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Hall County Commissioner Gregg Poole spoke with AccessWDUN Thursday, stating he believed the county should look outside of Hall County Fire Rescue when hiring the department’s next chief.

Poole’s comments followed the August resignations of Chief Chris Armstrong and Deputy Chief Tim Woodward. Assistant Fire Chief Jerry Smith was named as interim Fire Chief by the county with Bryan Cash being named interim deputy chief following the resignations.

Few details have been released from official sources in the wake of the resignations. Poole said he believed Armstrong resigned from his position following the circulation of a vote of no confidence within the fire department. AccessWDUN previously filed an open records request about the matter with the county, but was told information about this topic could not be located.

Additionally, Poole said he believed a vote of no confidence was circulated due to “the situation that arose between the other two individuals.” Poole would not name the parties he was referring to when asked. AccessWDUN previously filed an open records request for documents about this alleged situation and was told by Hall County Government that while these documents were located, they could not yet be released under Georgia law. The county specifically referenced an item that allows the withholding of documents about an investigation until 10 days after the conclusion of the investigation.

“Chief Armstrong didn’t do anything wrong,” Poole said. “In my view, he took some black eyes. And I can tell you, in the limited time I’ve seen him … I just believe he was a good dude. You don’t talk like he did about his employees, and then turn around, most of the time, and be a bad person. He represented his employees in a way that I didn’t see hardly anybody else inside Hall County representing their staff.”

Armstrong did not provide much detail about the reason for his resignation in his resignation letter.

“Upon joining Hall County, I was fully aware of the tasks that lay ahead and I am proud to state that I not only met the expectations of my role but consistently surpassed them,” Armstrong said in an Aug. 28 resignation letter to Hall County Administrator Zach Propes. “Regrettably, I find myself at a juncture where I can no longer continue in an environment where my dedication, hard work and experience are not acknowledged or valued as they should be.”

Similarly, former Deputy Chief Tim Woodward offered few details in his Aug. 28 resignation letter, stating only that he wished to resign “effective immediately.”

The Hall County Commission voted on Sept. 14 to approve the hiring of external consultation services to review the department’s operations.

Poole said the $90,000 study was already in the county’s budget long before the August resignations and was not a reactionary measure.

“The $90,000 was always going to be spent for Fire Services to look at how the system’s working,” Poole said. “We’re going to utilize it so that we can go outside or inside and identify the next fire chief. One thing we have to think about these fire chiefs, we’ve had this issue with three of them. The last three, there’s been turmoil. It’s not just turmoil now, there’s always been turmoil, it seems like.”

Poole said he believed removing the dive team from Hall County Fire Rescue’s operations made Armstrong a target.

“People didn’t like him doing away with the dive team, which I supported,” Poole said. “I was for it. So if you’re mad at him, you’re mad at me.”

Looking toward the future operations of the department, Poole said the study should take a deep dive into the operations of the department and determine any potential issues.

“[The study] will identify to us, do we have personnel issues?” Poole said. “Do we have administrative issues? Is it a Hall County issue? Is it a commissioner issue? Let’s find the root cause of it.”

Additionally, Poole said he hoped the next fire chief would come from outside Hall County Fire Rescue.

“I hope they go outside of Hall County, because inside of Hall County, from everything that we’ve seen in the administration, it pushes you to go outside,” Poole said. “It drives you to want to go outside so that you can have an outsider’s eyes come inside and say, ‘Hey, this is the problem … ‘ I’m not even saying we don’t have qualified people, I’m sure we do.”

Finally, Poole said he believed it was time to address what he considered problems within the department.

“To sit here and say that there is no problem inside the department would be like me sitting here, foaming at the mouth, and saying there’s nothing wrong with me,” Poole said. “There’s nothing wrong with saying there’s something wrong, and we need to figure out what it is. And I can guarantee you if there are employees in there, which I know there is, there’s more of them that are putting out, doing the work, getting paid and they’re earning every bit of our pay, they want us to find the problem too.”

AccessWDUN’s Caleb Hutchins’ full interview with Poole can be accessed in the above Soundcloud player.

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SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A U.S. agency said Friday it will nominate the vast, federally protected wildlife refuge in the Okefenokee Swamp for listing as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The National Park Service filed a notice in Washington that it will seek the designation for the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, which sprawls across more than 400,000 acres (161,875 hectares) in southeast Georgia near the Florida state line.

Conservation groups say the rare distinction would boost the Okefenokee’s profile as one of the world’s last intact blackwater swamps and home to abundant alligators, endangered red cockaded woodpeckers, stilt-legged wood storks and more than 400 other animal species.

“It would join a long list of iconic American landscapes — the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite,” said Kim Bednarek, executive director of the nonprofit Okefenokee Swamp Park that’s working with the U.S. government on the refuge’s nomination package. “Nobody questions the value of those places.”

Since the 1970s, the World Heritage list has recognized more than 1,100 natural and cultural sites worldwide for having “outstanding universal value” to all of humanity. Just 25 places in the U.S. have been listed, including national parks like the Grand Canyon in Arizona and treasured manmade landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty.

The most recent U.S. addition, a network of ancient Native American ceremonial and burial mounds in Ohio, was announced by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee on Tuesday.

The Okefenokee refuge covers more than 90% of the swamp and is the largest national wildlife refuge east of the Mississippi River. Its diverse wildlife, cypress forests and flooded prairies draw roughly 600,000 visitors each year, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the refuge.

Designation as a World Heritage site wouldn’t impose any added restrictions or regulations for the Okefenokee. But conservationists say the distinction of being listed gives governments and local communities an incentive to protect and preserve the sites.

“It means the U.S. is committing to protecting it and ensuring its integrity,” said Elise Bennett, Florida and Caribbean director for the Center for Biological Diversity. “It’s really first and foremost a great honor, and secondly an incentive to protect it and keep it the way it is.”

Becoming a World Heritage site doesn’t happen quickly. The U.S. government has listed the Okefenokee refuge as a “tentative” nominee since 1982. It gained momentum this year as Okefenokee Swamp Park, which operates boat tours and other concessions within the refuge, signed an agreement with the Fish and Wildlife Service to raise money to fund the application.

Meanwhile, a group of Georgia congressmen led by Republican Rep. Buddy Carter and Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff spent months urging the U.S. Interior Department to nominate the Okefenokee refuge.

Ossoff said a World Heritage site designation would have both environmental and economic benefits for the Okefenokee and surrounding Georgia communities.

“It would support efforts to protect and preserve the refuge’s natural and cultural resources and further important scientific exploration and analysis,” Ossoff said in a statement. “The nomination would also attract tourism and benefit the local and recreational economy and communities.”

The nomination comes as Georgia environmental regulators are deciding whether to grant permits to a company seeking to mine just outside the Okefenokee. Twin Pines Minerals says it can extract minerals without doing harm, but scientists and other opponents have warned that mining near the swamp’s bowl-like rim could damage the swamp’s ability to hold water.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland last year declared the proposed mine poses an “unacceptable risk” to the Okefenokee’s fragile ecosystem.

Conservationists sounded doubtful that the World Heritage site nomination would directly affect the decisions of Georgia regulators.

“They’re really on very separate timelines,” said Ben Prater, Southeast program director for the group Defenders of Wildlife. ”It could be a number of years before that (World Heritage) designation is realized. And we don’t have a number of years to address this threat from the mine.”

Bednarek said experts will spend at least the next year compiling a detailed nominating package for the Okefenokee refuge that she likened to a “dense, coffee-table book.” She said her nonprofit plans to raise $300,000 to $500,000 to pay for the nomination.

At the earliest, she expects a final decision from UNESCO in 2026.

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The Flowery Branch City Council voted Thursday night to approve the use of $402,000 for various upgrades to equipment within the Flowery Branch Police Department.

Police Chief Chris Hulsey said the vote will allow for the purchase of new and upgraded body cameras, vehicle dash cameras with license plate readers, tasers and cloud storage capabilities for the previously mentioned cameras.

Hulsey said all of the equipment will be purchased from Axon Inc., whereas in the past the department has used multiple vendors for this equipment.

The vehicle dash cameras will operate similarly to Flock cameras, which read the license plates of any cars in their proximity. 

“It automatically comes up on their laptop if the car is stolen, if there’s a wanted person or a missing person,” Hulsey said. “It will automatically give us those alerts in real-time.”

The department has been using their current body cameras for 10 to 15 years. One of the largest upgrades with the new system is the jump from 480p resolution (Standard Definition) up to 1080p (High Definition).

“We’re going to have better video capabilities,” Hulsey said. “It keeps us transparent. It provides evidence that the officer has done something wrong, or that they didn’t do something wrong. The officers won’t have any control of what is being recorded and what is not being recorded.”

The bundled package also provides unlimited cloud storage for the videos produced by the dash cameras and body cameras.

Finally, Hulsey said they have been operating with just four tasers spread out between the department’s 20 officers. That will change following the vote Thursday night to acquire 16 additional devices.

“We’ve been hot-seating the tasers,” Hulsey said. “So if the oncoming shift comes in, the officer’s got to take it off his belt and give it to the officer in the oncoming shift. This way, it stays on their uniform.”

The tasers will work in tandem with the newly purchased body cameras, as well.

“If one officer pulls a taser, everybody’s body cameras automatically cut on,” Hulsey said. 

Aside from the additional 16 tasers, Hulsey said the agreement allows for the purchase of 25 body cameras and 20 dash cameras. The tasers and body cameras are expected to be delivered within the next month. Hulsey said the dash cameras could arrive sometime in January due to a backorder.

While the City Council approved the spending of $402,000 to acquire the equipment, the Flowery Branch Police Department has applied for a $50,000 grant that would go toward the purchase. If the city receives the grant, the total cost will be reduced to $352,000.

“Just a huge shout out to our city council and city manager,” Hulsey said. “This is something that we have talked about for the last three or four years.”

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Another littering of hate mail fliers has been distributed through a Gwinnett County community.

Suwanee Police recently told Atlanta News First that they are looking into potential litter charges for those responsible for tossing baggies containing literary materials into people’s yards.

Suwanee city police investigators received complaints in the Village Grove neighborhood, the Stoneridge subdivision, and the Forest Plantation neighborhood in Suwanee recently.

More than 100 of the antisemitic fliers and related information have been obtained from Flock license plate cameras to see if they can determine who littered the hate mailings. 

Police continue to look for other courses of action in finding those responsible for littering the area lawns.

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Oakwood City Councilmember Dwight Wood recently passed away at the age of 71.

Oakwood City Attorney Donnie Hunt said City Manager B.R. White let city council and staff know Thursday night about Wood’s passing.

White could not immediately be reached for additional comment.

Wood had served on the city council since 2015. His public service followed that of his father, Donald T. Wood, who served as an Oakwood City Council Member for over 20 years, according to the City of Oakwood’s website. 

Wood was a 1969 graduate of South Hall High School and has three children.

He previously served as Superior and State Court Clerk in Hall County for 24 years between 1985 and 2008. He worked in county government for 33 years total.

“Mr. Wood says that as long as he is a council member, he will do everything he can to help the City of Oakwood move forward to make it a place where its residents and future residents would want to live and raise their families, just as his Mom and Dad did,” Oakwood’s website reads.

Hunt said Wood was up for re-election in November and had already qualified for the seat. He was running unopposed, with no other candidates qualifying for the seat.

“Under the Oakwood Charter, the mayor appoints, and the city council affirms a replacement until the end of Dwight’s term which is December 31, 2023, since less than 12 months remain in the term of office,” Hunt said in a statement.

However, when it comes to an elected replacement for the seat, Hunt said qualifying must be re-opened for the position, due to Wood running unopposed.

“City staff will be conferring with the election office regarding the timing of qualifying or whether it can occur that quickly at all,” Hunt said. “If no election can be held for several months until the March election date, the appointee would continue to serve until replaced.”

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A major Hall County roadway is blocked after a chicken truck overturned during the Friday morning commute.

A social media post from the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said the truck overturned on U.S. 129 northbound just north of A.L. Mangum Road near the Hall-Jackson county line. The wreck was first reported by the sheriff’s office just before 8:45 a.m.

Officials did not say what caused the wreck, but they said the driver of the truck was being assessed for injuries and that “both live and dead chickens” were blocking the roadway. As of 9:10 a.m. authorities said it was expected to take two to three more hours before the northbound lanes of U.S. 129 would be fully re-opened.

Traffic is being diverted and drivers in the area are encouraged to plan an alternate route.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

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Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s support toward the Public Safety Training Center in Atlanta is echoed by some noteworthy GOP officials.

Kemp’s senior advisor to the Georgians First Leadership Committee, Cody Hall says that residents deserve to know where elected officials stand in protecting their families, while expressing the Governor’s support for the facility in a recent release.

Hall is urging legislators to state their support or disapproval of Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, so residents and voters know where they stand on the matter.

Many protests have recently occurred outside of the training site in East Atlanta over concerns about public safety.

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Georgia Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson announced Thursday that Gainesville documented an unemployment rate of 3.1 percent in August, up six-tenths of a percent over the month. 

Thompson said that the unemployment rate was 2.8 percent a year ago. 

“August unemployment numbers continue to reinforce the strength of a vibrant Georgia economy,” Commissioner Bruce Thompson said. “With the uptick in unemployment over the past month, it requires diligent and deliberate focus to balance opportunity with the needs within the state’s workforce.”

According to Thompson, the labor force increased by 463 in Gainesville and ended the month with 109,182. The labor force went up by 2,390 when compared to August of 2022.

Gainesville ended August with 105,790 employed residents which is a decrease of 211 over the month. Employed residents rose by 1,973 when compared to the same time a year ago.

Gainesville ended the month with 103,500 jobs which is an increase of 500 from July to August. That number rose by 1,973 when compared to the same time a year ago.

Initial unemployment claims in Gainesville decreased by 106, compared to the previous year claims were down by 68.

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The Hall County School District announced Thursday that Lyman Hall Elementary School Principal, Angel Rodriguez, has been awarded the Principal of the Year award by the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents.

Director of Communications for Hall County Stan Lewis said the award honors Rodriguez’s outstanding leadership, dedication and commitment to educational excellence.

Lyman Hall Elementary School has achieved academic growth and fostered an inclusive and nurturing learning environment for students, staff, and families under Rodriguez’s guidance, according to a press release from the district. 

“We are incredibly proud of Angel Rodriguez for receiving this well-deserved recognition,”  Superintendent Will Schofield said. “Without question, he leads from the heart, making connections with students and families–and he has a real gift for connecting people with others. Angel’s leadership and dedication to our students have been truly exceptional. He embodies compassion and the spirit of excellence that we aspire to achieve in the Hall County School District.”

Rodriguez has served nearly 27 years in the field of education in which he has shown a passion for fostering an inclusive educational experience.

“While I am incredibly grateful and excited, it is not because of the award or any other recognition. What has me over the moon is the platform, however fleeting, that these recognitions provide for us to share the story of the work being done here at Lyman Hall. Everything that we achieve at Lyman is a shared success, but none matter more than the heights our students will reach and the generational impact that will have. While I appreciate the award, they will forget my name soon after. What I never want them to forget is the heart and soul poured into the fulfillment of our shared vision and for everyone within shouting distance to know how truly incredible our students are. I want our entire school community to carry our school name as a badge of honor and for our students to always walk through this marvelous learning adventure the Patriot Way!” Rodriguez said. 

Rodriguez will be recognized at the ALAS 20th Anniversary National Education Summit, from October 4-6 in San Antonio, Texas.

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The city of Flowery Branch is partnering with the Boy Scouts of America to expand its annual Fall Festival. 

The 14th annual Flowery Branch Fall Festival and Block party will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. in the city’s downtown area. 

Community Relations Director, Renee Carden, said festival goers will have plenty to look forward to, from over 105 vendors, to live entertainment. 

“I have my first artists starting at 11 o’clock,” she said. “And they’re going to run every hour….At seven o’clock, we are going to have the Swingin’ Medallions. They are a huge band here in the south. …They’re coming to town and going to perform from seven to nine.”

Carden said attendees will also be able to hear music from several solo artists, including Johnathan Ingram and Carly Deals. 

In addition to live music, the festival will also feature arts and crafts, face painting, bouncy castles and games.

“It’s going to be a long day,” Carden said. “So, you want to come early and shop with our vendors and come back later for the music and bring your lawn chairs. The band is going to play on the pavilion at the lower level. Just come for a good time!”

The Fall Festival also serves as a fundraiser for the Boy Scouts of America. 

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The Lake Lanier Association is getting set for its 35th annual Shore Sweep cleanup event this weekend.

The effort brings together volunteers to clear trash from the lake’s shorelines. This year’s event will run Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Victoria Clevenger, marketing and communications coordinator for the Lake Lanier Association, said the association will offer 13 sites where volunteers can pick up supplies to begin collection efforts or drop off their collected trash when they’re done.

“It’s a bit of a choose-your-own-adventure cleanup,” Clevenger said. “That means you can go to a site first to pick up supplies, or if you know where the trash is and you want to grab it and then go to a site to drop it, that works too.”

Clevenger said last year’s event set a record with 90 tons of trash collected. She said while the collection effort was strong, the association always hopes to see less trash on the shoreline.

“That is a huge benchmark, but of course we would love to see that number go down this year and the volunteers that come to participate to up,” Clevenger said.

The full list of sites hosting Shore Sweep Saturday can be found on the association’s website. Clevenger added that if someone sees a large or dangerous piece of trash that they’re not sure how to handle or collect, they should note its location and visit one of the sites to tell an association member so it can be handled safely.

She said volunteers can also help from the water as well as from walking the shore.

“We do encourage vessels of all sizes, whether that be a big boat or a really small kayak. Anyone is welcome to bring out the vessels,” Clevenger. “It’s not super formal. It’s trash at the end of the day and we just want to get it off the lake.”

Clevenger said the ultimate goal is to improve the quality of Lake Lanier for everyone who uses it.

“It’s a very unique resource that we have right here in the North Georgia area and we want to protect it,” Clevenger said. “Most importantly, it’s really essential to do so. It provides the drinking water to all of Atlanta, so not only is it the right thing to do and the fun thing to do if you live near the lake, but it also is quite essential for our life and well-being in this area.”

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate edged up again this week, another setback for would-be homebuyers navigating an increasingly less affordable housing market.

The average rate on the benchmark 30-year home loan rose to 7.19% from 7.18% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.29%.

Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loan, also rose. The average rate rose to 6.54% from 6.51% last week. A year ago, it averaged 5.44%, Freddie Mac said.

High rates can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for borrowers, limiting how much they can afford in a market already unaffordable to many Americans. They also discourage homeowners who locked in low rates two years ago from selling.

“Supply may loosen up some as we head to the end of the year, but prospective homebuyers waiting for mortgage rates to come down should expect no major relief until next year,” said Lisa Sturtevant, chief economist for Bright MLS.

The weekly average rate on a 30-year mortgage has remained above 7% since August, surging four weeks ago to 7.23%, a 22-year high.

Mortgage rates have been echoing moves in the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing loans. The yield has been climbing amid expectations that the Federal Reserve will keep short-term interest rates higher for longer to fight inflation.

On Wednesday, Federal Reserve policymakers signaled that they expect to raise rates once more this year and envision their key rate staying higher in 2024 than most analysts had expected.

The 10-year Treasury yield surged to 4.47% in midday trading Thursday, up from 4.40% late Wednesday and from 0.50% three years ago. It’s now near its highest level since 2007.

High inflation drove the Federal Reserve to raise its benchmark interest rate 11 times since March 2022, lifting the fed funds rate to the highest level in 22 years. While mortgage rates don’t necessarily mirror the Fed’s rate increases, they tend to track the yield on the 10-year Treasury note. Investors’ expectations for future inflation, global demand for U.S. Treasurys and what the Fed does with interest rates can influence rates on home loans.

The average rate on a 30-year mortgage is now more than double what it was two years ago, when it was just 2.88%. The sharply higher rates now are contributing to a dearth of available homes, as homeowners who locked in those lower borrowing costs two years ago are now reluctant to sell and jump into a higher rate on a new property.

Combined with sharply higher mortgage rates, the lack of housing supply has stymied sales of previously occupied U.S. homes, which are down 21% through the first eight months of this year versus the same stretch in 2022, according to the National Association of Realtors.