*Banks County Sheriff Carlton Speed has announced plans to run for re-election this year. Speed has been in office almost 12 years.
*The University of North Georgia (UNG) finished second out of 447 colleges and universities in the 2023 National Security Agency (NSA) Codebreaker Challenge, which was held recently. It also was the top senior military college (SMC) in the competition, and Texas A&M’s ninth-place finish made it the only other SMC in the top 25.
*Registration has opened for the Hall County Government Scholars’ Academy, a ten-session course held March 5–May 14 that will focus on the different aspects of Hall County Government and will include tours of many facilities. Registration will close Feb. 29. The registration form and syllabus are available online.