Woman falls to death while hiking with family in Georgia
A family hike in North Georgia ended in tragedy when a Cartersville woman died after falling from Yonah Mountain on Tuesday. Jennifer Randel, 46, was hiking with her husband and young son when Randel fell more than 300 feet off the top of Yonah Mountain.
Randel was an experienced hiker who had climbed the mountain many times, friends say. Still, Randel is the third person to die from a fall from the mountain in 15 years. “It’s a very dangerous place, especially when there’s moisture on the rocks” said White County Public Safety Director David Murphy. “We expect some of that moisture may have led to this accident yesterday, the slippery conditions.”
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation will celebrate Zero Waste Day
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) will celebrate Zero Waste Day for the first time on Oct. 27. The day will raise awareness about waste in Tennessee and educate citizens on actions they can take to reduce it, the department said in a press release.
In 2018, Tennesseans produced 8.1 million tons of waste, which amounted to 6.56 pounds of waste generated per person per day. This is higher than the national average of 4.51 pounds of waste per person per day. “Now is the time for Tennessee to reconsider the way we think about waste,” TDEC Commissioner David Salyers said. “[We] encourage Tennesseans to focus on reducing their waste by being aware of where it comes from and where it is going.”
Eight cactuses vandalized in Saguaro National Park
Park officials at Saguaro National Park are asking for the public’s help identifying the vandals that slashed eight saguaro, prickly pear and cholla cacti in the park last Saturday. The ages of the damaged cacti ranged from about 30 years old to 150 years old, park spokesperson Andy Fisher said.
Rangers are asking anyone who visited the Scenic Trail, Passey Loop Trail or the Scenic Drive Trailhead around Oct. 3 to share any information they may have about the incident.
Photo: Yonah Mountain – Getty – by SeanPavonePhoto
