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Henry Joe Meeks

Henry Joe Meeks, age 76, of Cleveland, formerly Mt. Airy, passed away on Friday, December 17, 2021. 

Born on November 3, 1945, in Habersham County, he was a son of the late Clyde Eford and Mary Corinthia Hurt Meeks. Mr. Meeks was a Veteran of the United States Army having proudly served his country during the Vietnam Conflict in the 1st Cavalry Division. Joe was a lifetime member and former commander of Grant Reeves VFW Post #7720 in Cornelia. He was also a member of Vietnam Veterans of America and the American Legion Post # 16 in Cleveland. Mr. Meeks retired from Johnson & Johnson and Kraft Foods, Inc. He enjoyed riding motorcycles, NASCAR, and yard work and was a member of Center Baptist Church in Robertstown.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his former wife, Cheryl Smith Meeks; daughter, Carrie Meeks; brothers, Roy Meeks and James Eugene “Gene” Meeks; and sisters-in-law, Jodi Meeks and Sue Meeks.

Survivors include his wife, Frances Perry Meeks of Cleveland; stepdaughter, Tammy Okuma (Aaron) of Cleveland; stepsons, Chuck Perry (Starr) of Alto and John Perry of Cleveland; step-grandchildren, Amanda Doubleday (Justin), Charles Perry, Janson Mincey (Nikki), Secrest Daniel (Webb) and Michael Spurgeon (Haleigh); eight step-great-grandchildren; brother, William L. Meeks of Mt. Airy; several nieces and nephews, numerous other relatives and friends.

Funeral services are scheduled for 2 pm on Monday, December 20, 2021, in the Chapel of McGahee-Griffin & Stewart with Rev. Michael Wilkes officiating. Interment will follow in VFW Memorial Cemetery with full military honors provided by the Grant Reeves Veteran’s Honor Guard.

The family will receive friends from 4-7 pm on Sunday at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to National Homes for Children, c/o, Grant Reeves VFW Post #7720, 174 Cornelia Crossing Shopping Center, Cornelia, Georgia 30531.

Those in attendance are asked to please adhere to public health and social distancing guidelines regarding COVID-19.

An online guest register is available and may be viewed at www.mcgaheegriffinandstewart.com.

McGahee-Griffin & Stewart Funeral Home of Cornelia, Georgia (706/778-8668) is in charge of arrangements.

Package alcohol sales could begin in Baldwin as early as next year

Old-timers remember the days when Mt. Airy was about the only place in Habersham where you could buy alcohol legally.

Times have changed.

Alcohol sales in restaurants and stores across the county are now commonplace. Voter-approved referendums have given county and city officials the authority to seize on the revenue-generating potential of alcohol sales and to loosen their laws to allow it.

The latest municipality to do so is Baldwin.

Following the successful passage of a city-wide liquor referendum in November [out of 71 votes cast, the referendum passed 50 to 21] Baldwin officials drafted an ordinance to allow package sales of distilled spirits inside city limits.

This week, the Baldwin City Council formally adopted its new alcohol ordinance which sets the stage for up to three package sales outlets to operate in the city beginning in 2022.

REVIEW Baldwin alcohol ordinance here

Under the new ordinance, only three licenses will be issued initially. City Clerk Emily Woodmaster says that limit is subject to change once the city’s population increases by 5,000. Baldwin’s current population is around 3,500.

The three licenses will be limited to businesses that comply with the following conditions:

  • They must be located at least 600 feet away from any school or college campus and at least 300 feet from any church, alcoholic treatment center, housing authority property, or single-family dwellings in residential zones.
  • Baldwin’s new alcohol ordinance also requires that package stores be located at least 1500 feet apart, be owned separately (no one can own or have a stake in more than one store), and contain a minimum of 1500 square feet of showroom space.

Package sales will be allowed in Baldwin between the hours of 8 a.m. and 11:45 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 12:30 p.m. to 11:45 p.m. on Sunday.

For those interested in applying for a license, the annual cost is $500, with beer and wine licenses costing an additional $500 each, annually. The ordinance also includes an excise tax of $0.22 per liter and a proportionate tax at the same rate on all fractional parts of a liter.

If the city receives more applications than the number of licenses allowed, an independent “third party firm” will oversee a lottery to determine who gets a license.

Applications for package sale licenses are now available at Baldwin City Hall, says Woodmaster, but no licenses will be issued until after the ordinance officially goes into effect at midnight on January first.

Coastal spaceport plan hits turbulence on eve of federal license announcement

A Camden County judge is set to consider Friday issuing a temporary restraining order based on a petition seeking to prevent the county from buying a former industrial site for Spaceport Camden. Environmental organizations are concerned that the launches could pose a threat to barrier island Cumberland Island National Seashore. (National Park Service)

(GA Recorder) — Several days before the Federal Aviation Administration is scheduled to announce whether it will grant a controversial plan to launch rockets a license, a Camden County judge is expected to rule Friday whether he will issue a restraining order temporarily blocking the purchase of the property for Spaceport Camden.

A temporary restraining order hearing was set on the spaceport after a petition signed by 3,800 Camden residents was submitted to the probate court Tuesday. The petition argues that local residents should be protected from a runaway county government that has spent millions on what they claim is an unsustainable and dangerous plan to launch mid-sized rockets off the Georgia coast.

The FAA signaled it is poised to grant an operator’s license to Spaceport Camden on Monday, announcing it is putting the finishing touches on an agreement with federal agencies, local government officials, and other groups to minimize the potential damage launches might inflict on historic properties if the rockets crash to earth.

However, details on the launches and other specifics are still under wraps after conservationists, the National Park Service and others expressed concerns that rocket explosions could pose a threat to wildlife on nearby barrier islands, including the Cumberland National Seashore.

Megan Desrosiers, CEO and president of coastal conservation organization One Hundred Miles, said that if the judge issues the temporary restraining order, then there will be a 60-day period for signatures to be verified and a 90-day period for a special election to be held.

The petition aims to block the county from purchasing a former industrial site controlled by Union Carbide the county plans to serve as home to the spaceport.

“The county is spending millions and millions of dollars to purchase a property for the spaceport when that site is contaminated and the taxpayers would be held responsible for cleaning up the contamination before any kind of development on that property would occur,” Desrosiers said. “In addition, they’re spending millions and millions of dollars to promote a spaceport when there’s no private spaceport entity waiting in the wings to build and they’ve never had a line item in the county budget for the spaceport.”

The FAA has delayed its decision four times this year to hammer out details, but this latest delay – Wednesday to Monday – is a much shorter postponement than the others.

“We’ve waited six years for the Spaceport Camden ROD and licensing decision, if the FAA needs the rest of the week to finalize its coordination efforts we can wait a few more days,” Spaceport Camden spokesman John Simpson said by email. “The petition is a Hail Mary attempt by spaceport opponents and doesn’t change anything in Camden County’s application to the FAA.”

Environmental organizations are asking for a more extensive environmental review that fully takes into account the types of rockets proposed for the Spaceport and their failure rates. Last year, spaceport officials scaled down its proposal to the FAA from its initial vision of sending rockets as big as the 230-foot-tall SpaceX Falcon 9 into orbit, a reduction designed to improve the odds of getting the FAA license.

Spaceport critics say the $10 million tab the county incurred trying to get the spaceport approved will not pay off in the long run. Instead, they contend county officials have grossly overestimated the economic value of a spaceport that the supporters are selling as attracting enough new industry and up to 2,000 related jobs to become an economic driver for the region.

But Camden commissioners say there’s already interest from outside parties that show the potential of satellite launches and point to a Georgia Southern University study citing it bringing upwards of $3 million in local tourism. The U.S. commercial space industry could grow to $3 trillion by 2047, according to Bank of America.

So far, the county has announced three memorandums of agreement for the spaceport it says can safely operate up to 12 smaller commercial vertical launches a year that could give Camden an uncommon economic advantage in the region.

Through an agreement with the Alaska Aerospace Corp., owner and operator of FAA-licensed Pacific Spaceport Complex Alaska, the two spaceports would coordinate with operators interested in launching from both locations.

In a May 2020 agreement, Opixfex Global announced it would explore setting up astronaut training facilities near the spaceport, while ABL Space Systems announced in 2018 that it would work with Spaceport Camden to build, test, assemble, and launch orbital vehicles.

Nevertheless, Desrosiers says the FAA forced Spaceport Camden backers to rethink their plan last year when it required them to present an entirely new proposal featuring rockets that had never been launched before.

“They’re saying if this rocket were ever to become a viable rocket, then this would be an OK place to launch it from,” she said. “The whole idea has gone from this is the best idea ever to how do we fit a square peg into a round hole?”

Gov. Brian Kemp supported the project in 2017 on the campaign trail, but he declined to comment on the project earlier this year while it was being reviewed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

This spring, Democratic U.S. Sen Raphael Warnock told FAA officials he was troubled by the plans and asked the department to slow its review to account for the change in scope of Camden’s proposal.

Vehicle registration and title services unavailable Dec. 30-Jan. 4

Car tag and titling services will be unavailable in Georgia over the New Year’s holiday due to upgrades to the state’s Driver Record and Integrated Vehicle Enterprise System.

Vehicle registrations and titling services, including e-Services, will be unavailable from December 30, 2021, through January 4, 2022. Vehicle owners with expiration dates in late December and early January are encouraged to renew prior to December 30 to avoid delays.

During the upgrade, county tag offices and the Georgia Department of Revenue Motor Vehicle Division will be unable to process transactions. All online motor vehicle-related services and self-service kiosks will also be unavailable.

Officials recommend customers and dealers seeking to conduct title transactions complete their business at a county tag office before Thursday, December 30.

Dealers will be able to initiate electronic title and registration (ETR) transactions and issue emergency temporary operating permits (TOPs) over New Year’s weekend. Additionally, law enforcement will still have access to motor vehicle records, officials say.

Christmas will be brighter for some White County children

Christmas for some less fortunate children in the area will be brighter this year thanks to the “Shop With A Cop” event coordinated by White County Family Connection. Today and Friday children are paired up with an officer from the White County Sheriff’s Office, Cleveland, and or Helen Police.

Cheyenne Brunet, White County Family Connection Coordinator explained, each child was given a $200 Wal-Mart gift card and instructed to use half of that to buy clothes for themselves and the other they could spend on toys or whatever they wanted.

This program is a way to develop a positive image for law enforcement and help these special children. According to Brunet, 23 children will participate in the program this year.

In addition to Shop With A Cop, Family Connection with the support from businesses and individual donations was able to help 150 families, which includes 343 children with their annual White Christmas Program that provides toys and for struggling families in the county.

SEE ALSO

Santa comes early for local families in need

Tips to prevent holiday fire hazards

ATLANTA – Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King urges Georgians to exercise caution while decorating this holiday season. If not handled appropriately, Christmas trees and other holiday decorations can become fire safety hazards.

Data from the National Fire Prevention Association shows that between 2015 and 2019, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 160 home fires that started with Christmas trees every year. Almost half of those fires were due to lighting equipment.

U.S. fire departments also responded to an average of 790 home fires that began with Christmas decorations other than trees. These fires caused an annual average of one death, 26 fire-related injuries, and $13 million in property damage.

In recognition of these risks, Commissioner King asks Georgians to follow the following tips for keeping your home and your decorations safe this holiday season.

  • Ensure that your tree has fresh, green needles that do not fall off when they are touched. Dry trees can become completely engulfed in flames in less than one minute.
  • Keep your tree at least three feet from any heat source, including fireplaces, radiators, candles, or heat vents. One in five trees fires could be traced to a heat source that was too close to the tree.
  • Check your Christmas lights boxes to see if they have the label of a recognized testing laboratory and to verify whether they are indoor or outdoor lights.
  • Turn off all decorations when you go to bed and when you leave the house.
  • Inspect all lights and decorations for cracks, damaged sockets, and loose or bare wires. Unplug all electrical lights and devices before conducting any major or minor repair.

                                                                   

Rivian’s $5B EV manufacturing plant set to start in east Georgia by spring 2022

Gov. Brian Kemp steps out of a Rivian truck Thursday at a press event announcing the the electric vehicle maker will build a factory in Georgia. (Jill Nolin/Georgia Recorder)

ATLANTA (GA Recorder) — Shane Short doesn’t own an electric vehicle. Yet.

“I’m probably going to be driving an electric truck in about two years,” said Short, an official with the local joint development authority that just helped land one of the biggest economic development projects in Georgia history.

Two years is about how long it’s expected to take for the electric vehicle start-up Rivian to fire up a new factory at a nearly 2,000-acre site in a rural area east of Atlanta, which are plans that were publicly announced Thursday outside the state Capitol. It will be the company’s second U.S. manufacturing site.

Shane Short, an official with the local joint development authority that just helped land one of the biggest economic development projects in Georgia history, tries out a Rivian truck. Jill Nolin/Georgia Recorder 

“Electric vehicles are going to be the new future for us, and we’re going to reduce that carbon footprint worldwide,” said Short, who is the economic developer for Walton County and who said his dad worked for General Motors. “And I think the more people can see these types of vehicles, ride in these vehicles and understand what they really mean and their impact, they’re going to want those vehicles as well. This kind of technology really is just so much cleaner for our world.”

The state officials who heralded the project Thursday discussed it in sweeping terms, not just for the economic impact to the state of the $5 billion investment but also the project’s role in bolstering the state’s clean energy credentials.

Georgia is already home to electric vehicle battery maker SK Innovation in Commerce and Hanwha Q CELLS’ massive plant in Dalton, which was the largest solar panel factory in the western hemisphere when it officially opened in 2019.

When fully operational, the new factory is expected to build about 400,000 vehicles a year. The kind of truck expected to be built in Georgia was parked inside Liberty Plaza.

“Today is also about Georgia’s emerging leadership role in a booming, innovative industry that will benefit our state and our citizens for generations to come,” Kemp said into a microphone at Liberty Plaza.

“We’ve all been preparing for a company and a project like Rivian for a very long time,” he said. “We also knew the electric automotive and supply chain ecosystem was only going to grow over the next few decades, and that Georgia had the fundamentals not only to compete for these projects, but to win.”

The project, which will straddle Morgan and Walton counties, will yield Georgia an estimated 7,500 jobs over several years. The site had been in the state’s economic development database for about five years.

MORE: Gov. Kemp, Rivian announce $5 billion electric vehicle plant in Georgia

Rivian’s chief people officer, Helen Russell, stood alongside state officials and pitched a job opportunity directly to the listening public. Nearly two dozen Georgia-based jobs were posted as of Thursday.

“As a public company, every employee at Rivian owns a piece of the business. Similarly, we have highly competitive compensation and benefits packages. And we’re really looking forward to bringing those packages to Georgians,” Russell said.

It remains to be seen, though, how much the project will cost taxpayers. Kemp deferred comment on state tax incentives to the state Department of Economic Development.

Pat Wilson, commissioner of the state Department of Economic Development, talks to reporters after Thursday’s announcement. Jill Nolin/Georgia Recorder 

Pat Wilson, who leads the agency, told reporters Thursday the details are being finalized and said the incentives would be outlined about a month later and posted online. He compared the package to the one offered to Kia when it came to West Point but did not provide a ballpark figure for the size.

Georgia beat out Texas and other states for the plant. Fort Worth dangled $440 million in tax incentives this year in an effort to win the Rivian sweepstakes, according to the Dallas Morning News.

Kemp told reporters the state’s allure went beyond incentives.

“It’s a lot more than that, because there’s a lot of states that can give cash incentives and other things. But if you don’t have a good site, if you don’t have good logistics, and if you especially don’t have a good workforce, none of that matters. And what I sold to them was speed to market and workforce,” Kemp said.

Construction is set to begin this coming spring, with the California-based company pledging to build a “carbon-conscious campus” in its release about the project. Locals have expressed concerns about the impact on farmland; a lone protester held a sign Thursday asking the company what it will do to protect the watershed and night sky. The company said town hall events will be planned near the site for residents.

“This is the most environmentally conscious company that I’ve ever dealt with,” Wilson said. “And they are in fact doing a survey of trees on the property to make sure that they minimize their impact on the green space in the property. And so we’re really excited to bring a company like that to the state.”

 

Rivian is still ramping up production at its facility in Normal, Illinois. The company posted a $1.23 billion loss for the third quarter, saying its vehicle production is currently less than its manufacturing capacity. The company is working on producing its R1T truck, R1S SUV and EDV commercial van.

In Georgia, only a small portion of the driving public is behind the wheel of an electric vehicle. Overall, the number of electric vehicles in Georgia make up a little more than 1% of all automobiles newly registered in the state. That small percentage has held steady the last three years.

It remains to be seen whether having a Georgia-built electric vehicle will change that.

“When I look at Rivian’s announcement, I see jobs,” House Speaker David Ralston, a Blue Ridge Republican, said in an interview Thursday. “This is a real game changer. This is going to have a huge positive effect on our economy here in the state. That’s what I see first of all. If it gets into driving habits and purchasing habits, I think only time will tell.”

West Side Story

The first thing to say about this remake of West Side Story is that fans of the original are not going to be disappointed. This is a wonderfully faithful adaptation and it also brings its own sensibilities to make it a standout.

The second thing to say is director Steven Spielberg’s treatment brings the same amount of vibrancy, exuberance and pathos as the 1961 Oscar-winning classic.

The remake stays true to the story and its settings in 1957 New York and it centers around the two gangs known as the Jets and the Sharks who fight and dance and dance and fight over their respective turfs.

In between both rival factions stand two kids named Tony (Ansel Elgort) and Maria (newcomer Rachel Zegler) who meet at a dance and instantly fall in love. Maria’s older brother Bernardo (David Alvarez) strongly opposes it due to Tony’s association with the Jets.

The rest of the movie bounces between sensationally choreographed sequences that oftentimes feel extemporaneous and help advance the story. There’s also a great deal of character development even amongst the supporting characters so that when something happens, it carries weight and validity to make us care.

It felt great to be seeing a remake that was brimming with spirit, heart and soul instead of just feeling like a retread.

Elgort and Zegler are both greatly cast in their roles and they embrace the material wholeheartedly. Their musical numbers are heartfelt and their love story equals the original and, in some ways, surpasses it.

Spielberg has proven he can tackle any genre with his sure-handed touch regardless of his blockbusters such as E.T., Jaws, Jurassic Park or Indiana Jones. He also proves he can handle more personal, intimate stories such as Schindler’s List. Once again, he scores a monumental triumph.

Grade: A

(Rated PG-13 for some strong violence, strong language, thematic content, suggestive material and brief smoking.)

Biden’s big social spending bill caught in snags in the Senate

A temporary expansion of the child tax credit, the last payment of which was made Wednesday, is on hold after the Biden administration’s bill, known as Build Back Better appeared stalled out for 2021.

WASHINGTON (GA Recorder) — President Joe Biden’s giant social and climate spending bill on Thursday night appeared stalled in the U.S. Senate for some time to come, a deep frustration for congressional Democrats who aimed to pass the ambitious package by the Christmas recess.

At risk also is a temporary expansion of the child tax credit, the last payment of which was made Wednesday. The expansion was included in Biden’s bill, known as Build Back Better, and Democrats in the evenly divided Senate say they can’t pass it separately because Republicans won’t support it.

In addition, the Wall Street Journal reported that a key immigration provision added by the House to the bill has been rejected by the Senate parliamentarian.

Biden in a statement on Thursday night said that he spoke earlier in the day with congressional leaders about his negotiations with Sen. Joe Manchin III, the moderate West Virginia Democrat whose objections to the funding of the expanded child tax credit have held up the Build Back Better measure.

“My team and I are having ongoing discussions with Senator Manchin; that work will continue next week,” Biden said. “It takes time to finalize these agreements, prepare the legislative changes, and finish all the parliamentary and procedural steps needed to enable a Senate vote. We will advance this work together over the days and weeks ahead; Leader [Chuck] Schumer and I are determined to see the bill successfully on the floor as early as possible.”

MORE: Arizona Sen. Sinema opposes filibuster carveout to advance voting rights legislation

During Thursday’s White House press briefing, Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the administration would not go into details on a timeline for when the bill would be passed.

“The president is determined to get this done as soon as possible,” she said.

Negotiations have foundered over objections by Manchin, who has said the price tag for “Build Back Better” should account for a 10-year expansion of the child tax credit, which would help lift millions of children and families out of poverty.

The bill now includes just a one-year expansion, through 2022, and adding another nine years of the revamped tax credit would push the overall cost far beyond what Manchin has said he would accept.

Manchin told CNN earlier this week that Build Back Better should be “within the limits of what we can afford.”

Manchin also has objected to the inclusion of a universal paid parental and family leave provision.

The Congressional Budget Office has estimated the bill would spend about $1.7 trillion over 10 years. Budget analysts project another roughly $500 billion in tax breaks, putting the total cost at about $2.2 trillion over a decade, higher than earlier estimates from the White House.

The bill includes historic investments in child care and universal pre-K for 3-and-4 year-olds. It would also for the first time give Medicare the ability to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies on the price of some prescription drugs and offer coverage of hearing aids for seniors, among other things.

“Build Back Better is urgently needed to lower the cost of prescription drugs, health care, child care, and elder care,” Biden said. “Notwithstanding the unrelenting Republican obstruction — not a single Republican is willing to move forward on the bill — I am determined to see this bill enacted into law, to give America’s families the breathing room they deserve. We also need urgent action on climate change and other priorities in the Build Back Better plan.”

However, it’s become unclear if an extension to the child tax credit will be included, given Manchin’s stance.

When a Huffington Post reporter asked Manchin Wednesday if he supported the child tax credit, Manchin lost his temper and did not answer the question.

Democrats temporarily expanded the child tax credit earlier this year under the American Rescue Plan from $2,000 to $3,600 for kids under 6, and to $3,000 for kids from 6 to 17.

Republicans have objected to the overall cost of the bill.

The legislation also includes $555 billion in climate spending and tax credits, primarily in the form of $320 billion in new and extended clean energy tax credits.

Rep. Kathy Castor, (D-Fla.), is also urging the Senate to not remove the ban on offshore drilling off the Atlantic, Pacific and the eastern Gulf of Mexico from its version of the bill. Manchin has raised opposition to offshore drilling bans, according to the New York Times.

“We have a moral obligation to urgently reduce our carbon dioxide and methane pollution, which are fueling catastrophic extreme weather events across the country,” Castor said in a statement. “That’s why we must permanently ban drilling on our coasts and address the pollution spewed by hundreds of abandoned, leaky rigs and pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, has not yet scheduled a vote on the bill, which is also undergoing scrutiny by the parliamentarian so that it complies with a process called reconciliation, which allows passage with a simple majority in the evenly divided Senate.

Schumer said he met with Biden and other Democratic senators about the Senate stalemate. “All I’m saying is that we had a very good discussion on voting rights and BBB,” Schumer said, according to Capitol Hill pool reports.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the Minnesota Democrat who chairs the Senate Rules Committee, said that she had a virtual meeting with the president and vice president, along with Manchin, on passing voting protections.

Immigration policy also hangs in the balance.

The House passed its version of Build Back Better in late November and wrapped in temporary work and deportation protections through a parole program that allows some undocumented people to change their status to prevent deportation.

The Senate is now waiting for a decision by the Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, who is nonpartisan and provides advice and help on Senate rules and procedures, on whether the immigration provisions in the package can be passed through reconciliation.

However, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday night that MacDonough rejected Democrats’ immigration proposals.

Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat and chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that he was “disappointed” about the parliamentarian’s ruling, according to Capitol Hill pool reports.

“We’re considering what options remain,” he said.

Many immigration advocates and House progressives were not satisfied with those provisions as they pushed Congress to include a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented people in the bill.

Democrats have tried to include a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented people through the reconciliation package but were blocked by the Senate parliamentarian from including those provisions.

Many advocates and progressive Democrats have argued that the parliamentarian is merely an adviser and that the Senate could overrule her opinion.

Lizzie Faye Ledford Sugg

Lizzie Faye Ledford Sugg, age 70 of Hollywood, Georgia, passed away on Wednesday, December 15, 2021.

Born August 22, 1951, on Warwoman Road in Clayton, Georgia, Mrs. Sugg was the daughter of the late Howard LeRoy Ledford, Sr. and the late Eva Mae Hooper Ledford. Mrs. Sugg was a loving daughter, wife, mother, and sister and earnestly cared for all of her family. She enjoyed planting flowers and vegetables in her gardens, cooking, crocheting, spending time with her loved ones, and studying her Bible. She was devout in her faith and had served as church secretary, Sunday school teacher, and also sang in the choir at Mt. Zion Baptist Church. Mrs. Sugg was retired from Toccoa Rental and Sales as a secretary. She did everything with a smile on her face and love in her heart.

In addition to her parents, Mrs. Sugg is preceded in death by siblings Helen Ellamae Lewis (William Lewis), Benson Eugene Ledford (Patricia “Pat” Ledford), Lawrence “Larry” Addison Ledford, Carol Bell Black (William “Bill” Black), Katherine Genelia Ledford, Wanda Maxine Pittman, Brenda Sue Smith and Lydia Gail Stancil, and brother-in-law Paul Frankum.

Survivors include her husband Junior Sugg of Hollywood, son Coty Sugg (fiancé Jessica Alger) of Lawrenceville, sister and brother-in-law Martha and Charles “Chuck” Hazle of Hollywood, brother and sister-in-law Howard and Judy Ledford of Hollywood, sister Virginia Frankum of Clarkesville, sister-in-law Janice Ledford of Hollywood, brother-in-law Charles Pittman of Woodstock, brother-in-law Charles Smith of Toccoa, and brother-in-law Carol Stancil of Toccoa, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and extended family.

Graveside services will be held at 3:00 PM, Sunday, December 19, 2021, at Mt. Zion Baptist Church. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Sunday, prior to the service from 1:30 PM until 2:30 PM.

An online guest book is available for the family at www.hillsidememorialchapel.com.

Arrangements by Hillside Memorial Chapel & Gardens, Clarkesville. 706-754-6256

Jessica Dawn Taylor Poole

Jessica Dawn Taylor Poole, age 40 of Toccoa, passed away on December 11, 2021.

Born in Demorest, Georgia on May 9, 1981, Jessica was the daughter of Beverley B. Thomas and the late Danny Taylor. She was a 1999 graduate of Habersham Central High School and she worked as a clerk and also in the foodservice industry. Jessica was very scholarly and was a very intelligent young lady. She loved spending time outdoors, especially fishing on the lake or in a river. Jessica was a member of North Georgia Bible Church. In addition to her father, Jessica is preceded in death by stepfather Roy Thomas and grandmother Inger Kelly.

Survivors include her mother Beverley Thomas of Gainesville, daughters Alanna Poole and Bianca Poole of Gainesville, sister Briana Lipscomb of Gainesville, Stephanie Martin (Calvin) of Cleveland, life partner Charlie Moore of Toccoa, nephew Nate Lipscomb of Gainesville and numerous cousins and extended family.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.

An online guest book is available for the family by visiting www.hillsidememorialchapel.com.

Arrangements by Hillside Memorial Chapel & Gardens, Clarkesville. 706-754-6256

Gov. Kemp, Rivian announce $5 billion electric vehicle plant in Georgia

ATLANTA – At an event with company leaders, Governor Brian Kemp today announced that Rivian Inc. will invest $5 billion in a carbon-conscious campus in Georgia for its electric adventure vehicles. Across operations, Rivian will create approximately 7,500 jobs on just under 2,000 acres located at the site known as the East Atlanta Megasite, represented by the Joint Development Authority of Jasper, Morgan, Newton, and Walton counties. Once manufacturing operations are fully ramped up, the Georgia facility will be capable of producing up to 400,000 vehicles per year.

Rivian’s manufacturing plant represents the single-largest economic development project in state history, officials say.

“We are so proud that Georgia will now be home to Rivian’s largest manufacturing facility,” said Gov. Kemp. “This single investment – the largest in state history – represents the future of automotive manufacturing and establishes the leading role the Peach State will play in this booming industry for generations to come.”

“We’re happy to partner with Georgia on our next manufacturing site, which will allow us to meet demand for Rivian products and to scale our business rapidly,” said Rivian Chief People Officer Helen Russell. “We’re confident that, alongside Illinois, Georgia is the place for Rivian to scale and thrive.”

Construction on the facility, located at Stanton Springs North, is expected to begin in summer 2022, and production is slated to start in 2024.

Strategic location

Rivian’s strategic location on the I-20 corridor will enable the company to access resources and speed its products to market utilizing the state’s 1,200 miles of highway and 5,000 miles of rail. The Port of Savannah, which is the largest on-terminal rail facility in North America, will allow Rivian to “efficiently tap into supply chain needs,” state economic development officials say.

Another boon to the company is Georgia Quick Start’s commitment to build and operate a state-of-the-art manufacturing training center that will provide Rivian with a fully customized training program that meets the company’s start-up needs.

“This will also build capacity and curricula within the Technical College System of Georgia to maintain a long-term pipeline of highly skilled employees who are trained specifically in these operations,” Kemp’s office says.

In addition, the Georgia Department of Labor will assist the company in identifying and recruiting workers.

Open job postings in Georgia will be immediately available at www.rivian.com/careers. Inquiries about project RFIs, RFPs listing, and supply chain outreach can be directed to [email protected].

Expanding EV auto industry

Georgia is at the center of the rapidly expanding Southeast Automotive Alley, and Rivian’s investment accelerates the evolution of Georgia’s automotive ecosystem.

Within the last five years, 78 automotive-related companies have located or expanded operations in Georgia, creating thousands of new jobs.

While existing companies in Georgia have expanded their portfolios to include parts for EVs, companies from Korea, Germany, Turkey, and the Netherlands have also recently announced plans to build EV-related facilities in the state.

Rivian is the latest success in Georgia’s push to recruit the entire electric mobility ecosystem to the state. In August, Gov. Kemp announced the launch of the Electric Mobility and Innovation Alliance, a statewide initiative between government, industries, electric utilities, nonprofits, and other relevant stakeholders focused on growing the electric vehicle industry in the state. In addition to attracting new jobs, the alliance is focused on ensuring Georgia’s existing 55,000 automotive manufacturing jobs receive the support they need for retraining and expansions to transition to meet the new demands of electric transportation.