Entries by Angela Gary

Your history knowledge can help Braselton get a sweet Fourth of July parade. But first, you have to answer a few questions. [Full Story »] 

The Braselton Police Department has arrested a 15-year-old girl in the murder of her mother, who was an Army recruiter.

First Sgt. Karen Moore, 42, was killed late Wednesday evening, when her teenage daughter allegedly shot her in the back of the head with a 9mm gun while she was watching TV and using her computer, according to assistant police chief Lou Solis.

The mother and daughter had some apparent ongoing domestic issue, he added.

The daughter later asked a neighbor in The Falls of Braselton subdivision, located off Ga. Hwy. 211, to help jumpstart her Volkswagen Beetle on Thursday, according to Solis. The vehicle was still parked in the driveway on Thursday when investigators were at the scene.

That neighbor couldn’t get the vehicle started and another neighbor was asked to help the teenager with the car, according to Solis. At some point, the girl said she couldn’t wake up her mother and one of the neighbors went inside the Sahale Falls Drive residence to help.
[Full Story »] 

The City of Auburn presented architectural renderings from Morrison Design and Robert and Company at a public hearing Tuesday for the creation of a conference center/social event gathering place with a $2 million USDA loan.
Provided the loan is approved, the project will include building an estimated $1.1 million new structure on the property of the Hawthorne House and an estimated $350,000 renovation to the current house. [Full Story »] 

With 29 seconds remaining and his team trailing by a point, Apalachee High School girls basketball coach Michael Parks calmly called timeout and began talking to his team. Parks could be seen smiling at his team as if to say, “We’ve got everything under control.” As it turned out, the Lady Wildcat mentor was correct in thinking everything ... [Full Story »] 

Barrow Journal reporter Lorin Sinn-Clark took time during last week's winter storm to jot down her observations of activity in Winder. Here are some excerpts from her reporter's notebook:

DAY ONE

Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011

Local residents have been busy preparing for the impending winter storm.

At Tractor Supply, the heater section is pretty much empty and there’s been a big run on propane heaters and propane tanks – both new purchases and refills.

At Walmart, the heater aisles are completely bare. Shoppers in the camping section are trying to figure out what to do with various propane- and gas-powered devices.

By late Sunday night, the whole world looks blanketed in snow. [Full Story »] 

Last month the Winder Police Department was awarded a major safety H.E.A.T. grant totaling $20,200 from the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.

H.E.A.T. stands for Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic.

The goal of the H.E.A.T. program is to reduce impaired driving crashes, reduce excessive speeding, increase safety belt usage and educate the public about traffic safety. [Full Story »] 

After having fallen into single digit territory in October, Barrow County’s unemployment rate shot up in November to 10.2 percent. That is almost as high as it was in November 2009 when it was 10.3 percent.

October’s rate had looked promising when it fell to 9.7 percent. According to state numbers, there were 3,436 unemployed people in Barrow County in November.

The state rate for November was 10.3 percent.

WINDER - Billy Asberry Abner, 81, went to be with his Lord Saturday, October 30, 2010. Billy was born December 18, 1928, in the Cedar Hill Community of Winder and was a lifelong resident of Winder, Barrow County, Georgia. He was the son of the late Lucius Preston Abner and Elmer Stancil Abner. Billy graduated from high school in Winder. He then ... [Full Story »] 

The Georgia Department of Banking and Finance took possession of The Peoples Bank, Winder, Friday evening.

Through an agreement with the FDIC, The Peoples Bank will be acquired by Community & Southern Bank, Carrollton. It was one of five banks to fail in Georgia this week.

The Peoples Bank had total assets of $447.2 million and total deposits of $398.2 million.

The Superior Court of Barrow County issued an Order appointing the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) as Receiver of the Bank effective upon the Department taking possession of The Peoples Bank.

The troubled bank is Barrow County's oldest and largest financial institution and has much of the local banking market share. The housing bust and economic downturn had hit the bank hard.

It is the fourth bank with connections in Winder to fail. Winder-based First Piedmont closed last year; Commerce-based Freedom closed its Winder facility in 2008; and Community Bank & Trust out of Cornelia but with a major Barrow County branch failed earlier this year. Like Peoples Bank, the other banks also had buyers. [Full Story »]