Come November, Union County residents will know if their sole commissioner form of local government will be changing to a five-member commission board. District 8 State Rep. Stan Gunter, who resides in Blairsville, has given official notice of his intent to introduce a bill at the Georgia General Assembly calling for an advisory referendum to appear on local ballots in the Nov. 3, 2026, General Election. Read more…
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Public education continues in latest UCSO Scam Class
Union County Sheriff’s Sgt. Robert “Bob” Calamari brought his Scam Awareness Class back to the Union County Public Library on Jan. 14, once again informing residents about the risks that lurk in the digital world, the mail and even innocuous-seeming packages on doorsteps. Also presenting that day were Casey McVay of Tri-State Tech Support and two officials with Georgia Adult Protective Services, Supervisor Emily Shook and Inv. Brandy Warren. Read…
Love earns STAR honors, chooses teacher Conger
Union County High School has officially revealed its STAR Student of 2026, and the honor goes to senior Savannah Love, who chose Dixie Conger as her STAR Teacher. The entire school learned the news with a celebratory announcement on Friday, Jan. 23. To officially recognize Love’s achievement, the Blairsville-Union County Chamber of Commerce attended as the local sponsor organization that coordinates with the…
BOE congratulates band, accepts FY25 audit report
The Union County Board of Education enjoyed a packed work session Jan. 15 while recognizing the award-winning performance of the Union County High School Pride of the Mountains Marching Band at the recent Peach State Marching Competition. On Oct. 25, the Pride of the Mountains earned the highest ratings in every category and took home First Place out of six other bands in Class 2A. Competing against…
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…
Sheriff Henderson pleads not guilty to all charges
HIAWASSEE – Suspended Towns County Sheriff Ken Henderson has waived arraignment and entered a plea of not guilty to the seven criminal charges he is facing, per court paperwork. His attorneys filed the paperwork with the Towns County Superior Court on Wednesday, Jan. 14, thereby foregoing the need for the formal arraignment proceeding that was scheduled for Monday, Jan. 26, inside the Towns…
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….