Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The boating legislation follows several recent deaths, including that of a Tucker fisherman.
It's official: As of Wednesday (May 15), a new Georgia law regarding the Boating Under the Influence legal limit and other boating safety regulations is in effect. According to a Lake Lanier website, state officials will attend information sessions at local marinas around the state Wednesday. The visits will culminate at Laurel Park in Hall County, where Gov. Nathan Deal will give an address at 2 p.m. The new regulations are contained in Senate Bill 136, which Deal signed into law in April. Portions of the bill are named for late Buford youths Griffin and Jake Prince, and late Atlanta youth Kile Glover. The youths were killed in boating or watercraft-related accidents on Lake Lanier in 2012. In March, Tucker resident Marty Counts died at …
Monday, April 1, 2013
"One of a kind," say his friends.
A private ceremony will be held on April 6 for Marty Counts on the shore of the lake he loved and where he died in a boating mishap. The 47-year-old Tucker resident was reported missing on Feb. 11 after a nighttime fishing excursion on Lake Lanier alone on his boat, and his body was found five weeks later. The cause of death has not yet been established, according to Melissa Cummings of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division, but there was "no apparent trauma." She told Patch that "it does not appear that he fell and struck his head...but cannot yet rule out other health issues, such as a heart attack." Counts' close friend Vance Witt said, "it was an accident. He may have hit something." Witt said he often went out …
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
The body was found in Lake Lanier over the weekend and identified on Monday.
A body pulled from Lake Lanier on Sunday has been identified as that of George 'Marty' Counts, missing for over a month after going fishing at night on his boat. A autopsy Monday conducted by a Forsyth County coroner confirmed his identity. Counts was 47 and owned a house near the lake, but was a Tucker resident. Friends said it was not unusual for him to go out late on the water. His remains were discovered in the Little Ridge area of the lake by two fishermen Sunday, March 17 around 9:30 a.m. He was reported missing on Feb. 11 when his boat was found empty. Counts was an avid fisherman and a graduate of Lakeside High School. Patch reader Kim Woolbright commented, "at least the family can have closure now... Very sad." Related articles …
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Police pulled the body from the lake on Sunday morning.
Updated March 18, 6:52 p.m. Lake Lanier victim identification confirmed as George Marty Counts of Tucker, after an autopsy on Monday. Just announced by Melissa Cummings, WRD Communications. Original article: Police in Forsyth County pulled a body from Lake Lanier on Sunday morning, and they are hoping it's a fisherman from Tucker missing since last month, WSB-TV is reporting. George 'Marty' Counts, 47, disappeared Feb. 11 while fishing at the lake, and search crews have been trying to find him ever since. Forsyth County Sheriff's Office deputies had discovered his 15-foot boat stranded on a bank and out of gasoline. The body is being examined by the local coroner's office in order to make a positive identification, and Patch will have an …
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
DNR officials are searching Lake Lanier for a 47-year-old man who is "presumed deceased."
It's been one week since George "Marty" Counts of Tucker went missing on Lake Lanier. DNR officials say they are in recovery mode as they look for his body. "All things indicate that we are in recovery mode at this point, and that he is presumed deceased," said Melissa Cummings, DNR spokesperson. "The rangers that are still involved in the search want nothing more than to be able to locate him to assist the family." Morning and evening surface searches will continue this week and perhaps longer, according to Cummings. "If they [rangers] see anything that would lead them to believe that side scan sonar and/or divers are needed, they will alert other agencies for assistance," she said. On Monday, Feb. 11, at about 9:48 p.m., DNR was called …
Monday, February 18, 2013
A massive search continues for a boater and fisherman missing since Monday.
Officials have released the name of the 47-year-old man who has been missing on Lake Lanier since Monday night. The Department of Natural Resources confirmed Sunday that crews are searching for George M. Counts of Tucker. As of Friday, DNR and Forsyth County used side scan sonar in the water, while a K9 from Dawson County was on site. Also available as needed to aid in the search for Counts is the DNR helicopter, according to Melissa Cummings, DNR spokesperson. Cummings said DNR will conduct surface searches throughout the morning and evening over the weekend and the FCFD will conduct surface searching around noon on Saturday and Sunday. Next week DNR rangers will continue surface searching during the morning and afternoon hours. Law …
Monday, July 30, 2012
Recent tragedies prompt resort officials to add boating aids.
Boating accidents that have claimed the lives of three youths in the past two months on Lake Lanier have prompted resort officials to install a new safety feature - channel markers. Currently bobbing off the shore of the Sunset Cove area of Lake Lanier Islands are red and green channel markers, designed to aid in navigation through the busy harbor, according to a news release. - What do you think of this safety measure at Lake Lanier? Tell us in the comments below. “The markers are an effort to assist the boating public in accessing the cove in a more organized fashion, while providing improved entry to the cove by first responders in case of an emergency,” said Bill Donohue, Lake Lanier Island Development Authority's executive director. …
Thursday, July 26, 2012
The funeral for the youngster who died from injuries suffered in an accident on Lake Lanier earlier in July will be held in an Atlanta church.
The funeral for Kile Glover, the Atlanta youth who died from injuries suffered on Lake Lanier in July, will be Friday (July 27), according to media reports. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reported that the services for the son of Usher's ex-wife will be Friday at 11 a.m. at the Weiuca Road Baptist Church on Peachtree Road in Buckhead. Glover, 11, and a teenage friend were in an inner tube being pulled on a boat when they were hit by a personal watercraft. Glover suffered severe head injuries, was subsequently declared brain dead and was on life support for two weeks. He died July 21 after reportedly being removed from life support. The Georgia DNR has identified Jeffrey S. Hubbard, a family friend, as the driver of the personal …
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Son of Usher's ex-wife reportedly was removed from life support.
Kile Glover, the son of entertainment superstar Usher's ex-wife, reportedly has died after being removed from life support. According to the Huffington Post, the entertainment website TMZ reported that Glover's mother, Tameka Foster, allegedly made the tough decision after being told that a full recovery was not likely. She is also said to have been unable to pay the medical bills required to keep her son on life support, after the family's insurance company coverage expired. - What is your reaction to Kile Glover's death? Tell us in the comments below. Glover (aka Kyle Glover), 11, was critically injured earlier in July after being hit by a jet ski driven by a family friend. A 15-year-old girl with Glover also was injured. Both were life …
Monday, July 16, 2012
Insurance limits come into play for the son of Usher's ex-wife, critically injured at Lake Lanier in July.
- POLICE & FIRE
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Monday, July 16, 2012
Kile Glover, the son of Usher's ex-wife who was critically injured at Lake Lanier earlier in July, may have to be taken off life support, according to media reports. The entertainment website TMZ has reported that Tameka Raymond will be forced to take her son off life support as early as next month because his insurance coverage is about to expire. - How do you feel about this critical decision? Tell us in the comments below. Citing sources, TMZ reported that Tameka Raymond can only keep her son, 11, on life-support as long as her insurance company agrees to pay, otherwise she doesn't have the funds to cover the enormous hospital bills. He has been on life support since a July 6 accident that also injured a female friend, 15. A family …
John Hanekamp
4:19 am on Friday, April 5, 2013
Almost positive Marty was born in August of 1965 more ›