Entries by Walter Geiger

Esco hopes to return Buggy Days to its roots

Posted by

in Top Stories

Thursday, August 22. 2019

Dick Esco has come out of retirement to serve as chairman of Buggy Days in hopes of getting the festival back on the right track. Esco headed up the festival for 30 years. “We’re going to do it the way I know how to do it,” Esco said.

Last year’s event was plagued by the premature halting of its signature event, the Buggy Days parade. The chamber of commerce has also taken considerable heat over canceling the highly-popular pig chase. Esco agrees with that move due to liability concerns.

Esco has worked to weed out the ‘Walmart’ vendors and get back to attracting true crafters. There will also be no outside food vendors at this year’s festival. Those booths, limited to local civic, church and other groups, have sold out. “Buggy Days was always the event that made their budgets. We are going back to that,” he said. [Full Story »]

Milner mural completed

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Headlines

Thursday, August 22. 2019

Local artist/astronaut wannabe Andrew Henry finished up his latest project - a mural in downtown Milner - last week. The mural is 31 feet long and almost 11 feet high and painted in Novacolor mural paints from a small company in California.

“The paint gives the vivid colors my murals have. I believe we should see at least six years out of this mural with good color and even more if it is left there to gain that historic faded appearance I enjoy seeing and which seems unavoidable given the consequence of the sun,” Henry said.

The mural adorns the side of the Milner Police Department building.

Transitions

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Opinion

Thursday, August 22. 2019

By Mike Ruffin

Well, the kids have started a new school year.

In my home county of Lamar, the high schoolers are in a brand new facility.

When the Lamar County schools officially consolidated and desegregated in 1970, boys—I think it was the seventh through twelfth grade boys, but it may have been fifth through twelfth— were assigned to the former Booker T. Washington School, which was given the cartographically accurate but historically meaningless name of Forsyth Road School.
[Full Story »]

SRE annual meeting set for Saturday here

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Features

Wednesday, August 21. 2019

Southern Rivers Energy will hold its annual membership meeting Saturday at the cooperative headquarters on Hwy. 341 South here. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. with the business meeting commencing at 10 a.m.

On the agenda are a free health fair along with breakfast, information booths, door prizes and gifts. For more information, call 770-358-1383.

Municipal elections: Crowded field in Milner; incumbents only in Barnesville

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Top Stories

Wednesday, August 21. 2019

Perhaps the largest field of candidates in the history of Milner will battle for four city council seats that are up for grabs in the November general election.

Skip Seda, David Haire and Wayne Inglett will face off in a special election to fill the unexpired term of Roger Samples who is moving out of the city.

Three other seats will be filled by plurality voting. The top three of six qualified candidates will get those slots. They are incumbent Fred Stephens, incumbent Betty Wilson and challengers Regina Stephens, Helen Palacias Jordan, Vickie Smith and Jerry Smith.

Fred Stephens and Regina Stephens are not related. Neither are Vickie Smith and Jerry Smith.

In Barnesville, incumbent mayor Peter Banks and incumbent council members Anne Claxton and Sammie Shropshire qualified but drew no opposition so they will serve another term.

State supreme court upholds conviction, sentence of convicted killer Joshua Cox

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Headlines

Wednesday, August 21. 2019

The Georgia Supreme Court announced Monday it has upheld the murder conviction and life sentence in the case of Joshua James Cox. [Full Story »]

Municipal qualifying update

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Headlines

Tuesday, August 20. 2019

Qualifying for municipal elections in Barnesville and Milner got underway Monday with relatively light action.

The qualifying period runs through Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in both cities.

In Barnesville, incumbent mayor Peter Banks and incumbent council members Anne Claxton (ward 1) and Sammie Shropshire (ward 3) were the only qualifiers as of 1 p.m. Tuesday.

Two candidates, incumbent Fred Stephens and Regina Stephens, qualified in Milner Tuesday. Four council slots are up for grabs there. They are the seats now held by Betty Wilson, Tracey Alford, Fred Stephens and Roger Samples. Alford has decided to resign (see related story) and will not seek reelection in Milner’s plurality voting.

For updates, monitor barnesville.com

Extension offices push pollinator awareness effort

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Features

Tuesday, August 20. 2019

The UGA cooperative extension service in pushing pollinator awareness in August with multiple events on tap.

A session on how to participate in the pollinator count will be held at the Milner library Aug. 20 from 3-4 p.m. Admission is free. For information, call 770-358-5163.

A lunch and learn on pollinator plants is set for the Barnesville library Aug. 23 from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Registration is $10. Call 770-358-5163 for more information.

Guided counts associated with the Great Georgia Pollinator Census will be conducted in both Lamar and Upson counties Aug. 24. The Lamar location has yet to be determined.

Martin gets variance in narrow Milner vote

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Top Stories

Tuesday, August 20. 2019

By Kay S. Pedrotti

Changes in the printed agenda brought to the top three items a second consideration of a variance for Tina Martin to secure a manufactured home to replace her Tom Bell Road dwelling. Councilman George Weldon directed the mayor to change the agenda “to follow the code book, which we have not done.”

According to Weldon, the meeting order should be approval of agenda and minutes, “unfinished business,” reports from city departments and staff, and new business. The variance was listed as the unfinished business because the council did not vote on the matter at a called meeting Aug. 12, when a motion to approve died for lack of a second.

The vote on the variance Monday was 2-1; Betty Wilson and Fred Stephens voted yes, Weldon voted no. The three and mayor Joe Bostick attended; Tracey Alford has resigned and Roger Samples' seat will be filled in the next election in November.
[Full Story »]

Sheriff's report

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Arrests

Tuesday, August 20. 2019

Between Friday, August 9 and Thursday, August 15 the following were processed through the Lamar County jail: [Full Story »]

John Anton Howell

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Obituaries

Saturday, August 17. 2019

John Anton Howell, age 73, passed away Thursday, August 15, 2019 at home in Culloden, GA. He was born in Mobile, AL on August 3, 1946. He graduated from Auburn University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in 1968 and was a member of Delta Chi Fraternity.

In 2008, he retired from Electrical Insulation Suppliers, Inc. in Atlanta after 31 years. During much of his career, he resided in Marietta, GA. He was head coach of Eastside Track Club (now known as Walton Youth Track Club) for several years while his daughters were involved. He remained very involved in his daughters’ athletic endeavors for many more years. After retirement, he moved to Culloden, GA.

Survived by his wife of 47 years, Andrea Reid Howell; daughters, Lane (Wright) Woodall of Barnesville, GA and Lacy (Blake) Alderman of Marietta, GA; grandchildren, Hatch, Scout, and Levi Woodall and Hudson and Jake Alderman; sister, Julia (Stephen) Bird of Davidson, NC; sister-in-law, Peggy Howell of Albuquerque, NM and other family members.

The memorial service will be held at Monroe County Memorial Chapel, 86 W Main St, Forsyth, GA 31029 on Sunday, August 25, 2019 at 2:00pm. The family will greet friends following the service at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Barnesville-Lamar Community Foundation for the Lamar County Animal Shelter Fund at 577 Mulberry St, Suite 1600, Macon, GA 31201.

Monroe County Memorial Chapel has charge of arrangements.

Bank robbed in Griffin

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Headlines

Friday, August 16. 2019

From WKEU radio:

Units of the City of Griffin Police Department, the Spalding County Sheriff's Office and other law enforcement personnel responded to the Griffin branch of Regions Bank, located at 327 West Taylor Street Friday afternoon in response to a call of an armed robbery.

Three suspects reportedly robbed a teller at the bank while brandishing a weapon and fled the scene in a gray Dodge Charger. A high speed pursuit ensued involving numerous other law enforcement agencies which made its way into the northbound lanes of Interstate 75 and along Georgia Highway 20/81 in Henry County.

The pursuit ultimately concluded with the apprehension of the three suspects believed to be involved in the armed robbery.

More information regarding the incident is expected to be released later as the investigation continues.

BBQ sauce bandit off to prison after robbing three banks

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Top Stories

Friday, August 16. 2019

Barnesville’s BBQ sauce bandit, 44-year-old Clifford Terrell, was sentenced to four years in federal prison Aug. 7 for robbing three middle Georgia banks in September 2017. The banks were located in Forsyth, Macon and Columbus. Tellers were threatened with demand notes.
[Full Story »]

Jeff Manley retiring; to be feted at reception on August 22

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Headlines

Thursday, August 15. 2019

Jeff Manley is leaving the Rock Ranch which he has headed up for the Cathey family since 1989. Manley has taken a new position as president of the wholesale foods group at Kelly Products, a multifaceted firm based in Covington.

Manley will be feted at a drop-in retirement reception at Truett’s Barn at The Rock Ranch on Aug. 22 from 4-6 p.m. [Full Story »]

Municipal election qualifying begins Monday

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Features

Thursday, August 15. 2019

Qualifying for municipal elections in Barnesville and Milner begins next week. One mayoral and six city council races will be on ballots Nov. 5.

In Barnesville, incumbent mayor Peter Banks and current council members Anne Claxton (ward 1) and Sammie Shropshire (ward 3) must seek reelection. No one has announced intention to challenge any of the three.

Barnesville candidates may qualify at city hall on Aug. 19 from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. and Aug. 20-21 from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

In Milner, the spots occupied by current council members Betty Wilson, Tracey Alford, Fred Stephens and Roger Samples are up for reelection. Alford reportedly resigned Thursday and will not offer for reelection.

Qualifying in Milner will be conducted at city hall Aug. 19-21 from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.