Author: Ethan Jordan

Georgia Power is offering a special payment plan to help customers with past-due account balances accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Customers who enroll will be able to pay past-due balances over a six-month timeframe between October 2020 and March 2021 with no late fees. The suspension of disconnections has also been extended until July 15 to continue assisting customers through […]

Following the recent reopening of City Hall on Monday, city staff have announced they will resume disconnections and penalties for utility accounts that are delinquent beginning on July 15. According to a press release issued on Monday, city staff will begin to disconnect services based on the most overdue accounts and accounts with the largest outstanding balances. If you currently […]

The Summer Movies series will return to the Historic Ritz Theatre. According to Ritz Theatre General Manager Tami Mayhugh, this is the first time since early March, that the Historic Ritz Theatre will be opening its doors to the public. She says the Summer Movie Series is slated to begin on Thursday, July 2, at 10 a.m. with additional showings […]

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Hart County Commissioners say the City of Hartwell’s vote to annex property on Ridge Road in the County is illegal. At their meeting last week, Commission Chair Joey Dorsey claimed the City did not follow the law when they voted to annex the property on the corner of Ridge Road and Nancy Drive. At their June […]

Georgia lawmakers are back in Atlanta picking up where they left off when the General Assembly suddenly came to a halt at the start of the COVID-19 crisis. Their top priority in the last two weeks of June is to revamp and reset the State Budget for fiscal 2021 and make adjustments to the fiscal 2020 budget because of the […]

HOPE for a Drug Free Stephens has awarded the Toccoa Police Department a $5,000 grant to fund outreach, education, and prevention of fatal and non-fatal Opioid overdoes in Toccoa. According to HOPE for a Drug Free Stephens Co Chair Kathy Whitmire this funding will provide education for the officers, educational materials to support outreach in the community, oversight of a […]

The Georgia Department of Labor has launched the United States Department of Labor’s Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program. This program provides extended monetary support for claimants who have exhausted their regular state unemployment benefits. PEUC is part of the CARES Act of 2020, which extends the eligibility of unemployment benefits up to 13 weeks. State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler […]

Ninth District Opportunity has announced it will begin scheduling appointments for Cooling CARES Help on July 1. The Cooling CARES program is available for households who have NOT had heating or cooling assistance since November 2019 to received assistance with their home cooling bills beginning on July 1, 2020. One-time payments will be made by check issued to the home […]

On Saturday a group of over 100 people gathered for a peaceful demonstration and march in downtown Toccoa. The demonstration and March took place at the Emory Johnson Park on West Whitman Street. Sephia Berryman was in attendance during Saturday’s demonstration. She tells WNEG News about the event. “Today we’re just raising awareness for the countless people who have died […]

The Doyle Street Community Pool will begin operating at an increased, limited-capacity beginning today. Elaine Brinkley tells WNEG News about the new rules that are in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Each employee will wear masks and encourage social distancing at the pool. Brinkley says the pool is no longer using the online registration system for residents to […]