone hovering just below freezing at 31 degrees, while Gaylesville, Alabama and Rome were closer to 40. Summerville was sitting at 35 degrees. Those readings are a bit warm for freezing rain in many spots, but sleet could still fall anywhere across the area, especially in heavier bursts of precipitation.
As a winter storm moves into Northwest Georgia, emergency management and local agencies across Chattooga County are urging residents to stay informed, prepare now, and avoid travel if icing develops.