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Get to know senior
tennis players Smith
and Swafford.
SPORTS, IB
Businesses honor
local lieutenant
passing through.
INSIDE, 3A
^DawsonCountyNews
WEDNESDAY I MARCH 16,2022 DaWSOflNeWS >COnri DAWSONVULE, GEORGIA $1.00
Qualifying held for 2022 primary election
State, federal congressional district maps changed after data collection for 2020 census
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
This past week, candidates
qualified for the primary election
on May 24. The general election
will be on Nov. 8.
State and federal congressional
district maps changed after data
collection for the 2020 census
was completed this past fall.
The voter registration deadline
for the primary is April 25.
In-person advance voting will
take place at Dawsonville’s cen
tral precinct only on May 2
between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and May 7
between 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The cen
tral precinct is located at 96
Academy Avenue in Dawsonville.
Dawson County
Commissioner, District 1
• Jason Power, R
• Seth Stowers, R
Dawson County
Commissioner, District 3
• Alexa Bruce, R
• Deanna M. Dickinson, R
Dawson County School
District, at large
• Nathan Ingram, R
Dawson County School
District, Post 3
• Karen Marie Armstrong, R
Georgia House of
Representatives, District 7
• David Ralston, R, incum
bent
Georgia House of
Representatives, District 9
• Tyler Tolin, R
• Will Wade, R, incumbent
Georgia Senate, District 51
• Steve Gooch, R, incum
bent
Northeastern Judicial
Circuit, District Attorney
• Lee Darragh, R,
incumbent
Northeastern Judicial
Circuit Superior Court
Judge, Deal
• Jason Jonathan Deal,
non-partisan incumbent
Northeastern Judicial
Circuit Superior Court
Judge, Fuller
• Lindsay Burton,
non-partisan
U.S. House of
Representatives,
Georgia's District 6
• Jake Evans, R
• Byron Gatewood, R
• Meagan Hanson, R
• Blake Harbin, R
• Rich McCormick, R
• Paulette Smith, R
• Mallory Staples, R
• Suzi Voyles, R
• Eugene Yu, R
• Bob Christian, D
• Wayne C. White, D
Wright named Region 2 STAR student
Wright is first DCHS student to win region since program’s inception
Photo courtesy of Cherie Ferguson
DCHS senior Megan Wright was recently awarded the title of PAGE STAR student
for Region 2, and she and her STAR teacher Hope Honea will move on to the state
contest in April.
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
This week, Dawson
County High School senior
Megan Wright was officially
announced as the STAR stu
dent for the region, with the
highest SAT score out of 14
total students representing
their local districts in Region
2.
Each year, the
Professional Association of
Georgia Educators (PAGE)
Student Teacher
Achievement Recognition
(STAR) program recognizes
high school seniors across
Georgia who have high
achievements and accom
plishments in their high
school career. Since its cre
ation in 1958, the program
has honored over 28,000 stu
dents across the state.
Seniors are selected as the
STAR student for their
school by achieving the
highest SAT score and being
in the top 10 percent or top
10 students in their class
based on their GPA. Once
each student is named as
their local winner, they
move on to compete against
other winners in their region,
and region winners move on
to compete for state scholar
ships and awards. Each local
winner is asked to name a
STAR teacher, who contin
ues with their STAR student
during every level of the
program.
Wright was named as
Dawson County’s STAR stu
dent in January and recog
nized by the Dawsonville
Lions Club, the local STAR
program sponsor. She select
ed Hope Honea, who she
had for her AP World
History class, as her STAR
teacher.
On Tuesday March 8,
Wright and Honea, along
with family members and
several members of the
DCHS administration,
attended the region STAR
banquet, where Wright’s
SAT score was compared to
those of all of the other stu
dents in the 14-district
region. Wright tied for the
highest SAT score out of the
whole group and was
announced as the Region 2
winner.
While region winners
were based purely on SAT
scores, each candidate was
also responsible for a speech
introducing themselves and
their STAR teacher. Wright
said that, when she heard her
name called as the region’s
STAR student, she was sur
prised and excited.
“I had the first speech
because they did it in alpha
betical order of the school
systems so Dawson went
first; I hadn’t prepared any
thing major so I did my little
introduction but then a lot of
See Star 14A
Dawsonville
man pleads
guilty in Jan. 6
Capitol riot
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
A Dawsonville man pleaded guilty
Wednesday for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021,
assault on the U.S. Capitol.
Benjamin Torre, 24,
pleaded guilty to the mis
demeanor offense of
parading, demonstrating or
picketing in a Capitol
building. He waived his
rights to a bench trial for
the offense.
Torre is expected to be
sentenced at 10 a.m. on July 7, 2022.
According to his plea agreement, the
other charges of entering and remaining in
a restricted building or grounds; disorderly
See Torre 12A
Roberts trial
could happen
late summer
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
The Dawsonville defendant accused of
killing 19-year-old Kaleb Duckworth will
likely have a late summer trial.
During a March 8 hearing, Northeastern
Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Kathlene
Gosselin predicted a July or August 2022
trial for 20-year-old Daniel Lee Roberts’
pending murder case.
Roberts’ attorney said he finished receiv
ing discovery for the 2021 case last month
and asked for a pretrial hearing within the
next 90 days.
Gosselin said that while scheduling would
See Roberts 12A
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9 0 9 9 4
Inside
Volume 8, Number 11
© 2021, Dawson County News
Dawsonville, Georgia
Church Events
2B
Classifieds
6B
Dear Abby
4B
Deaths
2A
Legals
7B
Opinion
7A
Sports
1B
County envi
sions future
special needs
field.
Bowen Center
now showing
two new
exhibits.
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