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August 12, 2026

Sen. Chuck Hufstetler Receives 2026 ACCG Legislative Service Award

Local News, Local News Items #ACCG, #AssociationCountyCommissionersOfGeorgia, #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaInfo, #ChuckHufstetler, #CountyGovernment, #georgiageneralassembly, #GeorgiaGovernment, #georgianews, #georgiapolitics, #GeorgiaSenate, #LegislativeServiceAward, #LegislativeSession, #LocalGovernment, #northwestgeorgia, #PropertyTaxes, #PropertyTaxReform, #PublicService, #RomeGA, #SenateBill566, #SenatorChuckHufstetler, #StateGovernment, #TaxReform, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

State Sen. Chuck Hufstetler of Rome has been honored by the Association County Commissioners of Georgia with a 2026 Legislative Service Award for his work with county governments during this year’s legislative session.

August 12, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Tax Commissioner Joy Hampton Explains November Ballot Questions On Senior Tax Exemptions

Local News, Local News Items #BallotQuestions, #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaCountyGA, #ChattoogaCountySchools, #ChattoogaCountyTaxCommissioner, #ChattoogaInfo, #CountyGovernment, #Election2026, #georgianews, #HomesteadExemption, #joyhampton, #LocalGovernment, #LocalNews, #northwestgeorgia, #NovemberBallot, #NovemberElection, #PropertyTax, #PropertyTaxes, #SeniorCitizens, #SeniorTaxExemption, #SeniorTaxRelief, #TaxCommissioner, #TaxExemption, #VoterInformation, #WZQZ, #wzqznews, georgia 0

Chattooga County Tax Commissioner Joy Hampton is offering additional information to help voters understand proposed tax exemptions that will appear on the November ballot.

August 12, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Nearly $11 Billion In Georgia Student Loans Now In Default

Local News, Local News Items #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaInfo, #CollegeCosts, #CollegeDebt, #CollegeStudents, #DebtRelief, #Education, #EducationNews, #FederalStudentAid, #FederalStudentLoans, #FinancialNews, #GeorgiaColleges, #georgianews, #GeorgiaStudents, #highereducation, #LoanDefault, #LoanRepayment, #LocalNews, #northwestgeorgia, #PersonalFinance, #StudentDebt, #StudentLoanDebt, #StudentLoanDefault, #studentloans, #WZQZ, #wzqznews, georgia 0

Hundreds of thousands of Georgians are in default on their federal student loans, with the amount of defaulted debt across the state now approaching $11 billion.

August 12, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Georgia DOT Moves Surplus Property Auctions Online

Local News, Local News Items #ChattoogaInfo, #GDOT, #GeorgiaDOT, #GeorgiaLand, #georgianews, #georgiarealestate, #GeorgiaTransportation, #GovernmentProperty, #LandAuction, #LandForSale, #LocalNews, #northwestgeorgia, #OnlineAuction, #PropertyAuction, #PropertyForSale, #PublicAuction, #RealEstate, #RealEstateAuction, #statenews, #StateProperty, #SurplusProperty, #WZQZ, #wzqznews, georgia 0

The Georgia Department of Transportation has launched its first online real estate surplus auction platform, giving people across Georgia and beyond a new way to bid on state-owned property that is no longer needed for transportation purposes.

August 11, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Jeep Driver Injured In Head-On Crash With Tractor-Trailer Near Menlo

Local News, Local News Items #atriumhealthfloyd, #August11, #BreakingNews, #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaInfo, #GeorgiaHighway48, #georgianews, #GeorgiaStatePatrol, #GSP, #HeadOnCollision, #Highway48, #JeepWrangler, #LocalNews, #LookoutMountain, #MenloGA, #northwestgeorgia, #PublicSafety, #Shinbone, #TractorTrailer, #TrafficAccident, #TrafficNews, #TuesdayNews, #WZQZ, #wzqznews, georgia, menlo 0

Photo Credit: Scott Harding

A Jeep driver was injured Tuesday afternoon in a head-on collision with a tractor-trailer on Georgia Highway 48 near the foot of Lookout Mountain outside Menlo.

The crash occurred around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday as the tractor-trailer was traveling east toward Menlo and the Jeep Wrangler was traveling west toward Alabama from the Shinbone area.

According to information provided to WZQZ News by the Georgia State Patrol, the driver of the Jeep lost control of the vehicle, crossed into the lane of the oncoming tractor-trailer and was struck head-on.

The Jeep driver was conscious following the collision and was transported by Atrium Health Floyd EMS for medical treatment.

The Georgia State Patrol told WZQZ News that the driver is expected to recover.

The accident was investigated by the Georgia State Patrol. The official crash report remained incomplete Tuesday evening, and additional details were not immediately available.

WZQZ News will provide additional information if it becomes available.

August 11, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Arrest Report – Tuesday – August 11, 2026

Local News, Local News Items #ArrestRecords, #arrestreport, #ArrestReports, #August11, #August112026, #BookingReport, #CCSO, #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaCountyGA, #ChattoogaCountySheriffsOffice, #ChattoogaInfo, #CrimeNews, #georgianews, #JailReport, #LawEnforcement, #LocalNews, #lyerlyga, #MenloGA, #northwestgeorgia, #PublicSafety, #summervillega, #trionga, #TuesdayArrestReport, #TuesdayArrests, #WZQZ, #wzqznews, georgia 0

Here is the latest arrest report from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office for Tuesday, August 11, 2026:

August 11, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Georgia’s July Net Tax Revenues Rise 3.1 Percent

Local News, Local News Items #briankemp, #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaInfo, #CorporateTax, #FiscalYear2027, #FY2027, #GeorgiaBusiness, #GeorgiaDepartmentOfRevenue, #GeorgiaEconomy, #GeorgiaGovernment, #georgianews, #GeorgiaRevenue, #GeorgiaTaxes, #IncomeTax, #JulyRevenue, #LocalGovernment, #MotorFuelTax, #NorthGeorgia, #northwestgeorgia, #SalesTax, #StateRevenue, #TaxRevenue, #WZQZ, #wzqznews, georgia 0

Georgia began the new fiscal year with an increase in state tax collections, with net tax revenues totaling $2.57 billion in July.

August 9, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Ben Jones, ‘Cooter’ On ‘The Dukes Of Hazzard’ And Former Georgia Congressman, Dies At 84

Local News, Local News Items #BenJones, #CBS, #ChattoogaInfo, #ClassicTV, #Cooter, #CooterDavenport, #CovingtonGA, #DukesOfHazzard, #FormerCongressman, #GeneralLee, #GeorgiaCongressman, #GeorgiaFilm, #GeorgiaHistory, #georgianews, #georgiapolitics, #HazzardCounty, #InMemoriam, #LocalNews, #northwestgeorgia, #RememberingBenJones, #SouthernTelevision, #TelevisionLegend, #TheDukesOfHazzard, #USCongress, #WZQZ, #wzqznews, georgia 0

Ben Jones, the actor who became a television icon as mechanic Cooter Davenport on “The Dukes of Hazzard” before going on to represent Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives, has died. He was 84.

August 9, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Northwest Georgia Police Officer Arrested For Alleged Misuse Of License Plate Reader System

Local News, Local News Items #August7, #August82026, #CedartownGA, #ChattoogaInfo, #CrimeNews, #FlockSafety, #GeorgiaBureauOfInvestigation, #GeorgiaCrime, #georgianews, #LawEnforcement, #LicensePlateReader, #LocalNews, #northwestgeorgia, #NorthwestGeorgiaDrugTaskForce, #PoliceInvestigation, #PolkCounty, #PolkCountyGA, #PolkCountyPolice, #PolkCountyPoliceDepartment, #PublicSafety, #WZQZ, #wzqznews, GBI 0

A former Northwest Georgia police officer has been arrested following a GBI investigation into allegations that she improperly accessed a law enforcement license plate reader system.

August 9, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Walker County Board Of Education Plans Full Millage Rollback For 2026

Local News, Local News Items #August17, #BoardOfEducation, #ChattoogaInfo, #CommunityNews, #EducationNews, #georgianews, #GeorgiaSchools, #LaFayetteGA, #LocalGovernment, #LocalNews, #MillageRate, #MillageRollback, #northwestgeorgia, #PropertyTaxes, #PublicHearing, #PublicSchools, #SchoolBoard, #TaxRate, #WalkerCounty, #WalkerCountyBoardOfEducation, #WalkerCountyGA, #WalkerCountySchools, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

The Walker County Board of Education plans to adopt a full rollback millage rate of 14.013 mills during its meeting on Monday, August 17.

According to information released by Walker County Schools, the rollback rate is calculated using the previous year’s millage rate minus the millage equivalent of the total net assessed value added through property reassessments.

A public hearing on the proposed 2026 millage rate will be held at 6 p.m. on August 17 in the boardroom of the Walker County Department of Education, located at 301 N. Cherokee Street in LaFayette.

School district officials say they continue to work to balance the growing needs of students with efforts to keep local taxes as low as possible while also maximizing state funding.

Walker County Schools noted that over the past six years, the district has either lowered or maintained its millage rate. In 2019, the rate stood at 17.404 mills. For 2026, the district plans to adopt the full rollback rate of 14.013 mills.

All concerned citizens are invited to attend the public hearing.