Category: News

An area church is expressing interest in using a city building for its activities. Leaders at Mt. Zion Baptist Church on Whitman Street in Toccoa met with Toccoa City Commissioners at a work session last week to discuss the possible use of the old Whitman Street Recreation Center. Willie Woodruff is one of the deacons at Mt. Zion Baptist Church. […]

Stephens County Commissioners will meet later today for their second regularly scheduled meeting in the month of September. Today’s county commission meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. in the second-floor courtroom of the historic Stephens County Courthouse. County commissioners will start with a work session to discuss items on today’s business meeting agenda. There are only two items on the agenda […]

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Radio, Lavonia A body found over the weekend in Franklin County is believed to be the victim of a homicide. Franklin County Sheriff Steve Thomas said a passerby found the victim on a back road in the northern part of the county early Saturday morning. “Authorities remained at the scene throughout the day on Saturday collecting evidence,” said […]

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Radio, Lavonia Franklin County Commissioners are moving forward to put the next SPLOST referendum on the November ballot. Last month, Franklin County Commissioners voted to do just that. Franklin County’s current SPLOST doesn’t run out until the end of 2016, but County Commissioners are asking voters to approve the next SPLOST a year early. In June, […]

State officials said that delivery of debit cards for more than 4,000 recipients of child support and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families has been delayed by a contractor. The cards, called Georgia EPPICard, provide access to child support payments and funds to TANF recipients. Also, a small number of Department employees also use the cards to receive bi-weekly pay. The […]

Residents say they still have concerns over a shooting range proposed to be built for the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office. On Friday, Stephens County Sheriff Randy Shirley and Chief Deputy Andy Myers met with residents concerned about the proposed shooting range in a public meeting. About a dozen people were in attendance, most of whom had either concerns or questions […]

The third and final man charged in a 2012 murder in Stephens County enters a guilty plea and avoids the death penalty. On his 28th birthday, Wardell Deloun White of Toccoa pleaded guilty to one count of Felony Murder in the death of 34-year-old Victor Martinez. Martinez, along with 48-year-old Mauricio Maldondo, were found shot on April 29, 2012 at […]

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR Radio, Lavonia The Lavonia City Council is looking into how to best regulate the use of fireworks in town. Over most holiday weekends, fireworks can be heard going off all around Lavonia, especially near and on Lake Hartwell. However, the city wants to curb some of that fireworks enthusiasm for the safety of the general public. In […]

The Lavonia Clinic is welcoming a new staff member. Physicians and staff of Lavonia Clinic have announced Tara F. Brown as a new certified nurse practitioner at the clinic. Brown is a Franklin County native. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Georgia Southern University and the primary care nurse practitioner certification from Kennesaw State University. Her professional career […]

A fight between two people this week results in an arrest. Toccoa Police Chief Tim Jarrell said officers were called to a residence on Tuesday night. “Officers were called to respond to a residence on South Pond Street,” said Jarrell. “When we arrived, our investigation revealed that a fight had taken place and one of the individuals involved had stabbed […]