The GBI crime lab will conduct an autopsy after two people were found dead inside a residence on Rose Lane in Stephens County Wednesday morning.
According to the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office, deputies and investigators responded to the home on September 3 for a welfare check. When they entered the residence, they located a male and female inside. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities have not released the victims’ names or ages. The bodies will be sent to the crime lab as investigators work to determine the cause and circumstances of their deaths.
Sheriff’s officials said the investigation was limited to the residence and that there was no immediate threat to the public.
Atlanta Braves' Ha-Seong Kim, right, celebrates with Ozzie Albies after hitting a three-run home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
CHICAGO (AP) — Ha-Seong Kim hit a three-run homer, Bryce Elder pitched seven innings of four-hit ball and the Atlanta Braves rallied for a 5-1 win over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night.
Ozzie Albies added a solo shot the eighth and hit a single in the seventh that broke up a combined no-hit bid by Chicago.
Elder (6-9) allowed one unearned run while striking out six and walking none. The right-hander retired 15 of the last 17 hitters he faced.
Tyler Kinley pitched a perfect eighth, then Raisel Iglesias worked around two walks in the ninth to complete a four-hitter.
Claimed on waivers from Tampa Bay on Monday, Kim drove the first pitch he saw from reliever Drew Pomeranz in the seventh inning 391 feet into the left-center bleachers to put the Braves up 3-1.
Willi Castro hit at RBI single in the second to give Chicago a 1-0 lead.
The Braves scored four times on four hits and a walk in the seventh after Cubs rookie Cade Horton and reliever Ben Brown did not give up a hit through six innings.
Horton allowed only one walk and struck out six through five innings. He was replaced by Brown to start the sixth after throwing 75 pitches and retiring the last 14 hitters he faced.
Brown (5-8) struck out three and walked one in the sixth. He was charged with two runs off a hit and walk while getting one out in the seventh.
Key moment
Albies led off the seventh with single off Brown to break up the no-hit bid.
Key stat
Since the All-Star break, Horton has allowed just 24 hits and four runs in 47 innings for a 0.77 ERA.
Up next
Braves LHP Chris Sale (5-4, 2.45 ERA) starts Friday against Seattle at Atlanta. The Cubs had not yet named a starter for Friday, against Washington and RHP Jake Irvin (8-10, 5.42) at Wrigley Field.
Attendees raise their hands to press congress to release the Jeffrey Epstein files during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
WASHINGTON (States Newsroom) — As survivors of abuse inflicted by the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein pleaded on Capitol Hill Wednesday for the release of investigative files, Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie accused House GOP leaders of using “the oldest trick in the swamp” to avoid the issue.
An unusually large crowd gathered outside the U.S. House to hear from the women, who described emotional manipulation and physical coercion, beginning as early as age 14 in some cases, at the hands of Epstein and convicted co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell.
The speakers included family of the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who pursued charges against Maxwell and died earlier this year by suicide.
In speech after speech, the victims urged Congress and President Donald Trump to make public what federal authorities uncovered about the reach of Epstein’s abuse, and specifically voiced support for Massie’s bipartisan effort that would bypass House leadership and force the release of volumes of records.
“Congress must choose — will you continue to protect predators, or will you finally protect survivors?” said Lisa Phillips, who was victimized by Epstein on his private Caribbean island and now hosts a podcast about healing after abuse.
The government’s investigation into Epstein’s widespread sexual abuse has dogged and splintered House Republicans since July, when Trump’s administration declared it would not share any further information on the powerful and well-connected financier. Epstein died in 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on federal charges of sex trafficking minors.
Epstein surrounded himself with celebrities and politicians, including Trump and former President Bill Clinton.
Trump campaigned on releasing what he and many describe as the “Epstein files,” and for years many of his supporters, including some now in his administration, fixated on conspiracy theories about the scandal.
Discharge petition roils House
“There are real victims to this criminal enterprise, and the perpetrators are being protected because they’re rich and powerful and political donors to the establishment here in Washington, D.C. So today, we’re standing with these survivors,” Massie said at the outdoors press conference.
Massie and House Democrat Ro Khanna of California need just two more Republican signatures on a discharge petition that would trigger the release of the Epstein case file, leapfrogging House leadership.
Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie speaks with reporters inside the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)
House Speaker Mike Johnson instead urged his party Wednesday to support a symbolic measure approving an already ongoing GOP-led committee probe.
Khanna, and GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, welcomed the victims to Capitol Hill alongside Massie.
“This is the most important fight we can wage here in Congress, fighting for innocent people that never received justice, and the women behind me have never received justice. And do you want to know why? It’s because Jeffrey Epstein somehow was able to walk among the most rich, powerful people,” Greene said.
Republican Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Nancy Mace of South Carolina joined Massie and Greene in signing the petition. All Democrats in the House, which has a 219-212 split, are expected to sign.
Lured by Epstein
With the U.S. Capitol as their backdrop, numerous women shared stories of being lured, some at just 14 years old, by money and opportunities Epstein offered to them.
Annie Farmer said she was 16 when she and her sister were flown to New Mexico to spend a weekend with Epstein and Maxwell, where she said they were assaulted and photographed. Her sister reported their sexual abuse to authorities later that year.
“I am now 46 years old. Thirty years later, we still do not know why that report wasn’t properly investigated, or why Epstein and his associates were allowed to harm hundreds, if not thousands, of other girls and young women.
“We have never been told whether those images were found when they discovered a large amount of child sexual abuse material on his property,” said Farmer, who testified publicly in both cases against Epstein and Maxwell.
Farmer said for many years it felt like Epstein’s abusive behavior was “an open secret” and that his network of powerful friends “chose to look the other way because it benefited them.”
Farmer called for a thorough public review of the government’s findings in the Epstein case.
“At a time with record-high levels of distrust in our institutions and a perception that there are two Americas — one for those with power and privilege and one for everyone else — passing this Epstein transparency bill is one important step that can be taken to prove to Americans that the government does not side with sexual perpetrators,” she said.
Jena-Lisa Jones told the large crowd that Epstein began abusing her when she was 14.
“I know that I was just a little kid, but sometimes I still feel like it is my fault that this happened,” she said.
“If you’re a member of Congress and you’re listening to all of us speak here today, please really listen to us. Please vote for this bill to be passed. Please recognize how important it is for transparency relating to Jeffrey Epstein. Whether you are a Democrat or Republican, this does not matter.”
Jones then directly appealed to Trump: “Please, President Trump, pass this bill and help us. Make us feel like our voices are finally being heard.”
Trump rebuffs reports on Epstein relationship
Trump’s past relationship with Epstein has been under a microscope since July. The president sued the Wall Street Journal for reporting on a 50th birthday card Trump gave to Epstein. The card allegedly featured a cryptic message and a doodle of a naked woman with Trump’s signature mimicking pubic hair.
The Journal also reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi briefed the president in May that his name appeared in the Epstein case files. The context in which his name appeared is unclear.
Trump has denied the reports.
Trump dismissed questions about releasing the Epstein case files when asked by reporters in the Oval Office Wednesday afternoon.
“This is a Democrat hoax that never ends,” Trump said while sitting alongside Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki during their previously planned meeting.
“What they’re trying to do with the Epstein hoax is getting people to talk about that instead of speaking about the tremendous success like ending seven wars. I ended seven wars, nobody’s going to talk about (that) because they’re going to talk about the Epstein whatever,” Trump continued. Trump did not detail specifically which wars.
“I understand that we were subpoenaed to give files, and I understand we’ve given thousands of pages of files, and I know that no matter what you do, it’s going to keep going.”
The GOP-led House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released roughly 33,000 pages Tuesday night related to the government’s Epstein investigation. But the collection was quickly dismissed by many observers as duplicates and items that were already public.
“I appreciate the efforts of my colleague, James Comer, who’s leading the Oversight Committee,” Massie said of his fellow Kentucky lawmaker. “They may find some information, but they’re allowing the (Department of Justice) to curate all of the information that the DOJ is giving them. If you’ve looked at the pages they’ve released so far, they’re heavily redacted. Some pages are entirely redacted, and 97% of this is already in the public domain.”
Subpoenas issued
Comer’s committee has also subpoenaed testimony from Clinton, as well as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and numerous former Department of Justice officials, from both Democratic and Republican administrations.
Massie told reporters Wednesday that Speaker Johnson urged colleagues not to support the Kentucky Republican’s discharge petition and instead vote for a procedural rule to support the Oversight Committee’s investigation. A committee investigation, however, does not require a floor vote to proceed.
“My message to my colleagues was, ‘Don’t set yourself up.’ Yes, the speaker’s resolution will give you temporary political cover, but there are millions of people watching this,” Massie said.
Members of the House Oversight Committee met with several Epstein victims Tuesday.
Johnson, of Louisiana, said Massie and Khanna’s petition is “moot and unnecessary.”
“The Oversight Committee’s investigation is already ongoing. They’re already producing and putting out there the documents that are covered, the White House is in full compliance. The administration is willfully complying with the subpoenas because they want maximum transparency as well. I talked to the president himself last night, so this is going to be an ongoing effort.”
Jennifer Shutt and Shauneen Miranda contributed to this report.
A Powerball lottery ticket is printed out of a lottery machine at a convenience store in Northbrook, Ill., Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An estimated $1.4 billion lottery jackpot will be up for grabs Wednesday night thanks to dozens of drawings without a big winner.
No one has won the grand prize since May 31, and the 41st drawing on Wednesday will be just one fewer than the record set last year.
All of that losing stems from Powerball’s abysmal odds of 1 in 292.2 million, though lottery officials note that the odds are far better for the game’s many smaller prizes. There are three drawings each week.
The $1.4 billion jackpot is for a winner who opts to receive 30 payments over 29 years through an annuity. Winners almost always choose the game’s cash option, which for this drawing would be an estimated $634.3 million.
Powerball tickets cost $2, and the game is offered in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The Historic Iron Triangle Plaza is part of a planned development from 1996. Rashe Malcolm, the property's owner, is seeking an amendment to the development in order to add green space and a teaching garden. (Emma Auer/WUGA)
A controversial change to the layout of a commercial property in East Athens was approved by the Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission Tuesday night.
Local restaurateur Rashe Malcolm owns the Historic Iron Triangle on Vine Street, which is controlled by development rules that require changes to go through the local government. Several residents of Inner East Athens spoke against her proposed plan to insert a teaching garden and green space on the property at Tuesday night’s meeting, citing fears of gentrification.
Commissioner Tiffany Taylor represents District 3, where the property is located. She defended her motion to approve Ms. Malcolm’s proposal during the meeting.
“The reason I was put here is because I feel the same way y’all feel, and just because I motion to approve this motion, does not make me less East Side than anybody else,” she said.
District 5 Commissioner Dexter Fisher said the opposition from Inner East Side residents stems from past failures of the government.
“We gotta do better in order for people to trust us and do better for our community,” he said.
The Commission voted seven to three to approve the plans.
This article comes to Now Habersham in partnership with WUGA News
The two historic oaks frame the back side of Demorest City Hall. City leaders are considering a proposal to cut down the trees for a parking lot. The proposal has been met with public opposition, ahead of a special called council meeting on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. (Joy Purcell/NowHabersham.com(
Demorest’s plan to cut down two large oak trees at City Hall to make way for a parking lot has sparked an emotional debate, with residents divided over whether progress should come at the expense of history.
City officials say the trees must go to meet federal parking requirements if the U.S. Post Office relocates to the former Demorest Elementary School campus. City Manager Mark Musselwhite said talks with the Postal Service have stretched on for more than a year, and any relocation hinges on more parking.
“The Post Office requires 20 spaces, and that’s based on square footage,” Musselwhite said. “I have a letter from an arborist who says those trees are well past their prime. All indications from experts and engineers are that if you try to keep them, you only get about a quarter of the parking you need.” He added that water runoff and drainage must also be considered, since everything slopes toward Central Avenue.
Councilman Shawn Allen said the city has to balance sentiment with safety.
“Those trees mean a lot to me, too. I spent my childhood on that campus, and I understand how people feel about losing them,” he told Now Habersham. “But the arborist report says they are in the final stages of life.”
Allen points out that, “Some of the limbs are as big as trees themselves. Any storm poses a danger to the building.”
(Joy Purcell/NowHabersham.com)
A workaround
If a new Demorest City Hall parking lot is built as currently planned, the oak trees’ futures might still be in question even if contractors develop a workaround.
“Because the trees are so old, those roots go so far, probably as far out as Central Avenue. Once you start paving, anything you do in that entire area is going to have an effect on those trees,” Allen said.
Councilman Allen and Musselwhite both stress that new trees and landscaping will be planted to soften the loss. Still, such assurances will likely do little to quiet opposition.
A sketch of the landscaping plan around the proposed Demorest City Hall parking lot. (Source: City of Demorest)
Dozens of residents have voiced frustration on social media, with many sharing personal memories tied to the trees. Halie Frankum recalled burying her favorite Barbie doll beneath one of them in third grade. Brooke Martin remembered playing with a deaf classmate who caught falling leaves under its shade. Former students like Seth Thomas Brown and Donna Thompson Fleming said the trees were central to recess at Demorest Elementary, and several called them historic landmarks that should be preserved.
“Those trees are as historic as the town itself,” former mayor Rick Austin wrote, urging leaders to find a way to save them.
Others offered alternatives, suggesting the city build around the oaks or shift parking to the old gym and lunchroom.
“Find an architect who will incorporate the trees into the plan,” said Sally Elrod. “From the number of comments in favor, it seems to be what the people want.”
To build the parking lot, Demorest would have to level the old elementary schoolyard, removing two old oak trees. (Joy Purcell/NowHabersham.com)
Looking to the future
Although the overwhelming majority supports keeping the oak trees, not everyone agrees. A tiny minority says it is time for the trees to go.
“Take ’em down, these are dangerous now. Trees don’t live for eternity,” wrote Dennis Ferguson.
Musselwhite said removing the oaks could pave the way for long-awaited downtown improvements. If the Post Office relocates to City Hall, its current location could be repurposed for commercial development. The popular downtown restaurant Holden Oversoul currently holds the first right of refusal if the property becomes available.
“We’re growing our downtown and our city with restaurants and options so people don’t have to leave,” he said. “That generates sales tax dollars and benefits the greater good of Habersham County.”
The proposal is set to be discussed at a special called public work session and meeting on Thursday, Sept. 4. The work session is scheduled for 6 p.m., with the meeting immediately following at 7 p.m.
City officials say no decision has been made. They are awaiting final environmental and engineering reports before moving forward. Residents on both sides plan to attend, determined to make their voices heard on whether Demorest’s future should be paved over its past.
White County has launched a new website designed to educate voters about the proposed Floating Local Option Sales Tax (FLOST), which will appear on the November 2025 ballot.
FLOST is a one-percent countywide sales tax designed to reduce property taxes. Because it is a sales tax, officials note, both residents and visitors would contribute to lowering the overall tax burden.
A news release from the White County Board of Commissioners says whitecountyflost.com serves as a centralized resource for residents to learn how FLOST works, its purpose, and its potential impact on property owners. The site also includes frequently asked questions and other background materials.
“Transparency and educating the public on the upcoming vote are top priorities for the White County Board of Commissioners,” says county spokesperson Bryce Barrett. “The website is intended to provide residents with clear, accessible information to help them make informed decisions about the future of the county.”
State law prohibits local governments from using public funds to advocate for or against revenue-generating referendums. However, officials are allowed to distribute factual materials about such initiatives.
If FLOST is approved, it will raise White County’s sales tax from 7 to 8%.
FILE - This Nov. 13, 2008 file photo shows the campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Lisa Poole, File)
BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge in Boston on Wednesday ordered the Trump administration to reverse its cuts of more than $2.6 billion in research funding for Harvard University, delivering a significant victory to the Ivy League school in its battle with the White House.
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs ruled the cuts amounted to illegal retaliation for Harvard’s rejection of the Trump administration’s demands for changes to Harvard’s governance and policies.
The government had tied the funding freezes to Harvard’s delays in dealing with antisemitism, but the judge said the university’s federally backed research had little connection to discrimination against Jews. “A review of the administrative record makes it difficult to conclude anything other than that (the government) used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country’s premier universities,” Burroughs wrote. The country must fight antisemitism, she wrote, but it also must protect the right to free speech.
The ruling reverses a series of funding freezes that later became outright cuts as the Trump administration escalated its fight with the nation’s wealthiest university. The administration also has sought to prevent the school from hosting foreign students and threatened to revoke its tax-exempt status in a clash watched widely across higher education.
The restoration of federal money would revive Harvard’s sprawling research operation and hundreds of projects that sustained cuts. But whether Harvard actually receives the federal money remains to be seen. The government plans an immediate appeal, White House spokeswoman Liz Huston said in a statement, calling Burroughs an “activist Obama-appointed judge.”
“To any fair-minded observer, it is clear that Harvard University failed to protect their students from harassment and allowed discrimination to plague their campus for years,” Huston said. “Harvard does not have a constitutional right to taxpayer dollars.”
Harvard’s research scientists said they had been watching the case closely, but feared their funding would not be restored anytime soon.
“Many of us are worried that the federal government is going to appeal this decision or find other ways to obstruct the delivery of research dollars, despite the judge’s clear statement that the funding terminations were illegal,” said Rita Hamad, director of a center that researches the impact of social policies on health.
Beyond the courthouse, the Trump administration and Harvard officials have been discussing a potential agreement that would end investigations and allow the university to regain access to federal funding. President Donald Trump has said he wants Harvard to pay no less than $500 million, but no deal has materialized, even as the administration has struck agreements with Columbia and Brown.
Wednesday’s federal court ruling should embolden Harvard’s administration, said historian Kirsten Weld, president of Harvard’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors, which also prevailed in a lawsuit over the funding cuts. “We hope this decision makes clear to Harvard’s administration that bargaining the Harvard community’s rights away in a compromise with the government is unacceptable,” Weld said.
Harvard’s lawsuit accused the Trump administration of waging a retaliation campaign against the university after it rejected a series of demands in an April 11 letter from a federal antisemitism task force.
The letter demanded sweeping changes related to campus protests, academics and admissions. It was meant to address government accusations that the university had become a hotbed of liberalism and tolerated anti-Jewish harassment on campus.
Harvard President Alan Garber pledged to fight antisemitism. But, he said, no government “should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.”
Trump officials moved to freeze $2.2 billion in research grants the same day Harvard rejected the administration’s demands. Education Secretary Linda McMahon declared in May that Harvard would no longer be eligible for new grants, and weeks later, the administration began canceling contracts with Harvard.
As Harvard fought the funding freeze in court, individual agencies began sending letters announcing that the frozen research grants were being terminated under a clause allowing grants to be scrapped if they no longer align with government policies. Harvard has moved to self-fund some of its research but warned it can’t absorb the full cost of the federal cuts.
The judge’s order reverses all of Harvard’s federal funding freezes and cuts since April 14, and it bars the government from future cuts that violate Harvard’s constitutional rights or run afoul of federal law.
Burroughs sided with the university’s argument that the cuts amounted to retaliation in violation of its First Amendment rights and that the government put unconstitutional conditions on Harvard’s federal money.
“As pertains to this case, it is important to recognize and remember that if speech can be curtailed in the name of the Jewish people today, then just as easily the speech of the Jews (and anyone else) can be curtailed when the political winds change direction,” the judge wrote.
Burroughs also agreed with Harvard’s claim that the government failed to follow steps prescribed by Congress to cut federal money under Title VI of the Higher Education Act, a federal law that forbids discrimination in education.
The Trump administration denied the cuts were made in retaliation, saying the grants were under review even before the April demand letter was sent. It argues the government has wide discretion to cancel contracts for policy reasons.
“It is the policy of the United States under the Trump Administration not to fund institutions that fail to adequately address antisemitism in their programs,” it said in court documents.
In a separate lawsuit filed by Harvard, Burroughs previously blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to prevent the school from hosting international students.
AP reporter Michael Casey contributed to this report
Cornelia City Manager Donald Anderson outlines the proposed millage rate increase as City Attorney Steve Campbell listens in
During Monday’s regular September meeting, the Cornelia City Commission tackled the existential question, “What is a tax increase?”
Last week, the city issued a notice for public hearing announcing its intention to increase 2025 property taxes by 10.29 percent over the rollback millage rate of 8.61 mils.
However, Cornelia City Manager Donald Anderson, Jr. told the packed commission room that the millage rate will hold steady at its current rate of 9.5 mils.
“Because the recommended rollback rate is 8.61 mils, by keeping the millage rate at 9.5 it is considered by law a tax increase,” Anderson said.
The rollback rate is a mandated revenue-neutral calculation that would produce the same total property tax revenue as the previous year, accounting for any increases in the tax digest.
Local municipalities are required to perform this calculation and the Georgia Department of Revenue ensures compliance.
Anderson said keeping the millage rate steady will increase revenue to the city.
“If we keep the millage rate at 9.5 mils the increase to our revenue will be $300,000 or 10.29%,” Anderson said.
Despite trepidation by many in the audience, Anderson wanted to make one point abundantly clear.
“To clarify, we’re not raising anyone’s taxes,” Anderson said. “If your taxes go up it’s because the county reassessed the value of your property.”
The city of Cornelia will hold two additional public hearings on the millage rate increase on October 7 at 12 p.m. and 6 p.m.
2026 Budget Overview
The millage rate was one of three public hearings on the docket Monday. Additionally, Anderson gave an overview of the proposed 2026 budget for the city which was created with the help of department heads.
While prefacing that the new budget would not jeopardize the level of service that residents are accustomed to, Anderson said, “We’ve had to make some very tough decisions regarding much-needed equipment and capital projects, by prioritizing what we feel we must have with what we feel can be pushed to future years.”
The 2026 proposed budget will see an increase to the general fund of $316,078 and includes a 2.5 percent cost-of-living adjustment for employees.
Anderson stated that 72 percent of the general fund budget is allocated to public safety, and the increase is due in part to increased personnel costs and new 911 radio fees. However, he did announce a staff increase for the Cornelia Fire Department
“The budget does have three permanent part-time firefighter positions which would bring us to five firefighters per shift and the cost $99,216,” Anderson said.
The biggest increase in the 2026 budget was to the water and sewer fund. The proposed budget added an additional $2.28 million over 2025 to help pay for several capital improvement projects, including the wastewater plant expansion project.
To help pay for this increase, the commission voted to raise water rates by 5.4 percent beginning in 2026. However, that increase comes with an added tier of per gallon costs from 2,000-6,000 gallons instead of the previous 2,000-10,000 gallons.
The added tier is something that Cornelia Mayor John Borrow feels will be a nominal increase for the average user at best.
“After listening to the presentation from our water engineers, most water users fall into the 2,000-6,00 gallons per month and after that it tiers up,” Borrow said. “For most people who use regular water, by adopting this the first year your water rate will stay the same or go down slightly.”
Vape shop restrictions
A third public hearing addressed a proposed ordinance to restrict vape shops. Anderson said the ordinance would mirror alcohol package store regulations by prohibiting vape shops within 1,000 feet of a school or day care and limiting them to business, light industrial or heavy industrial districts.
The Planning and Zoning Board approved the measure Aug. 21. City Attorney Steve Campbell said existing vape shops would be grandfathered in.
“It will limit the number going forward,” Campbell said. “Technically, it’s going to greatly limit the number in town.”
Other actions
The commission voted unanimously to set a speed limit of 15 mph in the Magnolia Villas subdivision, down from the state standard of 30 mph.
Following the close of municipal election qualifying, no candidates filed to run against incumbent commissioners Jancie Briggs and Don Bagwell. As a result, no city elections will be held, though the SPLOST referendum will remain on the ballot.
A man died Sunday evening after his vehicle struck a tree and caught fire in Banks County.
Banks County Fire and Emergency Services responded to the crash around 6:03 p.m. on August 31 at 1103 Rock Springs Road in Lula. When first responders arrived, they found a single vehicle that had run off the roadway, hit a tree, and ignited.
A male victim was discovered inside the vehicle. Authorities say his age has not yet been determined. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Georgia State Patrol and the Banks County Coroner’s Office are investigating the cause of the crash. No other injuries were reported.
John Ross Vankouwenberg (Habersham County Sheriff's Office)
A Tennessee man faces multiple charges after Habersham County deputies say he drove through the area late Monday night using unauthorized emergency lights.
According to the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office, Rabun County dispatchers issued a lookout for a yellow Ford Mustang with flashing red and blue lights that was traveling south on U.S. 441/GA 15 at a high rate of speed. Deputies intercepted the car around 11:45 p.m. near the Tom Arrendale Interchange in Habersham County.
The driver, identified as 55-year-old John Ross Vankouwenberg of Piney Flats, Tennessee, was taken into custody. Deputies say he was in possession of methamphetamine and an open container of alcohol at the time of the stop. He also faces a charge of driving under the influence refusal.
In addition to those charges, Vankouwenberg was booked for possession of a firearm or knife during certain crimes and unauthorized use of blue lights.
He was booked at the Habersham County Detention Center in Clarkesville.
While much of the early sports buzz this school year has centered on Jefferson football, the Lady Dragons’ softball team has quietly stormed out to a 10-1 start. Head Coach Allan Bailey didn’t need to raise expectations — they were already there, and the Lady Dragons created their own goals.
Now, they’re delivering on those goals.
Now Habersham sports partner, BLITZ, recently caught up with Coach Bailey and team standouts Jenna Rapp (JR SS), Braelynn Vandiver (JR P), Reagan Hays (SR 3B), and Ally Baldwin (SR LF).
