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Opal Gertrude Wheeler Kimbrell

By
Now Habersham
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Opal Gertrude Wheeler Kimbrell, age 89, of Demorest, Georgia, passed away on Friday, July 25, 2025.

Mrs. Kimbrell was born on January 19, 1936, in Fulton County, Georgia, to the late Joseph Robert Wheeler and Ada Gertrude Allen. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her loving husband, Grover Talmadge Kimbrell, and her son-in-law, Michael Loudermilk.

Opal was a member of Double Springs Baptist Church, where she joined in 1948. She was also a part of the Grant Reeves VFW Auxiliary and the Demorest Women’s Club. She was formerly employed with the Northeast Georgian, Vend, Inc., as well as Mount Vernon Mills. In her spare time, Opal enjoyed traveling.

Survivors include, daughter, Yovonda Kimbrell Loudermilk, of Demorest; son, Robert Kimbrell of Demorest; grandchildren and spouses, Jessica and Robert Reepe, III, of Hoschton; Emilee and Kelsey Black, of Jefferson; Robert and Amber Loudermilk, of Demorest; Rhett Loudermilk, of Demorest; Rachel and Wesley McClellon, of Demorest; Rebekah and Mason Murray, of Demorest; Joanna Kimbrell, of Demorest; Sarah Kimbrell, of Demorest; Abigail Kimbrell, of Demorest; great-grandchildren, Addie and Macie Reepe, of Hoschton, Davis, Shepherd, and Ruth Black, of Jefferson; Ava Loudermilk of Demorest; Madelyn Murray, of Demorest

Funeral Services will be held at 3:00 p.m., Sunday, July 27, 2025, at the Whitfield Funeral Home, North Chapel, with Rev. Wesley Purcell officiating. Interment to follow at the VFW Memorial Park.

The family will receive friends from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Saturday, July 26, 2025, at the funeral home.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the Whitfield Funeral Homes & Crematory, North Chapel at 245 Central Avenue, Demorest, Georgia 30535. Telephone: 706-778-1700.

Trump-aligned members of Georgia’s State Election Board push to hire former leader’s spouse

By
Maya Homan
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FILE PHOTO - Three Trump-aligned members of the board — Janelle King, Janice Johnston and Rick Jeffares — voted to hire Hope Coan as a paralegal over the objections of Chairman John Fervier, right, who raised questions about her fitness for the role. (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)

(Georgia Recorder) — In a special meeting held Thursday, Georgia’s State Election Board voted to hire Hope Coan, the wife of the board’s former executive director Mike Coan, as a temporary paralegal.

Coan’s hiring came at the request of James Mills, the new executive director who joined the board in May. He personally requested Coan for the role, citing staff shortages and a high volume of cases before the board. The previous director, Mike Coan, resigned from his role in January according to the AJC.

The three Trump-aligned members of the board — Janelle King, Janice Johnston and Rick Jeffares — voted to approve Hope Coan over the objections of Chairman John Fervier, who raised questions about her fitness for the role. The final vote was 3-0.

“I do not believe this particular individual meets the necessary qualifications for this job and the hiring process itself was improper,” Fervier told the board ahead of Thursday’s vote.

“That is out of order,” Mills replied.

Democratic appointee Sara Tindall Ghazal abstained from casting a vote, saying she had not been provided “any information whatsoever about any of the candidates” for the role.

The former CEO of Coan Construction, Hope Coan’s LinkedIn page lists her as the current VP of commercial development at a real estate investment firm. Her profile does not list any paralegal experience, and she has not replied to a request for comment.

Hope Coan will replace former paralegal Alexandra Hardin, who has started a new role with the secretary of state’s office.

The board has weathered a number of controversies since the 2020 election, when President Donald Trump falsely stated that the ​​election was stolen from him in Georgia and several other swing states. Since then, the State Election Board has been deluged by conservative activists urging them to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results, as well as implement sweeping changes they say will boost confidence in the outcome of the elections, including mandatory ballot hand-counts and the elimination of the state’s voting machines.

At a campaign rally last August, Trump highlighted King, Jeffares and Johnston’s efforts, calling them “pitbulls fighting for honesty, transparency, and victory.” The board later attempted to implement a number of last-minute election rule changes heralded by Trump’s supporters that would have, among other things, mandated hand-counts of ballots, expanded poll-watching areas and given election officials greater leeway to delay election certification. However, those changes were invalidated ahead of the 2024 election by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Thomas A. Cox Jr., who said members of the board were illegally usurping legislative authority.

The board’s next meeting is scheduled for July 29.

Senator: It’s not a matter of if Georgia will eliminate state income tax, it’s how

By
Sarah Kallis
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Georgia Sen. Blake Tillery calls for the elimination of the state income tax at the state Capitol on July 24, 2025. (Sarah Kallis/GPB News)

A state Senate committee considering how to eliminate Georgia’s income tax will hold its first meeting later this summer. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones announced the committee’s creation on July 17.

Sen. Blake Tillery of Vidalia will chair the committee. He held a press conference at the state Capitol on Thursday.

“This is about competitiveness. It’s about economic freedom. And above all, it’s about allowing hardworking Georgians to keep their money in their pockets,” Tillery said.

The District 19 Republican said changes will not happen overnight.

“You’ve seen us move in the direction over the past three years,” Tillery said. “I think that this is the year, though, that we show that we are going to go to zero. It’s not a debate anymore about if we go to zero. The question now is how we go to zero.”

The state’s income tax rate for 2025 is 5.19%. Critics of eliminating the tax say it will force the state to raise sales or property tax to make up for lost revenue, but Tillery says the committee will look to other states to figure out how to pay for the change.

Legislation to get rid of the income tax would have to pass both chambers and be signed into law by the governor.

SEE ALSO

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones forms Senate committee to explore eliminating state income tax

This article comes to Now Habersham in partnership with GPB News

Gainesville man charged with murdering wheelchair-bound neighbor

By
Joy Purcell
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Logan Plumley (Hall County Sheriff's Office)

A Gainesville man is behind bars, charged in the 2024 murder of a disabled neighbor. The arrest followed a separate gun-related incident earlier this week.

Logan Ryan Plumley, 21, was taken into custody after allegedly pulling a gun on two men on Jesse Jewell Parkway on July 21. The victims said Plumley had been involved in a road rage incident with them earlier that day. When they returned to their vehicle, they found him waiting. Plumley pulled a gun, but the victims called out to nearby firefighters for help. He fled, but witnesses got his tag number and vehicle description.

While investigating the gun threat, police linked Plumley to a cold case. He became a suspect in the death of 64-year-old John Tracy Hill. Hill used a wheelchair and lived in the same apartment complex on Green Hunter Lane. He was found dead in his home on November 16 after family requested a welfare check. Police say Hill died from sharp force injuries.

Gainesville Police and GBI agents have worked the case since last fall. Chief Jay Parrish said the department will not stop pursuing violent offenders. “We will relentlessly pursue those who engage in violent criminal activity until they are held accountable,” he said.

Plumley is being held in the Hall County Jail. He is charged with felony murder, aggravated assault, and two counts of simple assault. The investigation is ongoing.

US Education Department to unfreeze contested K-12 funds

By
Jennifer Shutt
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The Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building in Washington, D.C., in a file photo from November 2024. (Shauneen Miranda/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON (States Newsroom) — The Trump administration said Friday it’ll soon release billions in Education Department funding that has been frozen for weeks, delaying disbursements to K-12 schools throughout the country.

The funding — which goes toward migrant education, English-language learning and other programs — was supposed to go out before July 1, but the administration informed schools just one day before that it was instead holding onto $6.8 billion while staff conducted a review. Members of both parties in Congress objected to the move.

The Education Department released $1.3 billion for before- and after-school programs as well as summer programs in mid-July, but the rest of the funding remained stalled.

Madi Biedermann, a Department of Education spokesperson, wrote in an email to States Newsroom that the White House budget office “has completed its review” of the remaining accounts and “has directed the Department to release all formula funds.”

The administration will begin sending that money to school districts next week, Biedermann wrote.

Appropriators cheer

Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, wrote in a statement the “funds are essential to the operation of Maine’s public schools, supporting everything from classroom instruction to adult education.”

“I am pleased that following outreach from my colleagues and me, the Administration has agreed to release these highly-anticipated resources,” Collins wrote. “I will continue working to ensure that education funds are delivered without delay so that schools have adequate time to plan their finances for the upcoming school year, allowing students to arrive back to class this fall to properly-funded schools.”

Collins and nine other Republican senators wrote a letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought earlier this month asking him to “faithfully implement” the spending law Congress approved in March.

“The decision to withhold this funding is contrary to President (Donald) Trump’s goal of returning K-12 education to the states,” the GOP senators wrote. “This funding goes directly to states and local school districts, where local leaders decide how this funding is spent, because as we know, local communities know how to best serve students and families.

“Withholding this funding denies states and communities the opportunity to pursue localized initiatives to support students and their families.”

West Virginia Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, chairwoman of the appropriations subcommittee that funds the Education Department, wrote in a statement released Friday she was glad to see the funding unfrozen.

“The programs are ones that enjoy longstanding, bipartisan support like after-school and summer programs that provide learning and enrichment opportunities for school aged children, which also enables their parents to work and contribute to local economies, and programs to support adult learners working to gain employment skills, earn workforce certifications, or transition into postsecondary education,” Capito wrote. “That’s why it’s important we continue to protect and support these programs.”

Parents were given their deceased son’s brain by funeral homes, lawsuit alleges

By
Jesse Bedayn
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Timothy Garlington's parents, Abbey and Lawrence Butler, hold a press conference in Center City, Penn., with their attorneys (right). (livestream image NBC News 10)

Two funeral homes allegedly gave grieving parents their deceased son’s brain in a box, which began to smell, leaked into their car and got on the father’s hands when he moved it, according to an updated lawsuit filed this week.

The father, Lawrence Butler, said the discovery was overwhelming at a news conference Thursday, leaving a horrific memory that mars the other memories of a “good young man,” their son, Timothy Garlington.

“It was, and it is still, in my heart that I got in my car and I smelled death,” he said, emotion breaking his voice. Garlington’s mother, Abbey Butler, stood nearby, wiping away tears.

After Garlington’s death in 2023, the Butlers had his remains shipped from one funeral home in Georgia to another in Pennsylvania, where they picked up his belongings, including a white cardboard box that contained an unlabeled red box.

The Butlers came to find out that the red box they had been handed contained their son’s brain. (Image courtesy NBC News 10)

At Nix & Nix Funeral Homes, Abbey Butler couldn’t open the red box, said the Butlers’ attorney, L. Chris Stewart, at the news conference.

Several days later, the red box, which was in the Butlers’ car, began to smell and leak fluid, Stewart said. When Lawrence Butler picked it up, the fluid covered his hands, “which was brain matter. It’s insane,” Stewart said.

When they called the funeral home in Georgia, Southern Cremations & Funerals at Cheatham Hill, they were told it was Garlington’s brain and some mistake had been made, Stewart said. The Butlers returned the box to Nix & Nix, he said.

The company that owns Southern Cremations, ASV Partners, declined to comment when contacted by the AP.

“The parents last memory is holding their son’s brain,” said Stewart in an interview with The Associated Press.

“I had to get rid of that car,” Lawrence Butler said, “I just couldn’t stand the idea that the remains were in that car.”

The lawsuit says that both funeral homes negligently mishandled human remains and intentionally, wantonly or recklessly inflicted emotional distress.

Stewart said he had consulted other funeral homes, and that at no point in the process is the brain “separated from body in that fashion and shipped in that fashion.” If it ever is, he said, then it is in a sealed bag and labeled biohazardous.

Timothy Garlington (image courtesy NBC News 10)

Whether or not Nix & Nix knew a brain was inside the box, Stewart alleges, they shouldn’t have handed the box over to the Butlers because it was not on the list of belongings sent from Southern Cremations.

Julian Nix, the manager of the titular funeral home, told the AP that “it was definitely not our fault” because Southern Cremations had sent them the unlabeled box.

Nix said they reported it to authorities once they learned what was inside. An investigation had been done by the state board overseeing funeral homes that found they weren’t responsible, he said, but the documents proving that weren’t yet available.

The Butlers are seeking compensation and answers to what went wrong. They also hope the lawsuit acts as a warning, so that similar incidents won’t happen again.

Garlington, a veteran of the U.S. Marines who was working in financial aid for schools, has since been buried in Washington Crossing National Cemetery. Stewart, who declined to say how Garlington died at age 56, said the Butlers still don’t know whether Garlington’s brain was buried with the rest of him.

“They fear, which is totally understandable: Is he resting in peace?” he said.

Appeals court affirms nationwide block on birthright citizenship order

By
Ashley Murray
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Rev. Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition, joined demonstrators outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday, May 15, 2025, to protest the Trump administration’s effort to strip birthright citizenship from the Constitution. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON (States Newsroom) —  A federal appeals court dealt a setback for President Donald Trump’s offensive to end birthright citizenship, even after the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the lower courts to avoid overly broad immigration rulings. The decision likely sets the stage for the high court to again hear arguments related to the constitutional right for babies born on U.S. soil.

Judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit issued a 2-1 decision late Wednesday declaring Trump’s policy unconstitutional. The ruling upheld a lower court’s nationwide injunction against the controversial order.

The original complaint was brought by Washington, Arizona, Illinois and Oregon over the economic hardship states would bear if birthright citizenship was stripped from the Constitution.

Writing the majority opinion, Judge Ronald M. Gould affirmed the district court rightly made its ruling nationwide, despite the recent Supreme Court decision.

“The district court below concluded that a universal preliminary injunction is necessary to provide the States with complete relief,” Gould wrote. “We conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion in issuing a universal injunction in order to give the States complete relief.”

An injunction covering only the states that challenged the order would be impractical because migrants covered by the order would inevitably move between states, Gould, who was appointed by Democratic former President Bill Clinton, continued, explaining that states would then need to overhaul verification for numerous social safety net programs.

“For that reason, the States would suffer the same irreparable harms under a geographically-limited injunction as they would without an injunction,” he wrote.

Judge Michael D. Hawkins, also a Clinton appointee, joined the majority opinion.

In a dissent, Judge Patrick J. Bumatay, appointed to the bench by Trump in 2019, wrote that courts must be “vigilant in enforcing the limits of our jurisdiction and our power to order relief. Otherwise, we risk entangling ourselves in contentious issues not properly before us and overstepping our bounds.”

The U.S. Department of Justice did not immediately respond for comment.

Supreme Court ruling

The decision comes less than two weeks after a district judge in New Hampshire issued a preliminary injunction blocking Trump’s policy to end birthright citizenship and granted a class certification to infants who would be affected by the order.

The suit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of immigrants whose babies would be affected by the order shortly after the Supreme Court narrowed lower courts’ abilities to impose nationwide orders.

The Supreme Court’s conservative majority issued the 6-3 decision on June 27 after the justices reviewed three cases consolidated into one that brought together plaintiffs from Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. The District of Columbia and the county and city of San Francisco also joined.

The justices ruled that Trump’s directive to end birthright citizenship can go into effect within 30 days of their ruling in all non-plaintiff states.

Michael Truitt Chitwood

By
Now Habersham
-

Michael Truitt Chitwood, age 70, of Lula, Georgia, went to his heavenly home to be with the Lord on Thursday, July 24, 2025.

Mr. Chitwood was born May 28, 1955, in Habersham County, Georgia, to the late Fletcher and Lou Ellen Worley Chitwood. Mr. Chitwood was employed with Fieldale Farms for over 40 years as a Supervisor. Michael was of the Christian Faith and was always willing to lend a hand, especially to his family, who were the center of his life.

A Private Family Service will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the charity or church of one’s choice.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the Whitfield Funeral Homes & Crematory, North Chapel at 245 Central Avenue, Demorest, Georgia 30535. Telephone: 706-778-1700.

Lavonia suspect caught after fleeing police twice in 24 hours

By
Joy Purcell
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A Lavonia police officer took Caleb Key into custody near a local motel early on the morning of Friday, July 25, 2025. (Lavonia Police Dept.)

Authorities have arrested a man who led Lavonia police on a high-speed chase Thursday and then ran from officers again early Friday morning.

The initial pursuit began around 3:04 p.m. on July 24 when a Lavonia officer attempted to stop an SUV on Georgia Highway 17 near Exit 173 for a taillight violation. Police say the driver, later identified as Caleb Key, refused to stop and sped off, reaching speeds over 90 miles per hour.

During the chase, officers observed Key tossing a plastic bag out the window. He exited I-85 at Exit 177 into Hart County and turned onto Providence Church Road, where he pulled off the road and fled into a wooded area. Inside the SUV, officers found two juveniles left behind. Fortunately, neither child was injured.

Officers from Lavonia PD, the Hart County Sheriff’s Office K-9 unit, and Georgia State Patrol searched the area but were unable to locate Key at that time.

Capture

Just hours later, around 1:58 a.m. on Friday, July 25, Lavonia officers responded to a report of a suspicious man looking into windows at the Quality Inn on Jones Street. An officer arrived and spotted a man matching Key’s description. When Key saw the marked patrol car, police say he ran into the woods behind the nearby LongHorn Steakhouse.

The officer gave chase and found Key in a wooded area. Despite repeated commands to stop, Key refused to comply, prompting the officer to deploy his Taser to subdue and arrest him, according to the police department. Neither Key nor the officer was injured during the arrest.

Charges

Key was taken to the Franklin County Jail, where he is awaiting a bond hearing. He now faces multiple charges from both incidents:

Charges from July 24:

  • fleeing or attempting to elude
  • speeding
  • tail light violation
  • cruelty to children – 2nd degree (2 counts)
  • obstruction of a law enforcement officer

Charges from July 25:

  • obstruction of a law enforcement officer
  • loitering and prowling

Anyone with additional information about these incidents is asked to call Lavonia Police at 706-356-4848.

Gridiron Preview: White County Warriors

By
Brian Carter
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(blitzsportsga.com)

The Warriors lost a second straight 4-year starting QB with Tripp Nix heading out just four years after J Ben Haynes. A battle is taking place for that spot, and the defense brings in a new scheme and coordinator and must replace just about every starter. Still, there are some solid skill position players back and the Warriors are hoping for a quick reset.

Head Coach: Chad Bennett (4th Season)
2024 Record: 3-7; No Playoffs

“The expectations remain the same,” states coach Chad Bennett. “Go 1-0 every week. Make the playoffs. Win a region championship. Make a playoff run.”

2025 SCHEDULE – WHITE COUNTY

Personnel & Schemes

Key Departures: Tripp Nix, Tyler Autry, Bryce Dockery, Cade Dockery

Returning Starters: 6 on offense; 2 on defense

Key Returning Players: Noel Lammers, Alex Freeman, Gaines Clark, Zach Godfrey, Reid Penrose (transfer from Savannah Christian)

Up & Coming Players: Reid Penrose (SR LB/TE; move-in from Savannah Christian); Zach Godfrey (JR S/WR), John Jarrard (FR CB/WR), Jack Clark (FR S/WR/RB)

Offense: Spread
SR Alex Freeman and SO Brinn Robinson are duking it out at QB right now, still competing for the starting gig. SR Noel Lammers and JR Savion Anderson will share the rock in the backfield. Junoirs Gaines Clark and Zach Godfrey will be the go-to options at WR.

Defense: Multiple 3-4
The D-line will be anchored by JR Josiah Williams and SRs Branson Smith and Austin Garrett. The LB group features SR Easton Drew, SR Matt Turner, SR Reid Penrose, JR Casey Crane, SR Noel Lammers, and JR James Hart. The secondary will be manned by JRs Kody Tuhey, Zach Godfrey, Gaines Clark, and Savion Anderson.

Trenches: “We have three starters returning on the offensive line,” adds Bennett. “Seniors Austin Garret and Matt Turner as well as JR JBo Kastner return to anchor the offensive line. SO Brayden Shubert, JR Mikey Moreno, SR Jackson Burford, SO Maxx Medley, and Branson Smith are competing for the two openings on the offensive line. We will be replacing all three starters and our key backup from last year’s defensive line. We expect the following guys to contribute and be playmakers for us this year on the defensive line: JR Josiah Williams, JR Chris Nunnally, SO Zay Cheek, JR JBo Kastner, JR Mikey Moreno, JR Austin Garrett, and SR Branson Smith.”

Strengths & Areas of Focus

Strengths: “Although we will be replacing nine guys on defense, I believe that our defense has a chance to be the strength of our team,” sates Bennett. “We have a new defensive coordinator (Zac Grace) and several new defensive coaches that have come in and done a great job installing a new defensive system. We have 6-8 guys that are repping on the defensive line. We feel like we have 3-4 guys that can play inside linebacker and I really like our first group of defensive backs.”

Focusing On: “The focus heading into this season is getting players ready to play after graduating 22 seniors,” adds Bennett. “Offensively, we have been trying to find our identity and what we will need to look like this year to give our players the best chance to get first downs and touchdowns. Defensively, we have been focused on installing a new defense and understanding all the different parts of the system. As we have entered July, we have begun installing our special teams and replacing our kicker and punter from last season.”

Toccoa ticket wins big in Fantasy 5 drawing

By
Staff Report
-

There’s been another big lottery win in Northeast Georgia. A lucky ticket sold at Underdogs of Toccoa netted one lucky player $183,790.

The winning ticket, purchased for the July 22 Fantasy 5 drawing, matched all five numbers: 07-13-20-31-32.

On July 18, another lucky winner claimed a $3 million prize in the 100X The Money scratcher. The lucky ticket was purchased at Fast Stop on Morrison Moore Parkway West in Dahlonega.

Recently, two Gainesville residents became lotto millionaires.

On June 20, a lottery player claimed a $2 million prize in the Mega Millions drawing. The winning ticket was purchased through the Georgia Lottery mobile app. Another Gainesville resident claimed a $1 million prize on July 3 in the Georgia Lottery scratch-off Millionaire Maker game.

 

Benjamin A. Land sworn in to Georgia’s Supreme Court

By
Devon Zwald
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Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp administers the oath of office to newly-appointed State Supreme Court Justice Benjamin A. Land at the state Capitol on July 24, 2025. (Gov. Brian Kemp/Facebook)

The newest justice on Georgia’s Supreme Court was sworn in on Thursday, July 24.

Benjamin A. Land was appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp to fill the vacated seat of former chief justice Michael Boggs, who stepped down from the bench at the end of March.

Gov. Brian Kemp shared a few reasons why he selected Land to sit on the court.

“Ben has both the temperament and the character needed to succeed in this role and to continue to do right by the generations of Georgians who will be impacted by his vote on the cases he will bench,” Kemp said. “He is principled and will do what he believes is right, not what is easy. That’s the kind of legal mind and character you need to move the court forward in the right direction in the years to come.”

Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia Supreme Court Justice Benjamin A. Land. (Gov. Brian Kemp/Facebook)

Speaking at the swearing in ceremony yesterday, Land pledged to work hard for Georgians.

“To the citizens of the state, I promise the delivery of justice for each and every one of them who find themselves in our courtroom,” Land said. “Lady Justice is blindfolded for a reason, and I offer the impartiality that is demanded by our system of justice.”

Land has served on the Court of Appeals as well as a judge for the Superior Court for the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit.

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