Co-op members connect at NGEMC’s 82nd annual meeting

DALTON, Ga. — More than 1,000 members and guests gathered recently at the Dalton Convention Center to take part in North Georgia Electric Membership Corp.’s annual meeting. During the business portion of the meeting, members re-elected George Gallagher as director representing Floyd County and Larry Keown as the director to represent Gordon County. The cooperative’s fiscal year report included the purchase of more than 2.5 billion kilowatt-hours from the Tennessee Valley Authority; investment of more than $15 million in equipment and facilities for increased reliability; service to more than 100,000 meters; engineering of 4,265 system improvements and new services; installation of 4,483 poles; and maintenance and operation of 35 substations and 5,437 miles of line. In her address, Kathryn West, NGEMC president and CEO, recognized NGEMC retirees and employees for their service to the cooperative’s mission of “Power with Purpose.” NGEMC is a consumer-owned, not-for-profit cooperative providing electricity to members in Catoosa, Chattooga, Floyd, Gordon, Murray, Walker and Whitfield counties.

PSC probing Homerville explosion

HOMERVILLE, Ga. — The state Public Service Commission is investigating an explosion that heavily damaged a coffee shop and injured three women Aug. 17. A construction crew burying fiber optic lines hit a gas line, according to a statement from the Georgia Office of Insurance and Fire Safety. Atlanta Gas Light responded and capped the leak. Then, at 12:15 p.m. that date, the Coffee Corner, 112 E. Dame Ave., exploded, the statement said. Two employees and a customer were taken to the Shands hospital burn unit in Gainesville, Fla.. Fire investigators and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms determined gas had leaked into a sewer line that had also been breached by the construction crew. The gas seeped through the sewer line into the Coffee Corner, the statement said. PSC pipeline safety staff is investigating, said the commission’s Bill Edge. They will focus on whether the gas line was properly located and if the excavation was carried out “with reasonable care,” he said. After investigating, the pipeline staff will put together a recommendation on whether fines are warranted; that report will be forwarded to the full commission, which has the final say in the matter, Edge said. “It could take a month or two,” he said.

CCHS increases participation, results in Advanced Placement program

MOULTRIE, Ga. — Colquitt County High School’s Advanced Placement (AP) program reached a new high-water mark this past year when the College Board named 30 local students as AP Scholars, the most in the school’s history, and five students were recognized for excellence in the AP Capstone program. Last year’s class valedictorian Elizabeth Funderburk was named an AP Scholar with Distinction for earning an average score of 3.88 across all AP exams taken and receiving scores of 3 or higher on seven AP exams over the course of her high school career. Eight students were named AP Scholars with Honor for earning an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. Twenty-one students qualified as AP Scholars for completing three or more AP exams with scores of 3 or higher: Two AP Scholars, Ramya Aikens and Patricia Mitchell, received additional recognition for earning the school’s first AP Capstone Diplomas by scoring 3 or higher on their AP Seminar and Research exams and four additional AP exams. Three others, Sam Kundi, Brooke Taylor, and Vicky Zhang, received the AP Capstone certificate for scoring 3 or higher in both AP Seminar and Research. AP Capstone is a diploma program based on two-year long AP courses: AP Seminar and AP Research. Rather than teaching subject-specific content, these courses develop students’ skills in research, analysis, evidence-based arguments, collaboration, writing, and presenting. Colquitt County High School and Camden County High School are the only two schools south of Macon offering the program.

Library to host first North Florida Heritage Festival

LIVE OAK, Fla. — The Suwannee River Regional Library was recently awarded grant funds from multiple agencies to host the first North Florida Heritage Festival: Storytelling, the Arts and History.

The festival events begin with programs at the Live Oak Public Library. Programs starting Sept. 19 will include the Live Oak Artists Guild Art Show, a Quilt Show, a Teen Art Show and special presentations and workshops.

Those programs will lead to the first North Florida Heritage Festival: Storytelling, the Arts and History, which will be held at Heritage Park and Gardens on Sept. 28-29.

The festival is seeking authors, artists and homemade craft vendors to take part. A 10-foot by 10-foot space at the festival is $20. Please contact the Live Oak Public Library Youth Services Department for more information and a vendor application form.