
Residents across northwest Georgia may begin noticing low-flying aircraft this month as the U.S. Department of Agriculture moves ahead with its annual oral rabies vaccination campaign, including bait distribution in Chattooga County.

Residents across northwest Georgia may begin noticing low-flying aircraft this month as the U.S. Department of Agriculture moves ahead with its annual oral rabies vaccination campaign, including bait distribution in Chattooga County.

Gas prices have moved lower across much of Northwest Georgia, with Chattooga County averaging $3.86 per gallon as of Monday — the same as Georgia’s statewide average.

Business leaders, educators and workforce experts from across Northwest Georgia will gather later this month to discuss some of the biggest challenges facing employers and workers across the region.

Georgia motorists are paying more at the pump this week, with the statewide average for regular gasoline climbing to $4.19 per gallon.

Georgia drivers will get a break at the pump beginning Tuesday after Governor Brian Kemp announced Monday that he is suspending the state’s motor fuel excise tax for 30 days.

Northwest Georgia added workers during August, with both the regional labor force and the number of people employed reaching all-time highs, according to new figures from the Georgia Department of Labor.

A former corrections officer who previously served time in federal prison for smuggling methamphetamine into Hays State Prison in Trion is facing new federal drug trafficking and firearms charges.

Families in Gordon County and across Northwest Georgia could soon have access to more advanced newborn care closer to home.
The Georgia Department of Community Health has issued AdventHealth Gordon a Certificate of Need to establish a four-bed Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit within the hospital’s existing Women’s Services Area. The approval is still subject to a standard 30-day appeal period.
AdventHealth Gordon is the only hospital in Gordon County and currently provides obstetric and newborn care. The proposed Level II NICU would allow more babies requiring additional medical support following birth to receive specialized care in Calhoun rather than having to be transferred farther from their families.
Hospital officials say the unit would also provide additional support for monitoring newborns, parent education, bonding, breastfeeding and discharge planning.
Justin Birmele, president and CEO of AdventHealth Gordon and AdventHealth Murray, said the approval represents an important step toward expanding care for Northwest Georgia families and allowing mothers and babies to remain closer together when additional care is needed.
Georgia classifies Level II neonatal services as specialty or neonatal intermediate care, providing a higher level of newborn care than basic Level I services.
The state approval does not mean the new unit will open immediately. The Certificate of Need remains subject to the 30-day appeal period before the project can move forward.

Chattooga County residents will once again be able to burn certain yard debris beginning next week as Georgia’s annual summer open-burning ban comes to an end.

Drivers across Chattooga County and Northwest Georgia are paying considerably more at the pump this week, with regular gasoline now above $4 per gallon throughout much of the area.