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September 26, 2026

Georgia Power Says Google Agreement Could Provide $900 Million In Customer Benefits

Local News, Local News Items #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaInfo, #Electricity, #ElectricRates, #EnergyCosts, #EnergyNews, #GeorgiaEnergy, #georgiapower, #georgiapsc, #GeorgiaPublicServiceCommission, #Google, #lyerlyga, #MenloGA, #northwestgeorgia, #NuclearEnergy, #PlantHatch, #PlantVogtle, #summervillega, #trionga, #UtilityCustomers, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

A new agreement between Georgia Power and Google could eventually provide an estimated $900 million in benefits to Georgia Power customers while increasing the amount of electricity generated by two of the state’s nuclear power plants.

September 26, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

New School Safety Model Being Rolled Out Across Georgia

Local News, Local News Items #BehavioralThreatAssessment, #BTAM, #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaCountySchools, #ChattoogaInfo, #EducationNews, #GEMA, #GEMAHS, #GeorgiaSchools, #lyerlyga, #MenloGA, #northwestgeorgia, #PublicSafety, #SchoolSafety, #StudentSafety, #summervillega, #ThreatAssessment, #TrionCitySchools, #trionga, #ViolencePrevention, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

Schools in Chattooga County and across Georgia have a new tool available aimed at identifying concerning behavior and intervening before situations potentially escalate into violence.

September 26, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Busy Saturday Ahead With Three Major Events Across Chattooga County

Local News, Local News Items #AntiqueEngines, #AntiqueTractors, #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaInfo, #CommunityEvents, #FamilyEvents, #FreeFishingDay, #georgiadnr, #georgiastateparks, #KidsFishingRodeo, #LyerlyDownHomeDay, #lyerlyga, #MenloGA, #NationalHuntingAndFishingDay, #northwestgeorgia, #OutdoorAdventureDay, #ShopLocal, #sloppyfloydstatepark, #SteamEngine4501, #SummervilleDepot, #summervillega, #summervillemainstreet, #SupportLocal, #TownOfLyerly, #trionga, #TVRM, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

Chattooga County residents will have plenty of choices for getting out of the house Saturday, with three community events offering everything from fishing and wildlife programs to antique tractors and a hometown celebration.

September 26, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Free Fishing Day Coincides With Outdoor Adventure Day At Sloppy Floyd

Local News, Local News Items #Archery, #BirdsOfPrey, #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaInfo, #conservation, #FamilyFun, #fishing, #FreeFishingDay, #georgiadnr, #GeorgiaFishing, #georgiastateparks, #georgiawildlife, #GetOutdoors, #JamesHSloppyFloydStatePark, #KidsFishing, #KidsFishingRodeo, #NationalHuntingAndFishingDay, #northwestgeorgia, #OutdoorAdventureDay, #OutdoorRecreation, #sloppyfloydstatepark, #summervillega, #Wildlife, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

Today is National Hunting and Fishing Day, and Georgia residents will be able to fish without a license as part of the celebration — including those taking part in a special day of activities at James H Floyd State Park near Summerville.

September 26, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Teachers Eligible For $1,000 DNR Conservation Grant

Local News, Local News Items #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaCountySchools, #ChattoogaInfo, #ConservationEducation, #ConservationTeacherOfTheYear, #EducationNews, #ElementaryEducation, #EnvironmentalEducation, #georgiadnr, #GeorgiaTeachers, #georgiawildlife, #LifeScience, #lyerlyga, #MenloGA, #northwestgeorgia, #OutdoorEducation, #summervillega, #TeacherGrant, #TrionCitySchools, #trionga, #wildliferesourcesdivision, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

Elementary school teachers in Chattooga County and across Georgia have an opportunity to receive $1,000 to help bring conservation and outdoor learning into their classrooms.

September 26, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Man Arrested On Drug Charges After Encounter At Local Thrift Store

Local News, Local News Items #Alprazolam, #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaCountyJail, #ChattoogaCountySheriffsOffice, #ChattoogaInfo, #ControlledSubstance, #CrimeNews, #DrugArrest, #LocalNews, #LoiteringAndProwling, #Methamphetamine, #northwestgeorgia, #ProvidenceMinistries, #summervillega, #WZQZ, #wzqznews, #Xanax 0

A 64-year-old man was arrested on drug charges after a Chattooga County deputy encountered him on the property of a local thrift store during the early morning hours.

September 25, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Arrest Report – Friday – September 25, 2026

Local News, Local News Items #arrestreport, #Arrests, #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaCountyJail, #ChattoogaCountySheriffsOffice, #ChattoogaInfo, #CrimeNews, #FridayArrestReport, #FridaySeptember25, #FridaySeptember252026, #LawEnforcement, #LocalNews, #lyerlyga, #MenloGA, #northwestgeorgia, #PublicSafety, #September25, #September252026, #summervillega, #trionga, #WZQZ, #wzqznews 0

Here is the latest arrest report from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office for Friday, September 25, 2026:

September 25, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Fall-Like Weather Settles Into Chattooga County For The Weekend

Local News, Local News Items #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaInfo, #FallInGeorgia, #FallWeather, #georgiaweather, #lyerlyga, #MenloGA, #NationalWeatherService, #northwestgeorgia, #NWSAtlanta, #OutdoorWeather, #PennvilleGA, #summervillega, #trionga, #WeatherForecast, #WeekendWeather, #WZQZ, #wzqznews, #WZQZWeather 0

Residents across Chattooga County can expect a taste of fall this weekend, with cooler temperatures, lower humidity and plenty of sunshine before warmer weather begins returning next week.

September 25, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Chattooga Hosts Gordon Lee As Trion Travels To Northview Tonight

Local News, Local News Items #chattoogacounty, #ChattoogaFootball, #chattoogahighschool, #ChattoogaIndians, #ChattoogaInfo, #FridayNightFootball, #FridayNightLights, #GeorgiaHighSchoolFootball, #GHSAFootball, #GoBulldogs, #GoIndians, #GordonLee, #GordonLeeFootball, #HighSchoolFootball, #NorthviewFootball, #NorthviewTitans, #northwestgeorgia, #Region7AA, #summervillega, #trionbulldogs, #TrionFootball, #trionga, #trionhighschool, #WZQZ, #WZQZ991FM, #WZQZFootball, #wzqznews, #WZQZSports 0

Friday night football returns tonight with Chattooga at home against Gordon Lee and Trion making a long road trip to face Northview, and WZQZ will have coverage of both games.

September 25, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Major Taylor Ridge Project Aims To Fix Decades-Old Highway Problem

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A major Georgia Department of Transportation project planned for U.S. 27 over Taylor’s Ridge is intended to address a problem that has challenged highway crews for decades — an unstable mountainside where groundwater, steep slopes and the underlying geology have repeatedly contributed to movement of the roadway.

WZQZ News previously reported on the upcoming Taylor Ridge project, but a closer look at Georgia DOT records shows the work is considerably more than routine highway maintenance.

The project is officially designated PI No. 0015413, “SR 1/U.S. 27 at Taylors Ridge – Phase II.” GDOT classifies the work as slope repair and reconstruction/rehabilitation along approximately 0.21 mile of U.S. 27 in Chattooga County.

The reason for the project becomes clearer when looking at the history and geology of Taylor Ridge.

Government geological studies of the U.S. 27 cut through Taylor Ridge document layers of shale, sandstone and other rock, along with groundwater moving through the formations. In fact, drainage of the mountainside has been an issue for more than six decades. A Georgia geological study documented 83 horizontal drainage wells drilled into the rock above U.S. 27 specifically to divert groundwater away from the highway fill. Those wells were between 39 and 147 feet deep, and their discharge increased substantially following periods of heavy rainfall.

That groundwater is important because water moving through a steep road cut can contribute to weakening and movement of soil and rock surrounding the highway.

The problems aren’t new. By 2019, the north side of U.S. 27 on Taylor Ridge had again experienced significant movement. At the time, Georgia DOT said it was evaluating a permanent solution after a portion of the northbound roadway dropped several inches in a short period. Temporary paving, warning devices and lane restrictions were used while engineers studied a longer-lasting repair.

The state subsequently completed an earlier stabilization project. GDOT’s records show PI No. 0015412, described as slide stabilization on U.S. 27/SR 1 at Taylor Ridge, was awarded for approximately $1.59 million, with an April 2021 completion date.

The upcoming work is Phase II of the effort.

And GDOT considers the project significant from a transportation-resiliency standpoint. In the department’s Resilience Improvement Plan, the Taylor Ridge project received Class 3 ratings for criticality, vulnerability and risk and was placed in the plan’s first-priority category.

The scope and cost also illustrate that this isn’t simply another resurfacing job. GDOT’s current Statewide Transportation Improvement Program lists the total project cost at approximately $9.85 million, including about $8.75 million for construction, $500,000 for right-of-way and $100,000 for utilities. The project maintains the existing two-lane configuration rather than widening U.S. 27.

The project has now moved another major step toward construction. GDOT included PI 0015413 in its September 18, 2026 construction letting, identifying the U.S. 27 project in Chattooga County as approximately 0.208 mile long.

Taken together, the records show why so much work has been required at Taylor Ridge over the years: U.S. 27 crosses a steep mountainside with complex rock formations and documented groundwater movement, and portions of the highway have a history of settling and sliding. The Phase II project is designed as a slope repair rather than another temporary paving fix.

U.S. 27 over Taylor Ridge is one of Chattooga County’s most important transportation links, carrying traffic between Summerville and Rome and serving commuters, commercial vehicles and emergency traffic every day.

WZQZ News will continue following the project as Georgia DOT moves from bidding into construction and more information becomes available about the work schedule and traffic impacts.