Gov. Brian Kemp appointed Tuesday Georgia Court of Appeals Court Judge Verda Colvin to the serve on the state Supreme Court.
(GA Recorder) — Gov. Brian Kemp picked a Georgia Court of Appeals judge to become his newest appointee to the state Supreme Court, making Verda Colvin the second Black woman to serve on the state’s highest court.
The Republican governor announced Tuesday that Colvin will fill the vacancy of the former Chief Justice Harold Melton, whose departure early this month briefly left the Supreme Court bench without a Black justice for the first time since 1989.
Just 15 months after Kemp selected Colvin to join the court of appeals, he promoted her to the Supreme Court from among six finalists.
Former Justice Leah Ward Sears, who served from 1992 to 2005, was the first Black woman to serve on Georgia’s Supreme Court.
“It is an honor to appoint such an experienced and accomplished justice to our state’s Supreme Court,” Kemp said in a statement Tuesday. “With Justice Colvin on the bench, Georgia’s highest court is gaining an immensely talented and principled judge who will help guide it in the years to come.”
After spending 15 years as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, Gov. Nathan Deal appointed Colvin to Macon’s Superior Court in 2014.
Gov. Brian Kemp appointed Tuesday Georgia Court of Appeals Court Judge Verda Colvin to serve on the state Supreme Court.
During her tenure as a judge in Macon, Colvin gained widespread attention for her lectures to young people who had been in legal trouble, including an emotional 2016 speech that went viral as she encouraged them to stay out of trouble or run the risk of deadly consequences.
On Tuesday, Chief Justice David Nahmias welcomed Colvin’s arrival on the Supreme Court bench. Nahmias officially took over as the leader of the court after Melton stepped down on July 1.
“Given her background and experience, including many years as a Court of Appeals and trial court judge, we are confident that she is eminently qualified to serve on the state’s highest court,” Nahmias said.
Colvin’s appointment is one of six judicial selections announced by Kemp on Tuesday, including Andrew Pinson, the Solicitor General in the Attorney General’s office, to fill Colvin’s seat on the appeals court.
Kemp also named Public Service Commissioner Chuck Eaton as a judge in the Atlanta Judicial Circuit.
Colvin becomes the third justice that Kemp has picked for the state Supreme Court, the state’s court of last resort, which decides cases as serious as upholding a death penalty conviction and whether the government can forcefully take ownership of private property.
Kemp’s previous two appointments were also women. In March 2020, former state Appeals Court Judge Carla Wong McMillian became the first Asian American woman in the Southeast to serve on a state Supreme Court. Former Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shawn Ellen LaGrua joined in January.
A young swimmer talks with youth swim coach Caden Griffis. (Lane Gresham/Tallulah Falls School)
Bringing to a close Tallulah Falls School’s inaugural summer swim league season, two dozen athletes celebrated with a shark-themed meet on July 16. Natatorium Director Katie Ralston engaged the help of youth coaches and lifeguards to add a festive touch to the new swim facility.
It was a great chance to continue to test the Colorado timers and scoring technology in a meet environment, Ralston said. Head Swim Coach Rachel Nichols was on hand to manage the stats, heat sheets, and scoring.
Keeping with the shark theme, shark tooth necklaces were prizes for winners of the 16 events. Attendees also enjoyed frozen treats from the Kona Ice truck.
“It was a great way to celebrate this exciting first season on an upbeat, positive note,” Ralston said.
At the end of the meet, the coaches challenged swim team members to a relay, Ralston added.
Athletic Director Scott Neal said the summer program clearly met a need in the community.
“From swim lessons, which continue throughout the summer, to the summer swim team to lifeguard and WSI training, the new natatorium has been an incredible asset,” Neal said. “The team of lifeguards and swim instructors has been quite stellar, and Katie Ralston has quickly set a vision in motion for the natatorium to be a fun-filled place where people learn, compete, and have a whole lot of fun. The shark-themed meet was a good example of this!”
WINDER – Today, retired Air Force Colonel Alan Sims launched his campaign for the Republican nomination for Congress in Georgia’s 10th District. Alan is a conservative Republican and a native of the district.
“Growing up in a military family, it was all about service and results. My dad was a veteran, who built a small business in north Georgia, and put me to work before I left for West Point and the military,” said Sims.
Sims is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. He holds both a Master of Arts in Religion and a Master of Divinity from Liberty University. He currently serves as an international pilot for Delta Air Lines.
The former Air Force pilot is leaning heavily into his military experience and Georgia roots to appeal to grassroots conservative voters. “We need a proven fighter, and I’m ready to serve. Again,” he says.
Georgia’s 10th Congressional District includes twenty counties in the northeastern part of the state and portions of five others, including Clarke County.
Next year’s election will fill the seat currently held by Jody Hice, a Republican from Greensboro. Hice has held the seat since 2015. Earlier this year, Hice announced he intends to run for Georgia Secretary of State in 2022 rather than seek re-election to Congress. According to Ballotpedia, other candidates who’ve announced their intentions to run include:
Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock said at a rare Senate field hearing in Atlanta Monday his top priority this year is for federal legislative intervention after lawmakers in 48 states introduced nearly 400 bills restricting voting access. (livestream screenshot)
If the rules in Georgia’s controversial 2021 voting overhaul were in place before last November’s historic U.S. Senate races were pushed to Jan. 5 runoffs, then 76,000 residents who cast their ballots would’ve been unable to register in time for the second round.
A U.S. Senate committee gathered in downtown Atlanta Monday to hear how shortened runoff timeframes, tighter absentee ballot deadlines, and new state powers over local election officials are cause for Congress to expand voting protections through pending federal legislation.
The chair of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, said it’s not a coincidence that the sweeping Republican legislation requires runoffs to be held 28 days after an election when state law mandates that voters are registered at least 29 days before the Election Day.
On Jan. 5, Georgia voters handed Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock a pair of historic victories over Republican incumbents, giving Democrats control of the federal government.
Georgia is now ground zero in the battle over access to the ballot box for Democrats and civil rights activists who say they’re fighting against voter suppression tactics that will disproportionately affect Black and other minority voters.
“It is no coincidence that this assault on the freedom to vote is happening just after the 2020 election, when nearly 160 million Americans cast a ballot — more than ever before in the middle of a pandemic, in an election the Trump Department of Homeland Security declared the most secure in history,” Klobuchar said during the first field hearing hosted by the committee in 20 years.
Republican-controlled legislatures across the country this year are passing restrictive new voting laws, prompting Democratic U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to double his enforcement staff to protect voting rights.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar called Georgia ground zero for restrictive voting laws during a Monday voting law hearing hosted by the Senate Rules and Administration in Atlanta. The hearing came in response to state Republican’s passing new voting rules that have led to Congressional Democrats pressing for new federal standards. (Stanley Dunlap/Georgia Recorder)
“This year alone, as I noted, hundreds of hundreds of bills have been introduced,” Klobuchar said. “That is why we are here.”
The hearing at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights was held two days after the first anniversary of the death of the civil rights icon and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, the namesake for a voting law stalled in the Senate that would restore a pre-clearance formula set by the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Senate panel and witnesses that included Warnock, Ossoff, state legislators and others also called for the Senate to move forward with the “For the People Act.”
The path for passing federal voting rights legislation is steep, as the 50 Senate Republicans are showing solidarity against both bills. Without GOP support, the bills will need to reach the unlikely 60-vote threshold required to end a filibuster and advance to the desk of President Joe Biden for his signature.
Warnock said his top priority this year is for federal intervention after lawmakers in 48 states introduced nearly 400 bills restricting voting access.
“We have no time to spare; there’s nothing more important for us to do in Congress,” he said.
Republican supporters of Georgia’s election overhaul argue that the legislation improves the security of the absentee voting system. Some Georgians would get more voting options, including a mandated extra weekend voting day and more public notice on polling location changes.
Witnesses testified Monday that allowing fewer days to receive and return absentee ballots, limiting the number of drop boxes, and requiring ID to receive an absentee ballot will result in longer lines in places where most voters are Black.
Many voters in metro Atlanta used absentee ballot drop boxes to cast votes, a method approved for the first time by state officials to keep people safe in the pandemic. The new law restricts how many drop boxes a county can provide.
Ossoff said Monday that he waited several hours in line to vote in last year’s primary at a precinct that’s majority Black.
The senators and witnesses also testified that during 2020 Black voters used absentee ballots at a higher rate than prior years and how the turnout among Latino and Asian-American groups resulted in some key victories in the presidential and congressional elections.
Georgia Sen. Sally Harrell, left, and Helen Butler, director of Georgia Coalition for the Peoples’ Agenda, testify Monday about the need for new federal voting rights standards following sweeping Republican legislation. The two spoke before the U.S. Senate Rules Committee at its first field meeting in 20 years. (Stanley Dunlap/Georgia Recorder)
Sen. Sally Harrell said that Republicans rushed the final version of the election legislation through when a two-page Senate version morphed into a 98-page bill in the waning days of the General Assembly in late March.
She urged Congress to pass the voting legislation.
“It’s not a static thing where you’re going to be able to pass one bill and solve it all because the methods keep changing,” said the Atlanta Democrat. “So stay with us. We need to keep feeding this information so that Congress can constantly help ensure that where you live doesn’t determine if your vote counts.”
Georgia Republicans continued to defend the state’s new rules in a call held with reporters after the Senate hearing and dismissed Monday’s stop in Atlanta as a publicity stunt designed to appease the Democratic base after coming up short on support for a federal voting measure.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s the DOJ, the DNC, or the Senate Democrats. We aren’t backing down,” Gov. Brian Kemp told reporters. “We’re going to continue to fight for the truth, and we’re going to stand up for secure, accessible, and fair elections.”
Kemp said he and Attorney General Chris Carr were unable to accept an invitation to appear at the hearing due to a conflicting legislative committee meeting focused on crime in Atlanta.
“To me, I don’t think anything about this hearing has been fair,” Kemp said. “I’ve done over 90 interviews, answering any questions that I’ve gotten from anybody on Senate Bill 202.”
And U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell dismissed the hearing as another attempt to spread the message that Georgia’s updated voting law is unfair.
“This spring, the state of Georgia passed a mainstream election law that expanded early voting and made drop boxes permanent for the first time,” said the Kentucky lawmaker. “The left responded with a total meltdown, the Regulations that left Georgia with more flexible early voting and more flexible absentee voting than many blue states including New York were — insanely — called ‘Jim Crow 2.0.”
Georgia’s election results have been confirmed through several counts, and 2020’s elections are hailed as the most secure in the state’s history by Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
Helen Butler, executive director of Georgia Coalition for the Peoples’ Agenda, testified Monday the provision that worries her most is the state’s new ability to take over local election boards deemed to be underperforming.
“It is the most egregious part of SB 202 because, as you know, those local boards control the implementation of the process from registration, to the ballots, to the certification of the election,” Butler said.
State Rep. Barry Fleming, a Harlem Republican who ushered the election overhaul through the contentious legislative process until the governor signed it, defended the provision he compares to a school-turnaround measure that allows the state to take over low-performing schools.
“We thought it was an appropriate response to try to better make sure voters’ vote count in Georgia and future elections,” Fleming said.
Carr, who is defending the election law in court against a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit, called the hearing a “circus” and accused President Joe Biden of weaponizing the DOJ against the state.
Georgia Recorder Deputy Editor Jill Nolin contributed to this report.
Wayne Savage, age 84, of Alto, Georgia, went to be with the Lord on Sunday, July 18, 2021.
Mr. Savage was born in Toccoa, Georgia, on April 14, 1937, to the late Bert and Martha Savage. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a brother, Curtis Savage, and a sister, Frances Smith.
Mr. Savage attended the Alto Congregational Holiness Church. He was a retired textile worker. Mr. Savage was a United States Army Veteran, having honorably served his country during the Korean conflict.
Survivors include his beloved wife of 56 years, Loretta Savage, of Alto, Georgia; son and daughter-in-law, David and Angela Savage; son, Ben Savage; four grandchildren: Chris (Cari) Savage, Tiffany (Rhett) Phongsavanh, Jonah ( (Lindsey), and Zane Savage and his fiance, Lindsay; four great-grandchildren: Hattie Jo, Margot, Liam, and Scarlett.
Funeral services will be held at 2:00 pm, Wednesday, July 21, 2021, at the Alto Congregational Holiness Church, with the Rev. Scott Ledbetter, Rev. Dennis Wade, and the Rev. Donald Wade officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery with Military rites by the Grant-Reeves Honor Guard.
The family will receive friends at the Whitfield Funeral Homes, South Chapel, from 6:00 PM until 8:00 pm on Tuesday, July 20, 2021.
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Whitfield Funeral Homes & Crematory, South Chapel at 1370 Industrial Boulevard, Baldwin, Georgia 30511. Telephone: 706-778-7123.
Rose McNair looks at her father's photo displayed on the trailer hauled by cross-country riders. The Ride to Remember, which originated in Washington state, stopped in Gainesville on Sunday to pay tribute to Hall County Sheriff's Lieutenant Brian McNair. McNair, of Clarkesville, died on July 20, 2021. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
A group of cross-country motorcyclists passed through Northeast Georgia on Sunday to honor the life and memory of Hall County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Brian McNair. McNair, of Clarkesville, died on July 20, 2020, after a confirmed exposure to COVID-19 while working at the Hall County Jail.
The End of Watch Ride’s national “Ride to Remember” paid tribute to him during a stopover on July 18 at the sheriff’s office in Gainesville.
McNair was a US Marine Corps and Georgia National Guard veteran who built a career in local law enforcement. He worked as a deputy in Habersham before joining the Hall County Sheriff’s Office in 2000. He is survived by his wife, Wendy McNair, and their nine children, who range from 3 years old to 23.
The End of Watch riders arrive at the Hall County Sheriff’s Office with lights flashing to honor fallen Lt. Brian McNair. (Photo: Hadley Cottingham, Now Habersham)
The Ride to Remember, organized by Jagrut Shah, honors the lives of law enforcement officers who paid the ultimate price. Six riders, followed by a trailer with the names and photos of the fallen, embarked on a more than 22,000-mile journey across the United States on May 28.
Riders from the Gwinnett chapter of Georgia’s Blue Knights Motorcycle Club, made up of active and retired members of law enforcement, joined in Sunday’s tribute.
One of Lt. McNair’s nine children, Rose McNair, attended the event. Riders and Hall County Sheriff’s officers came together to offer her comfort and support and extend condolences to her family as they approach the one-year anniversary of his death.
Amy Moden, who lost her husband in the line of duty, offers support to McNair’s daughter. (Photo: Hadley Cottingham, Now Habersham)
Rose says this past year has been “the slowest and fastest year” of her life. With the death of her father alongside a global pandemic and her senior year of college at Truett McConnell, she says her father’s encouragement to finish out school when she wanted to give up years earlier is what kept her in school after his death.
“He was the best guy there ever was,” Rose says. “He was the most honest person you’d ever meet, and he was funny. […] He loved his family, he loved his job, he loved his kids.”
Brian McNair
During this painful time in her life, Rose says she feels honored to have the End of Watch Riders come to Northeast Georiga to remember her father.
“It’s an honor to have people like them that are so sweet to come out and do this for everybody,” Rose says. “And it’s just crazy to think about how all of these people have families, and they’ve all lost someone.”
A Forsyth county family drove to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office to see a loved one’s photo on the trailer and meet with the riders. Tim Rice of Cumming and his family came to honor the life of his cousin, Lieutenant Jon Anderson, who served with the Spokane, Washington Police Department. Rice remembers his cousin as “Mr. Fix-It,” who he always had something to learn from. He says he loved his job and his community and is dearly missed by his family.
“It’s very moving when you’re here in person and you see it [the trailer],” Rice says. “Knowing Jon personally and how good of a man he was, it’s nice to see him be honored in this way.”
Riders listen as Rose McNair shares family memories and stories of her dad’s humor. (Photo: Hadley Cottingham, Now Habersham)
One of the organization’s goals is to bring together families that have lost their loved ones in law enforcement and give them a space to seek comfort and understanding. The Rice family and McNair’s daughter were able to connect; riders Amy Moden and Tracey Sullivan, who both lost their spouses in the line of duty, offered McNair’s daughter comfort during their time in Gainesville on Sunday.
This is the second time the End of Watch Riders have traveled to Hall County. Their first visit was in 2020 to honor Deputy Blane Dixon who was shot and killed in the line of duty.
“It means a lot to us,” Hall County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Greg Cochran tells Now Habersham. “It can never give us a sense of closure, we’re never going to replace our fallen officers, but it lets us know it’s okay to move on, and it helps family and friends deal with a tragic loss.”
End of Watch ride in Hall County
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Rose McNair, one of Lt. McNair's nine children, writes a heartfelt note to her father. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
Tracey Sullivan, who lost her wife Kaila in the line of duty in 2019, comforts Rose McNair during the Ride to Remember's stop in Hall County on Sunday, July 18, 2021. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
Hall County deputies attended the event in honor of their former colleague, Lt. Brian McNair. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
The Georgia Blue Knights of the Gwinnett chapter rode with the End of Watch Riders as they made their way through the state. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
Members of the Blue Knights recall memories from their law enforcement days. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
Lt. McNair worked at the Hall County Sheriff’s Office for over 20 years. Before that, he was a deputy in Habersham County. (Hadley Cottingham/Now Habersham)
To learn more about the End of Watch “Ride to Remember,” you can visit their website here.
A local veteran facing an uncertain future is getting help from an army of strangers. His home and property are in dire need of cleanup and repairs. Without them, he could face possible fines and other penalties for violating the city’s nuisance ordinance. But due to his poor health and cleanup costs, he’s unable to make the necessary changes alone.
Tallulah Falls Police Chief Tonya Elrod is one of the veteran’s biggest allies. Although she’s the one who would be tasked with writing him citations, she’s working hard to avoid that. She wants to help him improve his quality of life and keep his home.
“It’s kind of dreary for him,” Chief Elrod says, describing the man’s living conditions. “He lives alone, just him and his dog, and never has any visitors.”
Moved by the veteran’s circumstances and grateful for his military service, Elrod began working with a friend and local contractor who was eager to help. James Welborn looked over the property. He estimates contracting for cleanup could cost $30,000 to $40,000 and take weeks to complete.
“I have no problem doing this job for free,” Welborn tells Now Habersham, “but due to the labor shortage, I just don’t have the manpower to pull it off by myself.” Still, that didn’t stop him. Together, Welborn and Elrod came up with a plan. When she told the man they wanted to help him, “He looked at his dog and said ‘Well girl, I think there’s someone that cares about us,’ and he smiled real big,” Elrod recalls.
With the reluctant veteran’s blessing, they scheduled a cleanup day on Tuesday, July 20, at his Tallulah Falls property. Appealing directly to the community for help, they’re recruiting volunteers and donations online.
Cornelia resident Bob Williams was among the first to volunteer. He says he did it “simply because I care.” Now, Williams is also helping to host the event.
“He lives alone, just him and his dog, and never has any visitors.”
Organizers are looking for enough volunteers to fill five two-hour shifts from 7:30 a.m. through 6 p.m. this coming Tuesday. They’re also looking for dumpster and trash services and landscape and tree removal services willing to donate their time and equipment to help.
“We have up to three trees that will need to be trimmed or removed,” says Welborn.
Volunteers will cut shrubs and clear trash and debris from the yard. In addition to the cleanup, volunteers are needed to make signs, handle check-in, man a first aid station and food tent, and remove wildlife. (Welborn is “pretty sure” that a few snakes and large rats will need to be removed from the overgrown lot.)
“If we can get a few first responders to work the first aid area, that would be appreciated,” he adds.
To participate in the actual cleanup, volunteers must be 16 or older, but younger kids can help with the other jobs. Those unable to provide labor can help by donating items.
“What we need the most of right now is lumber materials and new roofing materials,” says Welborn. The group also needs trash bags, mixed gas for equipment, gloves, masks, bottled water, two 8×8 tents, and vehicles with trailers to help haul away the debris.
A monumental task
Organizing this type of effort is a monumental task under any circumstances. In this instance, it’s made all the more challenging because of the urgency. By ordinance, the veteran has only a limited time to bring his property up to code.
Welborn posted the event to social media on July 17. Since then, they’ve received a good response from people wanting to pay it forward. Still, they need more volunteers.
“What he’s done for our country in the past… I just feel like we need to help him now.”
“I appreciate the sacrifices our veterans have made on all our behalves. They fought for us and our freedoms to live and celebrate the American dream, and now…..it’s time to fight for them and allow them to live out and celebrate their own American dreams,” says Williams.
“He has my heart,” adds Chief Elrod. “He’s a really special guy. What he’s done for our country in the past… I just feel like we need to help him now.”
Out of respect for the veteran, organizers have chosen not to share his name or address publicly. Volunteers and donors who sign up will be directed where to go.
After Tuesday’s cleanup, more work will need to be done. The home’s pipes are busted, and the power is out, so organizers are asking electrical and plumbing crews to volunteer, too.
If you can volunteer or would like to contribute, visit the Tallulah falls property clean-up event page on Facebook. You may also sign up by contacting James Welborn at 706-949-8782 or [email protected].
A friend of a 19-year-old girl killed in a weekend car crash in Habersham County remembers her for having “such a beautiful soul.”
Hannah Newsom paid tribute to her deceased friend, Kira Scott, in an online fundraiser set up to help with funeral expenses. Scott, a 2019 graduate of Habersham Central High School, died Saturday, July 17, in a two-vehicle crash on GA 17 at Cool Springs Road.
“This was an unexpected and very tragic event,” writes Newsom. “Kira was 19 years old, and she touched so many lives during her time here. She had such a beautiful soul, and she is so missed.”
Scott was the daughter of Brian Thomas Scott of Clarkesville and Dawn Gunn of Sautee. According to her obituary, she was an artist who “loved painting, wood burning, hiking, and baking. She loved animals and the beauty of nature, but most of all, she loved her family.”
At the time of her death, Scott lived in Sautee Nacoochee, her obituary says, and was employed by Bleu Canoe restaurant in Clarkesville.
According to the Georgia State Patrol, Scott was traveling south on GA 17 Saturday morning, July 17, when she crossed into the northbound lane and struck a pickup truck. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced. The family will receive friends at McGahee Funeral Home in Cornelia from 12-3 p.m. on Tuesday, July 20.
Scott is survived by her parents, sister and brother, and maternal grandparents.
The Planets This Week: Venus continues to be the highlight of the evening sky shining very brightly in the west. It passed by Mars this past week and Mars now lies below Venus during the evening. Jupiter and Saturn are rising earlier, around 10:30PM and 9:30PM respectively. We’re getting into “transit” season for Jupiter, the time of year when you can best view the Galilean moons move across the disc of the planet. Occasionally we can even see ongoing solar eclipses on the disc of Jupiter as the shadows from it’s moons move across. THIS CALCULATOR is a great resource to check out if/when a shadow occurs each day. Keep in mind Jupiter doesn’t rise until late evening right now, but as it gets higher in the sky these transits will be easier to observe. Also, decent telescope is needed to view these transits but they are quite easy to pick out when you have a good view.
Pluto reaches opposition this week but without a 6+” telescope you won’t be able to see our very dim solar system friend.
Naked Eye Object of the Week- The Summer Triangle: One of the most famous asterism of the Northern Hemisphere may well be the “Summer Triangle”. While not an official constellation, an “asterism” is simply a well known, recognized group of stars that make a pattern. The Big Dipper is an asterism since it is not technically it’s own constellation despite residing inside of one. The summer triangle consists of 3 bright stars: Vega, Deneb and Altair, and forms a giant triangle in the summer sky.
These three bright stars are easily visible and help to highlight the Milky Way which is rising higher in the sky. Deneb is located near the visual “break” in the milky looking arc of the sky, nearly overhead during the overnight hours of July. Vega and Altair also both lie high in the sky and themselves straddle our galaxy’s spiral arm. The asterism itself is a fairly new concept, only first appearing in books back in 1913. It was made popular in the 50’s by American author H. A. Rey and British astronomer Patrick Moore. Head out this week and check out this asterism as the moon makes it’s march across the sky.
Telescope Object of the Week- The Double-Double: I’ve mostly been focusing the telescope part of this feature on nebulae and galaxies, but there are plenty of interesting stars to be seen as well. With the moon getting brighter throughout the week ahead of a full moon on Friday many galaxies and nebulae will be unobservable anyways. So this week head out and check out Episolon Lyrae, commonly known as the double-double. This interesting object is actually 4 stars.
The Double Double Source: Wikipedia
A strong pair of binoculars or a small telescope will reveal two distinct double stars nearly sitting on top of each other, and separated from one another by a small gap; hence the name double-double. This system of stars are all gravitationally bound, and actually have a 5th member not visible from ground based observations. They are around 162 light years from Earth and are easily found in the constellation Lyra near the bright star Vega. The star chart below should help pick it out very easily.
Enjoy the coming week and as always: watch the skies!
The Habersham County Commission and Habersham County Board of Education (BOE) both met for their July 19 meetings at 6 p.m. in Clarkesville.
Each year, the county’s millage rate is set by the commission and the BOE. At their meeting, the Habersham school board voted to approve a rollback millage rate for the 2021 tax year and 2022 fiscal year at their meeting. The millage rate for last year was set at 13.414 mils, and the county and BOE both voted unanimously to roll back the millage rate to 12.566 mils.
Commission meeting highlights
The commission met for their regular monthly meeting in the Habersham County Courthouse; a recording of the meeting is available online. The meeting agenda is available here.
The commission considered a few development-related items tonight, including a downtown development program for Clarkesville and the demolition of the old courthouse in their work session. The commission seems interested in preserving the courthouse and repurposing it, however, these discussions are in very early stages.
The proposed development in Cornelia would have added 64 townhomes to a traditionally single-family area off Chase Road. (Photo: Google Maps)
An applicant approached the planning commission regarding a zoning change to a ten-acre land parcel in Cornelia to develop 64 townhomes, and the zoning change appeared before the commission today. The planning commission had only recommended the zoning change to the commission on the basis that last year’s commission had approved a similar development in the area this past December.
The planning commission and several citizens expressed concerns about traffic and road safety, saying the land parcel on Lawrence Street in Cornelia, which is accessed by Chase Road, is too treacherous for medium-density development.
Commissioner Bruce Palmer made a motion to accept the zoning change against citizen’s overwhelming requests to deny it. The motion died due to lack of a second, which was met with applause.
Interim County Manager Alicia Vaughn served on her first commission meeting tonight. While the search for the interim manager has concluded, the commission is still looking for someone to take the county manager position permanently. The commission voted to enter into an agreement with the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institution of Government (CVIOG) to conduct a county manager executive search.
BOE meeting highlights
The BOE met across the street from the courthouse at the school district building in Clarkesville, and also streamed their meeting online. The meeting agenda is available here.
The BOE had much to discuss as the first day of school, Aug. 6, quickly approaches. Superintendent Matthew Cooper presented what he called “the big four,” his focuses for the school system this upcoming year. Cooper says safety, attendance, discipline and quality instruction will be the system’s top priorities. He believes these focuses will bring student achievement to the forefront of the upcoming academic year.
“I’m looking forward to this school year as much as any other for lots of reasons,” Cooper said at the meeting. “I really believe we have the team in place to have the best school year in the history of this entire system– going all the way back to 1872.”
Attendance trophies will be back this year, with the board awarding the first attendance awards in over a year this September.
The board approved the first reading of a policy to give teachers with more than 15 years of service to the school system more personal days. Teachers with 15 to 19 years of service will receive four personal days, and those with 20 or more years will receive five.
The board also approved the first reading of IDE (3) for Competitive Interscholastic Activities, which would allow homeschooled students in grades 6-12 who are enrolled in at least one class in the Habersham school system the opportunity to participate in extracurricular and athletic activities.
Finally, the board approved amendments to the Habersham Central High School attendance policy that would allow students to earn credit for classes they have low attendance in without an appeal process if they are passing the class.
The Habersham Commission will meet again on Aug. 9 for their monthly meeting. The Board of Education will next meet Aug. 9.
Beginning Monday, July 19, Level Grove Road in Cornelia will be closed between Wayside Street and the Highway 441 Bypass. The city is temporarily closing the road to install a new sewer main.
The project is expected to take three to four weeks to complete.
In a statement announcing the closure earlier this month, Cornelia City Manager Dee Anderson apologized for the inconvenience.
“We know that Level Grove Road is one of our busiest streets, and we would not close the road if this project was not a necessity,” he said.
Level Grove Road provides easy access to downtown Cornelia from the bypass business district. Drivers will now have to use alternate routes such as Industrial Boulevard or Willingham Avenue/South Main Street to the south and Old Cleveland Road or Old Historic U.S. 441 to the north.
Kira Elise Scott, age 19 of Sautee Nacoochee, passed away Saturday, July 17, 2021, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident.
Born in Gainesville on July 31, 2001, she was the daughter of Brian Thomas Scott of Clarkesville and Dawn Gunn of Sautee. She was a 2019 graduate of Habersham Central High School. Kira was an artist, loved painting, wood burning, hiking, and baking. She loved animals and the beauty of nature, but most of all, she loved her family. Kira was employed with Blue Canoe restaurant.
In addition to her parents, surviving are her maternal grandparents, Randy and Lennie Olson Gunn, of Port Charlotte, Florida; beloved aunt, Linda Gail Adams; sister, Hanna and a brother, Jackson; closest 1st cousin, Mays Tomlin of Habersham; goddaughter, Jasper McKenna of Cornelia; godmother, Katherine Warwick; dearest friends, Abby and Emi. Many loving aunts, uncles, cousins, family, and friends also survive.
The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 12-3, Tuesday, July 20, 2021.
Flowers are accepted, or donations may be made to the following gofundme account: https://gofund.me/8ce2b0ce
