The White County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help to find a teenager who has been missing since Tuesday.
A social media post from the sheriff’s office only identified the youth as Maria, a 16-year old black female. She has black hair and brown eyes and was last seen in Helen.
Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call Investigator Kenny Thompson at the White County Sheriff’s Office at 706-865-5177.
Mildred Grogan, age 87, of Cornelia, Georgia passed away on Tuesday, December 7, 2021.
Mrs. Grogan was born on June 1, 1934, in Dawson County, Georgia to the late E.J. and Annie Gregory Collins. Mrs. Grogan was a member of First Baptist Church of Cornelia. She was also a retired owner/operator of The Western Auto in Cornelia since 1964.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her loving husband of sixty-eight years, Rex Grogan.
Survivors include her son and daughter-in-law, Vic and Allison Hogan Grogan, of Alto; daughter and son-in-law, JoAnne and Tony Addis, of Clarkesville; grandchildren: Ansley Grogan Goodman and her husband, Nick Goodman; Toby Addis; Jamie Addis Wilson and her husband, Ashton Wilson; Kayla Grogan, and Amanda Grogan; great-grandchildren, Madison Shirley, Blyth Wilson, and Jimah Wilson.
Private Family Memorial Services will be held at Yonah Memorial Gardens in Demorest, Georgia.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Whitfield Funeral Homes & Crematory, North Chapel at 245 Central Avenue, Demorest, Georgia 30535. Telephone: 706-778-1700.
A Cleveland man remains in the White County Detention Center following his arrest last week on sexual assault charges against multiple victims.
In a news release from the sheriff’s office, Capt. Clay Hammond with the Criminal Investigations Division said on November 29 the White County Sheriff’s Office received a report in reference to an alleged sexual assault, that involved multiple victims.
Authorities charged 56-year old Scott Alan Bradshaw with four counts of child molestation, four counts of felony sexual battery, aggravated sodomy, and sodomy, online jail records show. Bradshaw turned himself in on November 30.
Anyone who has any information related to this case is asked to call the White County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division at 706-865-5177.
The Demorest City Council will revisit the stormwater ordinance they have been discussing at a special called meeting next week. The ordinance will require any new developments in the city to include basins to catch and collect stormwater in their development plans.
The council discussed the ordinance, which will serve as an addition to the city’s minimum development standards, at the their Tuesday meeting. The ordinance will not have any effect on existing properties and developments within the city.
The city has seen several instances of flooding, overflowing creeks and overflowing streams over the course of the past few years, which Demorest Mayor Rick Austin and Public Works Director Bryan Popham attribute to development in the city. As more developments and pavement come to the city, there is less earth to absorb water during storms. When that water has no place to go, flooding occurs.
“One of the ways that you mitigate future problems is to ensure that any future development has stormwater catch basins,” Austin tells Now Habersham. “Right now, we don’t have any ordinances in place that force developers, regardless of elevation or slope, to put something like that in place to impede water from rapidly going into streams.”
Austin first brought the idea forward to the council in the fall of 2021, and the city’s council, city manager, city attorney, public works staff and water and sewer consultant all seem to support the ordinance.
“Two of the most important individuals in our public works department, Bryan [Popham] and the contractor, Fletcher Holiday, and his company who operates our wastewater treatment facility, have both told us the importance of the stormwater ordinance,” Austin said at the Dec. 7 meeting. “It’s going to save us money in the long run in our processing of sewage, it’s going to save us money in the long run in terms of protecting our infrastructure that crosses many creeks across this city, and it’s also going to protect our road infrastructure.”
Tuesday’s discussion of the ordinance served as its first reading, and Austin is hopeful that the council can move forward with passing the ordinance at their Dec. 16 special called meeting.
“I think we’re moving forward, I’m looking forward to the solution,” Austin said. “I hope we can get to that solution before the end of this year, I’d like to be part of that.”
The Habersham County Central Communications (E-911) Office has renewed its certification for the Missing Kids Program, a program that streamlines emergency communication when a child’s life may be at risk.
The Missing Kids Readiness Program, developed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), promotes best practices for responding to emergency calls relating to missing, abducted and sexually exploited children.
In the past year, Habersham County Central Communications initiated 82 calls for lost, injured, missing, runaway and non-family abductions of children. The communications office received a total of 17 state-initiated calls this year: four Amber Alerts, 10 Levi Alerts and one Mattie’s Alert.
Habersham County E-911 Assistant Director Melanie Bellinger and E-911 Director Lynn Smith attended a seminar at the Jimmy Ryce Law Enforcement Training Center in Virginia with the NCMEC and created a policy to bring back to Habersham County’s E-911 office. All staff members have received training in this policy to protect Habersham’s missing children.
“By demonstrating remarkable leadership, and making this commitment of training and preparedness, the Habersham County Central Communications is communicating to its citizens and families [that] protecting the lives and safety of their children is a top priority,” the county said in a press release. “Armed with the information, knowledge and operational resources gained through meeting the program criteria, the Habersham County Central Communications continues to be positioned to respond more quickly, comprehensively, and effectively when a child’s life may be at stake.”
Bellinger wants Habersham citizens to know that they are committed to protecting children and that when they receive a call about a missing, abducted or exploited child, every question they ask is important.
“When we receive a call for a missing child or missing elderly person there is a series of questions that we are required to obtain for information to activate the alerting system,” Bellinger says. “These questions do not delay the initial response. While obtaining the information from the caller, first responders are en route to begin the search process. Any and all information is crucial to the safe return of the missing person as it gets passed on to the responding units. Please answer all of the questions. The more information that we can get out to the responding unit the outcome normally results in a positive nature.”
Rabun County quarterback Gunner Stockton is the Gatorade Georgia Football Player of the Year, Gatorade announced Tuesday.
Stockton passed for 4,134 yards and 55 touchdowns with only one interception for a Class 2A quarterfinal team this season. Stockton, who is committed to Georgia, set state career records for passing touchdowns (177), touchdowns passing and rushing (254) and yards passing and rushing (18,024).
The 6-foot-1, 220-pound senior quarterback is a four-time All-State honoree and was selected to play in the 2022 All-American Bowl.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Stockton as Georgia’s best high school football player,” Gatorade says.
Stockton has maintained an A average in the classroom.
A devoted member of his church community, Stockton has volunteered locally on behalf of food donation drives.
Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Football Player of the Year award, Stockton joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners, including Emmitt Smith (1986-87, Escambia High School, Fla.), Matthew Stafford (2005-06, Highland Park High School, Texas) and Christian McCaffrey (2012-13 & 2013-14, Valor Christian High School, Colo.).
“Gunner Stockton is special,” said Stewart Young, head coach at Saluda (S.C.) High School. “He’s big, fast and he can flat out spin it. He can fly on his feet and he seeks out contact when running. I’ve never coached against a quarterback like him.”
Recent Gatorade POY Georgia winners are Brock Vandagriff of Prince Avenue Christian (2020), Arik Gilbert of Marietta (2019), Jamious Griffin of Rome (2018) and Trevor Lawrence of Cartersville (2017). Stockton is the first to be chosen from Rabun County High School.
Cleveland City Council members apparently are not interested in allowing short term rentals in the city. The idea to amend the city’s zoning ordinance to allow for this type of operation was first proposed in August by City Administrator Tom O’Bryant. At that time, some council members had some concerns and O’Bryant said those issues could be addressed before the second reading and adoption.
Monday night, the issue was back on the council’s meeting agenda for consideration and possible adoption, but when Mayor Josh Turner called for a motion for adoption all council members sat silently for over a minute.
Finally, Mayor Turner ask City Attorney Grant Keene if there is no motion does the issue die, attorney Keene said “I think so.” The mayor then moved on to the next item on the agenda.
Despite the council’s inaction, the issue still may not be dead.
“There is an interest for short term rentals within our community,” O’Bryant tells Now Habersham. “We allow hotels, but we don’t allow short term rentals.”
He says he will consult with the city attorney on how to proceed, adding, the amended ordinance could be presented at a later date.
Dean Dyer of WRWH contributed to this report
Cancer Treatment Centers of America, a hospital chain with a facility in suburban Atlanta, has agreed to be acquired by the California-based nonprofit system City of Hope, the organizations announced Wednesday.
The acquisition, with a reported $390 million price tag, is expected to close in early 2022, pending full regulatory approval. After the deal closes, City of Hope, a cancer research and treatment organization, will seek to convert CTCA to a nonprofit.
CTCA has been embroiled in political turmoil in Georgia for years over its status within the state’s health care regulatory apparatus. The company continually sought legislative approval to expand its bed capacity at its Newnan hospital and end state-imposed restrictions on the number of Georgia patients it could serve.
The Georgia Legislature in 2008 allowed CTCA to build its hospital in Newnan through an exemption from the state’s health care regulatory process known as certificate of need, or CON. But legislators also set specific restrictions on the hospital, requiring that it have no more than 50 beds, and that no more than 35 percent of its patients come from Georgia.
After the Newnan site opened, Georgia hospital organizations argued that the Newnan facility had not met state requirements to deliver a certain amount of charity or indigent care.
State restrictions on CTCA, though, ended in 2019 after the General Assembly passed House Bill 186.
The newly announced deal would allow City of Hope to expand farther beyond its Southern California base.
CTCA hospital in Newnan
STAT reported that City of Hope was instrumental in the development of synthetic insulin and the basic technologies behind many cancer drugs.
CTCA, meanwhile, has been criticized for aggressive marketing and how it selects patients and their insurance, the STAT article noted.
“I know CTCA is controversial, and there absolutely will be and should be questions about City of Hope acquiring a chain that’s known for being, let’s say, aggressive in its claims about cancer treatments,” Arthur Caplan, a professor of bioethics at New York University Langone Medical Center, told STAT.
“I’m not saying they’re wrong, I’m just saying they’re loud and aggressive,” Caplan said. “That’s going to be something that the new owner is going to have to decide how to manage. It will become their ethical responsibility.”
CTCA recently closed hospitals in Tulsa and Philadelphia. Besides the Newnan facility, it runs hospitals in Illinois and Arizona.
Stone
“Building on more than three decades of unparalleled patient experience and quality care, we’re excited to become a part of City of Hope, and to take a step closer to reaching so many more cancer patients with our unique, patient-centered model,” Dr. Pat Basu, president and CEO of CTCA, said in a statement. “Through the shared, patient-centric values of both organizations and expanded access as a result of the collaboration, cancer patients across the nation will be the ultimate beneficiaries of this relationship.”
Combined, City of Hope and CTCA will have about 11,000 employees.
Basu will remain CEO of CTCA and report to Robert Stone, president and CEO of City of Hope.
“This is a defining moment in the fight against cancer and a powerful opportunity to reach more cancer patients with the leading treatments, care and advanced research they critically need,” Stone said in a statement. “CTCA has a strong commitment to patient-centric
WASHINGTON (GA Recorder) — A bipartisan provision in an annual defense measure that would have required all young Americans to register for the military draft has been cut following a Republican backlash.
Lawmakers tried to include the provision in the $777.9 billion measure, the National Defense Authorization Act of 2022, to require all Americans — including women — ages 18 to 25 to be included for registration with the Selective Service System.
Even though the provision had the backing of members from both parties like Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, (D-Pa.), and Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), as well as Sen. Joni Ernst, (R-Iowa), and the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Republicans moved to strip the measure, arguing that women should not be forced to fight in wars.
Georgia Congressman Andrew Clyde, an Athens Republican, referred to the requirement as one of the “poison pills” removed from the measure.
“Now that those partisan provisions have been eliminated, I am proud to support the final passage of this year’s NDAA, which strengthens our nation’s readiness to ensure that we have the most lethal military force in the world,” Clyde said in a statement.
The House passed a final negotiated version of the bill, usually viewed as must-pass legislation, 363-70. The measure now goes to the Senate.
Politico first reported the language on the military draft had been dropped from the compromise.
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri said on Twitter that if the draft language was not removed from the bill he would “continue to insist on a vote on the Senate floor to strike the provision.”
He introduced his own amendment, which struck out the provision.
GOP senators who signed onto the amendment included Ted Cruz of Texas, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Steve Daines of Montana, Mike Lee of Utah and Marco Rubio of Florida, among others.
Rep. Vicky Hartzler, (R-Mo.), also voiced her objection to the requirement for registration in the NDAA.
“This provision was never about improving military readiness,” she said on Twitter. “Instead, it passed through committee under the misplaced guise of ‘equality,’ imposing a woke ideology on our troops rather than meeting the current needs of our military.”
She later praised the removal of the change to selective service requirements.
“Women are not chess pieces in a political game,” she said. “They are doctors, lawyers, engineers, and already valuable members of our all-volunteer force.”
Under current law, only “male persons” are required to register for selective service, which hasn’t been used since the Vietnam War.
The inclusion of the provision even had the support of the White House.
“The administration supports section 513 and the registration requirement for all citizens, which further ensures a military selective system that is fair and just,” according to the Biden administration, referring to the section of the bill dealing with the requirement.
Ernst, the first female veteran senator, has voiced her support for women to be included in the selective service.
“Senator Ernst – the first female combat veteran elected to the Senate and mom to a daughter at West Point – supports more women joining our armed forces and believes that, although extremely rare, in the event a draft is instituted women bring tremendous talent to our national defense,” her office said in a statement.
Georgia Recorder Deputy Editor Jill Nolin contributed to this report.
The Tallulah Falls School Pit Vipers competition barbecue team finished the 2021 BBQ season as repeat state champions (Georgia BBQ Championship Series), Reserve Champions for the Southeast (Rufus Teague Series), eighth place in the KCBS national team rankings (Kansas City BBQ Society) and World Junior BBQ League Champions. They are currently ranked No. 1 in the KCBS preseason 2022 rankings.
“I am so proud of the accomplishments of this group of kids,” says President and Head of School Larry Peevy. “I’m really enjoying my role as volunteer recipe taster/quality control sampler.”
The Pit Vipers had a very extensive barbecue travel schedule this season which included South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and Oklahoma. They finished the season with three Grand Championships, three Reserve Championships and 11 Top Ten finishes.
“We’ll take a well-deserved break and enjoy the holidays,” says Head Pitmaster Tom Tilley. The team returns to competition for the 2022 season on March 4 at the Sip & Swine BBQ Festival in Lawrenceville.
The TFS Pit Vipers include sophomores Brooke Hayes of Cornelia, Matthew Wolfe of Clarkesville, Joel Bourlet of Tallulah Falls, Marc Crotta of Cornelia, freshmen Jake Owensby of Cornelia, Teyrk Tilley of Tallulah Falls and Zach Freeman of Clarkesville. The TFS Pit Viper dessert maker is freshman Lily Turpin of Demorest.
All this month I promised we would feature great cookie recipes for holiday baking. I had to renege on that when my niece, the baking queen in our family, shared this recipe. The flavors of cranberry and orange together are scrumptious and perfect for this time of year.
Even though they aren’t cookies, I’m adding these to my own baking list for Christmas. I can not wait to taste them!
Streusel Topping
½ cup flour
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp orange zest
¼ tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
¼ cup butter, chilled
Batter
½ cup butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
¼ tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 tsp orange zest
1/8 tsp salt
2 cup fresh cranberries
2 Tbls coarse sanding sugar
1 cup flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 8×8 pan, line with parchment or spray with Baker’s Joy.
Whisk together melted butter with eggs, vanilla, sugar, zest and salt. Gently stir in cranberries and remaining flour until moistened and mixed. Spoon into prepared pan. Sprinkle with sanding sugar & top with streusel.
Bake until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean, 45-50 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Cut into ¼” squares.
Recipe notes
*I add a dash of nutmeg, allspice, and cloves anytime I make these.
*Reserve part of the batter flour and roll those cranberries in it. Flour helps them to not sink to bottom of pan.
*I added a splash of orange juice in the last batch I made (maybe 2 Tbls, tops) and it gave it an extra citrusy-sweet edge!
*I never make the 8×8. I double it and do a 9×13 pan. Trust me, you’ll want to do the same. These get gobbled up pretty quickly!
Editor’s note: My food pictures never turn out like this. Guess that’s what happens when you are not just a baker but also a professional photographer:)
(GA Recorder) — Advocates are calling on the public to weigh in – again – on the governor’s plan to bypass healthcare.gov.
Gov. Brian Kemp’s health care proposal would divert consumers looking for insurance to a privately run process. His plan was approved by the Trump administration last year but is now being scrutinized by the Biden administration, which is reviewing all previously approved state health care waivers.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reopened Georgia’s waiver for public comment in November. The deadline to submit a comment is Jan. 9.
Advocates from groups representing a range of constituents, from immigrants to rural, low-income residents, panned the proposal in a virtual event Tuesday hosted by the Cover Georgia coalition.
“The plan was not a good fit for Georgia when it was proposed in 2019, and it’s an even worse fit for our state now,” said Martha Shockey with the left-leaning Indivisible Georgia Coalition. “Gov. Kemp’s plan dismantles the most widely used and only unbiased place that consumers can shop for comprehensive coverage.”
The advocacy groups are urging people to take time during the busy holiday season to contribute to an official record that they hope will help doom the plan.
This part of Kemp’s health care proposal also sparked opposition during the public comment period last summer, including from those who said they found the state’s replacement plan confusing.
“Georgia’s choosing to leave consumers on their own to navigate this incredibly varied, very complex network of qualifying plans and subsidies,” said Abbie Fuksman, representing the Jewish Community Relations Council of Atlanta. “There’s simply no way for a consumer to do a direct apples-to-apples comparison, while also being informed about what government subsidies and other options are available.
“There is right and wrong, and purposely causing people to have less access to their care choices is about as wrong as wrong can be. It is time to speak up,” Fuksman said.
The governor’s office has criticized healthcare.gov as being clunky and difficult to use. The Kemp administration has also defended his health care proposal and accused federal officials of trying to backtrack without justification.
“CMS already conducted a comprehensive and robust analysis and approved Georgia Access, and there have been no relevant changes since then to either the governing legal framework or the nature of the program,” Grant Thomas, director of the governor’s Office of Health Strategy and Coordination, wrote in an August letter to federal health officials.
Thomas said state officials were concerned about the feds’ apparent disregard for “the significant investments” from the state and others to “facilitate a seamless implementation.”
State officials have brushed off requests from the Biden administration to provide more information on how recent changes on the national level, such as increased funding for outreach to enroll people, would affect the proposal. The Kemp administration has instead notified federal officials that Georgia intends to move forward under its earlier approval with plans to launch in 2023.
But the 1332 waiver plan includes another provision creating a reinsurance program that has been more favorably received.
The 1332 waiver is separate from another one being held up by the Biden administration that would allow slightly more people to sign up for Medicaid but only if they satisfy work or other requirements.
Georgia is one of 12 states that have not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. The so-called Build Back Better Act that cleared the House last month includes a federal workaround plan for holdout states, but the bill faces a tough journey in the Senate.
