CTL Script/ Top Stories of October 24th 

Publish Date: October 24th 

  

Pre-Roll:  

From the Ingles Studio Welcome to the Award-Winning Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast  

 

Today is Friday, October 24th and Happy Birthday to Kevin Kline 

 

I’m Peyton Spurlock and here are the stories Cherokee is talking about, presented by Times Journal 
Cherokee County approves contract to build two fire stations
Jordan Road to be closed Nov. 7-10 for railroad crossing work
Ball Ground investigating complaint about email from council member

Plus, Leah McGrath from Ingles Markets on sweet tooths

 

We’ll have all this and more coming up on the Cherokee Tribune-Ledger Podcast, and if you’re looking for Community news, we encourage you to listen and subscribe!  

 

Commercial: Ingles Markets 9 

STORY 1: Cherokee County approves contract to build two fire stations 

Cherokee County’s getting two brand-new fire stations, and it’s about time. On Oct. 21, the Board of Commissioners gave the green light to a $17 million deal with Spratlin Construction to replace Fire Station 5 on East Cherokee Drive and Fire Station 29 on Cumming Highway. 

The current setups? Let’s just say they’re overdue for an upgrade. Station 5, built for volunteers back in the day, now crams six full-time firefighters into a shared bunk room. Over at Station 29, firefighters are working out of a temporary manufactured home. 

The new stations will have proper bunks, fitness areas, and space for equipment—finally. Construction kicks off summer 2026. 

STORY 2: Jordan Road to be closed Nov. 7-10 for railroad crossing work 

 Heads up, drivers: Jordan Road will be closed at the railroad crossing near Highway 372 from Nov. 7-10, according to Cherokee County officials. The closure is just south of Nelson, so plan ahead. 

Detours? Yep, they’ve got you covered. Northbound traffic on Jordan Road should take Old Nelson Road, then Old Canton Road, Commerce Lane, and finally reconnect with Highway 372. Southbound? Stick to Highway 372, turn onto Commerce Lane, then Old Canton Road, and loop back via Old Nelson Road. 

It’s a bit of a maze, but temporary. Questions? Call Cherokee County Public Works at 770-345-5842. 

STORY 3: Ball Ground investigating complaint about email from council member 

The city of Ball Ground is looking into a complaint about an email sent by Councilmember Annette Homiller to a city employee—an email that’s stirred up quite a bit of controversy. 

On Sept. 24, Homiller, whose husband Dan is running for mayor against fellow Councilmember Dennis Nelson, emailed the employee from her personal account. In it, she asked who he was supporting in the mayoral race and brought up a past real estate deal, even suggesting there might be financial motives behind his support for Nelson. “I can’t think of any other reason why you would support Dennis over Dan,” she wrote, adding a postscript: “Dan does not know that I sent this.” 

The employee has since filed a “hostile work environment” complaint, and the city is investigating. 

Homiller admitted to sending the email, calling it a “poorly written” mistake based on misinformation. “It was a bad idea from the start, and I deeply regret it,” she said, adding that she’s apologized to the mayor, her colleagues, and others involved. 

Her husband, Dan, defended her, saying, “She made a mistake—who hasn’t hit send on an email they wish they could take back?” 

Meanwhile, Nelson’s campaign confirmed the complaint in an Oct. 9 Facebook post, calling for a full investigation to protect city employees from political pressure. 

 

We have opportunities for sponsors to get great engagement on these shows. Call 770.874.3200 for more info.  

  

We’ll be right back. 

 

Break: COBB FALL FESTIVAL 

 

 

STORY 4:Woodstock council considers regulations for e-bikes 

 Woodstock might soon pump the brakes on e-bikes—or at least figure out where and how they can be ridden. 

At an Oct. 20 work session, Community Development Director Melissa Sigmund asked the City Council and Mayor Michael Caldwell to weigh in on regulating e-bikes, which combine pedaling with battery-powered motors. Complaints? Oh, there’ve been plenty. 

Here is what Mayor Michael Caldwell had to say about the e-bikes. MAYOR VO 

Sigmund explained the three e-bike tiers: Tiers 1 and 2 max out at 20 mph and are treated like regular bikes. Tier 3? They can hit 28 mph without pedaling, and that’s where things get tricky. 

Councilman David Potts said he’s seen modified e-bikes going even faster.  

Here is what Councilman David Potts had to say on this issue. COUNCILMAN VO 

Sigmund floated ideas: allowing kids under 12 to ride on sidewalks, banning Tier 3 e-bikes from trails, and requiring all bikes to yield to pedestrians. Education and signage would be key, she added. 

No decisions yet, but the council plans to revisit the issue soon. 

STORY 5: Cherokee County Football Power Rankings - Week 11 

 The Cherokee County football power rankings are in, and as Week 11 kicks off, there’s plenty to unpack. 
 Sequoyah (7-1, 4-1)
The Chiefs are rolling. Two straight wins since their only loss (to River Ridge), and now they face a winless Pope team. Let’s be real—another W feels inevitable. But the real showdown? The finale against Creekview, with the region title likely on the line.
 River Ridge (6-2, 3-2)
The Knights have a huge test this week against Creekview. A win could shake up the playoff race, but QB Hunter Lockerman’s health is a question mark. Can Camden Cox carry the load?
 Creekview (4-4, 4-1)
Don’t let the record fool you—this team’s dangerous. Backup QB Landon Barnes was flawless in their blowout of Pope. But with River Ridge and Sequoyah up next, the Grizzlies have a brutal road ahead.
 Woodstock (5-3, 3-2)
The Wolverines are clinging to playoff hopes. A win at Riverwood this week is crucial before their finale against Sprayberry. Coach Dan Devine knows what’s at stake: “It’s all on the line.”
 Cherokee (1-8, 0-5)
The Warriors showed fight against North Cobb, led by Brandon Hamilton’s 138 yards and two TDs. They’ll look to close out their season—and say goodbye to Tommy Baker Field—with a win over Marietta.
 Etowah (3-6, 1-4)
It’s been a tough stretch for the Eagles, but they’ve already surpassed last year’s win total. A victory at North Cobb in their finale would be a solid step forward under new coach Brett Vavra.

 

And now here is Leah McGrath from Ingles Markets on sweet tooths  

 

 

Commercial:  

 

 

We’ll have closing comments after this.  

 

 COMMERCIAL: Ingles Markets 9 

  

SIGN OFF –   

Thanks again for hanging out with us on today’s Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast. If you enjoy these shows, we encourage you to check out our other offerings, like the Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast, the Marietta Daily Journal, or the Community Podcast for Rockdale Newton and Morgan Counties. Read more about all our stories and get other great content at www.tribuneledgernews.com 

 

Did you know over 50% of Americans listen to podcasts weekly? Giving you important news about our community and telling great stories are what we do. Make sure you join us for our next episode and be sure to share this podcast on social media with your friends and family. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home Briefing and be sure to like, follow, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. 

Produced by the BG Podcast Network 

  

Show Sponsors: 
www.ingles-markets.com 

CTL Script/ Top Stories of October 24th&nbsp;
Publish Date: October 24th&nbsp;
 &nbsp;
Pre-Roll:&nbsp;&nbsp;
From the Ingles Studio Welcome to the Award-Winning Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast &nbsp;
&nbsp;
Today is Friday, October 24th and Happy Birthday to Kevin Kline&nbsp;
&nbsp;
I&rsquo;m Peyton Spurlock and here are the stories Cherokee is talking about, presented by Times Journal&nbsp;
<ol>
<li>Cherokee County approves contract to build two fire stations</li>
<li>Jordan Road to be closed Nov. 7-10 for railroad crossing work</li>
<li>Ball Ground investigating complaint about email from council member</li>
</ol>
Plus, Leah McGrath from Ingles Markets on sweet tooths
&nbsp;
We&rsquo;ll have all this and more coming up on the Cherokee Tribune-Ledger Podcast, and if you&rsquo;re looking for Community news, we encourage you to listen and subscribe! &nbsp;
&nbsp;
Commercial: Ingles Markets 9&nbsp;
STORY 1: <a href="https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/local_news/cherokee-county-approves-contract-to-build-two-fire-stations/article_85382fad-855f-4c3c-b8f8-70a8c7e5f95f.html">Cherokee County approves contract to build two fire stations</a>&nbsp;
Cherokee County&rsquo;s getting two brand-new fire stations, and it&rsquo;s about time. On Oct. 21, the Board of Commissioners gave the green light to a $17 million deal with Spratlin Construction to replace Fire Station 5 on East Cherokee Drive and Fire Station 29 on Cumming Highway.&nbsp;
The current setups? Let&rsquo;s just say they&rsquo;re overdue for an upgrade. Station 5, built for volunteers back in the day, now crams six full-time firefighters into a shared bunk room. Over at Station 29, firefighters are working out of a temporary manufactured home.&nbsp;
The new stations will have proper bunks, fitness areas, and space for equipment&mdash;finally. Construction kicks off summer 2026.&nbsp;
STORY 2: <a href="https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/local_news/jordan-road-to-be-closed-nov-7-10-for-railroad-crossing-work/article_02821bf5-fdb1-4635-9d0b-417524814a32.html">Jordan Road to be closed Nov. 7-10 for railroad crossing work</a>&nbsp;
&nbsp;Heads up, drivers: Jordan Road will be closed at the railroad crossing near Highway 372 from Nov. 7-10, according to Cherokee County officials. The closure is just south of Nelson, so plan ahead.&nbsp;
Detours? Yep, they&rsquo;ve got you covered. Northbound traffic on Jordan Road should take Old Nelson Road, then Old Canton Road, Commerce Lane, and finally reconnect with Highway 372. Southbound? Stick to Highway 372, turn onto Commerce Lane, then Old Canton Road, and loop back via Old Nelson Road.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s a bit of a maze, but temporary. Questions? Call Cherokee County Public Works at 770-345-5842.&nbsp;
STORY 3: <a href="https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/local_news/election/ball-ground-investigating-complaint-about-email-from-council-member/article_668e1e59-1bc3-476e-b80c-5ccfcd3155f1.html">Ball Ground investigating complaint about email from council member</a>&nbsp;
The city of Ball Ground is looking into a complaint about an email sent by Councilmember Annette Homiller to a city employee&mdash;an email that&rsquo;s stirred up quite a bit of controversy.&nbsp;
On Sept. 24, Homiller, whose husband Dan is running for mayor against fellow Councilmember Dennis Nelson, emailed the employee from her personal account. In it, she asked who he was supporting in the mayoral race and brought up a past real estate deal, even suggesting there might be financial motives behind his support for Nelson. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t think of any other reason why you would support Dennis over Dan,&rdquo; she wrote, adding a postscript: &ldquo;Dan does not know that I sent this.&rdquo;&nbsp;
The employee has since filed a &ldquo;hostile work environment&rdquo; complaint, and the city is investigating.&nbsp;
Homiller admitted to sending the email, calling it a &ldquo;poorly written&rdquo; mistake based on misinformation. &ldquo;It was a bad idea from the start, and I deeply regret it,&rdquo; she said, adding that she&rsquo;s apologized to the mayor, her colleagues, and others involved.&nbsp;
Her husband, Dan, defended her, saying, &ldquo;She made a mistake&mdash;who hasn&rsquo;t hit send on an email they wish they could take back?&rdquo;&nbsp;
Meanwhile, Nelson&rsquo;s campaign confirmed the complaint in an Oct. 9 Facebook post, calling for a full investigation to protect city employees from political pressure.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
We have opportunities for sponsors to get great engagement on these shows. Call 770.874.3200 for more info. &nbsp;
 &nbsp;
We&rsquo;ll be right back.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Break: COBB FALL FESTIVAL&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
STORY 4: <a href="https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/local_news/woodstock-council-considers-regulations-for-e-bikes/article_397a0a3e-0fae-4051-93f3-da3ce6776f25.html">Woodstock council considers regulations for e-bikes</a>&nbsp;
 Woodstock might soon pump the brakes on e-bikes&mdash;or at least figure out where and how they can be ridden.&nbsp;
At an Oct. 20 work session, Community Development Director Melissa Sigmund asked the City Council and Mayor Michael Caldwell to weigh in on regulating e-bikes, which combine pedaling with battery-powered motors. Complaints? Oh, there&rsquo;ve been plenty.&nbsp;
Here is what Mayor Michael Caldwell had to say about the e-bikes. MAYOR VO&nbsp;
Sigmund explained the three e-bike tiers: Tiers 1 and 2 max out at 20 mph and are treated like regular bikes. Tier 3? They can hit 28 mph without pedaling, and that&rsquo;s where things get tricky.&nbsp;
Councilman David Potts said he&rsquo;s seen modified e-bikes going even faster.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Here is what Councilman David Potts had to say on this issue. COUNCILMAN VO&nbsp;
Sigmund floated ideas: allowing kids under 12 to ride on sidewalks, banning Tier 3 e-bikes from trails, and requiring all bikes to yield to pedestrians. Education and signage would be key, she added.&nbsp;
No decisions yet, but the council plans to revisit the issue soon.&nbsp;
STORY 5: <a href="https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/sports/cherokee-county-football-power-rankings---week-11/article_80e6322b-d0e2-4ccd-b88d-42af7c3dfe7b.html">Cherokee County Football Power Rankings - Week 11</a>&nbsp;
 The Cherokee County football power rankings are in, and as Week 11 kicks off, there&rsquo;s plenty to unpack.&nbsp;
<ol>
<li> Sequoyah (7-1, 4-1) The Chiefs are rolling. Two straight wins since their only loss (to River Ridge), and now they face a winless Pope team. Let&rsquo;s be real&mdash;another W feels inevitable. But the real showdown? The finale against Creekview, with the region title likely on the line.</li>
<li> River Ridge (6-2, 3-2) The Knights have a huge test this week against Creekview. A win could shake up the playoff race, but QB Hunter Lockerman&rsquo;s health is a question mark. Can Camden Cox carry the load?</li>
<li> Creekview (4-4, 4-1) Don&rsquo;t let the record fool you&mdash;this team&rsquo;s dangerous. Backup QB Landon Barnes was flawless in their blowout of Pope. But with River Ridge and Sequoyah up next, the Grizzlies have a brutal road ahead.</li>
<li> Woodstock (5-3, 3-2) The Wolverines are clinging to playoff hopes. A win at Riverwood this week is crucial before their finale against Sprayberry. Coach Dan Devine knows what&rsquo;s at stake: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s all on the line.&rdquo;</li>
<li> Cherokee (1-8, 0-5) The Warriors showed fight against North Cobb, led by Brandon Hamilton&rsquo;s 138 yards and two TDs. They&rsquo;ll look to close out their season&mdash;and say goodbye to Tommy Baker Field&mdash;with a win over Marietta.</li>
<li> Etowah (3-6, 1-4) It&rsquo;s been a tough stretch for the Eagles, but they&rsquo;ve already surpassed last year&rsquo;s win total. A victory at North Cobb in their finale would be a solid step forward under new coach Brett Vavra.</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
And now here is Leah McGrath from Ingles Markets on sweet tooths&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Commercial:&nbsp;&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
We&rsquo;ll have closing comments after this. &nbsp;
&nbsp;
 COMMERCIAL: Ingles Markets 9&nbsp;
 &nbsp;
SIGN OFF &ndash;  &nbsp;
Thanks again for hanging out with us on today&rsquo;s Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast. If you enjoy these shows, we encourage you to check out our other offerings, like the Cherokee Tribune Ledger Podcast, the Marietta Daily Journal, or the Community Podcast for Rockdale Newton and Morgan Counties. Read more about all our stories and get other great content at www.tribuneledgernews.com&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Did you know over 50% of Americans listen to podcasts weekly? Giving you important news about our community and telling great stories are what we do. Make sure you join us for our next episode and be sure to share this podcast on social media with your friends and family. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home Briefing and be sure to like, follow, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.bgpodcastnetwork.com/">Produced by the BG Podcast Network</a>&nbsp;
&nbsp;&nbsp;
Show Sponsors:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.ingles-markets.com/">www.ingles-markets.com</a>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

Get the news for Woodstock, Canton, Holly Springs, and all of Cherokee County.

Cherokee Tribune-Ledger - tribuneledgernews.com 

 

This podcast is produced by BG Ad Group

 

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Get the news for Woodstock, Canton, Holly Springs, and all of Cherokee County.
Cherokee Tribune-Ledger - <a href="https://www.tribuneledgernews.com/">tribuneledgernews.com</a>&nbsp;
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Cherokee Tribune-Ledger Podcast

Cherokee County approves contract to build two fire stations | Jordan Road to be closed Nov. 7-10 for railroad crossing work | Ball Ground investigating complaint about email from council member