Oakwood discusses road expansion, sewer rates

Engineering and design plans for the Thurmond Tanner Parkway extension are in the final stages of approval.

Helen tourism goes sky high

A new business in Helen is offering a bird's-eye view of the Northeast Georgia mountains.

White County dodges a wet disaster

The fear that an earthen dam at a 20-acre private lake in White County would fail and flood nearby homes passed early Wednesday when a flood warning was lifted.

Some Gainesville wrecker companies can charge more when called by police

Getting in a wreck in Gainesville just isn't what it used to be. A recently revised ordinance allows wrecker companies to charge more than they have in the past when the police department calls them to the scene of an accident, to pick up an abandoned car or the vehicle of someone who has been arrested.

Man cutting tree branch falls to his death

A Gainesville man fell to his death Sunday after attempting to remove a branch from a dead tree, Hall County sheriff's officials said. Hall County fire department responded to Vaughandale Circle at about 3:45 p.m. Sunday afternoon following reports that Demecio Riverra, 36, had fallen from a rotten tree, Hall County Fire Marshal Scott Cagle said. He had been attempting to cut a branch from the top of ...

Farmhouse fire appears to be accidental

An unoccupied farmhouse in North Hall was destroyed in a fire Tuesday morning, officials said. No one was hurt.

Top students get their night courtesy of The Times' 2008 Academic All-Stars

Stellar students and their favorite teachers got their time to shine Monday at The Times' Academic All-Stars Reception.

Oakwood breaks ground on City Hall addition

Oakwood residents were invited to a groundbreaking ceremony for a City Hall addition Monday that will nearly double the size of the building. The 3,200-square-foot addition is the second phase of the City Hall construction plan and will house the city's planning and public works departments. The first portion of the administrative office was completed on Walnut Circle in May 2003. Lamar Scroggs, Oakwood mayor, said the foundation ...

DOT is installing cable barriers on I-985

No, those aren't sidewalks being built alongside Interstate 985. "We get a lot of calls about that," said Crystal Paulk-Buchanan, spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Flowery Branch man jailed on drug charges

A Flowery Branch man, pulled over for driving on a suspended license and without insurance, had more than enough Ecstasy in his car to catch a trafficking charge, sheriff's officials say. His wife also went to jail after attempting to keep officers from arresting her husband, authorities said.

Police seek suspects in Days Inn armed robbery

Gainesville police are investigating an armed robbery that occurred Monday night in a room at a local motel.

Perdue comes to shores of Lake Lanier to sign bill to spur reservoir development

FLOWERY BRANCH - Gov. Sonny Perdue used the sagging shoreline of Lake Lanier as the backdrop to sign a bill that state officials believe will help expedite the building of new reservoirs.

Association says Army Corps of Engineers plan needs to give extra care to Lake Lanier

Should Lake Lanier be managed differently from other lakes in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint basin?

Richardson wants to fill DOT board slot soon, aims for consensus pick, not another fight

FLOWERY BRANCH - House Speaker Glenn Richardson, R-Hiram, said Tuesday that he is hopeful that a date will soon be set for a caucus to elect a new member to the State Transportation Board.

Hall County tax assessors controversy: Before accusations came praise

One of two accusers of Hall County Board of Tax Assessors Chairman Emory Martin wrote a glowing recommendation for Martin's reappointment in 2003, one of the years in which Martin is accused of financial improprieties.

Motion denied, trial date set in 2012 boating deaths

A Hall County Superior Court judge Tuesday denied a motion to dismiss the case against Paul Bennett, who is charged with eight counts of homicide by vessel in a Lake Lanier accident that killed two Buford boys.

Gainesville City Council faces more opposition to at-large voting at meeting

Gainesville has an ugly history of discrimination and the city's at-large voting system is violating the federal Voting Rights Act, a speaker said at Tuesday's City Council meeting.

Hall County's tax digest drops

Hall County's 2013 final tax digest is down 1.51 percent from last year, according to final numbers from the Tax Commissioner's office, making the county's 2014 proposed budget short by $560,000.

Class Notes: Gainesville City Schools hosting meal program

Deal ‘ready to spend’ state funds to deepen harbor

Gov. Nathan Deal said Tuesday he's willing to use state money to start deepening the Port of Savannah's busy shipping channel without waiting for funding from Washington as long as the federal government promises to pay its share of the $652 million project later.

Blood drive to honor disaster victims

The Hall County Sheriff's Office is teaming up with the North Georgia Detention Center and the American Red Cross to host a blood drive to honor victims of natural disasters both close to home and hundreds of miles away.

Suspect charged with murder in fatal shooting

A man was shot and killed Monday evening in the parking lot outside the Peppers Market off E.E. Butler Parkway in Gainesville.

Flowery Branch named fastest growing city in Hall County

Flowery Branch is Hall County's fastest-growing city, expanding 2.7 percent between July 2011 and July 2012, according to recently released census statistics.

An eXtreme eXperience: Summer camps focus on career offerings

"Do you feel nourished?" That's what rising seventh-grader Christina Antoci asked Adrianna Silva after wiping toner from her face Monday.

The Local Agenda: Gainesville City Council has full agenda

City Council members are scheduled to consider several items at their meeting this evening. On the agenda are raising city water and sewer prices, adopting a West Gainesville-Hall County opportunity zone, setting the 2014 property tax rate for the Gainesville Board of Education and changing the ordinance on annexations initiated by the city.

Taxi driver shot in hand during fight

A Gainesville man was charged with using a gun with a filed-off identification number after a man was shot in the hand outside the J&J Foods on Jesse Jewell Parkway just before midnight Saturday.

Gainesville City Schools adopts tentative budget

The Gainesville City Schools Board of Education tentatively adopted its fiscal year 2014 budget at its Monday night work session.

Tax hike part of Hall schools budget approval

The Hall County Board of Education voted Monday night to OK a tentative $200 million budget for fiscal 2013-14, which begins July 1.

Kitchen Inspections for April 12-17

April 12

Hot weather health tips

Here are some tips to help you deal with the summer heat wave.