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THE
ACKSON
H Wednesday, January 4, 2023
ERALD
VOL. 148 NO. 30
16 PACES 2 SECTIONS PLUS INSERTS
Merged in 2017 with
The Commerce News
A PUBLICATION OF MainStreet Newspapers, Inc.
JEFFERSON, JACKSON COUNTY GEORGIA 30549 $1.00 COPY
Special election
Special election called for State House District 119
County polling
precinct moved to
Braselton police and
municipal building
A special election will be
held Jan. 31 to fill the House
District 119 seat following
the resignation of Represen
tative-Elect Danny Rampey.
Rampey resigned from the
post following his recent ar
rest on burglary charges in
Barrow County.
House District 119 cov
ers a small portion of Jack-
son County in the Bra-
selton-Hoschton area.
Jackson County residents
in State House District 119
who plan to cast their vote
on Election Day for the spe
cial election will do so at the
Braselton Police and Mu
nicipal Building, following
action by the county elec
tions board. The Jackson
County Board of Elections
voted to move the polling
location from Free Chapel
to the Braselton Police and
Municipal building during
a called meeting Jan. 3. The
polling precinct was relocat
ed due to short notice of the
special election and because
Free Chapel isn’t available
on Election Day. The move is
temporary, only for the spe
cial election.
Elections Director Jenni
fer Logan told the county
elections board that there
are a little over 3,000 regis
tered voters in that district
in Jackson County. The state
requires that letters be sent
to those registered voters in
dicating a polling location
change. Logan plans to wait
until the end of qualifying
on Thursday (Jan. 5) before
mailing the letters out. If only
one candidate qualifies for
the special election this week,
the election can be cancelled
and that notification won’t be
required.
QUALIFYING
Qualifying for the special
election is being held this
See Election, page 2A
DANNY RAMPEY
COVID-19
County has one
of highest COVID
rates in state
Jackson County has seen a slight uptick in COVID
cases over the past few weeks. Statewide, the county
has had one of the highest rates of COVID cases per
capita in the state. The only county that has a higher
rate is Charlton County in south Georgia.
The Georgia Department of Public Health update
on Dec. 28 shows that Jackson County has seen 241
new COVID cases over the past two weeks. That’s
323 new cases per 100,000 residents. That’s more
than double the state average of 156 new cases per
100,000 residents.
Neighboring Barrow and Hall counties also top the
state average. The increasing rate of COVID. along
with the flu and RSV, has led to Northeast Georgia
Health System reinstating a mask requirement for
employees (see related story inside).
Jackson County remains fourth in the state when
looking at confirmed cases per capita since the start
of the pandemic, behind Chattahoochee, Stewart and
Whitfield counties.
County celebrates a New Year
JACKSON COUNTY BY THE NUMBERS
• Total cases: 21,216
• Confirmed deaths: 290
• Probable deaths: 21
• Hospitalizations: 1,248
• Seven-day moving average: 16.6 cases
Around 15 people gathered at the Historic Jackson County Courthouse on Jan. 2 for the annual New
Year’s program. Here, audience members sing a Hymn as a way to ask for guidance during the new year.
See more photos and the story on page 2A.
City of Commerce
City of Pendergrass
Pendergrass approves
updated alcohol ordinance
By Mike Buffington
mike@mainstreetnews. com
The City of Pendergrass recently updated the
town’s alcohol ordinance.
Among the changes are:
• adding home delivery of alcohol and liquor.
• adding temporary permits (one day permits) for
civic organizations to serve alcohol.
• clarifying procedures for hearings before the city
council for suspensions or revocations of alcohol
beverage licenses as well as appeals.
• creating a Town Center Entertainment District
See Pendergrass, page 2A
Commerce discusses Homer Road retail request
By Alex Buffington
alex@mainstreetnews. com
Commerce City Council
members discussed a request
Tuesday (Jan. 3) that would
allow a convenience store and
strip retail center on Homer
Road. But one council member
said the applicant may be con
sidering revising plans for the
project.
Applicant Saleem Alykahn
has requested a rezoning of 2.5
acres at 738 Homer Road from
OCR to C-l. The property is
located near the Crestwood
Village neighborhood and the
city’s planning and utilities
building. Alykahn is proposing
a 4,500 square foot convenience
store with gas pumps, along
with a strip mall with four re
tail spaces totaling 1,200 sq. ft.
each.
City planning staff noted the
location of the proposed devel
opment is in close proximity to
residential properties. Planning
and zoning administrator Jor
dan Shoemaker said the city’s
ordinance doesn’t allow a gas
station within 100 feet of resi
dential property.
Staff also noted concerns
with traffic around the curve
that fronts that property on Ho
mer Road.
“There have been several ac
cidents in front of our office,’’
Shoemaker said.
The Commerce Planning
and Zoning Commission vot
ed to recommend denying the
proposal, citing the same issues
pointed out by staff.
During the Commerce City
Council’s Jan. 3 work session,
councilman Andre Rollins
said he was initially opposed
to the project. But he said area
residents reached out to him
and convinced him the project
might be a good idea. There’s
hardly any commercial devel
opment — with the exception
of Huck’s Cafe — in that corri
dor of town.
Rollins also pointed out
that there’s been no econom
ic activity on that side of town
in decades.
"That’s been sitting like that
for 45 years,” Rollins said of
the property being proposed for
rezoning. “If we don’t do some
thing, it’s going to sit like that
for another 45 years.”
Rollins said he then spoke
with planning commission
chairman Joe Leffew about the
project and said Leffew out
lined the biggest obstacle as
having gas pumps in such close
proximity to a residential area.
Rollins said he’s also spoken
with the owners who said they
would consider removing the
gas pumps from the project.
See Commerce, page 2A
MAILING LABEL
Index
News 1A, 2A, 3Aand 5A
Opinion 4A
Public safety 6A-7A
Social news 8A
Sports 1B-2B
Classifieds 3B
Obituaries 4B-5B
Legals 6B-7B
School 8B
Inside
Local man re
cently complet
ed the Ironman
Triathalon in
Barcelona.
-See page 3A.
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