Arrest Report - Saturday - May 4, 2024

Here is the latest arrest report from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office for Saturday, May 4, 2024:

Chieftains Museum Summer Speaker Series

Chieftains Museum/Major Ridge Home is proud to present the 2024 Summer Speaker Series. Lectures will focus on the Protestant missionary groups which featured prominently in the lives of the Ridge family.

The first of these lectures will be Thursday, May 9th at 7PM at Brookes Chapel on the Shorter University campus. This lecture, presented by Rev. Charles Jones of the Southern Baptist Convention, will tell the story of the Tinsawattee Baptist Mission to the Cherokee and the rediscovery of its location in the Dawson Forest WMA. Rev. Jones received a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX. For over forty years, he has been a minister with the Southern Baptist Convention and served pastorates in Ohio, Virginia, and Georgia. Charles has also been a historical researcher and writer with the Georgia Baptist State Mission Board. He has been a regular contributor and columnist for newspapers and magazines such as Georgia Backroads, The Christian Index, and the Athens Banner Herald. Additionally, Charles has been a researcher for major public television productions such as Finding Your Roots and the Georgia Public Broadcasting and Historic Rural Churches of Georgia co-produced series Saving Grace. His current research focuses on further uncovering the story of the Tinsawattee Baptist Mission as well as elucidating the history of Baptist stewardship, Baptist women and African-American Baptists.

To view the full schedule of lectures, visit the Chieftains Museum website at www.chieftainsmuseum.org/events. Each lecture is free and open to the public.

For more information about the Summer Speaker Series, visit www.chieftainsmuseum.org or call (762) 327-6124.

Road Work To Impact Visitors to Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center

Road work that will disrupt traffic on Turner McCall Boulevard for about a week will change how some drivers access Atrium Health Floyd Medical Center’s emergency room and Family Birth Center.

Because of utility relocation as part of the North Second Avenue widening project, Turner McCall Boulevard will be closed or limited to traffic from Martha Berry Boulevard to North Fifth Avenue, beginning Monday night, May 6, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. North Second Avenue runs beside the hospital along the Coosa River levee.

The nightly closures on Turner McCall Boulevard are expected to last about a week.

Ambulatory patients needing care at the Emergency Care Center and laboring mothers seeking to enter the Family Birth Center are encouraged to access those areas from North Second Avenue.

They can also access those areas from Keelway Drive, which runs by the hospital’s parking deck on the north side of Turner McCall Boulevard.

Department of Transportation officials will be working with utilities experts to move water lines that will be impacted by the widening project

Advent Health Hosting AngioScreen Bus

AdventHealth Redmond is hosting the AngioScreen bus on Monday, May 6 from 8 am to 3 pm. The AngioScreen bus will be parked in front of the main entrance of AdventHealth Redmond. An AngioScreen is a noninvasive, 10-minute vascular screening designed to assess your risk of heart disease and stroke.

This painless 10-minute assessment delivers immediate results at the time of screening. An AngioScreen includes carotid artery screening ultrasound looking for plaque (the leading cause of stroke), 5 lead EKG of the heart rhythm, ankle brachial indices and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening. If you have any of the following risk factors, you should consider scheduling an appointment today:

· Age 55 or above

· High blood pressure

· High cholesterol

· History of smoking

· Family history of stroke

· Diabetes

· Obesity

· Family history of heart attack

· A personal medical history of other cardiovascular issues

The screening is $85 per person and is HSA eligible. To register for this screening, visit https://bit.ly/3vTFXsB.

Georgia Surpasses 100,000 In Early Voting By Thursday Of This Week

On Thursday, Georgia voters broke the 100k mark in Early Voting and Absentee totals thanks to upgraded security procedures and voter experience improvements implemented since 2018. Georgia continues to seek the appropriate balance between election security and voter access, leading the way in several first-of-its-kind pilot projects and upgrades that serve to boost voter confidence and reduce the likelihood of errors while casting a ballot.

“Since 2018, I’ve made election security and user experience priority number one,” said Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. “From upgrading poll pads to implementing a new voter registration system, we’ve worked tirelessly to enhance voting up and down the line. Georgia voters can trust that their elected representatives are chosen only by American citizens, casting their votes on secure paper ballots.”

Under Secretary Raffensperger’s leadership, Georgia has implemented a series of transformative measures aimed at strengthening the integrity of our elections and boosting voter confidence. Cutting-edge upgrades to poll pads have streamlined the check-in process, cutting wait times and improving overall accuracy. The adoption of a new voter registration system, GARViS, has modernized voter registration procedures, enhancing security, accuracy, and reliability. To increase transparency, My Voter Page has undergone significant upgrades, allowing for voters to check the status of their vote the same day, in most cases. These upgrades, in support of Georgia’s requirement of short wait times on election day, serve to accomplish the goal of a positive experience for all Georgia voters. Additionally, Secretary Raffensperger’s launch of Election Data Hub marks a milestone in transparency, providing hourly turnout updates and invaluable insights to the public. And for voters who cast a ballot by mail, Georgians can now monitor their ballots throughout the entire process, significantly enhancing the likelihood of a successfully cast vote thanks to our partnership with BallotTrax.

“Voters will have a wonderful experience at the polls in 2024,” said Secretary Raffensperger. “In most cases they will be out in under two minutes, and have confidence in the process thanks to the hard work of election officials across Georgia.”

Alabama Fugitive From Justice Arrested In Chattooga County

Chattooga County Sheriffs deputies arrested a man after a traffic stop who had an outstanding warrant in Alabama.  According to a report this week from the sheriff’s office, two deputies were on patrol on Highway 27 in the Trion area near Scenic Hill Road when they clocked a vehicle doing 71 in a 55 mile per hour speed zone.  After performing a traffic stop, the deputies discovered that the driver’s license was suspended in January of this year for failure to appear in court.  Deputies arrested James Scott Edwards and while transporting him to the Chattooga County Jail, dispatch told the deputies that Alabama authorities wanted to place a hold on Edwards due to the fact that there was a warrant for his arrest to face charges of violation of a domestic violence protection order.  Edwards was charged with speeding, driving with suspended or revoked license and being a fugitive from justice and was booked into the Chattooga County Jail on April 23rd.

UGA Looks For Cicada Samples

Chattooga Schools Seek Maintenance Employee

The Chattooga Board of Education is seeking a maintenance worker to work full time Tuesday- Friday.  The position works 200 days of the year and has 8 paid holidays.  High school diploma or GED is required.  For more information about the position, contact Dawn Campbell at the Chattooga Board of Education at 706-859-3043.  You can read more about the job and requirements below:

Arrest Report - Friday - May 3, 2024

Here is the latest arrest report from the Chattooga County Sheriffs Office for Friday, May 3, 2024:

Gov. Kemp Signs Legislation Boosting Georgia's Top-Tier Workforce Talent

Yesterday, Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp, accompanied by First Lady Marty Kemp, members of the General Assembly, and state and local leaders, signed multiple pieces of legislation, including HB 982, that will provide a boost to Georgia’s diverse and top-tier workforce talent pool.

HB 982, sponsored by Representative Matthew Gambill, signed by Representatives Matt Dubnik, Chris Erwin, Chuck Martin, Soo Hong, and Farooq Mughal, and carried in the Senate by Senator Bo Hatchett, came as a result of work done by the Joint Study Committee on Dual Enrollment for Highly Skilled Talent at Younger Ages which was chaired by Sen. Matt Brass and Rep. Matt Dubnik, and directs the State Workforce Development Board to create the state’s high demand career list. With several existing lists across state government, this designated list will eliminate confusion among stakeholders, educators, and agencies.

“Every job creator who calls Georgia home and every prospective company looking to expand tells me that, along with our business-friendly environment and reliable infrastructure, it is our people that make Georgia special,” said Governor Brian Kemp. “I could not be prouder of the growth we are witnessing across the state and the amount of opportunity that is being created with it. But every new job created requires a hardworking Georgian to fill it, and thanks to our partners in the General Assembly, we are once again able to take forward-thinking action that keeps our state positioned as a model for the nation in developing our workforce for the jobs of today and the economy of tomorrow.”

Along with HB 982, Governor Kemp signed seven pieces of legislation included below:

HB 970, sponsored by Representative Robert Dickey, signed by Representatives David Knight, Chris Erwin, Katie Dempsey, Danny Mathis, and Bethany Ballard, and carried in the Senate by Senator Billy Hickman, changes the funding structure for the REACH scholarship so that now for each $10,000 scholarship, $9,000 will come from the state and $1,000 will come from the participating school system. The bill also adds victims of human trafficking as a qualified group for the scholarship.

SB 440, sponsored by Senator Matt Brass, signed by Senators Elena Parent, Clint Dixon, Gloria Butler, Rick Williams, and Freddie Powell Sims, carried in the House by Representative Matt Dubnik, and prioritized by Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, simplifies the accelerated career pathway and allows students engaged in that pathway to receive dual enrollment funding for more than 30 credit hours.

SB 497, sponsored by Senator Billy Hickman, signed by Senators John Albers, Jason Esteves, and Sonya Halpern, carried in the House by Representative Soo Hong, and prioritized by Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, increases the number of allowed apprenticeships under the High Demand Apprenticeship Program and directs TCSG to create a pilot Public Service Apprenticeship Program.

SB 384, sponsored by Senator Billy Hickman, signed by Senators John Albers, Sonya Halpern and Jason Esteves, carried in the House by Representative Lehman Franklin, and prioritized by Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, creates the State of Georgia as a Model Employer (GAME) Program. This program is intended to assist state agencies with the recruitment, hiring, and retention of qualified individuals with disabilities. Elements of the GAME program shall include, but not be limited to, the following: provision of training and technical assistance for state agency human resources personnel and hiring managers for the recruitment, hiring, advancement, and retention of qualified individuals with disabilities; assistance with the implementation plans of reasonable accommodations by state agencies under the ADA; and the development of evaluation forms and reports for the purpose of data collection and analysis relating to individuals with disabilities employed by state agencies.

SB 354, sponsored by Senator Larry Walker, signed by Senators Brian Strickland, Jason Anavitarte, Kay Kirkpatrick, Kim Jackson, and Steve Gooch, carried in the House by Representative Ginny Ehrhart, and prioritized by Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, removes the licensure requirement to provide the services of ‘blow-dry styling’, washing hair, or applying makeup. This will not apply to any services that change the color or structure of the hair, including cutting hair, applying dyes, bleaching, or use of chemicals.

SB 373, sponsored by Senator Larry Walker, signed by Senators Jason Anavitarte, Kay Kirkpatrick, Brian Strickland, Sonya Halpern, and Elena Parent, carried in the House by Representative Alan Powell, and prioritized by Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, requires the Board of Marriage and Family Therapists to issue an expedited license by endorsement to any individual moving from another state that has a current valid license to practice in that state and is in good standing with that state.

SB 195, sponsored by Senator Larry Walker, signed by Senators Kay Kirkpatrick, Frank Ginn, Ed Harbison, and Tony Anderson, carried in the House by Representative Bethany Ballard, and prioritized by Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, among other things, makes Georgia the 3rd state in the country to join the Social Work Licensing Compact. Once seven states have joined, the compact becomes functional and will facilitate interstate practice of social work services.

Governor Kemp extends his appreciation to all of those whose diligent work and efforts led to him being able to sign these bills today.

Mother's Day Scavenger Hunt At Paradise Garden

Mothers Day is right around the corner and Paradise Garden has a special event planned for Mothers Day weekend, Friday, May 10th – Sunday May 12th. Paradise Garden is filled with imagery reminiscent of motherhood – from images of Rev. Howard Finster’s wife, Pauline, and his family; to religious images of motherhood; and motherhood as seen in nature. This Mother’s Day weekend, the Paradise Garden Foundation invites you to bring your mothers and mother figures to Paradise Garden for a new Mother’s Day-themed scavenger hunt designed by Mary Shewan, Curatorial & Archival Fellow. Scavenger hunt is included in admission.  Chattooga County residents admission is FREE.

Mental Health Awareness Month Chattooga Chamber Luncheon

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and the Chattooga County Chamber of Commerce will be featuring Heather Roesner, a mental health clinician, as the featured speaker for their May luncheon that will be held on May 28th at Noon at the Chattooga County Civic Center on Highway 48 in Summerville.  Roesner has been with Lookout Mountain Community Services, now Bridge Health, since 2006.  She graduated from Lee University in Cleveland, TN with a masters in counseling psychology.  The chamber says that the meeting will be a great opportunity to have a meal and network with others and learn how we can all work together to have the biggest impact on Chattooga County.  Reservations are appreciated.  You can reserve your seat HERE

Chattooga County Rabies Clinic May 18

The Chattooga County Health Department, Chattooga County Extension Office and Summerville Veterinary Clinic will sponsor a low-cost rabies clinic on May 18th.  The event will be held at Chattooga High School from 9 AM until 5 PM . The cost for dogs and cats to be vaccinated will be $10.  Those attending should use the entrance off Highway 100 to access the rabies clinic at Chattooga High School.

Georgia's Ocmulgee Mounds Proposed As National Park

Georgia’s congressional delegation introduced legislation Wednesday to protect some of the ancestral lands of the Muscogee tribe as a national park and preserve.

The proposed Ocmulgee Mounds Park and Preserve would be Georgia’s first national park. The area along the Ocmulgee River downstream from Macon in central Georgia includes mounds and other cultural or historic sites of significance to the Muscogee. About 700 acres (283 hectares) surrounding seven mounds have been federally protected since 1936.

The proposed park and preserve would include many more miles (kilometers) of land along the river, much of it already under some level of government protection, and add cultural and historical interpretation in consultation with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, whose people were forcibly removed to Oklahoma roughly 200 years ago. It would be the first national park co-managed by a removed tribe.

GNTC Instructor First Runner Up For TCSG Instructor Of The Year

Deanna Hulsey, instructor of Cosmetology at Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) has been named the First Runner-Up for the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) 2024 Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year.

Hulsey was named one of nine regional winners on Tuesday, April 30, at the GOAL and Rick Perkins State Conference in Atlanta. She competed against other regional winners from across Georgia on Wednesday, May 1, at the GOAL and Rick Perkins State Conference in Atlanta where she was named the First Runner-Up.

“We are very proud of Deanna’s representation of GNTC and commitment to technical education,” said Dr. Heidi Popham, GNTC president. “She is focused on student success, and her passion is reflective of the quality of our faculty.”

The Rick Perkins Award honors the TCSG’s most outstanding instructors. The award has been an ongoing statewide event since 1991 and recognizes technical college instructors who make significant contributions to technical education through innovation and leadership in their fields.

As the First Runner-Up should the state winner not be able to fulfill their duties, Hulsey would step in and serve as an ambassador for technical education in Georgia during a number of system and college functions throughout the year, including addressing both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly.

Hulsey, a Rome resident, is a Georgia Licensed Master Cosmetologist. She received her diploma in Cosmetology from GNTC in 2011 and has been an instructor at GNTC since 2014. She has taught Dual Enrollment high school students and adult students.

Hulsey said she left high school after becoming pregnant and received her GED® diploma at GNTC. After enduring years of abuse by her children’s father and a harrowing incident when he held them hostage, she fled with her two daughters and never returned.

Feeling grateful to have survived when many domestic violence victims do not, she decided to return to GNTC to study Cosmetology.

“I wanted to do work that would bring me joy and give others joy as well,” she said.

She loved Cosmetology, took her state board exam immediately after graduating and went to work in a salon, she said.

“Technical education opened doors for me that made my dreams obtainable in my situation,” Hulsey said. “Getting an education made me feel worthy again and showed me how to not just survive, as I had for so many years, but how to truly live.”

Hulsey said she looked to her own single-mother for inspiration, explaining that “she taught us that perseverance opens doors that circumstances cannot.” She hopes her story can also inspire others.

“I teach because I want my students to feel worthy and to know that regardless of what their past looks like, they are valued and have a purpose—that it does get better,” she said. “I want them to know someone cares about them and wants them to have the future they have always dreamed of and to know that the goal is not survival, it’s building a life that brings you joy.”

Hulsey has been active in her community, including assisting victims of domestic abuse to obtain protective orders if they did not have an advocate and needed help, she said. She has also supported Penfield Addiction Ministries to sponsor recovering addicts who cannot afford rehabilitation costs.

Hulsey has sponsored children for Christmas through the Rome branch of the Salvation Army. She has also sponsored a single-parent family every Christmas, most recently raising more than $3,000 to assist a family without a vehicle to purchase one.

Hulsey has also donated her hair and makeup services, as well as salon products, for various fundraisers in the community.

The most recent state winners to represent GNTC were 2019 Rick Perkins Award winner Leyner Argueta, program director of Business Management, and 2013 winner Troy Peco, a former GNTC faculty member who served as assistant dean of Industrial Technologies, program director and instructor of Automotive Technology. Salvador Gonzalez, program director and instructor of Diesel Equipment Technology at GNTC, was named the First Runner-Up for the 2023 Rick Perkins Instructor of the Year.

Georgia DOT: Turner McCall Blvd. In Rome Closed Monday

WHAT: Weather permitting, crews will be constructing a water line along Turner McCall Blvd beginning on Monday, May 6. The project should take about four nights, but the roadway will be closed in that area all week.

Woman Caught Concealing Items In Pocketbook At Walmart

A forty-three-year-old Chattooga County woman was arrested at Walmart in Trion after loss prevention employees accused her of hiding items in a pocketbook and attempting to leave the store without paying. 

A responding deputy was shown surveillance video of the woman with a purse she picked up off the shelf at Walmart and then stuffed the pocketbook with several items.  Once at the checkout line, the woman paid for items in her buggy, but not the purse or the items in it.  When confronted by Walmart employees, the woman at first handed the pocketbook and its contents over to the employees and then grabbed a Hershey’s chocolate bar and stuffed it in her shorts and tried to flee the scene.

Once she made it out of the store, the woman reportedly flung the chocolate bar in the field close to the store.  Employees caught up with the woman and escorted her back inside the store.

Selena Elizabeth Cagle was arrested and charged with theft by shoplifting and was permanently banned from Walmart in Trion.

Arrest Report - Thursday - May 2, 2024

Here is the latest arrest report from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office for Thursday, May 2, 2024:

Today Is National Day Of Prayer - Local Observance To Be Held

The National Day of Prayer is being held nationwide today.  It is a tradition that was established by President Harry S. Truman in 1952.  President Harry S. Truman proclaimed a National Day of Prayer to be observed on July 4, 1952. Each year since that date, Americans have observed the day in their own way. The observance moved to the first Thursday in May by President Ronald Reagan and has been proclaimed each year since.

In Chattooga County, there will be a National Day of Prayer Program held on East Washington Street this evening at 7 PM.  The City of Summerville will be closing down East Washington Street to through traffic for the observance.

Phil Menter, pastor of Harvest Worship Center in Trion is the chairman of this year’s event and told WZQZ News that there will be a short program this evening and prayer teams will be available to pray with attendees.  It is advised that you bring a chair with you.

You can read President Biden’s National Day of Prayer proclamation below:

On this National Day of Prayer, we recognize the power of prayer to strengthen our spirits, draw us together, and create hope for a better tomorrow.

The right to practice our faiths freely and openly is enshrined in the Constitution and remains at the core of our American spirit.  For centuries, Americans of every religion and background have come together to lift up one another and our Nation in prayer.  Throughout America’s history, faith and prayer have helped fuel some of the greatest moral missions of our time — from the abolition of slavery to the fight for voting rights and the Civil Rights Movement.  Many of our Nation’s greatest leaders have been motivated by faith to push all of us toward a more perfect Union and to bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice.

Prayer is also deeply personal:  For the First Lady and me, and so many across this Nation, prayer has helped us find solace during tough times and stay grounded in good ones.  Prayer has helped the bravest among us — including our Nation’s service members and their caregivers, survivors, and families  – summon the courage to make great sacrifices for our democracy.  It has guided the hands of medical professionals, who heal our loved ones, and steeled the nerves of our first responders, who put everything on the line to keep the rest of us safe.  We will never know the full impact of prayer on our Nation or the world, but we remain confident that it makes a profound difference each and every day.

Scripture tells us to rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and be constant in prayer.  This year, my prayer for our Nation is that we keep faith that our best days are ahead of us and continue to believe in honesty, decency, dignity, and respect.  May we see each other not as enemies but as fellow human beings, each made in the image of God and each precious in His sight.  May we leave no one behind, give everyone a fair shot, and give hate no safe harbor.  May we remember that nothing is beyond our capacity if we act together.

The Congress, by Public Law 100-307, as amended, has called on the President to issue each year a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a “National Day of Prayer.”

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2, 2024, as a National Day of Prayer.  I call upon the citizens of our Nation to give thanks, in accordance with their own faith and conscience, for our many freedoms and blessings, and I invite all people of faith to join me in asking for God’s continued guidance, mercy, and protection.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
first day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.