Martha Diane Winkler Chambers, age 74, of Sautee-Nacoochee, Georgia, went home to be with the Lord on Friday, January 16, 2026, at her residence, surrounded by her loving family.
Born on May 28, 1951, in Shooting Creek Township, North Carolina, Diane was the beloved daughter of the late Neal Winkler and Hoyt and Mildred Ruth Adams Allison, who lovingly raised her. She was a proud graduate of White County High School, Class of 1969. Diane dedicated many years of service working at Wendy’s in Helen, where she was known for her kindness and strong work ethic.
Above all else, Diane loved her family tremendously. She especially cherished time spent with her grandchildren and found great joy and comfort in her faith and church family. She was a devoted member of Nacoochee Methodist Church and also attended Community Baptist Church in Skylake, where her faith was evident in both word and deed.
She is survived by her loving husband of 54 years, Kenneth A. Chambers; her children, Dianna Michelle Chambers, Lemrae Dana (Aaron) Browning, Annette (Scott) Sullens, Darrell (Lisa) Crane, and Renae Bautista; brothers and sisters-in-law, Eddie (Karen) Winkler and Harold (Judy) Allison; grandchildren, Kayla Winkler, Dillan Winkler, Tayler Massey, Amanda Benefiel, Jonathan Sullens, Destiny Crane, Ashley Crane, Alexis Crane, Austin Crane, Prisma Estrada, and Leo Crane; and 15 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by several nieces, nephews, other relatives, and many dear friends.
Funeral services are scheduled for 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, January 20, 2026, in the chapel of McGahee-Griffin & McEntire Funeral Home, with Rev. Johnny Johnson and Rev. Marty Abernathy officiating. Interment will follow in the Nacoochee Methodist Church Cemetery.
The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Monday evening, January 19, 2026.
Linda English Garrison passed away peacefully on January 15, 2026, at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Demorest, following a recent decline in health. She was born on September 26, 1945, to Charles Brady English and Eva Mae Hill English in Habersham County, where she lived most of her life. Linda married Phil Garrison in 1962. They were married for 53 years until Phil’s passing.
Linda’s hobbies included sewing and quilting, and she was a member of Line Baptist Church. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Phil, loving son Trent, and sisters, Ozelle Segers, Lavada Warren, and Gail Craven.
Survivors include sisters-in-law Mary Ann Ellington, Brenda Garrison, Diane Garrison, Gail Garrison, Wanda Garrison; brothers-in-law John Garrison and Bobby Warren; several dear nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Funeral services will be held at 4 PM on Friday, January 30, 2026, in the Chapel of McGahee-Griffin & McEntire with Rev. Kenneth McEntire officiating. A private burial will be held.
The family will receive friends from 3:30 PM until the service hour on Friday at the funeral home.
Flowers will be accepted, or memorial contributions may be made to Line Baptist Church and mailed to c/o Rev. Kenneth McEntire, 1323 W. Glade Creek Rd., Clarkesville, GA 30523.
An online guest registry is available for the family here.
McGahee-Griffin & McEntire Funeral Home of Cornelia, Georgia (706-778-8668) is in charge of arrangements.
The Baldwin City Council. (Patrick Fargason/Now Habersham)
BALDWIN, Ga. – Baldwin City Council members will return to the dais Tuesday night with a full agenda that revisits several policy questions including a controversial annexation request tied to Cook Construction along the GA 365 corridor. The council is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. at the Baldwin Municipal Courtroom on Willingham Avenue.
At the top of the agenda is the first reading of two ordinances connected to the proposed Cook Construction annexation: an annexation ordinance and a companion zoning ordinance. The request involves property along GA 365 that was previously part of a failed annexation attempt in Cornelia, an issue that has fueled months of public debate and drawn the attention of state lawmakers.
The council discussed the scope and implications of the request during a work session on Jan. 6, when newly sworn-in council members began outlining their priorities and concerns. Records obtained by Now Habersham show the annexation proposal would bring commercially significant acreage into the city, with potential impacts on zoning, infrastructure, and long-term development along the Red Apple Corridor.
The annexation has also become part of a broader conversation at the state Capitol, where legislators are weighing possible changes to Georgia’s annexation laws following high-profile disputes across Northeast Georgia. While no final action is expected Tuesday, the first readings mark the formal start of the council’s legislative process on the matter.
Other business
In addition to the Cook Construction ordinances, council members will consider a first reading of a proposed charter amendment ordinance, another item previewed during the Jan. 6 work session as the city evaluates updates to its governing framework.
Also on the agenda is authorization to rebid construction of the wastewater treatment facility solids handling building. City leaders have said rebidding the project could help control costs amid ongoing infrastructure demands tied to growth and regulatory requirements.
The council will also revisit a solid waste collection agreement listed under old business, continuing discussions that have included service terms and operational considerations for residents and the city.
Earlier in the meeting, council members are expected to act on several consent agenda items, including the addition of a code compliance position, the creation of budget line items for a school resource officer, and approval to sell a fire department mini pumper.
Public comment is scheduled near the start of the meeting as former councilwoman Alice Venter is scheduled to speak during this time, followed by a report from City Engineer Fletcher Holliday on water and wastewater matters.
An executive session is planned for land acquisition or disposal, after which the council will return to open session for announcements and adjournment. The meeting is open to the public, and accommodations are available upon request through the city clerk’s office.
GAINESVILLE, Ga. — A crowd gathered in downtown Gainesville on Saturday for a march and program commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. The annual event, organized by the Newtown Florist Club, took on additional meaning this year, as marchers expressed concern about current national and local tensions and a sense that King’s message remains urgent.
Faith at the Center
Participants march through downtown Gainesville during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event organized by the Newtown Florist Club and other community organizations. (Carly McCurry / Now Habersham)
Organizers opened the event with prayers from three local pastors, setting a religious tone that continued through group singing, performances by a women’s ensemble, and a poetry reading by a young man. Themes in the music and readings appealed to God to reach into the city, emphasizing faith, unity, and resilience.
Following the ceremony, participants marched approximately 2 miles from Peach State Bank to the Butler Center in downtown Gainesville.
“I came to walk for peace and to remember what Martin Luther King did for our country, in hopes that it continues in spite of what is going on in the country,” said Sue Croft, one of the marchers.
Youth and Families
The crowd included a notable youth presence. Members of the Lanier High School Distinguished Gentlemen, dressed in suits and ties with polished shoes, walked alongside families and longtime community members. Five Black teenage girls carried a “Newtown Florist Club” banner reading, “Keepers of the Dream.”
Members of the Lanier High School Distinguished Gentlemen carry their banner through downtown Gainesville during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day march, joined by younger participants and community members. (Carly McCurry / Now Habersham)
Siblings Lucy Lovell and Milly Lovell attended with their mother. Lucy spoke easily and without hesitation. “We’re here to celebrate Martin Luther King Day,” she said. Their mother said the family wanted to show that Gainesville “is on the right side of history — and that we stick together.”
The Hollis family marches in the city of Gainesville: Emma Hollis, Cece Hollis, and Danita Hollis. (Carly McCurry/NowHabersham.com)
As the march moved through the downtown square, young Emma and Cece Hollis walked alongside their grandmother, Danita. The older Emma watched the crowd with an alert, focused expression that suggested she understood the moment. Cece stayed close, clearly attached to her older sister as the group moved through the square together.
Returning Year After Year
Longtime participant and volunteer Roger Buffington introduced two young men from Bright Youth, including Brian Gladmon. “This is our fourth year doing this. My family is a very civil rights-minded family,” Gladmon said.
From left, Roger Buffington stands with Brian Gladmon and Trey during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day events in downtown Gainesville. Buffington, a longtime participant, attended with members of Bright Youth. (Carly McCurry / Now Habersham)
Robin Neiheisel and her husband, Doug, said they have participated in the march for nearly four decades as members of the Baha’i faith. “We believe in the unity of all mankind, and that’s why we’ve been coming to this march for nearly 38 years,” Neiheisel said.
Sarah Cosey, who attended with a friend, said she hoped the event’s unity would resonate beyond the day. “There’s a lot going on in the world right now, but as a united front, we can face it better,” she said.
History and Place
The Newtown Florist Club, a 75-year-old community organization, plays a central role in organizing activities for King Week. According to Michelle Alexander, a representative of the club, its mission began with providing flowers to residents of the Newtown community who were dying of cancer.
“We later found out there was environmental injustice in that neighborhood because it was built on a landfill,” Michelle said. She said the club’s work has expanded to address health, education and environmental concerns.
Melody, the primary host of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day program, stands with Michelle of the Newtown Florist Club, which helped organize King Week events and highlighted the community’s history and ongoing work for justice. (Carly McCurry / Now Habersham)
The club also collaborated with Free Chapel, the Gainesville–Hall County Black History Society, and Fair Street alumni on the documentary “We’ve Come This Far By Faith: The E.E. Butler High School Story.” The documentary is scheduled to be screened at 1 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 19, at Regal Hollywood Cinemas in Gainesville as part of the club’s King Day observance.
Visibility and Reaction
Livestreams of the event drew more than 70,000 views, over 1,000 reactions, and more than 200 comments, offering a parallel record of how public demonstrations are received in real time.
Many viewers responded with supportive comments and prayer emojis, affirming the march’s purpose and tone. Positive reactions and “likes” far outpaced negative responses.
Still, the livestream also attracted hostile commentary. Some viewers dismissed the marchers outright. One commenter ominously wrote, “Speed bumps.” Another comment read “DEPORT THEM ALL,” despite the march being a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event centered on civil rights and faith.
Other remarks suggested the participants should be working instead of marching, even though the event took place on a Saturday afternoon. The implication was to portray public assembly as an excuse, instead of a civic right.
The contrast between the peaceful tone of the march itself and some of the online responses underscores why organizers and participants emphasized visibility. The volume of engagement suggested that the march reached well beyond the downtown route from Peach State Bank to the Butler Center. The livestream functioned as an extension of the event itself, revealing both support and resistance — and reinforcing the argument, made repeatedly throughout the day, that public presence still matters.
Civic Presence
Indivisible Hall County, a non-partisan civic group, was also present. Molly Brannon, speaking for the group, said its members aim to promote justice and peaceful civic engagement. “Indivisible is a non-partisan group that stands for justice and freedom,” she said. “Martin Luther King is one of our great leaders. He preached peaceful protest, and that’s what we always do.”
Lucy Lovell and Milly Lovell attend the Martin Luther King Jr. Day march in downtown Gainesville with their mother, holding signs as participants made their way through the city. (Carly McCurry / Now Habersham)
Participants said they saw value in public reflection and civic gathering in a moment they described as challenging.
Auroras in the night sky over North Georgia on November 11. They came from solar flares that erupted a day earlier. More solar flares and auroras are expected on Monday, January 19. (Daniel Purcell/NowGeorgia.com)
Another chance for aurora to visit North Georgia is happening Monday night!
The CME has arrived early and is stronger than initially forecast. On Jan. 19, a very rare, strong proton storm pelted the atmosphere ahead of it. Current data would suggest aurora will be possible as soon as the sun goes down across North Georgia. Find a good spot, look north and have some patience!
Strong Flare
The sun released a strong, X1.9 flare from sunspot group 4341 on Sunday afternoon. This flare resulted in a very large release of charged particles from the sun, also known as a CME. This CME is headed for Earth, and could result in some dim aurora over North Georgia overnight tonight.
Strong flare on Sunday morning
The official forecast from the Space Weather Prediction Center calls for a G4 storm. Usually, with a G4 storm dim aurora can be visible on the northern horizon across North Georgia. The last time this happened was in November 2025 when aurora were seen widespread across the region and as far south as the Florida line.
What to expect
G4 storms often produce dim, red, naked eye visible aurora in dark skies across North Georgia. These are most visible well away from city lights and looking to the north. However, the view can really be enhanced with a simple cell phone. If you are having trouble making them out, point your cell phone to the north and its night mode will often take a great photo. The image below is from the Clarkesville City limits during the strong storm of October 2024, and gives an idea of what is possible.
The northern lights splash pink and purple hues in the sky above Habersham County. This photo was taken outside Clarkesville at 8:14 p.m. on Oct. 10, 2024. (Joy Purcell/NowHabersham.com)
When to look
If you thought weather forecasting was hard, Spaceweather forecasting is even harder. The current forecast calls for the CME to arrive between midnight and sunrise on Monday night. However, this forecast has about a 12 hour margin of error. Since the CME is located directly between us and the sun, it is very difficult to determine how much material is headed our way or how fast it is traveling. The best thing you can do is monitor the current data on a site like www.spaceweather.com or www.spaceweatherlive.com. If you don’t feel like doing that, we’ll be monitoring the arrival here at Now Habersham and keep you alerted via our Facebook page and here on this post.
Keep your fingers crossed that we see aurora once again over Georgia!
Miami head coach Mario Cristobal and Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti pose with the trophy after a news conference ahead of the College Football Playoff national championship game between Miami and Indiana, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, in Miami. The game will be played on Monday. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
MIAMI (AP) — For the second straight year, the biggest game in college football will be decided by a quarterback who wasn’t on the roster the year before.
Heisman-winning Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza arrived in Bloomington in December 2024 following three years at California. Carson Beck transferred to Miami in January 2025 with one year of eligibility remaining after five years at Georgia.
Last January, a similar story was being told. Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard had transferred in from Duke, and Ohio State acquired Will Howard after four years at Kansas State. Both signal-callers had proven success elsewhere and adapted to new systems well enough to lead their respective teams to the national championship game.
The occasional one-off success story has now become a broader trend, raising the question of whether transfer quarterbacks are the fastest path to the national championship.
Indiana coach Curt Cignetti says there’s no time to wait for development in this day and age in college football. Winning requires immediate action.
“It would be nice to have a guy for a few years,” Cignetti said. “But when you’ve got a chance to get a guy that can play winning football that’s been through the wars, that’s the way… To me, it’s an easy decision. You’ve got to win every year. Now, there’s no, ‘Oh, in five years we’ll be good.’ That was a long time ago.”
Transfer quarterbacks leading teams on championship runs isn’t entirely new. Joe Burrow accomplished a somewhat similar feat in 2019, though it was his second season at LSU and he didn’t have prior starting experience at Ohio State. Jake Coker did the same for Alabama in 2015. Stetson Bennett’s path was even more unconventional — initially a preferred walk-on at Georgia, he transferred to a JUCO for a year before returning as the Bulldogs’ starter and winning back-to-back national championships in 2022 and 2023.
It’s not that Beck didn’t have the patience to wait his turn, it’s that his time in Athens had come and gone.
Beck started for two years after a redshirt freshman year and two seasons as Georgia’s primary backup under Bennett. He tore his UCL in the SEC championship game at the tail end of the 2024 season. Gunner Stockton subbed in, performed well, and Georgia didn’t look back.
“My story, it’s a little bit different because I was at Georgia for five years. I stuck it out. I sat for three years. I waited my turn,” Beck said. “Obviously I had the injury, and things don’t pan out the way that I exactly thought they were going to. Then I was blessed with the opportunity to enter the transfer portal, to have another opportunity to play at the University of Miami.”
Beck’s starting experience at Georgia made him especially appealing to Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal, and it gives him ample confidence in the quarterback heading into Monday night.
“I think he’s the most experienced player in the College Football Playoff,” Cristobal said. “Since the day he arrived, and this shows again how savvy and how experienced he is, he couldn’t participate in spring ball, but yet every walkthrough, every meeting, anything post-practice, pre-practice, anything outside of football, he was very much spearheading gatherings, opportunities to galvanize the entire team.”
Cignetti also takes pride in having experienced veterans lead the charge, and the Hoosiers’ roster reflects it. Indiana entered the postseason with more combined career starts than any other roster in the College Football Playoff.
Cignetti describes himself as a “tape junkie.” He didn’t have to watch much film before realizing Mendoza was the guy to replace 2024 signal-caller Kurtis Rourke.
“That was an easy decision,” the Indiana coach said. “Recruiting is evaluation. If you trust your evaluation and your history of evaluation has been successful, you have a lot of confidence in yourself and your process… I felt extremely strong about Fernando. Extremely. Like I knew we had something.”
To say Mendoza has met Cignetti’s expectations would likely be an understatement. He became Indiana’s first Heisman winner after leading the Hoosiers to an undefeated season, Big Ten titleand the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. Cignetti thinks he’s only gotten better since winning the prestigious award.
With Mendoza sailing off to the NFL draft, it’s rinse and repeat for the Hoosiers and plenty of other programs around the country looking for a similar success story. Cignetti has already found someone who fits the model: Proven starter Josh Hoover, who announced his transfer from TCU to Indiana on Jan. 4.
That is, if Hoover can beat out Mendoza’s younger brother, Alberto, in a quarterback competition.
Good quarterbacks don’t like to sit back and watch, Cignetti said, while acknowledging this new era of college football isn’t always ideal.
“The guys that play quarterback, they don’t like to sit. Like if they know they’ve got the right stuff, they want to play,” he said. “It’s not a perfect world, college football. A lot of issues, obviously. You’ve got to improvise, adjust, be light on your feet if you want to thrive and survive.”
FILE - World Cup organizers will have to remove all corporate logos from the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which will be temporarily renamed "Atlanta Stadium" during the 2026 World Cup Tournament. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)
(GPB News) – Atlanta World Cup organizers held their first monthly meeting to discuss local preparations leading up to the games. They’re removing all corporate branding from Mercedes-Benz Stadium to comply with FIFA regulations.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be temporarily called Atlanta Stadium for the World Cup. Organizers are working to take down nearly 2,000 corporate logos in and around the stadium before the games to comply with FIFA’s Clean zone regulations.
The stadium includes a modular roof that can open and close. It’s made of eight lightweight inflated plastic pedals they call pillows. Stadium Operations Vice President Adam Fullerton said the pillows are a challenge.
“There’s a really, really nice Mercedes-Benz emblem that’s built into those pillows”, he said. “So it’s a white pillow system with a black emblem on it and the emblem’s literally built into the material. So we’ve got to go out on those pillows and actually cover up the emblem and make that kind of kind of disappear.”
The roof of the stadium will remain closed for the duration of the tournament. Fullerton said it’s a security measure, but also to prevent any heat-related health issues for players or fans during the games.
“We are climate controlled; we will be nice and cool inside our venue and, of course, rain-free,” he said. “Water stations across the city are a big topic. So we will do our best to make sure that everyone is safe and hydrated and has an opportunity to get some shade and some cool temperatures prior to getting into the venue.”
Signage at MARTA stations will also be updated ahead of the World Cup to reflect the temporary names of branded buildings. The downtown CNN Center station will become the Sports, Entertainment, and Convention District Station, or SEC District Station.
Logo removals will begin in full during the Atlanta United season break starting May 25. The first World Cup game in Atlanta kicks off June 15.
FILE - Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich looks on before an NFL football game between the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Sep. 21, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman, file)
ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich has been retained on new coach Kevin Stefanski’s staff, the team announced Monday.
The decision to keep Ulbrich came two days after Stefanski was named as the replacement for fired coach Raheem Morris. Ulbrich carried the endorsement of Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who had said when Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot were fired that he would recommend but not mandate the new coach keep the defensive coordinator.
Morris was fired following an 8-9 finish in his second season despite improvements on defense, including the pass rush led by rookie first-round picks James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker and second-year player Brandon Dorlus. In Ulbrich’s first season as defensive coordinator, the Falcons set a team record with 57 sacks, one year after finishing next-to-last in the league with 31.
Pearce finished with 10 1/2 sacks, the most by a Falcons player since Vic Beasley had 15 1/2 in 2016. The 2025 draft class also included safety Xavier Watts, who had five interceptions.
Another safety, Jessie Bates III, was one of Atlanta’s four players named All-Pros in 2025. Bijan Robinson was named a first-team running back and second-team all-purpose player. Tight end Kyle Pitts Sr., right guard Chris Lindstrom and Bates earned second-team honors.
The decision to retain Ulbrich was the first staff decision announced following Stefanski’s hiring on Saturday night, less than two weeks after he was fired by the Cleveland Browns. Stefanski is expected to bring in a new offensive coordinator and special teams coach.
Newly named president of football Matt Ryan, the former longtime Atlanta quarterback, led the search for Stefanski. Ryan is continuing his search for a new general manager.
Stefanski spent six seasons with Cleveland, where he twice was named AP Coach of the Year and had a 45-56 record. He was fired on Jan. 5 after the Browns finished 5-12.
ATLANTA, Ga. — U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff marked Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a video message calling on Georgians to continue the work of building what King described as “The Beloved Community.”
In the message released Monday, Ossoff urged reflection on the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., praising his moral leadership in the fight for civil rights and voting rights and his vision for a society rooted in compassion, dignity and respect.
“Let us today honor and reflect on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who provided such pivotal moral leadership to this nation,” Ossoff said. He described the Beloved Community as “a society where everybody is treated with compassion, and dignity, and respect, and where the human and civil rights of all are cherished and protected.”
Ossoff encouraged Georgians to observe the holiday as a time for “reflection, renewal, and service,” noting the continued relevance of King’s message.
“It is my honor to represent the State of Georgia in the United States Senate,” he said.
The video message was shared online as communities across Georgia observed the federal holiday with commemorations and service projects honoring King’s legacy.
Gov. Brian Kemp has proposed a one-time investment of $325 million in state funding for the DREAMS scholarship program, seen as a potential companion to the merit-based HOPE Scholarship launched in 1993 under Gov. Zell Miller. (Gov. Brian Kemp/Facebook)
(Georgia Recorder) — Nearly three-quarters of all state student aid money nationwide was based on financial need rather than merit in the 2022-2023 school year, according to the College Board.
In Georgia, that number was around 1%.
Georgia is an outlier when it comes to the money available for college students without the money for an education or the grades and test scores for a merit-based scholarship.
But that could be changing with the expansion of the University of Georgia Foundation’s DREAMS Scholarship program announced by Gov. Brian Kemp Thursday.
Kemp proposed a one-time investment of $325 million in state funding for the program, which is seen as a potential companion to the merit-based HOPE Scholarship launched in 1993 under Gov. Zell Miller.
“In this era of high prices and new challenges for those graduating from high school, we also recognize the advantage need-based financial assistance can give to those who would not otherwise be able to access higher education,” Kemp said in an address to the state Legislature.
“Like their peers who have the means to attend college, these students have great dreams for rewarding careers and impactful lives, but they do not always have hope that those dreams can become reality,” he added.
The new scholarship could provide up to $3,000 to students who meet qualifications, including that they work or volunteer at least part time. Recipients also need to be Georgia residents, demonstrate financial need after all their other scholarships and grants are considered and complete a financial literacy course.
Georgia student loan borrowers have the second-highest average student loan balance in the nation at $42,300, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Of the $325 million, $25 million would be direct scholarship money, and the rest would serve as seed money for an endowment, the proceeds of which the foundation would withdraw from every year to pay for the scholarships. The plan is to grow the endowment so it could support offering tens of millions of dollars in aid to students.
Sen. Nan Orrock, an Atlanta Democrat, called the plan “a tremendous victory.”
“This is a work of labor of a good nine years from people around the state, committed educators and counselors who saw students just falling through the cracks because their families were not in a position to write a check for their higher education financing,” she said.
Orrock chaired a Senate committee that met several times last year to study college affordability. That committee estimated that annual funding of over $120 million could have funded about 99,000 students per year, Orrock said. The committee also recommended using money from the Georgia Lottery’s unrestricted reserve to pay for scholarships, a pot of money Kemp and his fellow Republicans have been loath to draw from for recurring expenses.
Orrock said she was unbothered that Kemp’s proposal did not match the committee recommendations.
“We’re on the road, and we’re optimistic that there’s going to be broad buy-in for this vision,” she said. “And as we see the success rate, the successes that come from it, we’re going to continue to build it to fully fill the need that’s out there.”
Ashley Young, senior education analyst with the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, said advocates have been calling for needs-based aid in Georgia for decades and called the plan exciting but said she will be waiting to see further details, especially what kind of financial need students will need to demonstrate.
“It’s a little bit hard to understand how much of an impact it can make, just because we don’t have some of those specifics answered,” she said. “But certainly the model of ensuring that we are establishing a program that is based solely on student need and not merit is a step in the right direction.”
State Rep. Chuck Martin, an Alpharetta Republican who chairs the House Higher Education Committee, expressed confidence that the program will benefit Georgia students.
“I don’t have all the details, but I have great trust in the governor for putting that in the budget,” he said. “So I look forward to working with them on what’s necessary to see the implementation. We just want to see the investments that are made be productive, and I’m sure they have a plan to do that.”
The Stephens County Sheriff’s Office continues innovating new ways to reduce costs and improve efficiency. Back in December, the sheriff’s office began using solar power to help power the jail. Now, the facility is streamlining its commissary operations.
SCSO recently switched to an online commissary aimed at making money handling and purchases easier for inmates and their families, and the process more cost-efficient for the jail.
The new company, The Store Call by Hard Time Products, will be available online and through the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office app. This will make it easier for inmates and their families to request items like hygiene products, snacks, and other basic necessities.
Hard Time Products provides supplies and services for correctional and detention facilities throughout the United States. They primarily service facilities in the state of Georgia alone. They are also affiliated with 18 law enforcement industries and 13 non-profit organizations to support local and state initiatives and re-entry and rehabilitative efforts.
The decision to transition to The Store Call’s commissary is largely based on the ease of accounting it will provide to inmates, their families, and jail staff. Until this transition, the Stephens County jail has used a local vendor who has been instrumental in providing inmates with commissary items.
However, jail staff have only been able to accept valid money orders on certain dates and times to place in inmate accounts. With the new commissary vendor, inmates will be able to receive commissary funds directly into their accounts through debit or credit card transactions. Families can deposit money into inmate accounts at any time, which is used weekly. They can also make card purchases on behalf of inmates.
“By transitioning to The Store Call, we will be able to streamline the process for inmates, their families, and jail staff. This change also removes our jail staff from the process and creates a more transparent and accountable system,” said Sheriff Rusty Fulbright.
CSU to cohost Georgia Economic Outlook series (Robbie Watson/NowGeorgia.com)
Columbus State and the University of Georgia will cohost the 2026 Georgia Economic Outlook luncheon series January 27, 2026, at the Cunningham Center in Columbus.
The luncheon is the state’s premier event, where business and community leaders come together to gain critical insights into the economic forecast for 2026. Dr. Santanu Chatterjee, interim dean of the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, will present findings and offer expert analysis of national and state trends based on research by UGA’s Selig Center for Economic Growth.
Following the statewide forecast, a team of Columbus-based presenters, including the following, will provide a local economic forecast:
Dr. Michael Rothlisberger, chief academic strategy officer, Columbus State University
Dr. Tesa Leonce-Regalado, acting dean, D. Abbott Turner College of Business & Technology, Columbus State University
Missy Kendrick, president and CEO, Choose Columbus
Andy Hilms, executive vice president of strategy, Choose Columbus
