Friday, August 26, 2022

COVID-19 Hospital Cases Down Slightly For Third Week In Row; Northeast Health District Reports Drop In Case Count

***Six Confirmed COVID Deaths, One In Clarke***

The Georgia Hospital Association and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency reported on Friday that area hospitals had 44 COVID-19 patients, down from the 46 reported last Friday.

The number of ICU beds in use was 68, down by one from a week earlier, and the number of adult ventilators in use was 27, also down by one from Aug. 19.

Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Democratic Candidates For Oconee County State Legislative Seats Say Republican Incumbents Are Absent, Out Of Touch

***Focus On Reproductive Rights***

Andrew Ferguson said Sen. Bill Cowsert is not actively engaged in Oconee County.

Jeff Auerbach said much the same about Rep. Marcus Wiedower.

Mokah Jasmin Johnson said Rep. Houston Gaines is out of touch with the community he has been elected to serve.

Sunday, August 21, 2022

Oconee Crossing Residents Seeking Help From Other Oconee County Citizens In Fight Against Rezone For Grocery, Drive Throughs

***Plans For Nearby Grocery Inactive

Residents of Oconee Crossing subdivision at U.S. 78 and Hog Mountain Road have made it clear from the beginning that they are not opposed to commercial development on the edge of their neighborhood.

They said they knew that development was coming when they bought their homes.

What they are opposed to is the proposed four drive through restaurants and a large grocery that will be in their back yards if Oconee County commissioners approve a rezone request at their meeting on Sept. 13.

Friday, August 19, 2022

COVID-19 Hospital Cases Drop Slightly Again At Area Hospitals; Northeast Health District Reports 12 Confirmed COVID Deaths

***One Confirmed Death In Oconee***

The Georgia Hospital Association and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency reported on Friday that area hospitals had 46 COVID-19 patients, down from the 50 reported last Friday and from the 53 reported two Fridays ago.

The number of ICU beds in use was 69, the same as a week earlier, and the number of adult ventilators in use was 28, down from 34 on Aug. 12.

Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Campaign Coffers Of Democratic Oconee County State Legislative Candidates Dwarfed By Those Of Republican Incumbents

***Democrats Holding Forum For Party Candidates***

The three Democrats seeking to unseat the three Republicans who represent Oconee County in the Georgia General Assembly began the election season with a small fraction of the financial resources of the three incumbents.

Andrew Ferguson, Mokah Jasmine Johnson, and Jeffrey Auerbach had only $35,927 in unspent campaign funds among them, according to the Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report each of them filed in early July.

By contrast, incumbents Sen. Bill Cowsert, Rep. Houston Gaines, and Rep. Marcus Wiedower had $654,664 among them.

Monday, August 15, 2022

COVID-19 Cases Drop Slightly At Area Hospitals; NE Health District Case Count Up Slightly

***Two Confirmed Deaths From Disease Recorded***

The Georgia Hospital Association and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency reported on Friday that area hospitals had 50 COVID-19 patients, down slightly from the 53 reported a week earlier.

The number of ICU beds in use was 69, down from 71 a week earlier, and the number of adult ventilators in use was 34, down from 38 on Aug. 5.

Sunday, August 14, 2022

Oconee County Schools Will Receive More Property Tax Revenue Than Budgeted Even After Approved Cut In Millage Rate

***Rollback Millage Rate Also Produced Budgeted Revenue***

Administrators of Oconee County Schools underestimated the size of the county’s Tax Digest in the budget the Board of Education approved on June 6 by $195 million, or 7.4 percent. (See Note below.)

As a result, that budget underestimated the amount of tax revenue Oconee County Schools would have expected to have received had the Board set the tax rate at 16.25 mills as recommended by Superintendent Jason Branch by just less than $4.5 million.

Board Member Wayne Bagley cited that underestimation of the Tax Digest when, following citizen protests, he proposed at the end of the meeting on Aug. 1 that the millage rate be dropped to 15.5 from the 16.5 of last year, rather than only to 16.25.