Entries by Walter Geiger

Updated: So, did you lose some money?

Posted by

in Top Stories

Monday, December 10. 2018

Updated: 6 hours ago

An amount of cash was found on county property at some point during the period Nov. 28-30. If you can provide details, you may be able to claim your cash.

Call 770-358-5146.

Deraney offers home tour to benefit charities hurt by cancellations

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Features

Saturday, December 8. 2018

Christopher Deraney is opening his elaborately-decorated home at 147 Stafford Avenue in Barnesville for tours to help two charities whose annual holiday events were cancelled.

The home will be open from 1-6 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 16 with a suggested donation of $10. Proceeds will be split between the Women's League and the Dolly Goodpuppy Society. The Women's League had to cancel its annual Holiday Tour of Homes due to a lack of interest from homeowners. The annual Holiday Hustle which benefits Dolly Goodpuppy was cancelled due to weather.

LC grad Pippin Davis in Div. II semifinals

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Sports

Friday, December 7. 2018

Former LC standout Pippin Davis, a redshirt sophomore, is the starting long snapper for the Valdosta State Blazers who battle Notre Dame College of South Euclid, Ohio at noon Saturday in Valdosta In the NCAA Division II semifinals. The game will air on ESPN 3 and the Watch ESPN app.

Davis, who was a standout linebacker/long snapper at LC, wears #49.

A win would propel the Blazers to the Div. II title game Dec. 15 in McKinney, Texas.

Pippin is the son of Pippa Lee and Jay Davis of Barnesville.

Topping out ceremony at new LCHS

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Top Stories

Friday, December 7. 2018

Steelworker Mac Jones attaches the ceremonial last beam at the new LCHS construction site Friday during a topping out ceremony. Three ceremonial beams were affixed. They had been signed by students and faculty at every school, construction workers and those in attendance at the event.

Work on the school is proceeding at a rapid pace. Brick has gone up on the facade in some areas. The ceremonial beams were hung over the front door of the new LCHS gym which promises to be a showplace.

The crew of steelworkers has only a few tasks left at the the site and will be clearing out soon. The new school will open for the start of the 2019-20 school year. Then the Parrish Construction crews will demolish the old high school and build a new practice field where it now stands.

Updated: Could serial killer jailed in Texas be connected to cases here in 1984?

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Headlines

Thursday, December 6. 2018

Updated: 3 days ago

A serial killer now imprisoned in Texas who has confessed to 90 murders across the country has claimed seven kills in Georgia, including one in the Griffin area in 1983-1984. Lamar County has two unsolved crimes from that time period.

Helen Ann Morgan, 26, disappeared on May 16, 1984. Her car was found at the Atlanta airport several days later but not a trace of her has been found since. Donna Ogletree Johnson, 28, was brutally tortured and murdered. Her body was found on a logging road in the Piedmont district on July 16, 1984. [Full Story »]

Updated: Holiday Hustle CANCELLED

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Headlines

Thursday, December 6. 2018

Updated: 4 days ago

UPDATE: This event has been canceled due to inclement weather forecast for Saturday.

The annual Holiday Hustle 5K and fun run will be held here Saturday at Summers Field Park. The colorful gathering, which benefits the Dolly Goodpuppy Society, brings out runners and walkers in all sorts of gear like Santa hats, elf ears and reindeer antlers.

Jingle bells attached to wind suits are routine.

Advance registration is $15 for kids under age 13 and $30 for adults. The 5K uses the same course as the Buggython. The fun run is two laps around the park.

The fun run will begin at 5:30 p.m. wit the 5K following immediately thereafter. For more information, contact Kathy Oxford at 678-877-9532.

Get photos with Santa and help Wyatt, too

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Features

Wednesday, December 5. 2018

Local photographer Donna Flournoy and Akins Farm & Home are teaming up for a photos with Santa benefit for Wyatt Andrews Saturday. For more information, call 770.358.9633.

The defacto national title game

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Opinion

Wednesday, December 5. 2018

This is the best Alabama team ever, they said. That makes it the best college football team ever because Bama is the nation’s elite football school, they said. Tua is the latest incarnation of the greatest player ever, they said. Bama will hang 50 on Georgia, they said.

Alabama did, indeed, defeat Georgia 35-28 in the SEC Championship Game Saturday afternoon in a game they led for exactly one minute and nine seconds. The Dawgs took it to the Tide for much of the game. The Dawgs came to play. The UGA coaching staff - or at least some of them - apparently stayed on the bus.
[Full Story »]

Updated: Angel Tree drive to help foster children ongoing at United Bank

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Top Stories

Wednesday, December 5. 2018

Updated: 5 days ago

The Angel Tree is set up at United Bank in an effort to help provide Christmas gifts for foster children in Lamar County. Each angel on the tree represents one child and the two or three gifts they have requested.

To participate, you just pick an angel, buy the gifts and return the unwrapped items to the bank by Dec. 13. DFCS personnel will pick them up and distribute them to the children.

Updated: FINAL ELECTION RESULTS:

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Headlines

Tuesday, December 4. 2018

Updated: 5 days ago

These are final results for Lamar County only from the Dec. 4 General Primary Runoff.

SECRETARY OF STATE:

Brad Raffensperger (R): 2095
John Barrow (D): 809

PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION:

Chuck Eaton (R): 2048
Lindy Miller (D): 843

Just before 9 p.m. with 64% of votes counted, both Raffensperger and Eaton had large leads statewide as well.

Sheriff's report

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Arrests

Tuesday, December 4. 2018

Between Friday, November 23 and Thursday, November 29 the following were processed through the Lamar County jail: [Full Story »]

Courthouse evacuated due to gas leak

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Top Stories

Monday, December 3. 2018

The Lamar County courthouse was evacuated at 9:45 a.m. Monday after crews installing new heating and air conditioning equipment ran afoul of a gas line. The courthouse was packed for a probate court hearing day. A long criminal trail calendar is to be heard Tuesday.

Capt. Chris Webster of the LCSO, who runs courtroom security, said the probate court hearings were put off until January. He epected courthouse employees to return to their stations when firefighters adequately ventilated the aging building.

William Joel Ham, Jr.

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Obituaries

Friday, November 30. 2018

William Joel Ham Jr. died peacefully at his home on November 29, 2018 in Barnesville, Georgia at the age of 89. He was born in Monroe County, Georgia on July 25, 1929 to the late William Joel (Joe) Ham and Frances Darden Ham.

Mr. Ham grew up in Forsyth, Georgia and attended Mary Persons High School. As a youth he worked for his uncle James Darden in his grocery store and played football for the MP Bulldogs under coach Jim “Slick” Mitchell. After high school Mr. Ham joined the Navy, and served as an aerial photographer on the Coral Sea and the Oriskany, aircraft carriers, for four years. He left the service to work for his uncle’s car dealership in Pembroke, Georgia, and it was there that he met Freida Speir. Bill and Freida were married on July 17, 1955.
[Full Story »]

Voters to decide on Sunday sales, new jail

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Headlines

Friday, November 30. 2018

By Walter Geiger

Lamar County voters will go to the polls March 19, 2019 to decide if package sales of beer and wine will be allowed on Sunday and $15.5 million in bonds are issued for the construction of a new jail.

The county commission agreed to call referendums on both issues at a contentious meeting Nov. 20. [Full Story »]

100 years of loving and sharing

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Top Stories

Friday, November 30. 2018

By Rachel McDaniel

Rochelle Kantner shaped the lives of many young students during her 25 years as a teacher and she recently celebrated her 100th birthday with friends and family at Sunny Grove in Barnesville. She said she was proud of the work she did as a teacher and proud of all her students, including those who became doctors, judges, lawyers and went to college for other careers.

Rochelle was born Nov. 16, 1918 and moved to Barnesville with her husband John in 1951 so he could teach at Gordon Military College and she could teach at Gordon Grammar School. Those who know her well credit her loving and giving nature for her long life.

“We came to Barnesville and lived downtown on Byrd Street. Our very first Sunday in town, we went to First Baptist Church and we never left,” said Rochelle. “We even have a church member who comes here to teach a Sunday school class and last Sunday we had 18 people in class.”

When asked what advice she had for the current generation, she encouraged people to think about what they can do to help others and then figure out the best way to do it.
[Full Story »]