Ellijay News

Brian Laurens is an Oxendine political operative and former front page poster at Peach Pundit.

Amanda Brantley of Atlanta paddles on the Oostanaula River near Armuchee. slideshow John Branch of Decatur and Tom Johnson of Canton carry a kayak from the water.

When Mark Zimmerman was violently flung to the floor of the Metro car he was riding Monday in Washington, D.C., his first thought was that he was being attacked from behind with a baseball bat.

Roman Jessica Lindberg is participating in the weeklong Paddle Georgia event, a 92-mile trip from Ellijay to Rome.

Approximately 300 people are expected to canoe and kayak their way down the Coosawattee and Oostanaula rivers beginning Friday as part of Paddle Georgia 2009, a tour sponsored by the Georgia River Network.

* Rebecca Eilene Vaughn, 20, 4159 Highway 225 N., Chatsworth, was charged Thursday by the Dalton Police Department with theft by deception.

Army Spc. Andy "Sully" Sullens doesn't remember the explosion or being thrown about 25 feet from the vehicle.

Popular with octogenarians and drag queens alike, the Colonnade has long been one of Midtown's quirkiest eateries.

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta is presenting competitive cyclists with a seemingly irresistible challenge: race 4,784 feet to the top of Brasstown Bald Mountain in Ellijay, Ga., to help raise awareness about childhood obesity and create excitement for the return of Tour de Georgia, which in on hiatus this year.

* Paris Demond McDaniel, 30, 130 W. School St., Tunnel Hill, was charged Monday by the Dalton Police Department with possession of less than an ounce of marijuana and sale of cocaine.

Like most things in life, tattoos come with the possibility of being out-grown. What might seems like a fantastic and awesome idea in the last few years of college may end up being a hindrance in the job market or even in one's own personal aesthetics.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources will partner with Georgia River Network for Paddle Georgia 2009, billed as the largest, weeklong group canoe and kayak adventure in the country.

BLAIRSVILLE In 1937, 19-year-old Murl Garoutte left his home in Marionville, Mo., boarding a steam engine train bound for the Nevada desert to join 3 million other young men mobilized across the nation in the "Tree Army." As a member of the Civilian Conservation Corps, Garoutte and the other uniformed "boys" of the CCC helped build many of the park ...

Fourteen incoming Shorter College students have been awarded scholarships that will either fully or partially pay their tuition, room and board.

A flood watch was posted for metro Atlanta Wednesday as a large storm system packing heavy rain and the potential for severe weather began moving into the state.

The Conasauga Ranger District of the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests is beginning an analysis of its equestrian trails to determine if the current system of horse trails is adequate to meet public demand.

In 2000, after many years of supplying animals to zoos, Debbie and Roger Nelson opened the Kangaroo Conservation Center to the public.

Pilgrim's Pride will cut about 280 jobs when the company closes its chicken processing plant near downtown Dalton in the next 60 days, another hit to a city battered by deep job losses in the floorcovering industry.

Sliding Rock Cabins, the recognized leader in North Georgia Vacation Rentals, is very pleased to announce the addition of several lovely, new pet friendly cabins.

The Gilmer Arts and Heritage Association's 2009 BEST Series wraps up Saturday, April 18, with a performance by veteran bluegrass bandleader J.D.Crowe and his ensemble The New South.