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.

Corps plans to rewrite manual for river system

U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal, R-Gainesville, said Wednesday that the secretary of the Army is preparing to instruct the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin work on the operating manuals for the Apalachicola-

Construction death could cost Gainesville company $54,950

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Hartley Construction Co. of Gainesville following a fatality in August 2007 at a church construction site in Ellijay.

Chamber celebrates centennial with legacy project

The Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce kicked off a yearlong celebration of the business organization's 100th anniversary at a breakfast Wednesday at the Gainesville Civic Center. Plans were announced for the Centennial Legacy project, a 5-year effort to create gateways to the community through landscaping at each of the five interchanges on Interstate 985. Frank Norton Jr., a co-chairman of the centennial committee, said the first project will ...

Public can meet with accrediting team

The public can offer comments about North Georgia College & State University's Department of Nursing when an accreditation team visits next week.

East Hall teen is top youth at Boys & Girls Clubs

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Hall County has a new youth ambassador.

January rainfall below normal

The state climatologist said Tuesday that despite rain and snowfall in January, the region continues to have a deficit in precipitation. "So far this month, much of North Georgia is approaching two inches below normal," said David Stooksbury, who spoke to a regional agriculture meeting in Gainesville sponsored by the University of Georgia. "We've only received about half the normal rainfall this month." However, Stooksbury displayed a graphic ...

Two I-985 projects will cause lane closure

The Georgia Department of Transportation may close a lane of traffic on Interstate 985 this week to continue work on the Exit 16 project.

Gainesville Marine helps Iraqi girl get surgery

A 2-year-old Iraqi girl who has been helped by a Marine major from Gainesville is expected to undergo major heart surgery in two weeks. A team of pediatric heart specialists at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt continues to assess the condition of the little girl named Amenah (pronounced Ah-min–Uh).

Report: Hospital fuels local economy to the tune of $800 million

Northeast Georgia Medical Center generates more than $800 million in revenue for the local economy, according to a report released this week by the Georgia Hospital Association.

Police have no suspect in Tuesday night drive-by shooting

Authorities are investigating a Tuesday night drive-by shooting that left a Gainesville man hospitalized.

Deadline close for student nominations

A Thursday deadline is set to nominate students considered deserving to be honored March 15 at the Grady Young Foundation's fifth annual Memorial Weekend Youth Recognition Banquet.

For its own rezoning request, Gainesville does as Gainesville says

Gainesville will bring a rezoning request before the city's own Planning and Appeals Board on Feb. 12.

Driver in drive-by shooting to get 18 years in prison

The driver in a gang-related drive-by shooting at a subdivision off Candler Road is likely to receive a sentence of 18 years in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday in Hall County Superior Court. Enrique Toribio, 21, an acknowledged member of the BOE-23 gang, was the first of five defendants to have his case adjudicated in the Aug. 14 shootings.

Veterans killed in action remembered

Members of the American Legion Post 7, Unit 7, in Gainesville, along with area Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops, were busy Wednesday ahead of the Memorial Day holiday. Legion members and scouts were placing flowers on veterans' graves in observance of the holiday, celebrated on the last Monday in May to recognize Americans who have died while serving.

Gainesville pedestrian bridge to close temporarily

The pedestrian bridge in downtown Gainesville will close Tuesday through May 31 for sidewalk repairs on the City Hall side.

Buford: Burglaries reported in county’s flooded areas

The Hall County Sheriff's Office is checking out reports of burglaries and entering auto incidents near flooded areas in the area of the Hall and Gwinnett county line in Buford.

Driver succumbs to injuries in wreck

Covington: Fox bites students attending school

Principal Coleman says goodbye to friends and school

Mark Coleman and the late Chris Mance spent the last few years preparing for retirement.

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.