Local News and Weather

From left to right: Jacob Holm, Hannah Long, Kiani Holden, Jill Thompson, Katherine DeVane. Photo: Habersham County Habersham County has received national recognition for its financial reporting for the ninth consecutive year. The Government Finance Officers Association awarded the county its Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for Habersham County’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2025. The award re

By: Rep. Victor Anderson Georgia State Representative Victor Anderson Photo: submitted For many homeowners in Northeast Georgia, one of the most noticeable increases in the cost of living has arrived in the mailbox in the form of a property tax bill. Georgia has spent considerable time over the past several years looking for ways to provide property tax relief. But there is another side to that discussion: counties, cities and school systems still have to pay for law enforcem

By: Nora Almazan Mac Koon, Public Works Director. Photo: Habersham County Habersham County has named Mac Koon as its new Public Works Director, promoting him to the position after he most recently served as interim director. Koon joined Habersham County in December 2024 as Assistant Public Works Director. He brings more than 18 years of public service experience to the position, including military service and work with the U.S. Department of Defense. As Public Works Director,

By: Nora Almazan One of Cornelia’s favorite fall traditions returns this weekend as the Big Red Apple Festival takes over downtown Saturday, Sept. 26. The 38th Annual Big Red Apple Festival will be held from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., bringing a full day of food, arts and crafts, vendors and entertainment to downtown Cornelia. The annual festival has become a fall tradition for families across Habersham County and Northeast Georgia, offering visitors a chance to spend the day down

By: Nora Almazan The Habersham County Board of Commissioners will meet Monday evening with fire protection, airport planning, recreation improvements and animal control services among the issues scheduled for consideration. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. Sept. 21 in the Jury Assembly Room of the Habersham County Courthouse, located at 295 Llewellyn Street in Clarkesville. Among the items under new business, commissioners will consider an automatic aid agreement with the City of

Habersham County has secured $2.5 million in federal funding toward construction of a new Emergency Operations Center that will bring the county’s emergency management and 911 operations together under one roof. The funding was awarded through the Fiscal Year 2026 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, which has now been signed into law. The federal money will be combined with funding already designated for the project through the county’s Special Purpose Local Option Sales T

Habersham County residents will have several opportunities over the next several weeks to learn more about a proposed new sales tax designed to reduce county and municipal property tax millage rates. County representatives are taking information about the Property Tax Reduction Local Option Sales Tax, or PTRLOST, to community events, civic organizations, municipal meetings and two upcoming town halls as voters prepare to decide the issue in November. PTRLOST, also called the

For some military families, war did not end when the fighting stopped. There was no homecoming. No final goodbye. And, for some, there were questions that continued for years or even generations. On Friday evening, the Northeast Georgia community will have an opportunity to remember those families and the American service members who were prisoners of war or never returned home. The Grant-Reeves Veterans Honor Guard will host a POW/MIA Remembrance Day ceremony at 6 p.m. Frida

Fall planting season is approaching, and North Georgia Technical College is giving area gardeners an opportunity to add something new to their landscapes while supporting students at the same time. The NGTC Horticulture Plant Sale will be held September 28 through October 1 at the college’s Clarkesville campus. The four-day sale will be open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. each day and will feature a variety of plants suitable for home gardens and landscapes. Shoppers can expect to

An afternoon of professional choral music is coming to Demorest as Lux, Northeast Georgia’s professional treble choir, takes the stage at Piedmont University. The ensemble will present “The Shape of Time” on Sunday, October 4, at 3 p.m. in the Piedmont University Chapel. The concert is free and open to the community. Rather than simply presenting a collection of choral works, the program will explore the different ways people experience time—from memories of the past and anti

By: Nora Almazan There are moments that divide life into before and after. For Cooper Boydstun and his family, that moment came at their home in Macon, during something Cooper had done countless times before. He dove into the family swimming pool. This time, however, the water level was lower than usual. With floats covering portions of the pool, Cooper misjudged the depth. In an instant, the husband and father of two suffered a devastating C6 fracture in his neck. Cooper cou

For seven days this September, Christians across denominations, communities and national borders are joining together with one common purpose: prayer. The Global Week of 24-7 Prayer is underway September 6–13, with organizers seeking to create an unbroken chain of prayer spanning nations around the world. Organized by the international 24-7 Prayer movement, the initiative encourages churches, groups and individuals to establish prayer rooms where participants sign up for diff