Pictured (l-r), Jerry Neace, mayor, Joe Rivard, Shane Adams, Lowell McNeal, Chief Chad Nichols, Tommie Perry, city administrator, and Donald McDuffie, state FOP chaplain.

A Mount Airy woman has been issued two citations after striking a pedestrian in the school drop-off lane at Wilbanks Middle School last week. The Georgia State Patrol says 42-year old Wanda Miller struck a teacher after dropping off a child at the school.

According the the GSP incident report, Miller was driving a silver 2008 Mazda passenger van through the school drop off zone at approximately 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 14. She stopped in front of the marked crosswalk and let a passenger out of the van, then proceeded into the crosswalk, where she struck 32-year old Lori Defoor of Demorest. Defoor is a teacher at Willbanks Middle School.

The report states, “After the passenger exited, (Miller) continued east into the crosswalk and stuck a pedestrian. The pedestrian was pushed forward out of the crosswalk before (Miller) stopped. (Miller) stopped while the pedestrian moved herself out of the roadway towards the safety of the school entrance … then drove off and left the scene.”

No ambulance transport was required, but Defoor did seek medical treatment at Habersham Medical Center for treatment of unspecified, non-life threatening injuries to her leg.

The GSP report says Miller was contacted by school officials after the accident and returned to the school to be questioned by Trooper 1st Class Travis Sanders. Miller reportedly told Sanders she did not know she had struck Defoor. The report reads, “Driver denied any knowledge of striking a pedestrian. She did, however, state that she had seen the pedestrian before she struck her and after she struck her, but was not aware she struck her.”

Trooper Sanders issued Miller a citation for failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk and a citation for leaving the scene of an accident with injury.

A Georgia State Patrol Trooper has been issued an official reprimand for his involvement in a wreck that occurred on Sept. 29 in Cornelia.

A GSP Patrol car, driven by Trooper First Class Travis Sanders, struck the rear bumper of a 2003 Honda Element driven by Linda Mather, causing disabling damage to the vehicle. Mather, a PREP teacher at Clarkesville Elementary, was transported by ambulance to Habersham Medical Center for observation and medical tests. No sustained injuries were reported, though Mather did say she felt  “very sore” following the accident and later reported experiencing vision and thought-processing difficulties. Mather says the damage to her car was extensive and her insurance company declared it was totaled.

Following GSP protocol for trooper-involved collisions, a GSP crash review board investigated the circumstances of the wreck. “The crash was determined to be a non-emergency, preventable crash,” post commander SFC M. Chad Johnson told Now Habersham on Wednesday, adding that the review board recommended that Sanders “be given a documented verbal warning due to the fact that this was his first at-fault crash.”

Johnson says speed was not a factor in the wreck. On-scene statements made by Sgt. David Lunsford at the time of the collision termed the wreck the result of “following too close.”

GSP protocol is to handle trooper-involved wrecks administratively. Sanders was not ticketed or fined.

Thousands of people from across northeast Georgia descended on the Habersham County Fairgrounds last night for the 8th Annual E-911 Children’s Fun Fest. The event, sponsored by the Habersham County E-911 Center, attracted kids and adults from throughout Habersham and neighboring counties. It was pure spectacle from start to finish as dozens of law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency service technicians, military servicemen and women and other public safety professionals turned out in force to throw what can best be described as one “hot” party.

Kids, and a few adults, too, came dressed in Halloween costumes. They were treated (no tricks, here) to Trunk or Treating, hayrides, interactive booths, simulators, safety demos and wrestling matches and got to explore helicopters, ambulances, Humvees and other emergency vehicles. You could see it in the their eyes, they were smitten. Kids oohed and aahed as local firefighters attacked a gas-fueled fire and they booed and cajoled as wrestlers took it down to the mat. Even adults got in on the action taking aim at emergency personnel in the dunking booth. Yes, it was action-packed and a whole lot of fun, but it was also a great opportunity for people in the community to meet the men and women who have dedicated their lives to serve, protect and defend them.

Organizers say they want the public – especially children – to get to know public safety professionals beyond the badge, the siren and flashing lights. They want them to understand that these professionals are their friends and neighbors who care about them and the community.

Clarkesville Fire Chief Jerry Palmer was among those on hand for last night’s event. He led teams of firefighters from throughout Habersham in the liquified petroleum (LP) tank fire simulation and training exercise. “It’s not training we get to do all the time so when we get the opportunity we want to jump on it,” Palmer says. “Tonight, the big plus is we get to show it to the community. We get to show them what we do as individuals and as a group.” He adds, “We probably influenced a couple of future firefighters tonight, so, it’s been a good night. It’s been a lot of fun.”

The firefighters at the fairgrounds Thursday are the same firefighters who battled a huge blaze in downtown Clarkesville back in March. That fire quickly swept through the conjoined buildings and destroyed several businesses. It would have been worse if not for the rapid response of local firefighters.

Catastrophies such as the Clarkesville fire are a reminder of the potential dangers public safety professionals face every day. That’s why training is so important. “This is not something you want to learn on the fly,” Palmer says.

Christy Sprinkle of Clarkesville knows a thing or two about living life “on the fly.” Her husband, Kevin, and son, Austin, are both firefighters. She says she prefers the controlled setting of last night’s burn to the uncontrolled fires they face on the job. “I know they go through a lot and can be called out at any moment, at any time of the day, to go through this.”

Sprinkle watched Thursday’s training exercise alongside another Clarkesville firefighter’s wife, Julie Poole. Poole’s husband, Jason, has been a firefighter for 15 years. Cradling their 7-month old daughter, Loralei, in her arms she says she sometimes worries about the dangers of his job but she’s confident he can handle it.  “He’s well trained and he knows what he’s doing and the team he has working with him are awesome guys…I know that they have each other’s backs and it gives me comfort knowing that.”

Despite last night’s raging inferno or, more precisely, because of it, Habersham Central High School sophomore Tyler Coulter says he can’t wait to become a firefighter. Coulter is part of the Explorers program that helps prepare young people for public safety professions. He seems well-suited given that watching flames shoot up into the night sky and hearing the shrill, high-pitched whistle of the burning LP tank didn’t deter him. “It actually gets my adrenaline going,” Coulter says.

Coulter isn’t the only one. 9-year old Joel Standingcloud, 7-year old Caleb Cathey and his 4-year old brother Branson were mesmerized by the flames. They say they, too, might one day want to become firefighters. Their mom, Melissa Haynes of Alto, says she wouldn’t mind if they did, especially since there already are several firefighters in the family. And while the boys’ favorite part of last night’s event might have been the flame-throwing gas tank (and candy), Cathey says her favorite part of the E-911 Children’s Fun Fest is that it was free!. “It’s nice when you’ve got three little ones to have something like this that the community helps put on.” Day Segers of Clarkesville agrees, “I think it’s a blast! I think it’s good for the community to just kind of gather around and, you know, everybody kind of comes together as one. It’s really neat.”

More photos of the 8th Annual Habersham County E-911 Children’s Fun Fest

It’s been thirteen years since efforts were launched to build a Veterans Wall of Honor in Habersham County. Last year flag poles were raised and bricks were laid at the site of the memorial on Business 441 in Cornelia across from Ethicon. Now, a generous gift from an anonymous donor is propelling the project forward.

Habersham County Wall of Honor Committee Chairman Larry Whitfield says the committee recently received a check for $12,500 enabling the first phase of construction to be completed.

Whitfield says two granite slabs are on order. The names of Habersham County veterans will be inscribed upon them. He says organizers hope to have the first two sections of the wall up by December. “I’ve been a little bit skeptical about it (the wall being completed) but right now I feel real good. The enthusiasm is up with our people and veterans and they’re very excited that we’re going to get up this first section of the wall.”

Whitfield says due to the size of the donation they were able to double the size of the granite walls that will soon be installed. Some 2,400 names will be inscribed upon them. Priority is being given to World War II veterans. “We want to make sure they get a chance to see their names on the wall and know they’ll never be forgotten,” says Wall of Honor Committee Treasurer Andrea Harper.

So far, $75,000 has been raised to help fund the project which is aimed at honoring all veterans from Habersham County who have served in the Armed Forces. To be included on the wall veterans must have been born in or lived in Habersham County for at least five years and they must have received an honorable discharge.

The design of the Habersham memorial is unique in that most veterans’ memorials simply signify branches of service and generically thank all veterans for their service. This one is more personal. “We’re looking at approximately 5,000 names that will be included, from the Revoluntionary War on up,” says Whitfield.

Whitfield is not a veteran himself but he has a heart for them. A local funeral home owner, he has been involved with the Wall of Honor Committee since the beginning. It’s been a long road and there’s still much work to be done. Whitfield estimates total construction costs of the Habersham County Veterans Wall of Honor will reach $165,000. That money is being raised through donors, fundraisers and the sale of memorial bricks. In-kind donations are helping to curb some of the costs. Whitfield says Lowe’s in Cornelia has offered to provide free landscaping services. “They want to do it for veterans,” a grateful Whitfield says of Lowe’s.

December was not the Wall of Honor Committee’s first choice for the unveiling. A ceremony was planned for Veterans Day but had to be canceled due to  structural issues. “There were imperfections in the granite,” Harper says, “and we had to reorder it.”

Whitfield says it will take three to four phases of construction to complete the memorial. Each phase will be completed once enough money is raised.

Beyond building the wall, there are costs involved in maintaining it. The committee is seeking donors who will pledge money to replace the worn and torn military flags that surround the U.S. Flag at the site. There are five military flags, one for each branch of service, and Whitfield says they need to be replaced annually. Each flag costs $50. Woodmen of the World donated the American flag and Whitfield says he expects the insurance company will continue to do so.

The Habersham County Wall of Honor Committee is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. All donations are tax deductible. Donations can be mailed to the Habersham County Veterans Wall of Honor Committee at P.O. Box 298, Demorest, GA  30535. To purchase a brick or make an online donation visit hcwallofhonor.org. You can also keep up with progress on the Wall of Honor through Facebook.

Whitfield says it’s been a long journey but it’s been worth it. “We’re glad to see it’s becoming a reality,” he says. “The veterans deserve this.”