Advance voting is entering its final week in Walker County, where voters are turning out for key city elections and a countywide SPLOST referendum. The Walker County Elections Office says 865 ballots had been cast through Saturday evening at the three early voting sites — the Walker County Courthouse in LaFayette, the Chickamauga Civic Center, and the Rossville Municipal Civic Center. Polls are open this week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday. On the ballot are municipal races in Chickamauga, LaFayette, and Rossville, along with a 2026 SPLOST measure — a proposed one-cent sales tax to fund public projects across the county. Details on the SPLOST proposal can be found at walkercountyga.gov/2026splost.
A Chatsworth man will serve time behind bars after being found guilty of trafficking fentanyl and driving under the influence in Catoosa County. A jury convicted 25-year-old Kaleb Cooks on all counts earlier this month. Prosecutors say the case began in December 2023, when deputies found Cooks impaired in a parked vehicle with fentanyl and cocaine in his lap. Cooks was sentenced to 30 years, with five to serve in prison. District Attorney Clayton Fuller called fentanyl a “killer,” vowing his office will be the toughest in Georgia on traffickers.
Only one felony arrests in Walker County on Sunday. 31-year-old Patrick Keenan was booked on possession of drug related object and a controlled substance among other violations. Those include theft by receiving stolen property in another state. You can find the arrest report on our website, DiscoverWalker.com. It’s updated every day.
The LaFayette Lady Ramblers are back in action tomorrow — as the state softball tournament resumes in Columbus. LaFayette takes on North Hall in the Elite Eight, with first pitch set for one-fifteen tomorrow afternoon. If the Ramblers come away with a win, they’ll move on to play the winner of Pickens and Cherokee Bluff on Thursday. The tournament wraps up on Saturday, when a state champion will be crowned.