Georgians 16+ Eligible for COVID vaccine beginning Thursday, March 25

        With 250 registered green clad walkers, perfect weather, and lively entertainment,  organizers say this fourth Shamrock Stroll in downtown Jasper was the best one to date.

This marked the first big public event in Jasper since the COVID shutdown last year and Dale Morrissey, the senior director for community engagement with Reinhardt, said, “I think people were just happy to be outdoors and in a good mood.”

Morrissey pointed out that the event began at Reinhardt’s Cauble School of Nursing and Health Sciences on D.B. Carroll Street that opened in the past year and boasts a growing enrollment. “We were really happy to be able to start it there, but the Pickens Scholars programs benefits Pickens students in all areas at the university, said Morrissey.

And she felt that ending it at the courthouse in the center of town helped all the businesses who stayed open. “I think we made an impact for the downtown,” she said. “It all fell into place. We had a lot of good help.”

       City of Jasper firefighters  split the cost of an air quality test for the station on Burton Street after suspecting mold, and after saying the city would not conduct a test. 

The results, which were sent to the Progress last week, show elevated spore counts and suggests problems in certain areas of the station need to be remedied. 

A Jasper firefighter said, last fall they suspected the environment was unsafe and purchased a test kit from Home Depot that showed mold in the attic area. They gave this to their chief, who then gave it to a city official on October 14, he said.

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

Suit Up for Super 

Sequoyah-Con

Sequoyah Regional Library System presents a month-long celebration of fandom featuring superheroes, gaming, cosplay, take-home crafts, and virtual programs; all for free! First hosted in 2016 to great success, Sequoyah-Con invites families to join the fun in 2021 by participating in online events on the library’s Facebook and YouTube pages. View the full schedule of events at calendarwiz.com/sequoyahreglib

The SRLS Surplus Sale

Sequoyah Regional Library System is selling some of its surplus items on Mondays between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. All items will be sold as-is, and only cash payments of exact change will be accepted. Buyers are responsible for the removal and loading of purchased items. Items are for sale at different libraries. Please visit sequoyahregionallibrary.org/surplus for a list, photographs, locations, and prices of items being sold.

Pickens Sheriff’s office inmate work detail crews, led by Deputy Joey Hancock, pick up trash along Yellow Creek Road in Marble Hill. 

How many bags of garbage would you guess inmate work detail collected on a half-mile stretch of Philadelphia Road? 10? 15? 

Try 57 full-size bags.

        Granted this road between Highway 515 and Talking Rock Highway is considered one of the worst in the county, but litter is so bad that commissioners say it’s a top complaint they receive. Now the county is partnering with the Pickens Sheriff’s office, Keep Pickens Beautiful, and the community at large in a “Team Up to Clean Up” initiative to address roadside trash and encourage recycling.

As part of the effort, the Pickens Sheriff’s office work detail program is back as temps warm up. In addition to Philadelphia Road that crew picked up 89 bags on three miles of Camp Road and were working Thursday, March 4 to pick up trash off Yellow Creek Road.