Staff Report The search for Charles Hosch, who went missing while hiking the Appalachian Trail near Blood Mountain, has now entered its fifth week. Union County Emergency Management Agency (UCEMA) and the Union County Sheriff’s Office (UCSO) continue to investigate the case, which remains open, as search efforts persist in coordination with Mr. Hosch’s family. Mr. Hosch was last known to be on the Appalachian Trail on November 11 at approximately 1:30 p.m. He was hiking a fam

Staff Report A community is rallying to support a Union County family after a deadly mobile home fire claimed the lives of two young children earlier this week. Union County Fire and Rescue confirmed that two children, believed to be ages three and six, died in a structure fire overnight on Sunday, Dec. 14 at Warren Trailer Park. Firefighters from all county stations responded and found a single-wide mobile home fully involved. The cause of the fire remains under investigatio

Two young children died in a tragic structure fire Monday at Warren Trailer Park in Union County, according to Union County Fire and Rescue. Firefighters — both career and volunteer — from all Union County Fire Department stations were dispatched to the scene after reports that children were still inside the home. When crews arrived, they found a single-wide mobile home fully engulfed in flames, with the roof already collapsed. Firefighters launched an aggressive attack to br

Mountain Buzz Staff Report The Union County Board of Education has achieved a prestigious honor, being recognized as an Exemplary Board by the Georgia School Boards Association (GSBA) at its 2025 winter conference! This significant distinction is a testament to the Board’s commitment to effective governance practices and its unwavering focus on supporting student success throughout Union County Schools. The community and school district also wish to recognize the combined ser

The Union County Sheriff’s Office will host its next Scam & Fraud Awareness Class on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at the Blairsville Public Library, located at 303 Hunt Martin Street. The free class is open to the public and will feature important information presented by the Union County Sheriff’s Office and Tri-State Tech Support. Topics will include current scam trends, how to recognize common fraud schemes, and steps to protect personal and financial informa

The Union County Sheriff's Office received top honors at the recent QUAD Network Meeting, which brings together law enforcement leaders from 35 counties in North Georgia and more than 100 agencies. The Sheriff's Office was selected as Agency of the Year by the Appalachian Trail Traffic Enforcement Network (ATTEN) for its ongoing commitment to keeping roadways safe along the Appalachian Trail corridor and throughout the region. Lieutenant Leon James earned individual recogniti

Photo from the UCSO Facebook page. Mountain Buzz Staff Report The Union County Sheriff’s Office has added two new deputies to its ranks following their completion of a 20-week Basic Law Enforcement Academy at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth. Deputy Morgan Gay and Deputy Paul Leird finished more than 800 hours of instruction covering core areas of law enforcement. Both have worked with the agency as detention officers since 2023 and now move into the next

Mountain Buzz Staff Report As temperatures drop and residents turn to wood stoves, fireplaces, propane heaters and oil furnaces, safety officials are reminding homeowners about the invisible danger of carbon monoxide — a gas that can be deadly without warning. Carbon monoxide (CO) is produced when fuels such as wood, coal, propane, oil or natural gas burn incompletely. Because the gas has no color, smell or taste, people often do not realize it is present until they begin exp

Large-scale search operations for missing hiker Charles Hosch in the Blood Mountain area of the Appalachian Trail have been suspended following twelve consecutive days of intensive efforts. Mr. Hosch has been missing since November 11. Over the past two weeks, local, state, and federal teams from Georgia and neighboring states deployed aircraft, drones, K-9 units, and hundreds of ground searchers across the rugged terrain. Monday evening marked the final full operational peri

Staff Report Mountain Buzz The Union County College & Career Academy (UCCA) received a generous donation of siding and other building materials this week from Mitchell Ingram of Builders FirstSource, giving students in the high school’s Construction program valuable real-world resources for hands-on training. Mitchell Ingram visited Union County High School to personally deliver the materials, which will be used by students enrolled in the Career, Technical, and Agricultural

Staff Report Union County Schools has announced that it has been awarded the Computer Science Teacher Equipment and Community Grant , with official approval confirmed at the November 2025 State Board of Education meeting. The recognition marks another major step forward for the district’s rapidly expanding computer science programs. The grant will be used to strengthen student opportunities in hands-on physical computing and robotics—areas that continue to grow in popularity

Staff Report Mountain Buzz News Eighth graders at Union County Middle School experienced real-world forensics firsthand on Monday, November 17, when deputies from the Union County Sheriff’s Office and officers from the Union County Schools Police Department transformed the school gymnasium into an interactive crime-scene training area. At the invitation of the 8th-grade class, law enforcement set up four stations that guided students through the complete process of investigat

By: Staff Report Mountain Buzz As the crisp mountain air of Union County turns festive with the first hints of snow, the community is gearing up for a heartwarming kickoff to the holiday season. Mark your calendars for December 6, when the Union County Community Center transforms into a winter wonderland for the annual Holly Jolly Christmas & Breakfast with Santa. This free, family-friendly extravaganza, hosted by the Blairsville Union County Chamber of Commerce and United Co

The Union County Fire Department (UCFD) recently received a generous donation of 48 smoke alarms from City Plumbing and Electric Supply Company. The donation was made by Chris Britton, the local Branch Manager, and Todd Alexander, the company’s Purchasing Manager, as part of the department’s ongoing Smoke Alarm Program. Through this program, UCFD offers free smoke alarm installations to homeowners throughout the county. The program is designed to ensure that every household i

By: Staff Report The Mountain Buzz According to a report from WJRB Radio , the Blairsville man severely beaten in an attack last week is showing signs of recovery. Devon Davenport , who was airlifted to a Gainesville hospital after the incident, is now reportedly off life support and able to follow commands. Davenport’s sister, Dawn Marie Davenport-Davis , shared an update on social media saying her brother faces a long road to recovery. She wrote that he will need “ at minim

Photo via the Union County High School Facebook page. By: Staff Report The Mountain Buzz Union County High School is celebrating a major boost for its students and workforce development programs thanks to a generous $30,000 donation from River City Bank . The contribution was made to the Union County College & Career Academy  through the Georgia PEACH Education Tax Credit initiative , a program that allows individuals and businesses to direct a portion of their state tax doll

By: Staff Reports Mountain Buzz Firefighters from Union County’s Stations 4 (Ivylog), 5 (Suches), and 13 (Hidden Harbor) took part in a specialized training on lithium-ion battery fires in Cleveland, Georgia, on Friday, November 7. The class, hosted by White County Fire Services, Habersham EMC, and Command and Control, LLC, was led by Command and Control Founder Webster Marshall, IV. The training brought together around 100 firefighters from across North Georgia for a day of

Staff Report The Mountain Buzz As the colder months approach, Union County Schools is reminding families how decisions are made regarding school delays and closures during wintry weather. In a recent statement, the district emphasized that the safety of students and staff is always the top priority when deciding whether to delay or cancel school. Officials said that every closure decision is made with careful consideration, taking into account a range of conditions across the

Voter support for a proposed new penny sales tax in Union County came up short in Tuesday’s election. The controversial Floating Local Option Sales Tax (FLOST) was voted down by a margin of roughly 700 votes, with 55.85% voting “no” and 44.15% voting “yes” out of approximately 5,900 total ballots cast. Supporters of FLOST promoted the measure as a way to lower property taxes by shifting some of the revenue burden to a higher consumer sales tax. The county’s sales tax rate cur

The Union County Panthers delivered a commanding performance on their home course at Meeks Park on Saturday, capturing first place in the GHSA 2A Sectional 2 meet and earning a trip to the state championship. Senior Holden Payne  led the charge, taking the individual win with an impressive time of 17:46.70  on the challenging 5K course. He was backed by a strong pack of teammates who filled out the top 15, helping Union County finish with a team score of just 36 points , well