101.1 The Pulse

 The first #Whataburger location in Cherokee County opened Thursday with drive-thru only services, and the district manager for the restaurant said that the lines were long, but fast moving.

For Thursday’s opening, private security and Woodstock Police Department officers were present at the restaurant.

Officers at #Whataburger said that traffic along Highway 92 continued to move smoothly throughout the day. Cones were placed near the entrance of the restaurant to allow drivers easy access to both Whataburger and Truett's Chick-fil-A next door.
The restaurant opened at 11 a.m. Thursday and will remain open 24/7. The Whataburger drive-thru features double lanes and digital menu boards.

Dining room access, ordering via the #Whataburger App and Whataburger.com, curbside and delivery will be available within the next few weeks.

The #Woodstock location marks the second metro Atlanta opening, after Whataburger opened a restaurant in Kennesaw in November.

Nine additional restaurants are planned for the Atlanta area in 2023, according to Whataburger. Planned locations include Cumming, Buford, Athens, Dawsonville and Snellville.

The Cherokee County School District announced Wednesday the winners of the district's first #Minecraft Programming Challenge.

One winner was selected for the middle school and high school division. This team was twin eighth-grade brothers Aidan and Andrew Dyke of Teasley Middle School.

For elementary school, the first-place winner was fourth-grader Brando Bellini of #Bascomb Elementary School, with fourth-grader Everett Hutchins of Sixes Elementary School placing second and fourth-grader Henry Oh of #Avery Elementary School placing third.

Winning students were presented with certificates and prizes by #CCSD Instructional Technology Specialist Merry Hofmeister.

The challenge, organized by CCSD’s Office of Technology and Information Services, builds upon the school district’s nationally recognized use of "Minecraft: Education Edition," the school version of the popular video game, to further engage students in learning. For the past three school years, CCSD has sponsored different student challenges using #Minecraft, but this school year it offered the first competition focused on computer programming. Elementary and middle school students from across the district were challenged last semester to use code in Minecraft to program building a home.

The #Woodstock Summer Concert Series returns to the Northside Hospital-Cherokee Amphitheater May 13, the city announced.

Mayor Michael Caldwell first announced the lineup Friday during his State of the City Address.

The first headliner in the series performing May 13 is county singer-songwriter #CraigMorgan, with hits like “Redneck Yacht Club” and “International Harvester.”

June 10, Woodstock is inviting Grammy-winning Australian-American artist #RickSpringfield, known for "Jesse's Girl."

Next, July 8, the amphitheater will welcome #UptownFunk, a #BrunoMars tribute band.

Concertgoers will enjoy some of the biggest hits from #VanHalen August 12 from tribute band #CompletelyUnchained.

Woodstock will close out the concert series September 9 with #DrivinNCryin'. The Woodstock Summer Concerts are free, held at the Northside Hospital-Cherokee Amphitheater. For more information head over to Woodstock Concert Series dot com.

 The Original Hot Chicken is bringing Nashville-style hot chicken to Woodstock at its grand opening today featuring renowned competitive eater Joey Chestnut, prizes and entertainment. 

The Atlanta-based Experiential Brands restaurant is located on 180 Parkway 575 in Woodstock and is scheduled to open at 11 a.m. 

#JoeyChesnut who was ranked as the world's best competitive eater by #MajorLeagueEating, will be attempting to eat the restaurant's mac and cheese for five minutes straight. He will be available for a fan meet-and-greet and signings afterwards. 

The first 50 guests will receive bags of free sponsored goodies. A chicken dance contest will start at 12 p.m. and crown a winner to a $200 gift card. Free food samples of varying hot sauces will also be available throughout the afternoon.

The event will host a live DJ as well as a live art installation by #Roodoodles, a South Carolina artist named #MichaelHaun who specializes in watercolor art of roosters. 

The menu includes chicken tenders, wings, sandwiches and waffle meals. The corn-flake-battered chicken is served with six sauce level options ranging from "No Heat" to "Xtra Hot." Meals can also be served with their signature "Come Back" sauce, a side of coleslaw, fries or mac and cheese. 

Among their dessert options are an array of milkshakes, banana pudding and fried Twinkies. The restaurant also serves six beer options. 

The Cherokee girls picked up their seventh straight win Tuesday night as it beat Region 5 seven A foe Wheeler 77-49.

The Warriors’ best stretch of the season continued as they have beaten teams by an average of 33.9 points since Dec. 30.

Cherokee,  which remained undefeated in the region and leads Walton and North Cobb in the standings, will search for a regular-season region sweep of each over the next two games. Continuing her stellar junior season, Toni Warren led Cherokee with 24 points against Wheeler. Alex Whitecliffe finished with 16 points, followed by Riley Simmons’ 13 points and Elle Kenney’s nine.

Beyond Warren, multiple contributors have stepped up for Cherokee. Whitecliffe, Simmons, Lyla Griffith and many more have rapidly improved for a lineup riddled with young talent.

Cherokee’s schedule played a role in getting its young lineup ready for region play. It matched up with River Ridge, Lumpkin County and Lovejoy in the first three weeks of the season, and those three teams have a 51-12 combined record.

The Sequoyah Regional Library System held a groundbreaking ceremony January 25 for the Hickory Flat Public Library expansion and renovation.

The project includes renovating the existing 10,000 square foot building, which opened in 1993, and expanding it by an additional 7,800 square feet. Construction on the project will begin this month, with an expected completion date of about 12 months.

When it reopens, the library will have more space for books and technology; larger areas for programs, meetings, collaboration and creation, and additional seating for study and quiet reading. Hollandsworth Construction is handling the construction.

The total construction contract for the project is $6.7 million and is funded through Cherokee County’s Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax. Additional funding includes $2 million from a Capital Outlay Grant, administered by the Georgia Public Library Service.

The building is closed to the public for the entirety of the construction. Those who have a Hickory Flat Library card can use it at any Sequoyah Regional Library System locations.

#CherokeeCounty #Georgia #LocalNews          

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The Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast is local news for Woodstock, Canton, and all of Cherokee County. Register Here for your essential digital news.            

This podcast was produced and published for the Cherokee Tribune-Ledger and TribuneLedgerNews.com by BG Ad Group  

For more information be sure to visit https://www.bgpodcastnetwork.com/

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Cherokee County commissioners invited Bryce Leatherwood to Tuesday's board of commissioners meeting to honor the Hickory Flat native for winning season 22 of "The Voice."

#CherokeeCounty #Georgia #LocalNews          

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The Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast is local news for Woodstock, Canton, and all of Cherokee County. Register Here for your essential digital news.            

This podcast was produced and published for the Cherokee Tribune-Ledger and TribuneLedgerNews.com by BG Ad Group  

For more information be sure to visit https://www.bgpodcastnetwork.com/

 https://cuofga.org/ 

 https://www.drakerealty.com/ 

 https://www.esogrepair.com/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Whataburger restaurant is opening in Woodstock at 11 a.m. Thursday, offering drive-thru services to those looking to grab a burger.

The restaurant, located at 9766 Highway 92 next to Chick-fil-A and across from Del Taco, offers a variety of burger and sandwich options for customers to choose from.

#CherokeeCounty #Georgia #LocalNews          

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The Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast is local news for Woodstock, Canton, and all of Cherokee County. Register Here for your essential digital news.            

This podcast was produced and published for the Cherokee Tribune-Ledger and TribuneLedgerNews.com by BG Ad Group  

For more information be sure to visit https://www.bgpodcastnetwork.com/

 https://cuofga.org/ 

 https://www.drakerealty.com/ 

 https://www.esogrepair.com/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mill Creek Middle School Principal Matthew May is one of five finalists for the Georgia Association of Secondary School Principals’ Principal of the Year award, Cherokee County School District announced.

#CherokeeCounty #Georgia #LocalNews          

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The Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast is local news for Woodstock, Canton, and all of Cherokee County. Register Here for your essential digital news.            

This podcast was produced and published for the Cherokee Tribune-Ledger and TribuneLedgerNews.com by BG Ad Group  

For more information be sure to visit https://www.bgpodcastnetwork.com/

 https://cuofga.org/ 

 https://www.drakerealty.com/ 

 https://www.esogrepair.com/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thirty Cherokee County elementary and middle school students tested their spelling skills at the 2023 Cherokee County School District Spelling Bee on January 18 at Cherokee High School.

Joli Palmquist, an eighth-grade student at Mill Creek Middle School, took home the first-place title and trophy with her accurate spellings of “ascension” and “importunate.”

E.T. Booth Middle School’s Rohan Pandya earned second place, and Charli Wallace of Creekland Middle School placed third.

Palmquist, Pandya and Wallace will all move forward to compete in the regional Georgia Association of Educators spelling bee next month. Winners of the regional bee will advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in June at Washington, D.C.

The annual competition put students through 15 rounds across a 90-minute span. Among the extensive list of over 200 words were “indefatigable,” “quittance” and “zoolatry.”

The Canton City Council has called for a special election to fill the open seat formerly held by Councilman Will Carlan, who stepped down to become a full-time Cherokee County magistrate judge.

Council members unanimously voted Thursday to call for the special election, which will be held in conjunction with the city’s general election November 7. The winner of the special election is to take office immediately upon certification of the results.

Canton Mayor Bill Grant recommended at the Jan. 5 council meeting that the city council leave the seat vacant until the November election, citing the work the city is doing to change the council ward lines.

Council members also unanimously approved qualifying dates and fees for the general and special elections for mayor and city council positions. Terms for a Ward 1 council seat, Ward 2 council seat, Ward 3 council seat and the mayoral seat will expire on December 31, 2023. The special election will be for the vacant Ward 2 seat.

Qualifying dates are Aug. 21 to 23. The city’s qualifying fee is 3% of the elected position’s annual salary: $360 for council members and $540 for mayor. The council also unanimously approved an IGA with the county to conduct the city’s election.

*** Woodstock Fire and Rescue Chief Dave Soumas is retiring after three decades serving the city, Mayor Michael Caldwell announced Friday.

Soumas, who has been fire chief since 2009, is credited with leading the department through many achievements while serving a growing city. He is the longest-tenured chief in the city’s history.

He began his career at the Woodstock Fire Department in 1988 as a firefighter and EMT, according to the city. In 1994 he was promoted to sergeant and driver engineer, and in 1998 he became a captain and fire marshal. Four months later, he was promoted to assistant chief and fire marshal. Soumas has earned multiple National Board of Fire Service professional qualifications.

He earned an Arson Investigation Certificate from Georgia Public Safety Training Center where he received an award for academic excellence.

Soumas established special units in the Woodstock Fire Department including the Swiftwater Rescue Team, the Bike Team, and the Technical Rope Team. As fire chief, Soumas ensured every member of the department received state Basic Life Support certification and introduced two rescue trucks.

As assistant chief, Soumas oversaw the building of Fire Station 14 in 2001 and the purchase of Woodstock’s $1 million ladder truck.

Under his leadership, Woodstock Fire and Rescue has an Insurance Services Office rating of 1, the highest score awarded, which indicates the highest level of fire protection for residents and property owners. Woodstock Fire first earned this distinction in 2015, and is one of only 456 departments in the United States with this rating.

Two new members were sworn in Thursday to the Cherokee County Board of Education.

Erin Ragsdale from Towne Lake and Susan Padgett-Harrison from Canton were sworn in with family members after they were elected to join the school board in November.

Ragsdale is a speech language pathologist. She is married to Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce Board Chair Trey Ragsdale, and they have two students in CCSD. Padgett-Harrison is a retired longtime educator and leader in the school district. She has three grandchildren, two of whom teach for CCSD, and 12 grandchildren.

School board members John Harmon, from Hickory Flat, and Rick “Steiner” Rechsteiner from southwest Cherokee were also sworn in to serve new terms after they were reelected to their posts.

Cherokee County Probate Court Judge Keith Wood administered the school board members’ oaths of office.

The school board also elected Steiner to serve as its vice chair for the year. The school board chair, Kyla Cromer, is elected by residents countywide, while the other school board seats are elected by district.

A mobile home near Woodstock in Cherokee County was destroyed in a fire Friday morning, Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services announced.

Cherokee County and Woodstock firefighters responded to a residential structure fire, with Cherokee Sheriff’s Office deputies Friday morning, in the area of Mill Creek Road and Arnold Mill Road near River Ridge High School.

Firefighters arrived on scene to find a mobile home fully involved, Cherokee Fire reported. No occupants were home at the time of the fire, though the home was destroyed, according to Cherokee Fire spokesman Lt. Michael Sims.

Crews continued to work on scene and drivers experienced traffic delays in the area for about an hour.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Sims said.

#CherokeeCounty #Georgia #LocalNews          

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The Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast is local news for Woodstock, Canton, and all of Cherokee County. Register Here for your essential digital news.            

This podcast was produced and published for the Cherokee Tribune-Ledger and TribuneLedgerNews.com by BG Ad Group  

For more information be sure to visit https://www.bgpodcastnetwork.com/

 https://cuofga.org/ 

 https://www.drakerealty.com/ 

 https://www.esogrepair.com/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Woodstock Fire and Rescue Chief Dave Soumas is retiring after three decades serving the city, Mayor Michael Caldwell announced Friday.

Soumas, who has been fire chief since 2009, is credited with leading the department through many achievements while serving a growing city. He is the longest-tenured chief in the city’s history.

He began his career at the Woodstock Fire Department in 1988 as a firefighter and EMT, according to the city. In 1994 he was promoted to sergeant and driver engineer, and in 1998 he became a captain and fire marshal. Four months later, he was promoted to assistant chief and fire marshal.

#CherokeeCounty #Georgia #LocalNews          

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The Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast is local news for Woodstock, Canton, and all of Cherokee County. Register Here for your essential digital news.            

This podcast was produced and published for the Cherokee Tribune-Ledger and TribuneLedgerNews.com by BG Ad Group  

For more information be sure to visit https://www.bgpodcastnetwork.com/

 https://cuofga.org/ 

 https://www.drakerealty.com/ 

 https://www.esogrepair.com/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Cherokee County man has been indicted after prosecutors say he abused his disabled grandmother and did not allow her to leave their home.

Nathan Bellino of Canton is charged with four counts of exploitation and intimidation of a disabled adult, one count of aggravated assault — family violence, one count of battery — family violence and one count of false imprisonment, according to the indictment filed January 10.

The indictment charges Bellino with strangling his grandmother, hitting and pinching her, and depriving her of medical services, and blocking the exit and refusing to allow her to leave the home they shared in east Cherokee County near Canton. Prosecutors in the indictment say he caused "mental anguish" with his acts of violence, threats of violence and by limiting her contact with other people. The alleged incidents took place in October, according to the indictment. In an arrest warrant filed October 24 by the Cherokee Sheriff's Office, officers say Bellino took his grandmother's cell phone and prevented her from leaving the home for about four days.

A Towne Lake collectibles store had “well over 1,000” cards stolen from its collection last week, the store’s owner said, but the incident isn’t slowing them down.

BT Collectibles was broken into during the early morning of January 8. Co-owner Robert Mulligan said there was glass on the floor when he arrived that day.

As of Monday, no one had been arrested in connection to this case, said Patty Pan, community affairs liaison for the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office.

Mulligan said that, after the perpetrator or perpetrators broke into the store, they went to the sealed display cases, smashing them and taking the cards.

 Mulligan said there was another robbery in Roswell two days later involving another card shop.

Robert Mulligan, alongside his wife, Beatrice Mulligan, opened BT Collectibles about a year-and-a half ago.

The store has become popular in the Towne Lake community, and Mulligan said the support from both this community and Cherokee County as a whole has been “overwhelming.” The store fully opened again the following Tuesday, with support pouring in from customers and from social media users. For updates on the store, please visit the BT Collectibles Facebook page. BT Collectibles has a number of sports trading cards, Pokémon cards, memorabilia, comic books, collectibles, figurines, Funko POP figurines and more. In addition to buying cards from the store, customers can also bring in cards to sell.

A longtime MUST Ministries employee and volunteer for many community organizations has been named the First Citizen of Cherokee County by the local Chamber of Commerce.

As MUST’s community liaison for Cherokee County, Kendall Jones is credited with helping hundreds of people with food, shelter and other needs.

Jones was surprised with the honor by the Cherokee Chamber Thursday at its annual meeting, and was soon surrounded by family members on stage as he walked up to accept the award.

Jones also sang a hymn to the audience, “Make Me a Servant,” which he said he sings to himself most days when he drives to work.

Before Jones joined MUST’s staff, he was a volunteer at their food pantry. In 2010, he became MUST’s volunteer coordinator and intake manager.

He was promoted to program director at MUST Cherokee, Cherokee Chamber Pam Carnes said, and in 2019 the nonprofit created his role specifically for him.

Jones chairs the Canton Housing Authority, which owns and operates public housing in the city with federal funding, and serves as a board member of Cherokee FOCUS, a collaborative that supports children and families in the community. He also volunteers for the The Homeless Coalition of Cherokee County and for the chamber.

In addition to serving Cherokee County through various local organizations, Jones has extended his service abroad as the missions chair at Canton First United Methodist Church.

A crew of Cherokee County firefighters is raising money for one of their own after he lost his home to a fire Monday.

Firefighter Joel Saunders and his wife, Carolyn, are staying with a friend after their home burned to the ground, according to a GoFundMe page set up by Saunders' crew members.

The couple was not home at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported.

They lost everything except for their vehicles, according to the page and Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services.

According to Cherokee Fire spokesperson Lieutenant Michael Sims, the couple had lived in Blue Ridge. A link to the Go Fund Me can be found at Tribune Ledger dot com.

House of Hope, a Cherokee County-based food bank, is celebrating 10 years in operation supporting their community.

The nonprofit organization, with a home base located east of Canton on Cumming Highway, provides aid for between 105 to 130 families coming from as far as Dahlonega and Jasper every week. Its programs include food box pickups, a clothing closet and supplying families with smoke detectors and car seats.

Director Wendy Graham shared that when beginning the expansions of the original pantry, she was told that most organizations fizzle out by three years. Ten years later, Graham and operations manager Christy Hofrichter are aiming their sights even higher. The nonprofit took its first steps on December 22, 2012 as a means of providing one hot meal to families connected with Free Home Elementary. Graham went one step further to provide Christmas Eve meals that month.

The pantry’s generosity grew to meet the needs of their community. Soon they were offering a soup kitchen in January, toiletry bags and care packages of nonperishable food items. When summer came, the organization opened its doors every Wednesday to continue to provide foodstuffs.

Plans for the pantry’s future include a separate room for the clothing closet and a larger truck for necessary item transportation. Graham said she also wants to help support other budding food banks in the area.

Those interested in volunteering are encouraged to visit the food pantry at 11954 Cumming Highway on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Otherwise, the organization accepts monetary, food and clothing donations year-round. For more information, go to House of Hope dot Org.

#CherokeeCounty #Georgia #LocalNews          

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The Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast is local news for Woodstock, Canton, and all of Cherokee County. Register Here for your essential digital news.            

This podcast was produced and published for the Cherokee Tribune-Ledger and TribuneLedgerNews.com by BG Ad Group  

For more information be sure to visit https://www.bgpodcastnetwork.com/

 https://cuofga.org/ 

 https://www.drakerealty.com/ 

 https://www.esogrepair.com/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Acworth man died after he was struck by a vehicle on Highway 92 near Woodstock Wednesday, the Cherokee Sheriff's Office reported.

According to the sheriff’s office, deputies responded to a pedestrian struck by a vehicle at about 9 p.m. Wednesday on Highway 92 near Wade Green Road.

The pedestrian appeared to have been attempting to cross Highway 92, authorities said. He was not in a crosswalk when he was struck.

#CherokeeCounty #Georgia #LocalNews          

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The Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast is local news for Woodstock, Canton, and all of Cherokee County. Register Here for your essential digital news.            

This podcast was produced and published for the Cherokee Tribune-Ledger and TribuneLedgerNews.com by BG Ad Group  

For more information be sure to visit https://www.bgpodcastnetwork.com/

 https://cuofga.org/ 

 https://www.drakerealty.com/ 

 https://www.esogrepair.com/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A crew of Cherokee County firefighters is raising money for one of their own after he lost his home to a fire Monday.

Firefighter Joel Saunders and his wife, Carolyn, are staying with a friend after their home burned to the ground, according to a GoFundMe page set up by Saunders' crew members.

The couple was not home at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported.

They lost everything except for their vehicles, according to the page and Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services.

#CherokeeCounty #Georgia #LocalNews          

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The Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast is local news for Woodstock, Canton, and all of Cherokee County. Register Here for your essential digital news.            

This podcast was produced and published for the Cherokee Tribune-Ledger and TribuneLedgerNews.com by BG Ad Group  

For more information be sure to visit https://www.bgpodcastnetwork.com/

 https://cuofga.org/ 

 https://www.drakerealty.com/ 

 https://www.esogrepair.com/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Cherokee County grand jury has formally charged a California man with multiple felonies after prosecutors say he shot an armored truck guard in Holly Springs in 2021.

#CherokeeCounty #Georgia #LocalNews          

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The Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast is local news for Woodstock, Canton, and all of Cherokee County. Register Here for your essential digital news.            

This podcast was produced and published for the Cherokee Tribune-Ledger and TribuneLedgerNews.com by BG Ad Group  

For more information be sure to visit https://www.bgpodcastnetwork.com/

 https://cuofga.org/ 

 https://www.drakerealty.com/ 

 https://www.esogrepair.com/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.