Entries by Walter Geiger

Governor Nathan Deal has declared a state of emergency for more than 90 Georgia counties which now includes Lamar. [Full Story »] 

Lamar County Schools will be closed Monday and Tuesday of next week (Sept. 11,12) for all students and staff members with a possible exception for some maintenance staff. [Full Story »] 

Several ceremonies were planned for 9/11,Patriot Day, to honor the heroes an victims of the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001 but were cancelled due to weather brought by Hurricane Irma. [Full Story »] 

Barnesville's transformation over the summer into Wind Gap may have been prophetic as the vast majority of the Hurricane Irma tracking data from early Friday morning brings the storm directly over our area.

GRAND JURORS: Those summoned for duty on the Lamar County grand jury and traverse jury Monday and Tuesday need not report until Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. Watch for further developments on this.

Chamber officials have canceled the Buggy Days Almost Anything Goes and Kids Night events that were set for Tuesday evening here.

Gordon State College is shutting down at noon today and will be closed Monday and Tuesday. A lengthier shutdown of the campus is possible.

UPDATE: LAMAR COUNTY SCHOOLS WILL BE CLOSED MONDAY AND TUESDAY. St. George's in Milner will close Monday but has deferred any decision on Tuesday classes.

UPDATE 2: STATEMENT FROM SRE:

Southern Rivers Energy is closely monitoring the path of Hurricane Irma and contingency plans are in place. Trucks and materials are stocked and our crews are ready to respond to outages. Rest assured we are prepared but we urge our members and the community as a whole to take this seriously and have a plan in place in the event that Irma causes extensive damage and widespread outages.

We will release a schedule for providing updates to the media the membership on Monday after we have a better idea of how our territory will be affected. SRE members need to save the Outage Hotline in their phones and use it to report outages or downed power lines: 866-244-4890. Please stay away from any downed power lines or trees/limbs that are touching them. We appreciate everyone’s support and cooperation as we brace for Hurricane Irma.

************

UPDATE 3: All Lamar County government offices will be closed Monday and Tuesday.

••••••••••••••

Irma is a large, dangerous storm. Though it is likely to weaken before it gets this far, it may still cause problems.

Rain will roll in here late Sunday night or very early Monday with just under four inches forecast. Wind speeds will build Monday, with the current forecast topping out with winds of 53 mph. at dusk.

Models can and will change but it is time to take this seriously. Those of us at The Herald Gazette and barnesville.com will be constantly monitoring the situation. Check back often for updates.

As a coastal state, Georgia is at risk for hurricanes that form in the southern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Hurricanes can cause catastrophic damage even hundreds of miles inland, so every resident needs to understand their risks and should plan what to do in the event of an evacuation.

For Georgia's official hurricane guide, go to http://ready.ga.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/GeorgiaGA-HUR-GDE-APRVDHR.pdf [Full Story »] 

Robert Smith Sr., age 86, formerly of Barnesville, Georgia, passed away on Sunday, July 30, 2017 after a long illness in his adopted home of Cleveland, Ohio. Robert is preceded in death by his parents, Lewis and Blanche Walker Smith, three sisters: Fannie Grace Robinson, Bertha Robinson, and Mary Character; and two brothers: Willie James and Albert Lewis. [Full Story »] 

Buggy Days 2017 gets underway Saturday with the Buggy Days beauty pageant featuring the largest number of contestants in recent years.

There will be 128 naturally born females competing in 13 categories ranging from infants to senior citizens. The three youngest divisions – infants, babies and toddlers – have the most contestants. [Full Story »] 

By Mike Ruffin

I wrote some of my deepest secrets on a piece of notebook paper, carefully folded the sheet, placed it in an empty Mason jar, and screwed the lid on tight. I then dug a hole about a foot deep out behind my father’s utility house, placed the jar in the hole, and filled the hole with dirt. My plan was to return to it at some unspecified time in the future to see if my fears had come to pass and if my dreams had come true.

Being ten years old and having homework to do, baseball games to play, clover to lie in, a creek to play in, books to read, baseball cards to collect, Braves games to listen to, a dog to pass the time with, and a bike to ride, I soon forgot all about the jar that was buried in our backyard. [Full Story »] 

By Walter Geiger

Fulfilling a campaign promise, Towaliga circuit district attorney Jonathan Adams has formed a team to launch a cold case investigation into the July 16, 1984 torture murder of Donna Ogletree Johnson. The new probe got underway in earnest Monday.

Adams met with members of the Ogletree family, including Johnson’s sister Becky Peterman, Aug. 18 to discuss his plans. Adams said he intended to bring in a retired investigator with no prior history working the murder to put fresh eyes on the vast but aging case file. [Full Story »] 

Sheriff Brad White reported just before 2:30 p.m. Tuesday that Dan Hamrick has been arrested for false report of a crime.

Hamrick claimed he was robbed Aug. 31 at his place of business, Hamrick's Trading Post on Hwy. 341 South.

More to follow.