Interpreters help courts bridge language barrier

Some days, courtroom interpreter Melva Alvarado can spend all day talking.

Man dies after fall from roof in Braselton

BRASELTON - A 19-year-old man fell off a roof at a construction site in Braselton and died Thursday afternoon.

Enota academy principal to retire

GAINESVILLE - Sally Meadors, principal of Enota Multiple Intelligences Academy, is retiring after this school year.

Valentine cards, candy recalled

Several thousand Pokémon Valentine's Day cards with lollipops are being recalled because the candy may contain metal fragments.

Forestry study says branch out

GAINESVILLE - A recently released forestry management plan includes both accolades and advice for local government's tree ordinances.

Iraqi girl released from Tenn. hospital

A 2-year-old Iraqi girl who underwent open-heart surgery on Monday left the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt University Medical Center to continue her recuperation with a host family in suburban Nashville. Amenah Al-Bayati is said to doing well after doctors repaired a hole in her heart and redirected the blood flow to her lungs. Both her mother and doctors have noted the improvement in her color. Prior to ...

Arson blamed in house fire

A fire that destroyed an unoccupied home early Tuesday in Clermont was intentionally set, fire officials said Friday.

'Trees are terrific:' Arbor Day marked at history center

GAINESVILLE - Arbor Day got an official nod from two governmental bodies Friday and area students picked up awards for their drawings of trees.

Feds move deadline for states' water deal

Georgia, Florida and Alabama have been given at least an additional week to reach a settlement on their 18-year water dispute, which largely centers on water from Lake Lanier.

Ex-teacher charged with molestation allegedly flees with daughter

A former Gainesville Elementary School teacher charged with molesting students in the classroom is considered a fugitive after violating conditions of his bond, authorities said Saturday. Jerry Norman Jones, 51, was visiting his 4-year-old daughter Friday morning in Cumming when he left with the girl, in violation of bond conditions that prohibited unsupervised contact, Gainesville Police Lt. Brian Kelly said. Hall County Sheriff's Sgt. Kiley Sargent said officials ...

Two charged in motorcycle shop blaze

Authorities believe Alan Kilgore nearly lost his life for a $1,000 fee.

Jackson County: U.S. 129 traffic to shift Monday

The Georgia Department of Transportation plans to shift traffic on U.S. 129 Monday as it widens the highway from the Jefferson Bypass to Ga. 330 in Jackson County.

Jackson County student gets 3 years for bomb plot

JEFFERSON - Saying he didn't believe Andrew Criswell intended to hurt anyone when he brought a homemade bomb fashioned from black powder and wires into Jackson County Comprehensive High School, a judge sentenced the emotionally troubled teen to three years in prison Thursday.

Mansion fire remains under investigation

Gainesville fire officials are asking for the public's help in the probe of a fire that severely damaged an unfinished $2 million home on Riverside Drive Sunday.

Hall County Humane Society to hold contest

The Humane Society of Hall County has announced a Be Kind to Animals Week art contest for kindergartners through 12th-graders. Themes for the artwork can include kindness to animals, pet adoptions, wildlife conservation or protecting endangered animals.

Hall County schools looking at new visitor identification system

Visitors to Hall County schools could have a new security checkpoint to go through beginning next school year.

German tourists learn about diversity

A Wednesday visit to Hall County by several German tourists served to illuminate a reality prominent in the U.S., and increasingly in the forefront of modern Europe - the tide of immigration.

Ex-bank manager from Murrayville charged in theft

Class Notes: Uzbekistanis visit Lanier Tech

A group of 11 Uzbekistanis, including farmers, businessmen and a representative of the country's Ministry of Agriculture and Water Management recently visited Lanier Technical College to learn about its refrigeration program.

Local political group protests IRS focus

Area residents took to the sidewalk in front of the local Internal Revenue Service office, waving signs and encouraging people driving by to honk in protest of the agency and revelations that some conservative groups have been targeted by IRS agents.

Graduation rates up in local schools

Hall County graduation rates increased in 2012 from 2011.

Fire destroys home; one treated for smoke inhalation

Gene Jones was outside his Commander Drive home cutting his grass when he saw smoke pouring out to the road.

Gainesville awards bid for convention center study

Gainesville City Council approved awarding the bid for the convention center and hotel feasibility study to consulting firms Key Advisors Inc. and the Bleakly Advisory Group on Tuesday evening.

Flood damage costs start to emerge

Flowery Branch officials are estimating $1.4 million in expenses related to Sunday's historic rainfall, and so far it appears that most of the financial burden is falling on the beleaguered South Hall city.

Norfolk Southern says heavy rains overwhelmed Flowery Branch culverts

Norfolk Southern officials said Tuesday that culverts in Flowery Branch were overwhelmed Sunday by the heavy rains that fell overnight.

Local efforts gather help for Oklahoma tornado victims

Syfan Logistics is working to do its part to help victims of the tornadoes in Oklahoma.

Flood causes sewer spill into Flowery Branch Creek

Sunday's historic flood in Flowery Branch has produced another problem for the beleaguered South Hall city - a 200,000-gallon sewer spill into Flowery Branch Creek.

Ridgewood Avenue to close at 9 p.m.

Ridgewood Avenue will be closed at 9 tonight until 4 a.m. Wednesday while Georgia Power does work in the area.

The Local Agenda: Germans to come to Hall to study immigration

A group from Germany will be visiting Hall County on Wednesday, looking to learn about American cultural life and political issues but particularly immigration.

Longstreet Clinic moves into expanded office in Oakwood

The staff at The Longstreet Clinic Family Medicine practice in Oakwood hurried to move into its renovated site Monday, hoping to begin working from it today.