Criminal Defense Attorney in Pooler, GA.

POOLER, Ga. (WTOC) - A second medical cannabis dispensary is set to open on Wednesday after becoming legal recently.

As final preparations are made, Botanical Sciences medical cannabis dispensary is almost ready for business in Pooler.

“Our entire journey is about how do we get this medicinal treatment to the patients in the state of Georgia and this particular region,” Botanical Sciences CEO Gary Long said.

It’ll be the second dispensary in the city, after Trulieve opened its doors earlier this month.

“To have this right here in our city is amazing and I’m glad it’s going to be a service to allow our residents to feel better and get better,” Pooler Councilwoman Karen Williams said.

Long said all products are organic, lab-tested, and state regulated. After the grand opening Wednesday, those products will be more easily available for patients like Cooper King.

Cooper’s dad said the 11-year-old has Dravet Syndrome, which causes seizures and gave him a life expectancy of five to 12 years.

“We used up all of our options. We went to Savannah and talked to every pediatric neurologist there was,” Cooper’s dad, Ryan King said.

Less than a year into Cooper’s life, his dad said it changed forever. And the lack of local options pushed them to try something different - medical cannabis.

“He was just having a rough day and we put drops in his mouth while he was having a seizure, put him back on his side and within 30 seconds, he was out of it,” Ryan King said.

They used it as an emergency option before finding something more accessible, but King said these new dispensaries in Pooler might bring them back to THC treatments. Something he’s been recommending to others since it helped his son.

“He’s led me to places and met up with different families who we can help and that’s the key to life right there,” King said.

Treatments from Botanical Sciences are not typically covered by insurance, but the dispensary will offer free consultations to families, like the Kings, to find what works best for patients, like Cooper.

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POOLER, Ga. (WSAV) — A Pooler restaurant is gaining social media notoriety after announcing that they would be featured on Guy Fieri’s popular food reality show, “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives” this Friday.

Chazito’s Latin Cuisine posted on Facebook that they will be featured on the show this Friday, July 7 at 9:00 p.m. ET.

News 3 reached out to owner Chaz Ortiz to talk about the restaurant’s upcoming appearance, “My food reminds them of home even though we do Latin fusion, We do have some authentic dishes here that give people the remembrance they need of their grandma or their aunt, it feels great. I feel like I’m a part of their family.”

This isn’t the restaurant’s first time appearing on the Food Network — Ortiz represented Chazito’s on Food Network’s “Guy’s Grocery Games” back in 2019.

“That definitely gave me an opening in the food for this,” Ortiz explained. “He came over here and he was great like he was over there. The dude is awesome”

The first Chazito’s first location opened in Pooler in 2016 — They have a main location in Pooler and a food truck that regularly appears at Starland Yard in Savannah.

The restaurant focuses on traditional Puerto Rican food like mofongo, empanadas and much more.

“It’s a mix of truly authentic dishes like the Khan Khan. That’s an insanely huge pork dish. And wonderful things,” one patron said.

As somebody from the Caribbean who grew up eating this type of food– I had to grab a bite for myself.

Ortiz says he truly values the opportunity to give Latin Americans a taste of home with his food.

“When somebody says ‘This tastes like my grandma’s’ — that’s like the highest achievement, you know? I get that here and there and it definitely feels good every time.

Although many local Savannahians know the Chazito’s food truck, the physical location in Pooler will be in the spotlight tomorrow evening.

The restaurant will be hosting a watch party to celebrate its appearance on the show.

Here are the qualified candidates for the Pooler elections on Nov. 7.

The qualifying period for candidates ended Friday afternoon. Residents of Pooler will head to the polls to choose their next mayor and city councilmembers.

Here is the slate of candidates who responded to requests for information or have campaign websites or publicly viewable social media channels.

Pooler

Mayor

Stevie Wall was born and raised in Pooler and has been a resident there his entire life. He has also served on the Pooler City Council for more than 20 years. As mayor, he said his priority is doing what is best for all of Pooler and keeping Pooler quaint and friendly.

Karen Williams served on the Pooler City Council for the past three years and has four generations of family residing in Pooler. Williams is a military wife of over 30 years and used her service to country and local community during her time as a councilmember.

More:Dueling visions for Pooler's future? Mayoral candidates ramp up for November election

City Council

Wesley Bashlor was born and raised in Pooler, and has deep roots in the community, with his family history dating back to as early as the 1950s. Wesley's family is responsible for opening the original produce stand Polk's Plus. His hope is to become part of the plan to enhance and develop the growth of Pooler.

Tom Hutcherson (Incumbent) is the mayor pro-tem of the Pooler City Council. He and his wife relocated to Pooler in 2014, and he has been involved in civic and community activities his entire adult life, believing these experiences and his skill set can help move the city forward.

Aaron C. Higgins (Incumbent) is currently a member of the Pooler City Council. He and his wife moved to Pooler in 2015. Higgins said he is running for office to help the Pooler community in the most hands-on way possible.

Shirlenia Daniel is a candidate for Pooler City Council. As a long-time resident, she faithfully embraces Pooler's rising growth and development while maintaining its rich heritage.

Michae'l Carpenter is a candidate for Pooler City Council. He describes himself as an experienced leader, mentor, husband, father, and community hero. He said he is driven by his passion for service, and is committed to the Pooler community.

Rebecca Benton has served as the mayor of Pooler since 2020 and had previously been on the city council since 2004. The mayor previously mentioned age and back problems influencing her decision to step away from city government.

More:Pooler's Rebecca Benton will be a one-term mayor. Here's why and who she endorsed for the post.

Shannon Black has been a Pooler councilmember since 2010 and has been a resident of Pooler for more than 16 years.

David "Dave" Legasse and his wife are best known in Pooler as the owners of The Salt Table, which they opened 12 years ago, before officially moving to Pooler eight years ago. He said his goal is to ensure a local environment where Pooler residents can enjoy life instead of just paying taxes for the greater growth of the area. He said he plans to use his history of being involved in many different boards and commissions to accomplish that.

John M. Wilcher is currently a city council member and has been a resident of Chatham County his entire life, and has lived in Pooler 18 years. He currently works in law enforcement, and if re-elected he wants to improve the quality of life for Pooler residents while maintaining the small town feel with big city conveniences.

Ruthie Woodard has been a resident of Pooler since 2001, and currently works as a life insurance agent and in revenue integrity for Ensemble Health Partners. Woodard said that growth is good for any city, but healthy growth is maintained by ensuring that taxes, user charges and intergovernmental payments are allocated properly in supporting the city's growth.

Local restaurants across Chatham County will be at the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth for a community building event.

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POOLER, Ga. —

The Taste of Pooler returns to the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth tonight at 6 p.m. after a three-year hiatus due to COVID-19.

While the event is already sold out, there will be 20 featured local restaurants from across Chatham County, aiming to build community among neighbors and businesses.

The Pooler Chamber of Commerce says that they were contemplating whether the event should be brought back. However, over a forum sent to restaurants in the area, it was a resounding, "Yes."

"We wanted to bring it back. Pooler has so many restaurants, so many different genres of restaurants," Courtney Rawlins, president and CEO of Pooler Chamber of Commerce, said. "It would just be a shame not to highlight them and tell everybody in Chatham County about them."

Officials of the event hope that this event strengthens a sense of community not only in Pooler, but all across Chatham County, from town staples, to brand new restaurants.

One of the featured local restaurants, PhatGirlz, has only been open for four weeks and gets the chance to showcase their food tonight. Located at the Broughton Market Tanger, they make soul food that they think will keep bringing people back.

"I'm just looking forward to everybody smiling once they taste my food ... and we put a lot of love into it," Chef Willia Dukes, owner of PhatGirlz, said. "I'm eager to meet a lot of different people that are going who don't know about us, who are going to come and experience the taste that we've already been giving out.

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Dukes was a former catering and private chef before opening her restaurant. Family and friends encouraged the chef to open her own place since they were impressed every time they took a bite.

"Everyone would always tell me, 'Oh my god, I wish I could get this on a daily basis.' And once I partnered with some people and I ended up coming here and opening up a brick and mortar, it was very scary at first, but I'm loving it now," Dukes said.

PhatGirlz is one of 20 restaurants to be featured at Taste of Pooler tonight. For more information on the event, follow this link.

Botanical Sciences expects to open its Pooler dispensary by early July.

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CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga. —

Two medical cannabis dispensaries are set to open in Pooler this year. This comes after the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission voted to issue the state’s first five dispensing licenses to Botanical Sciences LLC and Trulieve GA Inc.

"We've been working very closely with the state for quite some time, as you can imagine, through the process. So, we were very excited coming out of the commission meeting that they had authorized our dispensaries," said Botanical Sciences CEO Gary Long.

Long told WJCL 22 News Botanical Sciences expects to open its Pooler location by early July.

"We've been working very diligently for quite some time as you can imagine preparing for this date and it's come, so we're so excited."

In order to enter the dispensary, people will need to be on the Department of Public Health's Low-THC Oil Patient Registry and have a Low THC Oil Identification Card. Long said if a customer has that, they'll be greeted by workers and will be guided to the right product(s) for them.

"Once they do enter, they will find a very inviting space, one where they will be greeted by a patient consultant that will engage them specifically about the disease that they are there to address symptoms they are trying to get relief from," Long said. "Through that consultation process, we will then walk them through the options available to them and help them decide on the right ratio to THC and connection with other cannabinoids to achieve the desired effect as part of their therapy."

Long said this is just the beginning for Botanical Sciences. He said the Glennville-based company has plans to open up even more dispensaries in the future.

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"What we have received authorization for is two licenses right now of the six we've been granted, so the first two will be in Pooler and in Cobb County right outside Metro Atlanta and then we'll be locating other dispensaries in and around the Atlanta Metro area and in other population centers around the state," Long said.

Trulieve has not yet said exactly when its Pooler location will open, but it has already opened locations in Macon and Marietta.

In order to get a Low THC Oil Card, people need to consult their doctor. If approved, the patient's information will be entered into a registry and a card will be issued. According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, those cards are good for two years.

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