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The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) announced today that Georgia’s June unemployment rate was 3.5%, unchanged from May. The unemployment rate was six-tenths lower than the national unemployment rate. Meanwhile, a historic milestone for employment has been reached from the June 2025 numbers. 

Georgia’s Labor Commissioner Barbara Rivera Holmes says, “In June, Georgia topped 5 million jobs for the first time in our history, and it didn’t happen by chance. Businesses big and small showed up day after day — hiring, investing and believing in Georgia’s commitment to growth. That consistency has kept us the No. 1 state for business for 11 years running.”

The GDOL posted in a press release on Wednesday that jobs increased by 9,100 to an all-time high of 5,001,100. Over the year, jobs rose by 29,800 statewide. 

The statistics collected by the GDOL in June indicated that the sectors reaching an all-time highs for jobs included financial activities, 286,200; health care and social assistance, 623,300; and leisure and hospitality, 522,100. 

The sectors with the most job gains in the past month included health care and social assistance, 3,900; arts, entertainment and recreation, 3,500; administrative and support services, 3,100; construction, 1,800; finance and insurance, 1,500; and local government, 1,500. 

Jobs declined over the month in durable goods manufacturing, 2,300; state government, 1,600; accommodation and food services, 1,100; federal government, 900; and private educational services, 700. 

For personalized assistance, employers can reach Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) staff at https://dol.georgia.gov/email-us.  For more information on jobs and current labor force data, visit Georgia LaborMarket Explorer to view a comprehensive report. 

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A Hall County Sheriff’s deputy suffered minor injuries early Sunday morning when a driver did not follow Georgia’s Move Over Law and side-swiped a marked patrol vehicle on I-985.

The Hall County Sheriff’s Office said the accident occurred at around 12:10 a.m. near Exit 24. Two deputies were assisting with a disabled vehicle on the southbound side of the highway. 

Their patrol vehicle had its emergency lights and directional arrows activated, clearly signaling drivers to move left to pass the scene safely.

Despite minimal traffic, the driver of a southbound pickup truck did not move over and struck the patrol car. 

The deputy in the driver’s seat was wearing his seatbelt and was not severely injured. He was able to return to work after being released from the hospital.

The occupants of the truck and the second deputy were not injured.

The driver of the truck was cited for failure to yield under the Move Over Law.

The Hall County Sheriff’s Office is urging all drivers to remain alert and move over when they see flashing lights ahead.

To review Georgia’s Move Over Law, click here.

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Hall County Family Connection and the University of Georgia’s Hall County extension held a poverty simulation at the Butler Center on Wednesday.

Roughly 50 people in the Hall County community could be seen rushing from their chairs with their “families” to the employment table or the pawn shop table at the Butler Center’s gym. The simulation was meant to help participants gain an understanding of what a typical low-income family goes through.

“What we want to do is raise awareness about the challenges that families and individuals face every day,” Executive Director for Hall County Family Connection Kyndra Cohen said. 

In the simulation, participants assumed the roles of different families facing poverty. 

“You may not be able to pay for childcare, you may have to go to the pawn shop to make a decision,” Cohen said. 

Family and Consumer Sciences Agent for UGA’s Hall County extension Gwen Hawn said they put these simulations on to help anyone working with the public get a better understanding of poverty in their communities.

“As people, we all feel empathy towards individuals who are poor or what we consider in poverty, but we don’t really understand the constraints of people who are employed,” Hawn said. “They still need assistance in order to reach those basic needs, and only people who are in positions of influence really can help with that.

Two participants were resident doctors in their first year at Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS). They were paired up as 13-year-old twins tasked with taking care of their baby brother.

“These two people found me and tried to offer me a job, but it entailed selling drugs,” one of the resident doctors said. “Because we’re desperate for money, I took the opportunity.”

The other resident said transportation was a big issue during the simulation. She realized even if she got a job, she did not have transportation to get there every day and start earning money.

“It’s so different,” she said. “I feel like I already had a semi-understanding, but it’s just different having to experience it and see the barriers to even just getting a job.” 

One statistic that Cohen and Hawn cited was the Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) count. ALICE households earn more than the federal poverty level, but still live paycheck to paycheck as it is still below the basic cost of living for the county. 

Hall County’s poverty rate is 13.2%. That is slightly less than the state average, but 32% of households in the county fall under the ALICE count. That means the ALICE and poverty population of Hall County is 44%. 

There has been a roughly 33.3% increase in ALICE households in Hall County since 2010, with 24,394 households falling in that range.

“Express empathy, because you never know what someone is going through,” Cohen said. “You never know what decisions that they have to make. Empathy, patience, and then unity. That is what we want for Hall County.”

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A Lula man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly possessing child pornography.

The Hall County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement Wednesday, saying Jaylen Malik Bell, age 18, was arrested after a two-month investigation into his online activity. That investigation reportedly started on May 16 when the sheriff’s office got a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

“The investigation determined Mr. Bell uploaded multiple images of children involved in sexually explicit conduct to his email account,” the sheriff’s office’s statement said.

Investigators got a warrant for Bell’s arrest and interviewed him Tuesday at Hall County Sheriff’s Office headquarters in Gainesville. He was arrested after that interview.

Bell faces six counts of sexual exploitation of children. As of Wednesday afternoon, he remained in the Hall County Jail without bond.

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A 5-year-old boy from Cumming is dead after reportedly being pulled from Lake Chatuge in Towns County Tuesday afternoon.

A social media post by the Towns County Sheriff’s Office Wednesday morning said deputies there were called to a home on Stonecrest Circle, just south of Hiawassee, to a report of a missing child.

“When deputies arrived, they found that the child had just been pulled from the lake by a family member,” the post by the sheriff’s office said.

The child was taken from the scene to Chatuge Regional Hospital in Hiawassee where he later died.

“Investigation revealed the child had been missing for about 10 minutes and apparently had wandered into the lake where he was found by a family member,” the sheriff’s office said.

The family was reportedly visiting a rental home in the area at the time of the incident.

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A Cornelia man was arrested in Hall County recently and is facing a list of child molestation charges in Habersham County.

The Habersham County Sheriff’s Office confirmed this week that Omar Cruz-Juarez, age 45, was arrested on Friday, July 11 by U.S. Marshals. He was wanted in connection with a November 13, 2024 incident in Habersham.

The details of that incident have not been released, but the sheriff’s office said Cruz-Juarez is facing the following charges:

• Aggravated Child Molestation
• Aggravated sodomy (2 counts)
• Child Molestation (4 counts)
• Sexual Battery

As of Wednesday, July 16, Cruz-Juarez remained in the Habersham County Detention Center without bond.

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Flowery Branch Police Department has posted a phone scam alert on their Facebook page.

The warning says that the scammers are calling people claiming a family member has been arrested in another state, then demanding to meet in person to collect “bond money” for their release.

The Flowery Branch PD reminds the public that they will never be asked to pay bond outside of a bonding company, police department or official bonding facility.

They then advised all people who receive calls fitting this description to hang up immediately and to be sure not to send money or agree to meet at any location.

For more information, please visit the Flowery Branch Police Department Facebook page.

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Late Gainesville native Helen Perry’s friends have established a high school scholarship in her memory following her passing in May.

Perry was a valued faculty member at Gainesville High School, rising from substitute teacher to instructor to department head in her 18 years of service. She finished her career as coordinator of the work-based learning/youth apprentice program.

“Helen was a valued member of our team,” said principal Roberto Rivera.  “Our work-based learning program flourished under her leadership.”

The scholarship will honor and reward outstanding work-based learning students who seek a technical college education in Georgia.

Scholarship trustees are Kim Davis, Bonnie Oliver, Wyoma Newman, Sammy Smith and Assistant Principal Natalie Smith.

To make tax-deductible donations for the scholarship fund, payable to Gainesville High School, mail to the Helen Perry Scholarship, 830 Century Place, Gainesville, GA, 30501.

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Forsyth County Schools have announced a series of public hearings as its proposed millage rate for the upcoming fiscal year is expected to lead to a property tax increase.

The school system made the announcement Friday, saying the proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget includes a millage rate of 15.208 mills, an increase of 0.582 mills over the full rollback rate that would keep property taxes flat. The millage rate is expected to lead to an average increase of 3.98 percent in property taxes for properties in the county.

The exact increase for a given property will vary based on the most recent property assessments.

By law, the board of education will be required to host three public hearings before giving final approval to the millage rate. All three will be held at board’s Central Office Building on Dahlonega Highway in Cumming. The dates and times are listed below.

• Tuesday, July 22 at 6:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, July 29 at 9:00 a.m.
• Tuesday, July 29 at 5:00 p.m.

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A fatal single vehicle crash on Montevideo Road in Hart County left one with non-life-threatening injuries and another dead.

Troopers from Post 52 Hartwell responded to a 1995 Ford F-150 traveling east on Montevideo Road that was involved in a single vehicle crash. Upon arrival, it was discovered that the car had left the roadway and been overturned.

The Georgia State Patrol’s Specialized Crash Reconstruction Team also responded to the scene to assist in the crash investigation.

The driver, 33-year-old Amber Argo of Elbert County, was able to exit the vehicle with non-life-threatening injuries.

The passenger, a 16-year-old resident of Franklin County whose name has been withheld, was pronounced deceased on the scene with fatal injuries.

Impairment does not appear to be a contributing factor and the crash investigation is on-going.

Hart County Sheriff Chris Carroll adds that the deceased passenger has been identified as a female.

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Are you in need of new devices and items for your home lifestyle?  Do you see several solicitors coming to your home to make such an offer?  In Gainesville, you are not alone.

The City of Gainesville, Georgia, through the Gainesville Police Department (GPD), has received an increase in complaints regarding unregistered door-to-door salespeople and aggressive solicitation in local neighborhoods.

Gainesville’s Police Department says in the City’s Facebook page that there are laws in place that protect their safety and privacy.

The City of Gainesville reminds businesses seeking to solicit services or products for sales that locally it is unlawful to solicit:

– In an aggressive manner (blocking your path, using threatening language and/or continuing their pitch after being told “no”).

– On private property with a posted “NO SOLICITING” sign or after being asked to leave.

– After sunset or before sunrise.

– In groups of three or more.

– While under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.

– With false or misleading claims (e.g., pretending to be stranded or military, if not true).

Officials also remind Gainesville’s residents on their Facebook page that there are helpful tips that they can follow to control and limit interactions by:

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Summer swealtering heat conditions are back for another day of concerns in parts of central and northern Georgia counties.

The National Weather Service has issued a formal Heat Advisory for much of the Metro Atlanta area, while including areas just east of Gainesville.  Counties included in the officials advisory include Banks, Barrow, Clarke, Jackson and Madison Counties. 

Temperatures are expected to reach the mid-90’s for most of Georgia on Monday, prompting the Heat Advisory between 11:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.  The official statement from the National Weather Service out of Peachtree City includes the following:

• Heat Advisory issued for portions of east and central Georgia on Monday.
• Heat index values up to 109° within the Advisory area. 
• Across north Georgia and in areas like the Atlanta Metro, heat indices of 99° to 104° are expected. You’ll need to head up in elevation to escape the upper 90s or triple digit heat indices.
• Isolated to scattered thunderstorms will occur again Monday afternoon (very low severe risk). Best chances of a storm will be across northern and east central Georgia (30-40%).
• The hottest temperatures will occur in the Advisory area between 11 AM and 8 PM on Monday.
• Additional Heat Advisories may be issued for portions of central Georgia for Tuesday, but uncertainty is high.
• High confidence heat index values reaching above 105° across large portions of the advisory area.

The National Weather Service provides links for following the details that lead to their Heat Advisory and other watches throughout Georgia: 

NWS Radar Page

NWS Peachtree City/Atlanta Decision Support Page

NWS Point Forecast Page