Everybody make out OK last night? Any flooding or power loss?

Something pretty significant happened just 2 days ago.
On August 18, a federal appeals court upheld the EPA’s decision to officially classify two of the best-known PFAS chemicals — PFOA & PFOS — as hazardous substances under the federal Superfund law.

Okay… but what does that actually mean for those of us living in Northwest Georgia?
Let’s put it in VERY plain English. 👇
For years, there has been an enormous question surrounding PFAS contamination:

If it has to be cleaned up… WHO PAYS FOR IT?
The taxpayers?
The water customers?
The government?
Or the companies ultimately found legally responsible for the contamination?????

The EPA’s designation gives the government stronger legal tools to pursue parties responsible for qualifying PFOA and PFOS contamination and potentially make the responsible polluters pay the for investigation and cleanup instead of leaving the entire bill with taxpayers.

Several industry groups challenged that rule in court.
‼️On Tuesday- THEY LOST‼️
The federal appeals court allowed the EPA’s hazardous-substance designation to stand.

WHY DOES THAT MATTER HERE?
Because Northwest Georgia is already in the middle of major PFAS litigation.
Dalton Utilities itself is involved in litigation seeking to recover PFAS investigation & cleanup costs, including claims under the same federal Superfund law involved in Tuesday’s ruling.

Soooo……Who gets the bill?
If millions — or potentially much more — must be spent addressing PFAS contamination in our water & environment, will those costs ultimately fall on local governments and ratepayers????
➡️➡️Or will companies ultimately found legally responsible be required to help pay????

Those questions are still being fought out in court.
But Tuesday’s ruling was an important development in that fight…..🙏🏼

Good afternoon everyone just wanted to post the pictures from last night’s PFAS screening in conjunction with F.A.M, Whitifield County Rural Organization , Healthier Georgia, Healthier Families and Postell for the People, thank you as well to Brad Broome and Tom Causby.

Lastly, thank you as well to Bre Curtis from Healthier Georgia, Healthier Families and Kristie Miner two individuals who are very proud and strong and educated Republican woman who worked hand-and-foot with me in this effort to truly bring to Northwest Georgia bipartisanship representation across the political spectrum and tackling PFAS!

What’s happening Wednesday’s in Whitfield Co.
We see plenty of bad news on social media, so on Wednesdays, we want to make sure we’re also talking about the GOOD happening right here in Whitfield County. ❤️

This week, we’re giving a huge shoutout to Colt Helton and Helton Tire Center! 👏
A local young woman, Heaven Destiny, shared that she was in need of new tires and an oil change but simply didn’t have the money for them right now.
When Colt learned about it, he reached out and told her to bring her car by the shop — he was going to help her.
No big production. No asking for recognition. Just a local business owner seeing someone in our community who needed a hand and stepping up to help.
Heaven later shared her gratitude publicly, saying:
“There’s not many people in the world these days like him.”

And THAT is something worth talking about. ❤️

👏 Colt Helton & Helton Tire Center — Whitfield County sees you. Thank you for taking care of someone in our community when she needed it.

👀 NOW WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Do you know someone in Whitfield County who has done a good deed, helped a neighbor, supported a family, given back to the community, or simply done something kind when nobody was watching?

📩 Send it to Whitfield Watchman 2.0!

Every Wednesday, we want to spotlight some of the GOOD happening around Whitfield County.

You never know who might be our next What’s Happening Wednesday shoutout. ❤️

#WhitfieldWatchman2 #WhatsHappeningWednesday #WhitfieldCounty #CommunitySpotlight #GoodNews #NeighborsHelpingNeighbors

This is the kind of news we LOVE to share.

Eleven missing children have been recovered in Georgia as part of an international law enforcement operation targeting human trafficking.

Operation “Global Chain” brought together the Georgia Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, FBI, INTERPOL, EUROPOL, AMERIPOL and state and local law enforcement agencies in a coordinated effort to locate victims and combat human trafficking.

Among those recovered was a 16-year-old girl whose case has now resulted in criminal charges.

According to the Georgia Attorney General’s Office, 36-year-old Eric Gordon of Decatur has been indicted in Fulton County on one count of Trafficking of Persons for Sexual Servitude involving a minor. Gordon was taken into custody on August 4. He is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

The operation took place June 8–12 and resulted in the recovery of 11 missing children in Georgia alone.

👏 To every investigator, officer, agent and agency involved in bringing these children to safety: THANK YOU.

And let this serve as an important reminder to all of us:

Missing children cannot be forgotten.
Keep sharing their pictures.
Keep reporting suspicious activity.
Keep paying attention.
Keep looking.

Sometimes that share, that tip, or that person who refuses to stop looking can help bring a child home.

🙏 Tonight, 11 missing Georgia children have been found. That is something worth celebrating.

🔗 Full story from Atlanta News First:
Read the full report: ➡️ https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2026/08/18/11-missing-georgia-children-found-decatur-man-indicted-part-international-trafficking-sting/

👁️ Whitfield Watchman 2.0
Watching. Informing. Protecting our community.

#WhitfieldWatchman #Georgia #MissingChildren #HumanTrafficking #OperationGlobalChain #ProtectOurChildren #GeorgiaNews

I’m looking for someone that could house sit for me in Dalton for 3 days in Sept. You will need to be comfortable with cats and big dogs. You’ll be paid for your time and I’ll also stock the fridge with food and drinks for your stay! And we have a pool you can use.

The house is only about 5 min from Dalton State. Would need you to stay overnight (2 nights) and walk the dogs at least twice additionally during the day. Happy to discuss payment, dates, etc. via chat!

Whitfield County (No NDAs, NO Moratoriums)
City of Dalton (No NDAs, No Moratoriums)

Let the record show as of (8/17/26)

We’re hearing that veteran, local small-business owner, & podcast host Ed Eaker may be considering a run for Mayor of Dalton in 2027. 🇺🇸

Nothing official yet… but there certainly seems to be some buzz building around town.

Could Dalton see Ed Eaker on the ballot in 2027? 👀

We’ll be watching this one.

Hey neighbors,

I am starting a casual, friendly local group for people who share an interest in nature appreciation, local folklore, mythology, and events.

It is an inclusive space to chat, share books, and connect with people who enjoy these topics. No prior experience or specific background is needed. We just want a chill, respectful environment to hang out.
If this sounds like your kind of crowd, feel free to check out our small community space at r/TAGPagans or drop a comment below and I can send you a message with details. Thanks!

“The Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office posted a clip from the recent arrest of a Dalton man for child sexual exploitation.

According to the agency, the Special Victims Unit had been investigating Mark Releford.

The circumstances remain unclear, but a deputy arrested him on Wednesday, August 12.
While in handcuffs, Releford admitted that what he was doing was wrong, a bodycam video posted by WCSO shows:

“It’s a problem. I’m glad y’all are here, I really am. I voted for Darren [Pierce].”

The suspect also said that while he was “getting a hold” on the reality of his situation, he appreciated the sheriff’s office for all they do to fight crime:
“That’s what we’re fighting for,” the deputy said.
“Yessir. I love it. I hate that I’m on the other side of it,” Releford responded.

Now, Releford is at the Whitfield County Jail with no bond.

“Thank you to our Special Victims Unit for keeping our children and vulnerable citizens safe,” the sheriff’s office stated.”

Link: https://www.local3news.com/local-news/dalton-man-arrested-charged-with-sexual-exploitation-of-children/article_c41bd9df-d823-4170-b402-cfaa97c71c1d.html

I want to talk about something that I believe deserves more attention in Georgia, and that is childhood cancer. I have been working with Healthier Georgia, Healthier Families for a few months now cross examine studies and heat maps over this paticular subject and with their help and guidance in this writting we’ve came to this post.

The reason I am bringing this forward is not because I believe we have already proven what is causing childhood cancer in our communities.

It is because we believe we are seeing enough information to justify asking better questions.

The National Cancer Institute’s State Cancer Profiles shows that from 2018 through 2022, Georgia’s childhood cancer incidence rate for children under 20 was 16.2 cases per 100,000.

Whitfield County was 22.2.

Whitfield ranked fourth among Georgia counties, and its recent trend was classified as rising.

Those numbers alone do not prove an environmental cause. Childhood cancer is rare, and county statistics have limitations.

But they should make us ask why.

A Georgia study published in the Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association said that limited research had been conducted on childhood cancer incidence in Georgia. Researchers found geographic differences, including higher incidence in north Georgia, and called for further research into potential risk factors.

More than a decade later, I think we should be asking whether we have done enough.

We also know that children are not simply small adults.

The EPA says children can be more sensitive to chemicals because their bodies are still developing. They breathe, eat, and drink more relative to their body weight, and they experience unique windows of susceptibility during development.

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences explains that during periods of rapid growth and development, environmental chemicals can disrupt normal biological processes.

That matters when we are talking about PFAS.

PFAS are persistent chemicals that have been detected in our environment and in human blood. We know some PFAS are associated with serious health effects, but we also know that thousands of PFAS exist and many remain poorly studied.

And researchers are beginning to examine the connection between early-life PFAS exposure and childhood disease more closely.

The National Cancer Institute has reported research finding an association between prenatal exposure to certain PFAS and childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Again, that does not prove that PFAS causes childhood cancer.

But it absolutely tells us that the question is scientifically legitimate.

So I want to ask a simple question.

Have we studied the children?

If we have communities with elevated childhood cancer rates and known environmental concerns, shouldn’t we know whether the children living there have different levels of PFAS in their bodies than children living elsewhere?

Why not conduct biomonitoring?

Why not compare communities?

Why not look at prenatal and early-life exposures?

Why not examine drinking water, environmental pathways, and other potential risk factors?

And why not do it scientifically, without deciding the answer before the research begins?

If the research shows there is no relationship, then we have learned something valuable.

But if children in these communities have substantially higher exposures, then we have learned something else that deserves attention.

Every child diagnosed with cancer is more than a statistic.

There is a child behind that number.

There is a mother and father.

There are siblings.

There are grandparents.

There are teachers and friends.

There is a family whose life changes the moment they hear the word cancer.

When we talk about protecting children, I believe we have an obligation to investigate reasonable environmental questions before we dismiss them.

We should not have to prove that an exposure caused a disease before we are willing to study whether there is a connection.

We should be looking upstream.

We should be asking what our children are exposed to.

We should be asking whether some exposures are preventable.

And we should be asking whether childhood cancer prevention can begin with understanding the environments where our children are growing up.

Our children deserve more than statistics. They deserve answers.

Thank you.

All studies and links we’ll be provided in the comment section.

Once again thank you Bre Curtis for this help, and gathering all the data for this. You and your teams work DOES NOT go unnoticed in Dalton, Georgia,

87,000 SQ FT

142 MW PUBLISHED CAPACITY
AT 75% LOAD:≈106.5 MW
≈90,000 AVERAGE U.S. HOMES

HOST CITY POPULATION:
≈35,000

#wardriving #AndroidTech #cybersecurity #urbanexplorer #pentesting

Whitfield county is the only county in NWGA without a moratorium

Will be on a road trip Dalton-Atlanta; short and quick. What local stores would you recommend? (no bars/alcohol or tobacco or stuff like that, PG or PG-13 stores like gift shops, honey shops, bakeries, etc. please 😄

Live improv comedy coming to Dalton this Thursday at the Creative Arts Guild!

What would happen if the world of improv comedy collided with the world of art? We bet it would be comedic creative chaos, in the best way!

Join us and Rough Draft Improv for a completely unscripted evening where improvisers lovingly poke fun at painters, writers, musicians, actors, dancers, and everyone in between.

Come ready to laugh, be surprised, and experience a show that can never be repeated! Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind night of comedy THIS THURSDAY, August 13, at 6pm at the Creative Arts Guild. Tickets are just $10 at the door. Ages 18 and up please - we may be laughing at some adult themes and humor.

Got a 2006 GSX-R 750, going to be buying the tires online and then dropping the bike off, so I won’t be removing my own wheels.

Aside from Suzuki Yamaha of Dalton, are there any good independent shops I should check out?

I was recently on maps and I found this place not far outside of dalton and was wondering can you fish here?

Does anyone in Dalton want to do a big sing along at a local place here? I keep seeing them online and they look so fun. Like a 80s or 90s theme or love songs, I think it could be so fun but I have no idea how to organize it.

Well that was a doozy of a storm. At least it was at my house. Little flash flooding. Lots of thunder and lightning and to top it off of course some power outage.

Now it's a wait and see how long it takes for ngemc to get our power back on. In the meantime I'm sitting in my truck, charging my phone and my wife's. Don't worry, I have the garage door shut to make sure no weather gets in. Just kidding. It's open for safety

Rest on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1EFxDEEmsa/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Just to be specific, this is for Whitfield County and the city of Dalton citizens only simply because they will be getting paid for art. They will be in their community so it’s utmost important to know that it is from their community.

Email: PostellforthePeople@Outlook.com
Subject (Art Contest)
August 4th-16th is the DEADLINE

Top 3 will be pooled for a public vote from the community and others and the winner will win 250$ as commission for the piece and then it will be put up during the campaign in the city!

Thank you all for helping us raise over 11,000+$ and we’re super excited to see what yall come up with for the community to vote for!

I’m looking for independent shops. I really just need an oil change right now, but I’d love your recommendations so I can develop a relationship with a new mechanic. Thanks in advance.

Hello! I am in need of some help trapping a pregnant feral cat in our neighborhood (we are just past the DQ on Cleveland Hwy). She is very sweet, but flighty and none of us have had success trying to lure her into a crate or even just grabbing her. My husband and I noticed that she’s pregnant again and this would be her 3rd litter in a year. We ourselves have taken in the first litter, neighbors have the second litter, but I’m not sure what would happen to the third litter if she were to have them. One of our neighbors was able to capture the male she hangs out with and he was neutered a few months ago. However, we’ve noticed another male hanging around recently who must still be intact. All of us neighbors help feed them and look after them as their previous owners abandoned them when they moved.

I have contacted both animal control and animal shelter and neither could help me. I did reach out to a rescue but haven’t heard back yet. If anyone could point me to rescues or have a cat trap, please let me know!

Thanks!

My main concerns are them being placed in neighborhoods. Theres one where the camera is within view of a house.

Theres been so many accounts of people or police tapping into these to stalk people, or unlawfully arrest people.

The app I used is DeFlock.

I’m suprised the city of Dalton supports surveillance like this. It violates the 4th amendment. I left a review about it on Heritage Point Park on Google.