Local

Dr. Shanna Downs

Dr. Shanna Downs

Superintendent resigns

Andy Ashurst - Publisher
Tuesday, April 6, 2021
Gilmer County Schools Superintendent Dr. Shanna Downs resigned her position effective at the end of the school year.  Downs made the announcement at a brief meeting of the Board of Education Tuesday, March 30. Her resignation takes effect May 28.
Pictured is the aftermath of an accident in which a car passed through the wall of a building used by the Gilmer Community Food Pantry last Wednesday morning.

Pictured is the aftermath of an accident in which a car passed through the wall of a building used by the Gilmer Community Food Pantry last Wednesday morning.

Car collides with food pantry building

Michael Andrews - Mountain Life Editor
Tuesday, April 6, 2021
Volunteers opening up the Gilmer Community Food Pantry on a rainy morning last Wednesday experienced an irregular event that caused the facility to temporarily close.
GHS student Tony Olea provides a cleaning demonstartion for a panel of judges during a Shark Tank-style presentation as business parners Alexis Martinez and Spencer Merritt observe.

GHS student Tony Olea provides a cleaning demonstartion for a panel of judges during a Shark Tank-style presentation as business parners Alexis Martinez and Spencer Merritt observe.

Gilmer High students put business ideas on display

Robbie Bills - Sports Editor
Tuesday, April 6, 2021
Gilmer High School students put their business ideas up for review last week. As part of Josh Snider’s entrepreneurship class, students presented startup ideas to a panel of teachers  in a Shark Tank-style format.
Above, a Spring Street lot normally used by courthouse employees has been opened to public parking on weekends.

Above, a Spring Street lot normally used by courthouse employees has been opened to public parking on weekends.

Downtown gets weekend parking, small number of pay spaces

Michael Andrews - Mountain Life Editor
Tuesday, April 6, 2021
As warmer weather brings more visitors to Ellijay, new parking signs have gone up around downtown the past few weeks. Some have been put up to direct motorists to free parking options, such as the courthouse/Dalton State lot, while others are for pay parking, an anomaly for downtown.
During a past Plein Air, Art in the Mountains weekend, artists Ann and Larry Hall look at one of Ann’s paintings-in-progress at River Park.

During a past Plein Air, Art in the Mountains weekend, artists Ann and Larry Hall look at one of Ann’s paintings-in-progress at River Park.

Gilmer Arts to host plein air weekend April 23-25

Michael Andrews - Mountain Life Editor
Tuesday, April 6, 2021
Gilmer Arts, in conjunction with the Gilmer Chamber, will host its long-running outdoor painting weekend a few months earlier than usual this year.  The seventh annual Plein Air, Art in the Mountains weekend will take place Friday, April 23-Sunday April 25.
Members of the Ellijay Lions Club will be at several local shopping centers April 16-17 to collect money for their White Cane Days vision assistance fundraiser.

Members of the Ellijay Lions Club will be at several local shopping centers April 16-17 to collect money for their White Cane Days vision assistance fundraiser.

Lions Club to collect for White Cane Days April 16-17

Michael Andrews - Mountain Life Editor
Tuesday, April 6, 2021
Members of the Ellijay Lions Club will be at several local shopping centers Friday and Saturday, April 16-17, to collect donations that will help continue the club’s mission of providing eyesight services to those in need.  The White Cane Days collection drive will be conducted from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Bridge Replacement on SR52

Bridge Replacement on SR52

GDOT to close Hwy. 52 for bridge projects in 2025

Andy Ashurst - Publisher
Tuesday, March 30, 2021
In 2025, Hwy. 52 east may be closed for over a year while the Georgia Department of Transportation works on bridges along the road. Gilmer County Chairman Charlie Paris and Director of Public Works Jim Smith told commissioners about the project at a March 10 meeting.
Safe Choice Pregnancy Care Center Director Rhenda Booth, right, gives a final check covering the center’s mortgage balance to Don Vanlandingham, the Sailors Drive building’s previous owner.

Safe Choice Pregnancy Care Center Director Rhenda Booth, right, gives a final check covering the center’s mortgage balance to Don Vanlandingham, the Sailors Drive building’s previous owner.

Pregnancy care center thankful to be ‘mortgage free’

Michael Andrews - Mountain Life Editor
Tuesday, March 30, 2021
A local outreach nonprofit that provides classes and resources for expectant and established parents has good reason to celebrate.  In January, Safe Choice Pregnancy Care Center was able to pay off a 15-year mortgage on its 220 Sailors Drive location almost eight years early.
Times-Courier

Times-Courier

Three people rescued during storms

Andy Ashurst - Publisher
Tuesday, March 30, 2021
Three people had to be rescued and eight county roads were closed because of a raging storm last Thursday. One of the swift water rescues occurred on Legion Road, and two more people were rescued from a creek off a gravel road near John Teem Road.