
Consumer advocate Erin Brockovich is set to return to Northwest Georgia next week as part of an expanded effort to address contamination from “forever chemicals” in the region.

Consumer advocate Erin Brockovich is set to return to Northwest Georgia next week as part of an expanded effort to address contamination from “forever chemicals” in the region.

Consumer advocate Erin Brockovich is set to return to Northwest Georgia next week as the PFAS Georgia team announces a major expansion of water, soil, and dust testing in Rome and several surrounding counties. Organizers say the renewed push comes after more than 20 months of work in the region uncovered some of the highest levels of “forever chemicals” found anywhere in the country.

Thirteen members of a prison-based methamphetamine distribution ring have been convicted and sentenced following a multi-year federal investigation. Authorities say state inmates Edward Kelvin Pope, David Wilson, and Kevin Josue Campos Rivera coordinated drug trafficking operations from Central State Prison in Macon, working with federal inmate Jose Santos Isaola Cisneros at the Federal Correctional Institution in Atlanta to distribute methamphetamine through couriers and distributors across north Georgia. Pope, known as “Paw Paw,” was already serving a life sentence plus 70 years for armed robbery, kidnapping, and other violent crimes at the time of the offenses.

Advent Health and GNTC partnership signing
Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) continued to expand its impact across northwest Georgia in 2025 through new partnerships, student achievements, and institutional recognition.

Two Chattooga County residents—one from Trion and the other from Summerville—are being recognized for academic excellence and career potential in advanced manufacturing.

Chattooga County and the rest of Northwest Georgia will enjoy dry and mild conditions through Saturday, with afternoon highs generally reaching the 60s. Higher elevations may remain in the 40s and 50s, but overall temperatures will stay above seasonal averages.

Chattooga County’s unemployment rate fell to 4% in December, continuing a positive trend and reflecting improving labor conditions heading into the new year. According to data released by the Georgia Department of Labor, the county’s rate dropped from 4.7% in November and improved from over 5% in December 2024, signaling steady recovery and job growth locally.

Much of Georgia is starting this Sunday morning, January 25, 2026, with freezing rain and sleet, but for folks here in Chattooga County and much of Northwest Georgia, the main issue early today has been heavy rain. Temperatures around daybreak were near to slightly above freezing, helping keep most roads wet instead of icy to start the morning. Even so, the steady rainfall can still create hazardous travel, especially with reduced visibility, standing water in low spots, and slick conditions where oil and debris collect on the roadway.

The Georgia Department of Labor has released new local unemployment numbers for November 2025, and Chattooga County’s unemployment rate came in at 4.8%.

Residents in Chattooga County and across Northwest Georgia are without representation in the U.S. House for now following the resignation of former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. But the Fourteenth Congressional District of Georgia District Office says some constituent services will continue during the vacancy.