East Hall High instructor shows others the way

GAINESVILLE - For two hours Thursday, East Hall High School biology teacher Heather Barrett's classroom doubled as a production studio.

Georgia says Gainesville High is a school of character

Gainesville High School has been named a 2008 State School of Character.

Gainesville City Council talks about priorities, finances at retreat

YOUNG HARRIS - In the first day of its planning retreat, the Gainesville City Council discussed the priorities and financial challenges the city faces in the next fiscal year.

After two-day weather delay, schools complete statewide tornado drill

With nary a cloud in the sky, Friday morning's tornado drill went off as planned.

Is this America's favorite mom?

No one ever said being a mom was easy. Donna Aldridge knows that.

Police talk man down from 260-foot crane at Northeast Georgia Medical Center

Two police negotiators were able to talk a potentially suicidal man down from atop a 260-foot construction crane Thursday night at Northeast Georgia Medical Center.

Hall County school board to mull $600,000 in air-conditioning projects

At Monday's meeting, The Hall County school board is set to consider some $600,000 in air-conditioning upgrades this summer.

Red Cross volunteers help storm victims in Tennessee

Gainesville Red Cross volunteer Gene Farley rolled into hard-hit Lafayette, Tenn., on Thursday to the sight of arbitrary devastation. "Trees knocked over, trees destroyed, laid flat," Farley said, describing what he saw after a devastating tornado touched down there 48 hours earlier. "Barns, basically nothing but kindling. Some houses damaged big-time, and right next to them homes that are not damaged at all." Farley and fellow volunteer Ward ...

Council asked to give Gainesville schools water bill break

YOUNG HARRIS - Sammy Smith, recently elected to the Gainesville City Board of Education, appealed to Gainesville City Council members Friday to help the city schools out with their weighty water bills.

Water restrictions are costing Gainesville

YOUNG HARRIS - There is no doubt water restrictions have resulted in a loss of revenues for Gainesville's Public Utilities department, but utilities officials told the City Council on Friday that they have a plan to keep their heads above water.

Gainesville City Council's to-do list

As Gainesville officials spent the past three days at a planning retreat, several issues came to the front of the agenda. Here is a look at some of the items city officials have put on the top of their to-do lists this year:

Second teen pleads guilty in Laurelwood molestation case

The second of two teen defendants in a molestation that occurred at the Laurelwood mental health treatment facility pleaded guilty Friday.

Photo in newspaper helps police nab bank robbery suspect

After allegedly robbing three Forsyth County banks in two weeks without any effort to disguise his face, David Ryan Stone might not have been surprised to see a surveillance camera image of himself when he picked up a local newspaper Thursday.

Pie & politics: Wauka Mountain supper a community tradition

Before he entered politics, Nathan Deal held the post of ticket salesman at the Wauka Mountain Chicken Pie Supper. While Deal doesn't list the job on his extensive resume, he doesn't miss the annual event, which has been held for 83 years.

Truck driver arrested in fatal wreck

A tractor-trailer driver from Butler has been charged with vehicular homicide after a fatal wreck Friday afternoon in Forsyth County.

Hall County sheriff proposes buying 12-14 patrol cars

To update its aging fleet, the Hall County Sheriff's Office is looking at spending $550,000 to buy 12-14 new patrol cars and refurbish another four or five.

Crews busy fixing roads after floods

Under sunny skies and no trace of rain, area governments worked Monday to fix roads that had been damaged, some seriously, by fierce storms overnight Sunday.

Despite road closures, kids get to school

Though severe weather Saturday night washed out roadways in Flowery Branch, most students in the area made it to school Monday morning.

Business owners slogging through flood damage

Outside The Tire Store and Lakeview Automotive Group on Atlanta Highway in Flowery Branch, workers hauled equipment to dry areas and washed sheets of mud off the pavement.

Hall schools board discusses options to balance budget

The Hall County Board of Education grappled with "philosophical issues" as it discussed ways to continue to function with a tight budget next year.

Fair Street students may use tablet computers next fall

Gainesville's technology director gave City Board of Education members a Kuno tablet computer to play with briefly Monday night.

McEver still closed, fire official reports

Under sunny skies and no trace of rain, area governments worked Monday to fix roads that had been damaged, some seriously, by fierce storms overnight Sunday.

Atheists to put books next to Bibles in state parks

Boil water advisories still in effect for some

A boil water advisory is in effect for those served by Flowery Branch along with 18 homes at the end of Trudy Drive served by Gainesville.

Eyes on the Road: More feet added to Ga. 53 fix in Dawson County

An additional 500 feet of Thompson Road will be closed as part of a Georgia Department of Transportation project to rebuild the road's intersection at Ga. 53 in Dawson County.

New law to help vets get into workforce

Retired Hall County military veterans Stephen McGruder and Johnny Varner hope a new Georgia law will aid them in helping vets seamlessly transition into the civilian workforce.

Fellowship to help Gainesville student study law at Mercer

Whit Carmon was stepping off the bus after delivering his final term paper at the University of Georgia when his phone rang.

New state law to protect federal park rangers

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Ranger Ken Weiner is still suffering physically from when he was attacked last year at Burton Mill Park.

South Hall flooding causes county to declare emergency

Early Sunday storms rocked Hall County, leaving heavy flooding, collapsed roads and other damage in its wake.

Ga. water negotiator's role may be seen as conflict