Good morning, Gordon County, I’m Brent with your Georgia 101.7 News Update.
Taking a look at the “11-9-26 Agenda Packet_Redacted.pdf”, the Calhoun City Council addressed major infrastructure and holiday planning this week. The council reviewed a resolution for up to $50,000,000 in Water and Sewer Revenue Bonds to finance necessary system upgrades, including initial engineering to reduce PFAS concentrations. In local law enforcement, the Calhoun Police Department requested the use of $7,562.60 in State Forfeiture Funds to purchase ammunition. Looking ahead to the holidays, the Downtown Development Authority requested street closures and an open container district for Saturday, November 21st, to kick off the Merry Market holiday season downtown. City of Calhoun offices will also be officially closed on Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27 in observance of Thanksgiving.
Staying with city news, the City of Calhoun is stepping up to address growing citizen opposition and the many questions surrounding proposed data centers in our area. To help clear the air, the city is hosting two interactive information sessions. The first session is this coming Tuesday, November 17th at 7:00 PM, featuring a subject-matter expert panel to discuss digital infrastructure economics, water use, noise, and employment, providing evidence-based answers to your questions. A second session will follow on December 9th at 7:00 PM, building on that discussion to explore site visioning and the “good neighbor” agreements that could be required for any future projects.
On the public health front, flu cases are steadily rising across Georgia as we head deeper into November. Outpatient visits for flu-like illness have hit 3.0%, tracking noticeably higher than the 2.1% seen at this point last season. The Georgia Department of Public Health is urging residents to get vaccinated this week ahead of Thanksgiving family gatherings. Health officials remind us that it takes about two weeks for your body to build full antibody protection after receiving the shot.
Moving to local law enforcement, the Gordon County Sheriff’s Office reported the following bookings in the “JAIL_MEDIA_PHOTO.pdf” over the last 24 hours:
Karl Eshawn Fleming, 30, of Calhoun. Arresting Agency: Gordon County Sheriff’s Office. Charges: Housed for Calhoun P.D. Bench Warrant for Shoplifting.
Crystal Gail Koon, 47, of LaFayette. Arresting Agency: Gordon County Sheriff’s Office. Charges: Disorderly Conduct.
In local sports, the Calhoun Yellow Jackets’ first-round AAAA State Playoff game against the Howard Huskies has a new date and time. Due to a statewide shortage of officials, the game has been moved from Friday to this Saturday, November 14th, with kickoff at 6:00 PM and gates opening at 4:00 PM. Keep in mind that regular All-Sports passes are invalid for postseason play, and tickets are $12 at the gate or via GoFan.
Finally, tonight at the Calhoun Performing Arts Center, our region champion theatre troupe performs Big Fish one last time before heading to State. Go Jackets, and have a great Thursday!