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Spradlin outlines growth-focused vision as Habersham Chamber chair

By
Patrick Fargason
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(NowGeorgia.com)

CLARKESVILLE, Ga. — Jeremy Spradlin says his goal as the 2026 chairman of the Habersham County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors is to ensure the organization is “not just active but effective, strategic and impactful.”

Spradlin, who serves full time as Northeast area manager for Georgia Power, said his priorities center on strengthening the Chamber’s role as “a spark for economic vitality” in Habersham County.

“For 2026, that means accelerating business growth and retention, particularly for small businesses,” Spradlin said. “Expanding workforce development initiatives to align with Partnership Habersham, Raider Up and North Georgia Technical College. Increasing member value through stronger meaningful programming, data-driven insights, and more opportunities for networking.”

He said success should be measurable.

“Businesses choose to expand rather than relocate. New startups launching and sustaining operations beyond the first few years. A steady pipeline of qualified workers. Increased Chamber membership engagement and satisfaction,” Spradlin said. “Ultimately, success means the business community feels supported, connected and optimistic about the future.”

Focus on key sectors

Spradlin said small businesses and startups remain a top focus because they are “the greatest source of job creation.”

He also pointed to tourism and hospitality as critical to local tax revenue and community identity, and healthcare as essential to workforce recruitment and retention.

“We are so proud of our partnership with Northeast Georgia Medical Center,” he said.

He described those sectors as offering “a strong return on investment” and directly influencing local economic resilience.

Membership and measurable impact

Spradlin acknowledged the Chamber’s two-person staff and said the organization is working to ensure programming focuses on quality over quantity.
“We have had feedback that we need to refocus events and programming based more on quality than quantity,” he said.

He said the Chamber measures its effectiveness through attendance and engagement metrics, member satisfaction surveys, business success stories, workforce program outcomes and economic indicators tied to Chamber initiatives.

“The goal is to make decisions based on data — not assumptions,” Spradlin said.

To recruit and retain members, especially small or new businesses, the Chamber is offering tiered membership options, hands-on support such as ribbon cuttings and marketing spotlights, strengthened peer networking groups and increased one-on-one engagement.

“Retention improves when members clearly see the value the Chamber delivers,” he said.

Partnerships and infrastructure

Spradlin said collaboration will be central to the Chamber’s strategy in 2026.

“Strong partnerships make economic development possible,” he said, citing local governments, schools, technical colleges, private education institutions and workforce agencies. “Our community succeeds when we work as one team.”

He also sees alignment between his role at Georgia Power and the Chamber’s economic development goals.

“Infrastructure is the backbone of economic growth,” Spradlin said. “When utility planning and economic development work hand-in-hand, we strengthen our ability to attract jobs and investment, which in turn makes our communities resilient.”

Advocacy and stability

Spradlin said the Chamber should serve as a “convener and a voice of reason” on local policy issues affecting business.

“We need to advocate for a business-friendly environment without diving into partisan politics,” he said. “The goal is to help shape smart policies that support economic growth.”

Reflecting on recent leadership transitions within the Chamber, Spradlin said the organization has learned the importance of “clear communication, well-defined roles and patience and grace during a time of change.”

“We’re committed to stability, transparency and consistency moving forward,” he said. “It’s helped us come out stronger.”

Addressing business challenges

Spradlin said workforce shortages, rising labor and material costs, increasing insurance expenses and difficulty staying visible remain major challenges for local businesses.

The Chamber, he said, can respond by offering workforce programs, advocating for streamlined processes and providing marketing and visibility support.

He also highlighted new initiatives, including workforce collaboratives linking employers with schools, modernized digital tools for member engagement, small business accelerator programs and the Leadership Habersham program aimed at cultivating youth and adult leaders.

“These initiatives position the Chamber as an innovator, not just a facilitator,” Spradlin said.

‘Meaningful work’

Balancing his Georgia Power responsibilities with his Chamber leadership role requires careful time management, Spradlin said, but he views the position as more than an obligation.

“The Chamber role isn’t extra work, it’s meaningful work,” he said. “I care deeply about the communities I serve. I believe businesses are the fuel for our local economy. Many small business owners bet everything on their business being successful — they deserve a fighting chance.”

He added, “We want to provide our members with a voice.”

Buena Vista woman arrested for malice murder of husband

By
Robbie Watson
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Amanda Jackson charged with murder of Phillip Jackson (Unlikely Goat/Facebook)

The GBI has arrested and charged Amanda Jackson, age 45, of Buena Vista, Georgia, with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of certain crimes, in connection with the death of Phillip Jackson, age 58, of Buena Vista, Georgia. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office requested the GBI to assist with an aggravated assault investigation on January 31, 2026.

On January 31, 2026, deputies responded to a domestic violence call involving Phillip and Amanda Jackson at a home on GA Highway 41 in Buena Vista, Marion County, Georgia. When deputies arrived, they found Phillip Jackson with a single gunshot wound to the chest. Phillip Jackson was taken to the hospital, where he died on February 7, 2026.

Amanda Jackson was initially charged on February 2, 2026, with aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of certain crimes. After Phillip Jackson died, she was also charged with malice murder and felony murder on February 9, 2026.

Amanda Jackson was taken into custody at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office on February 9, 2026, without incident.

This investigation is active and ongoing. If anyone has any information regarding this case, please contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Americus, Georgia, at 229-931-2439 or the Marion County Sheriff’s Office in Buena Vista, Georgia, at 229-649-3841. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.

This case will be prosecuted by the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office.

Bondi clashes with Democrats as she struggles to turn the page on Epstein files furor

By
Associated Press
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Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Pam Bondi launched into a passionate defense of Donald Trump on Wednesday as she tried to turn the page from relentless criticism of the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, repeatedly shouting at Democrats during a combative hearing in which she postured herself as the Republican president’s chief protector.

Besieged by questions over Epstein and accusations of a weaponized Justice Department, Bondi aggressively pivoted in an extraordinary speech in which she mocked her Democratic questioners, praised Trump over the performance of the stock market and openly aligned herself as in sync with a president whom she painted as a victim of past impeachments and investigations.

“You sit here and you attack the president and I’m not going to have it,” Bondi told lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee. “I am not going to put up with it.”

With victims of Epstein seated behind her in the hearing room, Bondi forcefully defended the department’s handling of the files related to the well-connected financier, an issue that has dogged her tenure. She accused Democrats of using the Epstein files to distract from Trump’s successes, even though it was Republicans who initiated the furor over the records and Bondi herself fanned the flames by distributing binders to conservative influencers at the White House last year.

The hearing quickly devolved into a partisan brawl, with Bondi repeatedly lobbing insults at Democrats while insisting she was not “going to get in the gutter” with them. In one particularly fiery exchange, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland accused Bondi of refusing to answer his questions, prompting the attorney general to call the top Democrat on the committee a “washed-up loser lawyer — not even a lawyer.”

Aiming to help Bondi amid an onslaught of Democratic criticism, Republicans tried to keep the focus on bread-and-butter law enforcement issues like violent crime and illegal immigration. Bondi, for her part, repeatedly deflected questions from Democrats, responding instead with attacks seemingly gleaned from news headlines as she sought to cast them as disinterested in violence in their districts. Democrats grew exasperated as Bondi declined time and again to directly answer.

“This is pathetic. This is pathetic,” said Rep. Becca Balint, a Vermont Democrat who tried to ask Bondi about different Trump administration officials revealed to have had ties to Epstein. “I am not asking trick questions here. The American people have a right to know the answers to this.”

Bondi has struggled to move past the backlash over the Epstein files since she handed out the binders to a group of social media influencers in February 2025. The binders included no new revelations about Epstein, leading to even more calls from Trump’s base for the files to be released.

In her opening remarks, Bondi told Epstein victims to come forward to law enforcement with any information about their abuse and said she was “deeply sorry” for what they had suffered. She told the survivors that “any accusation of criminal wrongdoing will be taken seriously and investigated.”

But she refused when pressed by Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., to turn and face the Epstein victims in the audience and apologize for what Trump’s Justice Department has “put them through.” She accused the Democrat of “theatrics.”

Bondi’s appearance on Capitol Hill came a year into her tumultuous tenure, which has amplified concerns that the Justice Department is using its law enforcement powers to target political foes of the president. Just a day earlier, the department sought to secure charges against Democratic lawmakers who produced a video urging military service members not to follow “illegal orders.” But in an extraordinary rebuke of prosecutors, a grand jury in Washington refused to return an indictment.

Turning aside criticism that the Justice Department under her watch has become politicized, Bondi touted the department’s work to reduce violent crime and said she was determined to restore the department to its core missions after what she described as “years of bloated bureaucracy and political weaponization.”

GOP Rep. Jim Jordan praised Bondi for undoing actions under President Joe Biden’s Justice Department that Republicans say unfairly targeted conservatives — including Trump, who was charged in two federal criminal cases that were abandoned after his 2024 election victory.

“What a difference a year makes,” Jordan said. “Under Attorney General Bondi, the DOJ has returned to its core missions — upholding the rule of law, going after the bad guys and keeping Americans safe.”

Democrats, meanwhile, excoriated Bondi over haphazard redactions in the Epstein files that exposed intimate details about victims and included nude photographs. A review by The Associated Press and other news organizations has found countless examples of sloppy, inconsistent or nonexistent redactions that have revealed sensitive private information.

“You’re siding with the perpetrators and you’re ignoring the victims,” Raskin told Bondi in his opening statement. “That will be your legacy unless you act quickly to change the course. You’re running a massive Epstein cover-up right out of the Department of Justice.”

Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who broke with his party to advance the legislation that forced the released of the Epstein files, also took Bondi to task for the release of victims’ personal information, telling her, “Literally the worst thing you could do to survivors, you did.”

Bondi told Massie that he was only focused on the files because Trump is mentioned in them, calling him a “hypocrite” with “Trump derangement syndrome.”

Department officials have said they took pains to protect survivors, but errors were inevitable given the volume of the materials and the speed at which the department had to release them. Bondi told lawmakers that the Justice Department had taken down files when it was made aware that they included victims’ information and said staff had tried to do their “very best in the time frame allotted by the legislation” mandating the release of the files.

After raising the expectations of conservatives with promises of transparency last year, the Justice Department said in July that it had concluded a review and determined that no Epstein “client list” existed and there was no reason to make additional files public. That set off a furor that prompted Congress to pass legislation demanding that the Justice Department release the files.

The acknowledgment that the well-connected Epstein did not have a list of clients to whom underage girls were trafficked represented a public walk-back of a theory that the Trump administration had helped promote when Bondi suggested in a Fox News interview last year that it was sitting on her desk for review. Bondi later said she was referring to the Epstein files in total, not a specific client list.

President Trump wants the federal government to run elections in Atlanta. Is that possible?

By
Chase McGee
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Georgia General Election 2020 ballots are loaded by the FBI onto trucks at the Fulton County Election HUB, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Union City, Ga., near Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

(GPB News) – President Donald Trump has suggested at least twice that the federal government “run” elections in 15 states, including Georgia.

That was after the Department of Justice seized 700 boxes of 2020 ballots from Fulton County.

It’s been more than five years since President Trump lost in Georgia in the 2020 presidential election, which he still —without evidence — insists was rigged.

On Jan. 28, federal agents raided a warehouse in Fulton County and seized the boxes of 2020 ballots.

Less than a week later, on former FBI deputy director Dan Bongino’s podcast, Trump promised those ballots would prove him right.

“Now you’re gonna see something in Georgia where they were able to get with the court order and the ballots, you’re going to see some interesting things come out,” he promised “But you know, like the 2020 election, I won that election by so much. Everybody knows it.”

Days later, in the Oval Office, Trump doubled down.

“Take a look at Detroit. Take a look in Pennsylvania. Take a look at Philadelphia. You go take a look in Atlanta. Look at some of the places that — horrible corruption on elections,” he said. “And the federal government should not allow that. The federal government should get involved.”

Lori Ringhand is a professor of law at the University of Georgia. She said that it would be unprecedented in modern history for the federal government to take over the administration of an election in the states.

Trump can’t do it alone, she said. It would require an act of Congress.

“And frankly, I don’t think Congress would enact a law,” she said. “That’s creating a massive federal bureaucracy to do something that’s just not going to work very well.”

She said the effort would struggle under legal scrutiny, and this Congress doesn’t seem to have an appetite for that kind of legislation.

Congress is considering a bill called the SAVE Act, which would include a national requirement of proof of citizenship to vote. But Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters that’s as far as he wants to go.

“There are other views probably when it comes to nationalizing or federalizing elections,” Thune said, “but I think at least on that narrow issue, which is what the SAVE Act gets at, I think that’s what the president was addressing.”

Georgia Republicans aren’t on board, either. Georgia GOP Chairman Josh McKoon says he’d rather see the five members of the State Election Board step in.

“I want a level playing field and I don’t feel like we get that in Fulton County at all under the current leadership,” McKoon said. “And so I think that the State Election Board ought to make that finding and it to be placed under state management.”

But the State Election Board has so far said it isn’t interested, either.

President Trump has previously tried to shape election policy through his use of executive orders. Those are still tied up in the courts.

Andra Gillespie, a political scientist at Emory University, said the president could use the repeatedly discredited claims of fraud in the 2020 ballots to justify declaring an electoral emergency, and then try to intervene.

“I expect that even if he does go down that route, that he’s going to get a lot of pushback, in part because states retain the power to control their own elections,” she said. “And so I think it becomes a question of whether or not you see secretaries of states and governors and state legislators who would go along with this particular gambit.”

That seems unlikely in Georgia. For instance, while nearly a dozen states including Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas have turned over their voter rolls to the federal government, Georgia has not.

That’s because Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who President Trump asked to find 11,780 votes back in 2021, says he won’t do it.

Ricky Harold Watson

By
Now Georgia
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Ricky Harold Watson, age 68, of Demorest, Georgia, passed away on February 11, 2026.

Ricky was born on May 15, 1957, in Asheville, North Carolina, to the late Charlie and Betty Watson. Ricky proudly served our Nation in the United States Marine Corps. He was a long-time resident of Franklin, North Carolina, but he spent the last few years in Demorest, Georgia. He was a dedicated and much-loved member of the Shade Tree Motorcycle Group. Ricky was a warm person to family and friends; he could be described as a kind-hearted and generous individual.

Ricky loved his family and will be missed dearly. He was loved by family and friends always and forever.

Ricky is preceded in death by his parents, Charlie and Betty Watson, brother-in-laws, Junior Elmo, and Charlie Heathman, and sister-in-law, Betty White.

Ricky is survived by Dottie Watson, his children and spouses, Travis and Stephanie Bennett, Jeason and Natosha Watson, Daniel Watson and Christopher Watson; his grandchildren, Caden and Corbin Bennett, Alexis, Sharlee, Tristyn, and Avary Watson, Colby, Kimberly Watson, Ethan, Elliot, and Caroline Watson; a great-granddaughter, Ella Jenkins.

A Celebration of Ricky’s life will be announced at a later date.

An online guest register is available and may be viewed at www.habershamcrematory.com

Habersham Crematory (678-617-2210) of Cornelia is in charge of arrangements.

French duo Beaudry and Cizeron beat US stars Chock and Bates in controversial Olympic ice dance

By
Dave Skretta, AP Sports Writer
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Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France react to their scores after competing during the ice dancing free skate in figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

MILAN (AP) — Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron arrived at the Milan Cortina Olympics amid a swirl of controversy, with the French ice dancers hoping to upset the dominant American duo of Madison Chock and Evan Bates when it mattered most.

They will leave with a gold medal.

Maybe a little bit more controversy, too.

Beaudry and Cizeron answered a season-best free dance by Chock and Bates with a season best of their own Wednesday night, giving them 225.82 points and the top step of the podium. Chock and Bates finished with 224.39 and a bittersweet silver medal after having lost just four times in the four years since they finished fourth at the Beijing Games.

“We’re still in shock,” said Cizeron, who also became the first skater to win back-to-back ice dance gold with different partners, having won previously with Gabriella Papadakis. “Looking back a year ago, when we started dreaming this, it’s pretty incredible.”

There were some who viewed their victory as unbelievable.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States compete during the ice dancing free skate in figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Cizeron made several mistakes, including a glaring one during his twizzle sequence, while Chock and Bates were nearly perfect. Yet the French judge favored the French skaters by nearly eight points in the free dance, while five of the nine judges favored the American team. The other three that gave top marks to Beaudry and Cizeron did so by a slim margin.

“I feel like in life, sometimes you can feel like you do everything right and it doesn’t go your way, and that’s life in sports,” said Bates, who along with Chock won a second straight gold medal in the team event earlier in the Winter Games. “It’s a subjective sport. It is a judged sport. But I think one fact that is indisputable is that we delivered our best. We skated our best.”

Even more awkward: The French and American teams are intimiately familiar with each other because they have the same coaches — Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon and Romain Haguenauer — and train at the renowned Ice Academy of Montreal.

The Canadian team of Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier earned the bronze medal with 217.74 points, pulling away from the Italian team of Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri and the British duo of Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson with a deeply emotional free skate.

“I usually prefer Guillaume and Laurence,” Fabbri said, speaking candidly following the medal ceremony. “But today, in my opinion, they didn’t skate so well. So I think Madison and Evan would have deserved to win.”

Beaudry and Cizeron arrived at the Winter Games with controversy hanging over them stemming from their former partners.

This time last year, Beaudry was wondering whether she would even compete this season after Skate Canada banned her partner and longtime boyfriend, Nikolaj Sorensen, amid allegations of “sexual maltreatment.” Beaudry has maintained his innocence and the suspension was overturned in June on jurisdictional grounds, but the case is still pending.

Cizeron stepped away from competition after the 2022 season, shortly after his Olympic triumph, and retired two years ago. But the chance to make a comeback with Beaudry, who was ninth with Sorensen at the Beijing Games, was too good to pass up.

Beaudry and Cizeron won every event they entered this season save the Grand Prix Final, when they finished second to Chock and Bates in their previous head-to-head meeting. But their smooth ride to Milan was shaken up when Papadakis wrote in her new memoir that Cizeron had been demanding, controlling and manipulative toward her — accusations he called a “smear campaign.”

“It’s been quite a challenge that we set out to do,” Cizeron said. “I think from the beginning we tried to create a bubble where we really supported each other through everything, and we’ve been through some incredibly hard moments. But I think the love we have for each other and for the sport really draws through, and it kind of helped us keep our heads on our shoulders.”

Beaudry and Cizeron hardly seemed distracted by any of it Monday night, when they edged Chock and Bates in the rhythm dance.

The French team most definitely was not distracted by anything Wednesday night.

It would have been easy to be thrown off, too, the way Chock and Bates performed in the minutes before them.

Skating to an orchestral version of “Paint it Black” from the dystopian sci-fi show “Westworld,” they turned in the kind of program that they have spent the last 15 years together working toward. Every movement seemed to be in perfect harmony, and the flamenco-styled choreography had the crowd clapping along with them.

The only question left was whether the husband-wife team had done enough to earn the one medal that has eluded them.

It looked as if Beaudry and Cizeron gave them an opening with a bobble on their twizzles. But they soon settled into their program, set to the soundtrack from “The Whale,” and moved as if they were under water with a marvelous degree of refined elegance.

As their winning score was read, Chock and Bates joined the crowd inside the Milano Ice Skating Arena in politely applauding them.

Then, an hour later, Chock was fighting back tears in a tunnel far from the ice.

“It’s definitely a bittersweet feeling at the moment,” she said. “We have had the most incredible year — fifteen years on the ice together. First Olympics as a married couple. And we delivered four of our best performances this week. I think we’re really proud of how we handled ourselves here and what we accomplished.”

FBI combs desert terrain for clues in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance

By
Associated Press
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Law enforcement agents check vegetation areas around Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson, Ariz., Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Fresh surveillance images from Nancy Guthrie’s porch the night she went missing, coupled with intense police activity across Arizona and the detention of a man had raised hopes that authorities were nearing a major break.

But then the man was released after questioning, leaving it unclear Wednesday where the investigation stood into last week’s disappearance of Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie.

FBI agents carrying water bottles to beat the 80-degree F (26.7-degree C) heat walked among rocks and desert vegetation at Guthrie’s Tucson-area home. They also fanned out across a neighborhood about a mile (1.6 kilometers) away, knocking on doors and searching through cactuses, bushes and boulders.

Several hundred detectives and agents are now assigned to the investigation, which is expanding in the area, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department said.

In a nearby neighborhood, two investigators emerged from daughter Annie Guthrie’s home with a paper grocery sack and a white trash bag. One, still wearing blue protective gloves, also took a stack of mail from the roadside mailbox. They drove away without speaking to reporters.

Barb Dutrow, who was jogging through a neighborhood where teams were searching, said an FBI agent told her they were looking for anything that might have been tossed from a car. Dutrow, who was visiting from Louisiana for a convention, said she “can’t imagine the feeling of the family of having their mother taken.”

A day earlier, authorities said they had stopped a man near the U.S.-Mexico border, just hours after the FBI released videos of a person wearing a gun holster, ski mask and backpack and approaching Nancy Guthrie’s home in Tucson. The man told media outlets early Wednesday that he was released after several hours and had nothing to do with Guthrie’s disappearance last week.

Authorities have not said what led them to stop the man Tuesday but confirmed he was released. The sheriff’s department said its deputies and FBI agents also searched a location in Rio Rico, a city south of Tucson where the man lives.

It was the latest twist in an investigation that has gripped the nation since Nancy Guthrie disappeared on Feb. 1. Until Tuesday, it seemed authorities were making little headway in determining what happened to her or finding who was responsible.

The black and white images released by the FBI showing a masked person trying to cover a doorbell camera on Guthrie’s porch marked the first significant break in the case. But the images did not show what happened to her or help determine whether she is still alive.

FBI Director Kash Patel said investigators spent days trying to find lost, corrupted or inaccessible images.

Even though the images do not show the person’s face, investigators are hopeful someone will know who was on the porch. More than 4,000 calls came into the Pima County sheriff’s tip line within the past 24 hours, the department said Wednesday afternoon.

Authorities have said for more than a week that they believe Nancy Guthrie was taken against her will. She was last seen at home Jan. 31 and reported missing the next day. DNA tests showed blood on her porch was hers, authorities said.

Savannah Guthrie posted the new surveillance images on social media and said the family believes their mother is still alive.

The longtime NBC host and her two siblings have indicated a willingness to pay a ransom.

It is not known whether ransom notes demanding money with deadlines that have already passed were authentic, and whether the family has had any contact with whoever took Guthrie.

TMZ reported it received a message Wednesday from someone claiming to know the kidnapper’s identity and that they unsuccessfully tried to reach Savannah Guthrie’s brother and sister. The person asked for bitcoin in exchange for the information, TMZ said. The FBI did not immediately respond to a message.

Authorities have said Nancy Guthrie takes several medications and there was concern from the start that she could die without them.

Story written by AP journalist Ty O’Neil

Four guilty of smash and grab at Harris County gun store

By
Robbie Watson
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According to officials, a stolen truck smashed through the front door of Alan’s Armory in Cataula in the early morning hours of Sept. 16, 2022. (Source: Google Maps)

HARRIS COUNTY, Ga. — Four defendants guilty of smashing a stolen truck into a Harris County, Georgia, gun shop and stealing 31 firearms, then attempting to sell them, were sentenced for their crimes in federal court this week.

“Stealing and selling firearms online poses a serious threat to community safety and will not be tolerated by our office and law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes. “Thanks to local and federal collaboration, these defendants are being held accountable for trafficking illegal firearms into our community.”

“Criminals who engage in the theft and illegal sale of firearms are not only violating the law; they are endangering the safety of our communities. The ATF is committed to pursuing these individuals relentlessly,” said ATF Atlanta Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka.

“Harris County Sheriff’s Office was proud to partner up with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and ATF to obtain a successful outcome to this type of investigation and prosecution. It is gratifying to take criminals off the street and place them behind bars,” said Harris County Sheriff Mike Jolley.

The following defendants were sentenced to prison on Feb. 10:

  • Jareco Green, 27, of Eufaula, Alabama, was sentenced to serve 120 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to one count of theft of firearms from a federal firearms licensee on July 23, 2025;
  • Darious McCall, 22, of Eufaula, was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to one count of theft of firearms from a federal firearms licensee on Oct. 27, 2025;
  • Zyrion Fryer, 23, of Eufaula, was sentenced to serve 37 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to one count of theft of firearms from a federal firearms licensee on July 23, 2025; and
  • Shamonica Davis, 25, of Phenix City, Alabama, was sentenced to serve five years of probation after she pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a stolen firearm on Nov. 18, 2025.

U.S. District Judge Clay Land presided over the case. There is no parole in the federal system.

Break-in

According to court documents and statements in court, a stolen truck smashed through the front door of Alan’s Armory, a federal firearms licensee, in Harris County, in the early morning of Sept. 16, 2022. Co-defendants Green, McCall and Fryer, all wearing ski masks, were filmed by security cameras emerging from the truck and stealing 31 pistols and rifles from the gun store. Harris County Sheriff’s Office investigators recovered evidence at the scene and confirmed the stolen truck. Using the Flock camera system, police in Troy, Alabama, alerted the stolen truck in their jurisdiction on Sept. 22, 2022. Law enforcement found the vehicle parked near the Family Firearms gun shop, then observed the truck drive to a nearby apartment complex, where Green then ran from the truck into the woods.

Inside the truck, officers found a black sweatshirt, two camouflage gloves, a pack of cigarettes, a black ski mask and a red Apple iPhone directly behind the truck. They seized a gym bag matching the description of a bag carried by one of the Alan’s Armory burglars. Inside was a semi-automatic pistol stolen from Alan ‘s Armory. A search warrant executed on the iPhone, belonging to McCall, found a plethora of evidence, including searches for pawn shops; pistols; gun shops; directions to Alan’s Armory 20 minutes before the burglary; missed calls from Green’s girlfriend, codefendant Davis, during the burglary; photos of McCall brandishing a stolen firearm the day after the burglary; and more. Green’s DNA was found on the black ski mask found outside the stolen truck. Law enforcement discovered the defendants were selling the guns online, with codefendant Davis referring to them as “shoes” and sharing photos of the stolen firearms when asked for images of the “shoes.”

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the Eufala, Alabama, Police Department and the Troy, Alabama, Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamara Jarrett prosecuted the case for the Government.

Florist delivers happiness

By
Mitzi Oxford
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(David Benefield at Highland Hall Facebook page)

Happiness has a scent and it’s blooming at David Benefield’s Highland Hall. The floral presentation may not be for that Queen, but the Queen in your life. 

We are very close to springing into the next season. David and his team are already gearing up for those visits and deliveries with bouquets of roses, hydrangeas, bromeliads, orchids, and many more beautiful bouquets. 

Greeters in top hats welcome Jed Harris and Mary Flanagan to the popular holiday open house at the end of October.
Inside Highland Hall during the Christmas season is magic.

The Christmas Open House at Highland Hall is magical and draws more than 200 guests in late October to kick off holiday decorating and gift buying, but flowers are for more than one season. Valentine’s Day is coming up this weekend. It’s another busy time for Benefield. 

“Customers love being the first to get flowers for their wife or girlfriend and the glass hearts made by local artisan Sally Denham,” he said.  

Delivering happiness

David Benefield was born in Clayton, Alabama. His family was dirt poor. He walked miles to get a job at 16 years old. That position as a delivery boy at Darryl’s Florist in Eufaula was his happy place. 

“After graduating from high school, I attended Wallace Community College. I thought about becoming a social worker but ended up loving my work with the florist because it made everyone so happy.” 

In some respects, Benefield did become a social worker albeit in a different way. In a study by psychology professors at Rutgers University, “The presence of flowers triggers happy emotions, heightens feelings of life satisfaction and affects social behavior in a positive manner far beyond what is normally believed.” 

From St. Elmo to Highland Hall 

You might have first encountered his floral ability at Ann’s Porch in the St. Elmo Shopping Center across from Lakebottom Park. He worked for Ann Johnston from 1985 until he bought the business in 2000. 

Hunter and Trent always deliver flowers from Highland Hall with a smile.

Eighteen years later, Benefield purchased Highland Hall from local artist Gloria Mani. The 1857 Greek Revival home is on the National Register of Historic Places. The beauty and architecture of Highland Hall are the perfect backdrop for his floral creations. 

It is also the perfect setting for any holiday or special occasion shopping when flowers say it best. As you can imagine, weddings keep him busy. 

“We like to have brides and their mothers come in to look at the flowers for the wedding right after the bridesmaid’s luncheon to ensure they are happy for their big day.” 

No matter what it takes, David and his team are up to the task for making a wedding a special occasion

Apparently, it works. David Benefield at Highland Hall is booked for weddings in March and for some weddings in 2027. 

Sharing expertise

Highland Hall has proven to be a popular choice for Garden Club meetings

Other groups that love coming together at Highland Hall include area Garden Clubs. 

“We host between seven and nine of those each year, with around 30 guests at a time. I show the members how to do floral arrangements, and we offer door prizes.” 

David Benefield at Highland Hall doesn’t advertise because after 40 years of business, he has made thousands of lifelong friends. 

“If you treat people right and make them happy, they will come back. Word of mouth has helped make us successful. We are blessed.” 

No David, perhaps we are the ones blessed that you are serving up beauty and happiness. 

You can call David Benefield at Highland Hall at 706-324-4881 or follow on Facebook.

US House approves bill mandating proof of citizenship for voting in federal elections

By
Ashley Murray
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Booths await voters at the Pennington County Administration Building during early voting on Jan. 19, 2026, for a municipal election in Rapid City, South Dakota. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight)

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House passed legislation Wednesday that would require the public to produce a passport or birth certificate in most cases to register to vote, less than a year out from November midterm elections.

The 218-213 vote split mostly along party lines, with one Democrat, Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas, breaking with his party to support the measure. One Republican, North Carolina’s Greg Murphy, did not vote.

Republicans argued the bill, dubbed by House Republicans as the “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act,” or the SAVE America Act, will prevent noncitizens from voting in federal elections, which is already illegal and rare.

The Senate is considering its own version of the bill.

The GOP’s championing of the bill follows President Donald Trump’s comments advocating to nationalize elections, a mid-decade campaign to redraw state congressional districts in Republicans’ favor and more than two dozen Department of Justice lawsuits demanding Democratic-led states turn over unredacted voter rolls to the Department of Homeland Security.

The bill also includes a provision requiring each state to send an “official list of eligible voters for federal office” to Homeland Security to be run through the department’s database to identify any noncitizens.

‘Show your papers’

The legislation has attracted sharp criticism from Democrats and voting rights advocates as a “show your papers” law that will disenfranchise the roughly 146 million Americans who do not have a passport.

They say it would also affect those without ready access to a birth certificate and married women whose last names do not match the name appearing on birth records.

If passed by both chambers and signed into law by Trump, the measure would take effect immediately.

“Republicans know that they cannot win on the merits, so rather than change their policies, they’re seeking to change the rules. John Lewis was not bludgeoned on a bridge in my hometown for the Republicans and Donald Trump to take these rules away from us,” said Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., invoking the late Democratic Rep. John Lewis, who was beaten in 1965 in Selma, Alabama, during a march for voting rights.

“This is a blatant power grab, as Democrats will not stand for it,” Sewell, whose district includes Selma, said on the floor ahead of the vote.

Sean Morales-Doyle, director of voting rights and elections at the Brennan Center for Justice, said the timing of the measure, if enacted, would cause “maximum chaos.”

“A change of this magnitude to our election system right before an election would be not only terrible in substance in that it would block Americans from voting, but would also be chaos-causing,” Morales-Doyle said.

“It would change the rules that govern our elections and government registration right when that is happening at the highest rate. … There’s always a huge increase in registration in the run-up to an election.”

‘Daggum ID’

But Republicans argue the legislation provides “safeguards” to ensure only U.S. citizens vote, as Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said on the floor ahead of the vote.

“House Republicans and President Trump want to protect the ballot box and ensure integrity in our elections across this great country,” Burchett said.

“When you purchase a firearm, when you board a plane, when you open a bank account — if I put $100 in the bank and right then ask for $20 of it back, guess what: I gotta show a daggum ID,” Burchett continued.

Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., said Democrats’ arguments against the bill amounted to “hyperbole.”

“We should be checking and cleaning up the voter rolls and removing individuals who are not eligible to vote, because every citizen deserves the right to vote,” he said.

Claims of noncitizen voting in federal elections represent “tiny fractions of voters,” according to a July 2025 analysis from The Center for Election Innovation and Research. The report was updated this month.

Murkowski not on board

The Senate version, sponsored by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, may face stronger headwinds.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, issued a statement on social media Tuesday saying she won’t support the legislation.

“Not only does the U.S. Constitution clearly provide states the authority to regulate the ‘times, places, and manner’ of holding federal elections, but one-size-fits-all mandates from Washington, D.C., seldom work in places like Alaska,” Murkowski wrote, adding that changing procedures so close to the midterms would “negatively impact election integrity.”

Buddhist monks draw thousands to Lincoln Memorial on final day of their 15-week journey from Texas

By
Associated Press
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Lincoln Memorial (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

A group of Buddhist monks ended their 108-day Walk for Peace from Texas to Washington with a ceremony on Wednesday afternoon at the Lincoln Memorial, where thousands gathered to hear them speak.

The 19 monks — led by the Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara and joined by his dog, Aloka — walked 2,300 miles across several Southern states — sometimes in frigid conditions — drawing large crowds in churchyards, city halls and town squares. The group, with its message of peace, has captured hearts across the nation and globe, earning it millions of online followers.

From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Pannakara urged everyone to practice mindfulness and to always choose kindness, compassion, love, harmony and hope.

“The Walk for Peace is not a protest, it is not to convert,” the monk said, his words ringing out in pin-drop silence. “It’s a reminder that hope still exists when people are willing to care. Hope is the final light that must never go out.”

Buddhist monks reach the Lincoln Memorial, during their Walk for Peace, in Washington, Wednesday, Feb., 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

On Wednesday morning, the monks walked single file under bright blue skies, on the warmest day since a snowstorm hit the region more than two weeks ago. The group was followed by about 100 other monks and nuns who had joined them in Washington.

Behind them was a sea of people marching silently, some carrying peace signs. More than 21,000 people followed the livestream online from around the globe, posting messages in Spanish, Hindi, Thai, Portuguese, Sinhalese and many more.

Several monks representing Buddhists in Canada, Myanmar, Cambodia and Thailand commended the monks’ effort. The Venerable Ratanaguna, abbot of the Fort Worth temple and Pannakara’s teacher, said he was happy to see the walk bring together such a diverse group of people in Washington.

Monks receive message from the Dalai Lama

Buddhist monks who are participating in a Walk for Peace, walk near the Lincoln Memorial, in Washington, Wednesday, Feb., 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Tencho Gyatso, niece of the 14th Dalai Lama and president of the International Campaign for Tibet, read a commendation from the 90-year-old monk appreciating the monks’ commitment to “promote national healing, unity and compassion.”

“Their initiative illustrates how religious practitioners can contribute in a constructive way to social harmony and public dialogue,” the Dalai Lama said in the statement.

Crowds cheered and thanked the monks from sidewalks as they walked from George Washington University, where they stopped for the night, to Capitol Hill. The monks were greeted by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as they walked near the Peace Monument on Capitol Hill.

Bhikkhu Pannakara walks over flowers near the Peace Monument on Capitol Hill, during the Walk For Peace, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

Pannakara walked barefoot on Wednesday, holding his staff in one hand and a long-stemmed yellow rose in another. His robe was covered in pins given by municipal and law enforcement officials the monks met and interacted with along the way.

People crowded on sidewalks trying to capture a shot of the monks on their cellphones. Many shouted out “thank you” and “we love you,” which the monks acknowledged with smiles and waves.

On Tuesday, they made stops at American University and the Washington National Cathedral for an interfaith conversation where thousands thronged to hear Pannakara speak about mindfulness and loving kindness.

The group left from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center, a Buddhist temple in Fort Worth. Long Si Dong, a temple spokesperson, said Wednesday that approaching the U.S. Capitol, he felt “deeply humbled and grateful to witness the large crowd walking quietly behind the monks.”

“Seeing so many people move together in respect, calm and shared purpose was a powerful reminder that peace is not a solitary act — it is something we create together,” he said.

Challenges on the walk to Washington

Buddhist monks walk near the U.S. Capitol, on Capitol Hill, during the Walk For Peace, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

The monks’ trek has had its perils. In November, outside Houston, the group was walking on the side of a highway when their escort vehicle was hit by a truck. Two monks were injured; Venerable Maha Dam Phommasan had his leg amputated. Phommasan, abbot of a temple in Snellville, Georgia, rejoined the monks near Washington and entered American University’s arena in a wheelchair and joined the group on their walk to the Capitol.

Pannakara gave Phommasan the floor before he spoke during Wednesday’s closing ceremony. Phommasan told the crowd he was feeling cold, “but you all make my heart warm.” He said practicing mindfulness made him face the difficult moments after the accident and his amputation with equanimity.

He thanked Pannakara, who he said taught him to be strong.

“He walks like how I run,” Phommasan said as the crowd laughed. “When we walked together, we were very tired, we were cold and we were hot. But, we never gave up.”

Peace walks are a cherished tradition in Theravada Buddhism. Some of the monks have walked barefoot or in socks during parts of the journey to feel the ground directly and help them be present in the moment.

Walk for Peace enters West Georgia (Walk for Peace/Facebook)

The monks practice and teach Vipassana meditation, an ancient Indian technique taught by the Buddha that focuses on breath and the mind-body connection. Pannakara’s peace talks, given at stops along the way, have urged listeners to put down their phones and find peace within themselves.

Their return trip should be less arduous. After an appearance at the Maryland State House, a bus will take them back to Texas, where they expect to arrive in downtown Fort Worth early on Saturday.

From there, the monks will walk together again, traversing 6 miles (9.6 kilometers) to the temple where their trip began.

By Deepa Bharath and Tiffany Stanley

Kyle Busch grabs Daytona 500 pole, chasing a win that has eluded him for 20 starts

By
Jenna Fryer
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Kyle Busch speaks with his crew during NASCAR Daytona 500 qualifying, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Daytona, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Kyle Busch won the pole for NASCAR’s season-opening Daytona 500 to give the driver with the longest active losing streak in “The Great American Race” a shot at the victory that has escaped him his entire career.

Busch is 0 for 20 in the Daytona 500 and hasn’t started in the top five since 2016, when he still drove for Joe Gibbs Racing. He started fourth and finished third that year, then was a career-best second to then-teammate Denny Hamlin in 2019.

“Kyle, we’ve got to get him this 500,” said team owner Richard Childress.

No driver has ever won their first Daytona 500 after 20 previous attempts. The late Dale Earnhardt won for Childress in his 20th start in 1998 — three years before Earnhardt was killed in a crash on the final lap of the 2001 race.

“Sounds really good right now — being able to qualify on my first pole for the Daytona 500, that’s pretty special,” said Busch, who wore custom-designed Olympic-themed racing shoes at Daytona International Speedway.

He earned the pole Wednesday night with a lap at 183.925 mph in a Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, the team that signed him before the 2023 season when his contract was up with Gibbs and his salary was too high for most teams.

But his time in the No. 8 has been rocky for the two-time NASCAR champion. He’s won three races since joining RCR — all in his first season — and takes a 93-race losing streak into the Daytona 500.

Busch starts the year with new crew chief Jim Pohlman, who led Justin Allgaier to the 2024 championship in NASCAR’s second-tier series.

The pole runs continues a strong few weeks for Busch and his family: Older brother, Kurt, was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame last month.

“Feels really good for RCR as a group,” Busch said. “Just a valiant effort by everybody here. It would be really nice to be doing an interview like this about being No. 1 come Sunday night.”

RCR last put a car on the pole for the Daytona 500 in 2014 when Austin Dillon, grandson of the team owner, qualified first. Dillon won the race in 2018.

Chase Briscoe, last year’s pole-sitter, qualified second in a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing.

“It’s a really big deal, not only for myself, but I haven’t even checked my phone, I’m sure (Bass Pro Shops owner) Johnny Morris is ballistic already,” Briscoe said of his sponsor. “He gets super fired up for this race. He’s called me two or three times this week telling me he’s so excited to get here and asking me how the car is. It’s a big deal for him, as well. It should be awesome to be on the front row again Sunday.”

Although 37 drivers were locked into the race ahead of time trials, the starting order is not determined until after a pair of Thursday night qualifying races. Of those locked in, 36 drive chartered cars that guarantee a spot in every race. An additional slot went to seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson under a provisional rule that allows for a 41st “world-class driver” trying to enter a Cup event.

Johnson is a two-time Daytona 500 winner and finished third last year. He left full-time NASCAR racing after the 2020 season.

There were two spots open for those not already locked in and they were claimed by Corey Heim for 23XI Racing and Justin Allgaier for JR Motorsports. They were the fastest cars in time trials.

Heim, last year’s Truck Series champion, will be making his Daytona 500 debut.

“Kind of nerve-wracking for sure,” said the 23-year-old from Georgia. “So impressed and thank you for 23XI Racing and Toyota, coming here with an open car and a fourth team at 23XI, to be able to do that is pretty impressive even from my eyes. I feel like that’s a very big accomplishment from those guys. Just blessed to be a part of the team.”

Allgaier is in for the fourth time in his career and the second consecutive year while driving for two-time race winner Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“It’s such a great sport to be part of it and it’s awesome to be able to come down here and try to make your way in,” Earnhardt said. “It is stressful, but that’s the best part about it.”

There are two remaining open spots in the field that will be decided Thursday night via a pair of 150-mile qualifying races. The highest finisher in each race among the drivers not qualified will earn a berth in the Daytona 500.

Those still trying to get in the race are: Anthony Alfredo, Corey LaJoie, BJ McLeod, Casey Mears, Chandler Smith and J.J. Yeley. Only two will race Sunday.

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