As the Georgia General Assembly convened yesterday, veteran lawmaker, State Representative Eddie Lumsden, a Republican from Armuchee, will once again chair the Georgia House Insurance Committee. Lumsden first took office in January of 2013 after defeating longtime Democratic State Representative Barbara Massey Reece of Menlo. He, along with his wife Theresa, operate a State Farm insurance agency in Floyd County, close to Mount Berry Mall. Lumsden, who served in the United States Air Force is also a retired Georgia State Trooper and a graduate of Armuchee High School. He also attended Floyd College (now Georgia Highlands) and received a bachelor’s degree from Berry College. The 12th District, that Lumsden represents, is comprised of all of Chattooga County and a portion of Floyd County. Committee assignments for the 2025 legislative session will be decided this week.

In recent weeks, several citizens of Chattooga County have voiced their concerns regarding the abrupt disappearance of the county government’s official social media account from Facebook following the departure of the previous commissioner. This has sparked a conversation about transparency and the importance of maintaining accessible public records in the digital age.

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The Chattooga High School classes of 1969, 1970, and 1971 are set to have a joint reunion on Saturday, May 3rd, at the Chattooga County Agricultural Center, located on Middle School Drive in Summerville. The event will start at 3 PM. and will include activities for reconnecting and enjoying catered food from Varsity. Dinner will be served from 5:30 to 7 PM. Attendees should wear casual clothes for a relaxed atmosphere. The cost to attend is $25 per person, and early reservations are recommended, with a deadline of March 15 for planning purposes. Checks should be made out to the respective class year and sent to the contact person for each class. For the Class of 1969, contact Phyllis Marks Brown at 706-859-2792 or pbrown5113@yahoo.com. The Class of 1970’s contact is Rosita Chevremont McWhorter at 706-217-5228 or mewhorterrosita@gmail.com. For the Class of 1971, reach out to Wayne Lewis at 706-506-5005 or lewis295@comcast.net. Further details will be sent out soon.

Summerville Police were called to McGinnis Circle on Sunday after two men were observed fighting in the street.  According to police, the incident was caught on video by witnesses.  Police say that 20-year-old Evan Adams came to the residence of 36-year-old Zachery Black and began yelling and cursing and calling Black out to fight.  Black obliged and video evidence shows him striking Adams twice during the physical altercation.  Adams and Black were each charged with disorderly conduct and transported to the Chattooga County Jail.  Police say that there is an ongoing feud between the two men.

Chattooga 4-H is celebrating the remarkable achievement of one of its own, Grace Winder, a student at Trion High School, who has been selected to join the 2025 class of Youth LEAD Georgia. This esteemed statewide leadership program, facilitated by the University of Georgia (UGA), aims to cultivate the next generation of leaders across the state. Grace is among 30 exceptional 10th- and 11th-grade students chosen from a competitive pool of over 340 nominations received by UGA, representing 29 different counties.

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On January 9, 2025, officials confirmed a case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a small flock of 13 chickens and ducks in Clayton County, Georgia. This marks the third case in a backyard flock and the fourth overall since the outbreak began in February 2022.

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Here is the latest arrest report from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office for Monday, January 13, 2025:

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Education will be on the agenda for lawmakers when they gather under the gold dome in Atlanta this week for the 2025 legislative session. Georgia State Superintendent Richard Woods aims to modernize the education funding program known as the Quality Basic Education (QBE) formula, which was established over forty years ago.

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