[ In History ]Remembering John B. Gordon’s 180th Birthday‘He was a devout and humble Christian Gentlemen. I know of no man more beloved in the South, and he was probably the most popular Southern man among the people of the North.’...
[ In Opinion ]The Nankipooh Enquirer - "The Shell Game"When I was a young man a small carnival passed through Nankipooh, and we was all excited about things like havin a Gypsy tell our fortune, and getin to see an elephant. One of the things I remember most was a man with three walnut shells and a green pea, and for a quarter, you got to guess which shell the pea was under. Of course that's hard to do even if the game is honest, but if it ain't, then you got no chance at all...
[ In Schools ]$50,000 Donation From AT&T Will Help Low-Income Students Pay GED® Test FeesGeorgia’s adult learners who can’t afford the cost of a GED test are getting some big help from AT&T. The telecommunications giant has donated $50,000 to the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) to create GED testing scholarships for qualified, low-income students. The fund will be administered through the TCSG Office of Adult Education, which manages the state’s GED instruction and testing programs...
[ In Government & Politics ]Secretary of State Kemp Announces Release of Elections Advisory Council Final Report and RecommendationsThe EAC, comprised of experienced election officials and leaders from across Georgia, looked particularly at improvements that will create cost savings and increase efficiencies for state, county and local governments...
[ In Announcements ]Robinson Joins Chattahoochee Bank of Georgia Advisory BoardThe Board of Directors of Chattahoochee Bank of Georgia is pleased to announce that Raleigh T. (Rob) Robinson has joined the bank’s Advisory Board...
[ In Wine ]Norm's Tasting Notes: 2010 Meridian Vineyards ChardonnayThe 2010 Meridian Vineyards Chardonnay is a great choice for a wine typical of California Chardonnay, with lots of fruit and a clean finish...
[ In Schools ]Sue Ferguson is Chosen as Lanier Technical College’s GOAL WinnerSue Ferguson, a Business Administrative Technology student at the Dawson Campus in Dawsonville, has been named as the college’s winner of the Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL). The announcement was made at the Gainesville Lions Club luncheon on January 31st. The Lions Club is a sponsor of the GOAL program along with the college’s Student Government Association....
[ In Wine ]Norm's Tasting Notes : 1997 Clos du Val Stags Leap District Cabernet SauvignonWe don't regularly drink fifteen year old bottles of wine, but the other night, we broke out a bottle of wine given to me by one of my favorite salesmen several years ago. Of course ten to fifteen years old is often the the correct age range for a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon to be at its best. This one was the 1997 Clos du Val Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon, and it was excellent, and just about at its peak...
[ In Government & Politics ]Sen. Gooch: Week 2 Legislative UpdateThe 2012 Legislative session is off to a fast start as lawmakers have already passed several pieces of legislation and met to discuss the Governor’s budget recommendations. In addition to my duties at the Capitol, I spent time this week meeting with several key leaders from throughout the 51
st District as well as my constituents...
[ In Opinion ]Professional Fools: The Nankipooh EnquirerIt sure has been fun sittin around down here in Nankipooh watchin the professional politicians make fools of themselves. This Presidential election has got to be just about the most confusin one this country, and Old Bascomb have ever seen. The Skunks and Polecats parties couldn't put on a better show, if they was P.T. Barnum and Mr. Baily themselves, with a whole tent full of clowns, which is of course is just another name for fools...
[ In Wine ]Norm's Tasting Notes: 2009 Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet SauvignonThe 2009 Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon, from Concha y Toro of Chile, gets a 91 score from the "Wine Enthusiast", and a 92 score from Norm...
[ In Money ]Bank Closing - The First State Bank, Stockbridge, GAOn Friday, January 20, 2012, The First State Bank (CERT #19252), Stockbridge, GA was closed by the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance. All deposits, excluding certain brokered deposits, were transferred to the acquiring institution...
[ In Government & Politics ]Sen. Gooch: Future Looks Bright for GeorgiaIn what is normally a traditionally ceremonial first day of session, members of the Georgia General Assembly passed two significant bills aimed at setting a positive course for Georgia’s future. On the opening day of session, Senators worked to advance student achievement in the classroom and ensure the right people are in place to lead our students...
[ In Breaking News ]Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office Launches Sex Offender OperationOn January 10, 2012 the Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with other agencies including the United States Marshals Service, United States Secret Service, Georgia Department of Corrections, Georgia State Bureau of Pardons and Paroles, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Appalachian Drug Task Force, and the Enotah Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office conducted a sex offender registry compliance operation in Lumpkin County...
[ In Spotlight ]Secretary of State Kemp Reminds Georgians to Renew Their Corporate Registrations OnlineGeorgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp today reminded officers and registered agents of corporate entities registered in Georgia that the annual renewal period has started, and the renewal deadline is Sunday, April 1, 2012...
[ In Schools ]Regents to Consider Merger of North Georgia College & State University and Gainesville State CollegeIf approved, the consolidation would combine the strengths of the two institutions to create a regional university of nearly 15,000 students that is steeped in tradition and poised for the future. The blending of North Georgia and Gainesville State will create new opportunities for students – including a broad range of academic programming from associate degrees through graduate-level education – and enhance economic development for the entire northeast Georgia region...
[ In Civic Organizations ]Blood and Platelet Donations Needed Every Day to Respond to Patient EmergenciesLike the Emergency Room of a hospital, the American Red Cross must be prepared to respond to patient emergencies with blood products 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Through the everyday support and generosity of blood and platelet donors, the Red Cross can be prepared to do this day-in and day-out, no matter when or where these blood products are needed...
[ In Soccer ]UFA Dawson Spring Soccer Season RegistrationUnited Futbol Academy Dawson offers open registration for its Spring Recreational Soccer League. Rec soccer is available for all ages (4-18)...
[ In Money ]Top Scams of 2011Better Business Bureau investigates thousands of scams every year, from the latest gimmicks to schemes as old as the hills. We’ve divided scams up into nine major categories and picked the top scam in each, plus our Scam of the Year...
[ In Opinion ]Will Rogers and PoliticsBack durin the Great Depression, when we was in really hard times, and the country was hurtin real bad, there was a man named Will Rogers who kept us all on balance by makin fun of some of the things that was hurtin us the most. One of his favorite subjects was the government, and if he was alive today, he sure would have a lot of ammunition to fire off at these rascals we got runnin things today...
[ In Football ]Alumni Football is Coming to GeorgiaDUST OFF YOUR OLD CLEATS! Alumni football is coming to Dawsonville and Forsyth County. Gridiron Alumni is planning several full contact alumni football games. Gridiron Alumni travels the nation pitting old football rivals against each other one more time...
[ In Music ]Bear on the Square Festival Announces Music Lineup, Free Admission for 2012The Bear on the Square Mountain Festival has announced the lineup of featured musicians for its 16th annual celebration. Also, a major change in the operation of the festival this year is that admission to the MainStage concert tent in Hancock Park will now be free...
[ In Gas Prices ]Oil Holds at $100 a Barrel as Iranian Tensions PersistContinued efforts by the European Union, U.S., U.K., and Canada to curb Iran's nuclear program continue to create tension between the countries and pushed oil prices to $100 a barrel in the past two weeks. The goal is to make it harder for Iran's leaders to receive payment for their crude exports in an effort to cut funds to the country so it can't sustain its nuclear program. Crude oil settled Friday at $99.41 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange—$1.55 less than the week prior...
[ In Faith & Values ]What happened to Christmas?Christmas was, once, a wonderful time that was celebrated with family, friends and dinner at Grandma's house. Grandpa would gather the children around the fire place and tell them the story about Jesus Christ who was born on Christmas Day. Some people, now, call it a "holiday." People stand in line at at malls, after Thanksgiving, then rush through the doors to buy, buy and buy more...
[ In Jobs ]Help Wanted - Gutter InstallerOur Atlanta-based division, Action Gutter Cleaning is in search of an EXPERIENCED Gutter Installer...
[ In Recipes ]from..."Miss Mary's Kitchen" - Norm’s Wandering Wallaby Baked PastaTasting new wines that come on the market has always been a way of life at our house. Sometimes, we invite friends and family over to help us “judge” the various bottles that Norm has been asked to consider, or to write about for one of his wine columns. After reviewing a number of inexpensive offerings one afternoon (with one being called “Wandering Wallaby”), we found ourselves without a dinner entrée. Always the creative talent, Norm came up with a ‘tongue-in-cheek’ rendition of a beef-noodle casserole using the ingredients he found in the refrigerator...
[ In Art ]Amicalola Falls Hosts Local Talent for the HolidaysLocal State Park is hosting home-grown artists and musicians during the annual Amicalola Falls State
Park and Lodge Christmas Open House on Saturday, December 10th from 4pm to 9pm. The artists will be demonstrating and discussing their art all evening. There will also be original artwork to purchase for those
hard-to-please people on your gift list...
[ In Money ]Treasure Hunting Through Attic Trash?From PBS’ “Antiques Roadshow” to A&E’s “Storage Wars,” reality TV has capitalized on our fascination with discovering treasure in household junk. It happened to historian Michael Mendoza, whose patient culling through boxes of old papers was rewarded when he found a Civil War veteran’s personal account of his experiences...
[ In Performing Arts ]A Tuna Christmas at The Holly TheaterWilliam, Sears and Howards’ two act play A Tuna Christmas will be performed on The Holly main stage starting the Friday, December 2, and will run two Friday to Sunday week-ends...
[ In Public Safety ]Dawson County Emergency Services Offers Holiday Safety TipsEach year hospital emergency rooms treat about 8,100 people for injuries such as falls, cuts, and shocks related to holiday lights, decorations, and Christmas trees according to the National Safety Council. “House fires during the winter holiday season kill about 500 and cause more than $500 million in property loss and damage,” reports Dawson County Emergency Services Deputy Chief Tim Satterfield...