The U.S. Forest Service, in partnership with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club, has completed a reroute of the Byron Herbert Reece Trail, so named years ago for the beloved poet, farmer and native son of Union County. Stakeholders celebrated the occasion with a public ribbon-cutting ceremony held on Saturday, June…
Early voting ends Friday for Primary Runoff Elections
Several state races and one federal contest failed to produce majority vote winners in the May 19 General Primary Elections and will therefore be heading to Primary Runoff Elections set for next Tuesday, June 16, with a short early voting period this week that ends on Friday. All in-person early voting is taking place from…
Local investigation ends in state prison drug bust
Local narcotics investigators have upended a major prison drug trafficking operation, resulting in more than 2 pounds of meth, 4.5 pounds of marijuana, 7 pounds of tobacco and other contraband being confiscated from a single inmate housed over 100 miles away at Hays State Prison. The ongoing investigation that culminated in the prison drug bust…
Rotary, law enforcement team up for gun safety
The Rotary Club of Union County gave community members a chance to anonymously turn in unwanted firearms on Saturday, May 30, during the county’s first ever Child and Firearms Safety Day Program, hosted in partnership with local law enforcement. People could surrender unwanted or nonworking firearms to the Blairsville Police Department from 10 a.m. to…
Awake America celebrates 13 years praying in Blairsville
For 13 years, Awake America Prayer Meetings have been a staple at Blairsville City Hall. Over that time, the meetings have spread to surrounding cities and even other states while maintaining a constant presence in the heart of Program Coordinator Lydia Long’s community. Back in 2009, Long learned about the Awake America movement that was…
School Board discusses frequent records requesters
On Saturday, May 23, the Union County Board of Education held its rescheduled monthly meeting in Suches, where members discussed open records requests, raising out-of-county tuition and other business before the Woody Gap Graduation Ceremony. While not an agenda item, the most heavily discussed topic was the volume of open records requests that the Central…
Primary Runoff Elections to start early voting Monday
Several state races and one federal contest failed to produce majority vote winners in the May 19 General Primary Elections and will therefore be heading to Primary Runoff Elections on Tuesday, June 16. That means early voting will run next week, from Monday, June 8, through Friday, June 12. Read more…
Kentucky man arrested for local trailer thefts
Thanks to the hard work of Union County Sheriff’s Lt. Dustin Walker, a Kentucky man is behind bars after stealing a pair of enclosed trailers and a motorcycle from two locations off Kiutuestia Creek Road on Tuesday, May 19. The property has since been returned to its rightful owners. Lt. Walker works in the UCSO…
Volunteers build beds for children through nonprofit
Despite rain showers Saturday morning, May 23, volunteers gathered under the pavilions at the Union County Farmers Market from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to build beds for local children in need through the nonprofit Sleep in Heavenly Peace. The Blairsville chapter was established in January and operates under the national organization’s slogan, “No kid…
Mountain Education Center sends forth nine graduates
Though the Mountain Education Center’s Class of 2026 was one of the smallest in number, the graduating students were nonetheless worthy of celebration during the MEC Commencement Exercises at the Union County Fine Arts Center on Thursday, May 28. Billed as “The First Choice for A Second Chance,” Mountain Education is an accredited public high…