Public Utilities plans appreciation lunch for customers

Imagine a world where the hot dogs flow like water from a river and you just might find yourself having lunch at the Public Utilities Department on Friday. After a tough year of enduring watering restrictions and facing the prospect of higher rates, Gainesville's nearly 45,000 water customers now have the chance to have a lunch of hot dogs, chips, cookies and popcorn on the Public Utilities Department. <font ...

North Hall teacher gets state honor

North Hall High School agriculture teacher Johnny Sutton has been named outstanding agriculture instructor by the Georgia FFA (Future Farmers of America) Alumni Association.

Volunteers at hospice honored

Hospice of Northeast Georgia Medical Center staff honored the hospice's volunteers Wednesday, April 30 with a Volunteer Appreciation Brunch at Luna's in downtown Gainesville.

Discounts offered for garden’s anniversary

May 2008 marks the Freedom Garden at the Northeast Georgia History Center's first anniversary.

Search resumes for man missing in Lanier

After a second full day of searching proved fruitless, officials will resume recovery operations at 7 a.m. Wednesday in an attempt to locate the body of an Ellenwood man presumed drowned in Lake Lanier after falling from a personal watercraft Sunday.

Slaying suspect served time for other burglaries

The man charged in the shooting death of a West Hall retiree during a suspected burglary served time in prison for other burglaries and was jailed last year for violating his probation.

Brad Morris reappointed as chief public defender

Brad Morris, the attorney who has headed up the public defender office for Hall and Dawson counties since it opened in January 2005, has been reappointed to serve a full four-year term ending in 2012. The vote for the reappointment was made during a Friday public meeting of the Public Defender Selection Committee of the Northeastern Judicial Circuit, the committee's chairman, J. Douglas Stewart said. Committee member Tom Bishop made ...

19th case of rabies confirmed in Hall County

The number of confirmed rabies cases in Hall County has increased to 19.

Hall schools outperform state on grad tests

Hall County school system juniors have outperformed the state on the 2008 Georgia High School Graduation Tests.

GBI takes over tax assessors probe

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has been requested to conduct an investigation into whether there was criminal wrongdoing by the Hall County Board of Tax Assessors in the billing of per diem payments by board members, officials confirmed Wednesday.

Hall fire academy thrills citizens with burn houses, knowledge

Crouching a few feet away from an 800-degree indoor bonfire, Mimi Bowden aimed her fire hose inside a "burn building" at the Hall County fire training center and knocked down the blaze with a loud blast of water spraying out at 110 pounds per square inch.

Boy better, but family needs financial help

Drake Hollander is in a race for his life. But now, many others will be racing on his behalf. The 12-year-old North Hall Middle School student was diagnosed last fall with a rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. A sociable, happy kid and avid sports fan, Drake has had to adjust to life as a cancer patient.

Authorities investigate boat explosion

One of three people burned when a boat caught fire while refueling Saturday morning at Bald Ridge Marina remained hospitalized Tuesday, friends said.

Health fair coincides with Older Americans Month

A health fair geared toward seniors drew a small crowd to the South Hall Community Center Tuesday. Marci Summer, manager of the community center, said the second annual Active Generation Health Fair provided free blood pressure checks, healthy snacks and auditory information to folks 55 and older. Health fair participants received information about the services available to seniors through Hall County resources. Since 1963, the national Administration on ...

In third year of drought, water park is proposed in Buford

Environmentalists say they're dumbfounded about a real estate company's proposal to build a 200,000-square-foot water park in Buford while the state remains in a drought.

Olympic venue group gets update

The Gainesville/Hall '96 Foundation's next life was started Monday, 17 years after playing a large role in creating the 1996 Lake Lanier Olympic Center and maintaining the site's legacy.

Corps hopes to keep dock permit process going

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hopes to forge ahead this spring and summer with issuing dock permits, and not resort to moving employees assigned to that task to covering parks, as it had to do last year.

The Local Agenda: Gainesville to hold focus group meeting on Wednesday

A 10-member focus group giving input to Gainesville's transportation master plan is set to meet at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Fair Street Neighborhood Center, 715 Fair St.

Barn destroyed, horse killed at Coker Road fire

A horse barn was destroyed and one horse killed in a fire Monday afternoon in East Hall County.

Hall school board discusses maintaining morale with tight budget

The Hall County Board of Education discussed ways to maintain employee morale while working within next year's tight budget.

Oakwood looking at sewer project at apartments

Oakwood City Council voted Monday night to apply for a grant to help pay for a sewer system that would serve an apartment complex where a septic drain field has been failing for years.

Ga. 369 closed in Forsyth after striping truck overturns

Organizations looking for volunteers to make sandwiches

Making a sandwich is easy: two slices of bread, some meat and cheese, and voila.

Hall native studying oyster population

A Hall County native is at the forefront of research into oyster populations, a touchy subject for some Lake Lanier advocates who fret over water releases to protect endangered species in the Gulf of Mexico.

Glades funding application places project cost at $130M

Hall County expects to learn the results of its application to the Governor's Water Supply Program for funding the Glades Reservoir later this year.

Mann settling into role as sheriff’s community service officer

Since taking the helm of the Hall County Sheriff's Office, Gerald Couch has instituted changes both structurally and cosmetically, from streamlined command staff to refurbished patrol cars.

Tri-state water feud plays out in Congress

ATLANTA - The water dispute between Alabama, Florida and Georgia is provoking hardball politics in Congress, where Georgia lawmakers derailed a proposal that could restrict metro Atlanta's water supply.

Eyes on the Road: Resolution gets lukewarm OK from governor

Gov. Nathan Deal signed Senate Resolution 293 last week despite reservations over the renaming of Ga. 347 east of Interstate 985 in South Hall County, his office said.

Fire destroys Cleveland Highway convenience store

Fires in different parts of Hall County on Sunday kept firefighters busy on Mother's Day afternoon.

Kitchen Inspections for April 12-17

April 12