The Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire John F. King has announced the launch of a newly redesigned, user-friendly agency website.

Georgians planning to vote by mail in the Nov. 3 general election have a new way to track the status of their absentee ballots after requesting one.

♦ Sanchez, Angel Nmn, 23, 199 Howie Lane, Loganville, driving without a valid license (misdemeanor)

Since classes resumed last month, educators in the Walker County and Chickamauga school systems have been working to make sure students learning from home are getting the same quality of instruction as those attending traditional school.

The race for a hotly contested U.S. Senate seat in Georgia kicked up a notch with the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and calls for a Democratic candidate to drop out in favor of the frontrunner.

The race for U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler’s seat has most prominently featured campaign activities from the four leading candidates: Loeffler and U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, both Republicans; and Rev. Raphael Warnock and Matt Lieberman, both Democrats.

Catoosa County Public Schools launched an online survey for parents of students in hybrid instruction (pre-kindergarten, middle and high school).

ATLANTA - Deteriorating public support for law enforcement is driving police officers away from the profession and making it harder to attract new recruits, representatives of state and local police agencies said Thursday, Sept. 24.

Georgia’s top school official aims to make year-end standardized tests count “essentially zero” toward students’ final grades in the 2020-21 school year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Catoosa County, the Nov. 3 general election ballot will include one local contested race: Board of Commissioners chairman Steven Henry, a Republican, is facing off against Democrat Ernie Pursley.

ATLANTA — Jobless Georgians filed 49,421 initial unemployment claims last week (week of Sept. 13), up 7,341 from the previous week, the state Department of Labor reported Thursday, Sept. 24.

Drop boxes to deposit absentee ballots ahead of the Nov. 3 general election have been set up by the dozens across Georgia as an option for voters who prefer not to show up in-person at a polling place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ATLANTA — The Georgia Republican Party joined the Republican National Committee Tuesday, Sept. 22, in appealing a federal court decision requiring the counting of absentee ballots received up to three days after the Nov. 3 election.

Recently, Gov. Brian Kemp signed House Bill 86, sponsored by Rep. Tommy Benton, R-Jefferson, and carried in the Senate by Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga. H.B. 86 requires a policy to be created for teachers to appeal performance ratings notated in teacher personnel evaluations.

Catoosa County residents are invited to share their feedback on services and quality of life issues by completing the 2021 Community Vision Survey.

Ringgold’s Haunted Depot, the city’s popular Halloween event for 13 years, has been cancelled for 2020 due to COVID-19.

ATLANTA - Both of Georgia’s U.S. senators are calling for a Senate vote on a successor to the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg sooner rather than later.

Catoosa County educators are considering allowing all students the option of a five-days-a-week in-person schedule.

Walker County educators are using social distancing, frequent cleaning and common sense practices to combat the challenges COVID-19 poses for schools.

ATLANTA — Georgia’s economy isn’t back to pre-pandemic levels, but it’s making significant strides.

A state House committee probing issues that occurred during the June 9 primary elections in Georgia released a report Thursday, Sept. 17, outlining stumbles with absentee ballots and the state’s new voting machines that prompted long lines and steep concerns ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.

On Nov. 3, voters in Walker County’s District 3 will choose between 53-year-old Republican candidate Brian Hart and 44-year-old Democrat candidate Hakie Shropshire to represent them on the new multi-person commission. District 3 encompasses LaFayette and the southeast corner of the county.

Ernie Pursley, Democratic candidate for Catoosa County commission chair, has a new campaign slogan: “Leadership with integrity.”

Georgia Northwestern Technical College is proud to announce the students on the president’s and dean’s lists for the 2020 summer semester. To be eligible for the president’s list, the student must maintain a GPA of 3.8 or higher during the semester with a course load of at least 12 credit ho…

LaFayette officials decided during the Sept. 14 city council meeting to cancel this year’s downtown trick-or-treating event.

On Sept. 15, 2020, Gov. Brian P. Kemp signed Executive Order 09.15.20.01, extending current COVID-19 restrictions and issuing guidance for long-term care facility visitation. The new Executive Order took effect on Sept. 16 at midnight and runs through Sept. 30 at 11:59 p.m.

ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp late Tuesday, Sept. 15, lifted restrictions on elderly long-term care facilities that have been in effect in Georgia since the coronavirus pandemic hit the state in March.

ATLANTA - University System of Georgia Chancellor Steve Wrigley Tuesday, Sept. 15, defended his decision to bring students back to the system’s 26 campuses this semester for in-person classes.

♦ Jarrell, Charity Michelle, 37, 131 N. Chattanooga St., LaFayette, disorderly conduct, terroristic threats (misdemeanor)

ATLANTA — Georgia voters still strongly support public charter schools eight years after ratifying a constitutional amendment letting the state create charter schools, according to a new poll.

With a deadline looming, Georgia is pushing to increase its final count in the 2020 U.S. Census amid hurdles posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and poor internet access in some areas.

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation recently announced plans to help make a difference during the upcoming academic year with the award of more than $145,000 in literacy grants in Georgia, including $3,000 for the LIFT Youth Center Inc. in Ringgold.

Authorities arrested a Catoosa County middle school teacher for reportedly sending inappropriate photos to a child.

Democratic Party candidate for the 14th Congressional District Kevin Van Ausdal officially announced Sept. 11 he would be dropping out of the race.

Walker County’s observance of Patriot Day included a remembrance service and a proclamation issued by the county commissioner.

The Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) Foundation awarded $10,900 in scholarships to 26 students. Scholarships between $250 and $500 were awarded to students to assist in paying for fall semester at GNTC.