Stephens Co. Unemployment Drops Slightly

Stephens County sees its unemployment rate drop slightly to start 2014. State labor department numbers show that Stephens County had a preliminary January unemployment rate of 6.9 percent. That is one-tenth of a percentage point lower than the revised December 2013 rate of 7.0 percent. It is also a full 2.3 percentage points lower than the revised January 2013 unemployment rate of 9.2 percent. The total January labor force for Stephens County was 12,867. Of that, 11,976 people were listed as employed in Stephens County in January and 891 were listed as unemployed. Labor Department figures show that the labor force in Stephens County increased by just over 100 from December to January, but is still about 500 less than it was in January 2013. About 100 more people were employed in Stephens County in January than were in December, while the number of unemployed remained about the same. Meanwhile, approximately 150 fewer people were employed this past January in Stephens County than were employed in January 2013, while the number of unemployed has dropped by about 350. Looking at other area counties, Franklin County’s preliminary unemployment rate stayed the same at 8.2 percent in January; Habersham County saw its preliminary January unemployment rate jump a percentage point to 7.6 percent; and Banks County’s preliminary unemployment rate rose one-tenth of a percentage point in January to 5.5 percent.
Charlie Bauder
Article

GA Department of Economic Development Leaders Visit Stephens Co.

Top state economic development officials take time to visit Stephens County.

Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Chris Carr and his staff spent Wednesday traveling through the county, meeting with local officials.

Carr said the goal of the trip, which included other stops throughout Georgia, is for his team to build and establish relationships with local officials.

“Economic development, like politics, is, was, and always will be a people business and it is important to get in front of people to hear what is going on and to talk about the resources and the expertise that we can potentially bring to bear and partner with our communities,” said Carr.

Pictured above: GDEcD's Cheryl Smith, Kevin Langston, Commissioner Chris Carr, and Tammy Caudell, and Stephens County Development Authority's Tim Martin. 

By Charlie Bauder 

Full article

Gasaway in Toccoa Tuesday for Meet and Greet

Stephens County residents will have an opportunity to talk directly with their local state representative at an event Tuesday. 28th District State Representative Dan Gasaway will be at the X-Factor Grill/ Cornerstone Restaurant for a “meet and greet” Tuesday, starting at 5:30 p.m. The X-Factor Grill/Cornerstone Restaurant is located on Doyle Street in downtown Toccoa. Gasaway is in his first term representing the 28th District in the State House. The 28th District includes Stephens, Banks, and part of Habersham counties. 

Charlie Bouder

T-SPLOST Roundtable Meeting to be Held Today

The Georgia Mountains Regional Transportation Roundtable is expected to vote on the final T-SPLOST project list at a meeting today. That meeting is set for 5 p.m. at the Ruby Fulbright Aquatics Center in Clarkesville. If the roundtable approves the T-SPLOST list, voters in the Georgia Mountains region will vote next year on whether to approve a one-cent sales tax tofund the projects on the list.

Toccoa 9/10 Softball Wins STATE

The Toccoa 9 and 10-year-old softball All-Stars are state champs. Toccoa won the state tournament Wednesday in Elberton, defeating Jasper County 14-4 in four innings to claim the crown. This year’s 9 and 10-year-old softball team includes Ivey Andrews, Mackenzie Rogers, Natalie Morgan, Alanna Dunson, Hannah Hieb, Breanna Simmons, Gracie Jordan, Tyra Hunter, Kataryna Fuller, and Ashton Ayers. Other coaches included Tim Lowery and Dale Lingerfelt. The team will participate in the “Tournament of Champions” in Luray, Virginia beginning on July 29, starting off by playing a team from North Carolina.Read Article

Legislative Coffee Chat

50th District Senator Jim Butterworth and 28th District State Representative Michael Harden stopped in Toccoa Thursday to update officials on the recently completed legislative session in Atlanta. The Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce sponsored the event. Butterworth and Harden spoke on many topics, including the HOPE scholarship, tax reform, and illegal immigration.

Butterworth to be appointed to the Committee on Assignments

WNEG
Following last month's election, Republican senators voted to create a new set-up in the State Senate for determining committee assignments and leadership posts, taking that power away from the Lieutenant Governor and creating a Committee on Assignments to handle it. 50th District State Senator Jim Butterworth has confirmed he will be appointed to that committee. He called it an honor to receive the appointment!