Category: News

People First of Stephens County will be sponsoring its annual Fire Safety Festival Training, Saturday Oct. 14, at Emory Johnson Park, on Whitman Street in Toccoa. The festival is slated to begin at 9 a.m. and will run until 2 p.m. Habersham County Fire Department and the Toccoa Fire Department will be providing lessons on how to escape a house […]

Next week is the start of National School Bus Week, running from Monday until Friday, the theme is #STOP ON RED. The Stephens County School System transportation department will be in full operation mode as they help educate the students, teachers, school staff and community about school bus safety. During the week, bus drivers will be at each school teaching […]

During the recent Toccoa City Commission meeting, the commission agreed to move forward with raising the starting pay of entry level officers for the Toccoa Police Department. The proposed rate for all officers is $15.73; however, for a 5-Year Officer the rate would be $16. Currently, the Toccoa Police Department is experiencing issues with recruiting and retaining entry level police […]

A Shady Shores area shop, located in Martin, was burglarized early Friday morning, resulting in the arrest of two individuals, Jacob Payne, 22, of Eastanollee, and Chelsea Swift, 25, of Clarkesville. The victim reported that their shop was locked and entry had been forced. According to Sheriff Randy Shirley, the culprits made off with two four wheelers and a chainsaw […]

The Stephens County Hospital Authority Board of Directors has named Roger Forgey, FACHE, Interim Chief Executive Officer for Stephens County Hospital. Forgey was named Monday night during the board’s regular meeting. Forgey succeeds Lynne Anderson who recently resigned as CEO. The Authority retained Forgey in August 2017 to serve as turnaround consultant and assist the hospital management team in identifying […]

Banks County is looking to switch judicial circuits. According to a report in The Northeast Georgian, the County has asked to be moved from the Piedmont Judicial Circuit to the Mountain Judicial Circuit, which includes Stephens, Habersham and Rabun counties. The Habersham County Commission took up a request from Banks County to approve the change at a called meeting earlier […]

State Sen. John Wilkinson has another honor under his belt. Wilkinson was recently recognized by the Peace Officers Association of Georgia (POAG) with an honorary lifetime membership for his dedication to public safety and support of peace officers across Georgia. Association President Dennis Bell presented Senator Wilkinson with the award. Bell says over the years Wilkinson has been a staunch […]

In Banks County, four people are behind bars after a shooting last week in Commerce. It happened Thursday in the area of Highway 59 and Barnes Circle, according to Banks County Sheriff’s spokesperson Sgt. Carissa McFaddin. McFaddin said deputies were called to the scene and quickly developed several persons of interest. According to the Sheriff’s office, the shooting was the […]