Headlines

By Walter Geiger

The case against 50-year-old Don Merritt is similar to many others that arise out of early morning traffic stops except for one thing. Merritt was carrying cash - lots of cash. [Full Story »] 

A woman was lifeflighted to an area trauma center Thursday afternoon after a single car crash on Grove Street.

UPDATE: The driver, Mindy Jai Howard, was in stable condition at the Medical Center in Macon as of 2:30 p.m. Monday. [Full Story »] 

Locals are asked to rally around longtime Lamar Sheriff’s Office employee Sgt. Sylvia Pye who is battling Stage 3 esophageal cancer. A Benefit Ride will be held for Sgt. Pye Saturday, Aug. 27 starting with registration at 9 a.m. at the Lamar County Sheriff’s Office. The benefit event will include a poker run, raffle prizes, door prizes, lunch, entertainment and family fun. [Full Story »] 

Ronnie Lamarr Blankenship, 58, of 327 Bishop Road in Meansville has been charged with molesting a seven-year-old girl, according to Upson County sheriff Dan Kilgore. [Full Story »] 

Missy Kendrick, executive director of the Barnesville-Lamar County Industrial Development Authority, has resigned her position.

Kendrick has accepted a similar position in Rockmart, Polk County in north Georgia.

She will be leaving in the next 30 days or so.

Kendrick has headed up the local IDA for 11 years. She is an active member of First United Methodist Church and sings in the church choir. She was elected president of the Barnesville Rotary Club last month. [Full Story »] 

A Lamar County couple entered guilty pleas in Bristol County superior court in Connecticut last week as part of a plea deal and avoided the auto theft charges that were originally filed against them. [Full Story »] 

An SUV crossed the center line on Hwy. 18 near The Cedars golf course just after 3 p.m. Sunday and struck a motorcycle. The operator of the motorcycle was dead at the scene in Pike County.

PCSO traffic investigators worked the accident. The name of the deceased is not being released pending notification of the family.

The investigation will continue as blood samples were taken and will be submitted to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime lab for toxicology analysis.

UPDATE: The victim in this crash has been identified as Roger Howard Roach, 67, of Senoia.

New Trojan head coach Bryan Love says his players are excited about the new spread offense he and his staff are installing. Trojan fans can get a first glimpse of that offense Friday night at Trojan Field at a 6 p.m. scrimmage. Admission is $5.

Coach Love also went into some detail how his former Wing-T personnel are being deployed in the new spread attack. [Full Story »]