Category: News

Toccoa marks Arbor Day. The city held its annual Arbor Day ceremony on Friday afternoon at the Boys’ and Girls’ Club on Whitman Street. This year’s theme was “Planting for the Future.” City officials, the Georgia Forestry Commission, and Keep Toccoa-Stephens County Beautiful were all on hand to help the children of the Boys and Girls’ Club plant trees out in […]

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Radio, Lavonia A man accused of murder in Franklin County pleads not guilty. Brent Shubert, the Canon man accused in the murder of his fiancé last year, entered a not guilty plea on all counts in Franklin County Superior Court in Carnesville Thursday afternoon in the death of Bonnie Ann Cooner. Cooner went missing in late […]

The first bill introduced in Congress by 9th District U.S. Representative Doug Collins passes the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives this week passed House Resolution 1493, known as the Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act. Collins’ office said the bill was packaged with three other pieces of legislation aimed at stopping abuses in government power. In a […]

A major change is coming to the banking world in Stephens County. A press release Thursday announced that Oconee Federal Financial Corporation had reached an agreement to acquire Stephens Federal Bank. Oconee Federal Financial Corporation is the holding company for Oconee Federal Savings and Loan Association. The banks expect to complete the merger later this year, said Stephens Federal Bank […]

With the search for a new Stephens County School Superintendent taking longer than expected, the school system will have an interim superintendent until the job is filled permanently. Thursday, the Stephens County Board of Education unanimously voted to appoint Assistant Superintendent Jason Kaup as the Interim Superintendent effective on April 1. Current School Superintendent Sherrie Whiten will retire from the […]

Toccoa will celebrate Arbor Day at an event later today. The city’s Arbor Day ceremony will take place at 4 p.m. today at the Boys’ and Girls’ Club on Whitman Street in Toccoa. This year’s ceremony will include the children from the Boys’ and Girls’ Club, said organizers. Also, Toccoa Mayor Gail Fry and Keep Toccoa-Stephens County Beautiful Director Linda Scofield […]

The city of Toccoa continues to move forward on a number of different utility-related issues. City commissioners discussed those topics at a work session on Monday afternoon. One of the main topics commissioners discussed was the development of the city’s efforts in the area of compressed natural gas with vehicles. Toccoa City Manager Billy Morse said on one end, the […]

Toccoa-Stephens County Animal Control and Humane Shelter staff rescue a group of animals from an empty retention pond. Shelter Director Jeff Roberts said it happened on Monday in the Eastanollee community when they received a call about dogs that were in the empty retention area. “We got a call there were nine dogs in this area and they were not […]

Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley will serve on some national committees as part of his involvement in the National Sheriff’s Association. During the recent National Sheriff’s Association Conference in Washington, D.C., Shirley was appointed to serve on the Homeland Security Board and the National Juvenile Justice and Youth Committee. Shirley said that this is the third year he has been […]

A judge finds Wilbros in contempt after a two-day hearing in Stephens County Superior Court. On Tuesday, Judge Robert Adamson found Wilbros and the other defendants in a civil suit filed by Stephens County and other plaintiffs in contempt of the various Georgia Environmental Protection Division orders and by extension the judge’s court order of December 10, 2012, Plaintiff’s Attorney […]