Local

Demorest firefighter Mary Ellen Smith paints a hydrant on Saturday afternoon. SUBMITTED

Demorest firefighter Mary Ellen Smith paints a hydrant on Saturday afternoon. SUBMITTED

Demorest Fire looks to bolster its services

   Demorest Fire Department is undergoing a near total reboot, with many new personnel and a goal to upgrade the services the organization can provide.    Chief Dave Scheuerer is working on several initiatives to raise the level of the department.
Tallulah Falls’ Chris Waldron acknowledges the crowd after the Indians defeated Swainsboro in the quarterfinal round. LANG STOREY/Staff

Tallulah Falls’ Chris Waldron acknowledges the crowd after the Indians defeated Swainsboro in the quarterfinal round. LANG STOREY/Staff

Indians seek the ultimate prize

   Tallulah Falls’ magical run continued Friday when the Indians toppled Kings Ridge Christian in the state semis to advance to the championship series in Statesboro this weekend.    TFS took Game 1 8-7, then won Game 2 8-3.
Habersham Central’s Brad Chosewood has been one of the state’s best throwers for most of his high school career, and he culminated that success with a state championship. SUBMITTED

Habersham Central’s Brad Chosewood has been one of the state’s best throwers for most of his high school career, and he culminated that success with a state championship. SUBMITTED

Chosewood conquers Rome, wins state discus

   The GHSA state meet in Rome over the weekend pitted the best track and field athletes in Georgia against each other. There’s no bones about it – Habersham’s Brad Chosewood will go down a legend.
Tallulah Falls track athletes Ade Akisanya (left) and Sam Ketch take a minute to reflect during the state meet. SCOTT NEAL/Submitted

Tallulah Falls track athletes Ade Akisanya (left) and Sam Ketch take a minute to reflect during the state meet. SCOTT NEAL/Submitted

TFS fares well in state track meet

   Storms across the state wreaked havoc with all four state track & field championship meets, causing delays in three and a Thursday cancellation and a complete overall in Albany at the 3A/4A meet.
Luis Perez presents his thoughts on the new ordinance requiring mechanic shop owners to remove cars from their premises after 14 days to prevent public safety hazards.

Luis Perez presents his thoughts on the new ordinance requiring mechanic shop owners to remove cars from their premises after 14 days to prevent public safety hazards.

Cornelia looks to balance safety, business with car ordinance

   Traffic and car shops dominated the talk at Tuesday’s Cornelia City Commission meeting.    Most of Cornelia’s mechanic shop owners attended the public forum about the new ordinance to prevent an excessive number of cars from being parked near the roadway for longer than 14 days.
Susan Goss, left, and Yvonne Hefner, right are sisters who both teach special education at Baldwin Elementary School.

Susan Goss, left, and Yvonne Hefner, right are sisters who both teach special education at Baldwin Elementary School.

Sisters make special pair of educators

   In Yvonne Hefner’s 28 years of teaching, she’s taught students from pre-K all the way to seniors in college.    Hefner said when she graduated from Piedmont University with her degree in early childhood education nearly 30 years ago, it was tough to find a job in teaching.
Randy and Mackenzie Chester are shown with their nine children Rosie, Paloma, Kells, Remy, Heidi, Azalea, Rune, Haven and Ezra.

Randy and Mackenzie Chester are shown with their nine children Rosie, Paloma, Kells, Remy, Heidi, Azalea, Rune, Haven and Ezra.

Mom follows in footsteps with 9 children of her own

   When little Ezra was born 7 weeks ago, Mackenzie Chester saw her family life come full circle.    Chester was one of nine children, and now the Clarkesville mom has nine children of her own, ranging from newborn up to 16 years old.
A tree is down over power lines on Sunset Street in Clarkesville on Thursday morning.

A tree is down over power lines on Sunset Street in Clarkesville on Thursday morning.

Summer storm strikes Habersham early

   A powerful thunderstorm carrying Wednesday into Thursday morning knocked down trees, wiped out power and canceled school for Habersham County.    The storm featured plenty of lightning, wind and flash flooding – all the makings of a summer storm right at the cusp of the season.