“Please don’t help us more than you already have; my liberty and my 401K can’t take it.”
Read More »BOE Approves New Assistant Principal
Ellijay Elementary School will soon have a new assistant principal. In a special session last night, The Board of Education approved Katrina Kingsley as assistant principal. Kingsley will be assigned to Ellijay Elementary School. The assignment is not a replacement of personnel, but an addition.
Read More »Gilmer Tea Party Hosts Senatorial Town Hall Meeting
On Saturday August 20th, The Gilmer County Tea Party will host a Senatorial Town Hall Meeting at The North Georgia Christian Academy located on Highway 282 West in Ellijay. The meeting will begin at 10:00 A.M. and will feature U.S. Senators for Georgia, Saxby Chambliss (right) and Johnny Isakson (left). The senators will take questions […]
Read More »Ellijay City Council Approves De-annexation, Recognizes Eagle Scout
Prior to the decision, Monteith was paying both city and county taxes.
Read More »Property Taxes Going Up In Gilmer County
It’s official … again. In something that’s almost become an annual rite of passage, the Gilmer County Board of Commissioners approved a property tax increase Thursday night. The increase is two-fold: commissioners approved an increase of one mill to cover the note on a general obligation bond and they also signed-off on a roll back […]
Read More »Local Business Raises Money For School Supplies
By 1:30 on Saturday afternoon, the parking lot of Chick-fil-A in Ellijay was full and a line of cars wrapped arm-like around the building, either in line for drive-thru service or to wait for an available parking space. Inside, customers placed binders, packs of pens, and paper in the wicker donation basket and then stood […]
Read More »Unemployment Rate Skyrockets to 11.5 In Gilmer County
The national unemployment rate may have slightly dropped last month, but people in Gilmer, Fannin and Pickens counties are hurting. Residents here are out of work and more businesses are closing down. The most recent numbers available from the Georgia Department of Labor are from June and they show an area that is struggling.The unemployment […]
Read More »Voter IDs Cost The County $10,000
While straining over its budget last week, The Board of Commissioners approached the issue of Voter IDs. The Board showed concern about funding for the ID process, which comes with a price tag of $10,000. According to Georgia State Law, each county is mandated to provide photo IDs for citizens going to the polls. Watch […]
Read More »New Pipeline Expected to Lower Price of Natural Gas For Consumers In Ellijay and Blue Ridge
A proposal to extend a natural gas pipeline for 20 miles between Ellijay and Blue Ridge got the green light Tuesday from the Georgia Public Service Commission (GPCS). According to the proposal, the pipeline will be constructed just to the side of Georgia State Highway 515. However, this is not the final route of the […]
Read More »Another Stitch, Yet It Was So Much More
The blasting sound of sirens rained down on me as the Gilmer County fire engine entered the front gates of the Build an Ark Animal Rescue. I was there, in front of it, as the red ladder truck came barreling towards me. I was furiously snapping pictures, scudding backwards, trying to get that one quintessential […]
Read More »Barn-Raising Brings Hundreds to Area: Local Businesses Get A Boost
The license plates showed people came from all over: Iowa, Indiana, Arkansas, Louisiana, South Carolina, California and New York. And that just gets the list started. Hundreds of people stepped up this weekend to help Susan Littlejohn rebuild her animal rescue shelter that was hit by two tornadoes at once in a devastating April 4th […]
Read More »Get Ready Gilmer: Property Taxes Maybe Going Up
The atmosphere was tense at the Gilmer County Court House as the Board of Commissioners gathered for a hastily called special work session Tuesday to discuss a possible millage rate increase. If passed, part of the increase, .75 mils, would go to the reactivation of six fire houses needed to maintain the county’s I.S.O. rating […]
Read More »Past, Present and Future: Gilmer County Charter School Effort Holds Onto Hope
ELLIJAY, GA. — Two short months ago, hope seemed all but lost for eight new charter schools trying to open in Georgia. In May, the Supreme Court handed down a ruling that gave public school districts the ability to block or approve the application process for a charter school. This week, Governor Nathan Deal reworked […]
Read More »Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office Faces Budget Woes
The conference room in the Gilmer County Court House was packed with opinions as well as people as the Board of Commissioners rolled up their sleeves, ready to go to work on an ailing budget. Gilmer county’s situation has become increasingly grim, with projected revenues off at six months into the year. Crowding the seats […]
Read More »Barn Moves Toward Completion
On Thursday morning, Susan Littlejohn’s barn-to-be was nothing more than a skeleton of a building, a strong frame bearing the likeness of a sea-worthy ark. But, by late Friday afternoon,
Read More »The True American Spirit Alive and Thriving In Ellijay: An Army of Volunteers Arrive
Under the sweltering heat of late July, volunteers from around the country flooded the property of Build an Ark Foundation in Ellijay Thursday afternoon to help Susan Littlejohn rebuild her non-profit animal shelter. The barn, where Littlejohn cared for rescued animals, was completely leveled in an April 4th tornado. Miraculously, Littlejohn and the animals all […]
Read More »