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Michelle Wilbanks (left) and Administrative Assistant Kelly Duncan work on a project together at Fairview Elementary. AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ/Staff

Michelle Wilbanks (left) and Administrative Assistant Kelly Duncan work on a project together at Fairview Elementary. AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ/Staff

Lifetime Fairview educator finally gets her chance to lead

When Fairview Elementary School assistant principal Michelle Wilbanks was a child, she knew she wanted to be a teacher and serve her community in Habersham County.

Missing husband sought

Danielle McMillan just wants her husband to get help, wherever he is. Shaun Michael McMillan left his Clarkesville home March 28 and has not returned. He left behind his wife and four children, and he has not responded to her pleas for him to come home.

Johnson ‘thought he would be arrested’

Habersham County Chief Magistrate Judge Gerald Johnson was officially charged by the Judicial Qualifications Commission (JQC) with four ethics violations in the wake of the domestic incident he was involved in on Oct. 18, 2021.
Kyle and Caroline Lewallen of Clarkesville brought their 18-month-old son, Kemper, to take his picture with the Easter Bunny at Mauldin House  Garden on Saturday morning. AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ/Staff

Kyle and Caroline Lewallen of Clarkesville brought their 18-month-old son, Kemper, to take his picture with the Easter Bunny at Mauldin House Garden on Saturday morning. AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ/Staff

Family Resource Center

Family Resource Center

Child abuse, neglect a growing problem

The state of Georgia ranked 38th in the nation for child well-being in 2020, according to statistics from Prevent Child Abuse Georgia. That was at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Troopers stay busy with chase, crashes

It was a busy week for Georgia State Troopers, who chased down a fugitive Friday night before dealing with two major crashes on Highway 365 in a 48-hour span. On Friday night, a Trooper initiated a traffic stop on a silver Hyundai Sonata driven by Michael Hoitink, 33, of Lula.

Principal picks get approval

New principals have been confirmed for three schools in the Habersham County Schools district beginning next school year by the Board of Education during their monthly meeting Monday night.
Future West Point cadet Smith Caudell takes a moment to take in the natural beauty of upstate New York with his parents, Judge Chan Caudell and Tammy Caudell. TAMMY CAUDELL/Submitted

Future West Point cadet Smith Caudell takes a moment to take in the natural beauty of upstate New York with his parents, Judge Chan Caudell and Tammy Caudell. TAMMY CAUDELL/Submitted

Future of the Long Gray Line

Some young people shy away from hard work and discipline, but Smith Caudell is cut from a different cloth – a gray one, if you will. The soon-to-be Habersham Central graduate will have one month after turning that tassel to adjust to another title as a cadet in the U.S. Military Academy.