Clarke County voters are dominant in Georgia House District 117 and make up a very slight majority of voters in the 119th Georgia House District, an analysis of voter registration data as of Oct. 1 shows.
Clarke County voters also differ demographically from those in Barrow, Jackson and Oconee counties, who share the 117th, and from voters in Oconee County, who share the 119th, the analysis of the registration data confirms.
Eleven people spoke at the Oconee County Board of Education Listening Session on elementary school redistricting last week, and none of them was in favor of the plan put forward by Oconee County Schools.
The proposal calls for creation of a new elementary school district north and west of U.S. 78 to accommodate the new Dove Creek Elementary School under construction on Hog Mountain Road near the Barrow County line.
The candidates on Monday night fielded questions on campus carry, healthcare, religious freedom, President Donald Trump and a variety of other matters.
The three candidates running as Republicans in Georgia House District 119 agreed in their responses to most of the questions, while the lone Democrat in the Nov. 7 special election politely differentiated his views from those expressed by the others.
Oconee County has issued a building permit for Hobby Lobby in Epps Bridge Centre II, signaling that another big box retailer is leaving the Atlanta Highway commercial corridor for Oconee County.
The permit is for a 54,947-square-foot building and is the first issued by the county for Epps Bridge Centre II, which is across the Oconee Connector from the existing shopping center at the newly opened Plaza Parkway.
Oconee County commissioners on Tuesday night approved a concept plan for a hotel and restaurant at the southeastern corner of SR 316 and the Oconee Connector, but how patrons will exit the development remains uncertain.
The Georgia Department of Transportation is building a full median cut on the Oconee Connector allowing left turns and right turns into and out of the property.
Oconee County Schools ranked second in the state in student performance in 2017 on both the ACT and the SAT college entrance exams and tied for seventh in graduation rate, school administrators told the Oconee County Board of Education at its work session on Monday.
Forsyth County Schools was the only school system that outperformed Oconee County on the ACT scores, and Buford City Schools was the only system that outperformed Oconee County on the SAT scores.
***Similar Stands Voiced***
The four Republican candidates for Georgia House District 117 and District 119 used the opportunity presented them at the Oconee County Republican Party meeting last week to introduce themselves and take similar stands on a number of issues.
All spoke about the need for improvements to roads, in support of education, and in favor of campus carry, though some were open to changes in the campus carry law passed by the legislature last year–without the support of then 117 Rep. Regina Quick or then 119 Rep. Chuck Williams, both Republicans.
