101.1 The Pulse

Law enforcement with the Cherokee Sheriff's Office shopped for Christmas presents with children over a three-day period last week for the Cherokee Sheriff's Foundation's annual "Shop with a Cop" event.

About 240 kids took part in this year's events, according to the sheriff's office, purchasing gifts for the holiday season.

In addition to "Shop with a Cop," the sheriff's office also delivered close to 100 bags filled with comforts items to the elderly in Cherokee County. The bags had everything from blankets and socks to crackers to help this holiday season.

Both of these events are part of the sheriff's office "Christmas Joy" program.

"We couldn’t do it without our community support. Thanks to all who made donations to help support this program as well at those who purchased Calendars to support 'Christmas Joy,'" the sheriff's office said in a post on its Facebook page Friday.

All funds are donated and come from the Cherokee Sheriff's Foundation.

Just two years into his stint as Woodstock’s head football coach, Troy Hoff announced on Dec. 19 he would be resigning from the position.

Hoff went 0-20 over two seasons with the Wolverines, with an 0-10 record in 2022. It was Woodstock’s fifth straight year under the .500 mark. He was the Wolverines’ sixth head coach since 1997. Before joining Woodstock in 2021, Hoff spent six seasons at Eastside High School in Newton County, Georgia. He amassed a 51-17 record with the Eagles and holds a 51-37 career record over eight seasons, starting in 2015.

Woodstock had some notable college prospects on its roster this season, between offensive lineman Tyler Douthit and receiver/defensive back Adonis Garcia. Douthit had over 20 offers, including Power-5 programs, and announced his commitment to Samford on Dec. 5. Garcia committed to Wofford as a three-star defensive back.

The Cherokee County School District recently celebrated its first students selected as REACH Georgia Scholars.

REACH Georgia is the state’s first needs-based mentorship and college scholarship program for middle and high school students. An eighth-grader from each CCSD middle school has been selected as one of CCSD’s first REACH Georgia scholars.

They are: Braxton Cox of Creekland Middle School, Violeta De la luz Mendoza of Dean Rusk Middle School, Caleb Massey of E.T. Booth Middle School, Patricia R. Garcia of Freedom Middle School, Matthew Green of Mill Creek Middle School, Ingrid Osorio-Carreno of Teasley Middle School and Ashley Gaspar-Morales of Woodstock Middle School.

First launched from Georgia Tech in 2012, the REACH program is designed to encourage students to persist in their educational goals and interests. As part of Georgia's Complete College initiative, REACH seeks to identify rising eighth-grade students who display academic promise and provide them with the academic, social and financial support they will need to graduate from high school, attend and complete college.

Three Cherokee County School District students have been selected for a scholarship to a flight academy where students can earn a private pilot's license.

Cherokee High School Air Force JROTC Cadet Andrew Solano and Etowah High School Air Force JROTC Cadet Luke Foresman have won the competitive Air Force Chief of Staff 2023 Flight Academy Scholarship valued at $25,000. Cadet Sydney Watson of Cherokee High has been selected as an alternate.

The Flight Academy is an eight-week summer program designed for Air Force JROTC cadets to earn private pilot certification. The program’s overall goal is to improve the recruitment, retention and diversity of the Air Force and aviation industry. The Cherokee High School AFJROTC program is led by instructors Senior Master Sgt. Jeff Bise and Tech. Sgt. Jody Van Ostrand. The Etowah AFJROTC program is led by instructors Lt. Col. Stephen Bergey and Tech. Sgt. Ciarra Malto.

For more information about Flight Academy, visit https://www.airuniversity.af.edu

#CherokeeCounty #Georgia #LocalNews          

-         

-         

-         

-         

-         

-         

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 former deputy of the Cherokee Sheriff's Office accused of sexually assaulting an inmate has been indicted by a grand jury, with counts alleging an assault of a second inmate.

Richard Gilleland, a former officer at the Cherokee County jail, is charged with four counts each of of sexual assault against an inmate at a correctional facility and violation of oath by a public officer, according to the indictment filed Dec. 12.

The indictment charges Gilleland with two sexual assaults of two different inmates in May 2019.

In June 2019, the sheriff’s office arrested Gilleland and charged him with two counts of sexual assault against a person in custody and related charges to alleged assault of one of the inmates. The sheriff’s office reported at the time that two inmates had made complaints about Gilleland, but in one of the cases his conduct did not rise to the level of a crime, though he had violated department policy.

#CherokeeCounty #Georgia #LocalNews          

-         

-         

-         

-         

-         

-         

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.

Four Cherokee County firefighters recently graduated from basic law enforcement training at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center campus in Pickens County.

The graduation took place Friday at Jasper United Methodist Church after three months of training. Three of these firefighters serve as SWAT medics in conjunction with the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team and one of these firefighters is a Cherokee County fire investigator.

The firefighters completing this training included Battalion Chief Scott Gwinn, Lt. Joe El-Bisi, Sgt. Brandon Barton, and FAO Megan Hamilton.

#CherokeeCounty #Georgia #LocalNews          

-         

-         

-         

-         

-         

-         

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.

Hundreds of volunteers placed Christmas wreaths on grave markers at the Georgia National Cemetery Saturday as part of the national Wreaths Across America event. 

A ceremony was held Saturday morning at the cemetery with military families, volunteers, veterans groups, high school JROTC students and scouting groups to honor the deceased service members buried there and to remember their sacrifices. 

The Georgia National Cemetery Advisory Council accepts donations year-round for Wreaths Across America. Donations can be given by check to GNC Advisory Council, P.O. Box 5476, Canton, GA 30114, or online at ganationalcemetery.org.

#CherokeeCounty #Georgia #LocalNews          

-         

-         

-         

-         

-         

-         

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 woman charged in connection with the death of a toddler in Canton is now charged with second-degree murder in the case, police announced Friday.

Phillissa Diallo, from Canton, was arrested Wednesday and charged with second degree cruelty to children and concealing a death, Canton Police Department reported. Friday, detectives secured an additional felony warrant and have charged Diallo with second-degree murder.

According to the Canton Police Department, police received a walk-in report of a deceased toddler found inside a residence and responded at about 4:10 p.m. Wednesday to a home on Hearthstone Landing Drive, where they found the body of a female toddler. GBI Crime Lab will examine the body to determine the cause of death and identification confirmation.

The toddler’s death remains under investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Canton Police Department.

A north Georgia DJ was killed in a crash on Interstate 575 near Canton Thursday.

According to the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded at about 3 p.m. Thursday on Interstate 575 south near the Old Vandiver Road overpass.

Preliminary indications are that Daniel Blankowski, of Talking Rock, driving a Kia Sedona south on the interstate, struck the rear of a Toyota FJ that had stopped for traffic due to a different accident in the city of Canton, the sheriff’s office reported.

Blankowski was transported to Northside Hospital Cherokee, where he died from his injuries, authorities said. The driver of the FJ was transported to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Blankowski was known as DJ Dano to friends and others in the community, his daughter, Jazeri McHenry, said. McHenry said the local coroner told the family Blankowski had a heart attack while driving.

The crash remains under investigation by the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office Traffic Enforcement Unit.

Cherokee County District Attorney Shannon Wallace has been appointed by Governor Brian Kemp to serve as the county's newest Superior Court judge, the governor's office announced. Wallace will be the fourth judge on the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit Superior Court, a position created earlier this year by state law. Cherokee is the only county in the Blue Ridge circuit.

Wallace is Cherokee County’s first female district attorney.

Before being elected, she was the chief assistant district attorney for the former District Attorney Garry Moss.

Before coming to the district attorney’s office, Wallace was a prosecutor in the Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit in middle Georgia. She handled all manner of major felony offenses there, according to the governor's office, but quickly developed a passion for handling crimes against women and children.

Wallace sits on the board of Cherokee FOCUS, a Cherokee County collaborative that focuses on creating strong family units. District Attorney Wallace also sits on the board of Cherokee Triad - S.A.L.T. and is an active member of the Canton Rotary and Cherokee Chamber of Commerce. The district attorney graduated cum laude from the University of Georgia in 1999 with a bachelor's in psychology and criminal Justice. She then received her juris doctor from the University of Georgia School of Law, graduating cum laude in 2002.

The Reinhardt women’s basketball team picked up its sixth consecutive win before heading into the winter break.

Led by Maria Sanchez Ponce’s double-double of 24 points and 12 rebounds, the Eagles posted a 75-67 win over Bluefield on Tuesday to improve to 13-3 this season.

It was a big offensive game for Reinhardt, which had three players in double figures, led by Julia Craft’s 22 points and Summer Cramer’s 13. Cramer also had a team-best seven assists.

The Eagles also remained undefeated in the Appalachian Athletic Conference at 12-0, already nearing last year’s conference win total of 15. Twelve conference games still reside on the schedule before the AAC tournament begins Feb. 20.

Sanchez Ponce, a freshman from Spain, is third on Reinhardt’s scoring chart at 10.1 points per game and second in rebounding with 7.1 per game. She has the highest field goal percentage on the team, converting on 51.9% of her shots.

Ashley Woodroffe leads the Eagles in scoring at 14.8 points per game, followed by Craft’s 12.9. Tarrah Gibson is grabbing 7.5 rebounds per game to lead the team, with 3.1 assists also counting as a team-best.

Reinhardt is the only team in the AAC with an undefeated conference record, while its overall record is also the best. Bryan, Milligan, and Point trail the Eagles in the standings.

Cherokee High School had six all-region selections in 5AAAAAAA, along with nine honorable mentions following the conclusion of the 2022 season.

Senior linebacker Kyan Simmons and junior defensive lineman Javon Hobson earned first-team honors. Simmons finished the year with 103 tackles, 11 sacks and 10 tackles for loss, while Hobson tallied 58 tackles, seven sacks and seven tackles for loss.

Simmons had a big impact in Cherokee’s 30-14 win at Kennesaw Mountain toward the end of the season. It was the deciding game on if the Warriors would qualify for the Class AAAAAAA state playoffs, and Simmons totaled 13 tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound linebacker received his first Division I offer from Marist on Monday.

Cherokee’s other two first-team members were senior kicker Rodion Averianov and junior punter Reed Chandley.

Averianov connected on four of six field goals this season with a long of 51 yards and did not miss an extra point all year, despite being a late addition to the team.

Chandley averaged 40 yards per punt, which Shaw said consistently gave the Warriors an advantage in flipping field position. Another special teams player, long snapper Spencer Radnoti, also deserved recognition, according to Shaw.

On the all-region second team, the Warriors saw junior receiver Pops Jameson and junior defensive lineman JD Burn earn recognition. Jameson finished the season as Cherokee’s leading receiver with 400 yards and four touchdowns on 32 receptions, while Burn finished with 42 tackles, six tackles for loss and one sack. Sophomore quarterback Tanner Savasir led the Warriors’ nine honorable mentions, along with Jayce Jones, one of Savasir’s favorite targets in the passing game.

The Cherokee County fire department’s first chief has died.

Joe Carmichael died December 10 at his home in Corryton, Tennessee, at the age of 79. Carmichael was born in Birmingham and moved to Cherokee County in 1972, spending a large portion of his adult life in Cherokee before he eventually moved to Tennessee.

The former fire chief began his fire service career at the City of Atlanta Fire Department. In Cherokee County, he started out as a firefighter in the Oak Grove Volunteer Fire Department. Carmichael became Cherokee County’s first fire chief in 1973 when he noticed there was no fire protection. All firefighter positions were volunteer. The fire chief position was on a volunteer basis until 1976, when Carmichael became the official fire chief of unincorporated Cherokee County and started receiving pay for his services. Carmichael also founded the Oak Grove Civic Association. The county’s fire department has grown from fewer than 10 members when it first went paid to almost 500 members today. Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services plans to have a small memorial service in the spring, according to a Facebook post by the department.

#CherokeeCounty #Georgia #LocalNews          

-         

-         

-         

-         

-         

-         

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.

Cherokee County District Attorney Shannon Wallace has been appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp to serve as the county's newest Superior Court judge, the governor's office announced.

"I am deeply honored to be appointed by Governor Kemp to the Superior Court bench. I am excited to begin this new journey and look forward to continuing to work hard and serve my community," Wallace said in an email.

Wallace will be the fourth judge on the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit Superior Court, a position created earlier this year by state law. Cherokee is the only county in the Blue Ridge circuit.

#CherokeeCounty #Georgia #LocalNews          

-         

-         

-         

-         

-         

-         

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.

Cherokee County’s Bryce Leatherwood won season 22 of “The Voice” Tuesday night, and the country singer dedicated his win to his family, friends and supporters. 

The Hickory Flat native and Sequoyah High School graduate won season 22 of "The Voice" Tuesday, capping off a journey that started in September with blind auditions. As the winner of season 22, Leatherwood received $100,000 and a record deal with Universal.

Leatherwood's family was in attendance Tuesday night to cheer him on.Leatherwood also thanked his supporters from Cherokee County and Georgia.

When thinking about the future, Leatherwood said he wants to "get on top of the ball and try to get some music out as soon as possible."

The Cherokee County Homeless Veterans Program is hosting a candlelight vigil at 5:30 p.m. December 21 at Cherokee Veterans Park, in Canton, to remember veterans who are homeless.

The vigil will be held at the nation’s only homeless veterans statue. The marble statue depicts two life size veterans, one male and one female, standing on a pentagon base displaying the five branches of the military.

Inscribed on the base is the phrase, “No Veteran who fights for this country, should have to fight for a job, a roof over their head, or the care they need when they come home." The event is scheduled to take place at sundown, which is currently targeted at 5:33 p.m. The free to attend event is open to the public.

Every night, about 49,000 veterans find themselves on the street homeless, said Jim Lindenmayer, director of the Cherokee County Homeless Veteran Program. In 2018, there were about 8,400 U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. This means that there are roughly six homeless veterans for every soldier who served in Afghanistan. Homeless veterans are found all over the U.S. In Cherokee County, the intake and processing of homeless veterans is up 32% from last year and what is causing more concern is that Cherokee Homeless Veteran Program is seeing more female Veterans, some with small children, as well as senior veterans who are homeless.

A Canton woman is behind bars on charges related to the death of a toddler, police announced Thursday.

Phillissa Diallo, 40, is charged with concealing a death and second degree cruelty to children.

According to the Canton Police Department, police received a walk-in report of a deceased toddler found inside a residence. Officers responded at about 4:10 p.m. to a home on Hearthstone Landing Drive, where they found the body of a female toddler.

The body will be turned over to the GBI Crime Lab to determine the cause of death and identification confirmation. Diallo was arrested by Canton police and booked into the Cherokee County jail Wednesday afternoon, a jail report shows. As of Thursday afternoon she remained in custody without bond. The toddler’s death remains under investigation.

A Sequoyah High School teacher has earned a top award for instructional excellence from the Cherokee County school superintendent.

Superintendent Brian Hightower presented the 2022 Game Changer Award for Instructional Excellence Dec. 13 to Sequoyah High School Career Pathways teacher Brandon Grummer. He made the surprise presentation to Grummer, who leads the school’s engineering drafting and design and architectural drafting and design programs, in front of his peers during a faculty meeting.

Four Game Changer awards are presented by Hightower each year. These are Instructional Excellence to a classroom teacher, Instructional Support to an employee who serves in a support staff role, Instructional Leadership to a school or district leader and Instructional Advocacy to a non-CCSD employee. Grummer, whose first career was in architecture, is credited with building a successful architecture and drafting career pathway program at Etowah High School. He earned Etowah’s 2018 Teacher of the Year and Golden Apple honors and later joined the staff at Sequoyah High School, where he again created a successful program for future architects and engineers.

 Cherokee softball coach Tonya Carlisle was inducted into the Georgia Dugout Club Hall of Fame over the weekend, finishing off her 19th season with the Warriors on a high note.

Carlisle, the current GADC Softball Vice President, was the 26th person to receive this honor. Carlisle led Cherokee to 21-8 overall in 2022, with an 11-4 record in Region 5 7A. The Warriors earned another trip to the state tournament and finished in the Final Four. It is not the first time Carlisle has seen this type of recognition. For her time on the playing field, she was inducted into the Kennesaw State Softball Hall of Fame in 2008.

She played with the Owls from 1992-95 and was a three-time NAIA All-American selection before, along with an NCAA Division II All-American award. Carlile’s prowess on the diamond translated to the coach’s box, with her imprint all over the Cherokee softball team’s success. Carlisle led the Warriors to their first winning season in 2004 and their first state playoff appearance in 2006. She helped the program become a mainstay in the postseason during the ensuing years and through this season. Carlisle continues to put winning teams on the field at Cherokee, and with her Hall of Fame induction, the standard is set.

A new brewery in downtown Woodstock officially opened its doors to the public Friday afternoon.

Jekyll Brewing in Woodstock, is hosted a grand opening yesterday afternoon. 

The brewery, which has two other locations in Alpharetta, offers a variety of year-round, seasonal and limited release beers. Those visiting the restaurant can also enjoy a cocktail or cup of coffee. In addition to its beers and other beverages, Jekyll serves snacks such as pork rinds and crawfish hushpuppies, oysters and shellfish, salads, soups, burgers, wraps and various other entrees and sides inspired by Jekyll Island.

After the grand opening, hours of operation will be from 11 to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. all other days.

For more information, visit www.jekyllbrewing.com.

#CherokeeCounty #Georgia #LocalNews          

-         

-         

-         

-         

-         

-         

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 new brewery in downtown Woodstock is officially opening its doors to the public Friday afternoon.

Jekyll Brewing, 8634 Main St. in Woodstock, is hosting a grand opening at 5 p.m. Friday. 

The brewery, which has two other locations in Alpharetta, offers a variety of year-round, seasonal and limited release beers. Those visiting the restaurant can also enjoy a cocktail or cup of coffee.

#CherokeeCounty #Georgia #LocalNews          

-         

-         

-         

-         

-         

-         

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.

Cherokee County's Bryce Leatherwood has won season 22 of "The Voice."

The singer from Hickory Flat received $100,000 and a record deal with Universal for winning the competition.

Leatherwood's journey on "The Voice" started Sept. 20 with blind auditions, where he made it through that round and joined Blake Shelton's team. Leatherwood continued to impress both the coaches and audience each round with his performances of country music hits, eventually making his way to the top five and the live finale this week.

#CherokeeCounty #Georgia #LocalNews          

-         

-         

-         

-         

-         

-         

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 police and firefighters took 129 children shopping for Christmas presents Saturday at the Woodstock Public Safety Foundation's annual Shop with a Hero event.

For the three-hour event at the Walmart on Highway 92 in Woodstock, the foundation funded about $23,000 in Christmas presents.

Shop with a Hero program is an annual event where Woodstock police officers and firefighters volunteer to accompany children on a shopping trip for Christmas presents. Each December, Wal-Mart, 12182 Highway 92 in Woodstock, hosts this program, primarily funded by generous donations to the Woodstock Public Safety Foundation.

#CherokeeCounty #Georgia #LocalNews          

-         

-         

-         

-         

-         

-         

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.