Hall County Government to host budget open house

Submitted by HallCounty on Thursday, May 15th, 8:21 am

GAINESVILLE, Ga. -- Hall County Government will hold an open house on the parameters of a draft budget for fiscal year 2015 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 27 in the Commission Meeting Room of the Hall County Government Center, located at 2875 Browns Bridge Road in Gainesville.

Members of the public are welcome to drop in and talk with individual departments about their respective budgets. A presentation explaining the overall county budget and approval process will take place at 6:15 p.m.

This is the third year in a row that Hall County Government has conducted an evening open house to allow for more public involvement in the budget process.

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Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Tuesday, May 13th, 2014, 10:10am

Race this weekend: Armed Forces Day Fun Run

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Flowery Branch Masonic Lodge will host a military-themed 5K this weekend.

The Armed Forces Day 5K Fun Run will be Saturday, May 17 at Flowery Branch's Old Train Depot. Registration opens at 7:30 a.m., with the race scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m.

Awards will be presented to the first male and female finishers, the first male and female masters finishers, and the top three runners in each age group.

Registration is $20 in advance and $25 on race day, with proceeds going to local disabled veterans. Visit flowerybranchlodge.com for more information.

The Old Train Depot is located at 5600 Main Street in downtown Flowery Branch.

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Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Friday, May 9th, 2014, 3:00pm

I-20 construction continues through the weekend

(WXIA) -- The Interstate 20 delays that plagued metro Atlanta commuters last weekend will return.

Georgia Department of Transportation district construction engineer Shun Pringle said backups are expected in Douglas, Newton and Rockdale counties as crews work to complete some major road projects.

"Please do what you can to avoid these project areas. Plan ahead, look for alternate routes or call 511," Pringle said in a release. "We want everyone to enjoy the weekend, and I'm sure that doesn't include sitting in traffic backups."

Several events may also cause delays on Atlanta's roads. From 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, State Route 9 near Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza will be closed for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Pringle said traffic in the area will be detoured.

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Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Thursday, May 8th, 2014, 11:20am

(WXIA) -- Three students at two Hall County high schools have been named 2014 Georgia Scholars by the Georgia Department of Education.

A Georgia Scholar is a high school senior who has "achieved excellence in school and community life," according to the GDOE. Only 116 students statewide earned the title this year.

To achieve the honor, a student must take challenging courses and earn high grades in them, participate in extracurricular activities and take part in interscholastic events within the school and community.

Hall County's 2014 Georgia Scholars include:

Chestatee HS
* Morgan Ivey
* Drew Smith

Flowery Branch HS
* Anna Black

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Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Friday, May 2nd, 2014, 3:00pm

Weekend construction: Avoid I-20 if you can

(WXIA) -- Drivers who plan to use Interstate 20 this weekend are encouraged to find alternate routes.

The Georgia Department of Transportation will work on several major projects this weekend on the interstate that cuts across Atlanta.

"We have three projects with significant lane closures on I-20 this weekend," GDOT District Construction Engineer Shun Pringle said in a release. "We are expecting long delays, particularly in Douglas and Rockdale counties, during the daytime hours on Saturday and Sunday."

This weekend's road projects, many of which come with heavy delays, include:

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Submitted by Beth Sawicki, Where U Live Producer

Friday, May 2nd, 2014, 11:10am

Eat at Chili's to help Tenn. tornado victims

(WXIA) -- Several Southern states were slammed by severe weather earlier this week, including Lincoln County, Tenn., which experienced a devastating tornado.

Those who want to contribute to the community's rebuilding fund can now do so, simply by eating at Chili's.

On Sunday, May 4, more than 60 Chili's restaurants in Georgia and Tennessee will contribute 10 percent of the day's earnings to the Lincoln County Disaster Relief Fund.

Chili's diners can also make monetary donations by adding extra money to their check totals.

Visit chilis.com to find your nearest Chili's.

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Submitted by Don Buckindail, Director of Digital Operations

Thursday, May 1st, 2014, 2:16pm

Construction underway on new Hall County Correctional Institution

Ground has been broken and grading has begun on the new Hall County Correctional Institution, which will replace the current 51-year-old facility.

The new facility will feature fully electronic detention management systems and provide increased security and efficiency for the county. The 27,000 -square-foot facility, being built with SPLOST funds, will also have a special transitional housing unit for the new Re-entry Accountability Court Transition (REACT) program. It will also continue to house inmates used for inmate work details throughout the county. In 2013, these details provided over $2.5 million in free labor to the county.

"We are very pleased the Commissioners approved this project, and we are finally able to begin construction on a new facility which has been sorely needed for several years," said Hall County C.I. Warden Walt Davis.

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