Newspaper Page Text
Gov. Nathan Deal’s official
portrait unveiled at Ga. Capitol
LOCAL, 3A
Lady Tigers end road trip
with loss to Cherokee Bluff
SPORTS, 1B
DawsonCountyNews
WEDNESDAY I JANUARY 9, 2019 DaWSOflNeWS ^COITI DAWSONVILLE, GEORGIA $1.00
Pickens will likely operate Station 8
New draft agreement with Dawson County proposes Pickens run station open since 2009
By Allie Dean
adean@dawsonnews.com
The Dawson County Board of
Commissioners on Thursday will
hear a presentation of a new pro
posed intergovernmental agree
ment between Pickens and
Dawson counties regarding the
operation of Fire Station No. 8 off
Monument Road in Dawson
County.
If the new intergovernmental
agreement, or IGA, is ratified by
both entities, the station will come
under the operation of Pickens
County and no longer be operated
by Dawson County, which has
operated the station since it was
constructed in 2009.
Originally, Pickens County
acquired the land and built the sta
tion, providing insurance for the
building and liquefied petroleum
gas to heat the station. Dawson
County then assumed operation of
the station as a substation of
Dawson County Emergency
Services, providing fire apparatus,
administrative support and elec
tricity as well as obtaining neces
sary compliance certification from
the Georgia Firefighters Standards
and Training Council.
The original IGA also stated
that Dawson County “shall pro
vide training, equipment, and
workers compensation insurance
for a maximum of (10) volunteer
firefighters to serve the station.”
It was that section of the IGA
that sparked a disagreement
between Dawson and Pickens late
last year and spurred the separate
boards of commissioners to work
to create a new agreement.
Twelve of the 13 volunteer sup
port firefighters assigned to
Station 8 resigned in December
after they were told that opting to
attend a Pickens training as
opposed to a Dawson training
would violate the agreement
between the two counties.
Station 8 services the Wildcat
Community, which was organized
in 2006 with the goal of establish
ing emergency services for the
more than 700 homes in the Burnt
Mountain area. The community
raised funds to help build the sta
tion as well as provide a fire
engine that could more easily
See Pickens|5A
Community rallies to help dog
found stuck in muddy ravine
GBI, Dawson
sheriffs probe 2
deaths in alleged
murder-suicide
By Allie Dean
adean@dawosnnews.com
The Dawson County Sheriff’s Office and
the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are
investigating a suspected murder-suicide
that occurred in a home in Dawsonville last
week.
Dawson County Sheriff Jeff Johnson said
the deceased have been identified as hus
band and wife Ralph Mathews, 58, and
Stacy Mathews, 53.
Johnson said the Dawson County 911
center received a call at 5:45 a.m. Jan. 2
regarding a shooting that occurred inside a
residence on Crane Road in Dawson
County. Upon arrival, deputies found two
deceased.
The case is still open and active, Johnson
said.
Senate committee
Photos by Jessica Taylor Dawson County News
Harper, the stray dog found in a muddy ravine, gets her muddy and matted fur shaved off at Whitmire Animal
Hospital Jan. 4.
recommends later
Animal hospital sets up fundraiser for dog named ‘Harper’
By Jessica Taylor
jtaylor@dawsonnews.com
On Jan. 3, land surveyors near
Whispering Lake in north Forsyth
heard the sound of an animal cry
ing and went to investigate.
They stumbled upon an injured
dog, entrenched in thick mud at
the bottom of a ravine and covered
in heavily matted fur.
Unable to move, the lost dog
could only cry out for help and
hope that someone would come to
her rescue.
It took the strength of the three
surveyors to free her from the
muddy ravine and get her trans
ported to Whitmire Animal
Hospital for medical treatment.
“Nothing is immediately jump
ing out,” Dr. Wil Gholston said as
See Harper|6A
Dr. Will Gholston of Whitmire Animal Hospital looks over Harper as Danny
Flanders observes.
school start date
Findings wont affect schools
in Dawson County in 2019-20
By Jessica Taylor
jtaylor@dawsonnews.com
The Senate Study Committee on
Evaluating the School Year Calendar of
Georgia Public Schools concluded its eval
uation and published its recommendations
at the end of December.
According to the final report of the com
mittee Dec. 27, members are recommend
ing a required start date no earlier than
seven to 10 days before Labor Day and an
end date around June 1.
Other recommendations in the report
include evaluating testing dates, requiring
school systems to survey communities
about school calendars and coordinating
the start dates to “coincide more with the
University System of Georgia and
See Schools 14A
0
9 0 9 9
Inside
Volume 4, Number 16
© 2018, Dawson County News
Dawsonville, Georgia
Church Events
3B
Classifieds
8B
Dear Abby
5B
Deaths
2A
Legals
7B
Opinion
7A
Sports
1B
3A Sears in
Gainesville
set to close in
late March
5A Wendy’s
employee
reportedly
assaulted with
pipe
IWERFUL
CANCER
FIGHTING
NETWORK
IN GEORGIA
Taking on cancer requires an elite clinical team. That's why Northside
Hospital Cancer Institute has the most board-certified medical
oncologists in Georgia. We diagnose and treat more new cancer cases
than any other hospital in the state—providing care at 48 cancer
centers. Backed by expertise and experience, we're built to beat cancer.
Learn more at builttobeatcancer.com
‘■BUILT
to BEAT
CANCER
m
NORTHSIDE
HOSPITAL
CANCER INSTITUTE
