Judge Frank C. Mills III, a former chief Superior Court judge in Cherokee County, died Friday at the age of 74 at his home in Canton.
Mills was first appointed as a Superior Court judge on Feb. 9, 1981, a position he would go on to hold for 30 years, getting elected eight times. Before that, he was the district attorney for the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit, which serves Cherokee County — he was appointed to that position by then-Gov. George Busbee in 1978.
Even after he retired as chief judge in 2012, he continued to serve on the circuit as a senior judge until last year.
Mills’ son, Frank “Tater” Crouthers Mills, said his father is the “epitome of selfless service.”
Mills’ wife of over 40 years, Mandy Mills, added that her husband was “truly the kindest and best of men.” Here is one of Judge Mills’ longtime friends Billy Hasty talking on their friendship.
***Audio CTL Billy Hasty***
Outside the courtroom, Mills was active in community affairs such as the Boy Scouts of America, serving as district chairman and was the recipient of the District Award of Merit in 1992 and the Silver Beaver Award in 1996, the highest award on nomination of a Boy Scout Council for distinguished service to youth.
Mills was also presented the Whitney M. Young Award in 2005 for distinguished service to rural or low-income urban youth, was a volunteer Red Cross lifeguard, CPR, first aid and wilderness first aid instructor, and also received the Justice Robert Benham Public Service Award from the State Bar of Georgia.
In 2013, the local chamber of commerce named him the First Citizen of Cherokee County.
A former Cherokee High School art teacher is bringing an art studio to downtown Canton this summer.
Shanna Coulter, who was an art teacher for seven years at Cherokee High School, is opening Local Color Studio, a 6,200 square-foot art studio that is expected to open in May. Coulter describes what Local Color Studio will be as a “creative co-working space” for Canton, similar to Made Mercantile in downtown Woodstock. The studio is located at the basement level of the former Audio Intersection building at 210 E. Main St. in downtown Canton. The entrance to the studio will be on North Street.
The studio, designed with an open floor plan, will feature a ceramics studio, classroom space and private studio spaces for lease.
Classes will include painting, drawing, ceramics, collage and mixed media. Coulter said she will teach several classes as well.
Membership will work like a gym, with studio and equipment access and discounted classes and workshops, Coulter said. Walk-in guests will have access to the maker space, as well as the 2D and ceramic studios, artist workshops, classes and socials.
An Easter egg hunt April 2 is inviting families to help raise money for a pantry giving food to children at Free Home Elementary School.
West Milford Farm's annual egg hunt is 2 to 4 p.m. April 2. Thousands of eggs will be hidden on the grounds. Families are invited to bring their own baskets.
Admission is a $5 cash donation per participant, or $20 per family. Proceeds from the event will go to Free Home Elementary's Rocket Pantry.
West Milford Farm is located at 7938 Ball Ground Road in east Cherokee County, near Cumming.
Children will be invited to hunt for eggs according to age groups:
2-2:30 p.m.: 3 and under
2:30-3 p.m.: 4 to 6 years old
3-4 p.m.: 7 to 10 years old
Additional activities throughout the day will include a silent auction, cake walk, yard games, face painting and music.
It was forced to stave off a spirited late push, but the Walton girls basketball team defeated Cherokee 66-56 on Friday night at Wheeler to claim the Region 5AAAAAAA championship.
The Warriors outscored the Raiders 33-32 during the second half, but Lexy Harris’ 35 points were too much to overcome as Walton beat Cherokee for the first time this season and win its first region title since 1983.
Cherokee had no answer for Harris, who dominated the paint on both sides of the floor. Behind her, Cici Childers finished with 15 points, while Graycen Ehlen and Kate Bagley each scored eight points.
Toni Warren led the Warriors with 20 points, Hannah Harris scored 14 points and Elle Kenney added seven points.
Friday’s loss marked the end of Cherokee’s six-year region championship run, along with its 13-game winning streak.
For Walton, it finally broke through after dropping its first two games against the Warriors this season.
The Cherokee County School District is a step closer to replacing Free Home Elementary with a new facility.
Thursday, the school board unanimously selected Carroll Daniel Construction for a $36 million construction contract to build the new Free Home Elementary School.
The project is funded by the Education Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, which voters renewed in 2021. As of October, Free Home Elementary has an enrollment of 311, one of the smallest schools in the district.
The project has been brought on by the state’s plans to widen Highway 20 — the campus, at 12525 Cumming Highway near Canton, is in the area slated to become new highway lanes.
In 2021, the school board purchased land from the county for $1.6 million for the new school. The 40.7-acre site is near the current school, north of the intersection of Highway 20 and Highway 372. Free Home Elementary School has a long history in Cherokee County. While the current facility was built in the 1950s, the site has served as a school for over a century.
Etowah wasn't going to let it happen again.
Last season, in Class AAAAAAA, the Eagles reached the region title game before losing to Roswell. This year, the Eagles were given the chance to win a Region 6AAAAAA championship, they didn’t let this one slip away.
Etowah used its trademark defense and transition game to put away a stubborn River Ridge team 61-54 in the region title game Friday at Rome High School. The Eagles, now 19-8 on the year, claim the coveted No. 1 seed from the region heading into next week’s state tournament. For the River Ridge Knights, a 20-7 record and a No. 2 seed in the state tournament are good accomplishments — but the coaching staff knows that to win games on the state level, the Knights will have to be more focused. Brandon Rechsteiner, a Virginia Tech signee, led a balanced Etowah attack with 17 points. Aiden Weaver scored 15, Etter added 11, and Angelakos chipped in 10.
River Ridge was led by Jay McCord’s 16 points, while Greyson Hopf scored 11 and Grayson Helms added 10.
#CherokeeCounty #Georgia #LocalNews
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