Change of heart: Pearson will seek re-election

State Sen. Eugene "Chip" Pearson, R-Dawsonville, said Monday that he would seek a third term to the state Senate. Pearson was said to be eyeing a bid to fill the 9th District seat on the State Transportation Board. Mike Evans, a former state representative, resigned the post last week. Pearson said he had given some thought to leaving the Senate. Pearson and his ...

Sources for more information or help in dealing with substance abuse

Avita Community Partners (formerly Georgia Mountains Community Services): 678-207-1800 (receives state funding; charges on a sliding scale based on income)Center Point: 770-535-1050Family Recovery: 770-535-1073Laurelwood at Northeast Georgia Medical Center: 770-531-3800 (insurance or self-pay; no state subsidies available)LifeWorks Counseling Services: 770-503-7999New Hope Cimarron Counseling: 770-539-9669Also, for more information, visit www.theantidrug.com.

White Sulphur Elementary joins Riverbend in closing early Wednesday for Tour de Georgia

White Sulphur Elementary School in East Hall will have to close early Wednesday for the Tour de Georgia, a 600-mile bicycle race that started Monday.

Officials aim to keep road closures brief as Tour de Georgia rides through Hall

As more than 100 cyclists ride in Wednesday for one of the nation's premier cycling events, area motorists will have to pump the brakes - or at least take a detour.

Students take a different test: Officials say random drug screens get results in Hall

In the professional ranks, athletes often are put on pedestals. But in Hall County, when it comes to dealing with drugs and alcohol, athletes are put under a microscope. Currently, only student athletes in Hall County schools are subjected to mandatory, random drug tests, and school officials say it seems to be working.

Dahlonega's Bear on the Square Mountain Festival brings out the banjos and fiddles

Break out your banjo 'cause the 12th annual Bear on the Square Mountain Festival in Dahlonega this weekend proved that old time mountain music is still alive and kicking.

Kids get bird’s-eye view of Earth Day

They're so soft!" Emily McGarr said as Rebecca Nelson nodded in agreement about the caterpillar the two had been holding moments before.

Businesses find the green in going green

Earth Day began as a grassroots movement, but these days it's become a marketing opportunity.

Flowery Branch celebrates Georgia Cities Week

Flowery Branch will celebrate Georgia Cities Week next week by offering tours of the City Administration Building, located across from City Hall, from 1-4 p.m. Wednesday.

Authorities report that prescriptions are the drug of choice for teens

The investigator sees it. The paramedic sees it. The coroner sees it. Teen substance abuse, particularly of prescription drugs and alcohol, leads to arrests, overdoses and deaths each year in Hall County. And while alcohol remains the most common substance abused by kids in middle school and high school, pharmaceuticals have overtaken marijuana as the so-called "gateway drug" in today's drug culture, officials say. "For the first time ...

The message gets through: Authorities see fewer drugs on campus

Bo the drug dog sniffed along the lockers of his second home, East Hall High School, but when he came up empty, it was to no one's great surprise. Fewer drug seizures are made in Hall County schools these days, after the county school system and Hall County Sheriff's Office entered into an agreement last year authorizing unannounced drug searches. The drug dogs, two of whom make their ...

Busy week of activities rolls in with Tour de Georgia

More than 160 cyclists will be sweeping through Gainesville on Wednesday for the sixth annual Tour de Georgia, one of the nation's elite cycling events.

St. Michael Catholic Church contingent thrilled by witnessing papal Mass in New York

"I don't think anything of this nature has ever happened in Yankee Stadium," Father Kizito Okeke said as he waited to see the popemobile pass by after the papal Mass held in New York on Sunday afternoon.

Drug court turns a life around

Cruise Dill admits he's an unlikely person to represent the successes of drug court. Dill reluctantly entered Hall County's felony drug court program in early 2006, only after much persuasion by his lawyer and parents. Once he was in, by his own admission, he cheated on drug tests, lied to his counselors, even lied to the judge. He missed other drug screens, was late to group therapy and didn't pay ...

Q&A: Drug court judge says program helps those who want to quit

Superior Court Judge Jason Deal has presided over Hall County drug court since 2006. Deal has served on the Hall County Superior Court bench since 2005. He was previously district attorney and prior to that assistant district attorney in the Northeastern Judicial Circuit. Deal sat down with Times reporter Stephen Gurr to talk about the younger participants in drug court.

Historic Clermont library renovation on track

Volunteers at the Historic Clermont DIP Library opened its one-room library in the town's gym last year, but soon there will be more room to spread out.

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.