Superintendent Matthew Cooper (left) and Director of Elementary and Secondary Curriculum
Patrick Franklin (right) pose with GAGC Leadership Award winner Martha Cantrell, Ph.D. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
The Georgia Association for Gifted Children has given their 2022 Leadership Award to Habersham County Schools Gifted Program Coordinator Martha Cantrell, Ph.D., for her accomplishments in growing Habersham’s gifted program.
The award is given to an individual who has “made a significant difference to gifted education in his/her school, school district, or region to bring about change that results in improvement in gifted education,” according to the GAGC’s website.
Director of Elementary and Secondary Curriculum Patrick Franklin presented her with the award at the county board of education meeting Monday, thanking her for her dedication to the school system.
“Dr. Cantrell is a dedicated supporter of gifted education,” Franklin said. “But more than anything else, Dr. Cantrell is an advocate for our gifted students, whether they have been identified yet or not.”
Cantrell has been the system’s gifted program coordinator for over 13 years and has increased the school’s number of identified gifted students from 461 to over 1,200 over her tenure with the program. She has helped the system increase the number of classes for gifted program students, revived the school system’s math honor society, created academic excellence programs and the academic booster club.
Sub-variant BA-2 is like a cousin of the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant, but this one probably won’t get a Greek letter name, a local disease expert says.
“It’s not distinct (or) unique,” Emory University’s School of Medicine Executive Associate Dean Dr. Carlos del Rio said. “It’s just a sub-variant; a cousin, basically.”
COVID-19 cases peaked during summer 2021, when the delta variant of the virus appeared. At that time, hospitalized patients who were not vaccinated outnumbered vaccinated ones by more than 600%.
Rising cases of omicron changed that and now, the state is facing another possible rise in cases as its sub-variant spreads.
But while this means more Georgians could get infected, those who are vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19 should be safe from serious disease, del Rio said.
“The pandemic is not over; we continue seeing spikes and the best thing we can do is get vaccinated and get boosted,” del Rio said. “There are still plenty of people in Georgia, not vaccinated and not boosted.”
Those who are not vaccinated are still at risk of getting and spreading COVID-19.
It’s both good and bad news that Georgia saw a big cluster of cases with the omicron surge, del Rio said, because about 73% of the U.S. population has some degree of immunity, either because of vaccination or having had omicron.
“But there’s still 27% that are not,” he said. “A significant number of Americans, and that potentially could be a good number of people that not only could get infected but could get sick.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate this sub-variant currently accounts for nearly 20% of infections nationwide. Roughly 12% of those cases have been found in the South, according to the CDC’s data tracker.
BRASELTON – A section of I-85 North in Jackson County that was shut down earlier this week for emergency repairs is now back open.
The final lane reopened Friday morning, March 18.
On March 16, crews shut down the northbound lanes at Exit 129 near Braselton. They repaired damage in the concrete surface of the bridge that passes over the CSX Railroad south of US-129.
The Lady Indians cruised to a 9-3 win on Thursday evening over visiting Prince Avenue Christian, extending their win streak to four. Six different players recorded goals in the win, as TFS was up 5-1 at the break and went on to win big.
Both Addie Higbie, who recently became the single-season goals record holder, and Honora Kahwach, who recently became the career goals leader at TFS, both had a pair of goals. Maddie Mullis also recorded a pair. Gemma Farris, Lizzy Wanner, and Kat Williams also notched goals.
Assists were rewarded to Williams, who had 3, and one each for Jenna Chesser, Tessa Foor, Caroline Moseley, and Mullis.
“All players received significant playing time,” says coach Travis Mullis. “The team played strongly together. Goals off of the dribble, goals from crosses, goals from free kicks – the attacking part of the game had everything. Kyndal Anderson did well overall and all the defenders played a complete game.”
TFS is now 6-4 overall and a stellar 4-1 inside region play.
The Indians were shut out at home on Thursday evening, dropping a 1-0 decision against visiting Prince Avenue Christian. The loss snapped a 3-match win streak and marked the first shutout of the season against TFS.
“All the guys played hard and physical,” says coach Jeremy Stille. “We just came up short, but it is a learning tool and we will prep for the rematch next Friday at Prince Avenue Christian.”
TFS is now 7-2-1 overall and 3-1 inside region play.
The Tallulah Falls Indians won a fourth straight game, tying a program record, with a 12-5 win at Rabun County on Thursday evening. The 10-plus run output is the sixth time TFS has scored in double figures. A 7-run fifth inning helped lift the Indians to the win.
Rabun County struck first in the first with a run, and TFS took a 3-1 lead in the third. Joel Miller tied the game with an RBI double and Norman Bastian, Jr. had an RBI groundout to highlight the third. Rabun was able to get those runs back and tie the game at 3 apiece heading into the fourth.
Kylar Clouatre’s RBI single scored Tyler Popham to put TFS ahead 4-3 in the fourth, and Bastian, Jr. made it 5-3 with a run-scoring hit in the fifth. That kick-started the inning, which featured Danny Grant driving in a run on an infield hit, Clouatre recording a fielder’s choice RBI, Jeremy Medina earning a bases loaded walk, and Miller doubling in two more to make it 10-3. Drew Bates doubled home Miller to make it 11-3 and capping the big inning. Popham added an RBI double in the sixth to give TFS a sizable 12-4 lead, and the team held on for the 12-5 win.
Aubrey Higgins picked up his third win of the season, as he went 4 innings, giving up 2 earned runs and striking out 4 batters. Bastian, Jr. went the final 3 frames, picking up the save. Miller had 3 RBI and collected 2 hits, while Bates had 3 hits and an RBI. Bastian, Jr. finished with a pair of hits and 2 RBI, and Clouatre had 2 RBI as well.
HCHS students check out their options in the Prom Closet alongside one of their teachers. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
Spring is an exciting time for Habersham Central High School’s upperclassmen. For some, graduation is on the horizon, for others, it’s looking forward to summer break. But nearly every student is looking forward to one exciting event some gear up for all year: prom.
For some HCHS students, though, purchasing a $50 prom ticket is a struggle, and the expense of a dress on top of that ticket isn’t financially possible. Some girls skip out on their prom because they just can’t afford it– something that Donna Barrett, Habersham County Family Connection Executive Director, says shouldn’t be the case.
Barrett was a teacher before she became the executive director for HCFC. She says that during that time, she’s seen prom become a much more expensive endeavor that some low-income students have a hard time being part of. Going to prom, she says, is a teenage “rite of passage.”
“When I’ve gone to chaperone prom, the students are coming up and they just look beautiful– it’s their night to shine,” Barrett said. “I guess you would say it’s a rite of passage for high school, like homecoming, prom, graduation, and [I don’t want] to let the expense of that supersede a student being able to participate.”
Barrett says that every dress in the Prom Closet has been donated, and they’re all new with tags, or like-new. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
The Habersham Central High School Prom Closet, located at the Habersham Ninth Grade Academy, is stocked with donated dresses, shoes and jewelry. Everything in the closet is new or like-new so that the HCFC can make sure every high school girl gets to arrive at her prom in style.
“I have been just amazed by the donations that we have had,” Barrett said. Those donations started with a closed-down bridal store in 2018, and have been sustained by people who want to help the cause.
She says the students are appreciative to have the opportunity to own something nice that they feel beautiful in. The cause is about letting teenagers have memorable teenage experiences, regardless of the financial struggles they might be facing.
The Prom Closet is filled with an array of dresses, both long and short, classic and contemporary, with plenty of different sizes and colors so girls can find their perfect dress. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
For some students, purchasing a ticket isn’t even an option. But Barrett and HCHS’s teachers, as well as some community members, pitch in to help those students afford to attend their prom.
“I’m thankful for the donations, we’re able to meet the need,” Barrett says. “It’s just amazing.”
If you’d like to chip in, either to help purchase tickets, or donate new or like-new prom dresses and/or shoes, reach out to Donna Barrett at [email protected].
Editor’s Note: The following legislative update is from Rep. Victor Anderson (R-Cornelia) who represents the 10th State House District of Georgia. The opinions in this column are his. You may contact Rep. Anderson at victor.anderson@house.ga.gov
Greetings from the Gold Dome!
Rep. Victor Anderson (R-Cornelia)
As the General Assembly met for the ninth week, in the final days before our Crossover Day deadline [March 15], there were many bills moving through the House to achieve final passage. As we are in the second year of our two-year term, all bills must pass either the House or the Senate by Crossover Day in order to have a chance of making it to Governor Kemp’s desk to become law. Healthcare, rural initiatives, tax relief, and the budget were priority last week.
In closing, I humbly ask that you join us in prayer for peace and for the Ukrainian people to maintain their freedom. In solidarity with Ukraine, the House passed House Resolution 920 to strongly condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and call on Vladimir Putin to end this unprovoked aggression. This resolution commends Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine who have courageously sought to defend their nation.
As we continue to make our way through the final days of the session, the pace will only quicken as we all work to pass our sponsored legislation. If you need anything at all, please reach out to my Capitol office directly. In the meantime, be on the lookout for further updates. Thank you for privilege the of allowing me to serve as your voice under the Gold Dome. May God bless you and may He continue to bless the great state of Georgia.
House Action
Budget
The only constitutional obligation of our state legislature is to pass a balanced budget and the Georgia House spent much of last week focused on fiscal matters. House Bill 910, the Amended Fiscal Year 2022 Budget, received final passage and was sent to Governor Kemp to be signed. The AFY 2022 budget is set at a revenue estimate of $30.3 billion, which is an increase of $3.08 billion or 1.3 percent over the current budget. This increase will allow our state to provide additional funding during the current fiscal year for many of our priorities, including more than $900 million in one-time expenses for our state’s infrastructure and $950 million to provide salary increases for state employees and teachers.
We also saw the House vote on the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget, which will fund operations of state government starting on July 1. The FY 2023 budget is set at a revenue estimate of $30.2 billion, which is a $2.9 billion or 10.8 percent increase over the FY 2022 original budget, and this budget permanently restores nearly $640 million eliminated from the budget in FY 2021 during the economic uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the priorities funded in this ambitious bill are $65 million in new spending to support public safety and mental health services; full funding of the Quality Basic Education (QBE) formula for our K-12 public schools totaling $11.8 billion; and the Georgia Student Finance Commission received additional funding for service cancellable loans to boost recruitment and retention among key state employees including state medical examiners, National Guard members, law enforcement officers and mental health practitioners. For those of you looking for even more detail on our annual budget priorities, a comprehensive list of FY 2023 highlights from the House Budget and Research Office can be found on the Georgia General Assembly website.
Tax Reform & Relief
Even with all the budget work this week, my legislative colleagues and I acted on many other important bills. All of us are concerned by skyrocketing gasoline prices and so the House passed House Bill 304 to allow the governor to suspend the state motor fuel excise tax through the end of May 2022. This will provide some relief to Georgians paying more than ever to fuel their vehicles.
I am excited to announce the House passed House Bill 1437, or the Georgia Tax Reduction and Reform Act of 2022, to cut income taxes for Georgians starting in 2024. HB 1437 would eliminate personal income tax brackets and replace them with a single, flat rate of 5.25 percent. This legislation increases the standard exemption for Georgia’s filing income tax returns which will also boost tax savings. Proponents of this bill estimate that Georgians would save an estimated $1 billion per year when the cut goes into effect.
Healthcare
We passed an important bipartisan bill last week with House Bill 1013, or the Georgia Mental Health Parity Act, to provide comprehensive reforms for our state’s mental health care system and give Georgians struggling with mental illness the resources they need. This legislation, which has been in the making for the last three years, will provide sweeping legislative changes to help improve insurance coverage and the delivery of mental health care.
The House passed another crucial bill to improve mental health treatment and recovery programs in our state. House Bill 1069 would prohibit private adult residential mental health programs from operating in our state without a valid or provisional license, and this legislation would implement substantial penalties if these unlicensed facilities continued to operate. Outlawing unlicensed facilities will ensure Georgians admitted into these programs can be assured quality care.
Rural Initiatives
We passed two bills last week as part of our continued fight to improve access to health care throughout rural Georgia. House Bill 1042 will create a new grant program under the OneGeorgia Authority, which issues grants and loans for economic development initiatives in rural Georgia. This program will provide up to $200,000 in grant funding to eligible development authorities seeking to establish primary care, dental or mental health care medical facilities in health professional shortage areas. This crucial investment will provide the working capital needed to build much needed health care infrastructure in some of the most underserved areas of our state.
House Bill 1371 will create the Rural Health Advancement Commission, which would collaborate with educational institutions and health care facilities to address long and short-term workforce shortages in rural Georgia. Chaired by the dean of a Georgia medical college, this 13-member commission would be required to meet at least every two months to develop private-sector solutions to these shortages, and the commission would issue a report of its findings periodically to the General Assembly and the Governor. Bringing together these experts will ensure my legislative colleagues and I are brought the best proposals to keep Georgia on the cutting edge of rural health care delivery.
Bills of Interest
The Georgia House of Representatives also passed the followings bills and one resolution this week:
House Bill 274, which would require that each juvenile court judge is paid by the Council of Juvenile Court Judges with a total supplement of $6,000 in equal quarterly installments of state funds as long as the circuit has implemented a drug court division, mental health court division, family treatment court, veterans court or other alternative accountability court division;
House Bill 689, which would allow a person who committed a crime as a result of being trafficked to petition the court to seal the records of those offenses, as well as allow law enforcement agencies to review sealed records for law enforcement or criminal investigative purposes;
House Bill 725, which would revise the membership of the Council on American Indian Concerns to have at least one member representing each of the American Indian tribes identified in Georgia;
House Bill 839, which would authorize a local referendum for the creation of the city of Mableton, and this referendum would be voted on during a local special election no later than November 2022;
House Bill 849, which would add human resources personnel to the list of individuals who are required to report child abuse, and this requirement would only apply to businesses with at least five employees and that employ minors;
House Bill 884, which would require the state’s professional licensing boards to provide expedited licenses within 30 days of receiving an application and all required materials to spouses of military service members in Georgia if the spouse has an equivalent license in another state;
House Bill 895, which would restrict the disclosure of the home address, date of birth and home telephone number of a non-sworn employee of a law enforcement agency in criminal cases when the prosecuting attorney is required to disclose the witnesses who will testify at trial, and instead, the prosecution would disclose the current work location and work phone number of both the non-sworn employees and any law enforcement officers who are witnesses;
House Bill 934, which would amend Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) laws by allowing, in intergovernmental agreements, the tax to continue until the approved timeframe has expired even if the amount of tax collected has surpassed the originally estimated amount;
House Bill 1004, which would provide for the establishment of unified campus police forces through agreements entered into by colleges and universities;
House Bill 1039, which would extend the sunset dates for earning, transferring and reporting for Class III shortline railroad tax credits;
House Bill 1040, which would require certain renewed contracts between the Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) and community action agencies (CAA) to be executed by the CAA’s board of directors, and these contracts would only be offered by DHS if a CAA has submitted a current IRS Form 990 and audit reports to the state;
House Bill 1103, which would provide the definition of a “heavy-duty equipment motor vehicle” for fees in a motor vehicle rental agreement between a motor vehicle rental company and a rental customer;
House Bill 1193, which would require the Georgia Board of Funeral Service to allow licensees that had their license lapse for less than 10 years to be reinstated after paying the required renewal fees for the lapsed time and a reinstatement fee, and these licensees would be required to complete continuing education hours;
House Bill 1194, which would provide the annual update to the Uniform Carriers Act and update the effective date from January 1, 2021, to January 1, 2022, to comply with federal law;
House Bill 1224, which would update laws relating to the creation of county boards of equalization, duties, review of assessments and appeals by allowing a taxpayer with tangible personal property having a fair market value greater than $200,000 to appeal directly to a hearing officer;
House Bill 1232, which would allow temporary operating permits in lieu of temporary license plates in specified instances;
House Bill 1234, which would require the court to appoint an attorney for any child receiving extended care youth services from the Division of Family and Children Services;
House Bill 1279, which would allow people with a chronic disease or over the age of 65 to carry one or more prescribed medications in a certain compartmentalized container other than the original container that the medication came in, and these individuals would be required to provide the names of medication to law enforcement if requested;
House Bill 1280, which would allow Georgia’s municipalities to contract a county and its county tax commissioner to prepare the tax digest for the municipality, assess and collect municipal taxes, fees or special assessments in the same manner as county taxes, as well as invoke any remedy permitted for the collection of municipal taxes or fees; contracts would specify exact services to be provided as well as the total amount to be paid for services, among other requirements;
House Bill 1304, or the Georgia Caregivers Act, which would allow inpatients to designate caregivers to be actively involved in the patient’s discharge planning process, and the hospital would notify the caregiver of the patient’s discharge, but failure to make contact would not interfere with appropriate medical care or discharge;
House Bill 1319, which would create the Georgia Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) Service Cancelable Loan for eligible Georgia peace officers to pursue an associate or bachelor’s degree in criminal justice or related social science field, as well as create a loan forgiveness program for Georgia Bureau of Investigation medical examiners;
House Bill 1343, which would remove the requirement to include a roster of all commissioned officers in the governor’s annual report;
House Bill 1344, which would update language in Georgia’s laws related to employment discrimination of military spouses by replacing “wife” with “spouse;”
House Bill 1351, which would require the Georgia Department of Community Health to provide the pharmacy benefits for Medicaid members enrolled in a care management organization (CMO) starting July 1, 2024, and this department would be required to reduce a CMO’s contract term payment by 7.5 percent of the CMO’s net underwriting gain for the 2022-2023 contract year in order to offset costs incurred in program implementation;
House Bill 1372, which would revise the Georgia Utility Facility Protection Act to enhance the process for locate requests of underground utility facilities or infrastructure and would require 9-1-1 to be contacted if an excavator damages a gas or hazardous liquid pipeline; owners and operators of underground facilities would be required to participate in the Utilities Protection Center and all underground facilities, excluding sewer cleanouts and water meter boxes, would be required to be located within the public right-of-way and would prohibit anyone from blasting or excavating until a locate request for underground facilities has been submitted; the Department of Transportation (DOT) would be required to participate in the Utilities Protection Center to receive locate requests in DOT’s right-of-way;
House Bill 1381, which would require members of local water or sewer authorities to complete training courses on water, sewer or environmental quality programs as a prerequisite for the authority to receive specified funding;
House Bill 1383, which would provide a framework for administrative hearings of the Commission on Equal Opportunity;
House Bill 1384, which would require the Georgia Department of Community Affairs to amend state minimum standard codes to allow for the use of ungraded lumber for uninhabited structures on property zoned for either residential or agricultural use
House Bill 1385, which would require municipalities to notify the Georgia General Assembly’s Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Office when annexing property, enlarging municipal corporation limits and annexing unincorporated islands;
House Bill 1388, which would amend Georgia’s laws concerning official legal organs, which are publications containing official legal notices;
House Bill 1391, which would set the salary of the circuit public defenders to the same salary as district attorneys, and the maximum salary for assistant public defender IVs would be raised to 95 percent of the circuit public defender salary;
House Bill 1396, which would create the Georgia Municipal Court Clerks’ Council as an state agency designed to improve municipal courts, assist municipal court staff and assist in training municipal court staff;
House Bill 1406, which would provide guidelines and requirements for local zoning decision hearings that focus on revising zoning classifications from single-family residential uses to multifamily residential uses;
House Bill 1409, which would increase the maximum amount of benefits that an employee can receive under workers’ compensation for temporary total disability to $725 per week, the maximum amount of benefits for temporary partial disability would be $483 per week, and the maximum for the surviving spouse of an employee who died from injury would increase to $290,000;
House Bill 1428, which would act as the annual clean-up bill to revise, modernize and correct errors or omissions to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated;
House Bill 1433, which would change the composition of the advisory board to the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council to include the following: representatives of programs that advocate alternatives to incarceration, licensed or certified professionals who work to address mental health and substance abuse issues in delinquent and at-risk youth and representatives of victim or witness advocacy groups with expertise in addressing sexual abuse, exploitation and trauma;
House Bill 1438, which would allow for the call of a caucus for a Georgia DOT board election to be sent via email rather than by mail, clarify language relating to contracting for public-private partnerships and alternative contracting methods, exempt the DOT from certain public disclosure requirements;
House Bill 1441, which would revise Georgia’s laws regarding private detective and security businesses by removing the requirement that licensees certified by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council must also obtain a license to serve as a guard, watchman or patrolman;
House Bill 1452, which would change dating relationship protective orders so that the definition of “dating violence” includes those who were in a relationship within the last 12 months rather than the current six-month timeframe;
House Bill 1455, which would expand the arrest authority for Georgia Ports Authority officers in certain circumstances by giving ports officers the ability to investigate motor vehicle accidents that occur on any property under jurisdiction of the authority and on public or private property within one mile;
House Resolution 594, which would authorize the governing authority of each county, municipality, consolidated government and the board of education of each independent and county school system in Georgia to grant temporary tax relief to properties that are severely damaged or destroyed as a result of a natural disaster and that are located within a nationally declared disaster area; this resolution also includes the required ballot language to ratify this amendment.
The 10th House District currently includes portions of Habersham and White counties. Rep. Anderson serves on the House Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications Committee, Governmental Affairs Committee, and State Planning & Community Affairs Committee. He also chairs the study committee on annexation and cityhood issues.
Gov. Brian Kemp says he will quickly sign a bill suspending Georgia’s fuel tax through May after the state Senate voted 55-0 on Thursday to approve the measure.
Lawmakers sent House Bill 304 flying through the General Assembly in nine days after the Republican Kemp first proposed the measure March 9. The measure earlier passed the state House 150-0.
Katie Byrd, a spokesperson for Kemp, said he could sign the measure into law as early as Friday.
Georgia’s gasoline price includes a federal tax of 18.4 cents per gallon and a state tax of 29.1 cents per gallon. A number of cities and counties also charge taxes. Federal taxes on diesel fuel are 24.4 cents per gallon, while Georgia’s tax on diesel is 32.6 cents per gallon. The measure would also abate Georgia’s taxes on aviation gasoline, liquefied petroleum gas and other fuels including compressed natural gas.
“The 29 cents is not going to completely solve the problem, but it’s a start and it’s a statement,” said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Hufstetler, a Rome Republican. “It will have to be filled in from the rainy day fund, but it’s raining a big storm right now.”
It could take some time for consumers to see relief, because gas stations now are selling fuel they were taxed on at the wholesale level.
Sen. Jen Jordan, a Sandy Springs Democrat, asked whether the bill guarantees consumers will see the decreases. Hufstetler said laws against price gouging should provide some protection.
Suspending collections could cost the state up to $400 million that would be used for road building and other transportation projects. The Kemp administration plans to use part of the roughly $1.25 billion in leftover surplus from the last budget year, beyond $1.1 billion in state income tax refunds, to cover any gap in transportation funding. Kemp could also dip into the state’s $4.3 billion rainy day fund.
Byrd said Kemp could extend the tax break via executive order that would have to be ratified later by lawmakers. Kemp abated gas taxes in 2021 during a pipeline shutdown, and Byrd said former Gov. Nathan Deal had suspended gas taxes multiple times.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia has already been advocating for the federal government to suspend collection of its gas tax, responding to discontent over rising fuel prices.
Both Kemp and Warnock are running for reelection this year.
Hufstetler, like other Republicans, said President Joe Biden’s hostility to oil drilling is to blame for part of the price increases. Republicans also blamed Biden for broader inflation in the economy, prompting Democrats to reply in what became an extended debate on an unopposed bill.
But there are other forces at play. The price of crude oil has been rising over the past year, as oil and gas suppliers that had scaled back production during the pandemic struggle to keep up with renewed demand. More recently, buyers have shunned Russian crude following its invasion of Ukraine, pushing prices even higher.
The average price for a gallon of gas in the U.S. on Thursday was $4.29, according to AAA. It was $4.24 in Georgia. Prices have dropped slightly in the past week as oil prices have dipped slightly.
Charles Ivester has been missing for several days. (HCSO photo)
Law enforcement says a Habersham County man who went missing several days ago has been found. Charles Ivester had been missing since at least March 13.
Prior to being located, Ivester was last seen at Juniors Bar and Grill in Toccoa. Habersham County Sheriff’s investigators posted a lookout to social media on Wednesday asking for the public’s help to find him. Less than 24 hours later, they reported he’d been found.
The sheriff’s office did not give any details as to how and where the 57-year-old Ivester was located. Officials tell Now Habersham he was reported missing after failing to show for a scheduled court appearance.
With the May 24 primary election coming up, knowing what’s on the ballot and building your voting plan are important. Read along to find out what and who will be on the ballot this May, as well as what you need to know to cast your vote.
Gubernatorial primaries
This month, Republican and Independent voters will choose which candidate will face off against Democrat Stacey Abrams and Libertarian Shane Hazel in the 2022 general election.
On the Republican primary ticket, incumbent Governor Brian Kemp will run against David Perdue, Catherine Davis, Kandiss Taylor and Tom Williams. Elbert Bartell and President Boddie are both in the governor’s race as independents.
A runoff for the election is scheduled for June 21, with the general election set for Nov. 8.
County commission
Habersham County commission seats for Districts 2 and 3 will be on the ballot, with only one seat contested.
Incumbent District 2 Commissioner Dustin Mealor is running for re-election unopposed, while District 3 Incumbent Commissioner Jimmy Tench is facing opposition from two candidates.
Jason Mark Smith of Cornelia and Jimmy Dean of Demorest both qualified to run against Tench.
Jimmy Dean, who ran for District 10 representative in 2020, announced on March 2 that he would run against longtime Commissioner Jimmy Tench.
“I plan to work with all the county’s elected officials and organizations for the betterment of Habersham County,” Dean said in a press release. “I also want to make sure we maintain our county’s serenity and beauty we all enjoy.”
Smith, a veteran, is the owner of J M Smith Engineering. He publicly announced his candidacy on March 7.
“I have dedicated myself to a lifetime of service to his community and to the nation and would like to utilize my experiences and continued commitment to serve to the betterment of my community,” Smith said via his campaign Facebook. “I would like to see the county move towards developing better relationships between the local municipalities and the county as a whole to benefit all of the communities within Habersham County.”
Board of Education
The terms for Habersham County Board of Education Districts 3, 4 and 5 seats will soon expire, but incumbents Russ Nelson, Kristie Dover and Joey Duncan will are run unopposed on the ballot.
Voters will also choose whether or not they will vote to continue a one percent sales tax to benefit the county school system. The ESPLOST will be on the ballot, which, much like SPLOST, collects a sales tax that is allocated to capital projects.
Clarkesville has had one candidate qualify to take Ward’s seat on the commission: Brendon Ansley. The city originally held qualifying during the same time block as the county, but no one qualified. They re-opened qualifying for an additional two days, when Ansley applied.
In the Town of Mt. Airy, voters will decide whether or not they will allow Sunday alcohol sales. The vote comes not long after several municipalities voted to allow liquor stores to open within their city limits— something Mt. Airy held the monopoly over for years.
Voting
At this time, sample ballots for the election have not been released. But with changes to how absentee voting is handled and a temporary precinct location, voters should look ahead for making their voting plan.
Those who wish to vote absentee must request an absentee ballot from the Habersham County Elections office by filling out thisapplication. You must request your absentee ballot no later than May 13. For more information about voting absentee, click here.
Early Voting will begin on Monday, May 2 and continue until May 13 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Saturday Voting will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on May 7, and May 14.
Advance Voting Week will be May 16 – 20, from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
All early, Saturday and advance voting will be held at the Habersham North Precinct.
Election day will be May 24, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the county’s voting precincts. Those precincts are as follows:
*Habersham North Precinct (City of Clarkesville Precinct)
Ruby Fulbright Aquatic Center
120 Paul Franklin Road, Toccoa Hwy
Clarkesville, Ga 30523
706-839-0234
Habersham South Precinct (City of Cornelia Precinct)
Cornelia Community House (TEMPORARY LOCATION)
601 Wyly Street
Cornelia, Ga. 30523
706-778-8585
Demorest Precinct (City of Demorest Precinct)
Concord Baptist Church
250 Alabama Street (old Demorest Elementary Cafeteria)
Demorest, Ga 30535
678-936-9664
Town of Mount Airy (CITY VOTERS ONLY)
City Hall, Old Schoolhouse
1231 Dicks Hill Parkway
Mount Airy, Ga 30563
706-778-6990
City of Baldwin Precinct (CITY VOTERS ONLY)
City Hall, (Old Habersham Bank)
186 Highway 441 By-Pass
Baldwin, Ga 30511
706-776-5256
Mud Creek Precinct (Town of Alto Precinct)
B. C. Grant Baptist Church
1405 B. C. Grant Rd (fellowship hall)
Alto, Ga 30510
706-778-5703
Amy’s Creek Precinct
Amy’s Creek Fire Department
6357 State Hwy. 17
Clarkesville, Ga. 30523
706-754-5913
Ahkil Nasir Crumpton was a wide receiver for the Georgia Bulldogs. (OCSO)
The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a former University of Georgia football player in the shooting death of a convenience store clerk nearly a year ago.
Elijah Wood was shot to death on March 19, 2021, at the RaceTrac on Highway 441 in Oconee County.
The sheriff’s office, with the help of multiple agencies, arrested Ahkil Nasir Crumpton.
Oconee County RaceTrac clerk Elijah Wood was murdered while on the job on March 19, 2021, just one week shy of his 24th birthday. (OCSO Facebook)
“Today is the day Elijah Wood’s family, everyone here at the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, and our community has been waiting for,” Sheriff James Hale, Jr., wrote on social media. “WE GOT HIM!”
In February, the ATF notified the sheriff’s office that a gun used in a murder in Philadelphia matched the gun used in Wood’s death. Philadelphia police investigators advised Oconee County they suspected Crumpton was the shooter in their case. Oconee County investigators were then able to connect that Crumpton, who is from Philadelphia, played football at UGA in 2017 and 2018 and was a student at the university in Athens until 2021.
A UGA website shows Crumpton played as a wide receiver for the Bulldogs.
Following up on that lead, Sheriff Hale says investigators were able to obtain enough evidence to secure an arrest warrant for Crumpton.
Surveillance photos of Elijah Wood’s assailant. (OCSO)
“For the past year, we have seen the pain, agony, and frustrations this murder has brought to Elijah’s family, friends, and to our community. We all know this arrest will not bring Elijah back, but we hope his family, friends, and this community can now begin the healing process,” Sheriff Hale says. “We also know that the fight is not over. We must now successfully prosecute the case in a court of law.”
Although an arrest has been made, this case is still an active investigation. Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office at (706) 769 3945.
Legislative update: Many bills still pending at session’s halfway point
Editor’s Note: The following legislative update is from Rep. Victor Anderson (R-Cornelia) who represents the 10th State House District of Georgia. The opinions in this column are his. You may contact Rep. Anderson at victor.anderson@house.
Greetings from the Gold Dome!
As the General Assembly met for the ninth week, in the final days before our Crossover Day deadline [March 15], there were many bills moving through the House to achieve final passage. As we are in the second year of our two-year term, all bills must pass either the House or the Senate by Crossover Day in order to have a chance of making it to Governor Kemp’s desk to become law. Healthcare, rural initiatives, tax relief, and the budget were priority last week.
In closing, I humbly ask that you join us in prayer for peace and for the Ukrainian people to maintain their freedom. In solidarity with Ukraine, the House passed House Resolution 920 to strongly condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and call on Vladimir Putin to end this unprovoked aggression. This resolution commends Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine who have courageously sought to defend their nation.
As we continue to make our way through the final days of the session, the pace will only quicken as we all work to pass our sponsored legislation. If you need anything at all, please reach out to my Capitol office directly. In the meantime, be on the lookout for further updates. Thank you for privilege the of allowing me to serve as your voice under the Gold Dome. May God bless you and may He continue to bless the great state of Georgia.
House Action
Budget
The only constitutional obligation of our state legislature is to pass a balanced budget and the Georgia House spent much of last week focused on fiscal matters. House Bill 910, the Amended Fiscal Year 2022 Budget, received final passage and was sent to Governor Kemp to be signed. The AFY 2022 budget is set at a revenue estimate of $30.3 billion, which is an increase of $3.08 billion or 1.3 percent over the current budget. This increase will allow our state to provide additional funding during the current fiscal year for many of our priorities, including more than $900 million in one-time expenses for our state’s infrastructure and $950 million to provide salary increases for state employees and teachers.
We also saw the House vote on the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget, which will fund operations of state government starting on July 1. The FY 2023 budget is set at a revenue estimate of $30.2 billion, which is a $2.9 billion or 10.8 percent increase over the FY 2022 original budget, and this budget permanently restores nearly $640 million eliminated from the budget in FY 2021 during the economic uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the priorities funded in this ambitious bill are $65 million in new spending to support public safety and mental health services; full funding of the Quality Basic Education (QBE) formula for our K-12 public schools totaling $11.8 billion; and the Georgia Student Finance Commission received additional funding for service cancellable loans to boost recruitment and retention among key state employees including state medical examiners, National Guard members, law enforcement officers and mental health practitioners. For those of you looking for even more detail on our annual budget priorities, a comprehensive list of FY 2023 highlights from the House Budget and Research Office can be found on the Georgia General Assembly website.
Tax Reform & Relief
Even with all the budget work this week, my legislative colleagues and I acted on many other important bills. All of us are concerned by skyrocketing gasoline prices and so the House passed House Bill 304 to allow the governor to suspend the state motor fuel excise tax through the end of May 2022. This will provide some relief to Georgians paying more than ever to fuel their vehicles.
I am excited to announce the House passed House Bill 1437, or the Georgia Tax Reduction and Reform Act of 2022, to cut income taxes for Georgians starting in 2024. HB 1437 would eliminate personal income tax brackets and replace them with a single, flat rate of 5.25 percent. This legislation increases the standard exemption for Georgia’s filing income tax returns which will also boost tax savings. Proponents of this bill estimate that Georgians would save an estimated $1 billion per year when the cut goes into effect.
Healthcare
We passed an important bipartisan bill last week with House Bill 1013, or the Georgia Mental Health Parity Act, to provide comprehensive reforms for our state’s mental health care system and give Georgians struggling with mental illness the resources they need. This legislation, which has been in the making for the last three years, will provide sweeping legislative changes to help improve insurance coverage and the delivery of mental health care.
The House passed another crucial bill to improve mental health treatment and recovery programs in our state. House Bill 1069 would prohibit private adult residential mental health programs from operating in our state without a valid or provisional license, and this legislation would implement substantial penalties if these unlicensed facilities continued to operate. Outlawing unlicensed facilities will ensure Georgians admitted into these programs can be assured quality care.
Rural Initiatives
We passed two bills last week as part of our continued fight to improve access to health care throughout rural Georgia. House Bill 1042 will create a new grant program under the OneGeorgia Authority, which issues grants and loans for economic development initiatives in rural Georgia. This program will provide up to $200,000 in grant funding to eligible development authorities seeking to establish primary care, dental or mental health care medical facilities in health professional shortage areas. This crucial investment will provide the working capital needed to build much needed health care infrastructure in some of the most underserved areas of our state.
House Bill 1371 will create the Rural Health Advancement Commission, which would collaborate with educational institutions and health care facilities to address long and short-term workforce shortages in rural Georgia. Chaired by the dean of a Georgia medical college, this 13-member commission would be required to meet at least every two months to develop private-sector solutions to these shortages, and the commission would issue a report of its findings periodically to the General Assembly and the Governor. Bringing together these experts will ensure my legislative colleagues and I are brought the best proposals to keep Georgia on the cutting edge of rural health care delivery.
Bills of Interest
The Georgia House of Representatives also passed the followings bills and one resolution this week:
House Bill 274, which would require that each juvenile court judge is paid by the Council of Juvenile Court Judges with a total supplement of $6,000 in equal quarterly installments of state funds as long as the circuit has implemented a drug court division, mental health court division, family treatment court, veterans court or other alternative accountability court division;
House Bill 689, which would allow a person who committed a crime as a result of being trafficked to petition the court to seal the records of those offenses, as well as allow law enforcement agencies to review sealed records for law enforcement or criminal investigative purposes;
House Bill 725, which would revise the membership of the Council on American Indian Concerns to have at least one member representing each of the American Indian tribes identified in Georgia;
House Bill 839, which would authorize a local referendum for the creation of the city of Mableton, and this referendum would be voted on during a local special election no later than November 2022;
House Bill 849, which would add human resources personnel to the list of individuals who are required to report child abuse, and this requirement would only apply to businesses with at least five employees and that employ minors;
House Bill 884, which would require the state’s professional licensing boards to provide expedited licenses within 30 days of receiving an application and all required materials to spouses of military service members in Georgia if the spouse has an equivalent license in another state;
House Bill 895, which would restrict the disclosure of the home address, date of birth and home telephone number of a non-sworn employee of a law enforcement agency in criminal cases when the prosecuting attorney is required to disclose the witnesses who will testify at trial, and instead, the prosecution would disclose the current work location and work phone number of both the non-sworn employees and any law enforcement officers who are witnesses;
House Bill 934, which would amend Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST) laws by allowing, in intergovernmental agreements, the tax to continue until the approved timeframe has expired even if the amount of tax collected has surpassed the originally estimated amount;
House Bill 1004, which would provide for the establishment of unified campus police forces through agreements entered into by colleges and universities;
House Bill 1039, which would extend the sunset dates for earning, transferring and reporting for Class III shortline railroad tax credits;
House Bill 1040, which would require certain renewed contracts between the Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) and community action agencies (CAA) to be executed by the CAA’s board of directors, and these contracts would only be offered by DHS if a CAA has submitted a current IRS Form 990 and audit reports to the state;
House Bill 1103, which would provide the definition of a “heavy-duty equipment motor vehicle” for fees in a motor vehicle rental agreement between a motor vehicle rental company and a rental customer;
House Bill 1193, which would require the Georgia Board of Funeral Service to allow licensees that had their license lapse for less than 10 years to be reinstated after paying the required renewal fees for the lapsed time and a reinstatement fee, and these licensees would be required to complete continuing education hours;
House Bill 1194, which would provide the annual update to the Uniform Carriers Act and update the effective date from January 1, 2021, to January 1, 2022, to comply with federal law;
House Bill 1224, which would update laws relating to the creation of county boards of equalization, duties, review of assessments and appeals by allowing a taxpayer with tangible personal property having a fair market value greater than $200,000 to appeal directly to a hearing officer;
House Bill 1232, which would allow temporary operating permits in lieu of temporary license plates in specified instances;
House Bill 1234, which would require the court to appoint an attorney for any child receiving extended care youth services from the Division of Family and Children Services;
House Bill 1279, which would allow people with a chronic disease or over the age of 65 to carry one or more prescribed medications in a certain compartmentalized container other than the original container that the medication came in, and these individuals would be required to provide the names of medication to law enforcement if requested;
House Bill 1280, which would allow Georgia’s municipalities to contract a county and its county tax commissioner to prepare the tax digest for the municipality, assess and collect municipal taxes, fees or special assessments in the same manner as county taxes, as well as invoke any remedy permitted for the collection of municipal taxes or fees; contracts would specify exact services to be provided as well as the total amount to be paid for services, among other requirements;
House Bill 1304, or the Georgia Caregivers Act, which would allow inpatients to designate caregivers to be actively involved in the patient’s discharge planning process, and the hospital would notify the caregiver of the patient’s discharge, but failure to make contact would not interfere with appropriate medical care or discharge;
House Bill 1319, which would create the Georgia Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) Service Cancelable Loan for eligible Georgia peace officers to pursue an associate or bachelor’s degree in criminal justice or related social science field, as well as create a loan forgiveness program for Georgia Bureau of Investigation medical examiners;
House Bill 1343, which would remove the requirement to include a roster of all commissioned officers in the governor’s annual report;
House Bill 1344, which would update language in Georgia’s laws related to employment discrimination of military spouses by replacing “wife” with “spouse;”
House Bill 1351, which would require the Georgia Department of Community Health to provide the pharmacy benefits for Medicaid members enrolled in a care management organization (CMO) starting July 1, 2024, and this department would be required to reduce a CMO’s contract term payment by 7.5 percent of the CMO’s net underwriting gain for the 2022-2023 contract year in order to offset costs incurred in program implementation;
House Bill 1372, which would revise the Georgia Utility Facility Protection Act to enhance the process for locate requests of underground utility facilities or infrastructure and would require 9-1-1 to be contacted if an excavator damages a gas or hazardous liquid pipeline; owners and operators of underground facilities would be required to participate in the Utilities Protection Center and all underground facilities, excluding sewer cleanouts and water meter boxes, would be required to be located within the public right-of-way and would prohibit anyone from blasting or excavating until a locate request for underground facilities has been submitted; the Department of Transportation (DOT) would be required to participate in the Utilities Protection Center to receive locate requests in DOT’s right-of-way;
House Bill 1381, which would require members of local water or sewer authorities to complete training courses on water, sewer or environmental quality programs as a prerequisite for the authority to receive specified funding;
House Bill 1383, which would provide a framework for administrative hearings of the Commission on Equal Opportunity;
House Bill 1384, which would require the Georgia Department of Community Affairs to amend state minimum standard codes to allow for the use of ungraded lumber for uninhabited structures on property zoned for either residential or agricultural use
House Bill 1385, which would require municipalities to notify the Georgia General Assembly’s Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Office when annexing property, enlarging municipal corporation limits and annexing unincorporated islands;
House Bill 1388, which would amend Georgia’s laws concerning official legal organs, which are publications containing official legal notices;
House Bill 1391, which would set the salary of the circuit public defenders to the same salary as district attorneys, and the maximum salary for assistant public defender IVs would be raised to 95 percent of the circuit public defender salary;
House Bill 1396, which would create the Georgia Municipal Court Clerks’ Council as an state agency designed to improve municipal courts, assist municipal court staff and assist in training municipal court staff;
House Bill 1406, which would provide guidelines and requirements for local zoning decision hearings that focus on revising zoning classifications from single-family residential uses to multifamily residential uses;
House Bill 1409, which would increase the maximum amount of benefits that an employee can receive under workers’ compensation for temporary total disability to $725 per week, the maximum amount of benefits for temporary partial disability would be $483 per week, and the maximum for the surviving spouse of an employee who died from injury would increase to $290,000;
House Bill 1428, which would act as the annual clean-up bill to revise, modernize and correct errors or omissions to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated;
House Bill 1433, which would change the composition of the advisory board to the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council to include the following: representatives of programs that advocate alternatives to incarceration, licensed or certified professionals who work to address mental health and substance abuse issues in delinquent and at-risk youth and representatives of victim or witness advocacy groups with expertise in addressing sexual abuse, exploitation and trauma;
House Bill 1438, which would allow for the call of a caucus for a Georgia DOT board election to be sent via email rather than by mail, clarify language relating to contracting for public-private partnerships and alternative contracting methods, exempt the DOT from certain public disclosure requirements;
House Bill 1441, which would revise Georgia’s laws regarding private detective and security businesses by removing the requirement that licensees certified by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council must also obtain a license to serve as a guard, watchman or patrolman;
House Bill 1452, which would change dating relationship protective orders so that the definition of “dating violence” includes those who were in a relationship within the last 12 months rather than the current six-month timeframe;
House Bill 1455, which would expand the arrest authority for Georgia Ports Authority officers in certain circumstances by giving ports officers the ability to investigate motor vehicle accidents that occur on any property under jurisdiction of the authority and on public or private property within one mile;
House Resolution 594, which would authorize the governing authority of each county, municipality, consolidated government and the board of education of each independent and county school system in Georgia to grant temporary tax relief to properties that are severely damaged or destroyed as a result of a natural disaster and that are located within a nationally declared disaster area; this resolution also includes the required ballot language to ratify this amendment.
The 10th House District currently includes portions of Habersham and White counties. Rep. Anderson serves on the House Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications Committee, Governmental Affairs Committee, and State Planning & Community Affairs Committee. He also chairs the study committee on annexation and cityhood issues.