Local

Honor Guard members Ed Hendricks, Rick Chaffin and Gary Cantwell salute as Danny Stephens plays the bugle. (Zach Taylor/Staff)

Honor Guard members Ed Hendricks, Rick Chaffin and Gary Cantwell salute as Danny Stephens plays the bugle. (Zach Taylor/Staff)

County honors Purple Heart recipients

By Zach Taylor More than 100 people attended Habersham County’s inaugural Purple Heart Day ceremony to honor veterans who had received the nation’s oldest military award.  “The turnout was just fantastic. I mean it was really, really great.
Kav Stapleton is his family and Troop 5’s newest Eagle Scout. (Submitted)

Kav Stapleton is his family and Troop 5’s newest Eagle Scout. (Submitted)

Stapleton builds leadership, libraries as Eagle

By Samantha Sinclair Even when he didn’t fully know what it meant, becoming an Eagle Scout was always a goal for Kav Stapleton. It’s just something Stapletons do, from what he understood. His father, Keith, and his brothers were all Eagle Scouts, just like their father.

Habersham ready to set tax rate

By Samantha Sinclair After weeks of waiting, Habersham County finally has its tax digest and can set its millage rate to determine property taxes. The county plans to approve the full rollback rate of 11.272 at the Habersham County Board of Commissioners meeting Aug. 18.
Plans from Cook Communities show proposed townhome, apartment and commercial sites on the 36.84-acre property on Level Grove Road. (Submitted)

Plans from Cook Communities show proposed townhome, apartment and commercial sites on the 36.84-acre property on Level Grove Road. (Submitted)

Level Grove PUD gets OK

By Donald Fraser Two Planned Unit Development (PUD) requests that may open the door to increased mixed-use housing were near the top of the Cornelia City Commission’s meeting agenda at Tuesday’s regular commission meeting.
Demorest Elementary’s newest school resource officer (SRO), Joe Chastain, looks at classes with Rosemary Couch at the school’s open house on Wednesday. Chastain begins his first day of SRO duties today under the direction of Demorest Assistant Chief of Police James Minutello. (Zach Taylor/Staff)

Demorest Elementary’s newest school resource officer (SRO), Joe Chastain, looks at classes with Rosemary Couch at the school’s open house on Wednesday. Chastain begins his first day of SRO duties today under the direction of Demorest Assistant Chief of Police James Minutello. (Zach Taylor/Staff)

First day

By Hannah Caudell "You can’t just put anyone in the school. You have to have the right person.”
Paul Jason York

Paul Jason York

Attorney charged with forgery, fraud

By Hannah Caudell A Cornelia attorney found himself in hot water again after being arrested by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) on Aug. 4 for 18 total charges, including first-degree forgery and identity fraud.
Mt. Airy’s town council may vote to approve an annexation of property at 705 Chase Road for a small subdivision project led by Alan Baker, owner of Headwaters Realty in Clarkesville. Nine acres of the property currently reside on county land, and Baker has expressed a want to annex into the town’s limits to provide housing that Mayor Ray McAllister and council feel may be a good addition to Mt. Airy.

Mt. Airy’s town council may vote to approve an annexation of property at 705 Chase Road for a small subdivision project led by Alan Baker, owner of Headwaters Realty in Clarkesville. Nine acres of the property currently reside on county land, and Baker has expressed a want to annex into the town’s limits to provide housing that Mayor Ray McAllister and council feel may be a good addition to Mt. Airy.

‘A great addition to Mt. Airy’

By Hannah Caudell New property may be annexed into Mt. Airy for a small subdivision project in the coming months.
As of Aug. 1, Scott Schuler is the new president of the Soque River Watershed Association. Schuler will serve a typical three-year term, and plans to focus the nonprofit’s efforts on community outreach and education while collaborating with individuals, businesses, and city and county government officials to ensure the watershed’s health. (Hannah Caudell/Staff)

As of Aug. 1, Scott Schuler is the new president of the Soque River Watershed Association. Schuler will serve a typical three-year term, and plans to focus the nonprofit’s efforts on community outreach and education while collaborating with individuals, businesses, and city and county government officials to ensure the watershed’s health. (Hannah Caudell/Staff)

Conservation with community

By Hannah Caudell What started out as a quest for a good map of Habersham County in January ended up becoming a calling of sorts for Scott Schuler. He has been called a visionary by former Soque River Watershed Association (SRWA) president Brad Coppedge.
Ga. 365 was closed in both directions as a suspicious item found at a Circle K was investigated.

Ga. 365 was closed in both directions as a suspicious item found at a Circle K was investigated.

Suspicious package shuts down highway

By Hannah Caudell A two-hour investigation on Monday afternoon ended in sighs of relief when a suspicious item found at Circle K in Alto turned out to be an oxygen sensor.
Property owners are asked to focus on the “Net Taxable Value” column on their property tax assessment notice. Those with a homestead exemption will see it marked in the top right corner as in example 1, and those who live within city limits will see a third taxing authority, as in example 2.

Property owners are asked to focus on the “Net Taxable Value” column on their property tax assessment notice. Those with a homestead exemption will see it marked in the top right corner as in example 1, and those who live within city limits will see a third taxing authority, as in example 2.

Property owners get tax notices, welcome to appeal

By Samantha Sinclair Property tax assessment notices were mailed out July 25, and property owners have until Sept. 9 to ask questions and file an appeal with the tax commissioner’s office.