A Cornelia woman was injured when her motorcycle struck a deer on Duncan Bridge Road/GA 384 Friday night.
According to the Georgia State Patrol, 26-year-old Lexus Kali Dover was traveling south on a 2024 Yamaha YZFR3 motorcycle when a deer entered the roadway from the west shoulder. Dover’s motorcycle hit the animal and overturned.
Dover sustained moderate injuries and was transported by Habersham EMS to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville.
The State Patrol said no citations were issued, and no charges are pending in connection with the crash.
University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue
(Susan Walsh/AP)
Georgia is joining forces with five other Southern public university systems to launch the Commission for Public Higher Education (CPHE)—a new accrediting body created by public universities, for public universities.
The multi-state consortium includes higher education systems in Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and the Texas A&M University System. Consortium leaders say that, together, they aim to establish a more focused, transparent approach to accreditation that emphasizes academic quality, student outcomes, and operational efficiency.
“Collaborating with neighboring states lets us put resources where they make the biggest difference, and I look forward to the success of an effort that increases accountability and drives meaningful innovation,” said University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue.
Currently, institutions like the University of Georgia are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), which has faced mounting criticism from conservative leaders.
A statement from the Georgia Board of Regents said CPHE will ensure that colleges and universities meet and maintain academic quality and operational excellence on behalf of their students.
Home Depot is buying specialty building products distributor GMS for $4.3 billion, the second notable acquisition in a little over a year that emphasizes a deliberate push by the home improvement chain into building and materials supply.
The acquisitions arrive as booming sales from the pandemic fade and Home Depot intensifies its focus on professional builders.
GMS Inc. of Tucker, Georgia, is a distributor of specialty building products like drywall, steel framing and other supplies used in both residential and commercial projects.
A subsidiary of Home Depot’s SRS Distribution Inc., the supply company it bought last year, will start a cash tender offer to buy all outstanding shares of GMS for $110 per share. The total equity value of the transaction is approximately $4.3 billion. The deal is worth about $5.5 billion, including debt.
Home Depot purchased SRS Distribution, a materials provider for professionals, for more than $18 billion including debt. SRS provides materials for professionals like roofers, landscapers and pool contractors.
“The combination of GMS and SRS will provide the residential and commercial Pro customer with more fulfillment and service options than ever before,” SRS CEO Dan Tinker said in a statement. “Together, we’ll create a network of more than 1,200 locations and a fleet of more than 8,000 trucks capable of making tens of thousands of jobsite deliveries per day.”
Home Depot, based in Atlanta, moved quickly to acquire GMS, putting in its own bid less that two week after the company QXO offered $5 billion, according to a regulatory filing. Billionaire Brad Jacobs is the CEO of QXO, which was created to snap up companies in the building supply sector. In April QXO completed its approximately $11 billion acquisition of Beacon Roofing Supply.
The GMS transaction with Home Depot is expected to close by the end of fiscal 2025. Shares of the GMS jumped nearly 12% at the opening bell. Home Depot shares declined slightly.
Law enforcement and emergency responders at Cherry Hill Park off 15th Street on Sunday afternoon, June 29, 2025, following reports of an ambush shooting attack on Canfield Mountain, in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. (video screengrab KREM-TV via AP)
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — As a wildfire began to sow panic in a small northern Idaho mountain community, a group of firefighters who rushed put out the blaze instead found themselves in an unexpected shootout.
A man who had intentionally set the fire to ambush the crew on Sunday was perched in a sniper position, firing at the firefighters. They took cover behind firetrucks, but two died and a third was wounded during a barrage of gunfire over several hours, authorities said.
First responders made urgent calls for help on their radios at Canfield Mountain just north of Coeur d’Alene: “Everybody’s shot up here … send law enforcement now,” according to one dispatch.
Two helicopters converged on the area, armed with snipers ready to take out the suspect if needed, while the FBI used his cellphone data to track him and the sheriff ordered residents to shelter in place. They eventually found the suspect dead in the mountains, his firearm beside him.
It is unknown how he died, and authorities have not yet revealed a motive.
The suspect has been identified as Wess Roley, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press on Monday. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation.
“We do believe that the suspect started the fire, and we do believe that it was an ambush and it was intentional,” Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said at a Sunday night news conference. “These firefighters did not have a chance.”
The wounded firefighter was “fighting for his life” after surgery and was in stable condition, Norris said.
“When you have an environment where you don’t know where the bullets are coming from because of the trees and the shrubbery and what have you, it is daunting for police officers, let alone firefighters,” Norris said.
Outpouring of support was swift in Coeur d’Alene, a city of 55,000 residents near the border with Washington.
Hours after the ambush, people gathered along Interstate 90 holding American flags to pay their respects as the two fallen firefighters’ bodies were taken to the medical examiner’s office in Spokane, Washington, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) from Coeur d’Alene.
Gov. Brad Little on Monday ordered U.S. and Idaho state flags to be lowered to half-staff to honor the firefighters until the day after their memorial service.
“All our public safety officers, especially our firefighters, bravely confront danger on a daily basis but we have never seen a heinous act of violence like this on our firefighters before,” he said in a statement. “This is not Idaho. This indescribable loss is felt deeply by all those in the firefighting community and beyond.”
The Idaho House Republican Leadership said in a statement: “We are horrified by the murder of two firefighters in Coeur d’Alene, and shocked by such a vicious attack on our first responders. We are praying for them, the injured, their families and their colleagues.”
Though the shelter-in-place order was lifted, the sheriff’s office cautioned residents to be prepared because the fire was still burning. The status of the fire was not immediately known Monday morning.
Canfield Mountain is a popular hiking and biking area on the outskirts of Coeur d’Alene, covered with trees and heavy brush and crisscrossed with trails that lead into a national forest.
Fire is always a concern for the region, said Bruce Deming, whose property abuts the trail system. When he noticed smoke on the ridge Sunday afternoon, he wondered why no firefighting helicopters were responding.
When a friend texted to tell him about the shooting, he realized why he wasn’t seeing aircraft: “Because they’re concerned about being shot at,” he said.
As deputies set up posts nearby, Deming pointed them to a trail that starts near his backdoor and leads directly to the site of the fire.
“I just don’t want to have to wake up in the middle of the night to figure if somebody’s out prowling around my place,” he said.
___
Weber reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press journalists Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington; Mead Gruver in Cheyenne, Wyoming; Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska; and Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department announced criminal charges Monday in connection with a scheme by North Korea to fund its weapons program through the salaries of remote information technology workers employed unwittingly by U.S. companies.
The charges are part of what law enforcement officials described as a nationwide operation that also resulted in the seizure of financial accounts, websites and laptops that were used to carry out the fraud.
Two separate cases — one filed in Georgia, the other in Massachusetts — represent the latest Justice Department effort to confront a persistent threat that officials say generates enormous revenue for the North Korean government and in some cases affords workers access to sensitive and proprietary data from the corporations that hire them.
The scheme involves thousands of workers who, armed with stolen or fake identifies of U.S. citizens, are dispatched by the North Korean government to find work as remote IT employees at American companies, including Fortune 500 corporations. Though the companies are duped into believing the workers they had hired were based in the U.S., many are actually stationed in North Korea or in China and the wages they receive are transferred into accounts controlled by co-conspirators affiliated with North Korea, prosecutors say.
“These schemes target and steal from U.S. companies and are designed to evade sanctions and fund the North Korean regime’s illicit programs, including its weapons programs,” Assistant Attorney General John Eisenberg, the head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, said in a statement.
In one case exposed on Monday in federal court in Massachusetts, the Justice Department said it had arrested one U.S. national and charged more than a half dozen Chinese and Taiwanese citizens for their alleged roles in an elaborate fraud that prosecutors say produced at least $5 million in revenue and affected more than 100 companies.
The defendants are accused of registering financial accounts to receive the proceeds and creating shell companies with fake websites to make it appear that the workers were connected to legitimate businesses. They also benefited from the help of unidentified enablers inside the United States who facilitated the workers’ remote computer access, tricking companies into believing the employees were logging in from U.S. locations.
The Justice Department did not identify the companies that were duped, but said that some of the fraudulent workers were able to gain access to and steal information related to sensitive military technology.
The case filed in Georgia charges four North Korean nationals with using fake identities to gain access to am Atlanta-based blockchain research and development company and stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in virtual currency.
The Justice Department has filed similar prosecutions in recent years, as well as created an initiative aimed at disrupting the threat.
Habersham County Interim Finance Director Kiani Holden presents a proposed version of the $80.25 million budget to commissioners during the first public hearing on June 24, 2025. A second hearing is set for June 30. (Carly McCurry/NowHabersham.com)
The Habersham County Board of Commissioners will hold its second and final public hearing on the county’s proposed $80 million budget for fiscal year 2026. The hearing will take place at 6 p.m. on Monday, June 30, in the jury assembly room at the county courthouse on Llewellyn Street.
The first hearing, held on June 24, drew only a small crowd, with a few residents in attendance.
Commissioners Ty Akins, Kelly Woodall, Jimmy Tench, Dustin Mealor, and Bruce Harkness used the session to present budget goals focused on reducing overall spending and reprioritizing capital projects. The proposed total budget across all funds stands at $80.25 million, down 5.38% from the previous year.
Now Habersham requested a copy of the itemized budget under consideration, but was denied, based on Interim Finance Director Kiani Holden saying she did not have an itemized budget “finalized at this time.”
“I’ll be happy to send you a document broken down that way once I have it into our accounting software. That would be after the budget gets approved and adopted.” Holden said, adding, “I don’t put anything into the system until we have it approved.”
After filing a second request, Habersham County Clerk Brandy Carnes provided the requested documentation.
Differences in capital planning
Each commissioner submitted proposed capital plans to help guide next steps. Four of the five—Akins, Woodall, Tench, and Mealor—recommended totals above $1 million in General Fund Capital Improvement Projects and Purchases. Commissioner Bruce Harkness diverged significantly, proposing $523,148.
Harkness also reduced his proposed total for Special Revenue Fund capital items to $783,822, noting that $399,137 in airport lighting upgrades would be covered by a grant. His colleagues each recommended $963,822.
Despite those differences, all five commissioners agreed to limit General Fund capital improvement spending to $220,000, a show of unified fiscal restraint.
All five commissioners reviewing and discussing the fiscal year 2026 budget. (Carly McCurry/ Now Habersham)
After the meeting, Harkness explained that he is going over “every line item of expenses and I question every expenditure because that is why I was elected.” He called it his “duty and responsibility to the taxpayers of this grand county to question every penny and fight to hold taxes down.”
“I was elected to be a good steward of the tax dollars paid by the taxpayers in this county,” Harkness said. “Every dime that this government spends comes out of the pockets of the working men and women in this county, and I believe that it is my duty to make sure every dime is spent properly for our county now and for our county in the future.”
Public safety and staffing shifts
Still, several proposed increases raised questions, particularly in public safety and health. Among them is the sharp rise in spending in the sheriff’s office.
Under the proposed budget, the sheriff’s office budget is expected to increase by $711,274 in 2026.
Habersham County Financial Administrator/Interim Finance Director Kiani Holden said the increase reflects budget “reallocations” rather than new hires as previously stated. She said two code enforcement officers previously funded through the Planning and Development Department were moved under the sheriff’s office, and one of two public information officers previously assigned to the county manager’s office was transferred to the sheriff’s office and now also works in code enforcement.
“We moved those over to the Sheriff’s Office because it made more sense for his oversight of those specific positions,” Holden said. She also explained that the increase also accounts for the addition of health insurance benefits in the sheriff’s office budget.
This pie chart from the Habersham County Finance Office shows that 44% of the proposed budget is allocated to public safety, including significant increases in the sheriff’s office budget. (NowHabersham.com)(NowHabersham.com)
Spending for health services is also slated to rise in this year’s proposed budget. The Health Department, which was budgeted $35,000 last year, is set to receive $198,788 in 2026—returning to levels seen in 2022.
The proposed 2026 budget also adds recycling as a new budget item, with $2,734,361 in recommended funding for 2026.
The commission will hold a second public hearing and vote on the proposed budget at a called meeting at 6 p.m. on June 30. The meeting will be held at the Habersham County Courthouse.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Debate was underway in the Senate late into the night, with Republicans wrestling President Donald Trump’s big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts over mounting Democratic opposition — and even some brake-pumping over the budget slashing by the president himself.
The outcome from the weekend of work in the Senate remains uncertain and highly volatile, and overnight voting has been pushed off until Monday. GOP leaders are rushing to meet Trump’s Fourth of July deadline to pass the package, but they barely secured enough support to muscle it past a procedural Saturday night hurdle in a tense scene. A handful of Republican holdouts revolted, and it took phone calls from Trump and a visit from Vice President JD Vance to keep it on track.
GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina announced Sunday he would not seek reelection after Trump badgered him for saying he could not vote for the bill with its steep Medicaid cuts. A new analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that 11.8 million more Americans would become uninsured by 2034 if the bill became law. It also said the package would increase the deficit by nearly $3.3 trillion over the decade.
But other Senate Republicans, along with conservatives in the House, are pushing for steeper cuts, particularly to health care, drawing their own unexpected warning from Trump.
“Don’t go too crazy!” the president posted on social media. “REMEMBER, you still have to get reelected.”
All told, the Senate bill includes some $4 trillion in tax cuts, making permanent Trump’s 2017 rates, which would expire at the end of the year if Congress fails to act, while adding the new ones he campaigned on, including no taxes on tips.
The Senate package would roll back billions in green energy tax credits that Democrats warn will wipe out wind and solar investments nationwide, and impose $1.2 trillion in cuts, largely to Medicaid and food stamps, by imposing work requirements and making sign-up eligibility more stringent.
Additionally, the bill would provide a $350 billion infusion for border and national security, including for deportations, some of it paid for with new fees charged to immigrants.
If the Senate can pass the bill, it would need to return to the House. Speaker Mike Johnson has told lawmakers to be on call for a return to Washington this week.
Democrats ready to fight all night
Unable to stop the march toward passage of the 940-page bill, the Democrats as the minority party in Congress is using the tools at its disposal to delay and drag out the process.
Democrats forced a full reading of the text, which took some 16 hours. Then senators took over the debate, filling the chamber with speeches, while Republicans largely stood aside.
“Reckless and irresponsible,” said Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan. “A gift to the billionaire class,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Sen. Patty Murray, the ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, raised particular concern about the accounting method being used by the Republicans, which says the tax breaks from Trump’s first term are now “current policy” and the cost of extending them should not be counted toward deficits.
“In my 33 years here in the United States Senate, things have never — never — worked this way,” said Murray, the longest-serving Democrat on the Budget Committee.
She said that kind of “magic math” won’t fly with Americans trying to balance their own household books.
“Go back home and try that game with your constituents,” she said. “We still need to kick people off their health care — that’s too expensive. We still need to close those hospitals — we have to cut costs. And we still have to kick people off SNAP — because the debt is out of control.”
Sanders said Tillis’ decision not to seek reelection shows the hold that Trump’s cult of personality has over the GOP.
“We are literally taking food out of the mouths of hungry kids,” Sanders said, while giving tax breaks to Jeff Bezos and other wealthy billionaires.
GOP leaders unfazed
Republicans are using their majorities to push aside Democratic opposition, and appeared undeterred, even as they have run into a series of political and policy setbacks.
“We’re going to pass the ‘Big, beautiful bill,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the Budget Committee chairman.
The holdout Republicans remain reluctant to give their votes, and their leaders have almost no room to spare, given their narrow majorities. Essentially, they can afford three dissenters in the Senate, with its 53-47 GOP edge, and about as many in the House, if all members are present and voting.
Trump, who has at times allowed wiggle room on his deadline, kept the pressure on lawmakers to finish.
He threatened to campaign against Tillis, who was worried that Medicaid cuts would leave many without health care in his state. Trump badgered Tillis again on Sunday morning, saying the senator “has hurt the great people of North Carolina.”
In an impassioned evening speech, Tillis shared his views arguing the Senate approach is a betrayal of Trump’s promise not to kick people off health care.
“We could take the time to get this right,” he thundered. But until then, he said he would remain opposed.
Democrats can’t filibuster, but can stall
Using a congressional process called budget reconciliation, the Republicans can rely on a simple majority vote in the Senate, rather than the typical 60-vote threshold needed to overcome objections.
Without the filibuster, Democrats have latched on to other tools to mount their objections.
One is the full reading of the bill text, which has been done in past situations. Democrats also intended to use their full 10 hours of available debate time, which was underway.
And then Democrats are prepared to propose dozens of amendments to the package, a process called vote-a-rama. But Republicans late Sunday postponed that expected overnight session to early Monday.
GOP senators to watch
As Saturday’s vote tally teetered, attention turned to Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who was surrounded by GOP leaders in intense conversation. She voted “yes.”
Several provisions in the package are designed for her state in Alaska, but some were out of compliance of the strict rules by the Senate parliamentarian.
A short time later, Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., drew holdouts Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming to his office. Vance joined in.
Georgia Department of Natural Resources Game Warden Chase Fleming patrolling Lake Burton in June 2025. (Joshua M. Peck/NowHabersham.com)
Chase Fleming, at 25 years old, hasn’t been on the job as a Georgia Game Warden very long, but his tenure has had its tense moments. Approaching a couple on Lake Lanier one day last year, he soon discovered that they had been enjoying the fruit of the vine (or some other spirit, perhaps). When he indicated that he would have to cut short their revelry because of BUI concerns—that’s Boating Under the Influence—the woman expressed herself rather forcefully.
“She came up with swear words I’d never heard before,” Fleming says.
By the rules
Fleming and an anonymous licensed fisherman along the Soque River north of Clarkesville, Georgia. (Joshua M. Peck/NowHabersham.com)
Georgia Game Wardens comprise the law enforcement arm of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Their principal job is to protect people enjoying the state’s natural wonders, and to ensure that the state’s beautiful fauna and flora are preserved (after the legal limit is caught or shot), up to the limits of the law. In District 2, composed of 26 counties across the entire northeast part of the state, 34 game wardens and supervisors are charged with patrolling the entire vast area, so any given hunter or fisherman may not see a warden very often.
Eight fish a day is the maximum take, so Fleming, who took this reporter on a “ride-along” earlier in June, had his eye out for fishermen (and yes, they were all men) who might be taking more than their fair share. In the forests, the state parks, the lakes, and even on quiet country roads, you’ll find the state’s wardens patrolling, hoping to ensure safety for all their charges, whether they have two or four legs, wings, or fins.
Fleming’s first two encounters with fishermen enjoying the cool waters and luring the abundant trout in the Soque River were met affably by the sportsmen, without incident. One, a student who’d stepped away from class at North Georgia Technical College, simply produced his license and moved on.
A little way north of North Georgia Technical College along Route 197, Chase Fleming questions an NGTC student who stepped out for a little fishing in the nearby river. (Joshua M. Peck/NowHabersham.com)
The licenses, costing just a few dollars even for non-Georgians, demonstrate that the holder has permission to fish and at least a passing familiarity with safety and environmental rules.
Keeping it stocked
Russell Aiken of Martin, Georgia, was one of two fishermen enjoying leisure time near the Kelvin Jackson Bridge on the banks of the Soque, where it flows under Route 197, about nine miles north of Clarkesville.
“This is my favorite creek,” said Aiken, who had the look of any aging “good ol’ boy,” and a thick accent to match. He gestured at the four rainbow and brown trout on a hook he’d already captured that day, one of them still flopping about, as it was submerged in the clear, shallow water. He said he fished a few times a week, and more often ever since an accident involving a horse forced his retirement.
Fisherman Russell Aiken of Martin, Georgia, along the banks of the Soque River. (Joshua M. Peck/NowHaberesham.com)
Russell Aiken’s catch of the day. (Joshua M. Peck/NowHabersham.com)
Aiken, chatting with Warden Fleming, told him he’d recently seen another group of fishermen capture their limit, hide the catch in their car, and then return to the stream to illegally collect more. He resented it, he said, because breaking the rules hurts every other fisherman’s chances by depleting the stock.
“Next time you see that, I hope you’ll give us a call,” Fleming urged, and Aiken agreed. (The number to call, Fleming added, is (800) 241-4113).
Keeping it safe
Later, on the DNR’s 250-horsepower Cobia boat, Fleming patrolled Lake Burton, looking out mostly for safety violations, which he says are common. Young passengers must wear—not just carry—life jackets. Jet skis towing a raft must have one passenger looking backward to monitor the people on the raft, while the driver navigates the vessel forward. Boats approaching bridges, docks, and other “no wake zones” must generate…no wake. And he is always on the lookout for the kind of hapless marine meandering that usually ends up smelling like alcohol or marijuana.
DNR Game Warden Chase Fleming patrols the water and shores of Lake Burton in Northeast Georgia. (Daniel Purcell/NowHabersham.com)
The alcohol limit is the same on a boat as in a car — .08 percent blood alcohol — and many a boat-motorist, hopped up on a Budweiser or four, can be unmindful of the true havoc they could cause. For the sake of both the boater and his potential victims, Fleming is happy to run interference and begin the judicial process that can lead to significant fines —as much as $5,000 upon a third offense — and loss of boating privileges.
“Last week, I had a guy hit a sea wall in Lanier; he was intoxicated way over the limit, with a reading of .175 percent. We brought him to jail, and he bailed himself out,” Fleming says. “Getting caught boating while intoxicated doesn’t affect your right to drive on the roads,” Fleming said, seeming to lament that.
Private land
Not every hunter is happy to see us coming
The state’s DNR District 2, where Fleming patrols, covers the northeast corner of the state, from the North Carolina and South Carolina borders to Fannin and Newton counties in the West, and Elbert, Rabun, Hart, and Stephens counties on the east. Fleming’s usual beat is a subsection of the five counties farthest east and north, encompassing Lake Burton (usually quiet) and Talullah Gorge—a regular site of chaos, when hikers get stuck, fall, or burn out on the gorge’s mountainous trails.
Lake Burton is a popular recreation area in Northeast Georgia’s Rabun County. (Daniel Purcell/NowHabersham.com)
In the fall, when deer hunters emerge for hunting season, the presence of guns and strict safety rules sometimes combine to present a problem. “Not every hunter is happy to see us coming,” he says. When he approaches a fisherman or hunter, he loudly and clearly identifies himself; the distinctive tan uniform and shiny badge certainly help.
Some of the rules are a little more obscure than others. People may think they can hunt on land near a road that they think is public, but most of the land in the county not clearly marked as parkland is private. Hunting and fishing on those lands can be secured only from the landowner, who fills out a state form called an affidavit, indicating, by name, who is allowed to use their land for recreational purpose; anyone else is deemed a trespasser. Wardens have access to the affidavit file, and will stop any visitor who is not listed, or who can’t provide other proof he or she belongs there.
Private lives
Fleming on patrol at Lake Burton (Daniel Purcell/NowHabersham.com)
Fleming hails from Toccoa, and lives with parents— “I want to save money for now,” perhaps with an eye to getting serious with his girlfriend, whom he met on patrol one lucky day. “She may or may not have been breaking the trespassing rules at Talullah Gorge,” he reported with a grin. After a strictly professional encounter in the field (she got off with a warning), she found him on social media and inquired about his interests. They’ve been dating ever since.
Fleming mentions that, for the record, one needs to obtain a special permit to hike the Gorge floor, since it is dangerous and slippery, and rescue resources are limited. Not every violator ends up with a boyfriend, though.
Not a walk in the park (forest or gorge)
Becoming a game warden is no picnic, Fleming says; the three months at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center include:
Physical training—three-mile runs, several times a week
Circuit training—for strength and endurance
Weapons: Recruits must be certified on two different kinds of handguns and a rifle. Fleming says this is so strenuous that quite a few aspirants drop out during this phase
Expertise on boat, gun, and road safety, including officer water survival skills
ATV training, learning to maneuver the all-terrain vehicles commonly driven on patrols through wooded or uneven landscapes
“Grappling,” which is combat training for a warden caught without a weapon in a confrontation with an angry civilian
ALERRT (Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training), when there is an active shooter at large. This is rare, but wardens are prepared, their supervisors say, and sometimes called on by the Georgia State Police for additional man- and womanpower.
DNR Game Warden Chase Fleming (Daniel Purcell/NowHabersham.com)
But more typical is Fleming’s recent trip out onto the Chattooga River area, along the border with South Carolina.
“Three girls got lost on the river,” Fleming said. “One of them got separated from the others and went for hours without water; we had to go in with ATVs to find her; she was having a difficult time.”
That’s what the wardens are there for.
Outside work
Captain Derek Dillard, overseer of all the DNR game wardens in District 2, has served in the post since 2020, following years as a sergeant and a front-line warden.
Dillard says he likes to get around to talk about conservation and safety to civilian groups, particularly back in his native Rabun County, where his people go back to the Revolutionary War. He acknowledges that he is a descendant of the Dillard family that gave the little city on the North Carolina border its name.
Dillard says his administrative role can be tough; he got into the DNR to work outside, and encourages others to do the same. Though mostly male, his workforce has three women, one of whom just retired, and he wouldn’t mind a bit if that number grew.
Until they need you…
One of the two big challenges on his beat, Dillard, says, is back at Talullah Gorge, where rescues are commonplace. When hikers get into serious trouble, the “official” rescuers in uniform are joined by volunteers from the area, as often as 60 times a year, he says. “It’s our helicopter that flies in to bring people out, but often the volunteers that hook them up to the long line” that lifts hikers up to the chopper and out to safety—sometimes to a hospital.
Georgia DNR Aviation Unit crew members respond to rescue a hiker from the floor of Tallulah Gorge on Saturday, August 31, 2024. (DNR Law Enforcement Division/Facebook)A DNR helicopter prepares to airlift an injured rescuer from Tallulah Gorge on Saturday, August 11, 2018. (Daniel Purcell/Now Habersham)Tallulah Gorge rescue (Daniel Purcell/NowHabersham.com)
Outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy Georgia’s open waterways and trails rarely think about law enforcement officers until they need them, says District 2 DNR Capt. Derek Dillard. (Daniel Purcell/NowHabersham.com)(Daniel Purcell/NowHabersham.com)
He notes that his wardens are not necessarily the most visible people in the community. He shrugs: “People only need law enforcement when they need you; they don’t even think about you until they need you.”
But sometimes, nature-lovers surprise him, Dillard says. “People have come up to us just to say they appreciate what we do. That’s really nice to hear.”
The Banks County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing woman who was last seen in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
According to the sheriff’s office, 40-year-old Keri Melton was last contacted on Wednesday, June 25. Authorities say she may be driving a gray Ford Fusion with license plate number SJE9337.
Anyone who sees Melton or has information on her whereabouts is urged to call Banks County Dispatch at (706) 677-1234. In an emergency, dial 911.
The Clarkesville Public Works Department says crews have repaired a water main break that interrupted service to customers on the southwest side of town. The break occurred on Swain Street around mid-afternoon Sunday, June 29, causing outages in several neighborhoods.
As a precaution, the Water Department has issued a Boil Water Advisory for the following areas: Memorial Drive, Mockingbird Lane, Richard Street, Sunset Street, Swain Road, and View Street.
City water customers in the affected areas are advised to boil tap water at a rolling boil for at least two minutes before drinking, cooking, or preparing baby food with it.
The advisory is in effect until further notice. The city will notify customers through Nixle and local media when the advisory is lifted.
DETROIT, MI - JUNE 25: Philadelphia Phillies SP Ranger Suarez (55) pitches in the first inning during the game between Philadelphia Phillies and Detroit Tigers on June 25, 2024 at Comerica Park in Detroit, MI (Photo by Allan Dranberg/Icon Sportswire)
ATLANTA (AP) — Ranger Suárez pitched seven strong innings and the Philadelphia Phillies edged the Atlanta Braves 2-1 to take the three-game series on Sunday.
Suárez (7-2) gave up just one run on four hits. He struck out eight, walked one and lowered his ERA to 2.00.
Orion Kerkering pitched a scoreless eighth and Matt Strahm earned his fifth save for the Phillies.
Otto Kemp’s double into the left field corner in the fifth inning scored Bryson Scott from first, and Kemp later came home on Trea Turner’s sacrifice fly to center to give the Phillies a 2-1 lead.
Spencer Strider (3-6) had another strong start against the Phillies but lost for just the second time in 10 career decisions against Philadelphia. He gave up two runs on five hits in seven innings, striking out four and walking three.
Catcher Sean Murphy was the lone Brave to do damage against Suárez, crushing a 451-foot home run to center field in the second inning. No other Brave reached second base in Suárez’s seven innings.
Kyle Schwarber was 2 for 3 with a walk and Nick Castellanos had two hits for the Phillies, who lead the NL East.
Braves first baseman Matt Olson was 2 for 4 and extended his on-base streak to 30 games, the longest active one in the majors.
Key moment
The Braves had runners on first and third with two outs in the ninth inning before Strahm got Stuart Fairchild to fly out to center field to end the game.
Key stat
Suárez has 10 consecutive quality starts, longest streak by a Phillies pitcher since Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee each did it in 2013.
Up next
Phillies: RHP Zack Wheeler (7-3, 2.45) will open a three-game home series against the Padres on Monday. San Diego has yet to announce a starter.
Braves: Rookie Didier Fuentes (0-2, 10.80) will make his third career start Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series in Atlanta against Angels LHP Tyler Anderson (2-5. 4.41).
In this June 2022 file photo, a Kootenai County sheriff’s car is parked outside the justice building. (Anteia McCollum/Idaho Capital Sun)
(Idaho Capital Sun) — Two people have been killed after firefighters in North Idaho responded to emergency calls of a brush fire and a shooter opened fire on their response, according to Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris.
The fire was reported around 1:30 p.m. Pacific time Sunday near the east side of Canfield Mountain in Coeur d’Alene. The shooter, who opened fire around 2 p.m., has not been caught.
A shelter-in-place order has been released by the Kootenai County Emergency Management system. The order includes areas south of Hayden Lake Road and east of 15th Street in Coeur d’Alene. Residents and recreationists near the area of the Canfield Mountain Trailhead and Nettleton Gulch Road are also asked to shelter in place.
“Multiple heroic firefighters were attacked today while responding to a fire in North Idaho,” Idaho Gov. Brad Little said in a post on X. “This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters. I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more. (Idaho first lady) Teresa and I are heartbroken.”
Norris said at a Sunday press conference that he believes that the two people killed were firefighters. The responding fire crews, which included three engines, were dispatched from from Kootenai County Fire and Rescue and the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department.
“We are actively taking sniper fire as we speak,” Norris said at the 4:35 p.m. Pacific time press conference. “This is an active situation. We have multiple agencies that are on scene from local and federal authorities, and we are prepared to neutralize this suspect who is currently, actively shooting at public safety personnel.”
The sheriff said “it appears modern-day sporting rifles are being used” in the attack.
The governor and emergency response officials urged the public to stay away from the area while police secure the still-active scene.
Multiple heroic firefighters were attacked today while responding to a fire in North Idaho. This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters. I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more. Teresa and I are heartbroken.
Number of shooters is unknown at Canfield Mountain incident
Norris said at the press conference that law enforcement is unsure if there is one shooter or multiple attackers. He said officers and deputies are reporting from the scene that the shooter is “blending in with their surroundings” and that shots were being fired from what seemed like multiple directions.
“The first call was at 1:21 (p.m.) on a fire, and then we started receiving over our radio that the firefighters were receiving shots fired from the mountain,” Norris said.
The brush fire is still burning, and Norris said that until the shooter is caught, emergency personnel cannot respond to it.
“It’s going to be a tough next couple hours. I’m hoping that somebody has a clear shot and is able to neutralize (the shooter),” Norris said. “Because they are not showing at this point in time any evidence that they are wanting to surrender.”
Multiple local North Idaho, state and federal agencies have responded to the incident, Norris said.
Dan Bongino, the FBI’s deputy director, said in a post on X said that officials from the FBI had been dispatched “to provide tactical and operational support” to the scene. U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, reposted the update on his account.
FBI assets are headed to the scene in Coeur d’Alene to provide tactical and operational support.
It is an active scene.
“Gut-wrenching news coming from Coeur d’Alene,” Simpson posted on X. “As the situation develops, our thoughts and prayers are with the brave firefighters and all first responders on the scene.”
U.S. Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, both R-Idaho, also posted on X that they are monitoring the reports on the incident and are praying for the first responders and their families.
“I am monitoring the horrific reports out of Coeur d’Alene this evening,” Crapo posted. “I urge local residents to follow recommendations of law enforcement. My prayers are with victims and first responders.”
In a statement at 7 p.m. Sunday, Idaho House Republican leadership said they were “shocked by such a vicious attack on our first responders.
“We are horrified by the murder of two firefighters in Coeur d’Alene, and shocked by such a vicious attack on our first responders. We are praying for them, the injured, their families and their colleagues,” the statement said.
An additional press conference is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. tonight, according to a Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office press release.
Vicki and I are monitoring the incident in Kootenai County. We pray for the safety of our brave first responders.
