Driver sentenced to 12 years in prison after wreck that severely injured two

A Gainesville man was sentenced to 12 years in prison this week after being convicted of severely injuring two people when he caused a wreck while under the influence of methamphetamine.

Army says updating water plan for Lake Lanier will take three years

The secretary of the Army has told U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., that updating the water control plans and manuals for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river basin will be a three-year process.

Director: Give golf course a chance

GAINESVILLE - The director of golf for Gainesville's municipal golf course assured City Council members the money they are investing in the Chattahoochee Golf Course is not going down the hole.

Girl helped by local Marine leaves hospital

NASHVILLE, Tenn.- Two-year-old Amenah, an Iraqi girl with a complex heart defect, left the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt Friday. She will spend the next 10 days with a host family in suburban Nashville before returning for open heart surgery. The young girl's plight was brought to light by Maj. Kevin Jarrard of Gainesville, who is serving his third tour in Iraq. Jarrard and others arranged for the girl to get the badly needed surgery at Vanderbilt.

Home invasion spurs three-hour chase

OAKWOOD - The plan was foiled by an 11-year-old boy's quick thinking. Police said they believe Wayne Adam Shaw, 18, and Jose Luis Bautista-Osorio, 26, both of Gainesville, had targeted the house in the 2000 block of Leland Road in South Hall for a gang-related burglary. The child, home alone sick at the time, hid in a closet when they arrived at about 9 a.m. ...

Challenged Child says design us a T-shirt, and you might win $100

Challenged Child and Friends is holding an art contest to determine the T-shirt design for its 16th Annual 5K and One Mile Fun Run/Walk.

Drug sting nets fifth soldier affiliated with Dahlonega camp

A fifth Army soldier who was stationed at Dahlonega's Camp Frank D. Merrill was arrested Wednesday in connection with a federal drug conspiracy investigation.

Fair Street gets money for garden

Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation has awarded a Toolbox for Education grant to Fair Street International Baccalaureate World School for the development of a "Reading Garden" outside the media center.

Golf growth on the downswing, course pro tells council

GAINESVILLE -- Gainesville City Council members discussed the future of the Chattahoochee Golf Course this morning at their regular work session.

Hilton sentenced to life for murder of Meredith Emerson

DAWSONVILLE - Gary Michael Hilton avoided the possibility of execution with a guilty plea Thursday, but the parents of the young woman he abducted and killed are satisfied that he will "slowly rot" in prison.

Hilton indicted for murder of hiker Meredith Emerson

Suspected serial killer Gary Michael Hilton was indicted on a single count of murder in a specially called session of the Dawson County grand jury this morning, a procedural step further indicating a guilty plea in the case could be imminent. Hilton, 61, is scheduled to appear before Superior Court Judge Bonnie Chessher Oliver at 1 p.m. today. Law enforcement officials have said they were told Hilton would plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence.

Fixing holes in the heart, minus the open heart surgery

The concept of angioplasty seems amazing. A doctor opens a clogged heart vessel by threading a catheter through an artery in the groin.

Doc says if you have warning signs, you might be having a heart attack

Symptoms that could signal a possible heart problem should not be ignored.

Gainesville State College students, faculty vote in pre-primary

OAKWOOD - Local college students threaten to make an appearance at the polls next week. That is, of course, if Gainesville State College's campuswide presidential primary is any indication of the real one. More than 1,000 students, faculty and staff at Gainesville State College voted in a two-day pre-primary primary sponsored by the school's Politically Incorrect Club. All the votes have not been counted, but, as of ...

Official: Hilton may plead guilty to killing hiker

Suspected serial killer Gary Michael Hilton could plead guilty to the murder of abducted hiker Meredith Emerson in a hearing scheduled for this afternoon, officials said. Law enforcement officials confirmed late Wednesday that a guilty plea was expected.

Probable cause hearing set for slaying suspect

A probable cause hearing is set for later this month after a Gainesville man made his first appearance Tuesday in Hall County Magistrate Court on murder charges.

Motion denied, trial date set in 2012 boating deaths

A Hall County Superior Court judge Tuesday denied a motion to dismiss the case against Paul Bennett, who is charged with eight counts of homicide by vessel in a Lake Lanier accident that killed two Buford boys.

Gainesville City Council faces more opposition to at-large voting at meeting

Gainesville has an ugly history of discrimination and the city's at-large voting system is violating the federal Voting Rights Act, a speaker said at Tuesday's City Council meeting.

Hall County's tax digest drops

Hall County's 2013 final tax digest is down 1.51 percent from last year, according to final numbers from the Tax Commissioner's office, making the county's 2014 proposed budget short by $560,000.

Class Notes: Gainesville City Schools hosting meal program

Deal ‘ready to spend’ state funds to deepen harbor

Gov. Nathan Deal said Tuesday he's willing to use state money to start deepening the Port of Savannah's busy shipping channel without waiting for funding from Washington as long as the federal government promises to pay its share of the $652 million project later.

Blood drive to honor disaster victims

The Hall County Sheriff's Office is teaming up with the North Georgia Detention Center and the American Red Cross to host a blood drive to honor victims of natural disasters both close to home and hundreds of miles away.

Suspect charged with murder in fatal shooting

A man was shot and killed Monday evening in the parking lot outside the Peppers Market off E.E. Butler Parkway in Gainesville.

Flowery Branch named fastest growing city in Hall County

Flowery Branch is Hall County's fastest-growing city, expanding 2.7 percent between July 2011 and July 2012, according to recently released census statistics.

An eXtreme eXperience: Summer camps focus on career offerings

"Do you feel nourished?" That's what rising seventh-grader Christina Antoci asked Adrianna Silva after wiping toner from her face Monday.

The Local Agenda: Gainesville City Council has full agenda

City Council members are scheduled to consider several items at their meeting this evening. On the agenda are raising city water and sewer prices, adopting a West Gainesville-Hall County opportunity zone, setting the 2014 property tax rate for the Gainesville Board of Education and changing the ordinance on annexations initiated by the city.

Taxi driver shot in hand during fight

A Gainesville man was charged with using a gun with a filed-off identification number after a man was shot in the hand outside the J&J Foods on Jesse Jewell Parkway just before midnight Saturday.

Kitchen Inspections for April 12-17

April 12

Hot weather health tips

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Winter weather tips

Braving winter weather