Big changes in city hall as new mayor takes seat, longtime attorney replaced

       Commission Chair Rob Jones said last week that allegations that he had any input into school board issues or the termination of former superintendent Carlton Wilson are “ludicrous.”

In a separate interview, he was seconded by school board chair Tucker Green who called any belief that he mingles his school board work as the chair to his part-time job as the county public information officer as “silly.”

See full story in this week's print or online editions. 

Genealogy research crucial part of organization

Sequoyah Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution welcomed 13 new members at their most recent meeting. Pictured are (L - R) - Virginia Barkley, Katie Cagle, Anna Stevenson, Bay Cagle, Patsy Daniel, Carolyn White, Elizabeth "Snookie" McKinnon (seated), Kathy Ciomek, Debra Peal, Liv Taylor, sisters Sara Johnson and Nancy Orr, and Gina Haines. 

     As I listened to Annie Gunnin, registrar for the Sequoyah Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, discuss the research that led to the recent induction of a family of six women, it became glaringly apparent that genealogy is a skill that requires tenacity, precision, and creative thinking to build the most accurate picture of history.  

  Gunnin spent a month piecing together the branches of a family tree back from lifelong Pickens resident Patsy Daniel several generations to a Mrs. Jane Trail West, a female patriot from the Revolutionary War. 

By Dave Williams

Bureau Chief

Capitol Beat News Service

     ATLANTA - Georgia Lottery ticket sales increased by $178.2 million during fiscal 2019, driven by a huge jump in Mega Millions ticket sales.

     Mega Millions sales rose by $73.5 million, or 58.6%, to $199.1 million during the fiscal year, which ended June 30, according to an annual independent audit the Georgia Lottery Corp. released last Friday.

The report attributed the popularity of the Mega Millions game to the size of the jackpots.

 “It’s something I’ve never seen nothing like before,” was one of the many quotable quotes from the last decade. Check out this week's print or online editions to find out who said it and why. 

This week we look back over the decade that was, from the saga of the water park that didn't come to the JeepFest that grew to the new form of county government and dramatic changes at city hall, it's all here. The groundhog that shut down 515 even makes a return.