Monday, May 30, 2022

Questions About Planned Roundabouts At Jimmy Daniell Road/SR 316 Interchange Dominate GDOT Virtual Public Information Open House

***Noise Barriers, Meriweather Drive Also Topics***

A team from the Georgia Department of Transportation responded to exactly 50 questions from citizens regarding the planned upgrade for the Jimmy Daniell Road and SR 316 interchange in a two-hour virtual session on May 26.

Many of the questions focused on the planned roundabouts at each of the exits from SR 316 to Jimmy Daniell Road, which will fly over SR 316 in the planned multi-grade intersection.

Friday, May 27, 2022

Hospital Association Reports Stability of COVID Indicators For Area Hospitals; Department Of Public Health Reports Local Case Increase

***Clarke Reports Confirmed COVID Death Of 27-Year-Old***

The Georgia Hospital Association and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency reported on Friday that area hospitals had 10 COVID-19 patients, up just one from the nine reported on Friday of last week.

The number of ICU beds in use was 60, the same as a week earlier, and the number of adult ventilators in use was 19, down from 20 a week earlier.

Thursday, May 26, 2022

Questions On Oconee County Republican Ballot Send Messages To Board Of Education

***Only Five Days For Early Voting In Runoff***

The Oconee County Republican Party leadership sent messages to the Oconee County Board of Education Tuesday through four nonbinding questions it placed on the ballot.

In responding to those questions, voters using the Republican ballot said clearly that they, not Board members, should fill vacancies on the Board, and citizens more than 70 years old should receive a reduction in their school property taxes.

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

Oconee Post 3 School Board Republican Primary Requires A Runoff

***Hammock And Mauck To Meet June 21***

Ryan Hammock and Julie Mauck are headed for a June 21 runoff as neither received more than 50 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s Republican Primary for Post 3 on the Oconee County Board of Education.

Mauck led the field with 41.7 percent of the vote, followed by 38.3 percent for Hammock and 20.0 percent for Elliott Rogers, based on the unofficial results posted just before 10 p.m. on Tuesday.

The Post 3 Board of Education primary race was the only contested local election on the ballot on Tuesday.

Monday, May 23, 2022

Oconee County Gives Legislative Delegation Independence From Athens-Clarke

***Registration, Campaign Spending Tell Story***

In the 2021 legislative session, Houston Gaines, who represents part of Oconee County and part of Athens-Clarke County in the Georgia House, introduced legislation to ban some local governments from reducing their law enforcement budgets.

The bill, which targeted Athens-Clarke County, passed and became law, with the support of Rep. Marcus Wiedower and Sen. Bill Cowsert, who also represent Oconee County, as well as parts of Athens-Clarke County, in the General Assembly.

Saturday, May 21, 2022

Area Hospitals Report Slight Drop In COVID-19 Cases; Average Case Counts Down In Oconee, Clarke Counties

***Clarke Reports One New Confirmed Death From Disease***

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

The number of ICU beds in use was 60, down from 70 a week earlier, and the number of adult ventilators in use was 20, down from 33 a week earlier.

Friday, May 20, 2022

Heavy Turnout On Thursday And Friday In Oconee County Push Up Totals As Early In-Person Voting Ends

***Republican Ballots Continue To Dominate***

Nearly 16 percent of Oconee County’s registered voters have cast a ballot already for Tuesday’s primary and non-partisan Judicial elections through in-person voting, with a quarter of those casting an early in-person vote doing so on Thursday and Friday.

Rebecca Anglin, Director of Elections and Registration, said wait times had been “upwards of 45 minutes all day long” for early in-person voting on Friday and “average wait time” on Thursday was 25 minutes.