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The Mountain Laurel Festival kicks off with the Lion’s Club Parade on Saturday, May 17 with marchers and floats, like last year’s Volunteers for Literacy float escorting thousands of rubber ducks through downtown Clarkesville. File

The Mountain Laurel Festival kicks off with the Lion’s Club Parade on Saturday, May 17 with marchers and floats, like last year’s Volunteers for Literacy float escorting thousands of rubber ducks through downtown Clarkesville. File

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Festival, duck race set for next weekend

Samantha Sinclair
Friday, May 9, 2025
   The longest-running festival in the area will fill downtown Clarkesville with family fun on Saturday, May 17.    The 63rd annual Mountain Laurel Festival begins at 9 a.m. with the Lion’s Club Parade.
Habersham Central basketball stars and All-Regions pick Judge and Paris Wilbanks play cornhole at Crown Athletics’ grand opening ceremony on Saturday. ZACH TAYLOR/Staff

Habersham Central basketball stars and All-Regions pick Judge and Paris Wilbanks play cornhole at Crown Athletics’ grand opening ceremony on Saturday. ZACH TAYLOR/Staff

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Destined to be

Zach Taylor
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
   A merger between two athletic facilities solidified its home in one of Cornelia’s historic buildings this past Saturday.
Dog waste bins are scattered around the Soque Greenway Trail, a solution that might prove useful in the downtown Clarkesville area. ZACH TAYLOR/Staff

Dog waste bins are scattered around the Soque Greenway Trail, a solution that might prove useful in the downtown Clarkesville area. ZACH TAYLOR/Staff

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Clarkesville council adopts new laws

Samantha Sinclair
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
   Pet owners will now need to keep their dogs on a leash in the city of Clarkesville.    Leash requirements were among the four new ordinances passed by the Clarkesville City Council during their regular meeting Monday night.
Photo by Kimberly Farmer on Unsplash.

Photo by Kimberly Farmer on Unsplash.

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Mt. Airy OKs $500 for public libraries

News Staff
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
By Hannah Caudell      After a month of consideration, the Mt. Airy Town Council decided not to approve the funding request from Habersham County’s libraries during Monday night’s meeting, but the council also decided that they couldn’t leave the libraries empty-handed.
Habersham County School System Chief Financial Officer Staci Newsome details the new numbers of the projected FY 26 budget, which now includes unofficial numbers for sums like QBE and equalization funding. The system is still waiting on official tax digest numbers from the county before final budget decisions can be made. HANNAH CAUDELL/Staff

Habersham County School System Chief Financial Officer Staci Newsome details the new numbers of the projected FY 26 budget, which now includes unofficial numbers for sums like QBE and equalization funding. The system is still waiting on official tax digest numbers from the county before final budget decisions can be made. HANNAH CAUDELL/Staff

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School budget gets real numbers

News Staff
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
By Hannah Caudell      The Habersham County Board of Education held its second public hearing on Monday for its Fiscal Year 2026 budget.
DAV Chapter 15 Commander Amanda Doughty stands next to the KIA/MIA Monument in Clarkesville, a project that she hopes will be one of the larger successes of her tenure serving as DAV Chapter 15 Commander. ZACH TAYLOR/Staff

DAV Chapter 15 Commander Amanda Doughty stands next to the KIA/MIA Monument in Clarkesville, a project that she hopes will be one of the larger successes of her tenure serving as DAV Chapter 15 Commander. ZACH TAYLOR/Staff

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Getting things done

Zach Taylor
Friday, May 2, 2025
   Amanda Doughty is no stranger to getting things done.    After serving seven years in the U.S. Coast Guard, being a small business owner in two cities, and raising a family, she is now undertaking the task of commanding the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 15.
Rep. Victor Anderson explains how he and Sen. Bo Hatchett and Rep. Chris Erwin work together as a team during the Post-Legislative Breakfast panel discussion as Nancy Palmer of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce listens. Samantha Sinclair/Staff

Rep. Victor Anderson explains how he and Sen. Bo Hatchett and Rep. Chris Erwin work together as a team during the Post-Legislative Breakfast panel discussion as Nancy Palmer of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce listens. Samantha Sinclair/Staff

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Lawmakers discuss bills at breakfast

Samantha Sinclair
Friday, May 2, 2025
   Local leaders got to learn more about tort reform, school safety and tariffs over breakfast Wednesday morning.    The Habersham Chamber of Commerce and Partnership Habersham hosted their annual Post-Legislative Breakfast with a panel discussion featuring state Sen. Bo Hatchett, state Rep.
Habersham County deputies, GBI Bomb Squad and Habersham County Fire and Med units were on scene at a residence in Fairview after a cannonball involving black powder was reported to have not been inert. ZACH TAYLOR/Staff

Habersham County deputies, GBI Bomb Squad and Habersham County Fire and Med units were on scene at a residence in Fairview after a cannonball involving black powder was reported to have not been inert. ZACH TAYLOR/Staff

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Live cannonball found, safely detonated

Zach Taylor
Friday, May 2, 2025
   At approximately 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, a resident in Fairview, on Wheeler Road, decided to call local authorities regarding a Civil War-era cannonball that they suspected was not inert.    Arriving on the scene, Habersham County deputies, along with bomb sniffing K-9 Roxy and handler Lt.
Woodville Elementary School is currently under construction by Carroll Daniel construction, who are working on the various projects at night right now and will continue until the last day of school on May 23. Renovations to the building are expected to be complete before students return to school on August 8, 2025. HANNAH CAUDELL/Staff

Woodville Elementary School is currently under construction by Carroll Daniel construction, who are working on the various projects at night right now and will continue until the last day of school on May 23. Renovations to the building are expected to be complete before students return to school on August 8, 2025. HANNAH CAUDELL/Staff

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Woodville Elementary begins construction for Summer 2025 projects

News Staff
Friday, May 2, 2025
By Hannah Caudell      Woodville and Hazel Grove Elementary Schools may look a little different when students return to school in August.    The schools are slated for major construction projects during the summer, with a bulk of the construction happening at Woodville.
Scott Raven does his famous rendition of ‘I’m All Shook Up’ by Elvis Presley, while other Dream Weavers in slicked-back hair and poodle skirts dance in the background to kick off the Dream Weavers 25 year celebration. HANNAH CAUDELL/Staff

Scott Raven does his famous rendition of ‘I’m All Shook Up’ by Elvis Presley, while other Dream Weavers in slicked-back hair and poodle skirts dance in the background to kick off the Dream Weavers 25 year celebration. HANNAH CAUDELL/Staff

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Never stop caring

News Staff
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
By Hannah Caudell      The light from the multi-colored stained glass window shone on the makeshift dance floor of the idyllic barn, where the Dream Weavers had gathered to celebrate 25 years of self-advocacy and community service.