Chamber gives yearly awards

PHS Dragon wrestlers placed third in the region and broke a school record with eight members qualifying for state.

Below, Andrew Burrell (left) and Wesley Sultan in action at the region tournament held at Pickens High School. (Action photos/Robin Dunn)

By Keith Petty

On the weekend of February 6 and 7,  Pickens High School hosted the high school region wrestling tournament. PHS wrestlers turned out with a great display of skill against their opponents. As a whole, the Dragons placed third in region competition, with Northwest Whitfield and Central Carroll narrowly taking second and first, respectively. 

     Pickens Chief Tax Appraiser Roy Dobbs, center, with (L-R) Pickens Commissioners Jerry Barnes and Becky Denney, wife Debbie Dobbs, daughter Kayla Kinzer, and Pickens Commission Chair Kris Stancil.  

Pickens’ Chief Tax Appraiser Roy Dobbs was recognized for three decades of employment with the county government. At a called Pickens Board of Commissioners’ meeting on Thursday, Feb. 4 Commission Chair Kris Stancil read a resolution marking Dobbs’ service. 

“Whereas, since the formation of Pickens County in 1853 our citizens have relied on the local government to provide health, safety and well-being of the community; 

By Beau Evans

Staff Writer

Capitol Beat News Service

Legislation blocking boys from playing in girls’ sports in Georgia and giving athletes cause to sue in court over violating that ban is up for debate in the General Assembly, sparking outrage from transgender rights advocates.

The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Phillip Singleton, R-Sharpsburg, would prevent “biological males” from playing in school sports with “biological females,” halting children of different sexes or gender identities from playing in the same leagues.

An artist rendering of what a casino on Lake Hartwell would look like. While the legislature is still debating the issue, three potential sites have been put forward.

By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
    ATLANTA - Supporters of legalizing casino gambling in Georgia have failed to make headway in the General Assembly year after year for the last decade amid intense opposition from religious conservatives.
   But this year’s push features a different wrinkle. A Georgia developer who helped build The Battery, a mixed-use complex in Cobb County that includes the Atlanta Braves’ Truist Park, recently released renderings of three proposed casino resorts around the state, injecting tangible details into an issue that has been debated more often in broad generalities.
   “It gives a hometown flavor to have somebody in Georgia who would be a frontline player,” said state Rep. Calvin Smyre, D-Columbus, co-sponsor of a constitutional amendment to legalize casinos in Georgia introduced in the state House of Representatives late last month.
   Smyre’s hometown is the site of one of the casinos proposed by Rick Lackey, founder of Atlanta-based City Commercial Real Estate. It would be built along the Chattahoochee River.