Oconee County’s Three Incumbent State Legislators Have Large Campaign Accounts As Elections Get Underway

***Among Them, They Report Having $1.2 Million***

Oconee County’s three incumbent Republican state legislators entered the campaign season with huge financial resources, having raised $367,629 in the seven months leading up to the just completed legislative session and reporting a net balance among them at that time of $1.2 million.

House District 120 Rep. Houston Gaines, who represents Bogart and Marswood Hall precincts in Oconee County, led the three legislators with $184,099 received from July 1 of last year to Jan. 31 of this year, and with a net balance on hand of $613,558, according to his report to the Georgia Campaign Finance Commission.

Director Of Regional Library System Briefs Oconee County Commission On Changes Made At Libraries In Response To Parental Requests

***New Category Within Young Adult Created***

The Athens Regional Library System has made two changes in response to community concerns about children’s use of library materials, Valerie Bell, Director of the Library System, said at the agenda-setting meeting of the Oconee County Board of Commissioners last week.

Existing policy is that children 10 and under are not allowed in the library unaccompanied by an adult or older sibling at least 16 years of age, Bell told the commissioners.

COVID Cases Remain At Very Low Level In NE Health District, State Public Health Department Data Show

***Rolling Average Of Added Cases In Oconee Was 0.0***

The Georgia Department of Public Health reported that the Northeast Health District added 108 new cases of COVID-19 in the week ending on March 27, based on the Department’s electronic tracking system.

The Department of Public Health reported the Northeast Health District had added 87 cases in the week ending on March 20, 132 cases in the week ending on March 13, and 229 cases in the week ending on March 6.

Oconee County Commission Chair Lists County Accomplishments In State Of County Address, Reviews Library Controversies

***Also Explains May 21 Ballot Items***

Oconee County Board of Commissioners Chair John Daniell had a long list of accomplishments and updates he offered to those gathered to hear the 2024 State of the County address earlier this month.

The Board of Commissioners rolled back the property tax millage rate for each of the last three years, he said, and at the same time put five new deputy sheriffs on the payroll this year.

Oconee County Republican Candidates In May Primary Introduce Themselves At Party Forum, Talk About Their Goals If Elected

***Transparency At School Board Discussed***

The Oconee County Republican Party assembled 17 candidates on the stage at The Barn at Hadden Estate on Monday with the assignment that each spend five minutes answering questions from WGAU News Director Tim Bryant.

All of the candidates except incumbent Probate Court Judge Mike Hunsinger are running in the Republic Party Primary on May 21. Hunsinger is running unopposed on the nonpartisan judicial ballot.

Virtual Public Information Open House Uncovers Opposition To Planned SR 316 Interchange At Dials Mill Extension

***Objections To Displacements, Road Closing***

Georgia Department of Transportation experts made clear at their virtual Public Information Open House on Friday that the preferred design for the Dials Mill Road/Dials Mill Extension interchange with SR 316 is a right-angled, multi-grade junction at a reconfigured Dials Mill Extension.

Opposition to that plan has surfaced from two directions, however, and the engineers said in the virtual session on Friday said that the plans are not final.

State Department Of Public Health Reports Continued Decline In COVID-19 Cases In Northeast Health District

***Clarke Again Reports Confirmed Death From Disease***

The Georgia Department of Public Health reported that the Northeast Health District added only 87 new cases of COVID-19 in the week ending on March 20, based on the Department’s electronic tracking system.

The Department of Public Health reported the Northeast Health District had added 132 cases in the week ending on March 13, 229 cases in the week ending on March 6, 311 cases in the week ending on Feb. 28, and 374 cases in the week ending on Feb. 21.