Public Safety, Budget Passing, and Regional Highlights
The latest local public safety reports indicate recent booking activity in Gordon County. Among the notable entries, sixty-eight-year-old Terry McWallace Bishop of Plainville was booked by the Department of Corrections on charges of possession of methamphetamine. In a separate incident, thirty-five-year-old Donald Clay Johnson of Calhoun was arrested by the Calhoun Police Department and faces multiple charges, including Battery FVA, third-degree cruelty to children, simple battery, and a bench warrant related to prior DUI, suspended license, and open container offenses. Residents looking for a comprehensive look at local law enforcement blotters can find full arrest records always available online at discovergordoncounty.com.
In government administration, the Gordon County Board of Assessors is holding a called meeting this morning at 8:30 AM at the Government Plaza. Led by Chairman Nicholas A. Sainato and Chief Appraiser Christopher “Ashley” Bailey, the board is scheduled to vote on the 2026 Notice of Assessments and Schedule Approvals to establish baseline property values. This follows a landmark session by the Calhoun City Council, which officially adopted its conservative $144.7 million annual operating budget. The financial blueprint secures a 5% raise for city employees but implements strict 10% cuts to non-instructional school operating costs, leaving school staff without raises this cycle. The session also marked the official swearing-in of John Robbins to the Calhoun City School Board of Education and the approval of a 5% increase in local water and sewer rates to fund state-mandated infrastructure and PFAS reduction upgrades. These decisions immediately follow yesterday’s Gordon County General Administration Committee meeting, which completed its final comprehensive summer departmental reviews.
Shifting to health and community services, Calhoun Animal Control has announced it is waiving all dog adoption fees through June 30th due to facility overcrowding. The fee-free adoptions include a spay or neuter certificate, a grooming session, and a rabies vaccine. Meanwhile, local healthcare infrastructure received a significant boost as AdventHealth Gordon achieved official accreditation as a Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery, placing the Calhoun hospital among an elite group of only seven facilities across the state of Georgia to earn this distinction.
On the state level, the Georgia special legislative session concluded in absolute gridlock, failing to deliver on its primary directives. Lawmakers completely abandoned plans to redraw the state’s 2028 congressional maps on day one, and highly anticipated local property tax relief failed to clear a vote. The session’s sole legislative output was Senate Bill 3EX, which delays the state’s impending ban on QR code ballots until 2028 and mandates hand recounts for close statewide races. The stalemate cost taxpayers an estimated $40,000 a day, culminating in a final bill of roughly $200,000.
Finally, in entertainment and sports, the Calhoun Little Theater enters the final weekend of its summer musical production, hosting performances of Godspell at the Harris Arts Center. The final shows take place Friday, June 26th and Saturday, June 27th at 7:00 PM, and tickets can be reserved by calling the box office at 706-629-2599. On the diamond, the Atlanta Braves are fighting to avoid a series sweep tonight against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Following a narrow 7-6 loss last night, first pitch is scheduled for 8:40 PM EDT before the team moves on to San Francisco for the weekend.