TOCCOA, Ga. — A Toccoa couple is behind bars after a child abuse investigation led to their arrest Thursday afternoon.
On June 24, Stephens County investigators received a report that a child was allegedly physically abused in a home by their parents.
“After obtaining evidence corroborating the complaint, investigators applied for and were granted a search warrant for the suspects’ residence on Ed Davis Boulevard,” Stephens County Sheriff Rusty Fulbright said in a news release.
According to Fulbright, at 3:26 p.m. on June 26, the Sheriff’s Office Crime Suppression Unit executed the warrant. Deputies arrested 37-year-old James Griffin Jr. and 41-year-old Natasha Griffin at the scene.
The Griffins both face charges of first- and second-degree cruelty to children and battery under the Family Violence Act.
James and Natasha Griffin were booked into the Stephens County Jail. As of Friday evening, June 27, they remained in jail on $31,000 bond each.
The sheriff’s office tells Now Habersham, “The child is safe with family members.”
Lynda Ann and Matt Price greet supporters at the wine-in stageda their tasting room on June 24, 2025, in a show of support to keep the business open. Disputes over a local ordinance could lead to the tasting room's demise. (Joshua M. Peck/NowHabersham.com)
A throng of wine lovers, 40 strong, descended on Clayton Tuesday evening in support of a local tasting room whose future is in grave jeopardy.
Highroads Tasting Room on North Main Street is in a do-or-die battle over a city regulation that may extinguish the thriving venue after a busy 15 months in business. The business’s enthusiastic customers came out to support managers Lynda Ann and Matt Price with their presence, pride, and purchases Tuesday night, rallying to their friends’ and neighbors’ cause, and promising to come out on July 8, when City Council may consider the venue’s fate at its regular meeting.
‘We won’t survive’
Highroads’ regular beverage menu includes beer, mead, cider, and mocktails, but its principal selling point—and most important moneymaker—is the many varieties of wine it pours by the glass for customers in the room. These are often accompanied by good conversation, camaraderie, and a limited menu of snacks. Most glasses sell for $12 a pour.
(Joshua M. Peck/NowHabersham.com)
Beer, wine, and the rest are for sale by the bottle and can be found on the shelves throughout the store, but the main draw, the Prices and their customers both say, is the wide variety of wine from across the state, the country, and the world that one can sample and compare with the assistance of the Prices and their staff.
One recent morning earlier this month, the Prices heard the bad news from the owner of the tasting room, Jabe Hilson of nearby Slanted Window Vineyards; the city had just emailed him that it will now enforce a regulation that has been on the books for years. It says a farm winery tasting room in the city may sell just about any beverage by the bottle, but wines poured in the establishment must all hail from Georgia. Highroads is Clayton’s only such establishment.
Hilson declined to be interviewed.
The Prices say their patrons are amenable to drinking Georgia wines, but demand access to ones from California, France, Italy, Australia, and the rest of the world. “We won’t survive even a couple of months with that rule,” Lynda Ann Price said. “This will shut us down,” her husband, a former pastor, agreed. “Just serving Georgia wines can’t sustain us.”
State law vs local rule
The Clayton ordinance defines a “Farm Winery Tasting Room” as: “a location to sample or taste wines manufactured and produced in the State of Georgia and licensed by the Agriculture Commissioner to manufacture wine. The tasting room is an outlet for the promotion of those wines by providing samples of such wines to the public….”
But ever since their licensure—and even before that, under different management before the pandemic—the Prices say they had reason to believe that they were complying with the laws when selling widely-sourced wine. They say city officials were aware of what they were doing—selling in accordance with the Georgia state law, rather than the Clayton rule. Georgia generally has no such restriction on selling out-of-state wines in such a setting.
The Prices want the City of Clayton to conform to the laxer Georgia rules, or at least to suspend the stricter interpretation while they consider their alternatives.
Strong customer support
The exterior of Highroads Tasting Room in Clayton, Georgia. (Carly McCurry/The Cute North Georgian Magazine)
The customers at the event Tuesday, which they called a “wine-in,” agreed unanimously with the Prices.
“I think the city needs to go away,” said Sally Arnold dismissively. “There are so many activities and events here; it’s a community gathering place.”
Suzie Nixon Flaherty leads a Christian choir called “Voices of Truth” that gathers monthly at Highroads. She called the move by Clayton’s council “an attack.” She added, “What [the Prices] have created here is a place that feels welcome; this is where we worship.”
The monthly event for the church singers is called “Beer and Hymns,” one of many special events that the venue hosts and sponsors, including a regular one for professional women to network; another for entrepreneurs to hone their skills at pitching backers for money, and a third for spoken-word artists to meet, exchange ideas, and read from their work.
The managers donate some of their special event proceeds to local charities, they said.
‘Best neighbors I ever had’
Paula Wexler said one thing she particularly likes about Highroads is the opportunity to compare and contrast wines from across the globe.
“I like the blend of wines,” she said, “French, Italian, and Georgian.”
An attorney and frequent visitor to Highroads who declined to be named argued that the Clayton “ban” was downright illogical.
“You have a demonstrable benefit here,” he said. “They pay taxes, they offer a unique gathering place. And what’s the injury they do? There isn’t any injury at all connected to this place; they (the Council) aren’t protecting anybody.”
Around 40 people filtered into the Clayton business over the course of several hours to show their support for keeping Highroads open through a proposed change in local ordinance. (Joshua M. Peck/NowHabersham.com)
Trey McFalls, who owns Shady Creek Expeditions, running fishing trips and other adventures out of Clayton, operates right next door to the tasting room. He called the Prices “the best neighbors I ever had. Their business is good for ours, and vice versa. We send customers back and forth.”
McFalls said he was fine with drinking Georgia wines, but added, “I like a good European cabernet sauvignon, too.”
Suzanne Alprin of nearby Seed Lake chimed in: “This is like a Paris salon,” said Suzanne Arpin of nearby Seed Lake. “It would truly be a tragedy if they close this place.”
City manager: There is ‘no story’
Clayton City Manager Trudy Crunkleton did not respond to an initial phone call or email seeking comment, but responded to a second email. She wrote, “There really is no story. The information you received is not accurate. The ordinance governing the tasting room has been in place for some time and was amended in 2019. Retail package sales are not restricted at all. Craft beer on draft is allowed to be ‘sampled’ with restrictions on amounts. Georgia wines are allowed to be ‘sampled’ with restrictions on amounts. Nothing has changed since they obtained their license.”
(Joshua M. Peck/NowHabersham.com)
Bill Stueck, a retired University of Georgia history professor, with scholarly expertise in an entirely different conflict—the international Cold War of the 1940s-1980—decried the city’s stance on the regulations at length, discussing his own love of wine, and describing the experience he and his wife enjoy at Highroads as utterly unique and valuable.
Told of Crunkleton’s email, he responded, “the tasting room has been operating the whole time serving these wines. Did she consult the City Council about this? Hers is not a policy-making position.”
Council’s ‘no comment’
On Wednesday, the day after the “wine-in,” Now Habersham attempted to reach every member of City Council.
Council member Sarah Gillespie said, “I don’t care to comment about that.”
Amanda Harrold said, “I have no comment.”
Althea Bleckley said, “I’d rather not comment right now,” explaining she is out of town on a personal matter. However, Bleckley added, “I have been keeping up with it (the tasting room controversy).”
Clayton Mayor Pro Tem Stacy Fountain, Council member Tony Allen, and former Mayor Kurt Cannon, who resigned his post earlier this month, did not return messages Wednesday. City Attorney Mitchell L. Baker Jr.’s assistant took a message, which he did not return.
(Carly McCurry/The Cute North Georgian Magazine)
Mayor Pro Tem stakes position on social media
Fountain has been vocal about his position on social media. Stueck began a conversation on June 19 on the Rabun County Bulletin Board Facebook page, asking, “What in heaven’s name is going on with Highroads Tasting Room???!!! Is the [sic] really what the city council folks want? To shut them down?…”
In response, Fountain said, “Same ordinances that the city has had since 2019. The same ordinances that the business got a license for. The same ordinances that they decided to break. The city is trying to up hold [sic] those ordinances.”
Asked if there is a way to “change it?” Fountain replied, “have to follow the current rules. Everyone else in town is. If you want change you have to ask. Nothing has been changed since 2019.”
Screenshots of Facebook comments attributed to Clayton Mayor Pro Tem Stacy Fountain related to the Highroads Tasting Room matter. (Rabun County Bulletin Board/Facebook)
If the city council agrees to loosen the local regulations and conform to the less stringent state standards for wine-tasting rooms, there remains a chance for change. Still, it does not answer the question as to “why now?” Why, after all this time, is Clayton just now coming after Highroads for ‘breaking’ the ordinance?
Fountain responded on social media, “We just realized that they were not in compliance.”
‘Cheers’ vibe
At the event Tuesday, Savannah Clayton, 24, Lynda Ann’s niece and employee, was stationed behind the bar at Highroads the full night, and served customers, dispensing warm smiles and plentiful advice about which brew or label might blend best with whatever dinner they had in mind. She served another, and another, and said she hoped she’d still be there in July, August, and beyond.
If the Prices and their loyal customers have their way, her wish may yet come true.
Said Matt Price, referring to the theme song of a beloved television show set in a bar, “This really is a place where everybody knows your name.”
Funeral procession for top Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists killed by Israeli airstrikes during the 12-Day War. (screenshot from Associated Press video)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of mourners lined the streets of downtown Tehran on Saturday for the funeral of the head of the Revolutionary Guard and other top commanders and nuclear scientists killed during a 12-day war with Israel.
The caskets of Guard’s chief Gen. Hossein Salami, the head of the Guard’s ballistic missile program, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh and others were driven on trucks along the capital’s Azadi Street as people in the crowds chanted: “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”
Salami and Hajizadeh were both killed on the first day of the war, June 13, as Israel launched a war it said meant to destroy Iran’s nuclear program, specifically targeting military commanders, scientists and nuclear facilities.
State media reported more than 1 million people turned out for the funeral procession, which was impossible to independently confirm, but the dense crowd packed the main Tehran thoroughfare along the entire 4.5 kilometer (nearly 3 mile) route.
There was no immediate sign of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the state broadcast of the funeral. Khamenei, who has not made a public appearance since before the outbreak of the war, has in past funerals held prayers for fallen commanders over their caskets before the open ceremonies, later aired on state television.
Top officials are among the mourners
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was on hand, and state television reported that Gen. Esmail Qaani, who heads the foreign wing of the Revolutionary Guard, the Quds Force, and Gen. Ali Shamkhani were also among the mourners.
Shamkhani, an adviser to Khamenei who was wounded in the first round of Israel’s attack and hospitalized, was shown in a civilian suit leaning on a cane in an image distributed on state television’s Telegram channel.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard was created after its 1979 Islamic Revolution. Since it was established, it has evolved from a paramilitary, domestic security force to a transnational force that has come to the aid of Tehran’s allies in the Middle East, from Syria and Lebanon to Iraq. It operates in parallel to the country’s existing armed forces and controls Iran’s arsenal of ballistic missiles, which it has used to attack Israel twice during the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
Over 12 days before a ceasefire was declared on Tuesday, Israel claimed it killed around 30 Iranian commanders and 11 nuclear scientists, while hitting eight nuclear-related facilities and more than 720 military infrastructure sites. More than 1,000 people were killed, including at least 417 civilians, according to the Washington-based Human Rights Activists group.
Iran fired more than 550 ballistic missiles at Israel, most of which were intercepted, but those that got through caused damage in many areas and killed 28 people.
Saturday’s ceremonies were the first public funerals for top commanders since the ceasefire, and Iranian state television reported that they were for 60 people in total, including four women and four children.
Crowd expresses feelings of anger and defiance
Authorities closed government offices to allow public servants to attend the ceremonies.
Many in the crowd expressed feelings of anger and defiance.
“This is not a ceasefire, this is just a pause,” said 43-year-old Ahmad Mousapoor, waving an Iranian flag. “Whatever they do, we will definitely give a crushing response.”
State media published images of an open grave plot at Tehran’s sprawling Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery where army chief of staff, Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, who was killed on the first day of the war, was to be buried beside his brother, a Guards commander killed during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war.
Many of the others were to be buried in their hometowns.
The Iranian judiciary’s Mizan news agency confirmed that the top prosecutor at the notorious Evin prison had been killed in an Israeli strike on Monday.
It reported that Ali Ghanaatkar, whose prosecution of dissidents, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, led to widespread criticism by human rights groups, would be buried at a shrine in Qom.
Iran has always insisted its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes. But Israel views it as an existential threat and said its military campaign was necessary to prevent Iran from building an atomic weapon.
Khamenei’s last public appearance was June 11, two days before hostilities with Israel broke out, when he met with Iranian parliamentarians.
On Thursday, however, he released a pre-recorded video, in his first message since the end of the war, filled with warnings and threats directed toward the United States and Israel, the Islamic Republic’s longtime adversaries.
The 86-year-old downplayed U.S. strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites as having not achieved “anything significant” and claimed victory over Israel.
Questions remain over possible talks
The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency, Rafael Grossi, has characterized the damage done by American bunker-buster bombs to Iran’s Fordo nuclear site, which was built into a mountain, as “very, very, very considerable.”
U.S. President Donald Trump has said that he expects Iran to open itself to international inspection to verify it doesn’t restart its nuclear program, and White House officials have said they expect to restart talks soon with Iran, though nothing has been scheduled.
Iran’s parliament has voted to suspend collaboration with Grossi’s International Atomic Energy Agency for the time being.
In a post on X on Saturday, Araghchi indicated that Iran might be open to talks, but criticized Trump’s remarks from Friday in which the president scoffed at a warning from Khamenei against further U.S. attacks, saying Iran “got beat to hell.”
“If President Trump is genuine about wanting a deal, he should put aside the disrespectful and unacceptable tone towards Iran’s Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Khamenei and stop hurting his millions of heartfelt followers,“ Araghchi wrote.
ATLANTA — Starting July 1, the Georgia Department of Public Safety’s Motor Carrier Compliance Division (MCCD) will officially operate under a new name: Commercial Vehicle Enforcement (CVE).
The change, prompted by the passage of House Bill 116 during the 2025 legislative session, is meant to better reflect the division’s core mission — enforcing safety regulations for commercial motor vehicles across Georgia.
The new name will appear on all official materials, including uniforms, vehicle markings, patches, and other insignia, the Georgia Department of Public Safety said in a news release.
Despite the name change, CVE’s duties remain the same. Officers will continue to conduct inspections of commercial vehicles, drivers, and cargo to promote highway safety. These inspections take place on the roadside, at inspection stations, and at motor carrier terminals.
On July 11, the division will welcome the 13th Commercial Vehicle Officer School at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth, marking its first new officer class under the CVE name.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to reporters amid negotiations with Senate Republicans on budget reconciliation on Friday, June 27, 2025. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)
WASHINGTON (States Newsroom) — U.S. Senate Republicans appear ready to take an initial vote on their “big, beautiful bill” as soon as Saturday, which would set up final passage within a couple of days — though Majority Leader John Thune called the timeline “aspirational.”
GOP senators have been negotiating the sweeping tax and spending cuts package for weeks, trying to ensure the dozens of provisions meet the complex rules for writing a reconciliation bill and can garner the support needed to actually become law.
“We are continuing to explore options on all the outstanding issues,” Thune said Friday afternoon. But several Republican senators leaving a closed-door working lunch that lasted more than two hours told reporters they expect to see the final bill text possibly by Friday night before taking their first procedural vote at noon Eastern on Saturday.
However, when the Senate adjourned on Friday night, the time to convene again was at 2 p.m. Eastern — and no vote was scheduled.
Republicans were still going back and forth with the Senate parliamentarian throughout the day Friday as they tried to rework numerous policy changes she deemed not compliant with the guardrails for a reconciliation bill.
The special legislative process gets Republicans around the Senate’s 60-vote legislative filibuster, but means the successful policy provisions need to have an effect on federal revenues, spending or the debt limit.
There were still various outstanding disputes among GOP senators about how exactly the bill should be structured. If those are not resolved before amendment debate begins, it could lead to Republicans publicly splitting on issues related to Medicaid, tax policy and several other issues.
Public lands, Medicaid provider tax
Montana Sen. Steve Daines said he’s still waiting to see whether the parliamentarian accepts a revised proposal from Utah Sen. Mike Lee that would lead to a sell-off of some public lands.
Daines didn’t want to comment on whether he’d bring up an amendment to strike the language from the bill, if it makes it into the final version of the package.
“He’s got to get it in the bill first. So it’s a hypothetical at this point,” Daines said. “I think there’s some trouble getting it through the parl. So I think that’s the most likely scenario.”
North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven said he believes Republicans have successfully reworked language addressing a change to the maximum percentage that states can set their Medicaid provider tax rate at. An earlier version reducing that rate from 6% to 3.5% over time was blocked by the parliamentarian.
“We think we’ve got it fixed, yeah. It’s just like on a number of these issues. We think we have it fixed. We don’t have the final word,” Hoeven said. “That’s what we talked about earlier. We think we’ll have the final word on this by the end of today, so we can start tomorrow.”
The Medicaid provider tax rate would normally be considered in-the-weeds, but has become a central debate within the GOP amid major concerns about how changes would affect rural health care systems.
Republicans may have also agreed to a final figure for a rural hospital fund meant to help offset the impact of Medicaid changes in the bill. That number will likely be higher than a previously floated $15 billion, but Hoeven didn’t say what the compromise will be.
“The number you all saw is $15 billion. It’s going to be bigger than that,” Hoeven said. “But I don’t have a specific number yet.”
Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins has been pressing for that fund to be at least $100 billion.
SALT talks
Hoeven said that during the lunch, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., advocated for a $40,000 cap on state and local tax deductions, or SALT, for five years. The issue, also somewhat obscure, is crucial to the Senate bill making it back through the House, where GOP lawmakers from higher-tax states have been adamant the bill must help their constituents.
Hoeven said the goal is to reach final agreement among Republicans and clear those changes with the parliamentarian, so the Senate can take its procedural vote on the bill Saturday around noon.
Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin said he thinks both chambers are getting close to reaching a final deal on the state and local tax deduction.
“We still have some talking to do in the Senate, but I think we’re getting close,” Mullin said, declining to get into numbers.
Senators, he said, are planning to take the procedural vote around noon Saturday, setting up an amendment voting session that can last upwards of 12 hours and might begin later that day or Sunday morning.
“There’s a discussion about starting it earlier in the morning than in the middle of the night,” Mullin said. “So who knows?”
The bill clearing the House could come shortly after the Senate passes its version of the package, since that chamber’s 72-hour rule starts winding down once the Senate’s bill text is released, not once the Senate actually passes it.
“Putting on my hat from the House side. The 72-hour rule may not even have to be applied here because we’re amending the bill that’s already been put out,” Mullin said. “But I think what Speaker Johnson wants to do is give adequate time to go through it, which would be kind of a 72-hour rule anyway.”
Artificial intelligence
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz also said he expects the chamber will take the procedural vote around noon Saturday.
Cruz expressed confidence that a section in his committee’s bill preventing state and local governments from regulating artificial intelligence if they want part of a $500 million fund will survive a possible floor amendment.
“The provision is in the bill and I believe it will be in the final bill that passes,” Cruz said, appearing to brush aside weeks of criticism from fellow GOP lawmakers.
Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno was optimistic that both chambers will be able to pass the package before the party’s self-imposed Fourth of July deadline.
“Look, ultimately, at the end of the day, we’ll be in good shape. We’re going to get a bill across the finish line,” Moreno said. “The sausage-making can be ugly, but the final product is delicious.”
Sen. Ron Johnson was not as upbeat as some of his colleagues, storming up the steps just outside the closed-door lunch after it wrapped up, not wanting to speak to reporters.
“Notice I’m not really wanting (to) talk right now,” the Wisconsin Republican said.
“Go back downstairs,” he told a large group of reporters.
Asked about the timing of the procedural vote this weekend, Iowa GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley said, “it’s going to be brought up … there’s no question about that.”
“The question is, on final passage, will we need the vice president?” Grassley said. “And I’m glad he’s a Republican, but we gotta get it passed.”
F1 stars Brad Pitt in a movie that has as much to say about the individuals who compete in Formula One racing as it does about the sport itself. It’s equal parts riveting on the tracks, and it’s insightful, albeit somewhat clichéd, off the tracks. Nevertheless, that doesn’t stop this movie from mostly putting its pedal to the metal.
Pitt stars as Sonny Hayes, a retired race car driver who wants to stay out of the spotlight. Sonny was the victim of a car crash back in the ’90s, and now he lives out of his van and lives a nomadic existence while he occasionally races. Javier Bardem costars as his former racing partner, now an F1 team owner who attempts to recruit Sonny to join his team and secure a victory.
Sonny has his reservations about joining, but he eventually accepts the offer. It’s here where he meets a new, young, British and cocky rookie named Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris) who thinks Sonny can’t handle all the new advancements in F1 racing and thinks he’s too old to be behind the wheel. Their relationship is one of obvious contention, which is one of the many clichés this movie checks off.
Kerry Condon plays a female technical director on the team, and she switches back and forth from sternly lecturing about how to keep Pearce’s ego under control to falling in love with Sonny.
The racing scenes are intense and full-throttle, as the movie showcases the vehicles’ impressive speed. It’s much more convincing as we can see Pitt and Idris dead center in these cars instead of relying too much on CGI to shatter the illusion.
Director Joseph Kosinski, who made Top Gun: Maverick, focuses on another set of high-octane machines. He has a flair for showing off incredible detail with these cars and how these racers take their craft seriously. He scores another solid, effective thrill ride that should be seen on a big screen.
Pitt is more than capable in the racing scenes, and he’s more than capable of holding his own with this electric cast. It’s pretty much his Days of Thunder, but he has a lot of strong support to make this story believable and borderline engrossing.
My only wish is that the movie wasn’t so heavy on certain trappings, such as the one scene where both characters are almost resigned to a doomed fate on the tracks, even though we know that’s not where the movie is headed. We just know that despite what gets thrown in their way, they will bounce back with a vengeance for the next race.
This is far and away one of the better summer entries. It knows what it is and does it well. F1 crosses the finish line with panache, but it could’ve gotten there sooner if not for its derivative plot.
ATLANTA (AP) — Trae Turner hit two of Philadelphia’s five home runs as the Phillies broke out of an offensive slump with a 13-0 rout of the Atlanta Braves on Friday night.
Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos and Otto Kemp also hit home runs for the Phillies, who scored just one run in three games while being swept by the Houston Astros prior to arriving in Atlanta.
The game was delayed 2 hours, 19 minutes as a storm hit shortly before the scheduled first pitch. Phillies starter Mick Abel and Braves starter Bryce Elder had both warmed up, but Philadelphia decided to start Tanner Banks after the delay and throw a bullpen game while the Braves still went with Elder.
The Phillies scored 10 runs (nine earned) on eight hits and four walk offs of Elder (2-5) in two-plus innings. Elder surrendered three home runs.
Banks pitched two innings before giving way to Taijuan Walker (3-5) who went two innings. Alan Rangel went the final five, allowing six hits and one walk.
Kemp and Schwarber homered in the third inning. Kemp’s was the first of his career and Schwarber’s was his 25th of the season.
Turner went 4 for 6 with four runs scored, Schwarber was 1 for 3 with two walks and three runs scored and J.T. Realmuto was 3 for 4 with a walk.
Braves first baseman Matt Olson singled in the fifth inning to extend MLB’s longest active on-base streak to 28 games.
The 13 runs was the most allowed by the Braves in a game this season.
Key moment
Castellanos’ 445-foot home run to center field with two outs in the second inning extended the Phillies lead to 5-0.
Key stat
Eleven of Philadelphia’s first 20 batters scored.
Up next
The Phillies will start LHP Jesús Luzardo (7-3, 4.08 ERA) against Atlanta’s RHP Spencer Schwellenbach (6-4, 3.21) on Saturday.
Eloise Stamey Adams, age 81, of Kennesaw, Georgia, passed away peacefully on June 27, 2025.
She was born on December 8, 1943, at The Charm House in Clarkesville, Georgia. Eloise was the eighth of nine children to the late Emory and Belle Barron Stamey. She was a graduate of North Habersham High School. Eloise moved to Atlanta after graduation to pursue a career in banking. Once in Atlanta, she was reunited with a former classmate, Bill Adams. They fell in love and married a year later. Eloise and Bill remained the love of each other’s lives for 62 years until her passing.
She was an avid and fierce tennis player- a true natural at the game. Eloise volunteered for 33 years with the Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association (ALTA) as a coordinator and became an honorary lifetime member. At the time of her retirement as a coordinator, she was the longest-serving volunteer in that role. Bill and Eloise also enjoyed golf and traveling the world- especially with friends.
In the early years, they were active members of First Baptist Church of Mableton. Later in life, they joined the First United Methodist Church of Marietta and were members of the Open Door Sunday school class.
Eloise was a proud and loving mother to Stephen (Lainie) Adams and Heather (Frank) Powers. She was the cherished “Me-mom” to Jordan Ivey, Ashton Adams, Brooke Adams, Blake Powers, Caroline Powers, and Emma Powers; great-grandsons Barrett and Chase Ivey. Additionally, she is survived by her dear sisters, Dot Wilson and Ann Cain, as well as several adored nieces and nephews.
Eloise was preceded in death by her infant son, Blake; her siblings, Katheryn Sudan Kimsey, Wilber Stamey, Ernest Stamey, Ansel Stamey, Grady Stamey, and Bruce Stamey; several brother-in-laws, sister-in-laws, and her parents, Emory and Belle Barron Stamey.
A visitation will be held 6-8 p.m. on Monday, July 7, 2025, and funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 8, 2025, both at Mayes Ward-Dobbins Funeral Home in Marietta. Eloise will be laid to rest at Kennesaw Memorial Park Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association at https://www.alz.org/georgia.
A woman prays before the caskets as Melissa and Mark Hortman lie in state, along with their dog Gilbert Friday, June 27, 2025 at the Minnesota State Capitol. (Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)
(Minnesota Reformer) — Minnesota Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman on Friday was surrounded by things she loved: She lay in the Minnesota Capitol, where she dedicated 20 years of her life, next to her husband Mark, her golden retriever Gilbert, leafy trees, bright flowers, and legions of Minnesotans whom she sought to help through public service.
Minnesotans lined up to pay their final respects to Hortman, who was killed on June 14 in a politically motivated assassination. Mark Hortman was also killed, and Gilbert was injured and had to be euthanized.
Thousands wait outside in the shade of a large elm on the Capitol lawn as Melissa and Mark Hortman lie in state, along with their dog Gilbert Friday, June 27, 2025 at the Minnesota State Capitol. (Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)
Melissa Hortman is the first woman in Minnesota history to lie in state at the Capitol, and the 20th Minnesotan to be awarded the honor. In the Capitol Rotunda, members of the Minnesota National Guard’s honor guard flanked the Hortmans’ wooden caskets. Photos of the couple and their dog were on display among the flowers and greenery.
Gov. Tim Walz and First Lady Gwen Walz were the first to pay their respects when the memorial opened to the public at noon. They were followed by Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth, her husband and Senate Majority leader Erin Murphy.
Thousands of Minnesotans followed, many of them part of the Hortmans’ vast network of friends, family and colleagues. Former President Joe Biden arrived at the Capitol late Friday afternoon.
People pay their respects as Melissa and Mark Hortman lie in state, along with their dog Gilbert Friday, June 27, 2025 at the Minnesota State Capitol. (Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)
Jennifer O’Rourke, director of government relations for Ramsey County, said her friendship with Melissa Hortman predated Hortman’s first election to the House in 2004.
“She deserves this,” O’Rourke said, gesturing to the line of Minnesotans wrapped around the block. Many brought flowers or letters to add to the memorial outside the House chambers, where extra tables were brought in to accommodate Friday’s contributions from the public.
Other mourners had no connection to the Hortmans, but came in solidarity at a perilous moment in the history of the republic and its 32nd state.
Hundreds queue outside as Melissa and Mark Hortman lie in state, along with their dog Gilbert Friday, June 27, 2025 at the Minnesota State Capitol. (Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)
Carla Peck, 69, took work off to attend the memorial alongside her 2-year-old golden retriever Ollie.
Peck didn’t know much about the Hortmans until they were killed, but she thought it important to attend.
“I wanted to show respect and appreciation for what the Hortmans did for the state of Minnesota. I thought it’s important to bring my golden because goldens are great to share the love. Dogs are very healing,” Peck said.
Dave Woosley, 65, drove over an hour from Hastings to the Capitol to pay his respects. He didn’t know Melissa Hortman, but he had heard of the extensive amount of work she was able to get done in the Legislature.
“I thought it was important for our fellow citizens to see that we can all come together, whether we agree with her or disagree with her. Just have respect for not only Melissa, but this institution,” Woosley said.
Susi Hawkinson carries native yarrow she harvested as she waits to pay her respects while Melissa and Mark Hortman lie in state Friday, June 27, 2025 at the Minnesota State Capitol. (Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)
Jeff Kolstad, 79, met Hortman in passing while doorknocking and respected her work on the environment. Flowers in hand, he stood in line with his dog Gracie, who “wanted to pay a tribute to Gilbert.”
A private funeral for the Hortmans will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. It will be livestreamed.
Thousands file inside to pay their respects as Melissa and Mark Hortman lie in state, along with their dog Gilbert Friday, June 27, 2025, at the Minnesota State Capitol. (Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)
The Boil Water Notice issued Wednesday by the City of Cleveland, due to a 2-inch water line break, has been lifted.
Andrea Smith, Water Distribution Operator, City of Cleveland Public Works, said the notice affected city water customers on the West side of West Underwood Street, from 163 West Underwood Street to West Kytle Street, including 403 West Kytle Street and 515 West Kytle Street.
The advisory affected two businesses, Family Promise and Mt. Yonah Veterinarian.
The city notified Friday afternoon that water test results cleared the way to lift the boil water notice.
Affected water customers can resume normal water use.
The Baldwin Water Department has partially lifted a boil water advisory it issued earlier this week following a water main break in the 6200 block of Willingham Avenue.
Areas no longer under advisory include: Airport Road, Apple Pie Ridge Subdivision, Baldwin Falls Road, Baldwin Heights Road, Banks Ridge Subdivision, Bruce Street, Chatham Street, Church Street, Crooked Pine Trail, Crumbly Drive, Davidson Street, Heindel Street, Ivory Drive, Kimsey Street, King Street, Landrum Street, Light Street, Park Avenue, Parker Street, Peach Orchard Road, Perry Manor Drive, Ridge Circle, Scott Avenue, Shore Street, Smokerise Drive, Stonepile Street, Sunrise Ridge, Walden Street, Willingham Avenue, Williams Street.
Water samples collected from these areas tested negative for harmful bacteria. Baldwin water customers in these areas may resume normal water use.
Banks County customers located south of the SR 441 and Old 441 intersection remain under a boil water advisory until further notice.
Correction: This article has been updated to reflect that the boil water advisory remains in effect for Banks County customers.
Brenda Waldon Cooper, 80, of Sautee Nacoochee, passed away peacefully on Thursday, June 26, 2025, at her home surrounded by her family.
Brenda was preceded in death by her parents, Ralph and Mattie Kate Waldon. She is survived by her husband, Donald Lamar Cooper; sister, Jacqueline Whitesides (Harold); nephew, Keith Whitesides (Ludis); niece, Kathy McLean (Terry); and grand-niece and nephews, Stephanie, Andrew, and Roger McLean.
Brenda and Don are members of Helen First Baptist Church, where, before her illness, they were very active in church ministries and Sunday School.
Brenda was born in Brunswick, GA, and grew up in Jonesboro, GA. She graduated from Jonesboro High School and from Emory University with a B.S. in Biology and obtained her M.S. degree in Biology from Georgia Institute of Technology.
Brenda spent 33 years educating Georgia students with a genuine interest in each student. She first taught in the Metro Atlanta schools, then taught at Briarcliff in DeKalb County. After that, she became a counselor at Point South in Clayton County. She then took the position of Assistant Principal at Riverdale Elementary School. She concluded her career as the Elementary Science Coordinator for the Clayton County school system.
Brenda loved animals from an early age. Her first horse was “Lady Luck,” and throughout her life, she raised Paso Fino horses. She always loved having Shepherds, Shelties, and Dachshunds. Brenda is also known and admired as an avid gardener; her yard has often been described as “Better Homes and Gardens.”
She loved life and was an inspiration to her family and all who knew her. Her generosity and outreach to anyone in need were remarkable; she spent untold hours ministering to family, friends, and neighbors.
A celebration of her life will be scheduled at a later date for family and friends.
