Years in the making, the speed limit on the 1-mile stretch of Georgia 515 between the Glenn Gooch Bypass and Murphy Highway in Blairsville has finally been reduced from 45 mph to 40 mph. The change took effect last Thursday with the installation of new signage. The speed reduction is the result of extensive legwork and networking by former Union County Sheriff Mack Mason,…
Shawn Jarrard
Lake Trahlyta drained to install new dam gate
For the first time in over 30 years, Lake Trahlyta at Vogel State Park has been drained to accommodate necessary work on the earthen dam that retains the natural waters of Wolf Creek on Blood Mountain. The lake has been dropped about 26 feet to enable construction of a new drain gate to replace the current gate that has become inoperable from age. Remarkably, the old gate is original to the dam, which…
Sheriff reflects on 2025, previews second-year plans
Now in his second year in office, Union County Sheriff Shawn Dyer is excited to look back on a 2025 filled with success while offering a roadmap for the year ahead at the Sheriff’s Office. In recognition of excellence, the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety named the Union County Sheriff’s Office the 2025 Agency of the Year for the Appalachian Trail Traffic Enforcement Network, highlighting the agency’s “dedication and efforts…
City of Blairsville achieves ‘Rural Zone’ designation
Blairsville has joined six other cities in being designated as one of Georgia’s newest Rural Zones, effective Jan. 1, 2026. The new designation creates multiple incentives that will benefit city commerce through Dec. 31, 2030. “The Rural Zone program is a collaboration between Georgia’s Department of Community Affairs and Department of Economic Development, incepted in 2017,” according to the public announcement by the Georgia Municipal Association. Read more…
Two Atlanta residents charged with meth, fentanyl trafficking
On Wednesday, Jan. 28, a deputy with the Union County Sheriff’s Office pulled over a white Ford Focus after a random license plate check revealed the vehicle had no insurance, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The traffic stop occurred on Blue Ridge Highway at the intersection of Airport Drive as the vehicle was traveling toward Blairsville city limits, UCSO Narcotics Capt. Tyler Miller said. Read more…
Roof, bridge projects move ahead in county meeting
Union County Sole Commissioner Harold Collins approved a pair of large capital project expenses in his January regular meeting, including a contract award notice for $475,000 to replace the aging roof on the Union County Courthouse. Nine bids came back on the project – none of them local to Union County – with Dusty Greer Commercial Roofing being awarded the contract. The Winder-based company submitted one of the lower bids and scored highest…
Driver charged with DUI stopped in ‘rolling roadblock’
An impaired Blairsville driver proved difficult to stop last week, but the combined efforts of the Union County Sheriff’s Office and the Blairsville Police Department resulted in an arrest with no injuries to the public, the driver, deputies or police officers. Shortly before lunchtime on Wednesday, Jan. 28, E-911 received a call about a truck driving all over the road in the Bunker…
No major incidents amid fluffy downpour
Mother Nature delivered over the weekend, dropping about 5 inches of pretty, fluffy snow across the region, with greater amounts in the higher elevations. Snow began overnight Friday and fell into late Saturday afternoon, transforming Union County into a winter wonderland. In terms of preparation by state and local officials, it was déjà vu after Winter Storm Fern swept through the Southeast the previous weekend. Thankfully, Union escaped most major impacts from both storms, though Suches received significant ice accumulations on Jan. 24. Read more…
Georgia Heart continues to improve rural health care
February 2026 is the 62nd anniversary of American Heart Month, which President Lyndon B. Johnson established to urge people “to give heed to the nationwide problem of the heart and blood-vessel diseases, and to support the programs required to bring about its solution.” Since that first Heart Month observance in 1964, medical knowledge and technology have come a long way, but heart disease stubbornly remains the leading cause of death among Americans….
Union County spared the worst of ‘major ice storm’
If predicting the weather were an exact science, grocery and appliance stores around the area would have lost a lot of sales over the weekend, as Union County experienced a best-case scenario for the major ice storm forecast. The National Weather Service had predicted upward of half an inch of ice across the region beginning Saturday night, which, when coupled with the expectations of prolonged freezing temperatures and gusty winds, could have been…