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Brent Smith (left) holds the America 250 flag alongside Sons of the American Revolution Joseph Habersham Chapter member Dr. Ed Hendricks (middle) and Lyman Hall Chapter member David Lowden at the Mountain Laurel Festival Parade in Clarkesville. Smith tried to wear what he believed his grandfather would have worn in the war. (Submitted)

Brent Smith (left) holds the America 250 flag alongside Sons of the American Revolution Joseph Habersham Chapter member Dr. Ed Hendricks (middle) and Lyman Hall Chapter member David Lowden at the Mountain Laurel Festival Parade in Clarkesville. Smith tried to wear what he believed his grandfather would have worn in the war. (Submitted)

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Touching the past

News Staff
Friday, June 5, 2026
By Samantha SinclairIt started with the beat of a drum.Brent Smith never really thought much about his family’s tales of an ancestor who played drums in the war.Then, he visited the National Confederate Museum in Tennessee in 2021.
The signage to Donald Anderson Park still says that it will also be the home of Kinetic Amphitheater. Commissioners decided to terminate discussions with Kinetic after it was acquired by Uniti, another fiber internet company that would not pay the city the $30,000 five-year contractual donation for the naming rights to the amphitheater. (Hannah Caudell/Staff)

The signage to Donald Anderson Park still says that it will also be the home of Kinetic Amphitheater. Commissioners decided to terminate discussions with Kinetic after it was acquired by Uniti, another fiber internet company that would not pay the city the $30,000 five-year contractual donation for the naming rights to the amphitheater. (Hannah Caudell/Staff)

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Cornelia ends naming rights talks with Kinetic

News Staff
Friday, June 5, 2026
By Hannah CaudellCornelia’s new amphitheater no longer has a name.On Tuesday night, commissioners unanimously approved the termination of discussions the city had with Kinetic for naming rights to the amphitheater that’s being constructed in the city.
An empty park bench in Cornelia City Park sits unoccupied. It’s similar to the six benches commissioners approved Tuesday night for three city park playgrounds: Jim Smith Park, Cornelia City Park and Oak Street Park. (By Hannah Caudell)

An empty park bench in Cornelia City Park sits unoccupied. It’s similar to the six benches commissioners approved Tuesday night for three city park playgrounds: Jim Smith Park, Cornelia City Park and Oak Street Park. (By Hannah Caudell)

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New rules are set for Cornelia parks

News Staff
Friday, June 5, 2026
By Hannah Caudell and Landen ToddCornelia parks have some new rules as of Tuesday night.After tabling an item for the new park rules at the May 5 meeting, Cornelia City Commissioners unanimously approved a new set of rules that will apply to all city parks going forward.
Amber Watson of Smudged Academy practices dance moves in Donald Anderson Park where she and Sheila Humphrey will lead a 100 Years of Dance warm-up Saturday morning. (Samantha Sinclair/Staff)

Amber Watson of Smudged Academy practices dance moves in Donald Anderson Park where she and Sheila Humphrey will lead a 100 Years of Dance warm-up Saturday morning. (Samantha Sinclair/Staff)

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Let’s party

News Staff
Thursday, June 4, 2026
By Samantha SinclairCornelia is celebrating 100 years of the Big Red Apple all day Saturday, and one of the opening activities takes event goers through all the decades the monument has stood in Downtown Cornelia.
Baldwin City Manager Tiera Morrison (left) and Finance Director Angela Adams answer council’s questions regarding the city’s first Fiscal Year 2027 budget draft. (Hannah Caudell/Staff)

Baldwin City Manager Tiera Morrison (left) and Finance Director Angela Adams answer council’s questions regarding the city’s first Fiscal Year 2027 budget draft. (Hannah Caudell/Staff)

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City finds unaccounted expenses

News Staff
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
By Hannah CaudellStaff at Baldwin’s City Hall discovered some expenses were not budgeted in the city’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget.During Thursday’s meeting, Elam observed that the fire department’s budget had increased by roughly $168,000.
Baldwin Councilmen Joe Elam reviews preliminary budget numbers for the city. (Hannah Caudell/Staff)

Baldwin Councilmen Joe Elam reviews preliminary budget numbers for the city. (Hannah Caudell/Staff)

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Baldwin projects $300k budget deficit

News Staff
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
By Hannah CaudellWhile Baldwin’s preliminary budget numbers for Fiscal Year 2027 show the city could potentially have a $300,000 budget deficit, the budget draft also contemplated a property tax decrease of about $272,000 from last year.
Judge Brian Rickman and former Georgia Court of Appeals Staff Attorney Emma “Maggie” Hastings, who joined the firm in January, to lead the Cathey and Strain’s new appellate practice.

Judge Brian Rickman and former Georgia Court of Appeals Staff Attorney Emma “Maggie” Hastings, who joined the firm in January, to lead the Cathey and Strain’s new appellate practice.

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Rickman to retire, joining Cornelia firm

News Staff
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
By Samantha SinclairJudge Brian Rickman is retiring from the Georgia Court of Appeals and joining a Cornelia law firm. He announced the decision Monday, and he plans for his last day on the bench to be July 2, the end of the court’s current term.

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Ramey’s tradition lives on Monday

News Staff
Monday, June 1, 2026
By Samantha SinclairLandon Ramey had a big heart.“He was a caring child,” his mother, Jade, said. “He just loved animals.”In fact, between the ages of 5-10, he asked for pet food donations for the animal shelter instead of gifts for his birthday.
Clarkesville Councilman Brad Coppedge shows the challenges the debris pickup program faces during a presentation to council at its work session Tuesday night. (Samantha Sinclair/Staff)

Clarkesville Councilman Brad Coppedge shows the challenges the debris pickup program faces during a presentation to council at its work session Tuesday night. (Samantha Sinclair/Staff)

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Clarkesville looks at debris pickup options

News Staff
Friday, May 29, 2026
By Samantha SinclairTo help make a decision on how the city will move forward with debris pickup, the Clarkesville City Council is waiting to hear two numbers Monday night — the cost of adding two full-time employees and the cost of hiring a contractor to do the work.