Kathleen Mathis Bellamy, age 88, of Baldwin, Georgia, passed away on Saturday January 31, 2015.
Group home rezoning hearing
The Clarkesville City Council will hold a second public hearing on new rezoning regulations for group homes in city limits on Monday, Feb. 2.
The hearing begins at 6pm prior to the regular city council meeting at Clarkesville City Hall.
Called school board meeting Monday
The Habersham County Board of Education will hold a called meeting Monday, Feb. 2. The Coach Search Committee is expected to recommend that the board hire former Jackson County head coach Benji Harrison as Habersham Central High School’s new head football coach.
Former head coach Michael Pollock resigned last November.
Monday’s meeting will also include a presentation of the school system’s strategic plan.
The meeting begins at 4:30pm in the BOE meeting room at the school system’s administrative offices at 132 Stanford Mill Road in Clarkesville.
Clarkesville Downtown Master Plan
The public is encouraged to attend the final presentation of the Clarkesville Downtown Master Plan on Monday, Feb. 2.
The night includes a special presentation from the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, the City of Clarkesville and Clarkesville Main Street Committees
The presentation will take place during the regular city council meeting beginning at 6:30pm in Clarkesville City Hall located at 123 North Laurel Drive.
PC lacrosse 2nd in preseason poll
Fayetteville, NC – The Piedmont College women’s lacrosse team has been picked to finish 2nd in the USA South Preseason Coaches Poll released earlier today by the conference office in Fayetteville. The Lady Lions, who won last year’s regular season championship, took 32 total points coming up just one point shy of a 1st place tie with Meredith College.
The poll, as voted on by the coaches of the seven member institutions who sponsor women’s lacrosse, had Meredith picked to finish 1st with 33 total points as the Avenging Angels claimed four the seven available 1st place votes. Piedmont received two 1st place nods while the remaining top pick went to Ferrum who finished 3rd in the poll with 28 total points.
Meredith and Piedmont met in an instant classic to decide last season’s USA South tournament champion in North Carolina with overtime needed to decide a winner after the Lady Lions scored two goals in the final 4:20 of regulation to force the OT.
PC scored first in OT, but a pair of Meredith goals in the second overtime period handed the Avenging Angels the conference crown. Piedmont had won the regular season title with an undefeated 8-0 record including a 15-11 win over Meredith.
Following Ferrum in the poll was Greensboro College who took home 21 total points.
Wrapping up the poll was 5th place Huntingdon (14 total points), 6th place Methodist (10), and 7th place LaGrange (9). Against the three bottom teams in the poll, Piedmont won all three contests in 2014 by a collective 58-11 scoreline.
Now in its third season of existence, Lady Lion lacrosse was picked to finish 3rd in last year’s preseason poll while taking a 6th place spot in the 2013 voting, the debut season for the program. In two years of competition, Head Coach Emily Jacquette has led her team to a 26-7 overall record with the 2013 record of 12-4 representing one of the best debut records for any Division III program in NCAA history.
Piedmont returns 16 letterwinners from last year’s regular season champs including eight starters and what is quickly becoming the most feared attack trio in the region in juniors MCKYNSEY DOUGLAS and ALEXIS NARDUCCI as well as sophomore KAYLA JONES. Jones is coming off a debut campaign that saw the Lawrenceville native earn USA South Rookie of the Year honors.
Douglas led the team with her 61 goals while Narducci and Jones each added 44. All three were USA South All-Conference selections as Piedmont also returns two 1st team All-Conference picks in the midfield in juniors MAGGIE MCDANIEL and CAHNER MANNS as well.
The 2015 USA South Women’s Lacrosse Championship Tournament will be held at the Rocky Mount Sports Complex football stadium in Rocky Mount, North Carolina on April 17-18 as a part of the USA South Spring Sports Festival.
2015 USA South Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll
Rank Institution (1st Place Votes) Pts.
1. Meredith (4) 33
2. Piedmont (2) 32
3. Ferrum (1) 28
4. Greensboro 21
5. Huntingdon 14
6. Methodist 10
7. LaGrange 9
PC golf 7th in preseason poll
Fayetteville, N.C. – The Piedmont College men’s golf program has been selected to finish 7th in the 2015 USA South Preseason Coaches poll released earlier today by the conference. Methodist University was picked as the preseason favorite across the league taking nine of the 11 available first place votes.
The Monarchs finished in the poll with 99 total points as they enter their 26th season under the leadership of Head Coach Steve Conley who has led the program to a fifth place ranking in the GolfStat Division III national rankings. The defending conference champion LaGrange Panthers slipped to second this season taking the remaining two first place votes and a total of 91 points overall.
The rest of the top five were all within a span of five points as Huntingdon College finished in third in the poll taking 75 points with Ferrum in fourth with 73 points while Greensboro was just behind in fifth with 71 points. The points dropped when it came to sixth place Averett who took home 52 points in the poll.
The Lions finished in seventh with a total of 40 points as they return 2014’s star Jake Forbes and the freshman phenom from the fall Sam Hill. Hill earned USA South Rookie of the Week twice during the fall schedule as he took home the tournament title at the Piedmont Fall Invitational to begin the season and saw a top-five finish at the Tom Kinder Memorial in Harrisonburg, Virginia just one week later.
Taking the final four spots in the poll were Maryville in eighth with 37 points, N.C. Wesleyan in ninth with 35 points, Covenant in 10th with 22 points and William Peace in the final spot at 11th with 10 total points.
The conclusion of the season will be at the 2015 USA South Men’s Golf Tournament played April 17-19 at Benvenue Country Club as a part of the USA South Spring Sports Festival in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
Piedmont begins its spring schedule on February 28th as they travel to Pine Mountain, Georgia for the Calloway Collegiate Invitational hosted by Berry College. The tournament will run over Saturday, February 28 and Sunday, March 1. The men will be competing in four tournaments this spring.
2015 USA South Men’s Golf Preseason Coaches Poll
Rank Institution (1st Place Votes) Pts.
1. Methodist (9) 99
2. LaGrange (2) 91
3. Huntingdon 75
4. Ferrum 73
5. Greensboro 71
6. Averett 52
7. Piedmont 40
8. Maryville 37
9. N.C. Wesleyan 35
10. Covenant 22
11. William Peace 10
PC tennis 6th in preseason poll
Fayetteville, NC – The Piedmont College women’s tennis team was picked to finish 6th according to the 2015 USA South Women’s Tennis Preseason Coaches Poll released earlier today by the league office. The ranking is the lowest that the Lady Lions have been picked to finish since becoming a USA South member though the team is coming off the program’s best season in Piedmont’s NCAA Era (since the 2004 season).
The poll, as voted on by the coaches of the 13 member institutions who sponsor women’s tennis, had the Lady Lions 6th of 13 with 93 total points. Methodist was picked to defend its title from a year ago taking 1st place with 140 total points taking eight of the 13 available 1st place votes.
Though it was North Carolina Wesleyan College who took the remaining five 1st place votes, the Battling Bishops finished 3rd in the poll behind 2nd place Meredith (125 total points) who did not earn a single 1st place vote. The 4th and 5th place spots belonged to Covenant and Huntingdon respectively with the Scots earning 111 points while the Hawks earned exactly 100 in the poll.
It was Huntingdon who eliminated PC a year ago from the USA South Championships in the quarterfinals though the Lady Lions had defeated the Hawks just a week prior in regular season competition as part of a 4th place finish in the 2014 USA South standings. The Lady Lions were picked to finish 4th in the 2014 Preseason Poll as well while they took a 5th place nod in the 2013 voting, their first season in the USA South.
Rounding out the 2015 poll were #7 Maryville (87 total points), #8 LaGrange (62), #9 William Peace (58), #10 Averett (39), #11 Mary Baldwin (32), #12 Ferrum (26), and #13 Greensboro (23).
The Lady Lions do need to replace three of their most productive singles players from a year ago after the departures of KATIE SAILORS, ASHLEY FANNON, and VIOLA TERSCHLUSE who combined for 38 of Piedmont’s 68 singles wins in 2014. Fannon’s 16 wins was one of the most productive seasons by a Lady Lion in the NCAA Era while Sailors handed Meredith’s Puja Patel her first conference loss.
Piedmont does return a pair of players who won double-digit singles decisions in 2014 in AMANDA BLACKWELL and NICOLE PARRISH who spent most of their time playing between the #2 and #4 singles slots throughout the season. Parrish posted an 8-5 record in singles play in USA South competition alone though the two also paired to go 6-2 in doubles action within the conference schedule as well, the best such showing for the Lady Lions.
Piedmont is set to open the 2015 season with a February 13 showdown with Sewanee, the third straight season the two have opened the schedule against each other. The Tigers swept PC in last year’s matchup on the way to an incredible 21-4 season that featured a Southern Athletic Association championship and a Regional Semis showing in the NCAA Tournament after an opening round win over Hanover.
After five straight matches away from home to open 2015, Piedmont will return to Burgen Tennis Courts for the home opener against USA South member William Peace on March 15 with the match slated to begin at 2:00 pm. The USA South Championship Tournament will be held on the campus of N.C. Wesleyan College at the end of the regular season on the weekend of April 17-19 in 2015.
2015 USA South Women’s Tennis Preseason Coaches Poll
Rank Institution (1st Place Votes) Pts.
1. Methodist (8) 140
2. Meredith 125
3. N.C. Wesleyan (5) 118
4. Covenant 111
5. Huntingdon 100
6. Piedmont 93
7. Maryville 87
8. LaGrange 62
9. William Peace 58
10. Averett 39
11. Mary Baldwin 32
12. Ferrum 26
13. Greensboro 23
Lions to defend conference title
Fayetteville, N.C. – The expectations for the 2015 Piedmont College softball season have been set high after the team was selected to defend its USA South crown in the 2015 preseason coaches poll released earlier today by the conference. The Lady Lions took home the USA South regular season and tournament title in 2014 becoming the first team to take both titles in the same season since 2009.
The Lady Lions took 11 of the available 13 first place votes tallying 141 points overall while second place Averett took the remaining two first place votes and 131 points in the poll. Averett finished the 2014 season in third behind Huntingdon who finished third in the 2015 preseason poll with 120 points.
Piedmont returns some key players from last season but also has 14 freshmen joining the mix in 2015. The Lady Lions are under the leadership of Terry Martin who enters his 17th year and his assistant Bob Lowe who was hired in the fall.
Ferrum took the fourth spot with 105 points while LaGrange was the team who made the biggest jump from 2014 to 2015 taking the fifth spot with 90 points overall. LaGrange finished the 2014 season in eighth overall with a .500 record at 11-11 in the USA South.
Sixth and seventh belong to Greensboro (78 points) and N.C. Wesleyan (71 points) respectively, each finishing in the same spot as they did a season ago in the final standings for 2014. The biggest fall in the poll from last season was Meredith who ended the year fifth in the league but was selected eighth this season with 70 points.
The final spots in the poll belong to William Peace in ninth (63 points), Methodist in 10th (62 points), Covenant in 11th (37 points), Maryville in 12th (34 points) and Mary Baldwin in 13th (12 points).
The 2015 USA South Softball Championship will be held in Rocky Mount, N.C. as part of the spring sports festival on April 17-19 at the Rocky Mount Sports Complex.
Piedmont begins the season on February 17 on the road against Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia with a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. The home opener comes just two days later on February 19 when the Lady Lions host Agnes Scott College for a doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m.
2015 USA South Softball Preseason Coaches Poll
Rank Institution (1st Place Votes) Pts.
1. Piedmont (11) 141
2. Averett (2) 131
3. Huntingdon 120
4. Ferrum 105
5. LaGrange 90
6. Greensboro 78
7. N.C. Wesleyan 71
8. Meredith 70
9. William Peace 63
10. Methodist 62
11. Covenant 37
12. Maryville 34
13. Mary Baldwin 12
Clarkesville Fire offers Targeted Assistance Plan (TAP)
Clarkesville, GA – During the 2014 Winter Storm, Clarkesville Fire crews made their way through various parts of the City where citizens with known disabilities or medical conditions were located just to make sure they were ok. Along the way, it was discovered that many citizens were relieved just to know someone knew they were there. This subsided fear that they were isolated from neighbors and families who could not reach them if something were to happen. From that day came the Targeted Assistance Plan.
TAP is a program by which individuals, who may be considered a part of the vulnerable population in Clarkesville, can be added to a database and extra assistance provided to them in times of disaster or local emergency.
For example: A citizen of Clarkesville, Jane Doe, is an elderly woman with some medical issues that affect her mobility and at times makes her fragile. A severe thunderstorm rolls through the area knocking out power and restricting transportation in the area where Mrs. Doe lives. If Mrs. Doe is on our registry, fire crews will make a targeted visit or phone call to her home to check on her well-being even if her property was not directly affected or damaged. We will also contact her family to let them know her status. This of course would be done after mitigating the obviously affected areas.
TAP is designed for those City of Clarkesville residents with underlying medical conditions which make them more vulnerable to a state of emergency. Conditions such as severe diabetes, debilitating arthritis, special medical needs children, home oxygen users, to mention a few.
TAP is currently open to those residing inside the Clarkesville City limits and will be utilized only in a state of emergency, not a daily event. States of emergency that could activate TAP would include, damaging thunderstorms, tornadoes, floods, fires, severe snow or ice storms, power outages, extreme cold or heat, as well as any other situation that creates a state of emergency as declared by the Mayor.
Registering for TAP is easy. Beginning February 8, 2015, simply send an email to [email protected] requesting registration information. You will be guided through a simple process from there. Those without access to email can call (706)754-2024 to register.
TAP is a service that is free to the citizens of Clarkesville and is provided at no cost to the taxpayers.
Information provided to the TAP program will be kept confidential and only be accessed by authorized personnel during a state of emergency.
Our desire is to provide vulnerable residents of Clarkesville and their families, who may not reside here, with a further layer of protection and peace of mind in times of disaster or local emergency.
Clarkesville prepares for Mardi Gras
Clarkesville, GA – Krewes have been gathered and revelers will soon be filled with merriment as the 3rd Annual Clarkesville Mardi Gras event rolls into town next Saturday, February 7th at the Old Clarkesville Mill. The masked gala, presented by Clarkesville Main Street, promises the jazziest party this side of the mountains. The evening abounds with a New Orleans themed dinner, dancing, a silent auction, a cash bar, photo booth, crowning of the King and Queen, party favors, beads, masks, and more!
The event is a fundraiser for the Downtown Clarkesville Façade & Sign Grant, a financial assistance program available to business and building owners in the downtown district.“The Mardi Gras event allows Clarkesville Main Street to continue its important mission: stimulating the physical, economic, aesthetic and cultural vitality of downtown Clarkesville,” says Main Street Manager, Mary Beth Horton. “Plus, it’s just a fun way to get dressed up and come out to celebrate with the community!”
Sponsors for the event include: KING: South State Bank, Gresham Planning & Development, C. Kafsky Property Management, Norton Mountain Properties, and Century 21 Community Realty; QUEEN: Merideth Shaw Photography, Garrett Family Medicine; CAPTAIN: WildBerry Cottage, Cornwell Law, and Lori Duke Jones. Fieldale Farms is the sponsor for the photo booth, where guests can take home a free photo keepsake from the celebration.
The evening will kick off with a mouth-watering menu provided by the following restaurants: The Copper Pot, Hawg Wild BBQ, Harvest Habersham, Glen Ella Springs Inn, Crossroads Cafe, Yakimono Express, Louie’s Market on the Square, Midtown Grill, Tucker’s Country Cooking and Garden Gate Catering. DJ Clay Christy of Brickhouse Mobile DJs will be spinning popular dance hits infused with a New Orleans vibe, and the special guest who discovers the plastic baby in their cake will be crowned King or Queen of the gala!
In addition to the dinner, dancing, photo booth and camaraderie, a silent auction displaying over 60 donated items will be held in the hallway outside of the ballroom. The event is nearing a sell-out crowd, but a handful of tickets still remain for last-minute party-goers. Call 706-754-2220 or visit clarkesvillega.com to purchase tickets. Tickets are $30/per person.
Clarkesville Mardi Gras will begin at 6pm at the Old Clarkesville Mill Ballroom located on Grant Street in Downtown Clarkesville.
PC Men’s Tennis 4th in preseason poll
Fayetteville, NC – The Piedmont College men’s tennis team was picked to finish 4th in the 2015 USA South Preseason Coaches Poll released earlier today by the conference office. This is the second straight season that the men have been slated to finish 4th in the poll after a similar nod in 2014.
The poll, as voted on by the coaches of the ten member institutions who sponsor men’s tennis, had Piedmont in 4th with 58 total points while last year’s champ, North Carolina Wesleyan College, was picked to defend its 2014 title with 80 total points taking eight of the ten possible first place votes. The two remaining institutions who earned 1st place votes were 2nd place Methodist (70 total points) and 3rd place Huntingdon (68 total points).
Piedmont finished 4th in last year’s final regular season standings and made an appearance in the semifinals of the USA South Championship Tournament as well bowing out to the eventual champs, NC Wesleyan. The Battling Bishops’ title was the 6th straight for the North Carolina based school with its season coming to an end against #6 Emory in the NCAA Regional Semis.
Rounding out the remainder of the poll was #5 Averett (45 total points), #6 LaGrange (41), #7 Covenant (32), #8 Ferrum (24), #9 Greensboro (21), and #10 Maryville (11).
Piedmont has its work cut out to continue the trend of success established by Head Coach Shane Wood as the Lions must replace four seniors lost from last season’s campaign. Last year’s senior class represented the freshmen class on Piedmont’s 2011 GSAC Championship team, but the future looks bright for PC as the Lions return a pair of All-Conference performers including senior TREY MARTIN and last year’s USA South Rookie of the Year in 1st team selection MATTHEW METZGER.
The Lions will open the 2015 season with a February 13 showdown with Sewanee who finished 2014 with a 15-7 overall record and earned a win over Elmhurst in a NCAA tourney showing after winning the Southern Athletic Association title at the end of April. This will be the third straight time that PC has opened the season with Sewanee on the docket.
After five straight matches away from home to open 2015, the Lions will return to Burgen Tennis Courts for the home opener against USA South member William Peace on March 15 with the match slated to begin at 10:00 am. The USA South Championship Tournament will be held on the campus of N.C. Wesleyan College at the end of the regular season on the weekend of April 17-19 in 2015.
2015 USA South Men’s Tennis Preseason Coaches Poll
Rank Institution (1st Place Votes) Pts.
1. N.C. Wesleyan (8) 80
2. Methodist (1) 70
3. Huntingdon (1) 68
4. Piedmont 58
5. Averett 45
6. LaGrange 41
7. Covenant 32
8. Ferrum 24
9. Greensboro 21
10. Maryville 11