Sunday, November 27, 2022

COVID Cases At Area Hospitals Unchanged; Case Counts For Northeast Health District Increase

***CDC Rates Transmission Rate In Oconee High***

The Georgia Hospital Association and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency reported on Friday that area hospitals had 19 COVID-19 patients, the same number as on Friday of last week.

The number of ICU beds in use on Friday was 61, down from 71 a week earlier, and the number of adult ventilators in use was 28, up from 26 last Friday.

Saturday, November 26, 2022

Oconee County School Board Approves Redistricting Plan For New Middle School, Citing Anticipated Enrollment Growth

***Citizen Asks For Review Of Substitute Teacher Policy***

The Oconee County Board of Education last week voted 4 to 0 to approve a redistricting plan to populate the new Dove Creek Middle School and make other adjustments at the elementary school level.

In announcing the approval of the plan, Dallas LeDuff, Associate Superintendent of Oconee County Schools, cited growth in enrollments since 2013 and the fact that Malcom Bridge Middle School currently is above the capacity of 1,000 students agreed to by the Board.

Friday, November 18, 2022

COVID Cases At Area Hospital Increase; Case Count For Northeast Health District Shows Slight Change

***CDC Rates Transmission Rate In Oconee Moderate***

The Georgia Hospital Association and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency reported on Friday that area hospitals had 19 COVID-19 patients, up from 13 last Friday.

The number of COVID-19 patients at area hospitals had been 19 two weeks ago.

The number of ICU beds in use on Friday was 71, up from 65 a week earlier and 69 two weeks ago, and the number of adult ventilators in use was 26, up from 24 on last Friday but down from 27 two weeks ago.

Thursday, November 17, 2022

Analysis Of Oconee County Election Results Paints Complex Picture

***Tax Increases, Republicans, Get Support***

The results of the election in Oconee County last week do not follow a simple narrative.

Voters gave their strongest support to Post 2 Board of Education candidate Amy Parrish, an incumbent Republican who was unapologetic about her vote for the School Board’s request for a nearly 10 percent increase in property taxes.

Oconee voters gave their second strongest support to Republican Post 3 Board of Education candidate Ryan Hammock, who was muted in his criticism of the Board of Education.

Monday, November 14, 2022

Oconee County Planning Commission Recommends Denial Of Rezone Request For Shopping Center At Mars Hill Road And Oconee Connector

***Citizens Express Concern About Traffic***

Maxie Price’s Deferred Tax LLC was back before the Oconee County Planning Commission Monday night with a revised plan for a shopping center at the corner of Mars Hill Road and the Oconee Connector.

The outcome was largely unchanged from April 2021.

The Planning Commission, with only limited discussion, voted 6 to 1 to recommend that the Board of Commissioners deny the rezone request.

Sunday, November 13, 2022

Signs Signal Continued Opposition to Rezone Request For Publix Shopping Center At Mars Hill Road And Oconee Connector

***Access Remains Main Issue***

When Maxie Price resubmitted his application for a rezone for a shopping center at the Oconee Connector and Mars Hill Road, he eliminated a component that most adversely affects one of the key residential areas along Mars Hill Road.

The 13 acres opposite the entrance to Bond Crossing subdivision on DaAndra Drive is not part of Price’s current rezone request for the shopping center that is to include a Publix.

Saturday, November 12, 2022

COVID Cases At Area Hospitals Decline; Case Count For Northeast Health District Largely Unchanged

***CDC Increases Rating Of Transmission In Oconee***

The Georgia Hospital Association and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency reported on Friday that area hospitals had 13 COVID-19 patients, down from 19 last Friday.

The number of ICU beds in use on Friday was 65, down from 69 a week earlier, and the number of adult ventilators in use was 24, down from 27 on last Friday.

Friday, November 11, 2022

Dove Creek Middle School Expected To Open In August With Fewer Than Half Its 1,000 Student Capacity

***Malcom Bridge Middle Also Will Have Unused Capacity***

Based on preliminary estimates, Oconee County’s new Dove Creek Middle School will open next year with 478 students, or less than half the 1,000 student capacity of the school.

Malcom Bridge Middle School is projected to have 611 students, and Oconee County Middle School is expected to have 844 students. Both schools also have a capacity of 1,000 students.

The figures are estimates, but they are the ones Oconee County School administrators used to create the redistricting plan for the new middle school for next year.

Wednesday, November 09, 2022

Oconee County Agrees To Donate Land On SR 316 Near Bogart For A State Driver Services Customer Center

***State Budget Includes $4 Million For New Facility***

The Oconee County Industrial Development Authority on Monday agreed to donate to the state a 13-acre parcel south of SR 316 for a new Georgia Department of Driver Services Customer Service Center.

Technically a part of the county’s Gateway Technology and Business Park, the acreage is south of SR 316 near Bogart with a small amount of frontage on McNutt Creek Road.

Tuesday, November 08, 2022

Oconee County Voters Approve TSPLOST, Elect Republicans In School Board Races

***Walker’s Vote Lags Other Republicans On Ballot***

Oconee County voters on Tuesday decided to increase the tax they pay at cash registers in the county from 7 percent to 8 percent starting in April.

The vote was close to a mirror image of that of a year ago, with 51.3 percent voting in favor of the Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. Last November, 52.8 percent had voted against the tax.

Turnout on Tuesday was 74.5 percent of active voters. Last November, it had been 10.7 percent.

Sunday, November 06, 2022

Early Voting Ended On Friday With Large Turnout, And Nearly Half Of Oconee County Voters Have Already Cast A Ballot

***Absentee Voting Sharply Down From 2020***

Nearly half of Oconee County’s registered voters have already cast a ballot, either by advance voting or with an absentee ballot, before voting begins at the county’s eight polling locations on Tuesday morning.

The vast majority of those votes were cast in person, with 1,542 votes registered on the final day of early voting on Friday, bringing the total to 14,867, or 45.3 percent of the county’s registered voters.

Saturday, November 05, 2022

Number Of COVID Patients At Area Hospitals Increases; Deaths From Disease In Northeast Health District Also Up

***Case Count In NE Health District Up Slightly***

The Georgia Hospital Association and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency reported on Friday that area hospitals had 19 COVID-19 patients, up from 11 last Friday.

The number of ICU beds in use on Friday was 69, down from 72 a week earlier, and the number of adult ventilators in use was 27, down from 32 on last Friday.

Tuesday, November 01, 2022

Oconee County Commissioners Given Opportunity To Review New Master Plans For County’s Existing And Proposed Parks

***First Item On Goal Setting Meeting Agenda***

Oconee County Commissioners got a preview last week of master plans for the county’s four existing parks and two planned new parks--one at the current Land Application System site on Rocky Branch Road and the other on the Middle Oconee River.

The plans will be before the county’s Recreation Advisory Committee later this month and then back before the Board of Commissioners, probably early next year, for adoption.