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Cancer survivors, caregiver
honored at annual Relay for Life
LOCAL, 7A
Chad Pittman to step down
as boys basketball coach
SPORTS, IB
^DawsonCountyNews
WEDNESDAY I MAY 1,2019
Dawson News ► com dawsonville, GEORGIA $1.00
Kemp signs rural broadband bill
SB 2, two other bills expected to expand internet to other parts of Georgia
By Joshua Demarest
jdemarest@dawsonnews.com
Gov. Brian Kemp signed six
bills into law Friday during a
signing event in the library of
the University of North Georgia.
The main focus of the event
was on SB 2, a bill that allows
regional Electric Membership
Cooperatives to provide inter
net services.
State Sen. Steve Gooch, who
was the driving force behind
SB 2 and two other bills that
help expand broadband internet
into rural Georgia, spoke about
the importance of fiber optic
cables, a technology with the
potential to vastly increase
internet speeds.
“Everything in your house is
becoming electronic,
but none of that’s going
to work without some
way to carry that mes
sage,” explained Gooch.
“This (fiber optic cable)
is as important in the
next 100 years, and in
my opinion, will do
more for our economy
and the county than
Kemp
the speed
Interstate system did
when Eisenhower built
it.”
The bill passed with
overwhelming biparti
san support, and is seen
as being a critical first
step in getting the parts
of rural Georgia that do
not have access to high-
internet on par with the
rest of the country.
EMCs, which already pro
vide electricity to millions of
rural Georgians, are now
allowed to legally sell internet
service, which would put them
in direct competition with cable
providers such as Windstream.
Critics of the bill have pointed
See Broadband 18A
Elliott wins Talladega in mad dash
Hometown
NASCAR
driver visits
with local fans
By Bob Christian
bchristian@dawsonnews.com
Chase Elliott snatched his
first checkered flag of the
season on April 28 as he
leapt from his Little
Caesar’s clad No. 9 Chevy
to take the banner from the
race announcer and cele
brated his Monster Energy
NASCAR Cup Series Geico
500 victory with the jubi
lant crowd at the Talladega
Super Speedway in
Talladega, Ala.
Of course, racing fans
and even non-racing fans in
Dawsonville have always
had the inside scoop on
Elliott’s NASCAR wins as
the siren atop the Pool
Room sounds across town
to signal every victory by
the hometown favorite.
Every Sunday afternoon
during racing season, fans
gather at the downtown eat
ery to watch the race, chat
ter about the latest news
from NASCAR and enjoy
one of the best burgers in
town and this past Sunday
was no exception, as fans
continued to come into the
restaurant after the race to
celebrate their hometown
favorites first victory.
That was the case with
local racing fan Keith Ray
and his wife Rebecca who,
after watching the race at
home, headed immediately
to the Pool Room to be with
other fans. After exchang
ing fist-bumps and high-
fives with the nearby tables
Ray explained the signifi
cance of the Talladega win
and backed it with a bold
prediction.
“This win is a big boost,
See Elliott 14A
Above: NASCAR legend
Chase Elliott celebrates
his victory atTalladega
with a visit to the
Dawsonville Pool Room
April 30. Left: NASCAR
fan Amor McGaughy
gets her pciture taken
with Elliott.
Photos by Jessica Taylor
Dawson County News
Stovall named
2019 National
Distinguished
Principal for Ga.
By Jessica Taylor
jtaylor@dawsonnews.com
Dawson County Junior High School
Principal Connie Stovall was selected last
week as the 2019 National Distinguished
Principal by the National
Association of Elementary
School Principals. She will
represent Georgia’s middle
level principals during a
two-day conference event
in Washington D.C. this
fall.
According to Dr. Bob
Heaberlin, executive direc
tor of the Georgia Association of Middle
School Principals (GAMSP), Stovall was
nominated and selected by Georgia princi
pals through a statewide search process
conducted by GAMSP.
Stovall became principal of Dawson
County Junior High School in 2018, having
See Stovall 18A
Stovall
Burn ban for some
counties begins today
From staff reports
The Georgia Environmental Protection
Division (EPD) open burning ban will be
in effect for 54 Georgia counties, including
in Dawson County, beginning today.
The open burning ban has been in place
during the summer ozone season since
2005.
The ban prohibits citizens and businesses
from burning yard and land-clearing debris
from May 1 through Sept. 30. This is in
addition to the rule that prohibits the burn
ing of household garbage, which is never
allowed anywhere in Georgia.
Ground-level ozone is most commonly
produced in the heat of the summer and
can cause lung inflammation as well as
other health problems. Open burning also
creates particle pollution, which consists of
extremely small particles that can increase
the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
May through September is a time of year
See Burn 14A
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9 0 9 9
Inside
Volume 4, Number 32
© 2019, Dawson County News
Dawsonville, Georgia
Church Events
3B
Classifieds
7B
Dear Abby
6B
Deaths
2A
Legals
8A
Opinion
9A
Sports
1B
3A Company
founder
recognized
for historic
preservation
6A Dawson
County Library
hosts Earth
Day event
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