A Jefferson man was killed Thursday afternoon when his car crashed head-on into a pickup truck on Athens Highway southeast of Gainesville.
The crash happened just before 1 p.m. near Morgan Drive. Investigators say 56-year-old J. Jesus Linares was driving a Nissan Sentra the wrong way in the westbound lane of U.S. 129 when he collided with a GMC Sierra driven by 61-year-old Reginald Borders of Gainesville.
Both men were transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville. Linares was pronounced dead at the hospital. Borders suffered only minor injuries.
Deputies with the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said Linares caused the wreck by driving on the wrong side of the divided highway.
The northbound side of Athens Highway was closed for about an hour while crews cleared the scene.
Lalia Bentley Hester, age 89 of Clarkesville, Georgia, went home to be with her Lord on Tuesday, August 26, 2025.
Born on May 23, 1936, in Lincolnton, Georgia, she was the daughter of the late Carrie Lou Bentley Usry and Jacob Bentley. She was a graduate of Washington Wilkes High School, where she met her husband of 46 years, Julian Hester. She attended Georgia State College for Women and married Julian in 1955. They made their life and raised their children in Washington, Georgia, until 1969, when they moved to Clarkesville.
Lalia committed her life to Christ at an early age and remained a faithful servant of God for the remainder of her life. She was a devoted member of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Clarkesville from 1969 until her death, and was involved in many activities throughout those years. Along with her church and her Jesus, her greatest treasures were her dear husband, her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, as well as her many devoted friends. She also cherished her time “working in her flowers” up until her final months on earth.
In addition to her parents, Mrs. Hester was preceded in death by her husband, Julian Hester, and her daughter, Jan Hester. Survivors include her daughter and son-in-law, Joy Nichols and John Nichols, son and daughter-in-law, Julian Hester Jr. and Ella Hester, grandchildren, Jessamie Vincent (Jason), Marshal Nichols (Kasey), Hanna Hester Mucha (Peter), and six great-grandchildren, Georgia, Warren, and Rushing Vincent, and Harper, Berklee, and Hadley Nichols.
A service of celebration of Lalia’s life will be held at Bethlehem Baptist Church on Friday, September 12th at 11:00 am. Her family will receive friends for visitation at Hillside Memorial Chapel in Clarkesville on Thursday, September 11, from 5-7 pm.
Flowers will be accepted, or donations may be made in her name to Bethlehem Baptist Church Debt Retirement Fund, PO Box 488, Clarkesville, GA 30523.
Dr. Deb Houry, who resigned as chief medical officer and deputy director for program and science at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, speaks to supporters and media outside CDC headquarters in Atlanta on Thursday. (Rebecca Grapevine/Healthbeat)
Three senior leaders walked out of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday in Atlanta after resigning over their opposition to the Trump administration’s political interference in the agency’s science-backed work.
Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; Dr. Deb Houry, chief medical officer and deputy director for program and science; and Dr. Dan Jernigan, director of the National Center for Emerging Zoonotic and Infectious Diseases, emerged from the CDC campus greeted by a crowd of supporters and employees.
“I hope this is a tipping point to where we get our public health back, that we get the trust of the nation back, we get the trust of our leaders back, and that public health does the work they’re meant to do on the ground, saving lives,” Houry said.
The three resignations – along with that of Dr. Jennifer Layden, director of the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance and Technology — announced late Wednesday, came after news that CDC Director Susan Monarez was being ousted after only three weeks on the job.
A week ago, Monarez stood amid shattered glass on the floor of a CDC building where a gunman had fired into the windows and said she wanted to restore trust in the agency and support its workers, whom she called family.
This week’s developments are the latest in a series of blows to the beleaguered agency since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term and the appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary. The CDC has faced several rounds of mass layoffs, funding cuts, and the Aug. 8 shooting that resulted in the death of a police officer and the gunman.
Monarez’s attorney, Mark Zaid, said in a post on X that Monarez had “refused to rubber stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire public health experts” and said Kennedy had weaponized “public health for political gain.” She is fighting her dismissal.
Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, who resigned as director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, speaks to supporters and media on Thursday. (Rebecca Grapevine/Healthbeat)
In a resignation letter posted on X, Daskalakis said political interference in the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a part of the CDC, drove his decision to leave.
In June, Kennedy removed all 17 members of the committee and replaced them with his own appointees. That move, as well as the new committee’s decisions about vaccine policies have drawn criticism from scientists and many professional medicalorganizations.
The committee is expected to rule soon on policies for the latest Covid vaccine, raising fears that many Americans would lose insurance coverage for the shots or be unable to access them altogether. Advocates also worry that the committee will change recommendations for long-established childhood vaccines.
More than 100 CDC supporters and current employees turned out in support of Daskalakis, Houry, and Jernigan. Many workers crossed the street from the agency’s headquarters near Emory, while others drove from other locations in Atlanta to show their support. Several said they and their fellow employees had taken leave so they would not get in trouble for attending the event during the workday.
With many top roles vacant, the CDC is facing a leadership vacuum. The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to an inquiry about who is the current acting director, or who has taken over the positions of the four other leaders who resigned. The Washington Post reported late Thursday that Deputy HHS Secretary Jim O’Neill would act as interim director.
Houry, Daskalakis, and Jernigan adopted a defiant tone, vowing to fight for remaining CDC employees and scientific integrity.
“America needs to see that you are the people that protect America,” Daskalakis said. “We are going to be your loudest advocates.”
Dr. Dan Jernigan, who resigned as director of the National Center for Emerging Zoonotic and Infectious Diseases at the CDC, speaks to supporters and media on Thursday. (Rebecca Grapevine/Healthbeat)
All three criticized political interference in science and public health.
“What makes us great at CDC is following the science, so let’s get the politics out of public health … because that’s how we get to the best decisions for public health,” Jernigan said.
Houry said the three had agreed to act in concert after “talking about it for months.”
“We need to get our people back. We’ve terminated, RIFed, valuable people. We need to support our labs. We need to get our budget for appropriate programs. We can’t lose our chronic disease center,” Houry said, referring to multiple “reductions in force” at the agency over the past few months.
The leaders said the work CDC employees do is important in protecting American health, with Daskalakis pointing to the work the agency has done to “stop Ebola at its source” and Houry pointing to this year’s measles outbreak.
“We have unvaccinated populations and a secretary that promoted vitamins over vaccines,” Houry said.
HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The instability has disrupted work at the agency, said Dr. Elizabeth Soda, a current CDC employee.
“RFK has created so much chaos,” she said. “I’m not sure what he expected in terms of getting work done.”
CDC retirees who worked at the agency for decades said they are concerned about the impact on Atlanta’s economy and reputation.
“This has been one of the crown jewels of Atlanta. … It’s a point of pride,” said retiree Marta Gwinn.
She doesn’t think the local job market can absorb all of the laid off workers, and Atlanta will lose brain power as professionals and students drawn to the city’s public health institutions, from the CDC to universities like Emory and Georgia State, look elsewhere.
She and fellow retirees Joanne Mei and Laura Fehrs said they also want to hear from state political leaders.
“It’s been pretty much silence, and I don’t understand that,” Mei said. “Where’s our governor who wants to attract all this new science and all these tech companies?”
Hall County firefighters battled a blaze early Friday morning that gutted a house in Flowery Branch.
At approximately 4 a.m., firefighters responded to reports of a residential fire in the 6200 block of Saddlehorse Drive. When the first units arrived, they found the single-story residence fully engulfed in flames, said Hall County Fire Rescue Public Information Officer Kimberlie Ledsinger.
Crews launched a defensive attack, using aerial operations to contain the bulk of the flames. Fire officials confirmed no one was inside the home at the time of the fire.
Ledsinger said the home is considered a total loss due to the extensive damage that was done. The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Hall County Fire Marshal’s Office.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr speaks at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s Eggs and Issues event in Atlanta early in the 2025 legislative session. (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday threw out a lawsuit by one of Georgia’s top Republican officials against his chief rival for the 2026 GOP nomination for governor that claimed the opponent had an unfair advantage in campaign fundraising.
The judge’s ruling allows Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones to continue raising unlimited campaign funds using a special leadership committee granted to a select group of Georgia officials under a 2021 law. The suit was filed by Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, who says the committee gives Jones an edge that violates Carr’s constitutional rights to free speech and equal protection.
Carr filed suit as a candidate, not in his official capacity as attorney general, as he and Jones compete as leading candidates for the Republican nomination to succeed term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp. The GOP primary is next May.
Filed Aug. 7 in Atlanta, Carr’s lawsuit asked a U.S. District Court judge to cut off Jones’ ability to raise and spend money using his leadership committee. That’s a special fundraising vehicle that allows only the governor, lieutenant governor and a small group of legislative leaders to raise unlimited funds.
The law doesn’t give Carr access to that type of committee. Instead, he must rely on a regular campaign committee limited to raising $8,400 from each primary donor plus $4,200 for any primary runoff.
In her ruling Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Victoria Marie Calvert wrote that “it is undisputed” that Jones’ leadership committee gives him a fundraising advantage.
She still dismissed the lawsuit, noting that Carr wasn’t challenging the constitutionality of the law itself, but instead sued Jones and his campaign for “doing exactly what Georgia law allows them to do.”
By seeking to blame Jones for the disparity rather than the fundraising law, the judge wrote, Carr was asking the court “to twist itself into a logical pretzel.”
The favorable ruling for Jones comes two weeks after the lieutenant governor got a political boost from President Donald Trump, who endorsed Jones’ candidacy for governor.
Carr’s campaign spokesperson, Julia Mazzone, said the dismissal was based “on a procedural technicality, not on the merits.” She said the campaign was considering further legal options.
Jones’ campaign has called Carr a hypocrite because Carr’s office in 2022 defended the same finance law he sued to block Jones from using. Carr has said he’s obligated as attorney general to defend challenged laws even if he personally disagrees with them.
Carr announced his run for governor last year, saying he needed a head start raising money because he isn’t personally wealthy. Carr’s campaign has voiced concerns for months that Jones will use his leadership committee and family wealth to win the primary.
Jones has already made a $10 million loan to his leadership committee, which Carr’s campaign tried unsuccessfully to get the state Ethics Commission to investigate.
Carr’s lawsuit cited a 2022 federal judge’s ruling that Kemp’s leadership committee could not spend money to help him win the Republican primary that year. U.S. District Judge Mark Cohen found that the “unequal campaign finance scheme” violated challenger David Perdue’s free speech rights.
But Carr sought more extensive restrictions on Jones’ leadership committee than Cohen ordered, such as seeking to cut off both fundraising and spending by Jones’ committee until the primary is over.
Workers and supporters gather to rally for the departing scientific leaders at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outside the CDC headquarters, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Ben Gray)
NEW YORK (AP) — The nation’s top public health agency was left reeling Thursday as the White House worked to expel the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director and replace her with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ‘s current deputy.
The turmoil triggered rare bipartisan alarm as Kennedy tries to advance anti-vaccine policies that are contradicted by decades of scientific research.
Two administration officials said Jim O’Neill, the second-in-command at the Department of Health and Human Services, would supplant Susan Monarez, a longtime government scientist. O’Neill, a former investment executive who also served at the federal health department under President George W. Bush, does not have a medical background. The officials, who confirmed the change, requested anonymity to discuss personnel decisions before a public announcement.
A flashpoint is expected in the coming weeks as a key advisory committee, which Kennedy has reshaped with vaccine skeptics, is expected to issue new recommendations on immunizations. The panel is scheduled to review standard childhood shots for measles, hepatitis and other diseases.
Two Republican senators called for congressional oversight and some Democrats said Kennedy should be fired. He is scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill on Sept. 4.
No explanation given for CDC director’s ouster
Kennedy has not explained the decision to oust Monarez less than a month after she was sworn in, but he warned that more turnover may be ahead.
“There’s a lot of trouble at the CDC and it’s going to require getting rid of some people over the long term, in order for us to change the institutional culture,” Kennedy said at a news conference in Texas.
The White House has only said that Monarez was “not aligned with” President Donald Trump’s agenda.
The now former CDC Director Susan Monarez met with employees and members of the media at CDC headquarters in Atlanta days after a gunman opened fire on the Atlanta campus, killing a police officer and himself. (Rebecca Grapevine/Healthbeat)
Monarez’s lawyers said she refused “to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts.” She is fighting her dismissal, saying the decision must come directly from Trump, who nominated her in March. The president has not said anything publicly about the matter.
It’s unclear if O’Neill, who was just sworn in as HHS’ deputy secretary, will remain in both roles as acting CDC director.
Monarez tried to block political interference, departing CDC officials say
The saga began Wednesday night with the administration’s announcement that Monarez would no longer lead the CDC. In response, three officials — Dr. Debra Houry, Dr. Demetre Daskalakis and Dr. Daniel Jernigan — resigned from senior roles at the agency.
The officials returned to the office Thursday to collect their belongings, and hundreds of supporters gathered to applaud them as they left the Atlanta campus. There were bouquets of flowers, cheers and chants of “USA not RFK.”
Daskalakis, who resigned as head of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said, “I fear that children will be hurt by poor decision making around vaccines.”
“You cannot dismantle public health and expect it to still work,” he said.
Jernigan stepped down as director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases and Houry quit her post as the agency’s deputy director and chief medical officer.
Houry told The Associated Press that Monarez had tried to guard against political meddling in scientific research and health recommendations.
“We were going to see if she was able to weather the storm. And when she was not, we were done,” Houry said.
Dr. Richard Besser, a former CDC acting director, said Monarez told him that she had refused orders to fire her management team. He also said she refused to automatically sign off on any recommendations from Kennedy’s handpicked vaccine advisers.
“Dr. Monarez was one of the last lines of defense against this administration’s dangerous agenda,” said Besser, now president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which helps support The Associated Press Health and Science Department.
Health agencies have faced turmoil since Trump took office
The CDC has long been the target of controversy, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the agency struggled to balance politics and public health.
The strife only increased this year with Kennedy elevating unscientific ideas at the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC, while pushing waves of layoffs.
Earlier this month, a police officer was killed when a man opened fire at the agency’s headquarters because of anger over COVID-19 vaccines, which have been the subject of falsehoods and conspiracy theories. A memorial to the officer remains outside the building, close to where staff members gathered Thursday.
Monarez stands to become the shortest-serving director since the CDC was founded in 1946, exacerbating a leadership vacuum that has persisted since Trump took office. He initially chose David Weldon, a former Florida congressman who is a doctor and vaccine skeptic, but yanked the nomination in March.
Monarez was tapped next to lead the $9.2 billion agency while serving as its interim director. However, questions immediately emerged within Kennedy’s circle about her loyalty to the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, especially given her previous support of the COVID-19 vaccines that Kennedy has routinely criticized.
Vaccine panel changes prompt demands for new oversight
Kennedy rarely mentioned Monarez by name in the way he did other health agency leaders such as Mehmet Oz of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services or Marty Makary of the Food and Drug Administration.
One issue has been Kennedy’s handling of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a group of outside experts who make recommendations to the CDC director on how to use vaccines. The recommendations are then adopted by doctors, school systems, health insurers and others.
The panel is expected to meet next month, and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said any recommendations issued then will be “lacking legitimacy.”
“Serious allegations have been made about the meeting agenda, membership, and lack of scientific process being followed,” said Cassidy, who heads the Senate committee overseeing Kennedy’s department. He added that “these decisions directly impact children’s health and the meeting should not occur until significant oversight has been conducted.”
Cassidy, a doctor, provided crucial support for Kennedy’s nomination after saying Kennedy had assured him that he would not topple the nation’s childhood vaccination program.
And yet, according to a government notice, the committee on Sept. 18 will take up votes on vaccines that have been settled fixtures for children, including shots to protect against hepatitis B and a combination shot against measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox.
Kennedy is a longtime leader in the anti-vaccine movement, and in June, he abruptly dismissed the entire panel, accusing members of being too closely aligned with manufacturers. He replaced them with a group that included several vaccine skeptics and then he shut the door to several doctors organizations that had long helped form vaccine recommendations.
Departing CDC officials worry science will be compromised
Houry and Daskalakis said Monarez had tried to make sure scientific safeguards were in place.
For example, she tried to replace the official who coordinated the panel’s meetings with someone who had more policy experience. Monarez also pushed to have slides and evidence reviews posted weeks before the committee’s meetings and have the sessions open to public comment, Houry said.
HHS officials nixed that and called Monarez to a meeting in Washington on Monday, Houry said.
Daskalakis described the situation as untenable.
“I came to the point personally where I think our science will be compromised, and that’s my line in the sand,” he said.
Medical and public health organizations said they worried about the future without Monarez in charge.
“The scientific community is beginning to draw a line in the sand and say, ’No way,’” said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association.
By Mike Stobbe, Amanda Seitz and Chris Megerian Associated Press
Cornelia City Commission (Patrick Fargason/NowHabersham.com)
The City of Cornelia announced Thursday its intention to increase 2025 property taxes by 10.28% over the rollback millage rate.
Under state law, county tax assessors must review property values each year. When the fair market value of property rises, the Board of Tax Assessors is required to adjust assessments upward. That process, known as a reassessment, increases the city’s overall tax digest.
Georgia law requires that a “rollback” millage rate be calculated to offset reassessments, keeping tax collections level with the prior year. Cornelia’s proposed budget, however, uses a millage rate higher than the rollback rate, which by law triggers public hearings before it can be adopted.
The city will hold three hearings to gather public input on the proposed increase:
Tuesday, Sept. 2 at 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 12 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 6 p.m.
All hearings will take place in the Cornelia City Hall Courtroom, 181 Larkin Street.
City officials encourage all concerned citizens to attend and share their views before the millage rate is finalized.
Habersham County property owners will get some relief on their school tax bill this year.
On Wednesday, the Habersham County Board of Education voted unanimously to approve a full millage rate rollback, decreasing the millage rate to 9.122 mills.
The action marks a nearly 12% drop from the previous rate of 10.354 in FY 2025.
The board announced its intention to lower the rate during its regular monthly meeting on Aug. 11 and approved it at a called meeting on Aug. 27.
School Superintendent Patrick Franklin framed the move as both a commitment to student success and a recognition of property owners.
Franklin and Chief Financial Officer Staci Newsome work with directors, principals and program managers to strategically develop a balanced budget as mandated by the state.
During the Aug. 11 meeting, Newsome told board members, “Everything is looking good” as the district finalizes new initiatives for the year.
Since 2020, the millage rate for the school board has dropped nearly 31% (see the tax digest here).
The board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Sept. 8 at 6 p.m.
A Gainesville man was found dead in Lake Lanier early Thursday after going missing during an evening swim.
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office says the body of Brent James Williams, 66, was recovered near a private dock on Sportsman Club Drive just before 1 a.m. on Aug. 28.
Deputies and marine crews responded around 9 p.m. Wednesday after a tenant reported that her landlord had not returned home. She told dispatchers Williams swam in the lake almost every evening but had not come back after going to the dock. When she checked, she found his belongings but no sign of him.
Hall County Fire Rescue deployed an underwater drone that located Williams’ body about 12 feet underwater, roughly 10 feet from the dock. Gainesville Fire Department crews assisted in the search.
Investigators say Williams appears to have drowned. No foul play is suspected. His body was taken to the DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.
This article has been updated with corrected information from the sheriff’s office on when Williams’ body was found.
CLEVELAND, Ga. — A month-long investigation by the White County Sheriff’s Office has led to 15 arrests on a mix of drug, warrant, and traffic charges.
Chief Deputy Gus Sesam said the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division and deputies worked together to track down several wanted individuals and seize large amounts of controlled substances.
Arrests include:
Jessica Turner, 40, Cleveland – trafficking methamphetamine, possession with intent, and possession of drug-related objects.
Joseph Turner, 41, Cleveland – possession of methamphetamine and a county warrant for simple assault.
Donald Wheeler, 39, Cleveland – possession of methamphetamine and drug-related objects.
Mary Parsons, 59, Cleveland – possession of methamphetamine.
Perry Southerland, 39, Cleveland – possession of psilocybin mushrooms and felony probation violation.
Heather Everhart, 40, Cleveland – possession of methamphetamine and felony probation violation.
Michael Fongheiser, 51, Cleveland – possession of methamphetamine and drug-related objects.
Angelee Gentry, 36, Cleveland – possession of methamphetamine.
Timothy Chambers, 57, Cleveland – possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug-related objects, and misdemeanor obstruction.
Jacqueline Duncan, 63, Dacula – possession of Xanax.
Haylee Ramey, 28, Monticello – felony marijuana possession and possession of Klonopin.
Emma Sosebee, 27, Dahlonega – driving while license suspended.
Manrique Delacruz, 26, Gainesville – reckless driving, reckless conduct, driving while license suspended, and a Hall County warrant.
Eric Moon, 29, Suwanee – pedestrian under the influence.
Kenneth Nix, 43, Powder Springs – Cobb County warrants for aggravated assault and aggravated battery, and possession of morphine.
The Sheriff’s Office also reported the confiscation of multiple drug-related items during the operation.
CLARKESVILLE, Ga. – Habersham County Animal Care and Control (HCACC) has confirmed a second rabies case this year after a stray cat tested positive.
According to a county news release, on August 23, HCACC responded to a report on Sunshine Circle in Cornelia about a stray cat acting aggressively. The cat, called “Rider” by residents, had bitten and scratched two people the night before. It was already dead when animal control arrived the release states.
The animal was sent to the Georgia Public Health Laboratory through Habersham Environmental Health. Test results confirmed rabies on Wednesday.
“This is a reminder to check that your pet’s vaccinations are current,” said HCACC Director Madi Nix. She noted that pets are not considered immunized until 28 days after their first rabies shot, and young animals under three months old are especially vulnerable.
Officials urge residents to:
Keep pets vaccinated and supervised.
Avoid contact with wild or stray animals.
Seek medical care if bitten or exposed to saliva from a wild animal.
Contact a veterinarian if a pet comes in contact with a raccoon, skunk, bat, or fox.
HCACC also advises against feeding unmanaged stray cat colonies unless the animals are vaccinated through a trap-neuter-return (TNR) program. For more information, visit Habersham Animal Control or the CDC rabies page.
Learn how to prevent Type 2 Diabetes. Meetings on Monday nights from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the community room at Baldwin City Hall. (Joy Purcell/NowHabersham.com)
BALDWIN, Ga. — The Baldwin City Council on Tuesday night hosted its fifth public meeting seeking input from residents on the city’s upcoming 2025 comprehensive plan.
The plan is a long-term, locally adopted document that guides community growth and development, addressing land use, economic development, transportation and other factors. Required by state statute and approved by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA), it serves as a framework for decision-making and must be updated at least every five years, with a full update every 10 years.
Joe Rothwell, a regional planner with the Georgia Mountains Regional Commission who is assisting with the plan, said public involvement is critical.
“Having the public here and being able to assist us with your comments to the plan is important,” Rothwell said. “We wouldn’t be able to draft this living document for the city to utilize without your feedback.”
While no residents spoke during the meeting, city leaders said they were encouraged by the participation so far.
“In my eight years in Baldwin, we’ve never had the amount of participation that we’ve had this year,” Mayor Pro Tem Alice Venters said. “So, I’m really thankful.”
Venters noted that 63 surveys have been completed to date. Residents have until Sept. 12 to participate.
Mayor Stephanie Almango also urged attendees to make their voices heard.
“Take the survey,” Almango said. “It’s important that everyone take the survey. We want to hear what you want in Baldwin as well. I encourage you to tell your neighbors to take this survey that will inform our responses in writing this plan.”
