A Walker County high school student was one of three people who robbed a Rossville convenience store at gunpoint Wednesday, Jan. 20, Sheriff Steve Wilson said.

A Rossville residence was recently burglarized and the intruder(s) stole living room furniture, police say.

Catoosa County detectives are investigating a larceny case involving the theft of a computer and other items from a residential carport, police say.

ATLANTA - Georgia’s chief business recruiter Wednesday, Jan. 20, pitched a $1 million plan to resurrect a tourism industry suffering massive losses since coronavirus-fearing travelers stopped taking vacation trips and attending business conferences.

State health agencies in Georgia are weathering last year’s budget cuts from the COVID-19 pandemic with a boost from the federal government and by working more remotely, several agency heads told state lawmakers Thursday, Jan. 21.

ATLANTA - The suspension of jury trials in Georgia during the coronavirus pandemic has created a substantial backlog across the court system, Georgia Chief Justice Harold Melton told state lawmakers Wednesday, Jan. 20.

Sen. Jeff Mullis (R–Chickamauga) has received his committee assignments for the 2021 legislative session; the 156th General Assembly convened Jan. 11. Among his appointments, Mullis will continue serving as chairman of the Senate Rules Committee.

ATLANTA — Full funding of student enrollment growth after a year of budget cuts would come as a great relief to Georgia’s public schools, the state’s top K-12 education official said Tuesday, Jan. 19.

2020 proved to be a banner year for new home construction in unincorporated Walker County. In fact, it was the best of the decade.

Georgia officials battling the COVID-19 pandemic are hoping for a shot in the arm to the state’s vaccine rollout when President-elect Joe Biden takes office on Wednesday, Jan. 20. 

ATLANTA - The unusual nature of the current pandemic-driven recession has put Georgia in a stronger economic position than could have been expected otherwise, the state’s chief economist said Tuesday, Jan. 19.

LaFayette High School has established a new scholarship. The award will be in memory of Jenny Vowell, who was a counselor at LHS before her death in December.

The Alzheimer’s Association, Georgia Chapter, is hosting a statewide Caregiver Resource Fair, a virtual three-hour program that will help Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers find local resources and talk to experts who can explain and give more insight to the many programs available in the s…

ATLANTA - Online sports betting would come to Georgia under legislation introduced in the state House of Representatives Friday, Jan. 15.

ATLANTA – The battle for votes in Georgia is set to leap from the ballot box to the state Capitol as legislative Republicans look to clamp down on vote-by-mail rules Democrats have championed amid recent electoral wins.

The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is receiving offers from medical professionals and other individuals looking for ways to help with the COVID-19 vaccination response. An effective response relies on volunteers who are pre-credentialed and organized.

Healthy Foundations will hold a Zoom meeting Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 5:30 p.m. Leaders from the organization will be discussing the types of positions that will be hired and how the positions will be phased in over time.

The Catoosa County Health Department, an affiliate of the Georgia Department of Public Health, announced the suspension of its drive-through COVID-19 testing program so that resources can be committed to scheduling, preparing, and providing COVID-19 vaccinations.

Gov. Brian Kemp asked state lawmakers Thursday, Jan. 14, to give businesses more help dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, double down on investment in rural Georgia and build on last year’s criminal justice reforms.

Gov. Brian Kemp Thursday, Jan. 14, called for increasing funds to Georgia public schools by more than $1.2 billion to help offset cuts to education the General Assembly imposed last year.

Georgia public schools are set to receive about $1.7 billion in federal COVID-19 aid as part of a second round of relief spending Congress passed in December.

By the end of December 2020, the Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) Foundation raised approximately $250,000 in support of students from private donations, corporate gifts, grants, planned giving and establishment of an endowed fund.

Most people normally stay home for a presidential inauguration — or at least stay in their home state.

“The Walker County Health Department,” says the county’s website, “has asked that we share the following information for those trying to schedule a COVID-19 vaccination appointment.”

“The demand for the COVID-19 vaccine is high in Catoosa County,” says Catoosa County Commission Chairman Steven Henry. “It’s been a challenge.”

Rural broadband, pandemic recovery and election battles to come in Georgia’s legislative session highlighted the annual “Eggs and Issues” program held Wednesday, Jan. 13, by the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.

Local providers are struggling to administer COVID-19 vaccines in Georgia as health clinics have been swamped with requests for doses since Gov. Brian Kemp expanded eligibility to those 65-years and older.

Democratic lawmakers in the Georgia Senate kicked off the 2021 legislative session with a resolution condemning the riot by supporters of President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol.

Two institutions in the University System of Georgia are launching degree programs focused on two of the state’s top industries.

The following statement, issued Jan. 11, is from the Georgia Department of Public Health Northwest Health District, which includes Walker and Catoosa counties:

COVID-19 and last week’s storming of the U.S. Capitol loomed large in the Georgia General Assembly Monday as lawmakers were sworn in to begin the 2021 legislative session.

Gov. Brian Kemp asked Georgians for patience Friday, Jan. 8, as state officials push to distribute around 11,500 doses per day of the slow-arriving COVID-19 vaccine to health-care workers, nursing homes and people aged 65 and older in some parts of the state.

The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is launching a COVID vaccine locator on the DPH website at https://dph.georgia.gov. The tool allows users to search by county for a vaccine provider in their community, and provides location and contact information for the provider. This is not a…

The Cherokee Regional Library System, which includes three libraries in Walker County and one in Dade County, has been named Library of the Year by Georgia Public Library Service.

Georgia lawmakers will begin the 2021 General Assembly session on Monday, Jan. 11, fresh off some positive news.

It should be no surprise that Republican Senate candidates Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue won by a landslide in Catoosa County. But in the end, statewide, it was Democrat candidates Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff who took the seats, with 50.9% and 50.46% of the vote, respectively.

Catoosa County administrators and staff have been recognized for their outstanding accomplishments following a year-long leadership development program.