The air is thick with anticipation as we gear up for a vibrant weekend across Northwest Georgia, highlighted this morning when we were joined in the studio by Bid Owens and Keith King to discuss the Northwest Georgia Fair opening tomorrow night at 5:00 PM at the Agricultural and Event Center. The community calendar is absolutely packed, from the return of Thursday night bingo at the Calhoun Elks Lodge to the Wesley Chapel Fall Festival coming up early on September 26 and the AdventHealth Gordon Rally Against Cancer at Pickleball 706 on September 27. Amidst the fun, local needs continue; the Voluntary Action Center is urgently requesting cheese, butter, and canned goods to stock their pantry, while the Gordon County Young Farmers are taking pre-orders for decorative hay bale animals.
Local News Update: Calhoun And Gordon County
On the public safety front, recent Gordon County bookings include drug and probation charges for several individuals, including Kelsey Diane Cross, Joshua Alexander Flowers, and Ricky Charles Wood. The full daily arrest logs are always available at discovergordoncounty.com. Over at the county courthouse, officials are working to clarify a legal notice advertising a 14.4% property tax increase. Because the proposed 7.70 millage rate sits higher than the state-mandated 6.728 rollback rate, Georgia law requires it to be labeled an increase. While residential properties could actually see a $618 drop in their tax bills due to offsetting relief, commercial properties will absorb the full weight of the hike on their newly reassessed values.
Local businesses are also weathering international turbulence, as Canada slaps new retaliatory tariffs of up to 50% on Northwest Georgia’s flooring exports. Domestic borrowing costs offer little relief, with 30-year fixed mortgage rates hovering at 6.71% ahead of the upcoming Federal Reserve meeting. The broader economic squeeze is painfully visible at the grocery store, where food prices have surged nearly 30% over recent years. While cattlemen note that imported beef is depressing U.S. cattle markets without lowering retail prices for consumers, over 25% of working-age Americans are charging their groceries on credit cards with 22% interest rates. This crushing inflation is worsened by the pump; regular gas is flirting with $4 and diesel is edging toward $6 as warfare in Iran chokes off the Strait of Hormuz. These skyrocketing diesel prices are forcing steep freight surcharges, ensuring high transportation costs remain baked into everyday consumer goods.
Looking for a midday distraction from the economic grind, the Atlanta Braves wrap up their series against the Tampa Bay Rays with a 12:15 PM first pitch at Truist Park. After a quiet 7-2 loss last night that featured zero extra-base doubles, Atlanta will try to get the bats going this afternoon before the Philadelphia Phillies come to town tomorrow for a critical weekend series.