Local

Kinsey Craft (center) poses for a picture fresh from a diving exercise alongside his fellow firefighters Jason Hawley (left) and James David (right).

Kinsey Craft (center) poses for a picture fresh from a diving exercise alongside his fellow firefighters Jason Hawley (left) and James David (right).

Call to serve people, pets gives Craft ‘fulfillment’

If you play with fire, you get burned. However, if your job is to put fires out and work in them, your chances of getting burned grow substantially higher. Some people have such a calling to go into blazes willingly, and all in the name of service.
If you don’t mind walking, the DR Brush Pro XL 130 self-propelled mower can chew up a thicket. Suggest you wear gloves to avoid scratches from briars, barbed wire and such.

If you don’t mind walking, the DR Brush Pro XL 130 self-propelled mower can chew up a thicket. Suggest you wear gloves to avoid scratches from briars, barbed wire and such.

Investing in a ‘self-propelled life assurance policy’

Not once but twice, I thought, “Oh, no. I’m about to die.” I had been mowing on a slope when my tractor tipped at a precarious angle. Once should have been warning enough. But on the second “oops,” I drove the diesel machine straight to the farmhouse.
Photo credit: Cytonn Photography

Photo credit: Cytonn Photography

County enters leasing agreement for new jail

On Tuesday, Sep. 13, the Hart County Board of Commissioners (BOC) adopted a resolution that will authorize a lease agreement between Hart County and the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) to finance and build a new jail.
The new MedLink facility is proposed for the plot of land seen above, adjacent to Fairview Ave. along Benson Street.

The new MedLink facility is proposed for the plot of land seen above, adjacent to Fairview Ave. along Benson Street.

City annexes plot for proposed MedLink facility

On Monday, September 12, the Hartwell City Council had the second reading for the annexation and zoning request for the proposed MedLink campus to be built.
A pair of handcuffs owned by Jonathan Merck that were owned by a friend who was killed in Iraq were used to secure Gabrielle Beutler after she was arrested on charges of making up her veteran status and other charges. Merck wears a bracelet with the name of his friend, SPC Daniel Lucas Elliott.

A pair of handcuffs owned by Jonathan Merck that were owned by a friend who was killed in Iraq were used to secure Gabrielle Beutler after she was arrested on charges of making up her veteran status and other charges. Merck wears a bracelet with the name of his friend, SPC Daniel Lucas Elliott.

Fallen soldier’s cuffs used during arrest

Lavonia — Throughout his entire law enforcement career, Lavonia Police Officer Jonathan Merck has used handcuffs with SPC Daniel Lucas Elliott’s name inscribed on them. The handcuffs once belonged to Elliott, who was a military police officer. Merck met him through their service in the U.S. Army.
Photo credit: Shefali Lincoln

Photo credit: Shefali Lincoln

Earthquake felt in Reed Creek area

A 2.1 magnitude earthquake was registered in the Reed Creek area of Hart County on Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 6:29 a.m., according to the United States Geological Survey. The relatively small scale earthquake was the 12th in Georgia this year, according to the USGA website. The most recent quake was a 2.
An unknown visitor attached a memorial bouquet Tuesday to the buoy that marks the spot of which a single-engine plane entered Lake Hartwell on Saturday, Sept. 10. The plane was still underwater by press time Wednesday. One passenger, the pilot, was assumed dead upon impact. Excavation crews were scheduled to lift the plane from the lake depths Thursday.

An unknown visitor attached a memorial bouquet Tuesday to the buoy that marks the spot of which a single-engine plane entered Lake Hartwell on Saturday, Sept. 10. The plane was still underwater by press time Wednesday. One passenger, the pilot, was assumed dead upon impact. Excavation crews were scheduled to lift the plane from the lake depths Thursday.

Plane crashes in Lake Hartwell: Pilot killed; aircraft stuck in lake depths

A double-engine plane flown by a lone pilot crashed Saturday, Sept. 10 into Lake Hartwell near Long Point Recreation Area in Hartwell. After impact at approximately 12:30 p.m.
Photo credit: BP Miller

Photo credit: BP Miller

The Dawg Bark: A surprising first performance

Like most people, I was expecting UGA to beat Oregon on Saturday. I expected a close first half, but for the Dawgs to pull away in the third and win by two touchdowns or so. But it looked like duck season came early in Georgia with the way the Dawgs dominated the game from the very beginning.