Category: News

The Georgia Department of Transportation has announced its weekly maintenance schedule for the area this week. No work is scheduled in Stephens, Franklin, or Banks counties. In Habersham County, the DOT said crews are scheduled to seal cracks in the driving surface of State Route 115 between Clarkesville and the White County line. The DOT said a lane closure will […]

A South Carolina man faces charges in two states after allegedly stealing a car and leading area law enforcement on a chase through two counties that ended in Toccoa Thursday. It started in Franklin County Thursday morning. Franklin County Sheriff Stevie Thomas said deputies received word of a stolen vehicle out of South Carolina. Thomas said his deputies attempted to […]

The U.S. Forest Service said it will conduct a prescribed burn later today in Stephens County. The prescribed burn will involve about 200 acres and be located in the Davis Mountain area of the county. According to the Forest Service, the burn will be centered in the area of Davis Mountain Road and Quarry Road, right off of the Toccoa […]

Now that winter has arrived in full swing, the question becomes what kind of winter will the area have over the next few months. State Climatologist Bill Murphey said that long-term weather models are always less predictable and more subject to change because circumstances can change over time. With that in mind, Murphey said that models for the next three […]

It is a little warmer in downtown Toccoa this morning, but it is still cold. That is after temperatures Thursday morning got down to 12 degrees in the downtown area. City of Toccoa officials said they had no problems with any water or utility lines on Thursday. Toccoa City Manager Billy Morse said that the city ran double garbage routes […]

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Radio, Lavonia Franklin County’s School Board will be meeting Saturday for a work session retreat and among the issues the board plans to discuss is the recent release of the State’s College and Career Readiness Performance Index or CCRPI. The CCRPI is Georgia’s statewide accountability system. Implemented in 2012, it measures schools and school districts on […]

Stephens County School Superintendent Bryan Dorsey said there were no surprises in his mind in the grand jury report released Tuesday regarding the financial problems that have plagued the Stephens County School System. Dorsey said everything that the grand jury said in its report is what he expected to hear. “I think it was exactly what we had been saying […]

Stephens County Board of Education Chair Dr. Elizabeth Pinkerton is also responding to the grand jury report. She echoed the thought that the report contained no surprises. “I guess it was mostly as was expected,” said Pinkerton. In its report Tuesday, the grand jury said it believes a combination of leadership missteps and external circumstances resulted in a loss of […]

The Stephens County school system is starting as normal this morning. On its website, the school system says that schools will begin at the regularly scheduled times today. The school system does say that buses will stop to wait on students to get from their homes to the bus for pick-up. Meanwhile, Franklin County schools are also operating on a […]

With arctic air gripping the region, the Georgia Department of Agriculture is offering advice for making sure animals are taken care of in the cold. According to the Agriculture Department, small pets, especially younger and older ones, should be kept indoors. Officials say most heat loss occurs from ears, the respiratory tract and foot pads. Also, the Agriculture Department says […]