Entries by Walter Geiger

Butler is golf phenom

Posted by

in Sports

Wednesday, June 20. 2018

Young Ves Butler, 9, comes from a long line of golfers that includes his father Rob who played at UGA. Ves is playing his first season in the U.S. Kids Golf Series this summer. On June 7, he shot one under over nine holes at Stone Mountain Golf Club to win his age group.

He was second in a field of 35 in a Drive, Chip & Putt competition June 14 at Lane Creek in Athens. That qualified him for a sub-region tourney at The Landings in Savannah next month. The finals will be held at The Masters next spring.

Ves is the son of Rob and Amy Butler of Atlanta; and the grandson of Linda and Dan Rainey and the late Bobby Butler of Barnesville and the late Ford Miller of Newnan.

Man who terrorized community with multiple bomb threats paroled

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Headlines

Wednesday, June 20. 2018

By Walter Geiger

A local man who terrorized the community by calling in multiple bomb threats to local businesses on May 15, 2016 has been released on parole after serving just over a year of a three-year prison sentence.

Lagarrious Quintae World, 28, was paroled June 12. While on parole, he will live with a family member, Sammy World, at 101 Grove Street in Barnesville.
[Full Story »]

Grammar

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Opinion

Wednesday, June 20. 2018

Though they are in storage now, the little signs that trigger my dismay will be back out soon as the General Primary runoff approaches. The wording on the signs does not approach good grammar.

They read ‘Advanced Voting’ and, yes, we have been through this before in this space. ‘Advanced’ voting would indicate some sort of new form of casting ballots that is in some way ‘advanced’ over the previous method. It could be bigger font sizes on the ballot, new technology or even massage chairs to sit in while casting your vote.
[Full Story »]

Police report

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Crime and Arrests

Wednesday, June 20. 2018

Between Monday, June 4 and Monday, June 18 the Barnesville Police Department made the following arrests: [Full Story »]

City issues discolored water notice

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Top Stories

Wednesday, June 20. 2018

From Niki Sappington, City of Barnesville

The current frequency and length of discolored water incidents throughout the City of Barnesville’s distribution system has been caused by the higher than normal rainfall the City has experienced in the past two months.

The heavy rainfall has caused the contents of City Pond to experience a higher consistency of the chemical element manganese (Mn). Manganese is a naturally occurring element in rocks and minerals that under normal conditions settles at the bottom of bodies of water.

Disturbances of the pond by heavy rains and a possible turn-over have caused manganese to be more thoroughly mixed in the pond and it is entering the City’s distribution system. The presence of manganese itself does not discolor the water so the water is completely clear when it leaves the treatment plant. However, as the water is distributed through the City in the distribution system, the manganese oxidizes. The oxidized manganese discolors the water and the discoloration can range from yellow to darker brown.

To deal with these occurrences in the short-term, the City will go to affected areas and flush the hydrants to let the discolored water flow out of the system. If there are incidents in your area, contact City Hall at 770-358-0181.

It is important to note that even though the water is discolored it is still completely safe for normal use and the manganese levels in the system are well below any health related limits.
[Full Story »]

Updated: Patchwork fix in place but tax office still plagued by connectivity issues

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Features

Tuesday, June 19. 2018

Updated: 9 hours ago

Comments (2)

As of 11 a.m. Monday, the internet connection at the Lamar County tax commissioner's office is back up and running through a patchwork arrangement.

It will take two more weeks to reach full connectivity.

"We are able to serve our citizens again but it is still very slow and we ask for more patience. We have no credit card machines or e-mail so customers have to bring a check or cash," tax commissioner Andrea Anthony reported Tuesday morning.

An IT team was busy at the tax commissioner’s office Monday working to fix an internet connectivity outage that had stretched to 10 days.

A lightning strike wreaked havoc with the patchwork system at the office on Hwy. 36 West. The subsequent chain of unfortunate events points out the critical lack of broadband access in rural areas.

The tax office was initially built for the county water authority. At that time, it had DSL service. When the tax office moved there, the county attempted to reinstate DSL only to be told by AT&T that the circuit was full and no service was available.

Residents all over the county have heard the same song and dance. [Full Story »]

Sheriff's report

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Arrests

Tuesday, June 19. 2018

Between Friday, June 8 and Thursday, June 14 the following were processed through the Lamar County jail: [Full Story »]

DNR rangers survive close call on river

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Top Stories

Friday, June 15. 2018

By Walter Geiger

Heavy rains lead to heavy runoff and raging rivers and creeks. Despite the danger, people are drawn to the rapidly-moving water. Two teenagers in Oconee County died last week when they ran afoul of a rain-swollen creek and drowned.

Local DNR Rangers Keith Page of Barnesville and Cpl. Wil Smith, a native of Milner, survived their own experience with high water May 23.

The long day started when a deputy spotted a capsized boat in the Flint River from the Hwy. 128 bridge which connects Crawford and Taylor counties. “There had been three days of heavy rain and the river was running high,” Page reported.

Smith got the call for help and alerted Page who picked up a DNR river patrol boat from his residence. Page met Smith at the scene at about 2 p.m. and they donned their swift water gear. A state patrol helicopter was on station above the river to direct them to the capsized craft.
[Full Story »]

Three generations, 120 years of barbering

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Headlines

Friday, June 15. 2018

By Walter Geiger

Billy Bankston Sr. opened Bankston’s Barber Shop in downtown Barnesville in 1938 at the age of 20. He had been aged beyond his years in the Army where he survived in the harsh conditions at the Battle of the Bulge during World War II.

“Daddy always said he made it through because he had grown up in the woods, hunting day and night. He knew to keep his head down,” Billy Jr. said. Billy Jr. went to barber school and went to work in his dad’s shop as an apprentice at age 16. He had good reason. Gordon Military had 900 cadets and they all had to have haircuts once a week.
[Full Story »]

Wimberly visitation is tonight; funeral Saturday at FAC

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Top Stories

Friday, June 15. 2018

Visitation for Coach Oscar Wimberly will be held tonight from 5-9 p.m. at Trice Funeral Home. Wimberly, a local legend, died June 5. He was 84.

Funeral services will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Fine Arts Center. Rev. Craig Ogletree, one of Wimberly's former players, will officiate. Burial with full military honors will follow at Greenwood Cemetery.

Wimberly is survived by a son, Jamall (Jennifer) of Moreland; two grandchildren and three brothers.

Oscar Wimberly

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Death Notices, Obituaries

Friday, June 15. 2018

Oscar Lewis Wimberly, 84, of 152 12th Street, Barnesville transitioned on June 5, 2018 at Wellstar Griffin Spalding Regional Hospital. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, June 16 at Lamar Fine Arts Building 100 Burnette Rd., Barnesville, GA 30204. [Full Story »]

Favorite Recipes of Lamar County Women

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Food

Thursday, June 14. 2018

This week we present the 18th page of recipes compiled by members of the Extension Home Economics Club in 1970. This week’s page includes recipes for Ambrosia Salad, Beet Salad and Chicken Salad Mold.

We would like to thank Betty Perkins for submitting the recipe book.

To view the full page click the PDF below. [Full Story »]

Freya Wilson

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Death Notices, Obituaries

Thursday, June 14. 2018

Little Miss Freya Elizabeth Wade Wilson, of Barnesville, Georgia, passed away on Saturday, June 9, 2018 at Northside Hospital. [Full Story »]

Updated: 'Sharp Objects' slays audience at ATX Festival

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Top Stories

Wednesday, June 13. 2018

Updated: 7 days ago

HBO's series "Sharp Objects' which was filmed in large part here last summer, opened the ATX Television Festival in Austin June 7 and drew rave reviews.

After the screening, cast and crew conducted a panel discussion.

This report comes from HBO's Ashley Morton...

The show’s creators, and executive producer and star Amy Adams, sat down at ATX Festival to explain why a limited series was the only option for Gillian Flynn’s dark novel.

“You’ve seen nothing tonight,” director Jean-Marc Vallée told the audience at ATX Television Festival’s world premiere of Sharp Objects. The audience laughed, understanding they had seen only the first episode of the dark new series, and journalist Camille Preaker’s journey would only get more intense.

Joining Vallée post-screening was executive producer and star Amy Adams, writer Gillian Flynn, showrunner Marti Noxon, executive producer Jason Blum, executive producer Pancho Mansfield, and Executive Vice President of HBO Programming David Levine. The talk was moderated by Bill Keith, from Entertainment Weekly, where Flynn herself was working when she wrote the series’ source material, a novel of the same title.
[Full Story »]

Two Years, Ten Years Apart

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Opinion

Wednesday, June 13. 2018

By Mike Ruffin

My Good Wife and I had the very good fortune of visiting the Newseum in Washington D.C. a couple of weeks ago. The Newseum is exactly what its name indicates: a museum of news. According to its website, “The mission of the Newseum … is to increase public understanding of the importance of a free press and the First Amendment. Visitors experience the story of news, the role of a free press in major events in history, and how the core freedoms of the First Amendment — religion, speech, press, assembly and petition — apply to their lives.” I highly recommend that you visit it.
[Full Story »]