Nick Raptis celebrates his birthday with friends and family at the White County Senior Center. The World War II veteran turned 100 years old on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024. (WRWH.com)
Few people in this world become centenarians. Nick Raptis is one of them. The World War II veteran celebrated his 100th birthday at the White County Senior Center in Cleveland, Georgia, on Friday. He turned 100 years old Sunday.
Raptis was born on January 21, 1924, in Chicago, Illinois. When Nick was a young boy, he and his family moved to Georgia to be with his mother’s family, and he has considered Georgia home ever since. Nick served as a communications officer in the Second World War and the Korean War. He graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in electrical engineering.
Nick has raised six children of his own and helped raise two of his sisters-in-law’s children.
Nick Raptis (photo courtesy WRWH.com)
Barbara Overton, director of the White County Senior Center, said Nick has been attending the center for 11 years. When asked what keeps him coming back, he said, “The people.”
Nick can be found at the Senior Center most Thursdays playing Rummikub at Table 10. He will challenge anyone who wants to play a game…but be ready…Nick knows the game (and only cheats occasionally, he says).
“It is not every month that we get to celebrate someone’s 100th birthday, but we were very glad that we could celebrate Nick this month,” says Overton.
The Senior Center also celebrated its other members who have birthdays in January.
The White County Transfer Station is located at 670 Industrial Boulevard south of Cleveland, behind White County Animal Control. (Source: Google Maps)
The White County Transfer Station will change its Saturday hours to begin at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27, according to a release from the White County Department of Public Works.
The transfer station, located at 670 Industrial Blvd. south of Cleveland, will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and on Saturday from 8 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. The transfer station will be closed on Sundays.
The White County Transfer Station accepts bagged and loose household garbage along with minor construction debris. For more information, click here.
(GA Recorder) — On Monday, a panel of Republican legislators advanced a bill designed to clear the path for a new prosecutor oversight commission to begin reviewing complaints after rejecting Democrats’ appeals to have a say in who serves on the board.
The House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee on Monday approved a House Bill 881 that removes the Georgia Supreme Court from reviewing the rules for the Professional Attorneys Qualifications Commission that will determine whether a local prosecutor found to have committed willful or prejudicial misconduct or should be punished for not bringing cases against low-level offenses. A prosecutor could also be removed if they are found to have mental or physical disabilities that impede the ability to do their job.
Despite being signed into law last year, the state Supreme Court declined to review the rules for the investigatory and hearing panels, stalling the commission’s ability to review complaints. In a November ruling, the justices expressed “grave doubts” about Georgia’s highest court’s constitutional authority to adopt the commission’s rules and standards.
On Monday, the House committee passed the bill along party lines after GOP lawmakers rejected a proposal by Lithonia Democratic Rep. Dar’shun Kendrick to allow the leaders of the minority party to appoint two of the five hearing panel members.
Currently, the oversight commission members are appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor, and House speaker, all of whom are Republicans. A Senate committee assigned by the lieutenant governor also selects members to serve on the investigation and hearing panels.
Rep. Shea Roberts, an Atlanta Democrat, said allowing both political parties to nominate members to a commission with enough power to disqualify district attorneys would be a fairer process. Democratic lawmakers also made the case Monday a potential conflict of interest could arise if complaints are filed by elected officials who also appointed panel members.
“I think the public would like to know that we’re trying to work in a bipartisan fashion and that these members are going to be appointed in a bipartisan fashion,” Roberts said.
Dallas Republican Rep. Joseph Gullett said that his legislation allows the commission to officially adopt rules and a code of standards that it creates with the support of the Prosecutors Attorneys’ Council of Georgia.
The legislation also adds language that a prosecutor’s appeal would be heard in the local superior court circuit represented by the district attorney targeted in the complaint.
“When you’re a judge you pick winners and losers but at the end of the day, (the justices) didn’t pick a winner or loser, they just didn’t play the game,” Gullett said.
Rep. Steven Sainz said that the commission can avoid making politicized decisions while handling complaints, such as whether a prosecutor is appropriately reviewing cases in their district.
“Do you think there’s a political angle to ensuring that citizens across the state who’ve been victims of violent crimes have the prosecutor’s office to lean on and ensure that those crimes get prosecuted,” the St. Marys Republican asked.
Prosecutors were divided over whether the commission is intended to hold them accountable in the same manner as similar oversight panels governing elected sheriffs and judges or if it would target prosecutors for making independent judgments about which cases to pursue.
Forsyth County Solicitor General Bill Finch said he opposes a bill that interferes with the way local prosecutors handle cases, especially since the state does not provide any funding for his office to prosecute cases.
“There’s nothing in this bill that undergirds what my political party stands for. And I say that with deep respect and admiration for members of my party who have carried the flag of Republicanism for a very long time,” he said at Monday’s committee meeting.
Habersham County Elections staff perform Logic and Accuracy testing on voting machines that will be used during the Presidential Preference Primary in March. (Jerry Neace/NowHabersham.com)
Voting machines in Georgia are being put through their paces this week ahead of the Presidential Primary on March 12.
Elections offices across the state are running state-mandated Logic and Accuracy (L&A) tests. In Habersham County, testing started Monday, Jan. 22, and will continue until all of the county’s voting machines are tested.
The L&A test ensures that each voting machine, printer, ballot scanner, and memory device works properly so that each vote can be certified after the election.
Habersham election workers are testing over 80 voting machines, 80 printers, and 10 scanners and memory devices this week.
Since the next election is a Presidential Preference Primary, staff are ensuring that the different ballots load correctly depending on the voter’s preference. They are also making sure that a vote cast for a candidate is recorded, printed, and counted correctly.
Habersham Elections Tech/Coordinator Izac Martin says every device used for an election will be tested in every scenario possible, as if it were election day, to ensure it functions properly and counts and records every vote.
The testing is like a mock election, with votes cast on the machine, printed, and scanned at the precinct. Once that is completed, the memory device is taken to the elections office and uploaded to the central terminal, ready to send to the Secretary of State’s Office.
This type of testing occurs prior to each election, including runoffs, says Habersham County Senior Elections Assistant Derek LaPerriere. This year the elections office is preparing for at least five testing cycles due to three elections and the possibility of two run-offs.
The testing is being done at the Habersham South Precinct storage facility, next door to the future South Voting Precinct at 365 Habersham County Shopping Center in Cornelia. The public is invited to observe.
A pickup truck crashed into a utility pole on Jesse Jewell Parkway at EE Butler Parkway in Gainesiville, GA, on Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. (Gainesville Police Dept./Facebook)
A utility pole was struck by a vehicle earlier on Monday, causing a section of Jesse Jewell Parkway to be closed.
The crash happened around 3 p.m. Monday at Jesse Jewell and EE Butler Parkway.
Gainesville police say the driver of the pickup truck that crashed into the pole apparently had a medical emergency prior to the crash. The pole fell and burned on the ground.
The driver sustained minor injuries.
(Gainesville Police Dept./Facebook)
The eastbound lanes of the parkway are open, but westbound traffic is being diverted at Race Street until further notice. Georgia Power crews were called to repair the pole.
The incident is expected to be resolved by 10 p.m. Monday, Jan. 22.
Hundreds of White County school students got an unexpected day off from class Monday after a power outage forced two schools to close.
The outage occurred around 6:30 a.m. on Jan. 22 and affected service to White County Middle School, Warrior Academy, and the school district’s central office, which are all located on Old Blairsville Road in Cleveland.
The class cancellation only affected those two schools. All other schools operated on a regular schedule on Monday.
White County School officials issued a notice saying buses would return students home and an update would be issued later. By 5 p.m., school officials announced power at the middle school had been restored. Students will return to class on Tuesday for a regular school day on Jan. 23.
Billy Joe “Pete” Asherbranner, age 62, of Demorest, passed away Friday, January 19, 2024.
Born in Clayton, Georgia, on November 13, 1961, Mr. Asherbranner was the son of the late Charles Grady Asherbranner and Martha Gibson Asherbranner. He was affectionally known by his friends and family as “Pete.” Pete had a love for the outdoors, and he liked to hunt and fish. He was a jack of all trades and could do anything. Pete took great pride in producing quality lawn care, and he enjoyed a good cup of coffee. In addition to his parents, Pete was preceded in death by brothers Glenn “Bud” Asherbranner and Jim Asherbranner and sisters Lois Lovell and Doris Scroggs.
Survivors include sisters Joyce Shook and Jane Brown of Clayton, his companion of 30 years, Wanda Haynie of Demorest, daughters of his companion Susan Parks of Warner Robbins and Jennifer Allin (Chris) of Cumming, four grandchildren of his companion, as well as nieces, nephews and extended family.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, January 25, 2024, at 2:00 PM from the Hillside Memorial Chapel. Interment will follow the service in Demorest City Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Wednesday, January 24, 2023 from 6-8 PM.
Demetrius Sanchez Smith (Stephens County Sheriff's Office)
A judge in Stephens County Superior Court sentenced a convicted drug trafficker to eight more years in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges tied to a shooting.
34-year-old Demetrius Sanchez Smith pleaded guilty Monday to multiple charges relating to a shooting in Toccoa two years ago. Smith’s trial was set to begin on Jan. 22, but he entered his plea before the court empaneled the jury for trial.
Smith pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, violation of the State Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Senior Judge Albert Collier sentenced Smith to forty years, with the first eight to be served in custody. The judge also banished Smith from the Mountain Judicial Circuit, which includes Habersham, Stephens, and Rabun counties.
Criminal street gang ties
Monday’s guilty plea follows Smith’s September 18, 2023, plea and conviction for trafficking methamphetamine and cocaine and violating the state’s street gang act. He was sentenced to 20 years with 12 to serve for those crimes.
Court documents indicate Smith has ties to the Bloods criminal street gang.
In 2021, he was tried and acquitted of murder in the death of Joel Keshon Green. After his acquittal, Smith was released from custody in October 2021 and was re-arrested on the trafficking charges four months later.
According to the Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s office, multiple co-defendants in the Jan. 2, 2022 shooting also resolved their cases before going to trial. They were convicted of street gang activity, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, and hindering apprehension.
The GBI’s Region Eight Field Office and Gang Task Force, the Toccoa Police Department, and the FBI’s North Georgia Major Offenders Task Force investigated the shooting.
Assistant District Attorney (ADA) Rebecca James and Chief ADA Suzanne Boykin prosecuted the case with assistance from fellow prosecutors Andrew Smallwood and Alex Godoy.
No one was hurt in a Saturday afternoon fire on Dicks Hill Parkway outside Mt. Airy.
Habersham County Emergency Services units were paged to a reported chimney fire with flames showing at 2:13 p.m.
Habersham County and Clarkesville firefighters responded to the fire in the wood-frame home at 7958 Dicks Hill Parkway.
The initial report was that the occupant was still inside the burning house, but both he and his dog were able to escape unharmed.
Lt. Mark Gerrin of Habersham County Emergency Services, incident commander, said the fire was particularly difficult to extinguish due to multiple roof systems and a very tight driveway.
The tongue and groove ceiling was first topped by shingles, then tin, meaning when the fire got into the roof area, firefighters had to cut it to get water to the flames.
Stephens County Fire Services was requested for manpower and sent three trucks and about a half-dozen personnel.
As a result, Dicks Hill Parkway was shut down, initially by units from Habersham County Sheriff’s Office and then later by fire units.
Fire spread through much of the roof and the house sustained water damage as well, Gerrin said. Firefighters remained on the scene for an extended period of time, overhauling the fire to make sure it was fully extinguished.
The American Red Cross was called to assist the resident.
As we conclude the second week of the 2024 Legislative Session, I take pride in the General Assembly’s diligent examination of our state’s budgetary needs during numerous joint meetings of the Senate and House Committees on Appropriations. It is our sole constitutional obligation for each session to ensure the formulation of a fair and balanced budget.
The budgetary process will continue through the upcoming weeks as we convene into subcommittees to dive deeper into the budgetary requests of our state agencies.
Last Tuesday, we began by reviewing Governor Brian P. Kemp’s budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2025 and the amended Fiscal Year 2025 budget.
I commend the Governor for allocating $6 million to the OneGeorgia Authority for the Rural Workforce Housing Program. This funding will establish a foundational base and offer continued grant opportunities for the development of workforce housing in rural communities. It will have a significant impact on rural Georgians by creating more modern and affordable single-family housing options in communities across the state.
It is our sole constitutional obligation for each session to ensure the formulation of a fair and balanced budget.
Additionally, I appreciate the prioritization of funds dedicated to public safety. Having sponsored a bill addressing gang violence last year, I fully endorse the allocation of $800,000 to expand the Gang Prosecution Unit, as supporting the public safety sector remains a legislative priority in my office.
These budgetary proposals also include pay raises for educators, state staff and also allocates funds to promote the retention of our state public safety officers.
It is imperative that we strive to build and retain our state workforce, and I applaud the Georgia General Assembly for their efforts to maintain a sound workforce in all aspects of our state.
The Senate reconvened on Monday, Jan. 22, for a third week of legislative work.
As always, please feel free to contact my office with any questions regarding legislative matters throughout the remainder of the session.
______
Sen. Bo Hatchett serves as a Governor’s Administration Floor Leader. He represents the 50th Senate District which includes Banks, Franklin, Habersham, Rabun, Stephens, and Towns County and portions of Hall, Jackson, and White counties. He can be reached by phone at 404-651-7745 or by email at [email protected].
Rep. Shea Roberts speaks during a press conference on the Roe v Wade anniversary at the Georgia State Capitol. Roberts. She said, "We are going backwards and Republicans under the gold dome are to blame." (livestream image courtesy GPB Lawmakers)
The 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade was on the minds of Georgia’s state senators Monday morning.
Senators used the occasion to call attention to Senate Resolution 136, a Democrat-penned amendment to the state’s constitution that recognizes a woman’s right to reproductive freedom.
Democratic Sen. Nikki Merritt (D-Grayson) weighed in.
“I speak for the women of color whose voices have been silenced and disregarded by so many generations of legislators before me whose paths in life have been dictated by circumstances out of their control,” Sen. Merritt said. “I rise for the 4 out of 5 Black mothers in Georgia who are the breadwinners and cornerstones of their families.”
“The more we restrict reproductive freedom, the more we tell women we don’t trust them to make decisions and plans for their own families,” Sen. Merritt continued, “Instead of treating women like adults, politicians here at the Gold Dome think that they should make medical decisions for us as if we’re not capable of good judgment.”
State Sen. Ed Setzler (R-Acworth) speaks in the Georgia Senate on Jan. 22, 2024. (Credit: GPB)
Sen. Sheikh Rahman agreed. “Polling over the past year shows most Georgians do not support our current abortion law,” he said. “Georgians do not want this law. Georgians want more reproductive freedoms, less government interference, and the right to make decisions with their doctors. It is our duty to allow the people to make this decision for themselves… by passing Senate Resolution 136.“
But Sen. Ed Setzler (R-Acworth) used his own personal history in his counter. He recalled how his parents adopted him from his single birth mother in 1970, “a 20-year-old mother, college student before abortion was broadly legal in this country,” he said. “And because she had no plans to raise me with my birth father, showed grace and laid me into the hands of a 27-year-old pastor and his wife, who for years and years had cried themselves to sleep at night because they couldn’t have kids.“
During lunchtime break, Democrats in the House and Senate held a news conference to honor the Roe v. Wade anniversary.
Rep. Shea Roberts (D-Atlanta) said, “We will stop at nothing to restore reproductive freedom. That means using every tool in our toolbox, including enshrining fundamental protections for reproductive freedom into Georgia law, repealing harmful abortion restrictions that create barriers to care, and making it easier for all Georgians to get the care they need.“
Democrats hold a press conference at the Georgia Capitol on Jan. 22, 2024, to rally against the state’s 6-week abortion ban. (Georgia House Democrats/Facebook)
House members highlighted two pieces of legislation they said will increase reproductive freedom in Georgia.
The first is House Bill 75, filed last year, which expands abortion access. A Senate version of the bill was filed as well. The second is SR 136, which was also brought up on the Senate floor.
“We seek to uphold that legacy of respect and dignity in health care by allowing women and their families to decide what is best for themselves,” said Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler (D-Stone Mountain)
Neither piece of legislation has received a committee hearing and is unlikely to pass.
Fani Willis controversy sparks debate
Allegations of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ inappropriate use of funds prompted calls from the Georgia Senate for her removal from her case against former President Donald Trump.
Willis is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with one of her prosecutors and wasting taxpayer dollars on lavish trips.
“I believe by being in the relationship with Mr. Wade and not disclosing this relationship to the grand jury, it has resulted in fraud against the court and fraud against the taxpayers of Georgia,” said Sen. Brandon Beech (R–Alpharetta). “In closing, Miss Willis, do the right thing and dismiss all charges and save Fulton County, the state of Georgia, and you and Mr. Wade any more embarrassment because of your poor judgment.”
Sen. David Lucas (D–Macon) pushed back.
“We are not to get started with this bull,” he said. “For the senator who talked about Fani Willis, I support her. You don’t know what the circumstances are. You don’t know what a woman’s scorn is. The reason there’s a case [against Donald Trump] is because somebody did something wrong. And it’s recorded. So let’s don’t bring that here.”
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is under scrutiny for an alleged affair with prosecutor Nathan Wade. (livestream image)
Sen. Greg Dolezal (R-Cumming) filed legislation to launch a committee investigation into Willis.
Legislative actions
The Senate also passed a few bills Monday.
SB 159, a bill that would prohibit electronic communication devices beyond guard lines at correctional facilities, returned to the Senate.
The bill passed last year in both the Senate and House, but the Senate rejected the House-amended version, which removed a mandatory 10-year sentence for those convicted of bringing banned electronic devices into a correctional facility.
The bill’s author, Sen. Randy Robertson (R-Cataula), is now open to the change.
“I – we want to get real serious about keeping our prisons safe, keeping our jails safe not only for the men and women that work there but for the men and women who are Georgia citizens, who have a right to a safe environment to live in and serve out their sentence or await due process, then this is the type of legislation that will help push that forward,” he said.
The bill passed with bipartisan support, 43 to 7.
The Senate also passed HB 571, a bill that would create an advisory board on Alzheimer’s and other dementia-related illnesses that will report their findings every four years to various state agencies.
That passed unanimously, 51 to 0.
In the House, members agreed to a Senate amendment to Senate Bill 35.
The bill originally dealt with special license plates but was amended to give Georgians on Medicaid glucose monitors.
Lawmakers in both chambers celebrated the ‘Divine Nine’ historically Black fraternities and sororities and encouraged members to donate blood at Wednesday’s annual drive.
Tomorrow, legislators recognize the 49th anniversary of the Japanese Consulate General in Atlanta on legislative Day 7.
This article comes to Now Habersham in partnership with GPB News
Patient groups want antiviral treatments more available to Georgians at risk from COVID-19. More than 20 organizations, including the AIDS Institute, ALS Association, American Kidney Fund, Autoimmune Association, and the Cancer Support Community signed a letter to the governor and insurance commissioner urging they make it available at no cost.
The Immunocompromised Collaborative wants Gov. Brian Kemp and Insurance Commissioner John King to urge private insurers to institute affordable copays and support broader accessibility of COVID-19 antiviral treatments to protect the health of Georgia patients.
Taking antiviral medications like Paxlovid help prevent severe illness and death in older and immunocompromised people, but Vice President of Public Policy at the Immune Deficiency Foundation Lynn Albizo said despite availability, people are turned off by fees.
Supply is not the issue, she said, but even a $5 copay could make those on Medicare and Medicaid less likely to seek treatment for COVID, especially if they don’t feel sick right away.
“That’s why we really want to make sure that people get it,” Albizo said. “Because in the end, you’re going to save lives and save money because it’s a lot more expensive to put people in the hospital than to cover their medication.”
When people basically feel well despite testing positive, they may decide to just ride through it, Albizo said.
“The doctors might even think that if [patients are] not showing symptoms that they shouldn’t prescribe [antivirals like Paxlovid], but actually they need to prescribe it right away.
The letter notes that timing is critical for the treatment of COVID-19, as antiviral therapies must be administered within five days of symptom onset.
“Patients do not have time to wait to determine if they can afford a treatment that can keep them out of the hospital and mitigate severe symptoms while managing daily costs and responsibilities,” the letter states. “Following the lead of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guidance, low or $0 copays for these antiviral treatments would remove the financial burden and enable patients with COVID-19 to act quickly to avoid more severe symptoms, hospitalization, and death.”
This article comes to Now Habersham in partnership with GPB News
Hatchett: Week two under the gold dome
As we conclude the second week of the 2024 Legislative Session, I take pride in the General Assembly’s diligent examination of our state’s budgetary needs during numerous joint meetings of the Senate and House Committees on Appropriations. It is our sole constitutional obligation for each session to ensure the formulation of a fair and balanced budget.
The budgetary process will continue through the upcoming weeks as we convene into subcommittees to dive deeper into the budgetary requests of our state agencies.
Last Tuesday, we began by reviewing Governor Brian P. Kemp’s budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2025 and the amended Fiscal Year 2025 budget.
I commend the Governor for allocating $6 million to the OneGeorgia Authority for the Rural Workforce Housing Program. This funding will establish a foundational base and offer continued grant opportunities for the development of workforce housing in rural communities. It will have a significant impact on rural Georgians by creating more modern and affordable single-family housing options in communities across the state.
Additionally, I appreciate the prioritization of funds dedicated to public safety. Having sponsored a bill addressing gang violence last year, I fully endorse the allocation of $800,000 to expand the Gang Prosecution Unit, as supporting the public safety sector remains a legislative priority in my office.
These budgetary proposals also include pay raises for educators, state staff and also allocates funds to promote the retention of our state public safety officers.
It is imperative that we strive to build and retain our state workforce, and I applaud the Georgia General Assembly for their efforts to maintain a sound workforce in all aspects of our state.
The Senate reconvened on Monday, Jan. 22, for a third week of legislative work.
As always, please feel free to contact my office with any questions regarding legislative matters throughout the remainder of the session.
______
Sen. Bo Hatchett serves as a Governor’s Administration Floor Leader. He represents the 50th Senate District which includes Banks, Franklin, Habersham, Rabun, Stephens, and Towns County and portions of Hall, Jackson, and White counties. He can be reached by phone at 404-651-7745 or by email at [email protected].