Gordon County Fire Rescue battled two separate residential structure fires over the past two days. Crews first responded late Wednesday night to Hall Memorial Road, extinguishing a dryer fire that caused moderate smoke damage and left one civilian treated for minor injuries by AdventHealth EMS. Firefighters were back on the lines early Thursday morning on County Line Road SW in Plainville, knocking down a blaze venting through a home that sustained significant structural damage. No injuries were reported in Plainville, the cause remains under investigation, and the American Red Cross is assisting both displaced families.
On the financial front, Calhoun City Administrator Paul Worley clarified that the City of Calhoun is cutting its property tax rate by 36% down to 2.25 mills—its lowest rate since 2017—funded by the voter-approved 1% FLOST. While statutory requirements mandated advertising an apparent 67.36% hike against the state rollback formula, local millage rates are dropping across jurisdictions: Calhoun City Schools rolled back to 10.888 mills (saving the average $250,000 homestead homeowner roughly $647), Gordon County Schools adopted a full rollback to 14.527 mills, and Gordon County Commissioners advertised a tentative 7.70-mill rate ahead of an October 6 adoption hearing, though commercial property owners continue to face higher tax bills after recent revaluations.
Civic business also remains active across Gordon County. Commissioner Randy Abernathy chaired yesterday’s Quality of Life meeting, and I will explain the key developments and takeaways from that session in just a moment. Meanwhile, neighborhood debate continues over the city’s annexation and rezoning on Liberty Road for a 174-home Smith Douglas Homes subdivision, focusing on traffic flow and stormwater management. In county actions, commissioners approved a $55,350 Kubota groundskeeping package for the Ag & Events Center, authorized a $32,944 Bobcat forklift, finalized a standby disaster debris monitoring pact, and granted zoning for two poultry houses for MTV Farm.
In local briefs, Steve Evans Kish has officially taken over as Calhoun’s Chief of Police, and Wilson Construction won the contract for the Curtis Parkway and Dews Pond Road roundabout. In corporate news, Shaw Industries named Vance Bell as CEO. For pet lovers, Calhoun Animal Control is offering free dog adoptions through today to alleviate severe kennel crowding. In local jail bookings, Calhoun Police arrested Kala Brooke Helton, 27, on charges of simple assault under the Family Violence Act.
Turning to community entertainment, we were joined on the broadcast by acclaimed comedian Killer Beaz, who is headlining live at The GEM Theatre tomorrow night. Beaz joined the show to discuss his journey from running the backwoods on Discovery Channel’s hit series Moonshiners to performing on stages all across the country. Born Truett S. Beasley Jr., Beaz began his entertainment career as a touring blues guitarist before switching over to comedy after a bar patron hollered his now-famous moniker during a solo. With four decades in the business, dozens of national television appearances, and recurring standing-room performances at the Grand Ole Opry, Beaz delivers a trademark high-energy, clean, and relatable Southern style.
Economic pressures continue to weigh on area families following a Federal Reserve 25-basis-point interest rate increase. Local drivers are still seeing gasoline above $4.00, nearly 25% of Georgians are using credit cards to buy basic groceries, and looming federal SNAP benefit cuts threaten to reduce retail sales velocity while driving up demand at area food pantries. Finally, in sports, the Atlanta Braves open a three-game weekend series against the Houston Astros tonight at Daikin Park, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 PM.