A "Reverse Parade" will be held on Thursday, May 28.

The Banks County Board of Commissioners is considering a budget increase of almost seven percent. The proposed 2021 budget is $18.4 million, up $1.2 million over the current budget of $17.2 million.

Ninth District Opportunity, Inc. has been awarded federal funds under The Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program Phase 37 and CARES.

The retirement of Stacey Morgan as school food nutrition director was one of the personnel items approved by the Banks County Board of education Thursday, May 14. Her retirement is effective July 1.

The Banks County Planning Commission will meet on requests that for a hotel and a subdivision to locate in the county.

Homer residents will go to the polls June 9 to decide on three issues related to the sale of alcohol.

The Rotary Club of Banks County is sponsoring a new annual awards program called “Rotary Salutes Banks County.”

The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is increasing its workforce to expand contact tracing for COVID-19 in Georgia.

Early voting for the General Primary/Presidential Preference Primary will begin on Monday, May 18, and go through June 5.

Banks County citizens are asked to drive along Thompson Street in Homer from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 21, for a “Reverse Parade.”

Superior Court Judge Nicholas Primm agreed, in a ruling on May 8, with the decision of the Banks County Board of Election in its February 2020 action to dismiss Dan Gasaway’s challenge of the residents at 1654 Wells Road being allowed to vote.

Because of the continuing health concerns of meeting in groups, the Banks County Democratic Committee will be conducting meetings online.

There are now 36 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Banks County, according to the report released Monday by the Georgia Department of Public Health. Of those cases, eight have been hospitalized. There have not been any deaths in the county related to the virus.

Early voting is under way for the June 9 election.

District 2 Public Health officials have announced updates to schedules, testing criteria and specimen collection sites related to COVID-19.

The Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) and construction partner C.W. Matthews Contracting Company, Inc. have begun construction on the Interstate 85/State Route 403 resurfacing project. Construction will consist of single lane closures and ramp lane closures.

The burn ban in Banks County will begin on June 1 and continue through Sept. 1. The state burn ban usually begins May 1, however, Banks County is one of seven counties in the state given a one-month extension on the burn ban this year.

There are now 31 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Banks County, according to the report released Sunday by the Georgia Department of Public Health. That is up over the 25 reported on Saturday.

More than 1,000 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed around Georgia from Thursday afternoon to Friday afternoon, with the total number in Banks County totaling 25.

The Baldwin City Council reviewed the timeline for the budget process when it met Monday, April 27. The meeting was shown on Facebook live, giving citizens the opportunity to watch it as it occurred or going back to watch it later.

The Banks County Board of Education awarded a $910,000 bid at its April 20 meeting to Charles Black Construction for a renovation project at the primary school.

Banks County government buildings are now open during regular operating hours but with the limitation of one visitor per office. This will be in effect through Friday, May 1.

Governor Brian Kemp defended his actions in a press conference on Monday on easing restrictions to open up businesses in the state by stating that it gave citizens a choice. He said business owners could decide if they want to open and citizens had a choice on whether they want to go to thes…

Sixteen confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Banks County as of noon on Tuesday, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.

On Friday, May 1, District 2 Public Health, which includes Banks County, will join the Georgia Mountain Food Bank to offer free food distribution to residents.

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Georgia reported each day is declining with 292 new cases reported on Monday. In the past, as many as 1,000 new cases had been reported each day.

The Banks County Board of Commissioners approved hazard pay for some emergency workers who are on duty during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is increasing the number of specimen collection sites statewide for COVID-19 testing, and is revising the current testing criteria to accommodate more testing of Georgia residents.

A variance request to locate four units on 6109 Chattahoochee in Lula was discussed by the Lula City Council at its April 20 meeting.

The Town of Homer held its April 14 meeting by teleconference with an update on how city operations are being conducted due to concerns with the coronavirus being a topic of discussion. A shelter-in-place order from the governor is in place through April 30.

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has postponed the Statewide General Primary/Presidential Preference Primary Election until June 9.

A tentative date for a high school graduation and prom have been set.

The Banks County Sheriff's Office reported nine recent arrests, including the following:

Banks County now has 15 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the report released from the Georgia Department of Public Health at noon, Tuesday, April 21.

Banks County now has 14 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the report released from the Georgia Department of Public Health at noon, Monday, April 20.

Banks County now has 13 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the report released from the Georgia Department of Public Health at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 16.