The Summerville City Council will hold its regular monthly meeting this evening at 5:00 p.m. at City Hall, with a full agenda that includes budget matters, equipment purchases, appointments, and several community-related requests. (See complete agenda below).
Local high school student Grace Winder has been awarded a community service grant through the Bullard Community Champions program, a youth leadership initiative connected to the University of Georgia’s J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development. The grant helped support Winder’s project to assemble “Confidence Kits” for students across Chattooga County.
Each kit includes basic toiletries meant to help students with personal hygiene while also promoting dignity, confidence, and overall well-being. Every school in Chattooga County received 30 kits total — 15 for boys and 15 for girls — helping make sure students in need have access to everyday essentials.
The grant program is part of Youth LEAD Georgia, which helps high school students build leadership skills and take on service projects that make a difference in their local communities. Through the Bullard Community Champions program, students are given support to turn ideas into action and address real needs close to home.
Grace’s project is a meaningful example of student leadership in action, and school leaders expressed appreciation for her hard work and compassion in helping fellow students throughout Chattooga County.
Trion High School senior Jana Price has been awarded the Helping Hands Scholarship, recognizing her dedication to community service and volunteer work through the Helping Hands program at Trion City Schools.
Price earned the scholarship after completing more than 500 hours of community service, reflecting years of commitment to helping others through the program. She is the daughter of Kyle and Kelly Price of Summerville.
The Helping Hands program is part of the Helping Hands Ending Hunger initiative, which began in the Trion community and focuses on helping students and families facing food insecurity. Student volunteers collect unopened food from school cafeterias and help organize food bags that are distributed to students and families in need, helping ensure they have food for nights and weekends.
The scholarship is awarded to graduating seniors who demonstrate exceptional service and dedication to the program while making a meaningful impact in their school and community.
School officials praised Price for her hard work and compassion, thanking her for the many hours she has invested in helping others through the Helping Hands program.
The Summerville Recreation Center gym will be closed for the next couple of weeks beginning today, Monday, March 9 as work continues to complete the HVAC installation in the gym.
Officials say the temporary closure is necessary to finish the project and apologized for any inconvenience to the public. Residents are encouraged to plan accordingly while the work is underway.
Here is the latest arrest report from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office for Sunday, March 8, 2026:
A Summerville man was arrested Thursday at North Elm Street and Laurel Avenue in Floyd County and charged with aggravated assault after allegedly pointing a firearm at a woman during an argument.
According to Floyd County Jail records, 51-year-old Phillip Cornell Williams is accused of pointing the gun at the woman during the dispute at a location on Shorter Avenue.
Williams is also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The Summerville City Council will meet Monday, March 9, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. with several action items on the agenda, including the mid-year budget ordinance, a bid award for a Caterpillar backhoe, and approval of five part-time summer internship positions.
Council members will also consider appointing Maisha Ludy to fill an unexpired term on the Sara Hightower Regional Library board, along with requests involving a mobile home at 92 Hill Avenue, sign permits, and a proposal for BRAG riders to camp at the Summerville Recreation Center and serve alcohol on May 31.
Another discussion item will focus on whether city customers should be allowed to opt out of garbage service.
The meeting will be held in the council room at Summerville City Hall. The public is encouraged to attend.
Residents across Chattooga County and Northwest Georgia will need to set their clocks forward one hour tonight as Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, March 8, 2026.
The time change officially occurs at 2:00 a.m., when clocks move forward to 3:00 a.m. This means people will lose one hour of sleep, but evenings will have more daylight in the coming months.
Daylight Saving Time is used across most of the United States to make better use of daylight during the warmer months. With the change, sunsets will occur later in the evening, giving residents more daylight after work and school.
Fire officials also remind residents that the time change is a good opportunity to check smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, replacing batteries if needed to ensure they are working properly.
Daylight Saving Time will remain in effect until Sunday, November 1, 2026, when clocks will “fall back” one hour.
As spring approaches and temperatures warm across Chattooga County and Northwest Georgia, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources is reminding residents that clean bird feeders and birdbaths can significantly reduce the spread of disease among backyard birds.
Police in Summerville are investigating a reported burglary after a resident discovered signs of forced entry at a home on Stevens Street.
According to a police report, officers were dispatched to the 100 block of Stevens Street around 12:48 p.m. on March 2, 2026 in reference to a burglary complaint. The resident told police a neighbor reported seeing someone inside a carport storage closet on a previous date.
When officers checked the residence, they observed a window screen that appeared to have been pried open. The report notes the resident was not home at the time of the incident, and officers were unable to locate the person described by the neighbor.
The case has been documented and forwarded for further investigation.
