Here are some of the top stories you may have missed this weekend.
Collins campaign embarks on Georgia “Trump Defender” tour
Congressman Doug Collins and his campaign team kicked off their “Trump Defender” tour at Jaemor Farms Saturday, Oct. 17. The tour includes stops in 60 cities across the state of Georgia including Hartwell, Blue Ridge, Milledgeville and Valdosta.
Collins is joined on his tour by several conservative leaders and state representatives, including Representatives Terry Rogers and Lee Hawkins and American Conservative Union President Matt Schlapp.
The tour will conclude in Gainesville on Nov. 2. READ MORE
Hall County early voters turn out in high numbers, following statewide trend
Hall County voters turned out in high numbers during the first week of early voting, following a statewide trend.
Hall County Elections Director Lori Wurtz said Friday that over 15,000 Hall County residents cast their vote during the first four days of early voting. In 2016, just 35,000 votes were cast during the entire advance voting period.
In addition, Hall County has seen an increase in the use of absentee ballots this year. More than 27,000 ballots were mailed out, and 8,792 have already been completed and returned. READ MORE
North Georgia students chosen for state Department of Education’s Student Advisory Council
Several students from North Georgia schools were chosen to be a part of the Georgia Department of Education’s 2020-21 Student Advisory Council.
This council meets with State School Superintendent Richard Woods throughout the school year to discuss the impact of state policies in the classroom. 64 middle and high school students were selected to be on the council from a pool of more than 1,400 applicants. READ MORE
Collection of Gainesville directories digitized as part of Digital Library of Georgia
More than 5,500 pages of Gainesville city directories belonging to the Hall County Library System have been digitized as part of the Digital Library of Georgia.
Gainesville directories from the year 1882 to 1960 are now available to access and search for free. These directories include a list of residents, local government and civic information, street maps and individual information.
One goal in digitizing these directories is to provide details of local history for varying types of research. READ MORE
UNG moving to online musical performances this fall
Musicians and vocalists at the University of North Georgia will perform their concerts and recitals via online broadcasts this fall due to concerns about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
UNG officials said that traditional performances with a live audience in the Gloria Shott Performance Hall in the Nix Fine Arts Center are not possible under current social distancing regulations. However, performances from the Dahlonega campus will still be recorded in this auditorium and streamed on the school’s YouTube channel. READ MORE
