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The chamber of commerce hosts its annual community awards banquet tonight at Gordon. The winners are:

STAR Student: Chaz Martinez

STAR Teacher: Dr. Michael Drake

Volunteer of the Year: Hedy Cauthen and Linda Akins

Career Woman of the Year: Catina Carter

Law Enforcement Officer of the Year: Katherine Knapp

Britton Cauthen Firefighter of the Year: Tim Jones

Businessperson of the Year: Jimmy and Letha Henry

Citizen of the Year: Andy Bush

The LC Lady Trojans got a game-winning shot from Avian Tyus with just under five seconds left here Friday night and topped Dade County 39-37 in the first round of the GHSA Class AA state basketball tournament. Lamar moves on to the Sweet 16 round and will play at Washington County Thursday at 6 p.m. The Golden Hawks eliminated Brooks County 53-34 in round one.

Coach Adam Ballard’s squad was knocked out in the Sweet 16 round last year by Model.

The sparkling new LC gym will host its first ever basketball state tournament game Friday when the Lady Trojans take on Dade County at 6 p.m.

Adam Ballard's squad is the #2 seed from Region 5AA after stumbling in the region title game last weekend and falling to Bremen 47-42.

Dade comes in at 19-9 overall and 9-5 in region play and is the #3 seed from 7AA.

Tickets for Friday's playoff game are $7.

Already wet ground in the region took four to six inches of rain Feb. 6.

Multiple roads were closed and Possum Trot Road remains impassable. A pipe had to be ordered for that breach and repairs should begin early next week, according to county administrator Sean Townsend.

The situation with the roads forced LC schools to close Friday.

More rain and possible severe weather are headed this way from the west. Any rain that arrives will fall on already saturated ground and flash flooding is a possibility. Be weather alert for the next 24-36 hours.

Lamar County Schools will be closed Friday due to flooding and poor road conditions.

Torrential rains, which dropped up to eight inches of rain in some areas, led to the decision which was made public at 8:40 p.m.

The vast majority of Lamar County’s first responders missed most of the Super Bowl Sunday night dealing with two serious wrecks.

The first occurred at 7:55 p.m. when a 1996 Buick Century driven by William Yeoman was northbound on Ga. Hwy. 7, ran off the road and collided with the rear of a 1997 Ford Truck with a trailer at Shirley’s Surplus. [Full Story »] 

Two serious traffic accidents during the Super Bowl led to a tough night for first responders Sunday.

Just after 8 p.m., a driver northbound on Ga. Hwy. 7 ran off the road and under a trailer at Shirley's Surplus. The driver had to be extricated and lifeflighted to a trauma center. The accident closed the four-lane northbound for about an hour.

First responders were called from that scene to another at the intersection of Fredonia Church Road and Hwy. 41 South where the male driver of a Chrysler 200 apparently pulled out of Fredonia Church Rd. into the path of an eastbound tractor-trailer. A female passenger was removed from the vehicle and taken from the scene by ambulance. The driver was finally removed after an heroic, 45-minute effort by firefighters and lifeflighted.

Both occupants of the Chrysler were unconscious for a time. Their conditions are unknown.

At the height of these responses and when manpower and equipment were at a premium, an ambulance caught fire. Flames coming from beneath the driver's seat put the ambulance out of commission.

For much more on this story, see the 2.4.20 print edition of The Herald Gazette.

DOT crews have finished widening the roadway on Rose Avenue east of its intersection with Veterans Parkway as work to align the turn lanes there nears completion. Temporary striping is also in place.

The new turn lane on the east side is blocked by barrels because sensors to control the traffic light have not yet been placed under the pavement. That work is expected to be done on Monday, Feb. 3, a DOT spokesman said.

Barnesville police have issued a lookout for two black males who brandished handguns while robbing the Red Apple store on Atlanta Street Sunday night.

The men, both wearing hoodies, got away with a undisclosed amount of cash. The store clerk on duty was unharmed.

If you recognize either of the suspects, call BPD at 770-358-1244.

Gordon State College president Dr. Kirk Nooks will deliver his state of the college address Friday, Jan. 31 at 9 a.m. at the nursing building. Dr. Nooks will outline the college’s new strategic plan.

He will also cover enrollment numbers, prospective programs and new initiatives the college is undertaking. [Full Story »] 

Just over a year after it was conceived, grand opening ceremonies will be held at the Barnesville Boys & Girls Club Thursday. A ribbon cutting will take place at 5 p.m. at the new building behind the elementary school campus off Roberta Drive. [Full Story »] 

The local Martin Luther King Day observance will begin at 9 a.m. Monday with a ceremony on the steps of the courthouse. From there, participants will march to East Mt. Sinai Baptist Church on Washington Street for a program. Guest speaker will be Cedric Taylor.

For more information, contact Barbara Minter at 770.358.3914.

A local man convicted here in 2018 on multiple charges stemming from an incident in which he secretly photographed a minor female family member in the shower was denied a new trial Jan. 7. [Full Story »] 

A 32-year-old Milner man was tasered twice Saturday morning, Jan. 11, after fighting with Milner police officer Jerry Rafferzeder following a traffic stop on Ga. Hwy. 7 at the Industrial Road exit. [Full Story »]