Category: News

A Stephens County elementary school receives national recognition. Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Education named Big A Elementary School as a National Blue Ribbon School for 2014. The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle, and high schools where students either achieve very high learning standards or are making notable improvements in closing the achievement gap. […]

The Toccoa Main Street program continues to seek vendors for the upcoming Toccoa Harvest Festival. Toccoa’s 38th annual Harvest Festival will take place on Saturday, November 1 and Sunday, November 2. Main Street Events Coordinator Sharon Crosby said vendors can sign up to take part in this year’s Harvest Festival through October 16. “We do require that everything be handmade, […]

A traffic accident on Interstate 85 in Franklin County caused major traffic delays Tuesday. The accident on Interstate 85 southbound at about 10 a.m. Tuesday at Mile Marker 174, near the Franklin-Hart County line. Reports indicate that an 18-wheeler jack-knifed and landed on its side, crossing all lanes of I-85 southbound and trapping the driver inside the cab. The Lavonia […]

The Stephens County Sheriff’s Office and Georgia Bureau of Investigation are investigating a death Monday morning in Stephens County. Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley said that authorities received a 911 call at around 11 a.m. in regards to a residence on Prather Bridge Road. “We received a 911 call that a shot had been fired,” said Shirley. “We arrived and […]

The city of Toccoa’s natural gas vehicle fleet continues to grow. Toccoa Utilities Director Harry Scott said the city recently converted five new Ford F-150 pick-up trucks to bi-fuel. That allows them to run off either natural gas or regular gasoline. Scott said that city workers took the trucks to a company in Asheville, North Carolina to get them converted […]

The Toccoa Record is reporting an apparent scam. Toccoa Record Publisher Tom Law said that the paper has received reports from individuals that someone is calling people in the area, claiming to be from the Record and asking people to purchase subscriptions for the paper over the phone. Law said that the Record is not currently making any such calls, […]

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Radio, Lavonia Work on the exterior of the Lavonia Carnegie Library is nearing completion. Crews have been doing repairs and doing a general restoration for most of the summer on the 103-year old building. The Lavonia Carnegie Library is one of the last working Carnegie Libraries in the country. Lavonia City Manager Gary Fesperman said crews […]

Georgia State Parks is again offering its online “Leaf Watch” website to help both residents and travelers keep track of the state’s Fall color. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources said that beginning in October, regular updates will keep travelers posted on how Fall color is progressing across the state. According to the DNR, the peak color in Georgia usually […]

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division says it has recently updated the statewide deer rut map. DNR officials said this is a question that they receive each Fall from hunters. The deer rut refers to the breeding season for white-tailed deer, which can vary at the local scale, especially in areas that experience southern climates like Georgia. […]

Stephens County Clerk of Court Tim Quick said that jurors who received a summons to report for jury duty this week do not need to report for the remainder of the week. Jury duty has been cancelled for the week in Stephens County.