After #2-ranked Tallulah Falls dropped a region game on the road Saturday night, the Indians were in need of a rebound win on Tuesday. They got it in the way of a 69-60, gritty win over visiting Athens Academy. It begins a new win streak for the now 10th-ranked Indians, who had a 6-game win streak prior to the Saturday loss.
Gavin Page had a career-high 23 points, while Anfernee Hanna had 16 and Lincoln Hall 13. Devonte Allen and Charlie Cody had 9 and 8 points, respectively. The Indians were victorious despite the Spartans’ Kymel Williams going for 30 points.
TFS is now 12-2 overall and advanced to 2-1 in 8-A Private games. The boys are back at it on Friday at home against George Walton.
GIRLS
The Lady Indians saw their 6-game win streak come to a grinding halt with a 59-44 loss at the hands of visiting Athens Academy on Tuesday evening. #9 TFS held a 13-10 lead going into the second, but were outscored in every remaining quarter.
Athens Academy pulled ahead with a second quarter outburst, as the Lady Spartans went on a 21-10 run to take a 31-23 lead into halftime. Both teams traded baskets throughout the third, but Athens Academy stretched the lead to 48-38 by the time the fourth quarter began. The visitors outpaced TFS 11-6 the rest of the way.
Veronaye Charlton had 14 points to lead TFS, while Macy Murdock recorded 9. Denika Lightbourne had 6 points, Kailyn Neal 5, Haygen James and Barrett Whitener 4 points apiece, and 2 points by Molly Mitchell.
TFS is now 7-3 on the season and 2-1 in region play.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart kisses the trophy while Zamir White (from left) Jamaree Salyer, Nakobe Dean and quarterback Stetson Bennett celebrate on stage winning the College Football Playoff Championship game over Alabama, early Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022, in Indianapolis. (Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
Kirby Smart learned from his former boss that the time for celebrating is short in college football.
Even while he reveled Tuesday in the hangover from Georgia’s first national title since 1980, the coach was already thinking about what comes next.
“The wind blows a lot stronger at the top,” Smart said. “I’ve seen it.”
Indeed, he has.
Smart worked nine seasons at Alabama under Nick Saban, helping win four national titles.
Now, he’s got one of his own after Georgia rallied for a 33-18 victory over Saban and the Crimson Tide in the championship game Monday night.
The long-overdue party stretched from Indianapolis all the way back to Athens, Georgia, where fans and students stormed the streets in a raucous celebration.
But Smart’s time with Saban taught him that he’s already a bit behind on the 2022 season.
“I know people don’t understand it, but other teams are 10 days up on you because they finished January 1st,” Smart said. “Fortunately, I had a really good mentor and teacher in dealing with that because he’s in it every year. But you fall behind because you’re trying to manage your roster.”
Smart is already concerned about complacency seeping into a team that will spend the entire offseason hearing how great it is.
He doesn’t want the Bulldogs to go another 41 years without a championship.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart celebrates with fans after beating Alabama 33-18 in the College Football Playoff championship game, early Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022, in Indianapolis. (Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
“I don’t know that our team that’s coming back is prepared for what they’re about to see because there’s a sense of entitlement, there’s a sense of the disease, that has always crept in at Georgia,” Smart said bluntly of his alma mater.
“There’s a huge anointment and entitlement that can affect your program. So now it turns for us to … what we’ve got to do to keep it going.”
Smart knows that he’ll have to replace a number of key players, especially on the defensive side.
Nose tackle Jordan Davis, linebacker Nakobe Dean and end Travon Walker all have a shot at going in the first round of the NFL draft. Tackle Devonte Wyatt, cornerback Derion Kendrick, and linebackers Channing Tindall and Quay Walker are expected to move on as well.
On the offensive side, running back James Cook and linemen Jamaree Salyer and Justin Shaffer have their sights on the pros. Receiver George Pickens missed much of the season with a knee injury, but he also could be headed to the NFL draft.
Smart has several players who plan to enter the transfer portal, though they held off on making their decisions public until after the national championship game.
Finally, Georgia is still putting the finishing touches on another stellar recruiting class.
“We don’t know how many spots we have because we don’t know what some guys are doing,” Smart said. “There’s a lot of work to be done.”
The most intriguing position is quarterback.
Stetson Bennett, a former walk-on who took over the starting job after JT Daniels was injured, is a fifth-year senior but does have another year of eligibility because of COVID-19.
Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett reacts to winning the College Football Playoff championship game, late Monday, Jan. 10, 2022, in Indianapolis, against Alabama. (Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
Daniels, a former top recruit who transferred to Georgia from Southern California after the 2019 season, also has an extra year of eligibility remaining. Further down the depth chart are Carson Beck and Brock Vandagriff, soon to be joined by 2022 signee Gunner Stockton.
Hard to envision all of them being with the Bulldogs next season.
Bennett, the offensive MVP of both the Orange Bowl semifinal and the national championship game, isn’t regarded as a top NFL prospect, so he could come back for a sixth season.
Then again, what a way to go out if he decides to get on with his post-college life.
Bennett was tight-lipped about his future Tuesday morning.
“I don’t want to spill all my personal stuff out here on the table,” he said. “We’ll keep that between me and coach Smart.”
In the meantime, there’s a championship to savor.
The Bulldogs certainly earned it, knocking off college football’s greatest dynasty and the coach generally considered the best to ever walk the sideline.
“Bama is a world-class caliber team,” said safety Lewis Cine, the defensive MVP of the national championship game. “We knew that Bama has always been at the top. And to beat the team at the top is something really surreal.
“It’s something that goes down in history and something that I’ll remember forever.”
This article appears on Now Habersham in partnership with GPB News
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris implored Congress to pass voting rights legislation during a visit to Atlanta on Tuesday. The Democrats said they support changes to the Senate filibuster rules if Republicans continue to block the measures from debate. (Stanley Dunlap/Georgia Recorder)
ATLANTA (GA Recorder) — President Joe Biden called for an end to the Senate filibuster during a visit to Atlanta’s Morehouse College campus, arguing Senate Democrats can push past GOP opposition now blocking major voting rights legislation.
The visit by Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to Atlanta was the latest sign of Georgia’s central role as a battleground state for voting rights that ratcheted up following the 2020 elections after Democratic wins for president and Senate that helped flip control of Congress and the White House.
With the likelihood of Republican Georgia lawmakers pursuing more restrictive voting rules after last year’s sweeping overhaul legislation, not implementing meaningful federal protections sooner rather than later is a threat to Democracy, Biden said before a crowd gathered on the grounds of the Atlanta University Center, home to historically Black colleges Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse, and Spelman College.
“While the denial of fair elections is not democratic, it is not unprecedented,” Biden said. “Black Americans were denied full citizenship voting rights until 1965. Women were denied the right to vote just 100 years ago.
“The United States Supreme Court in recent years has weakened the Voting Rights Act,” Biden added. “Now, the defeated former president and his supporters use the big lie on the 2020 elections to fuel torment and anti-voting laws.
“I think the threat to our democracy is so great that we must find a way to pass this voting rights bill,” Biden said. “Debate them, vote, let the majority prevail and if that bare minimum is blocked, we have no option but to change the Senate rules including getting rid of the filibuster.”
The president’s remarks are his most explicit endorsement of Senate Democrats using their newfound power to change filibuster rules that require 60 votes rather than a simple majority to advance and pass legislation. The Senate is split 50-50, with the vice president able to break ties.
Republicans and at least a few Democrats oppose the controversial political play. In a chamber split along political lines, Democrats would need all of their senators to back them.
Harris said it’s time to fight back against Senate Republicans who are using procedural rules to bottle up bills that would ensure free and fair elections for years to come.
“Let us be clear, the Constitution of the United States gives the Congress the power to pass legislation and nowhere does the Constitution give the minority the right to unilaterally block legislation,” Harris said. “The American people have waited long enough. The Senate must act.”
Using the filibuster to advance voting rights bills faces an uphill battle from within the Democratic Party, with Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia standing firm that changing the rule should be bipartisan. Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona has said she’s not in favor of making any rule revisions to push through voting legislation, although she supports access to the ballot.
The Freedom to Vote Act is one of the two major voting bills that Democrats are pushing to get passed this year. It would make Election Day a national holiday and set minimum election standards, including same-day voter registration and mandatory early voting that lasts two weeks.
The other signature voting legislation is the John Lewis Voting Rights and Advancement Act, which would strengthen the Voting Rights Act by requiring all 50 states to receive permission from the Justice Department before changing voting laws.
Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Georgia Democrat, expects a push for a debate on voting rights legislation in the Senate any day.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris during a visit to Atlanta on Tuesday in support of federal voting rights legislation. Stanley Dunlap/Georgia Recorder
The speeches by the president and vice president Tuesday were greeted with sharp criticism by the Georgia Republican Party and top GOP state officials who said it was a Democratic attempt to undermine elections. Prior to the visit, multiple civil rights voter advocacy organizations criticized what they said was a long overdue call to action from the Biden administration.
Several major civil rights leaders were on hand at Morehouse Tuesday, including the Rev. Al Sharpton but noticeably missing from the visit was voting rights advocate and Democratic candidate for governor, Stacey Abrams, who said she had a scheduling conflict. Abrams issued a statement cheering their visit to Georgia and saying she spoke with Biden by phone earlier in the day.
“To protect our democracy, I ask all Democratic Senators and Republicans of good conscience to support restoring the Senate via a rule change that will pave the way for swift Senate passage and President Biden’s signature,” Abrams said in the statement.
Black Voters Matter and New Georgia Project and the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials are among the groups critical of the Biden administration for failing to capitalize on the momentum gained with the historic presidential and U.S. Senate election wins in the state.
Over the last year the Biden administration didn’t take a hard line against members of Congress standing in the way of voting rights, said LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter.
“Those of us on the ground have been very vocal on this issue,” she said on Monday. “At this point, we’re beyond speeches, we’re beyond events. What we are demanding is that there is federal legislation that will actually correct some of the wrongs that are taking place. We’re not willing to continue to feel the brunt of this attack that’s on us.”
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and Attorney General Chris Carr defended Georgia’s election law changes Tuesday afternoon while calling out Harris and Biden for attempting to force their “radical agenda on hardworking Georgians.”
“Georgia is ground zero for the Biden-Harris assault on election integrity as well as attempts to federalize everything from how hardworking Georgians run their businesses, to what our kids are taught in school, to how we run elections,” Kemp said.
Republican lawmakers say the state’s 2021 voting law strengthens elections with new absentee ID requirements, reduces lines at polling places while expanding voting options through additional early voting hours compared to pre-pandemic rules.
More election legislation is up for consideration in this year’s Georgia Legislature, including a controversial proposal to eliminate absentee drop boxes.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger also held a press conference Tuesday to criticize the Biden administration for attempting to change a longstanding Senate rule to push a “partisan agenda.”
“Make no mistake; this is an attempt to weaken election security under the guise of voting rights,” Raffensperger said while speaking at the state Capitol.
During their visit to Atlanta, Biden and Harris also met with the King family as they participated in a wreath-laying at the crypt of the slain civil rights icon and his late wife, Coretta Scott King. Monday is the national holiday celebrating King’s life.
Biden implored legislators to follow King’s lead.
“I ask every elected official in America, how do you want to be remembered?” Biden asked. “Consequential moments in history present a choice. Do you want to be on the side of Dr. King or George Wallace? Do you want to know the side of John Lewis or Bull Connor?”
The Georgia Recorder’s Ross Williams contributed to this report.
Philip Robert O’Leary, age 85 of Mt. Airy, passed away Tuesday, January 11, 2022.
Born in New York, New York on May 30, 1936, Phil was the son of the late Philip and Theresa Connor O’Leary. He was a United States Army Veteran having served during the Korean War and he was retired from Western Union with over 30 years of loyal service. Phil had the heart of a true servant. Whether he was serving fellow parish members at his beloved church or serving his community through Meals on Wheels, he had a simple goal every single day to do something nice for someone else. Phil was a parishioner of St. Mark Catholic Church where he was also a member of the Knights of Columbus. In addition to his parents, Phil is preceded in death by his wife Anna Kelly O’Leary, son Brian O’Leary and daughter Laura O’Leary Ryan.
Phil is survived by sons and their spouses Richard and Jaclyn O’Leary of Mt. Airy and Philip and Judy O’Leary of Clarkesville, daughter Sheila O’Leary of Coram, New York, son in law Tom Ryan of Orlando, Florida and grandchildren Daniel Ryan, Thomas Ryan, Megan Paul (David), Sara O’Leary, Erin O’Leary and Lindsay Rhodes (Steven).
A funeral mass will be held at 10:00 AM, Friday, January 14, 2022, at St. Mark Catholic Church with Fr. Jose Luis Hernandez-Ayala, officiating. Interment will follow the service in Hillside Gardens Cemetery with military honors by the Grant Reeves Honor Guard. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Thursday, January 13, 2022, from 5-8 PM.
Joyce Elaine Moore Deatcher, 78, of Clarkesville, Georgia, died Saturday, January 8, 2022 at Habersham Home.
Born in Clarkesville, Georgia on November 07, 1943, she was a daughter of the late James Ollice Moore and Hazel York Moore. Joyce had one younger brother, Dr. James A. Moore of Helen, GA. Joyce grew up in Doraville, GA. She lived in Ireland for a number of years then settled back in Clarkesville, GA. She achieved a Masters Degree in Social Work from UGA and consulted with nursing homes throughout Georgia and surrounding areas. Joyce met her Scottish husband while living in Ireland. She loved all plants and would spend many hours gardening and working on her plants. Joyce had an intense love for all animals and was always surrounded by pets. Her love of animals was a very important part of her life, especially her cats. Joyce also loved traveling and the excitement of new experiences.
Survivors include her husband John Deatcher of Helen, GA; and locally by her first cousins, Eddie York, Dorothea York Harkins, Freddie York Lingerfelt, Tommy (Jimmy) Powell, Jerry Powell, and David York of Valdosta, Ga.
No formal services will be held.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests any donations be made to your local humane society.
The sign at Wilbanks Middle School in Demorest displays a quote from Coach Shane Dover who was a beloved teacher and basketball coach at the school. He passed away unexpectedly on Jan. 4, 2022, at the age of 52. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
The Habersham County Board of Education began their January meeting with a moment of silence in memory of Coach Shane Dover, a beloved coach and Habersham teacher, who died last week.
Habersham County Board of Education Chairman Russ Nelson prayed for peace for the Dover family at Monday night’s meeting. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
“What a wonderful person he was, what a great Christian example he was, what a leader he was in this school system,” Chairman Russ Nelson said during the BOE’s invocation. “There are shoes there that won’t be filled. There are other people that will walk in those steps, but they may not fit quite like Shane did.”
Dover’s wife, Kristie Dover, who serves on the Habersham Board of Education, did not attend Monday night’s meeting. Nelson prayed for peace for her in her loss, as well as their three sons, Sawyer, Sutton and Slade.
Habersham County Superintendent Matthew Cooper began his monthly report by paying tribute to Dover and recounting his impact on Habersham’s students.
Habersham County School Superintendent Matthew Cooper (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
“I’m not sure anybody enjoyed being a teacher more than Shane Dover,” Cooper said. “He absolutely loved being a teacher, and of course, it was his second career. He retired from the Department of Transportation, and he would tell you [that] he was living his dream job. I went to his classroom on a number of occasions, and he was the kind of teacher that the students just loved because he put so much into it.”
According to Cooper, around 150 students attended Dover’s memorial service at Habersham Central High School on Saturday. He said around half the attendees were students.
“It was a beautiful memorial service Saturday,” Cooper told the BOE. “It really touched my heart.”
The board has asked the community to continue to pray for peace for the Dover family during this painful period of loss.
Betty Nicholson Ferguson, age 88, of Cornelia, Georgia went home to be with the Lord on Monday, January 10, 2022.
Mrs. Ferguson was born on April 7, 1933, in Habersham County, Georgia to the late Lawrence and Effie Nichols Nicholson. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her loving husband, Jack Ferguson; son, Tommy Ferguson; and was the last of her immediate family. Mrs. Ferguson was a long-time member of Level Grove Baptist Church and was a member of the Sunshine Band. Betty enjoyed spending time working on crossword puzzles, was an excellent cook, and enjoyed her gardening and yardwork. She was known not only by her grandchildren but most everyone else as “Mama Betty”.
Survivors include son and daughter-in-law, Larry and Frances Ferguson, of Cornelia; daughter and son-in-law, Bonnie and Benny Bearden, of Cumming; and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.
Funeral Services will be held at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, January 13, 2022, at the Whitfield Funeral Home, North Chapel with Dr. Brian James officiating. Interment will follow in the Yonah Memorial Gardens.
The family will receive friends from 12:00 p.m. to 1:45 p.m., Thursday, January 13, 2022, at the funeral home prior to the service.
Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to Amedisys Hospice 53 Rock Drive Toccoa, GA 30577 or Level Grove Baptist Church Building Fund, P.O. Box 416, Cornelia, Georgia 30531.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Whitfield Funeral Homes & Crematory, North Chapel at 245 Central Avenue, Demorest, Georgia 30535. Telephone: 706-778-1700.
JoAnn Carithers Webb, age 81, of Clarkesville, Georgia, went to be with the Lord on Thursday, January 6, 2022.
Mrs. Webb was born on March 12, 1940, in Atlanta, Georgia to the late William Allison and Marie Johnston Carithers.
JoAnn was a loving wife, mother, sister, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was a born-again believer and had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. JoAnn retired from the United States Postal Service as a Rural Mail Carrier with many years of dedicated service. She was loved by her family and friend and everyone that knew her. JoAnn had a beautiful smile that would light up a room and was also known for her witty sense of humor. To know JoAnn was to love JoAnn.
Survivors include her loving husband of 35 years, Rev. Hugh Webb, of Clarkesville; daughter, Leslie Duncan, of Stockbridge; son and daughter-in-law, Hugh Gordon Duncan, Jr. and Susan, of Fairburn; daughter, Joanna Scarbrough, of Sharpsburg; daughter and son-in-law, April Webb Muller and Keith, of Gainesville; son, Hugh Jared Webb, of Cumming; daughter, Amber Webb Beck, of Cumming; ten grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; sister, Joyce Carithers Mashburn, of Gainesville; brother and sister-in-law, Bob and Phyllis Carithers, of Lexington, KY; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Memorial Services will be held at 12:00 p.m., Saturday, January 15, 2022, at the Whitfield Funeral Home, North Chapel with Pastor Jentezen Franklin officiating.
The family will receive friends from 10:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., Saturday, January 15, 2022, at the funeral home prior to the service.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Whitfield Funeral Home, North Chapel at 245 Central Avenue, Demorest, Georgia 30535. Telephone: 706-778-1700.
Monte Franklin (Pop) Trout, age 84 of Gainesville passed away Monday, January 10, 2022, at the Northeast Georgia Medical Center with his family by his side.
Monte graduated from Lyman Hall High School and retired after a long career from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He was a local farrier to many. Monte enjoyed spending time with his family, camping, the beach, the mountains & riding horses.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Martha Trout, his parents, Montgomery & Lottie Bell Trout & a son, Mitch Trout.
He is survived by son & daughter in law, Matt & Karen Trout of Hayesville, N.C.; daughter & son in law, Happy & Phil Ferguson of Gillsville, granddaughters, Jenifer (Craig) Roberts, Stephanie (Tyler) Sims & Kaitlyn Trout; grandson, Marshall Trout; great-grandchildren, Parker Sims, Kyle Roberts, Chelsea Roberts & Kimber Sims; brother-in-law, Donald (Judy) Baker, sister-in-law, Cathy Neal; special cousin, Patti Madsen.
Celebration of Life services will be held at 3:00 p.m. Friday, January 14, 2022, at the Chapel of Ward’s Funeral Home with Rev. Phil Ferguson officiating. The family will receive friends from 1:00 p.m. until service time Friday at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers please make contributions to a charity of one’s choice.
Please share online condolences and memories with the family at www.wardsfh.com. Ward’s Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Monte Trout.
ATLANTA — State Representative Victor Anderson (R-Cornelia) was recently appointed by House Governmental Affairs Committee Chair Darlene Taylor (R-Thomasville) to serve as the chairman of the House Governmental Affairs Special Subcommittee on Cityhood.
“I look forward to working with my colleagues to promote smart development that also protects property owners,” said Rep. Anderson. “It has been several years since the General Assembly updated certain laws regarding the incorporation of new municipalities. While there has been a major political push lately to create new cities, especially in the metro Atlanta area, we need to be sure that our laws will consider the voices of local property owners and protect citizens from paying for fragmented and duplicated government services.”
The House Special Subcommittee on Cityhood’s first meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Wednesday, January 12, in room 406 of the Coverdell Legislative Office Building in Atlanta. It will include a discussion on House Bill 841, legislation to incorporate the City of East Cobb. To watch a live stream of this meeting, click here.
Rep. Anderson previously served as the chairman of the House Study Committee on Annexation and Cityhood. Established by House Resolution 222 during the 2021 legislative session, this study committee conducted a thorough study of annexation dispute resolution and cityhood procedures to determine appropriate revisions to these laws. For more information on this study committee, please click here.
Rep. Anderson represents State House District 10, which currently includes portions of Habersham and White counties. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2020 and currently serves on the Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications, Governmental Affairs and State Planning & Community Affairs committees.
Elizabeth Nicole Kramer, age 21 of Coffeeville, Mississippi, passed away on Tuesday, January 4, 2022.
Born on August 24, 2000, in Demorest, Georgia, she was the daughter of Jewel Earl Williams and April Wakester Kramer. Ms. Kramer lived most of her life in Texas. She was a homemaker and of the Christian faith.
She was preceded in death by a stepson, Zachary Boyd.
Survivors include her daughter, Aurora Smith of Toccoa and step-daughter, Piper Boyd of Mississippi; father, Jewel Earl Williams of Clarkesville; mother and adoptive father, April Kramer of Toccoa and Jacob Kramer of Texas; fiancé, Tommy Boyd of Mississippi; grandmothers, Alice Woodley and Cathleen Wakester; brothers, Daniel, Charles and Nicholas Kramer all of Texas and Jonathan Presley of Clarkesville; many aunts, uncles and cousins.
Funeral services are 2 p.m. on Friday, January 14, 2022, in the Chapel of McGahee-Griffin & Stewart with Pastor Paul Hunter, Rev. Terry Benfield, and Rev. Bud Foster officiating.
The family will receive friends from 12 noon until the service hour on Friday at the funeral home.
Those in attendance are asked to adhere to public health and social distancing guidelines regarding COVID-19.
The City of Cornelia had two orders of business to take care of that require the public’s input at their Jan. 10 meeting: a proposed expansion of Cornelia’s downtown entertainment district and an amendment to their solid waste city code.
At the meeting, they put voting on both of those items off until they can hold public hearings for them at their upcoming meeting on Feb. 1 at 6 p.m. in Cornelia City Hall.
Expanding the entertainment district
The expansion of Cornelia’s entertainment district would bring the district to the south side of Main Street, across from the train tracks that run through downtown.
This expansion would allow businesses across the tracks to participate in the city’s successful entertainment district, which allows businesses more freedom with alcohol sales and patrons the ability to walk around the entertainment district area with open containers.
In addition to the current downtown entertainment district, which covers much of Downtown Cornelia on the north side of the tracks, this expansion would add in the highlighted areas of South Main Street, Front Street, Larkin Street and Fore Acre Street. (Google Maps)
The expansion would include South Main Street, Front Street, Larkin Street and Fore Acre Street in the entertainment district. The city’s downtown development authority has given their approval of the expansion, encouraging the city to move forward with it.
“I want to stand here up in front of you today and say that every board member on the Cornelia DDA fully supports this expansion of the entertainment district,” said Heath Barrett, Cornelia DDA member. He says that in the year that the city has had an entertainment district, he has been “astonished” by the amount of new business in downtown Cornelia. “At the end of the day, it shows you that it’s more than just the alcohol, it’s a lot of business and opportunities that it brings forth.”
The commission will hold a public hearing at the next commission meeting to further discuss the expansion.
Amendment to solid waste city code
The commission also discussed an ordinance that would amend the city’s solid waste code to make it illegal for residents to put their leaves and brush in city stormwater mitigation infrastructure.
“This ordinance is a result of an issue that we’re having with residents placing their leaves and brush in the city’s storm ditches, culverts and on top of catch basins,” City Manager Dee Anderson told the commission. “As a result, this creates flooding issues during rain events.”
The commission voted to post the proposed ordinance for public comment, which will be heard at the upcoming meeting.
