Ten students were injured Tuesday morning after a Walker County school bus crashed into a tree in LaFayette. The Georgia State Patrol says the bus was traveling south on Cook Road around 7:15 a.m. when it veered off the road, continued onto the shoulder, and struck a tree head-on. The driver, 48-year-old Amanda Broyles, has been cited for failure to maintain lane. Authorities say 37 students were on board at the time. Five of the injured students were taken to Children’s Hospital at Erlanger in Chattanooga. None of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening. The bus was so badly damaged, troopers say, that the front entrance and exit door couldn’t even be opened. Walker County Schools Superintendent Damon Raines says the bus was carrying students from Naomi Elementary, LaFayette Middle, and LaFayette High School. The cause of the crash is still under investigation by the Georgia State Patrol.
Walker County voters will head to the polls November 4th to decide whether to renew the county’s special purpose local option sales tax, or SPLOST. The new six-year cycle would begin in October 2026, right after the current SPLOST expires — so there’s no overlap for consumers. Funds would support road paving, fire trucks, public safety equipment, and park upgrades across the county and in cities like LaFayette, Chickamauga, and Rossville. County officials say the tax helps fund major projects without raising property taxes.
Two Rome brothers have been sentenced on major drug charges in separate trials last month in the Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit. 25-year-old Trevion Williams got 10 years in prison for trafficking fentanyl after a 2020 traffic stop in Chattooga County where deputies found 200 fentanyl pills in his pocket. His brother, 26-year-old George Williams, was sentenced to 30 years — five to serve — after Summerville Police found nearly 500 grams of meth and a revolver in his backpack during a 2021 investigation. District Attorney Clayton Fuller called the drugs “deadly poison” and said his office remains committed to fighting trafficking across Northwest Georgia.
Archery deer season opens statewide in Georgia on Saturday, September 13, kicking off the 2025–2026 deer season. Hunters can harvest up to 10 antlerless deer and 2 antlered, with specific antler requirements. The season runs through January 11 in most areas. All hunters need a hunting license, big game license, and a deer harvest record, and must report harvests within 24 hours using Georgia Game Check. A new carcass disposal rule is now in effect to help prevent Chronic Wasting Disease.