Entries by Walter Geiger

Mrs. Roxie Louise Williams Peugh, age 76 of Barnesville, GA, passed away on Friday, March 27, 2020 at Heritage Inn.

Roxie was born on Monday, August 23, 1943 to the late James Travis Williams and the late Beulah Sanders Williams. She was also preceded in death by her son, Kenneth Karl Green and by her granddaughter, Kendal Harrell. Roxie worked as a waitress at County Kitchen, Ponderosa, and Pastime Grill for many years and was a member of New Life Baptist Church. She loved crafts, watching westerns and crocheting.

Roxie is survived by her husband of 57 years, Melvin Peugh; children and their spouses, Tim & Michelle Peugh, Christopher Peugh, Jodie & Brent Patrick Harrell; grandchildren, Joshua Peugh, Timmy Peugh, Ryan Green, Megan Green, Kaden Harrell, Kayla Harrell; great grandchildren, Zane Walton, Zion Walton, Rebecca Perkins.

A memorial service for Mrs. Roxie Peugh will be announced at a later date.

To sign the online registry or to send a condolence online, please do so at www.williams-westburyfuneralhome.com

Williams-Westbury Funeral Home, 526 College Drive, Barnesville, is serving the Peugh family.

Lamar County remained at three active COVID-19 cases in the Friday evening case count released by DPH. Those numbers were as of about 2:15 p.m.

Georgia has 2130 confirmed cases with 586 hospitalized and 65 dead.

Area counties:

Pike: 0
Upson: 2
Monroe: 3
Butts: 3
Spalding: 11

The COVID-19 death toll for Georgia is now at 56, up by eight since noon.

Lamar held steady at three cases.

Area counties:

Pike: 0
Upson: 0
Butts: 3
Spalding: 11
Monroe: 3

All public schools in Georgia, including those in Lamar County, will remain closed at least until Monday, April 27, by order of Gov. Brian Kemp.

Kemp announced the decision at noon Thursday.

As of 7 p.m. Wednesday, DPH was reporting 1387 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Georgia which have resulted in 47 deaths.

Lamar remains at three cases with Pike at 0. Spalding rose to 10 cases from 5 earlier in the day. Carroll County jumped from 26-50. Monroe County remains at 2 cases.

As commercial labs run more tests, the percentage of those who test positive has risen to just below 25%. DPH lab positives are at 14.5% , according to the latest numbers.

The Lamar County commission voted unanimously Wednesday to declare a state of emergency in the county. The decision was reached at an emergency meeting at 2 p.m. which was live-streamed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The county is under the state of emergency until April 6 at noon.

Restrictions:

•no public gatherings of more than 10 people on county property.
•county personnel will be classified as either 'essential' or 'discretionary'.
•county administrator can expend funds for special and non-budgeted items.
•restaurants closed. they can sell takeout food, including unopened containers of beer and wine if so licensed.
•other closures include fitness centers, pools. social clubs, nail salons, barber and beauty shops.
•gatherings of more than 10 people outside a home or housing unit are prohibited.
•the sheriff's office is tasked with enforcement. the penalty is a $1000 fine, 60 days in jail or both.

The commission also set out its order of succession. Chairman Charles Glass is first followed by vice-chairman Nancy Thrash, who takes over if Glass is incapacitated. In the event Thrash is incapacitated, vice-chairman elect Bennie Horton, the most senior member, will take charge.

UPDATE: City manager David Rose noted the county's ban impacts only the unincorporated areas of the county that do not fall within the city limits of Barnesville and/or Milner. Barnesville has no plans for such a declaration unless ordered by the governor.

Barnesville mayor Peter Banks emphasized the city is following the letter of Gov. Brian Kemp's declaration and all the guidelines established by DPH.

For much more on this story, see the 3.31.20 edition of The Herald Gazette.

Lamar County remains at the corrected number of three confirmed cases as of DPH's report issued at noon Wednesday. Pike is back to zero.

Statewide there are now 1247 confirmed. Of those patients, 40 have died.

Lamar County public works has closed Johnstonville Road in the 1100 block for repair.

This is near the Van Buren/Crawford intersection.

Falsely claiming she had been caring for a relative with coronavirus did not prevent a trip to jail for a local woman suspected of driving under the influence. In fact, the mistruth worsened her situation.

Sgt. Michael Newman and Dep. Hunter Hemphill were dispatched to Sanders Road March 15 to check out a report of a vehicle in the ditch. The driver, 52-year-old Shawn Smith of a Gainer Rd. address in Griffin, told Hemphill she had been caring for her mother who had COVID-19 and ran out of gas. [Full Story »] 

By Walter Geiger

We are in the midst of a pandemic. Coronavirus kills! It will continue to kill. There is only so much we, as individuals, can do.

Yes, we can wash our hands until they are red and raw. Yes, we can stay away from school, church, sporting events, weddings and funerals but, when it comes to actually dealing with this virus, we are at the mercy of government in its various manifestations. Expect even more draconian measures this week - namely a shelter in place order for all Georgians. [Full Story »] 

During this COVID-19 crisis, blood is in desperately short supply and a blood drive scheduled at First United Methodist Church Thursday from 1-6 p.m. will go on with enhanced health precautions in place.

Potential donors will be screened for fever before entering the church fellowship hall. Local drives traditionally have a lot of walk-ins, particularly at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Separating those people could be an issue so donors are asked to make an appointment in advance at redcross.org/blood or by calling 800.733.2767. If you are asked for it, the local code is 'lamar'.

Walk-ins will be accepted but there may be delays. For more information, call the church office at 770.358.1494.

From drive coordinator Charles Glass:

If you are healthy it is safe to give blood, even in these times of crisis. The Red Cross is taking extra precautions to protect donors. All collections sets are sterile (as they have always been). Donors and staff have their temperatures checked before entering the drive. Beds will be 6 ft apart. Extra hand sanitizer is available. Arms are scrubbed with antiseptic swabs. Donor areas will be wiped down before and after each donor. And walk-ins will be limited to prevent crowds of people gathering to wait.

If you are not eligible to give yourself please help us recruit others to donate. There are 15 appointments still open between 3:30pm and 6pm. We need donors to schedule an appointment instead of relying on walk-ins. Or, if your schedule is flexible, you can give me your contact info and we'll keep you on a back-up list in case some of the appointments don't show. If anyone prefers scheduling by phone, or if they want to talk to someone about questions they may have, they can call 1-800-Red Cross.