Local

Mold and water damage tears through paint on the third floor. ZACH TAYLOR/Staff

Mold and water damage tears through paint on the third floor. ZACH TAYLOR/Staff

Days winding down for old courthouse

   Things are moving along at the old courthouse in downtown Clarkesville.    There’s no date set for the demolition by the county, as agreed upon as part of the sale of the property to the city, but the county has started the environmental preparations.
Baldwin City Councilman Maarten Venter asks some questions about the vacuum truck that the council is considering for purchase. Ultimately, the council decided to table the decision until they could further review their options. HANNAH CAUDELL/Staff

Baldwin City Councilman Maarten Venter asks some questions about the vacuum truck that the council is considering for purchase. Ultimately, the council decided to table the decision until they could further review their options. HANNAH CAUDELL/Staff

Baldwin OKs two paving projects

By Hannah Caudell      Baldwin city council members approved two paving projects to go out to bid during Monday night’s regular meeting, as well as a backhoe repairs expense.
United Way Board Chairwoman Michelle Blackburn (left) stands with United Way President Candice Holcomb after the annual meeting last week. ZACH TAYLOR/Staff

United Way Board Chairwoman Michelle Blackburn (left) stands with United Way President Candice Holcomb after the annual meeting last week. ZACH TAYLOR/Staff

Habersham United Way gets new chair

   The Habersham County United Way branch of the Georgia Foothills United Way recently got a new board chairwoman who is excited about the new role.    “I am always excited about new opportunities to serve,” United Way Board Chair Michelle Blackburn said.
Mateo Mateo-Diego gets into the Lion Pride spirit while a volunteer paints his face to resemble the cat’s signature mane. HANNAH CAUDELL/Staff

Mateo Mateo-Diego gets into the Lion Pride spirit while a volunteer paints his face to resemble the cat’s signature mane. HANNAH CAUDELL/Staff

PAL around

By Hannah Caudell      Piedmont University celebrated a decade-old tradition on Thursday with the Piedmont Athletic Lions (PAL) Games, a sporting event benefiting elementary school students with special needs in the county.
Habersham EMC Human Resources Director Gail Welborn accepts the Live United Award for HEMC from United Way President Candice Holcomb. ZACH TAYLOR/Staff

Habersham EMC Human Resources Director Gail Welborn accepts the Live United Award for HEMC from United Way President Candice Holcomb. ZACH TAYLOR/Staff

United Way gets new name

   Habersham United Way hosted its annual meeting at North Georgia Technical College on Thursday, and a host of new things came with the meeting.    Among those is a new name – Georgia Foothills United Way.
Piedmont nursing student Gracie Martin puts pressure on a gunshot wound during the disaster drill. Nursing students got a firsthand look at what a chaotic scene in the real world could look like. ZACH TAYLOR/Staff

Piedmont nursing student Gracie Martin puts pressure on a gunshot wound during the disaster drill. Nursing students got a firsthand look at what a chaotic scene in the real world could look like. ZACH TAYLOR/Staff

Training for disaster

By Hannah Caudell      Piedmont’s Loudermilk Field was a sight to behold on Wednesday morning as a fleet of police and emergency medical services (EMS) vehicles drove in with sirens blaring.    The scene suggested chaos.
Photo by Scott Rodgerson on Unsplash

Photo by Scott Rodgerson on Unsplash

Man charged with vehicular homicide

   A Clarkesville man was charged with vehicular homicide after allegedly causing a five-car pileup that injured four and killed one in Hall County earlier in the month.    At 2 p.m.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Building the workforce

By Hannah Caudell      It’s clear that local leadership in Habersham County has a certain goal in mind when it comes to the county’s workforce: employ more county residents within the county’s border.
Habersham Central Band Director Jacob Weinstein waits for the performance evaluators to make their comments before proceeding with the practice performance. HANNAH CAUDELL/Staff

Habersham Central Band Director Jacob Weinstein waits for the performance evaluators to make their comments before proceeding with the practice performance. HANNAH CAUDELL/Staff

Pencils down

By Hannah Caudell      The Habersham Central Music Program earned superior ratings across the board at this year’s Large Group Performance Evaluation (LGPE) events, including the symphonic band, the wind ensemble, the Habersham Voices, and the Habersham Singers.
Roger Greene is the sole citizen commentator for the public hearing concerning the financing for the animal shelter during Monday night’s county commission meeting. Greene expressed concern about tax allocation toward the project, but commissioners assured him that property taxes would not be used in the financing of the project. SPLOST monies will be allocated toward funding the project instead. HANNAH CAUDELL/Staff

Roger Greene is the sole citizen commentator for the public hearing concerning the financing for the animal shelter during Monday night’s county commission meeting. Greene expressed concern about tax allocation toward the project, but commissioners assured him that property taxes would not be used in the financing of the project. SPLOST monies will be allocated toward funding the project instead. HANNAH CAUDELL/Staff

County awards financing for animal control facility

By Hannah Caudell      The Habersham Board of County Commissioners have finally approved a financing bid from PNC Bank for the funding of the new animal control facility, while designating Chairman Jimmy Tench to execute any necessary documents related to the financing of the acquisition,...