Lady Lions claim share of title

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October 30, 2014

Demorest, GA – The Piedmont College women’s soccer team sent their seniors out with another 1-0 win knocking off USA South foe Covenant College earlier tonight at Walker Athletic Complex. By doing so, the Lady Lions force a share of the USA South Regular Season Championship and claim their first regular season title of any kind since becoming a NCAA Division III member back in 2003.

Honored prior to kickoff were the Lady Lions’ three seniors graduating this year as veterans Kelsey Schaffernoth, Shayna Rogers, and Nikki Means all played what will be their second to last home game at Walker Athletic Complex earlier tonight. The three are the only senior class in the program’s NCAA Era to boast two conference tournament titles, two NCAA National Tournament appearances, and a conference regular season title as well.

The only score of the contest came with just minutes remaining in the first half as substitute Erin Bright forced an errant pass from the Covenant back to take a deflection and slip past the oncoming Scots keeper Lucy Johnson who was coming out to claim the ball. The goal was scored in the 43rd and would stand as the eventual game winner with Piedmont holding on for yet another 1-0 win in 2014, the 6th such victory this season for the Green and Gold.

Playing against a high pressure attack from the Scots, the Piedmont back four, led by senior Kelsey Schaffernoth, absorbed the pressure throughout the night allowing less than a handful of clear cut chances. On one such occasion, junior goalkeeper Michaela Gardner was up to the task making a brilliant first half save diving to her right on a near post shot to parry the ball out of bounds for a corner.

Gardner would go on to make five saves on the evening in total as the entire Piedmont team was able to get the ball down and play to keep possession in order to stifle the Covenant attack. Along with Schaffernoth, seniors Shayna Rogers and Nikki Means did their part as well in the midfield and up top respectively.

Means had a chance blocked away by the Covenant defense in the second half while Rogers looked to have played Kristen Newstrom in for a possibility to make it 2-0, but her shot was stopped by a diving Lucy Johnson who made seven saves on the night.

Piedmont outshot the Scots 11 to seven on the night, and also held the edge in corners, six to two. The first half goal would be all that the Lady Lions would need to claim the 1-0 result with their 13th shutout, a new NCAA Era record for the Green and Gold. For Gardner, the shutout is her 8th solo clean sheet of the season with all but one of those coming against USA South competition.

With the win, Piedmont wraps up the regular season at 14-4-1 and also improves on last year’s performance in conference play winning ten games in league action for the first time since becoming a USA South member in 2012. Finishing at 10-1-1 in the USA South, Piedmont clinches a share of the USA South Regular Season Championship along with Meredith College, but will take the #2 seed after tiebreakers due to the Avenging Angels’ 2-0 win over PC back in September.

The Lady Lions will now be set up to face the #7 seed in the league championship tournament, North Carolina Wesleyan College, in the quarterfinals which will be hosted right here at Walker Athletic Complex on Saturday, November 1st. Kickoff time will be 2:00 pm, and the match will be carried over the Mane Event Broadcasting Network with live stats and live video provided.

Volleyball falls to Emory

By

Joy Purcell

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October 30, 2014

Atlanta, GA – Coming off a close, tough loss to Maryville just 24 hours ago, the Piedmont College Lady Lions dropped their second straight match to Emory University Wednesday in Atlanta, 3-0. The Lady Lions now sit at 18-12 overall with two matches remaining before the USA South Conference Tournament.

Piedmont kept it close early on in the first set, down by only three at 10-7, but Emory reeled off 10 straight to take a commanding 20-7 lead en route to a 25-10 first set victory. The Lady Lions jumped out early and had the advantage over the Eagles 11-7 in the second set, but Emory chipped away at Piedmont’s lead and won 25-15.

The third set was the closest of all ending 25-19 with the Lady Lions staving off elimination at match point three times before dropping the set. In the match, the Lady Lions were held to a .000 attack percentage with 20 kills and 20 errors.

“With Emory being ranked 6th in the country at the Division III level, it did nothing but help our program to learn from this experience,” Head Coach Sid Feldman said. “I feel great about how we did tonight. We did not get pushed around and we made some impressive plays.”

With the Lady Lions earning 20 kills, that marked the second lowest total of the season, and Kaitlin Norman had a team-high 5 kills while Jennifer Opper and Taylor Cramsey both contributed 4 kills. Emory recorded 38 kills as a team which was the second lowest total Piedmont has given up in a loss in 2014.

Both Kait Steele and Xandy Green tallied nine assists which snapped a nine-match streak with both athletes reaching atleast 10 assists. Defensively, Randee Harvel led with 10 digs while Green added 7 in support.

For Feldman, facing Emory means going up against a team under the leadership of his former student-athlete at Georgia, Jenny McDowell, who is in her 19th season at the helm of the Eagles’ program. The Eagles were ranked 6th in the Oct. 21 AVCA Top 25 poll and are now 28-3 overall.

The Lady Lions will have had one of the busiest weeks of the season with a total of six matches in seven days stretching from Sunday through Saturday’s home tri-match to wrap up the regular season. Piedmont will have to win both contests to secure 20 wins before heading into the conference tournament. If the team is able to do so, it will mark the tenth straight season the Lady Lions have hit or eclipsed 20 wins.

The action will begin inside Cave Arena Saturday with Piedmont playing host to N.C. Wesleyan at 12 p.m. and William Peace at 4 p.m. Both matches will be available on the Mane Event Broadcasting Network.

Court consolidation; layoffs and savings

By

Joy Purcell

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October 30, 2014

Habersham County’s decision to consolidate magistrate and superior court clerk staffs is paying off for taxpayers. Chief Magistrate Gerald Johnson says the move already has saved the county tens of thousands of dollars. But it didn’t come without a price. Two employees lost their jobs.

Clerk of Court David Wall says five magistrate employees were shifted into his office. Three were absorbed into existing operations while two were let go. He says Kathy Ponder was a full-time receptionist who had worked in the magistrate’s office for 11 years. She was laid off along with Nancy Ayers, a part-time contract employee. Wall says Ponder’s position was eliminated because his office already has a receptionist. He says Ayers was near the end of her contract and the work she was doing – scanning documents to create digital images – was nearly complete.

The Habersham County Commission passed a resolution earlier this year mandating court staff consolidation to eliminate duplication of services. Commissioner Andrea Harper says it’s unfortunate jobs were lost but says she’s pleased the move is saving taxpayers money. Clerk of Court David Wall agrees, “I think in many ways it’s beneficial. Beneficial in the sense of being a little more conservative, a little more responsible financially, because we did have duplication of services.” Magistrate Judge Gerald Johnson says he, too, supports the move. “I’m certainly not in a position to take credit for that but by consolidating services into one umbrella under David we were able to streamline the system.”

Johnson says another positive effect of the move is that it allows the former Deputy Clerk of Magistrate Court Kim Campbell to focus more on her duties as Associate Magistrate Judge. She trades off on-call with the chief magistrate.

The layoffs, along with Judge Johnson’s decision to remove the Chief Marshal from his office and place the position under the control of the Sheriff’s Office, have so far saved the county $29,000. Johnson says that figure does take into account his recent request to hire an administrative assistant.

Johnson, who was appointed to succeed former Magistrate Judge Jim Butterworth after he resigned earlier this year, says he and Wall are looking for more ways to save money. That includes exploring options to consolidate software. Magistrate court uses a different system than state and superior courts. Wall says if they’re able to switch to a single provider it could save the county an additional $300 per month or more.

The Habersham County Clerk of Court’s office now oversees operations for three of Habersham’s five courts – superior, state and magistrate. Juvenile and probate courts remain separate. Wall receives a monthly stipend of $600 ($300 each) for overseeing state and magistrate courts in addition to performing his regular elected Constitutional duties as Clerk of Superior Court.

Life in Motion

By

Nora Almazan

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October 30, 2014

“Enjoying life and all that it has in store for me!” – Justin ‘Bunny’ Reeder, Clarkesville

Godly-Do List

By

Pastor Mike Franklin

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October 30, 2014

Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

It’s hard to imagine but does God have a “Honey Do” list? When I was a boy, I remember my dad carrying around a list of things to do for my mom on Saturdays. Maybe the grass needed cutting or the gutters needed cleaning or a few pictures needed to be hung. Of course, I was instructed to help. I remember thinking, “when I get married, I’m not going to have a ‘honey-do’ list.” My dad didn’t ask my mom in advance what needed to be done, he just took the list, followed it, and completed it.

God has work for us to do. He has prepared a list in advance of our even opening our eyes in the morning. I often wonder how many of us echo my sentiment as a boy, “I’m not going to have a Godly-do list.”

Every day there are people who need to be loved; people who need to be directed; people who need to be helped; animals who need care and attention; plants and gardens that need to be tended; words that need to be spoken or written. The list is endless; yet, many of us ignore it.

Years ago I was with a pastor-friend of mine. We were heading into Atlanta to minister to the homeless. As we parked the car and were starting to walk, he stopped me and asked if he could pray for our day. “Of course,” I responded. “I’d love for you to.”

He began, “God, thank you that our list is prepared. Help us to complete it.”

I smiled at him. He responded, “God already knows what He needs us to do; we just need the courage and stamina to do it!”

“Amen!”

What is on your Godly-Do List today? Be open to the opportunities God has already prepared for you today. Ask Him to equip you to complete all He has assigned for you today.

NGTC participates in National Disability Employment Awareness Month

By

Joy Purcell

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October 29, 2014

Toccoa, GA – National Disability Employment Awareness Month traces its roots back to 1945, when Congress enacted a law declaring the first week in October each year “National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week.” In 1962, the word “physically” was removed to acknowledge the employment needs and contributions of individuals with all types of disabilities. In 1988, Congress expanded the week to a month and changed the name to National Disability Employment Awareness Month. North Georgia Technical College proudly participates in NDEA month by continuing to educate about disability employment issues and celebrate the many and varied contributions of America’s workers with disabilities.

lisa brumbelow (1) — Lisa Brumbelow is the Distance Learning Facilitator on the Currahee campus in Stephens County.

One glowing example can be found right here within the NGTC family. Lisa Brumbelow, Distance Learning Facilitator on the Currahee campus, is a disabled worker. You may have seen her rolling by in the hallways at Currahee or on the Clarkesville campus with her sunglasses perched on top of her head. Lisa is in a motorized wheelchair. She was diagnosed at 2 years old with Muscular Dystrophy, a progressive, incurable muscle disorder that causes severe weakness. As a child, Lisa was still able to walk with the help of a leg brace. But, by the age of 22 Lisa could no longer safely walk or move around and began to use a wheel chair.

Brumbelow spent the next 15 years as a stay at home mom to her 2 sons. “Once the kids were old enough, I began looking for something new to keep me going, Brumbelow says. Lisa’s brother, Matt Brown, who was also severely disabled was a source of inspiration and encouragement for her. “He never let it stop him from doing what he wanted to do,” she boasts. After he passed away in 2003, Lisa took his advice to heart and enrolled in adult education classes at NGTC to complete her GED®. Brumbelow then continued on to graduate with honors with her Associates Degree in Applied Business Technology.

ngtc disabled — Brumbelow has Muscular Dystrophy and is confined to a wheelchair. She’s worked at NGTC for 7 years.

While still enrolled, Lisa started working at the college, first in the library then as a Distance Learning Facilitator. She is responsible for managing the audio/visual connections needed for distance classes as well as assisting the teachers with their presentations and collecting quizzes and tests. With classes on all three campuses, she is often the first person students come to with questions or concerns. “I love my job! It saved my life; it gives me something to look forward to everyday,” says Brumbelow. She most enjoys the interaction with the students. She sees many students, who like her, were nervous and hesitant about starting or re-starting their education. She is always quick to offer words of encouragement or share her experiences with them. “Make a goal, then succeed,” is her simple advice.

“For 7 years, Lisa Brumbelow has been a loyal employee of North Georgia Technical College,” said Daniel Gregg, NGTC Director of Career Development and Disability Support Services. “She is a valued friend and colleague, a mentor to students, and a shining example of the courage of disabled workers all across the nation. We are proud to have Lisa in our family, and look forward to many more years with her.”

To learn more about disabled workers or for more information on National Disability Employability Awareness Month, visit www.whatcanyoudocampaign.org. For additional information on the programs of study at North Georgia Technical College, visit www.northgatech.edu or call 706-754-7700.

Coat drive at Habitat

By

Joy Purcell

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October 29, 2014

The Knights of Columbus St. Mark Council 13491 is partnering with Habitat NEGA to collect and distribute coats for needy families.

Please bring your clean, gently used or a new coat of any size to the ReStore or Habitat offices 1085 Rocky Branch Road, Clarkesville no later than December 3rd.

On Saturday, December 6th, coats will be given to those in need at the ReStore while supplies last. Recipients must be present to receive a coat.

BC/BS forced to scrap contract amendments

By

Joy Purcell

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October 29, 2014

Atlanta – Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens has required Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia to immediately rescind recent amendments to their existing physician contracts.

Commissioner Hudgens’ action comes in response to numerous complaints from physician regarding the insurer’s amendments to existing contracts. Complaints focused on lack of clarity in the terms of the contract, including the actual amount doctors would be reimbursed for providing medical services.

“I heard from doctors all over the state about the heavy handed approach taken by Blue Cross regarding their contract changes,“ Hudgens said. “I want doctors spending time caring for their patients, not being stonewalled by an insurance company.”

Common complaints include:

• The sample fee schedule did not accurately reflect the actual reimbursement rates.
• Doctors indicated that when calling Blue Cross for clarification, answers were not responsive including requests to obtain the actual full reimbursement schedule.
• Doctors reported that when they contacted provider representatives at Blue Cross they were told several practices received the amendment, but should not have. Other providers reported being told the opposite.

“This action resets the process while at the same time preserving the existing physician agreements without the amendments,” Hudgens said. “Georgia consumers will have continuous access to their Blue Cross contracted doctors and will not be impacted by this action.”

Hudgens’ action requires Blue Cross to:

• File the proposed amendments with his office for review prior to implementation:
• Provide doctors with accurate and complete reimbursement schedules;
• Provide notice by certified mail to doctors of the proposed contract amendments; and
• Ensure that all contract changes comply with Georgia Law.

Once filed, the Department of Insurance will have up to 60 days to review the contract amendments for compliance with Georgia Law.

Life in Motion

By

Nora Almazan

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October 29, 2014

“At the end of the day, all that really matters is loving people and investing your time in them.”

– Sheryl Lynn Biglin, Clarkesville, GA.

Life in Motion

By

Nora Almazan

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October 29, 2014

There are 1,440 minutes in every day, 525,600 minutes in every year. That’s a lot of time. Every day that we live holds the promise that somewhere among the minutes special moments will occur. As individuals we are shaped by those moments: As a community we are connected by them. Now Habersham wants to capture those moments and share them with you. That’s what “Life in Motion” is all about. Each week we’ll bring you snapshots of life as you live it – as we live it – here in Habersham County. You’ll find “Life in Motion” in our Living section. Enjoy! -Joy Purcell

2014 NGTC classic car show winners announced

By

Joy Purcell

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October 29, 2014

ngtc car show — The NGTC Foundation hosted a car show during Homecoming weekend.

Clarkesville, GA – The October sun glittered off of dozens of immaculate specialty cars on the Clarkesville Campus of North Georgia Technical College during the annual Homecoming Car Show which was held Saturday, October 18.

Winners of this year’s show included James Ledford of Cleveland with Best of Show, Murray Cochran of Toccoa with Best Special Interest, Jimmy Roberts of Alto with Best Race Car, Kyle Gooch of Cleveland with Best Late Model, Clarence Lewallen of Baldwin with Best Ford, Larry Sutton of Dahlonega with Best Mopar, James Savage of Toccoa with Best GM, Eddie Palmer of Dahlonega with Best Truck, Tim Sutton of Clarkesville with Best Rat Rod.

In addition, Top 15 winners included Mac Turner of Baldwin, Lonzo Ellis of Cleveland, Randy Cantrell of Cornelia, Brian Fulbright of Eastanollee, Harry Bartlett of Gainesville, Wallace Lewallen of Clarkesville, Jimmy York of Clarkesville, Gary Jones of Clarkesville, Harold Eidson of Clarkesville, Mike Garrett of Cornelia, Joe Morrison of Cleveland, Jerry Shook of Alto, Terry Palmer of Cleveland, Donald Flanagan of Murrayville, and Wiley Partin of Cleveland.

In addition to the car show, there was music, door prizes, food, and the Burnout Competition. All proceeds went to the NGTC Foundation Scholarship Fund.

“Every year we have such a good time at this event,” said NGTC Director of Institutional Advancement Cynthia Brown. “The people who come have a heart for the success of our students, and we greatly appreciate their support for the NGTC Foundation.”

Photos of the event have been posted to the North Georgia Technical College Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ngtcnews. For more information on programs of study at North Georgia Technical College, contact 706-754-7700 or visit www.northgatech.edu.

Business and Employer Summitt Success

By

Michelle Wetherbee

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October 29, 2014

On Tuesday, the final Georgia Department of Labor Summit was held at the Torch in Demorest. Around 75 attendees, representing businesses and institutions, heard presentations on unemployment insurance and updates on healthcare. At lunch, State Representative Dan Gasaway, introduced Mark Butler, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Labor. Commissioner Butler gave an update on the Department’s programs and discussed the emphasis on job growth. The Department is focusing on recruting and developing talent for targeted industries though the State economic development efforts. Justin Dudkiewicz, Assistant HR Director for Avita Community Partners, was pleased with the event saying, “it was very informative and was great to network with others in our region. Region 2 includes 13 counties across Northeast Georgia including Habersham, Union, Towns and Hall. The event was sponsored by Northwestern Benefit Corporation of Georgia and Chick-fil-a.

Cherry Rizer (1024x472) — Cherry Rizer from the Department of Labor updates attendees on “What every employer should know” about Unemployment Insurance.