#LookoutMountain | AM 1180 Radio

October 9, 2026

Walker County Approves Land Swap For New Fire Rescue Headquarters In Rock Spring

Local News, Local News Items #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaInfo, #ChickamaugaGA, #CloudlandGA, #EmergencyResponse, #EmergencyServices, #firedepartment, #Firefighters, #FireProtection, #FireRescue, #FireStation, #FireStation1, #firstresponders, #georgianews, #LaFayetteGA, #LocalGovernment, #LookoutMountain, #MutualAid, #NorthGeorgia, #northwestgeorgia, #PublicSafety, #RockSpring, #rockspringga, #SPLOST, #Station18, #WalkerCounty, #WalkerCountyDevelopmentAuthority, #WalkerCountyFireRescue, #WalkerCountyGA, #WalkerCountySPLOST, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

Walker County is moving forward with plans for a new Fire Rescue headquarters and replacement for Fire Station 1 in Rock Spring.

October 4, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Black Bear Activity Prompts Safety Reminder Across Northeast Alabama And Northwest Georgia

Local News, Local News Items #AlabamaWildlife, #BearSightings, #BearWise, #BlackBear, #BlackBears, #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaInfo, #CherokeeCountyAL, #CloudlandGA, #DadeCountyGA, #DeKalbCountyAL, #FortPayneAL, #georgiadnr, #LookoutMountain, #NortheastAlabama, #NorthGeorgia, #northwestgeorgia, #OutdoorAlabama, #PublicSafety, #WalkerCountyGA, #Wildlife, #WildlifeSafety, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

Recent black bear activity in northeast Alabama, combined with bear sightings across Northwest Georgia, is providing a timely reminder for residents to take precautions around their homes and while spending time outdoors.

September 30, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Small Earthquake Recorded In Cloudland Area Wednesday Morning

Local News, Local News Items #CERI, #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaInfo, #CloudlandGA, #Earthquake, #EarthquakeReport, #GeorgiaEarthquake, #LocalNews, #LookoutMountain, #MenloGA, #northwestgeorgia, #northwestgeorgianews, #SeismicActivity, #trionga, #USGS, #WalkerCountyGA, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

A small earthquake was recorded early Wednesday morning just north of the Chattooga-Walker County line in the Cloudland area of Northwest Georgia.

The Center for Earthquake Research and Information at the University of Memphis recorded the magnitude 1.97 earthquake at 4:25 AM Wednesday, September 30. The earthquake had a reported depth of about 3.2 miles.

Coordinates provided for the earthquake — 34.631 degrees north and 85.440 degrees west — place the epicenter just inside Walker County, north of the Chattooga County line and closer to the Pigeon Mountain area.

The location can still be described locally as the Cloudland area, which extends beyond the community itself and includes portions of the Lookout Mountain area in Chattooga, Walker and Dade counties.

The earthquake was reported by CERI as approximately 10.4 miles north of Menlo.

At just under magnitude 2.0, Wednesday’s earthquake was relatively small and would not normally be expected to cause damage. People close to the epicenter, however, may have noticed a brief vibration or rumbling.

It is also the second small earthquake recorded near Chattooga County in a little more than a month. A magnitude 2.08 earthquake was recorded about one-half mile west of Trion on August 24.

Residents who felt Wednesday morning’s earthquake can report what they experienced through the U.S. Geological Survey’s “Did You Feel It?” system.

September 29, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Moderate Drought Reaches Lookout Mountain In Northwestern Chattooga County

Local News, Local News Items #AbnormallyDry, #agriculture, #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaInfo, #Cloudland, #Drought, #DryConditions, #Farmers, #GeorgiaDrought, #GeorgiaEPD, #LookoutMountain, #ModerateDrought, #northwestgeorgia, #USDroughtMonitor, #WalkerCountyGA, #WaterConservation, #weather, #WZQZ, #wzqznews, georgia 0

Dry conditions are worsening in Chattooga County, with a portion of the county now officially classified as being in moderate drought.

September 28, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

When The Railroad Redrew The Map Of Chattooga County

Local News, Local News Items #AlpineGA, #BerrytonGA, #CentralOfGeorgia, #ChattanoogaRomeAndColumbus, #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaCountyHistory, #ChattoogaInfo, #GeorgiaHistory, #HistoricLyerly, #HistoricMenlo, #HistoricSummerville, #HollandGA, #LocalHistory, #LookoutMountain, #lyerlyga, #MenloGA, #MondayHistory, #northwestgeorgia, #RailroadHistory, #summervillega, #TAGRailroad, #trionga, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

The communities we know today as Summerville, Lyerly and Menlo might look very different had railroad tracks been laid just a few miles in another direction.

When railroads finally arrived in Chattooga County during the late 1800s, they did much more than provide transportation. They determined where businesses opened, where people settled, which communities grew and, in some cases, which communities disappeared.

And at one point, the railroad nearly bypassed Summerville altogether.

September 21, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

From Lamplight To Long Distance: How Electricity And Telephones Changed Chattooga County

Local News, Local News Items #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaCountyHistoricalSociety, #ChattoogaCountyHistory, #ChattoogaInfo, #CloudlandGA, #CloudlandHistory, #CommunityHistory, #ElectricityHistory, #ElectricLight, #GeorgiaHistory, #GoreGA, #HistoricSummerville, #HistoricTrion, #LocalHistory, #LookoutMountain, #lyerlyga, #LyerlyHistory, #MenloGA, #MenloHistory, #MondayHistory, #MondayHistoryFeature, #northwestgeorgia, #OurHistory, #PartyLine, #PartyLines, #PennvilleGA, #summervillega, #SummervilleHistory, #SummervilleNews, #SummervilleTelephoneCompany, #TelephoneHistory, #trionga, #TrionHistory, #TrionManufacturingCompany, #TrionMill, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

Telephone operators at the Summerville Telephone Company on the final day of operator-assisted telephone service in 1960. Direct dialing began the following day. (Photo courtesy of Ben Bridges/Chattooga Photo History)

For people living in Chattooga County today, flipping a light switch or making a telephone call is so ordinary that little thought is given to either one.

But a little more than a century ago, both represented technologies that were beginning to fundamentally change everyday life.

There was a time when darkness meant lighting an oil lamp, when many homes drew their water from wells, and when making a long-distance telephone call in Chattooga County meant traveling into Summerville and going inside a local store.

The arrival of electricity and the telephone didn’t happen everywhere at once. The technologies spread gradually through mills, businesses and towns before becoming commonplace in homes throughout the county.

And when it came to electricity, Trion was among the first places in Chattooga County to enter the electrical age.

September 21, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Fall Fun Hayrides Coming To Cloudland Canyon State Park In October

Community Calandar, Community Calendar, Local News, Local News Items #ChattoogaInfo, #cloudlandcanyon, #cloudlandcanyonstatepark, #DadeCountyGA, #ExploreGeorgia, #FallColors, #FallFoliage, #FallFun, #FallHayride, #FamilyEvents, #FamilyFun, #FriendsOfCloudlandCanyon, #GeorgiaOutdoors, #georgiastateparks, #Hayride, #LookoutMountain, #northwestgeorgia, #OctoberEvents, #OutdoorAdventure, #RisingFawnGA, #VisitNorthwestGeorgia, #WeekendEvents, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

Families looking for a fall outing will have several opportunities to enjoy the changing leaves at Cloudland Canyon State Park during October.

The Friends of Cloudland Canyon State Park will host its Fall Fun Hayride every Sunday in October from noon until 5 PM at the park in Rising Fawn.

The free event will feature scenic hayrides through Cloudland Canyon State Park, giving visitors an opportunity to enjoy the fall scenery and changing colors from a different perspective.

Organizers say the event is designed as an afternoon of family-friendly fall fun, with games and food also planned during each Sunday’s activities.

The hayrides themselves are free, although visitors will need either an annual Georgia State Parks pass or pay the $10 park parking fee to enter.

Cloudland Canyon is one of Northwest Georgia’s most popular destinations for viewing fall foliage. October typically brings increasing fall color to the Lookout Mountain area, making the Sunday hayrides an opportunity to enjoy both the park and the changing season.

The Fall Fun Hayrides will be offered each Sunday in October from noon until 5 PM.

The event is presented by the Friends of Cloudland Canyon State Park, with support provided by the Alliance for Dade.

Cloudland Canyon State Park is located near Rising Fawn in Dade County.

September 19, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Georgia DNR Reminds North Georgia Residents To Be BearWise This Fall

Local News, Local News Items #BearSafety, #BearWise, #BlackBears, #CampingSafety, #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaInfo, #CloudlandGA, #FallOutdoors, #georgiadnr, #GeorgiaOutdoors, #georgiawildlife, #HikingSafety, #LookoutMountain, #lyerlyga, #MenloGA, #NorthGeorgia, #NorthGeorgiaMountains, #northwestgeorgia, #OutdoorSafety, #summervillega, #trionga, #Wildlife, #wildliferesourcesdivision, #WildlifeSafety, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

As cooler weather approaches and more people head outdoors, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources is reminding Northwest Georgia residents that fall is also an especially active feeding period for black bears.

September 15, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

When Will It Finally Feel Like Fall In Chattooga County?

Local News, Local News Items #Autumn, #ChangingLeaves, #chattoogacounty, #chattoogacountyweather, #ChattoogaInfo, #cloudlandcanyon, #cloudlandcanyonstatepark, #CloudlandGA, #ColdFront, #CoolerWeather, #ExploreGeorgia, #FallColors, #FallFoliage, #FallInGeorgia, #FallLeaves, #FallWeather, #FirstDayOfFall, #FirstFreeze, #FirstFrost, #GaLeafWatch, #GeorgiaLeafWatch, #georgiastateparks, #georgiaweather, #JamesHFloydStatePark, #LeafPeeping, #LeafWatch, #LookoutMountain, #lyerlyga, #MarbleMineTrail, #MenloGA, #NorthGeorgia, #NorthGeorgiaWeather, #northwestgeorgia, #northwestgeorgiaweather, #OctoberWeather, #PinhotiTrail, #sloppyfloydstatepark, #summervillega, #SummervilleWeather, #trionga, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

With temperatures still reaching the 90s in the middle of September, plenty of people around Chattooga County may be asking the same question: When is it finally going to feel like fall?

The short answer is — probably not just yet.

The forecast keeps afternoon temperatures around 90 degrees or higher through much of this week, and there is not yet a strong indication of a sustained cool-down.

That doesn’t mean a cold front couldn’t bring a couple of cooler mornings along the way. September in Northwest Georgia can quickly swing between summer-like heat and brief hints of fall.

September 14, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

From Iron Ore To Coal — Chattooga County’s Mining Past

Local News, Local News Items #AppalachianHistory, #CampJulietteLow, #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaCountyGA, #ChattoogaCountyHistoricalSociety, #ChattoogaCountyHistory, #ChattoogaCountyMining, #ChattoogaHistory, #ChattoogaInfo, #ChelseaGA, #Cloudland, #CloudlandCoal, #CloudlandGA, #CoalMine, #CoalMines, #CoalMining, #CommunityHistory, #GeorgiaCoal, #GeorgiaGeology, #GeorgiaHistory, #GeorgiaMining, #GeorgiaMountains, #HistoricChattooga, #HistoryFeature, #IndustrialHistory, #IronOre, #IronOreMining, #LittleRiver, #LocalHistory, #LocalIndustry, #LocalNews, #LookoutMountain, #LookoutMountainCoal, #LookoutMountainGA, #lyerlyga, #MenloGA, #MetallurgicalCoal, #MineralHistory, #MineralResources, #MiningHistory, #MondayHistory, #NorthGeorgia, #northwestgeorgia, #NorthwestGeorgiaHistory, #ShackeltonGA, #StripMining, #summervillega, #TaylorRidge, #trionga, #WZQZ, #WZQZHistory, #wzqznews 0

Long before manufacturing became a major part of Chattooga County’s economy, people looked to the mountains and ridges surrounding the county for another source of economic development — minerals buried beneath the ground.