Local

Gilmer High junior Taylor Schiesser pinned the No. 1 ranked wrestlers in her weight class at the Viper Pit Nationals Open to win the folkstyle championship.

Gilmer High junior Taylor Schiesser pinned the No. 1 ranked wrestlers in her weight class at the Viper Pit Nationals Open to win the folkstyle championship.

All-American Schiesser wins national title

Robbie Bills - Sports Editor
Wednesday, April 5, 2023
Gilmer’s Taylor Schiesser continues to rack up wrestling accolades. Schiesser, a Gilmer High junior, is now a five-time All-American in addition to being a national champion.
Glenda Sue Johnson

Glenda Sue Johnson

Longtime court clerk Johnson’s kindness, dedication remembered

Michael Andrews - Mountain Life Editor
Wednesday, April 5, 2023
Glenda Sue Johnson, a Gilmer native who served as the county’s Clerk of Court for 22 years, is being remembered as someone always willing to help and whose kind, giving personality made her a friend to many. Johnson passed away March 23 at age 81.
Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office Corporal David Ridings puts K-9 Milo through a brief training exercise at Fannin County High School in Blue Ridge after Milo and four other drug dogs thoroughly searched the school Wednesday, March 29.

Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office Corporal David Ridings puts K-9 Milo through a brief training exercise at Fannin County High School in Blue Ridge after Milo and four other drug dogs thoroughly searched the school Wednesday, March 29.

Gilmer deputies, dogs aid in school search

News Staff
Wednesday, April 5, 2023
By Glenn Harbison, News-Observer Publisher –– Deputies from the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office joined representatives from four other law enforcement agencies last week to search Fannin County High School in Blue Ridge. After the search, high school Principal Dr.
New water authority board member Ricky Wimpey.

New water authority board member Ricky Wimpey.

Credit card payments new at water authority

Michael Andrews - Mountain Life Editor
Wednesday, April 5, 2023
Customers of the Ellijay-Gilmer County Water and Sewerage Authority can now pay their bills in person using a credit card. Water authority director Gary McVey and controller Alicia Stewart discussed this recent change with water board members during a meeting last week.
Ray King, retiring environmental health director for the North Georgia Health District (NGHD), right, is congratulated by NGHD Health Director Dr. Zachary Taylor during a retirement ceremony for King held last week in Canton. King worked with the Georgia Department of Public Health a total of 40 years. After working in the Columbus Health District, he started with the North Georgia district in 2003 as Gilmer’s environmental health manager. Since 2005, he’s served as environmental health director for the six

Ray King, retiring environmental health director for the North Georgia Health District (NGHD), right, is congratulated by NGHD Health Director Dr. Zachary Taylor during a retirement ceremony for King held last week in Canton. King worked with the Georgia Department of Public Health a total of 40 years. After working in the Columbus Health District, he started with the North Georgia district in 2003 as Gilmer’s environmental health manager. Since 2005, he’s served as environmental health director for the six

Longtime environmental health director retires

Michael Andrews - Mountain Life Editor
Wednesday, April 5, 2023
The Apple Country Auto Club’s monthly cruise-ins will continue in the park-and-ride area across from Poole’s Bar-B-Q from April to September. Pictured are some of the vehicles that were on display at last year’s cruise-ins.

The Apple Country Auto Club’s monthly cruise-ins will continue in the park-and-ride area across from Poole’s Bar-B-Q from April to September. Pictured are some of the vehicles that were on display at last year’s cruise-ins.

Car club bringing back cruise-ins, Apple Blossom show

Michael Andrews - Mountain Life Editor
Wednesday, April 5, 2023
The Apple Country Auto Club will be firing on all cylinders through spring and summer with another round of their monthly cruise-ins and the return of a car show that’s long been absent from the yearly event lineup.
Pool construction underway

Pool construction underway

Pool progressing

Michael Andrews - Mountain Life Editor
Wednesday, March 29, 2023
The site of the new Gilmer County Swimming Pool looks more like a dry swimming hole as construction ramps up in back of the Civic Center. Physical work on the new pool began about three weeks ago. Right now, dirt is being leveled and the shape of the pool area is being formed.
Ellijay Northeast poll manager David Strickland helps voter Karen Ingersoll during the educational sales tax special election last Tuesday.

Ellijay Northeast poll manager David Strickland helps voter Karen Ingersoll during the educational sales tax special election last Tuesday.

E-SPLOST passes in special election

Michael Andrews - Mountain Life Editor
Wednesday, March 29, 2023
Collection of a 1-percent sales tax used to fund various Gilmer School System projects will continue for at least five additional years following countywide voting last Tuesday.
Peach trees are shown in bloom at R&A Orchards, one of several local peach growers hoping recent freeze events won’t prevent them from having a good crop.

Peach trees are shown in bloom at R&A Orchards, one of several local peach growers hoping recent freeze events won’t prevent them from having a good crop.

Too early to tell if freezes hurt peach crop

Michael Andrews - Mountain Life Editor
Wednesday, March 29, 2023
With temperatures recently plunging below freezing for several days, the county’s peach crop may have suffered some degree of damage, but it’s too early to know the extent. According to the UGA Environmental Monitoring Network, low temperatures were below freezing for nine days between March 11-21.