Yesterday’s election saw Walker County voters overwhelmingly approved a one-cent sales tax—by roughly 70 percent—to fund capital projects across the county over the next six years. The tax is expected to raise about $69 million and will take effect in October 2026. State-wide, Democrats scored a major win as Alicia Johnson and Peter Hubbard were elected to the Georgia Public Service Commission—marking the first time since 2006 that Democrats have won a non-federal statewide office in Georgia. In Lafayette, incumbent Tom Langford was re-elected to Ward 1 of the City Council with 77 percent of the vote, defeating Glenn Gunnells. And on the Chickamauga City School Board, incumbents Daniel “Corky” Jewel, Janet Landers and Cindy Solomon Roberts all secured re-election. Also in Chickamauga, incumbent Brad Siegfried won his school board seat, while incumbents Evitte Parrish, David Jones and Rhonda Jacks were re-elected to the city council.
Only 13 and a half percent of voters in Walker County went to the polls. There are nearly 44-thousand registered voters in Walker County, less than six-thousand voted in yesterday’s election. You can view the complete election results for Walker County on our website at DiscoverWalker.com.
Ridgeland High School announced the resignation of Head Football Coach Craig Pritchett yesterday. Pritchett has led the Panthers program for the past four years. School officials thanked him for his dedication, time, and commitment to Ridgeland’s student-athletes and the community during his tenure. No word yet on who will take over as the next head football coach.
Chrysler is recalling more than 320,000 Jeep plug-in hybrid vehicles due to a faulty battery that could fail and cause a fire. The recall affects Jeep Wranglers from model years 2020 through 2025 and Jeep Grand Cherokees from 2022 through 2026. Chrysler says it’s aware of 19 incidents and one injury potentially linked to the issue. Owners are urged to park their vehicles outside and away from buildings and avoid charging them until a fix is available. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says interim notices will go out by December second.
Next Tuesday is Veterans Day. Walker County Government offices will be closed. The landfill will be open. The City of LaFayette will be closed. Tuesday’s garbage service will be picked up on Monday of next week along with Monday’s regular pick up. So just a reminder if Tuesday is your garbage day in LaFayette, you’ll need to put it out the day before, for a Monday pick up.