Hotline will soon be available for COVID-19 vaccination appointments in north Georgia

     Kris Stancil (left) was sworn-in by Probate Judge David Lindsey. Stancil’s father Johnny holds his Bible for the ceremony to make his son the commission chair for Pickens County.

When Commission Chair Kris Stancil went into work Monday, his first day as the head of county government, he arrived early but was slowed down trying to recall which of the numerous keys on the massive county keyring opened his office. 

That may have been an appropriate symbol: Instead of moving directly into plans and goals, the commission chair first had to meet with department heads and assess how they were going to keep the doors open in the face of a county staff hard hit by COVID.

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

The Pickens County School District announced Monday, Jan. 4 that school would not open on January 6 as planned, and would be closed the remainder of the week due to issues regarding COVID-19 spread. Officials also announced that in-person students would move to distance learning on January 11 for an undetermined period of time.

This is the third time this school year in-person students have moved to distance learning, including once in October and briefly before Christmas.

Later in the evening on January 4, the system announced that extracurricular activities could continue, with restrictions. This was a reversal of their original statement that extracurricular activities would be cancelled this week. 

        This article on Realtor.com lists Jasper among the high flying suburbs in home price increases.

     On December 14th Realtor.com, a leading national real estate site, identified Jasper as #6 in their “Skyrocketing Suburbs: The 10 Urban Escapes Where Prices Are Rising the Most.”

The article stated, “Just an hour's drive from Atlanta, this little mountain town feels like it's on another planet. With an easy-living, country vibe, the area has been a hotbed for second-home owners for most of the past decade. However, as COVID-19 has left office workers free to telecommute, there have been far more buyers than homes for sale in this affordable getaway—which has driven the prices up astronomically.”

By Beau Evans

Staff Writer

Capitol Beat News Service

COVID-19 vaccines are set to roll out for Georgians ages 65-years and older, police officers and firefighters in the coming weeks as hospitals, health clinics and nursing homes continue divvying up a limited supply of early doses, Gov. Brian Kemp said Thursday.

  The expansion comes as vaccine providers administer shots more quickly in rural parts of Georgia than in metro areas, giving some places capacity to offer vaccines for vulnerable people besides just health-care workers and nursing home residents, said state Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey.