Here are some of the top stories you may have missed this weekend.
Official: System in deadly nitrogen leak recently installed
Investigations are ongoing into the cause of a deadly nitrogen leak that killed six workers and injured a dozen others at Foundation Food Group in Gainesville Thursday. According to Katherine Lemos, Chairman and Chief Executive of the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, major portions of the plant’s liquid nitrogen interior and exterior systems were installed and commissioned in the past four to six weeks.
Chemical Safety Board investigators have been at the site since Thursday and have begun evaluating equipment that could have played a role in the leak. Lemos said the agency will not speculate on the cause of the leak, and that a full investigation could take several years. READ MORE
HALLCO Community Credit Union rebrands following 2020 merger
HALLCO Community Credit Union is being rebranded as MyGeorgia Credit Union following its 2020 merger with Habersham Federal Credit Union. The rebrand marks the start of the organization’s 50th year serving the financial needs of its Northeast Georgia members.
Prior to the merger, HALLCO Community Credit Union offered full-service bank products and services in Gainesville, Oakwood, Flowery Branch and Cleveland. Its merger with Habersham Federal Credit Union expanded its branch locations further to Homer, Clayton and Clarkesville.
MyGeorgia currently has more than 17,000 members within North Georgia. Membership is available to anyone who lives or works in Dawson, Hall, Jackson, Lumpkin, White, Banks, Habersham and Rabun counties, as well as their immediate family members. READ MORE
Gainesville City Schools teams up with app to meet needs
The Gainesville City School System is partnering with the app Purposity to help meet the needs of members of the community. The app sends weekly notifications to users about needs in the area, ranging from coats and jackets during colder months to household items for families experiencing hardship or tragedy.
The app is available to download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. From there, users can follow GCSS and begin exploring local needs to see if they may be able to meet one. READ MORE
New ambulances and fire trucks join Hall County fleet
Hall County Fire & Emergency Services are readying to roll out eight new pumper trucks, a new ladder truck and five new ambulances, allowing older units to be retired, sold at auction or used for spare parts.
The nine new fire trucks represent more than one-half of Hall County’s current fleet and took ten months to construct at Pierce Manufacturing in Appleton, Wisconsin.
The trucks, paid for by SPLOST funding, are set to arrive in Hall County this week. READ MORE
Buttons in Gwinnett celebrate the creativity, and the history, of the community
Button Art, a non-profit organization seeking to bring creativity to Gwinnett County, is working with the community to install art installations in the form of 6’ tall buttons.
The buttons were inspired by Button Gwinnett, signer of the Declaration of Independence and namesake of Gwinnett County. The organization plans to install 200 buttons around the county in honor of Gwinnett County’s recent 200th birthday.
Buttons were most recently unveiled at the Infinite Energy Center in Duluth and in front of the Hudgens Center for the Arts. Others are located at the Gwinnett Justice Administrative Center and in Peachtree Corners and Lilburn. READ MORE
