Controversial annexation request will return to City Council agenda Tuesday
News January 18, 2021
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. – City Council will revisit a request by B&K Turner Family, LLC. to annex 70.808 acres along Perimeter Road for a 124-lot residential subdivision when it meets in a combined work session and regular meeting Tuesday at 5 p.m. at City Hall.
On Dec. 17, the Board of Commissioners voted 3-0 to request the City withdraw the request and on Jan. 6, the Board’s Attorney Angela Davis notified the City and the Department of Community Affairs of its legal and land use objections and requested an Arbitration Panel.
The City Planning Commission initially heard the annexation request on Sept. 14, 2020 and again on Nov. 9.
In other business, Dr. Lawrece Kulish, MD, is expected to be appointed to the Dawson County Board of Health.
Council will consider a special event permit for an exhibit by NASCAR’s Chase Elliott on Feb. 1 from 6:30 pm until 11:30 pm in the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame, 415 Highway 54 East.
Council will also consider recommendation to increase the rental rates for certain city-owned properties.
In the past, the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame has rented for $100 per month. The recommendation is to raise that amount to between $500 and $1,000 with a requirement that all events held outside the venue receive a special event permit.
The Distillery, which has rented for $2,778 per month could be increased to $3,500
Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYN attracts 300,000+ page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com and up to 60,000 Facebook page reach. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com
Concerned Women of America meet and greet in support of Loeffler, Perdue scheduled Wednesday
News December 15, 2020
DAWSON COUNTY, Ga. – Dawson County Republican Party President Seanie Zappendorf announced today (Dec. 15) Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) will hold a meet and greet at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Penny Nance
Leaders of the pro-life women’s group are on board their big pink bus traveling from Washington, DC to the Peach State to turn out pro-life women for the two Senate runoffs on January 5, 2021. CEO and President of CWALAC Penny Nance is leading the “She Prays She Votes” GOTV and prayer efforts.
“Now is the time to motivate and mobilize Georgia voters who share our pro-life values,” said Nance. “We must continue our efforts to protect President Donald Trump’s legacy and secure the future of our children.”
Control of the U.S. Senate will boil down to the Georgia runoffs between Republican Sen. David Perdue and Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Democrat Rev. Raphael Warnock.
Coming off the success of a 12-state bus tour that culminated in the confirmation of conservative Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, CWALAC volunteers have been across Georgia canvassing the state, distributing door hangers, making phone calls, and driving home the GOTV efforts at rallies.
On Thursday, they will hold a meet and greet at the Columbus Airport at noon. On Saturday they drive to Savannah for a 9 a.m. event before travelling to Mercedes Benz Stadium to hold a meet and greet at 4 p.m. prior the the SEC Championship game. That event will take place at the Marshalling Yard RV Lot.
For more information on the “She Prays, She Votes” bus tour and CWALAC’s six-week prayer guide for voters. You can read it here: https://concernedwomen.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/CWA-Georgia-Runoff-Prayer-Guide.pdf
Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYN attracts 300,000+ page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com and up to 60,000 Facebook page reach. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com
CORRECTION: Sheriff’s debate location moved
News March 6, 2020
DAWSON COUNTY, Ga. — Dawson County Republican Party Chairperson Seannie Zappendorf announced today that the debate between sheriff’s candidates incumbent Jeff Johnson and challengers Marcus Sewell and Jeff Perry originally scheduled to be held at Fire Station 2 has been moved to the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame, 415 Hwy. 53E in Dawsonville due to a larger-than-expected crowd.
A meet and greet will be held at 6 p.m. followed by the debate at 7 p.m.
Former County Commission Chairman Mike Berg will moderate.
If you would like to submit questions for the candidates, email them to [email protected]
Rep. Tanner holds first 2020 town hall meeting
News January 20, 2020
DAWSON COUNTY, Ga – State Rep. Kevin Tanner (R-Dawsonville) held the first town hall meeting of 2020 Saturday to update constituents on what happened at the state capitol during the first week of the 155th General Assembly.
Tanner holds the meetings weekly alternating between the Gordon Pirkle Room in the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame and Wagon Wheel Restaurant in Dahlonega.
A near capacity crowd was on hand to hear the representative outline key issues legislators are expected to address
Tanner said, “The budget is the most important thing we do in the General Assembly. That’s the guide for running state government for the rest of this fiscal year and next year.” During the first week, lawmakers worked to true up the supplemental budget. Once that is done, they will begin working on the “big” budget.
Tanner laid out what he expects to be the hot button issues this session.
“One of the hot-topic items is the foster care system,” he said. “We made some changes to the law a year or two ago which I think helped. But we have a lot of people who stay in foster care too long. We need to move them over to a permanent family. That is important. That is something the Governor, Lt. Governor me and other members of the House feel like is a priority.”
Tanner said gangs and gang violence is an important issue for Gov. Brian Kemp. “Thankfully, we live in an area where we don’t see that much but in the metro areas around the state, it’s much more prevalent,” he said.
As chairman of the state’s Transportation Committee, Tanner is concerned about commercial transportation.
“Georgia’s population is exploding, our business community is exploding and the Port of Savannah is bringing in freight at a record rate,” he said. But major industries like the Kia Plant in West Point and Shaw Industries in Dalton are having serious problems finding commercial truck drivers to deliver their products.
“I chaired a committee in Savannah and the head of the Kia Plant said he gets 700 tractor trailer deliveries a day but can’t find enough commercial truck drivers,” Tanner said. “Their average truck driver earns about $90,000 a year. A UPS driver with a route from Knoxville to Georgia earns in excess of $100,000 annually.
“There are some good paying jobs in the commercial trucking industry, but it’s hard to find help,” Tanner said. “If we are going to continue to grow and continue to be a leader in freight movement, we are going to have to find ways to encourage people to go into the industry. We’re going to be working now over the next year to start bringing forth some solutions.”
Georgia’ General Assembly operates on a biannual system. Some of the items left over from the first session of the 155th General Assembly are likely to be considered in this session. The Senate’s desire to take over control of the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is one of those issues.
Rather than support the Senate takeover, House members opted to appoint an oversight committee made up of House and Senate members to oversee operations.
“We have had conversations over the past week, week-and-a-half, so I am hopeful we will see resolution to a lot of those things left over from the last session,” he said.
Tanner has championed the issue of mental health for several years.
“We need to make some changes and improve our mental health system, whether it is from a law enforcement perspective, a courts perspective, an emergency room perspective or the perspective of the person suffering from mental illness,” he said. “The youngest person to take their own life in Georgia was 9 years old. Dawson County is fifth in the state percentage wise in suicides among young people.”
To address the issue, Tanner chairs the 26-member Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission.
“I’m a firm believer that government is not the fix for most anything. But I also believe there is a sector of the population who cannot take care of themselves. People who are like that, who are schizophrenic, bi-polar and don’t have families we have to be able to provide resources.”
Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYN attracts 300,000+ page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com and up to 60,000 Facebook page reach. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com
Good Shepherd “Grits and Granola” luncheon set Sept. 8
News September 2, 2019
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — The Good Shepherd Clinic of Dawson County will host its 8th annual Grits and Granola luncheon on Sept 8 at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Tickets are $50 each.
The Good Shepherd Clinic is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides non-emergency health services at no cost to uninsured residents of Dawson County who meet certain income requirements. The clinic accomplishes this through the use of volunteer health professionals and community volunteers, along with partnerships with other health providers.
Services provided include:
- Women’s Wellness screening, including PAP Smear
- Prescription Assistance Programs for medication prescribed by clinic practitioners
- Basic dental care
- Information, Referral and Advocacy for Health and support services
- Audiology Services
- Vision Services
- Cardiology Services
- Mental Health Counseling
Qualification to determine if a person is eligible to become a patient of Good Shepherd Clinic is required for an appointment to be made. Qualification/Eligibility: Thursdays 1-4 p.m. at the clinic. Must be adults over the age of 18 Must live, work or attend school in Dawson County, without insurance and income 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) or less.
Required items to bring: Photo ID or Driver’s License, Household Income with current address and all medications.
The services of Good Shepherd Clinic of Dawson Country are made possible by the work of dedicated volunteers. Even if a person can only volunteer for limited periods of time, the clinic is interested in discussing the potential for using his/her services. To volunteer, visit the website http://www.goodshepherddawsonco.org/
Care is made possible through the donation of goods and services, community contributions, financial donations, and volunteers. Good Shepherd Clinic of Dawson County is a member of the Georgia Charitable Care Network.
Tanner updates citizens on busy week in General Assembly
News March 4, 2019
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. – Voting machines, Georgia’s mental health system and transportation issues were very much on the mind Rep. Kevin Tanner (R-Dawsonville) when he spoke at a breakfast meeting with constituents Saturday at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame (GRHOF).
Tanner holds these meetings throughout the 40 days the Georgia General Assembly is in session, alternating between the Wagon Wheel restaurant in Dahlonega and GRHOF.
The House voted 101-72, mostly along party lines last week, to replace the state’s old voting machines with new ones that print paper ballots at a cost of $150 million. The new machines, Tanner explained, use touchscreens, printers and optical scanners. Voters can select a candidate on the touchscreen, print the ballot out to review, correct any error, then insert the ballot into a separate scanner for tabulation.
“Probably the most controversial issue from a partisan view that we have taken up this session is the voting machine bill,” he said. “There has been a lot of talk by everyone on changing how our voting machines work.”
The House Governmental Affairs Committee held a number of very contentious, very, very long and well-attended meetings last week.
“I can tell you that everyone in elected office in Atlanta has felt a whole lot of pressure from their constituents to make a change in the voting process – Democrats and Republicans.”
Tanner also has been concerned about Georgia’s mental health issue for some time. Last week, he introduced a bill to create the Mental Health Reform and Innovation Commission.
“We will be working on this with the Governor’s Office, Lt. Governor’s Office, the Speaker and the Supreme Court,” he said. Each will make four-year appointments to the commission if the bill is signed into law.
“There has been a lot of excitement about this. I have had visits this week from several mental health court judges. The advocacy community is very excited about this also. It’s very much needed in our state. We need to take a deep dive into our mental health system with a group of experts. What I like about this commission is it will have 21 members, but only four legislators all the others are experts in this area. Hopefully we will be able to get that legislation through committee on Tuesday and voted out Thursday and over to the Senate.”
Tanner, who chairs the House Transportation Committee, has been working to identify ways to remove transportation barriers in the state. To address the issue, he has introduced a bill that would create the Department of Mobility and Innovation which would replace the Georgia Regional Transportation Agency (GRTA).
“Right now we have six separate agencies involved in transportation at the state level. This would streamline that process down to one agency and one commissioner. It can be transformational if we are able to make it happen.”
The bill would provide public transit throughout the state, including some small, rural pockets of the state, especially in south Georgia.
The bill aims to provide a steady source of income by charging some transportation services a 50-cent fee on all rideshare, taxi and limousine trips and a 25-cent fee on shared trips instead of a sales tax, which some companies like Uber and Lyft have not paid anyway and are currently in litigation.
Tanner said both companies are very supportive of the bill replacing a sales tax.
“For one thing,” he said, “if the court finds in the state’s favor, they would be charged at the highest rate. But also, by putting the money into mobility they understand it actually helps their companies.”
The change could generate up to $60 million in new revenue.
Tanner said the money would help pay for a couple of pilot programs. One would use a tax credit to incentivize employers to provide transportation options such as a vanpool for employees who lack reliable transportation. The other would offer direct aid to unemployed residents in middle and south Georgia who need a way to get to work.
Thursday is Crossover Day — the 28th day of the 40-day legislative session is the last day for bills to move from one chamber to the other — and still have a clear path to becoming law this year. It’s created by a Senate rule.
Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYN attracts 300,000+ page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com and up to 60,000 Facebook page reach. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com
State Rep. Kevin Tanner kicks off weekly breakfast talks Saturday
Business January 18, 2019
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — Georgia State Representative Kevin Tanner, (R-Dawsonville), will begin a weekly breakfast series at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame Saturday at 9 a.m.
Tanner was named by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce as the House Legislator of the Year in 2018 for his leadership on House Bill 930, which created the Atlanta-region Transit Link (ATL).
ATL will oversee all Metro Atlanta transit activities, including planning, funding, and operations. Metro Atlanta is defined by a 13-county nonattainment area, mainly Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding, and Rockdale.
The Georgia Racing Hall of Fame is located at 415 Hwy. 53 E in Dawsonville. The breakfast is held in the Gordon Pirkle Community Room.
Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYN attracts 300,000+ page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com and up to 60,000 Facebook page reach. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com
Rep. Kevin Tanner talks issues at Saturday breakfast meeting
News February 3, 2019DAWSONVILLE, Ga. – Rep. Kevin Tanner (R-Dawsonville) returned to Dawson County Saturday morning to treat constituents to breakfast at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame and to share news from the General Assembly.
Key topics included the current fiscal year amended budget, the proposed new budget, education, health care and transportation.
Tanner’s subcommittee is working on the amended budget that will “true up” revenue and expenses for the current fiscal year.
“One of the things we look at is what did we estimate revenue to be last year and what it is actually coming in at,” Tanner said. Until the two can balance, the proposed budget for the next fiscal year is set aside.
Legislators are trying to deal with Gov. Brian Kemp’s campaign promise to give Georgia’s teachers a $3,000 annual pay raise. “We’re working through that now,” Tanner said. “That is an impact on the local budget also. Locally in Dawson County, that will be somewhere over $300,000 local officials will have to pay.”
During his state of the state address two weeks ago, Kemp discussed how rural hospitals are hurting and the need for an effective healthcare plan.
“I would anticipate seeing the details of Gov. Kemp’s healthcare plan early next week,” Tanner said.
He also touched on the importance of mental healthcare.
“There is a need for us to address mental healthcare issues, not just in Georgia, but all across the country,” he said.
“We closed all the mental health hospitals when there were a lot of lawsuits around mental health facilities due to inhumane treatment of people. There were legitimate cases of abuse. But instead of fixing the problem, we closed all the hospitals down. What happened was that population ended up on the streets where they didn’t necessarily need to be.”
Tanner has drafted legislation, along with the governor and House Speaker David Ralston to create a 17-member mental health commission which would include four legislators while the balance would include mainly mental health care professionals.
“It’s very much a bi-partisan effort,” Tanner said. “No matter what part of the state you live in, no matter who you are… rich, poor, most all of us know somebody or some family who is affected by mental illness.”
Tanner talked about the creation of a Department of Mobility and Innovation.
“When you get outside the metro area, (transit) is very disjointed and dysfunctional,” he said. “If Dawson County wants to provide service, they have to deal with three state agencies and three separate boards.”
By placing transit under the Department of Mobility and Innovation, Tanner says citizens can expect better service.
Tanner holds weekly breakfast sessions every Saturday to update constituents on what is happening at the state capitol. Next week he will host the meeting at Wagon Wheel in Dahlonega.
Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. FYN attracts 300,000+ page views per month, 3.5 million impressions per month and approximately 15,000 viewers per week on FYNTV.com and up to 60,000 Facebook page reach. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com
50th Annual Moonshine Festival Roars into Dawsonville This Weekend
News October 27, 2017
Dance groups from all across north Georgia are set to perform at the 50th annual Mountain Moonshine Festival this weekend.
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. – Starting today (Oct. 27) Dawson County’s population of approximately 23,000 is expected to explode to nearly 100,000 as visitors from as far away as North Dakota join the locals in the 50th celebration of the Mountain Moonshine Festival.
The event will have a major economic impact on the area and serve as the biggest fundraiser of the year for K.A.R.E. for Kids, a 501c3 non-profit that provides necessities for Dawson County children like winter coats, shoes, medicine, eye glasses and educational resources. KA.R.E. organizes and hosts the event.
Vintage cars will be on display Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
In Dawsonville, auto racing and moonshine running are forever linked since auto racing was started by men who hauled ‘shine for a living and raced for “just for the hell of it.” Some of the most famous, or infamous, of those men grew up on the dirt backroads here. Hence the Mountain Moonshine Festival.
Christie Haynes, president of the Dawson County Chamber of Commerce, says visitors have already begun to arrive for one of north Georgia’s premier fall festivals.
“We already have visitors here,” she said. “Some arrived as early as Monday. Some of the hotels in nearby Dahlonega are filled. Many of the visitors attended Dahlonega’s Gold Rush Days Festival last weekend and decided to stay over.”
The fun begins Friday with a car show and swap meet from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m.
Car enthusiasts will enjoy the Moonshine Festival’s fabulous car show and swap meet.
On Saturday, retired Winston Cup driver Jody Ridley will serve as Grand Marshall for the parade at 9 a.m. Ridley competed for 36 years and won 580 feature events. The parade features new and vintage automobiles, many from the moonshine era. The cars will then participate in a massive car show, giving car enthusiasts a chance to view them close up.
The parade will be followed by the induction of the 2017 inductees into the Moonshine Hall of Fame and Georgia Racing Hall of Fame, John Henry Shoffeittas, Junior Johnson, Frank Bearden, John Will Phillips and L.D. Chester, of Dawsonville.
Five racers from various racing classes will also be inducted into the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame, including Garry Dingler, Jabez Jones, Mike Love, Doc Bundy and the late Bobby Jones.
Music will ring out throughout the city all three days. There will be dancing exhibitions by award-winning dance teams, hundreds of vendors selling beautiful and unique handmade arts and crafts, not to mention delicious food.
The Mountain Moonshine Festival is one of Georgia’s finest fall festivals and it benefits a worthy cause, K.A.R.E. for Kids.
See ya there!
For information on becoming a K.A.R.E. volunteer, please e-mail K.A.R.E. at [email protected] or come to a meeting. K.A.R.E. meets the fourth Monday of each month at the City Hall of Dawsonville, 7 p.m.
Fetch Your News is a hyper local news outlet that covers Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Fannin, Gilmer, Pickens, Union, Towns and Murray counties as well as Cherokee County in N.C. If you would like to follow up-to-date local events in any of those counties, please visit us at FetchYourNews.com
Chamber, Racing Hall of Fame and Dawsonville Distillery Review 2016 for City Council
News November 24, 2016
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — The Dawsonville City Council heard presentations from the Bill Elliott Dawsonville Distillery, Dawsonville History Museum and Chamber of Commerce during its work session Monday.
Council also considered its meeting schedule for 2017 and appointments and mayor and council board member designations.
Dawson Chamber of Commerce President Christie Haynes gave the Chamber presentation, outlining the organization’s structure and activities in 2016.
The Chamber now has 437 members and held 24 ribbon cuttings for new businesses like The Purple Corn Boutique, Turner and Pooch Grooming and Outside the Lines Art Studio this year. They also conducted seminars and activities to assist local businesses in maximizing productivity and profitability.
Haynes said the Chamber is planning to add one new employee soon and is currently working on plans to celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2017.
Representatives of the Dawsonville Distillery said two new products were introduced in 2016 and there will be more releases in 2017. The business now has online sales through a third party and has hired one new ‘moonshiner’ They also are the presenting sponsor for KARE for Kids — an organization whose focus is providing opportunity for every child in Dawson County to have the Christmas they deserve — at the Moonshine Festival and the sponsor of No One Alone, a non-profit organization providing emergency shelter for women and children who are victims of domestic violence.
David Sosebee of the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame (GRHOF) reported the facility is operating below budget and added, “We held 124 events this year, not including the holiday season that hasn’t begun yet. We’ve had visitors from 46 states and 12 countries including France, Germany, Russia and South Africa.”
Sosebee added that the GRHOF was featured in a CMT special this year and he said there is a major event coming up in January that should attract more visitors to Dawsonville.
“Raymond Parks will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame so we need to see what we can do to pull a little more traffic down here because this is a really big thing for Dawsonville. It should have happened many years ago but it will happen in January.”
Council also began preliminary discussion of a historic preservation overlay district ordinance.