#georgianews | AM 1180 Radio

February 19, 2026

Georgia Department of Labor Earns Top State HR Honor

Local News, Local News Items #Compliance, #DOAS, #EmployeeEngagement, #GDOL, #GeorgiaDepartmentOfAdministrativeServices, #GeorgiaDepartmentOfLabor, #GeorgiaJobs, #georgianews, #GovernmentLeadership, #HRExcellence, #HumanResources, #ModelAgencyAward, #Modernization, #PeopleFirst, #PublicService, #StateAgencies, #StateOfGeorgia, #TopStateForTalent, #WorkforceDevelopment, #WorkforceStrategy, #wzqznews, georgia 0

The Georgia Department of Labor has received the “Model Agency Award” for Excellence in Human Resources from the Georgia Department of Administrative Services, after earning the highest assessment score among all Tier 1 agencies at 97.6 percent.

February 18, 2026

by WZQZ NEWS

Armuchee Man Arrested on Felony Financial Transaction Card Fraud Warrant

Local News, Local News Items #armuchee, #ArmucheeGA, #arrest, #arrestreport, #ATMFraud, #CardFraud, #CommunityNews, #crimereport, #FinancialCrime, #FinancialTransactionCardFraud, #FloydCounty, #floydcountyga, #georgianews, #LawEnforcement, #LocalCrime, #LocalNews, #NorthGeorgia, #northwestgeorgia, #PoliceInvestigation, #PublicSafety, #WhiteCollarCrime, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

An Armuchee man has been arrested on a felony warrant charging him with financial transaction card fraud.

According to the warrant, 45-year-old James Richard Guice is accused of authorizing another person to withdraw money from an ATM and then later reporting to the financial institution that the person did not have permission to make the withdrawal.

Investigators say the credit union credited $600 to Guice’s account based on that report, which the warrant alleges was false.

The case remains under investigation.

February 18, 2026

by WZQZ NEWS

North Georgia EMC Warns of Scam Messages Claiming Rolling Blackouts

Local News, Local News Items #ConsumerAlert, #CyberSecurity, #DoNotClickLinks, #EmailScam, #FakeUtilityNotice, #FraudAlert, #georgianews, #HighUsageScam, #NorthGeorgiaEMC, #OnlineSafety, #PaymentDemandScam, #PhishingScam, #ProtectYourInfo, #RollingBlackoutScam, #ScamWarning, #SoutheastNews, #TextMessageScam, #TVAScamAlert, #UtilityScam, #wzqznews 0

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North Georgia EMC is warning members about scam emails and messages circulating across the Southeast that falsely claim the TVA is preparing for rolling blackouts and urge recipients to click a link for more information.

The utility says these messages are not legitimate and are designed to steal money and/or install viruses on your device, and they are not coming from TVA or any power provider.

Officials say another related scam involves messages claiming a customer has unusually high power usage and demanding immediate payment. North Georgia EMC stresses those messages are also fake and warns members not to click any links, share personal information, or respond to threatening payment demands.

If you receive a suspicious message, delete it and contact your utility directly using an official phone number or website.

February 17, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

President Trump to Visit Rome on Thursday

Local News, Local News Items #14thDistrict, #Affordability, #ClayFuller, #CongressionalDistrict14, #DistrictAttorney, #DonaldTrump, #EarlyVoting, #EconomyUpdate, #Election2026, #FloydCounty, #GA14, #georgianews, #georgiapolitics, #LookoutMountainJudicialCircuit, #northwestgeorgianews, #PoliticalEndorsement, #PresidentTrump, #romegeorgia, #RunoffElection, #SpecialElection, #TrumpVisit, #WhiteHouse, #wzqznews 0

February 17, 2026

by WZQZ NEWS

Man Arrested After Scissors Attack; Faces Multiple Felony Charges in Gordon County

Local News, Local News Items #AdairsvilleGA, #AggravatedAssault, #BartowCounty, #BatteryCharge, #BreakingNews, #CrimeInvestigation, #ElderAbuse, #FalseImprisonment, #georgianews, #GordonCountyNews, #GordonCountySheriffsOffice, #LawEnforcementUpdate, #localcrimenews, #PlainvilleGA, #ProbationViolation, #PublicSafety, #SuspectArrested, #TerroristicThreats, #ViolentCrime, #wzqznews 0

A violent attack in Gordon County late last week ended with a Plainville man behind bars after deputies say he assaulted a woman at her home with a pair of scissors, then fled the scene.

February 15, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

University of Georgia School of Medicine Granted Preliminary Accreditation

Local News, Local News Items #AthensGA, #EducationNews, #georgianews, #HealthcareTraining, #highereducation, #LCME, #MedicalEducation, #MedicalSchool, #PhysicianShortage, #PreliminaryAccreditation, #SchoolOfMedicine, #statenews, #UGA, #UniversityOfGeorgia, #wzqznews 0

The University of Georgia School of Medicine has reached a major milestone in its development, receiving preliminary accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the national accrediting body for medical education programs. This designation allows UGA to begin recruiting and admitting its inaugural class of medical students, with plans to start instruction in Fall 2026.

February 15, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

3 Million Scratch-Off Winner Highlights Big Week for Georgia Lottery Payouts

Local News, Local News Items #3MillionWinner, #BigPayouts, #EducationFunding, #GeorgiaEducation, #georgialottery, #georgianews, #hopescholarship, #InstantGames, #LocalNews, #LotteryLife, #LotteryWinner, #LuckyWinner, #NorthGeorgia, #ScratchOffWinner, #statenews, #wzqznews 0

A North Georgia Lottery player is celebrating a life-changing win after claiming a $3 million top prize from a Georgia Lottery scratch-off ticket, one of several major payouts announced across the state in a single week. The win was part of a broader surge in lottery prizes, with players statewide collecting tens of millions of dollars from scratch-off and draw games.

February 14, 2026

by WZQZ NEWS

Arrest Report – Saturday – February 14, 2026

Local News, Local News Items #ArrestLog, #BookingReport, #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaCountySheriffsOffice, #ChattoogaCrime, #ChattoogaJail, #CommunitySafety, #crimereport, #CriminalActivity, #georgianews, #LawAndOrder, #LawEnforcement, #LocalArrests, #NWGANews, #PublicSafety, #RecentArrests, #SheriffReport, #summervillega, #wzqznews 0

Here is the latest arrest report from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office for Saturday, February 14, 2026:

February 14, 2026

by WZQZ NEWS

Georgia House OKs Bill Allowing Pharmacists to Prescribe HIV Prevention Drugs

Local News, Local News Items #CommunityHealth, #GeorgiaLegislature, #georgianews, #georgiapolitics, #HealthcareAccess, #HealthPolicy, #HIVPrevention, #PEP, #Pharmacists, #PrEP, #PreventionWorks, #PublicHealth, #ruralhealth, #wzqznews 0

A bill aimed at expanding access to HIV prevention medication has cleared the Georgia House, moving the state one step closer to allowing pharmacists to play a larger role in preventing new HIV infections.

February 13, 2026

by WZQZ NEWS

Rising Georgia Power Bills Spark Frustration in Chattooga County as PSC Makeup Shifts

Local News, Local News Items #AliciaJohnson, #chattoogacounty, #CommunityImpact, #CostOfLiving, #ElectricRates, #EnergyBurden, #FixedIncome, #georgianews, #georgiapower, #georgiapsc, #LIHEAP, #LowIncomeFamilies, #lyerlyga, #MenloGA, #northwestgeorgia, #PeterHubbard, #PowerBills, #PublicServiceCommission, #RateIncreases, #summervillega, #trionga, #UtilityCosts, #wzqznews 0

Across Chattooga County and Northwest Georgia, many residents say steadily rising Georgia Power bills are placing increased pressure on household budgets, particularly for low- to moderate-income families and seniors on fixed incomes.