Blog posts by Lee Becker
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Oconee County Is Close to Finalizing a $65 Million SPLOST List
Blog: In the Loop
Commission Chairman John Daniell hears from Animal Services manager Crystal Berisko.
Oconee County voters in November will be presented with a $64.6 million wish list of projects to be funded by a Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax if the Board of Commissioners accepts a staff proposal given it last week.
Included on the list is $14.4 million for roads and bridges, $7.5 million for water and sewer projects, $6.9 million for a library and government administrative building, and $6.3 million for county broadband.
The list also includes nearly $9 million for the county’s four cities to use for their own projects.
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Big Jump Reported in Athens Area's COVID-19 Numbers
Blog: In the Loop
The Northeast Health District added 81 new confirmed COVID-19 cases and four new deaths in the 1 p.m. Department of Public Health Daily Status Report on Wednesday.
The number of new cases is the largest number ever added in a 24-hour period, and the seven-day rolling average of added cases jumped from 24.9 on Tuesday to 34.4 on Wednesday.
The seven-day rolling average of COVID-19 deaths in the 10-county region also increased from 1.4 on Tuesday to 1.9 on Wednesday, as the region has added 13 deaths in the last seven days.
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Northeast Georgia COVID-19 Cases Appear to Be Stabilizing
Blog: In the Loop
The Northeast Health District added 14 cases of confirmed COVID-19 with the 1 p.m. Department of Public Health Daily Status Report on Wednesday, and the seven-day rolling average of added cases dropped to the level it has maintained for the last week.
The 10-county region added an additional death, of a 45-year-old female in Greene County with known chronic conditions, bringing the total number of deaths to 48 and holding the seven-day rolling average of added deaths at 1.1.
The Department of Community Health Long-Term Care Facility Report issued late on Tuesday showed one additional death at a Walton County nursing home.
That report also showed an increase in COVID positive residents at the area’s long-term care facilities and an increase in the number of COVID positive staff.
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Oconee Sheriff Candidates Agree on Roundabouts
Blog: In the Loop
Oconee County sheriff candidates James Hale and Jimmy Williamson said they didn’t want to get involved in a dispute between the School Board and the Board of Commissioners and would continue to provide deputies to direct traffic at school entrances if elected and asked to do so.
At the same time, they said that having deputies in the roadway is dangerous and that they are in favor of road infrastructure changes, including roundabouts, that remove the deputies from the school entrances.
Both said they would be obligated to their deputies to help protect them by getting them out of the roadways when possible.
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COVID-19 Cases Spike in Northeast Georgia
Blog: In the Loop
The Northeast Health District of the Georgia Department of Public Health reported 51 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 at noon on Wednesday, the largest increase ever recorded in the district by a daily status report in a 24-hour-period.
Every county but one in the 10-county Northeast Health District reported an increase in cases, with Barrow County reporting 24 new cases.
Oconee County reported two new cases and no deaths in the Daily Status Report, but the separate Long Term Care Facility COVID-19 Report issued by the Department of Public Health listed a recent death at High Shoals Health and Rehabilitation nursing facility in North High Shoals.
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Georgia Records Largest Ever Number of New Coronavirus Cases
Blog: In the Loop
The state of Georgia recorded 1,525 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the 24-hour period that ended at noon on Friday, the largest number of new cases ever recorded in the Department of Public Health’s Daily Status Report.
The 10-county Northeast Health District, which includes Oconee and Clarke counties, recorded 38 new cases on Friday, the second largest number of new cases listed for the region in the Daily Status Report.
Oconee County now has 48 confirmed COVID-19 cases, up from 45 on Thursday, and Clarke County has 106, up from 102 on Thursday.
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COVID-19 Cases Surge but May Be Leveling Off
Blog: In the Loop
The Georgia Department of Public Health in its noon Daily Status Report on Tuesday listed 36 new cases of confirmed COVID-19 in the 10-county Northeast Health District and one additional death in Clarke County attributable to the disease.
The increase of 36 cases was the largest increase since the 46 cases were added on Tuesday a week ago and the 36 were added on Mar. 31, two weeks ago. The total number of cases in the region now stands at 355.
The added death in Clarke County was of a 76-year-old man without known underlying conditions.
Clarke County added 10 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the 24-hour period ending at noon on Tuesday, and Oconee County added two.
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Georgia COVID-19 Deaths Jump by 100 in 24 Hours
Blog: In the Loop
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases increased greatly in Oconee County and the Northeast Georgia region on Tuesday, reflecting the dramatic increase across the state in the noon Daily Status Report from the Georgia Department of Health.
Photo Credit: Lee Becker
The report shows Oconee County with 32 confirmed cases, up from 24 at noon on Monday, and Clarke County with 77, up from 69 at noon on Monday.
Across the 10-county Northeast Health District of the state Department of Health, which includes both Oconee and Clarke counties, the number of confirmed cases was 236, up from 190 at noon on Monday.
The increases were the largest ever recorded for the region, more than doubling the increase of 22 from the day before. The increase for Oconee County was also the largest increase ever shown in the Daily Status Report.
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COVID-19 Kills 12th Person in Northeast Georgia
Blog: In the Loop
Clarke County added one new death as a result of COVID-19 in the noon Daily Status Report for Friday, bringing the total deaths in the 10-county Northeast Health District of the Georgia Department of Health to 12.
The death was of a 98-year-old male with underlying conditions.
Elbert County, the sole county in the region without a confirmed COVID-19 case, added a single case in the 24 hour period from noon of Thursday to noon of Friday.
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Oconee Chairman Explains Decision Not to Require Sheltering in Place
Blog: In the Loop
Citizens will not be allowed to attend the agenda-setting meeting of the Oconee County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, but they will be able to watch via a livestream on YouTube.
Oconee County Board of Commissioners Chairman John Daniell announced that decision to hold the agenda-setting meeting as usual, but minus an audience, in an interview of just more than 30 minutes length via Zoom on Sunday morning.
Shortly after that interview, the county sent out a public announcement of the meeting.
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Acting DA Brian Patterson Outlines Plans
Blog: In the Loop
Brian Patterson speaks to Oconee County Democrats on Feb. 20.
Brian Patterson, acting district attorney for Oconee and Clarke counties, told Oconee County Democrats last month that, if he becomes district attorney on a permanent basis, he will resurrect a number of unsolved murder cases in the two counties.
He also said he will increase the investigation of organized criminal activity and gang activity, continue to prioritize crimes against women and children, and promote alternative court programs to keep people from having a criminal records for lesser offenses.
At the time he spoke, Patterson was chief assistant district attorney for the Western Judicial Circuit serving the two counties, but he moved up to acting district attorney on Mar. 1 when Ken Mauldin resigned rather than complete his term.
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Gun Group Wants Oconee County to Be 'Second Amendment Sanctuary'
Blog: In the Loop
The Oconee County Gun Coalition is making plans to ask the Oconee County Board of Commissioners to pass a resolution declaring the county a Second Amendment Sanctuary County.
If the Board of Commissioners were to approve the resolution, the county would join at least 21 other counties in the state in supporting decisions by the sheriff “to not enforce any unconstitutional firearm restrictions.”
The resolution also calls on the commissioners to agree not to use government funds or resources to enforce any law “that unconstitutionally infringes on the right of the people to keep and bear arms.”
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Mayor Bob Smith Is at Odds With the Watkinsville City Council
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Lee Becker
Watkinsville Mayor Bob Smith suggested delaying a decision on the development plan for the Wisteria Ridge apartment complex on 75 North Main St. at the Watkinsville Mayor and Council meeting last week.
The mayor votes only in the case of a tie, and the council approved the plan in a 3 to 1 vote.
Smith strongly opposed the site development plan submitted by Oconee State Bank for its new headquarters at 41 North Main St. Council approved the plan 3 to 0, with council member Brian Brodrick recusing himself from the discussion and vote. (Council member Christine Tucker was absent from the meeting.)
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Kemp Sets Feb. 20 Deadline to Apply for DA
Blog: In the Loop
Brian Patterson.
Gov. Brian Kemp has set a Thursday deadline for applications for the position of district attorney for the Western Judicial Circuit consisting of Clarke and Oconee counties.
Brian Patterson, currently chief assistant district attorney, has said he will apply for the appointment.
Deborah Gonzalez, former House District 117 representative, has said she will not submit her application.
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Candidates for DA, Congress Speak to Oconee Dems
Blog: In the Loop
Deborah Gonzalez and Andrew Ferguson used the opportunity of the meeting of the Oconee County Democratic Party last month to introduce themselves to those in attendance.
For Gonzalez, it was a matter of a re-introduction, and she said she was going to respond to the “first question most people ask me.”
She said she was running for district attorney of the Western Circuit, which includes Oconee and Clarke counties, rather than to reclaim her seat as District 117 representative to the Georgia House because she thinks she will have “the biggest impact” as district attorney.
Andrew Ferguson was new to the group, so he spent more time talking about his background, his motivation for wanting to challenge U.S. Rep. Jody Hice, the incumbent Republican in District 10, and his stands on a number of issues.
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Oconee Board Signs Off on 'Ritz-Carlton of Retirement Communities'
Blog: In the Loop
Landscape architect Ken Beall (right) speaks to the Oconee County Planning Commission.
The Oconee County Planning Commission has recommended that the Board of Commissioners approve a rezoning request for just under 62 acres between Old Epps Bridge Road and the Loop for a large retirement community with 398 residential units.
The project, called Celebration Village Athens–Oconee Campus, will include in Phase 1 two three-story “concierge living” buildings, a three-story assisted living and memory care building, two four-story independent living buildings and 32 independent living cottages.
Phase 2 will include 86 independent living units that will be sold to interested residents who are 55 years old or older.
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Live-Work-Play Development Planned in Watkinsville
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Lee Becker
The Watkinsville City Council on Wednesday authorized City Manager Sharyn Dickerson to move forward with creation of a development agreement for the 66.6-acre former Southwire property on Barnett Shoals Road.
The council took the action following a presentation by developer Duke Gibbs and planner Bob Smith for what they are calling Wire Park.
The project includes single-family detached housing units on both large and small lots, townhomes and condominium flats, and an adaptive reuse of the existing wire manufacturing building on the site.
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Watkinsville Mayor Dave Shearon, Opponent Bob Smith Face Off in Debate
Blog: In the Loop
More than 100 people turned out on Thursday night for an election forum in Watkinville that featured a very respectful exchange between incumbent Mayor Dave Shearon and challenger Bob Smith.
Though Smith, a real estate agent and former state representative, has had open disagreements with the Watkinsville Council in recent months regarding development of his property, little of the tension was in evidence on Thursday night, until the very end.
In his closing comments, Smith implied that the city was not transparent and that citizens were not being treated with respect by the mayor.
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Oconee Roads Will Get Sidewalks and Bike Lanes
Blog: In the Loop
The regional long range transportation plan now before the public for review makes significant changes to the current document and provides for both pedestrian and bicycle travel on two key roadways in Oconee County.
Both bicycle and pedestrian facilities would be added to Hog Mountain Road from Mars Hill Road in Butler’s Crossing to U.S. 441, passing the Presbyterian Homes complex now under construction at the Hog Mountain Road intersection with U.S. 441.
Similarly, both bicycle and pedestrian facilities would be added to Daniells Bridge Road from its intersection with Mars Hill Road and the Oconee Connector to Hog Mountain Road.
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Rep. Hice: Both Parties Addicted to Spending
Blog: In the Loop
Photo Credit: Lee Becker
Republican Jody Hice of Lake Oconee represents Clarke and Oconee counties in Congress.
The economy in the country, the state of Georgia, and the region is very strong, 10th District Congressman Jody Hice and Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler told a gathering of Oconee County Republicans last week.
That strong economy is threatened, both speakers said, by the shortage of labor to fill the jobs the strong economy is producing.
The pair offered a variety of solutions to the problem, including training in schools, training on the job, hiring those getting out of correctional facilities, hiring people with disabilities, and helping people get off the safety net and into jobs.
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latest stories
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In the Loop | May 28, 2020 10:57am
Oconee County Is Close to Finalizing a $65 Million SPLOST List
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In the Loop | May 27, 2020 5:46pm
Big Jump Reported in Athens Area's COVID-19 Numbers
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In the Loop | May 20, 2020 7:50pm
Northeast Georgia COVID-19 Cases Appear to Be Stabilizing
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In the Loop | May 11, 2020 5:16pm
Oconee Sheriff Candidates Agree on Roundabouts
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In the Loop | May 6, 2020 5:55pm
COVID-19 Cases Spike in Northeast Georgia
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In the Loop | April 17, 2020 5:05pm
Georgia Records Largest Ever Number of New Coronavirus Cases
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In the Loop | April 14, 2020 4:21pm
COVID-19 Cases Surge but May Be Leveling Off
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In the Loop | April 7, 2020 5:11pm
Georgia COVID-19 Deaths Jump by 100 in 24 Hours
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In the Loop | April 3, 2020 4:25pm
COVID-19 Kills 12th Person in Northeast Georgia
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In the Loop | March 30, 2020 12:37pm
Oconee Chairman Explains Decision Not to Require Sheltering in Place
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In the Loop | March 9, 2020 12:38pm
Acting DA Brian Patterson Outlines Plans
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In the Loop | February 28, 2020 10:45am
Gun Group Wants Oconee County to Be 'Second Amendment Sanctuary'
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In the Loop | February 24, 2020 11:55am
Mayor Bob Smith Is at Odds With the Watkinsville City Council
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In the Loop | February 18, 2020 3:34pm
Kemp Sets Feb. 20 Deadline to Apply for DA
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In the Loop | February 5, 2020 1:38pm
Candidates for DA, Congress Speak to Oconee Dems
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In the Loop | January 31, 2020 12:03pm
Oconee Board Signs Off on 'Ritz-Carlton of Retirement Communities'
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In the Loop | January 20, 2020 2:15pm
Live-Work-Play Development Planned in Watkinsville
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In the Loop | October 7, 2019 11:48am
Watkinsville Mayor Dave Shearon, Opponent Bob Smith Face Off in Debate
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In the Loop | September 9, 2019 4:27pm
Oconee Roads Will Get Sidewalks and Bike Lanes
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In the Loop | September 4, 2019 12:06pm
Rep. Hice: Both Parties Addicted to Spending