Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Northeast Health District, Led By Clarke County, Adds Record Number Of COVID-19 Cases On Tuesday

***All 10 Counties In District Add Cases***

The Northeast Health District reported a record number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the 10-county Northeast Health District with the release of the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report on Tuesday.

Led by Clarke County’s increase of 41 cases, the 10-county Northeast Health District added 128 new cases, and the seven-day rolling average of added cases jumped to 54.0 from 42.9 on Monday.

Board Of Commissioners Chair Asks Citizens To Pressure School Board To Discuss Options For Malcom Bridge Middle School Entrance

***Still Prefers Roundabout***

Oconee County is willing to modify its plans for the parent entrance to Malcom Bridge Middle School, but that will be possible only if citizens put pressure on the Board of Education to consider alternatives, Oconee County Board of Commissioners Chair John Daniell said last week.

Daniell said the proposed modified R-Cut design is good but not the best option, and the originally proposed roundabout, rejected by the Board of Education, is better.

Monday, June 29, 2020

COVID-19 Cases Increase In State And Region on Monday; Hospitalizations From The Disease Show Large Jump

***Good News: Unemployment Rates Decline***

The state added 2,207 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 with Monday’s release of the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report, the second largest number of new cases ever added.

The 10-county Northeast Health District added 28 cases, including two in Oconee County and five in Clarke County.

Sunday, June 28, 2020

COVID-19 Cases Continue To Soar In State And In 10-County Northeast Health District

***Rolling Average More Than Doubles From April High***

The number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases continued to soar on Sunday, with the state and the 10-county Northeast Health District setting new records.

Across the state, 2,225 new cases were recorded in the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report, the first time that the number of cases has increased by more than 2,000 in a 24-hour period.

Saturday, June 27, 2020

Northeast Health District And State See Record Number Of New COVID-19 Cases On Saturday

***State Adds 10 Deaths But Eliminates Four***

The 10-county Northeast Health District, which includes Oconee and Clarke counties, and the state of Georgia as a whole, set new records on Saturday in number of added confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Across the state, the Department of Public Health reported 1,990 new cases of COVID-19, the highest number ever, and the seven-day rolling average of added cases jumped to 1,596.6, the highest average ever.

Friday, June 26, 2020

Number Of New Cases Of COVID-19 In State Soared On Friday, Setting New Record

***Northeast Health District Cases Also Increased***

The spread of COVID-19 in the state entered entirely new territory on Friday with the Department of Public Health reporting 1,900 new confirmed cases, the highest level ever reported.

The Daily Status Report listed 1,800 new cases on Saturday of last week, the previous high record, and the seven-day rolling average of added cases was 1,569.4 on Friday, the highest rolling average ever.

Thursday, June 25, 2020

State and Northeast Health District Report Big Jumps In COVID-19 Cases On Thursday And More Than 50 Percent Growth In Four Weeks

***Critical Care Hospital Beds At Area Hospitals At All Time Low***

The state of Georgia added 1,714 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Daily Status Report of the Department of Public Health on Thursday, the third day in a row in which more than 1,700 new cases were added.

The seven-day rolling average of added cases in the state is 1,454.7, which far exceeds the seven-day rolling average of 857.3 on April 13, the earlier high point after which cases began to decline.

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Oconee County’s Two State Representatives Voted In Favor Of Modified Hate Crimes Bill

***Both Had Voted Against Bill In 2019***

Oconee County’s two state representatives, Houston Gaines and Marcus Wiedower, reversed course on Tuesday and voted with the majority in approving a modified version of House Bill 426, referred to as a Hate Crimes Bill.

Both Gaines and Wiedower had voted against the original version of the bill when it narrowly passed the Georgia House of Representatives in March of last year.

Rolling-Average Of Added COVID-19 Cases Continues To Increase In State And In Northeast Health District

***Clarke County Added 11 New Cases***

The seven-day rolling average of added confirmed COVID-19 cases increased both in the Northeast Health District and across the state with the release of the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report on Wednesday.

The Northeast Health District added 58 new cases, including 11 cases in Clarke County and two in Oconee County, and the seven-day rolling average increased to 31.4 cases per day from 27.7 on Tuesday.

Watkinsville Council Approved Concept Plan For Miracle League Field And Playground In Harris Shoals Park

***Also Approved Budget***

The Watkinsville Council last week unanimously approved a concept plan for a Miracle League Field and new playground in Harris Shoals Park behind the Extra Special People two-building complex on VFW Drive.

The Council instructed the city staff and attorney to work out an operating agreement between ESP and the city to be considered and approved at a later date.

Tuesday, June 23, 2020

COVID-19 Cases And Deaths Increased In Region And State On Tuesday–A Day With Little Good News Regarding The Pandemic

***Confirmed COVID-19 Hospitalizations, Ventilator Use Increase***

The seven-day rolling average of added COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths attributed to the disease increased on Tuesday both in the 10-county Northeast Health District that includes Oconee and Clarke counties and in the state overall.

In the 24 long-term care facilities in the Northeast Health District with COVID-19 contamination, the number of deaths and the number of residents with COVID-19 increased, as did the number of staff with the disease.

Oconee County Budget Hearing Results In Call For Septic Tank Monitoring And Internet Investment

***Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Outlined***

Two citizens used the opportunity of a Budget Hearing of the Oconee County Board of Commissioners last week to raise concerns that have budget implications but that were not directed as specifics of the budget presented.

County Finance Director provided the commissioners and the public the final details of the $53.3 million budget which includes no new positions, no salary raises for existing employees, and increased spending on health insurance benefits.

Gonzalez Said In Meeting With Oconee County Democrats She Is Ready To Launch Campaign If Judge Orders District Attorney Election

***Hearing Scheduled For Thursday***

Athens attorney Deborah Gonzalez said last week she is ready to seek election as district attorney in November pending the outcome on her suit against Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to force the state to hold that election.

Gonzalez told Oconee County Democrats, meeting virtually last Thursday evening, that U.S. District Court Judge Mark Cohen in Atlanta has scheduled a hearing on her motion for a preliminary injunction against Kemp and Raffensperger for 10 a.m. on this coming Thursday via Zoom.

Monday, June 22, 2020

Confirmed Cases Of COVID-19 Increase In State And Regionally On Monday; Hospitalizations And Ventilator Use Up In State

***Walton County COVID-19 Nursing Home Death Reported***

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased again on Monday, both in the state as a whole and in the 10-county Northeast Health District.

The state added 1,227 new confirmed cases of the disease in the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report on Monday, and the 10-county Northeast Health District contributed 26 of those cases.

Sunday, June 21, 2020

Sen. Loeffler Emphasized Her Support For President Trump In Her Comments Before Oconee County Republicans

Said She And President Are Both “Outsiders”***

Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler told Oconee County Republicans that three things distinguish her from the Democrats and Republicans who will be seeking her seat in the non-primaried special election on Nov. 3.

Loeffler said she is a business outsider, a life-long conservative, and someone who already has Senate experience.

Number Of Confirmed Cases Of COVID-19 At Record High In State And Increase In 10-County Northeast Health District As Well

***Only One COVID-19 Death Added Statewide***

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases continued to climb on Sunday in the state of Georgia as a whole and in the 10-county Northeast Health District.

The state added 892 new cases of COVID-19, and the 10-county Northeast Health District added 14.

Saturday, June 20, 2020

Northeast Health District Reports Only 10 New COVID-19 Confirmed Cases On Saturday While State Reports Record 1,800 New Cases

***Northeast Health District Has No New Deaths Listed***

On the day that the Georgia Department of Public Health reported the largest number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 ever, the Northeast Health District reported only 10 new confirmed cases.

Those new cases were spread throughout the 10-county Northeast Health District, with Oconee County adding one case and Clarke County adding two.

Rescanning Of Oconee County Absentee Ballots Resulted In Four Additional Voters Being Counted

***Results Certified On Friday

The rescanning of Oconee County’s 7,422 Absentee Ballots on Wednesday did not have any impact on the outcome of the county’s elections on June 9, but it did result in the votes of four of the county’s residents being counted that were missed in the first scan.

The rescan had been agreed upon by the county Board of Elections and Registration on Tuesday because the scanner appeared to be not counting some of the Absentee Ballots that had been marked.

Friday, June 19, 2020

Consistent With State Trends, Northeast Health District Adds COVID-19 Cases And Deaths On Friday

***Critical Care Bed Use Also Increases***

Reflecting the broader trends across the state of Georgia, the 10-county Northeast Health District added 39 confirmed COVID-19 cases on Friday, listed three new deaths attributed to the disease, and reported the highest number of Critical Care Beds in use in more than two weeks.

Only Oconee County among the the 10 counties in the Department of Public Health Northeast Health District did not add at least one case in the Friday Daily Status Report, released at 2:50 p.m. on Friday.

Thursday, June 18, 2020

Department Of Health Reports 882 New Confirmed COVID-19 Cases In State And 23 In Northeast Health District

***Seven-Day Rolling Averages Decline***

The state of Georgia added 882 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Thursday Department of Public Health Daily Status Report, and that included 23 cases in the 10-county Northeast Health District.

For the state and the region, the number of newly identified cases was lower than the number added on Thursday of last week, and the seven-day rolling average of added cases dropped from 864.3 on Wednesday to 848.4 on Thursday at the state level and from 22.4 to 20.7 at the local level.

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Oconee County Elections Board Decides To Rescan All Of The Absentee Ballots From June 9 Election

***Determined Scanner Missed Votes Marked On Ballots***

The Oconee County Board of Elections and Registration on Tuesday voted unanimously to toss out the initial scanning of the 7,424 absentee ballots cast in the June 9 election and to rescan those ballots before the county’s election results are certified on Friday.

The Board took the action on the recommendation of Fran Leathers, who is chair of the Board and director of Elections and Registration for the county.

Northeast Health District And State Show Increases In COVID-19 Confirmed Cases And Deaths On Wednesday

***Oconee County Has 10th Death Reported***

The seven-day rolling average of added COVID-19 cases and deaths increased in the 10-county Northeast Health District of the Department of Public Health and in the state of Georgia as whole with the release of the Daily Status Report on Wednesday.

The 10-county Northeast Health district added 32 new cases, with Oconee, Clarke and six of the other counties adding cases. The seven-day rolling average of added cases increased from 20.6 on Tuesday to 22.4 on Wednesday.

Tuesday, June 16, 2020

Seven-Day Rolling Average Of Added Confirmed COVID-19 Cases In Northeast Health District Unchanged In Monday Daily Status Report

***No New Deaths Are Listed***

The 10-county Northeast Health District added 25 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, the same number added a week ago, and the seven-day rolling average of added cases per day remained unchanged at 20.6.

Only two counties–Oconee and Greene–did not add a new case, and the total number of confirmed cases in the District over the three-month run of the pandemic is 1,840.

Monday, June 15, 2020

Area Showing Growth In COVID-19 Cases And Deaths, But Not At The High Rate For State As A Whole

***Area Long-Term Care Facilities Add Cases, But No New Deaths***

While Georgia continued to show growth in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths on Monday, the 10-county Northeast Health District–which includes Oconee and Clarke Counties–witnessed a slight drop in averge number of cases and a consistent level of COVID-19 deaths.

The 10-county district added 23 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, but that number was down from the 33 added a week ago, and the seven-day rolling average of added cases dropped to 20.6 on Monday from 22.0 on Sunday.

Sunday, June 14, 2020

Northeast Health District Adds Only One Confirmed COVID-19 Case In Sunday’s Daily Status Report And No Deaths

***Sunday Report Normally Shows Little Change***

The Northeast Health District added only a single confirmed case of COVID-19 in the Sunday Department of Public Health Daily Status Report–in Clarke County–and the seven-day rolling average of added cases dropped from 23.1 on Saturday to 22.0 on Sunday.

The 10-county Northeast Health District did not report any new COVID-19 deaths on Sunday, but the seven-day rolling average of added deaths remained unchanged at 1.7 from Saturday because no deaths were added on Sunday a week earlier.

Oconee County’s Sen. Cowsert Expects Georgia Senate To Pass A Hate Crimes Bill This Session, But Not The Version Passed By House

***Said He Favors A Bill***

Sen. Bill Cowsert, who represents Oconee, Clarke and Walton counties in the Georgia General Assembly, said he thinks the Senate is likely to pass a hate crimes bill after it comes back into session on Monday, but it will not be the bill passed by the Georgia House of Representatives last year.

Cowsert said he supports passage of a bill, and he thinks the bill that the Senate will produce “will be much more comprehensive” than the House Bill now before the Senate for consideration.

Saturday, June 13, 2020

Board Of Commissioners Town Hall Meeting, Proposed For Malcom Bridge Middle School, Moved To Oconee Veterans Park

***No Agreement Reached With Board Of Education***

At the Board of Commissioners meeting last week, Chair John Daniell announced that the next Town Hall Meeting will be June 23, possibly at Malcom Bridge Middle School, where there will be a chance to discuss ongoing and proposed road improvements at the school complex.

At the end of the week, however, Daniell said in an email message that “We are still finalizing the details of the Town Hall scheduled for June 23rd. We hope to have everything nailed down next week.”

COVID-19 Cases And Deaths Increase In Georgia And Northeast Health District In Saturday Report Of Georgia Department Of Public Health

***State Increases Very Large***

The seven-day rolling averages of added confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths attributed to the disease increased both in the state of Georgia as a whole and in the 10-county Northeast Health District with the release of the Daily Status Report on Saturday.

The increases at the state level were quite dramatic, as the state added 1,018 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 28 deaths.

Friday, June 12, 2020

Three New COVID-19 Deaths In Northeast Health District Push Up The Seven-Day Rolling Average Of Added Deaths

***Nursing Home Active Cases Continue To Decline***

Three COVID-19 deaths listed in Friday’s Daily Status Report of the Department of Public Health pushed up the seven-day rolling average of deaths in the 10-county Northeast Health District, consistent with the statewide trend of increasing deaths from the disease.

The Northeast Health District added 24 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Friday, but that was much lower than the 59 new cased added a week ago, and the seven-day rolling average of added cases dropped from 27.0 per day on Thursday to 22.0 per day on Friday.

Thursday, June 11, 2020

Oconee County Reported No Problems During Tuesday Election; Questions Show Mixed Interest In Making Races Non-Partisan

***Turnout Higher Than In 2016***

Just less than half–48.3 percent–of Oconee County’s Active Registered Voters cast a ballot in the merged Presidential Primary, Party Primary, and Non-Partisan Judicial election on Tuesday.

That compares with a turnout of 53.7 in the Presidential Primary in March of 2016 and with the turnout of 30.81 in the May 2016 Party Primary and Non-Partisan election.

As COVID-19 Cases Increase In State, Northeast Health District Shows No Increase In Seven-Day Rolling Average Of New Cases

***Only One New Case Reported At Long-Term Care Facilities***

Even as the state of Georgia saw continuing increases on Thursday in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, in the 10-county Northeast Health District the average number of new cases remained the same as the day before and the average number of new deaths was down just slightly.

The Northeast Health District did add 35 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Thursday Daily Status Report of the Department of Public Health, up from 19 the day before.

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Wednesday Daily Status Report Shows Slight Drops In Seven-Day Rolling Averages Of COVID-19 Cases, Deaths In District

***No New Cases, Deaths At Long-Term Care Homes***

The 10-county Northeast Health District added 19 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and one death attributed to the disease in the Wednesday Daily Status Report of the Department of Public Health.

The figures resulted in slight drops in the seven-day averages of added cases (from 27.0 from 27.3) and deaths (from 2.0 to 1.6).

Tuesday, June 09, 2020

Voters Pick Incumbents in Oconee County Republican Primary For County Commission Posts, Current Captain To Be Sheriff

***Hunsinger Elected As Probate Court Judge***

Voters in the Oconee County Republican Primary on Tuesday selected three incumbents in Board of Commissioners races, a newcomer to the county in the Board of Education race, and a current Captain in the Sheriff’s Office to be the new Sheriff.

Voters in the nonpartisan election for Probate Court Judge chose Mike Hunsinger to succeed retiring Judge David Anglin.

Twenty-Five New COVID-19 Cases In Northeast Health District Push Up The Seven-Day Rolling Average Of Added Cases

***Department Of Public Health Adds Five COVID-19 Deaths***

The Department of Public Health on Tuesday added five deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the 10-county Northeast Health District and 25 new confirmed cases of the disease.

The large number of new cases increased the seven-day rolling average of added cases per day in the Northeast Health District to 27.3, up from 26.3 on Monday.

Monday, June 08, 2020

Average Number Of Daily COVID-19 Cases In Northeast Health District Increased Again On Monday

***One New Death From Disease Reported***

The seven-day rolling average of new cases of COVID-19 in the 10-county Northeast Health District increased on Monday with the addition of 33 new confirmed cases of the disease.

Only Morgan and Madison counties did not add cases in the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report released at 3 p.m. on Monday.

Sunday, June 07, 2020

Sunday Report Of Department Of Public Health Lists Only Nine New COVID-19 Cases In Northeast Health District

***No New Deaths Attributed To COVID-19 Reported In District***

Consistent with the pattern from recent weeks, the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report on Sunday listed only nine new cases of COVID-19 in the Northeast Health District, and the report included no new deaths attributable to the disease in the District.

The seven-day rolling average of added cases in the District did increase–from 23.1 on Saturday to 24.1 on Sunday–because the nine new cases in the Sunday report compared with the two new cases reported Sunday a week ago.

Five Local Democratic Candidates On Tuesday’s Ballot Without Opposition Tell Fellow Democrats About The Issues That Concern Them

***U.S. Senate And Probate Judge Candidates Also Speak***

Lacking opposition in the party primary on Tuesday, the five local Democratic candidates speaking at the party meeting last month focused not on this week’s election but on the election on November 3.

Jonathan Wallace, seeking election to the Georgia House of Representatives, said he was motivated to run because of redistricting.

Saturday, June 06, 2020

Department Of Public Health Issues Second Daily Status Report on Saturday To “Correct” First Report’s Listing Of COVID-19 Deaths

***Northeast Region Not Affected By Change***

The Georgia Department of Public Health issued a Daily Status Report at 3 p.m. on Saturday eliminating 21 deaths from its cumulative list of deaths attributed to COVID-19.

The result, according to the report, was a drop in the number of deaths in the state from the disease from 2,174 to 2,160 on Saturday.

Early Voting Wraps Up With More Than A Quarter Of Oconee County Voters Casting A Ballot

***Majority Of Votes By Absentee***

More than a quarter of Oconee County’s registered voters already has cast a ballot, either in person or by absentee, during the just-completed three weeks of early voting for the June 9 election.

The Tuesday election is a merger of the postponed March 24 presidential primary as well as of the party primaries and nonpartisan elections originally scheduled for May 19, and just less than 70 percent of Oconee County voters have used a Republican ballot in voting so far.

Friday, June 05, 2020

Department Of Public Health Reports Increases in COVID-19 Cases And Deaths For Northeast Health District And State

***All Four Seven-Day Rolling Averages Increased***

Both the Northeast Health District and the state as a whole reported large increases in confirmed cases of COVID-19 and increases in deaths attributed to the disease in the Department of Public Health Daily Status Report for Friday.

The seven-day rolling average of added cases of COVID-19 and added deaths attributed to COVID-19 increased both in the 10-county Northeast Health District of the Department of Public Health and across the whole of Georgia.

Thursday, June 04, 2020

Two New COVID-19 Deaths And 35 New Confirmed COVID-19 Cases Added In Northeast Health District On Thursday

***Oconee County Experiencing Spurt In Cases And Deaths***

The 10-county Northeast Health District of the Georgia Department of Public Health added two deaths attributed to COVID-19 and 35 new confirmed cases of the disease in the Daily Status Report released at 3 p.m. on Thursday.

The new deaths–in Clarke and Barrow counties–moved the seven-day rolling average of added deaths up from 2.3 deaths per day on Wednesday to 2.4 deaths per day on Thursday.

Wednesday, June 03, 2020

Ninth Oconee County COVID-19 Death Reported By Georgia Department Of Public Health On Wednesday

***Northeast Health District Added 16 COVID-19 Deaths In Week***

Oconee County added a ninth death attributed to COVID-19 in the Wednesday Daily Status Report of the Georgia Department of Public Health, and Walton County added three deaths, bringing the total number of deaths attributed to the disease in the Northeast Health District to 77.

The 10-county Northeast Health District has added 16 COVID-19 deaths in the last week, and the seven-day rolling average of added deaths attributed to the disease in the District stood at 2.3 at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, the same as the day before.

Tuesday, June 02, 2020

Oconee County Schools Reviewing Options On School Reopening, Superintendent Tells School Board

***Waiting On Report Of COVID-19 Spread In County***

Oconee County School Superintendent Jason Branch told the Board of Education at its meeting on Monday that he and his staff are reviewing the guidelines from the Georgia Department of Public Education and the Georgia Department of Public Health to determine how schools will reopen in the fall.

The two state departments had released earlier in the day guidelines for school systems regarding the reopening of schools following their closure this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oconee And Clarke Counties Each Add COVID-19 Death On Tuesday, As Northeast Health District Adds Seven

***Seven-Day Rolling Average Of Deaths Jumps***

The Northeast Health District added seven deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the Daily Status Report of the Department of Public Health on Tuesday, with Oconee County and Clarke County each accounting for one of the deaths.

The addition of seven deaths was the largest ever recorded for the 10-county Northeast Health District in a single day, and the seven-day rolling average of added cases increased to 2.3 on Tuesday from 1.4 on Monday.

Monday, June 01, 2020

Seventh Oconee County Death Due To COVID-19 Reported By Department Of Public Health

***Oglethorpe Adds Death In Monday Report As Well***

Oconee and Oglethorpe counties each added a death attributed to COVID-19 in the Monday Daily Status Report issued by the Georgia Department of Health, bringing the total number of reported deaths from the disease in each of the counties to seven.

Oconee County’s death was of a female, described as 90 plus years of age and with chronic conditions, while the Oglethorpe death was of a 70-year-old male without known chronic conditions.