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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.