Pickens County September Board of Education Meeting
Featured Stories September 22, 2022
JASPER, Ga – The Pickens County Board of Education had its monthly meeting on Thursday September 8th.
The meeting was business as usual as attendees opened up with a prayer and the pledge of allegiance.
Firstly, Dr. Ron Newcomb, the president of Chattahoochee Technical College, highlighted the success of the college’s collaboration with Pickens County High Schools to provide vocational training to students. This program also allows students to gain college credits in case they choose to further their education in a university.
Secondly, Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education (CTAE) Director Carissa Parker highlighted the federal and state grants the CTAE programs received.
Thirdly, the Chief Financial Officer Amy Smith, broke down the current budget and expenditures made. She highlighted that Pickens County can again boast no debt.
Thirdly, Mr. Wallace gave an update instead of the Chief Operations Officer Stacy Gilleland. He explained that the county is seeking to acquire seven new buses for the next year. The bus orders take a year to be fulfilled. The seven buses will cost around $229,ooo, which the county will pay for out of pocket and receive reimbursement from the state.
The overall goal is to keep the fleet of buses less than ten years old, with up to date security equipment and air conditioning.
Finally, the Board of Education meeting concluded with the members’ approval all the action items.
Bus Drivers’ DUI Arrests Prompt Action from Board of Education
Board of Education, Featured, Featured News August 30, 2022
PICKENS COUNTY, Ga – Jeffrey Tucker and Tammy Decerbo, the the two bus drivers arrested and charged with DUI, will now face disciplinary action from the Pickens County Board of Education (BOE).
On Tuesday August 24th, the Pickens County BOE released a statement, detailing the county’s response to their DUI arrests.
Georgia State Patrol arrested Tucker after he registered .03 on the Breathalyzer. In Georgia, the legal limit for commercial vehicle drivers is .04% blood alcohol levels. Consequently, the BOE has decided to terminate Tucker’s employment.
Decerbo faces DUI and failure to maintain lane charges. According the Pickens County BOE, there were no indication that she drove her school bus while under the influence. Despite this, the BOE has decided to suspend her until the charges pending against her are resolved.
These two arrests have caused the BOE to review their bus related policies, procedures, and protocols. Furthermore, the BOE will be providing additional training to their staff and outside consultants who play a role in transporting the children of Pickens County.
Second Pickens County Bus Driver Arrested for DUI
Arrest Reports, Featured Stories, News August 23, 2022
JASPER, Ga – Pickens County bus driver, Tammy Decerbo, 43, was arrested on Monday and charged with DUI. This is the second Pickens County school bus driver arrested within 72 hours.
Tammy Decerbo (CBS46)
According to Pickens County Sheriff’s deputies, Decerbo was observed driving erratically on the road. They performed a traffic stop when she almost drove her gold Honda Accord off E. Church St. She agreed to take a field sobriety test and failed.
The Georgia State Patrol also administered a field sobriety test, which she also failed. She was subsequently charged with DUI.
Although the Pickens County Board of Education released a statement following Jeffrey Tucker’s arrest, they have not yet released a statement regarding Decerbo.
Both Decerbo and Tucker have bonded out of jail.
Pickens County Bus Driver Arrested and Charged With DUI
Featured Stories, Press Release August 20, 2022
JASPER, Ga – On the afternoon of Friday, August 19th a Pickens County School District bus had an accident. This was a single vehicle accident, and none of the students needed medical accidents. There were no injuries either.
Afterwards, the Georgia State Patrol arrested Jeffrey Tucker, the bus driver, and initially charged him with DUI, failure to maintain lane, and 40 counts of reckless conduct. District personnel made contact by phone or have left messages for all parents with children on the bus.
Once law enforcement has completed its investigation, the district will conduct its own review into circumstances surrounding this event.
This is an ongoing investigation. At this time, this is all the information available.
Board Of Commissioners August Work Session
News August 16, 2022
JASPER, Ga– The Pickens County Board of Commissioners (BOC) had their monthly work session on Thursday, August 4th at 4:30 pm.
From left to right: Commissioner Josh Tippens, Chairman Kris Stancil, Commissioner Josh Tatum
The members of the BOC are: Kris Stancil (Commission Chairman), Josh Tippens (Commission Post 1- West), and Josh Tatum (Commission Post 2- East).
Work sessions are shorter than regular meetings, but they allow participants to focus on specific goals with no interruption. The public is welcome to watch without commentary.
The Work Session agenda kicked off with department head updates. Next, the commissioners discussed the Local Options Sales Tax (LOST). Finally, the work session ended with closing remarks appreciating the sheriff’s department’s presence in the school zones.
Department Head Updates
Firstly, extensive road maintenance has been ongoing throughout the county, but supply chain issues have caused some delays. Contractors have projected to start working on Cove Road between the 16th and the 20th. Grandview’s maintenance will begin after that. But, contractors do not have a start date yet.
Repairs on the water line on Anderson mountain going across South Cove. Additionally, the water line will be an ongoing issue until the pipe can be entirely replaced.
Pickens County is expecting a check for $120,000 for reimbursement for the county’s response to Hurricane Zeta.
Pickens County will host six Mountain Football League football games at Dragon Stadium along with the Girls Flag Football Superbowl on October 29th.
LOST Renegotiation Recap
LOST (Local Options Sales Tax) renegotiation happens every 10 years. On June 10, Pickens County sent a letter to all municipalities to kick off the renegotiations. LOST was voted in 1985 as a “source of replacement revenue from sales tax to offset property taxes.”
The first meeting was on June 22nd to establish the schedule and dispute resolution for the renegotiation process. The Current distribution is 70% for Pickens, 25.7% for Jasper, 2.8% for Nelson, and 1.5% for Talking Rock.
Chairman Stancil expects that the renegotiations will go into mediation. The deadline for an agreement is December 30th.
USPS To Temporarily Raise Prices For Peak Holiday Season
Business, Community, Feature News, Featured, Featured News, Featured Stories, News August 17, 2022
GEORGIA, US– The United States Postal Service (USPS) intends to temporarily increase their prices for the 2022 holiday season.
Photo by Joel Moysuh on Unsplash
On Wednesday August 10th, the USPS filed a notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) regarding a temporary price increase for the holiday season. This price increase is something USPS has done in the past to make a revenue while keeping some of the lowest prices in the mailing industry.
The proposed price increase would go into effect at 12 am Central on October 2nd, 2022 until 12 am Central on January 22nd, 2023. The price increase would affect “commercial and retail domestic parcels: Priority Mail Express (PME), Priority Mail (PM), First-Class Package Service (FCPS), Parcel Select and USPS Retail Ground.” International mailing services will not see any price hikes.
| Product | Current | Planned Increase |
| Parcel Select Destination Delivery Unit (DDU) |
Starts at $3.50 | 25 cents |
| Parcel Select DSCF | Starts at $3.77 | 75 cents |
| Parcel Select DNDC | Starts at $4.84 | 75 cents |
| USPS Connect Local | Starts at $3.95 | No change |
| Parcel Select Lightweight (DDU) | Starts at $2.32 | No change |
| Parcel Select Lightweight (DSCF and DNDC) |
Starts at $2.72 | No change |
| Parcel Return Service | Starts at $3.37 | No change |
The Governors of the Postal Service already approved the planned temporary price change, and USPS expects a favorable outcome with the PRC.
For a full list of commercial and retail pricing, please click here.
Pickens County Welcomes First All Girl Flag Football Team
Community, Dragon's Corner, Featured Stories August 10, 2022
PICKENS COUNTY, Ga. – The Pickens County Recreation Department has successfully organized the first all girl flag football team in the county.
For many years, cheerleading and soccer were the only two sports available for elementary and middle school aged girls in the fall. Brian Z Jones, the Director of the Pickens County Recreation Department (PCRD), explained that this was not the first attempt to put the historic team together.
In 2021, the PCRD tried to put a team together when the Mountain Football League wanted “to gauge the interest of girls in flag football,” At the time, despite PCRD’s efforts, there was not enough interest to have a full team.
This year, although there were a few challenges, Pickens County can now boast having a girls flag football team. To make this historic team happen, Director Jones, who is also the coach, had to use all his resources. He explained that as the registration period was closing, there were slots still open. He had to contact parents he worked with “on one of his Rec Basketball teams” to get the word out. With all that said, he was able to assemble nine girls for the current team. Four of these nine girls on the team came directly from the basketball team he coached.
Now that the team has been assembled, the girls have started their practices and are eager to play the sport. Their first game is on August 27th. The rest of the season’s schedule is available on the Mountain Athletic Conference website. 
Director Jones hopes to increase participation in youth sports through this new avenue for the young girls of Pickens County. He urges members of the community to get the word out so more girls can participate. His goal is that there will be “Enough girls in 2023 to have three or more teams.”
If you have any questions, please contact Director Brian Z Jones with the PCRD at [email protected].
Get Ready for the Taste of Ellijay 2018! – May 24th at 6pm
Business, Community, Lifestyle May 24, 2018
Brought to you by Gilmer Chamber: Today on Karla’s Korner – Get Ready for the Taste of Ellijay 2018! Starting tonight at 6pm!
Join us on #GMFTO every weekday starting at 8AM! We will be featuring Fetch Your News FYNTV.com TV personality #BKP and his political opinion, and #AnythingGoes !
Have a question, comment, or want to be on the show? Call or text 706-889-9700 !
Confederate Flag Flies in Georgia – Heritage Not Hate
Featured Stories, News July 5, 2015
(Photo credit Brenda Cantrell)
Heritage Not Hate on the 4th of July
Heritage not hate seemed to be the common theme today among several groups celebrating the 4th of July. (more…)
Pickens Enjoys 4th of July Parade
Community, Featured Stories July 4, 2015
Pickens County held its annual 4th of July on Saturday morning in downtown Jasper. The skies were somewhat dark but it did not rain on our parade! (more…)
BoC Considers Policy Changes
Business, Featured Stories, News July 4, 2015
Two items drew most of the time in a quick work session on July 2 at the Pickens BoC. (more…)
North Georgia Performs First Same Sex Marriages on Day of Ruling
Featured Stories, News June 29, 2015
Pickens County was the first in North Georgia to perform same sex marriage following the landmark ruling by the Supreme Court. (more…)
Probate Courts Ready to Issue Marriage License,5-4 Supreme Court Passes Same Sex Marriage
Featured Stories, News, Politics June 27, 2015
After a nation-changing decision Friday morning by the Supreme Court, ripples are felt throughout the country. (more…)
Update to Fatal Crash
Featured Stories, News June 22, 2015
Chief Lovell of the Jasper Police Department sat down with our reporters today to speak about the fatal accident earlier today. (more…)
Fatal Crash in Pickens County
Featured Stories, News June 22, 2015
FetchYourNews.com has received information regarding a two vehicle accident that occurred at approximately 5 – 5:30 this morning, June 22nd on Hwy 515 South near Appalachian Court in Pickens County. (more…)
K-9 Tracks To An Arrest
Featured Stories, News June 19, 2015
K-9 Flash has proven his abilities in tracking as he led officers to a fleeing suspect. (more…)