Friday, December 30, 2022

COVID Cases At Area Hospitals Increase Sharply: North East Health District COVID Case Count Continues To Climb

***Oconee, Clarke, Most Of State Report High Transmission Rates***

The Georgia Hospital Association and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency reported on Friday that area hospitals had 52 COVID-19 patients, up from 34 on Friday of last week and the highest number of cases since early September.

The number of ICU beds in use on Friday was 80, up from 67 a week earlier, and the number of adult ventilators in use was 32, up from 28 last Friday.

Wednesday, December 28, 2022

Proposed Commercial Development Between Entrances To Malcom Bridge Middle School Will Increase Traffic Count At Busy Site

***School Board Blocked Road Improvements***

Parents dropping off their children at Malcom Bridge Middle School will encounter additional traffic congestion in the future if the Board of Commissioners approves a rezone request on Jan. 3 for a new commercial development opposite the middle school.

The Oconee County planning staff has recommended approval of the rezone request for the multi-use commercial development, as has the citizen advisory Planning Commission.

Saturday, December 24, 2022

COVID Cases At Area Hospitals Increase, As Do Cases In Northeast Health District

***Oconee And State Show Increase In Transmission Rates***

The Georgia Hospital Association and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency reported on Friday that area hospitals had 34 COVID-19 patients, up from 29 on Friday of last week.

The number of ICU beds in use on Friday was 67, down from 69 a week earlier, and the number of adult ventilators in use was 28, the same as on last Friday.

The Georgia Department of Public Health reported four new confirmed deaths from COVID-19 in the Northeast Health District in its report on Wednesday. It had reported no new confirmed deaths last week.

Thursday, December 22, 2022

Watkinsville Council Rejects Request From Oconee County Schools, Approves Limited Parking In Front of Instructional Support Center

***Also Approves Initial Plans For Harris Shoals Upgrade***

Watkinsville City Council on Wednesday rejected the request by Oconee County Schools to set aside a city zoning ordinance so it could have 23 parking spaces in two rows in front of the school system’s planned Instructional Support Center.

Instead, Council approved a modification to that request that will allow Oconee County Schools to have up to 14 parking spaces in a single row in front of the new building on North Main Street.

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

Oconee County Schools Reduces Parking Spaces Slightly In Plans For New Instructional Support Center

***Asking Watkinsville Council For Zoning Variance***

Oconee County Schools has agreed to make a slight change in the number of parking spaces in front of its planned Instructional Support Center on North Main Street in downtown Watkinsville.

It also has proposed to increases the amount of green space in front of the building.

Oconee County Schools has refused to eliminate parking in front of the building, however, and will ask the Watkinsville City Council on Wednesday night to grant it a variance to the city zoning code to allow for that parking.

Saturday, December 17, 2022

Area Hospitals Report Small Increase In COVID Cases; COVID Case Count In Health District Continues To Climb

***Oconee Sees Decline In Transmission Rate***

The Georgia Hospital Association and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency reported on Friday that area hospitals had 29 COVID-19 patients, up from 28 on Friday of last week.

The number of ICU beds in use on Friday was 69, down from 73 a week earlier, and the number of adult ventilators in use was 28, the same as on last Friday.

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

Oconee County Planning Commission Recommends Approval Of Strip Center, Self-Storage Buildings, RV Sites

***Citizens Voiced Opposition To Each Rezone***

The Oconee County Planning Commission recommended approval on Monday night of a commercial strip development on Malcom Bridge Road, three self-storage buildings in the triangle of U.S. 441, Old Macon Highway, and White Oak Drive, and six RV sites on the unbuilt Athens College of Ministry campus in the far east of the county.

Citizens spoke in opposition to each of these rezone requests, and no one other than the applicants and their representatives spoke in favor.

Sunday, December 11, 2022

Area Hospitals Report Small Drop In COVID-19 Hospital Cases, And Increase In ICU Beds In Use; COVID Case Count In Health District Up

***Clarke Adds Two New Confirmed Death From Disease***

The Georgia Hospital Association and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency reported on Friday that area hospitals had 28 COVID-19 patients, down from 30 on Friday of last week.

The number of ICU beds in use on Friday was 73, up from 69 a week earlier, and the number of adult ventilators in use was 28, down from 29 last Friday.

Tuesday, December 06, 2022

Walker Carries Oconee County With Higher Vote Percentage Than In November

***Turnout Much Lower Than In November***

Oconee County voters gave 67.2 percent of their vote to Republican Herschel Walker in the Tuesday runoff for the U.S. Senate versus the 32.8 percent given to Democrat incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock.

Walker’s percentage, based on unofficial returns, was 1.3 percentage points higher than his numbers on Nov. 8, while Warnock’s figures were 1.4 percentage points higher than his percent on Nov. 8, when Libertarian Chase Oliver got 2.8 percent of the vote in the county.

Sunday, December 04, 2022

COVID Cases At Area Hospitals Increase; CDC Rates Transmission In Oconee And Clarke As High

***Case Counts In NE Health District Up***

The Georgia Hospital Association and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency reported on Friday that area hospitals had 30 COVID-19 patients, up from 19 on Friday of last week.

The number of ICU beds in use on Friday was 69, up from 61 a week earlier, and the number of adult ventilators in use was 29, up from 28 last Friday.

Saturday, December 03, 2022

Early Voting Numbers In Oconee County For Tuesday’s Senate Runoff Far Behind Those For November 8 Election

***Single Day Totals High In Five Days Of Early Voting***

Oconee County voters cast 11,773 votes in-person in the five allowed days of early voting leading up to the Tuesday runoff between incumbent Democrat Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker for the U.S. Senate.

That is 3,094 fewer votes than the 14,867 votes that were cast in the 17 days of early voting leading up to the Nov. 8 election.

Thursday, December 01, 2022

Oconee County Commissioners Put Off Zoning For Proposed Shopping Center At Oconee Connector And Mars Hill Road Until February

Proposed Center To Include Publix

The rezone request for a shopping center with a Publix at the intersection of the Oconee Connector and Mars Hill Road changed course on Monday when an attorney for property owner Maxie Price submitted a five-page letter and a 144-page supplemental document to the county.

In that letter, Attorney David Ellison argued that the county is obligated by past decisions to provide Price with a full commercial access to the Oconee Connector rather than the limited right-in, right-out access recommended by the planning staff of the county.