Headlines

A multi-vehicle accident near the Veterans Parkway-Grove Street intersection snarled traffic on the four-lane for about an hour Saturday evening.

An Ellenwood man pulled out of Reliable Mart in the truck pictured above onto Veterans Parkway and tried to cross the median into the northbound lane on Veterans Parkway.

The truck was struck by several other vehicles and the driver was ejected. He was lifeflighted to the Macon Medical Center - Navicent Health. Several others were injured but none of those injuries was thought to be life-threatening.

The highway reopened at 6:20 p.m.

With the referendum on a $15.5 million bond issue for the construction of a new jail just three weeks out, the Lamar County commission reviewed financials on operational and maintenance costs at the current facility last week.

The current jail was built in 1992 with room for 152 inmates. At that time, the sheriff’s office staff was 26. It is nearly twice that now. Many administrators are housed in a remodeled mobile home hear the jail.
[Full Story »] 

As part of an attempt to gather input from citizens in its service area, Gordon State College has been hosting a series of listening sessions.

The local installment is set for Tuesday, March 5 at 4:30 p.m. in room 123 of the nursing building on campus. The public is invited to attend and offer insight and suggestions.

Those on hand to hear from citizens will be GSC president Dr. Kirk Nooks, Barnesville mayor Peter Banks and county commission chairman Charles Glass.

For more information, contact LaSha Sanders at 678-359-5015.

Gordon State College president Dr. Kirk Nooks will be the keynote speaker Saturday, Feb. 23 at the NAACP Black History Month Prayer Breakfast.

The event will begin at 9 a.m. at the civic center. Tickets are $5.

For more information, contact Dorothy Carter at 770-358-7660.

Early voting begins Monday on referendums on the construction of a new jail and Sunday sales of beer and wine in the county. Advance ballots may be cast daily at the elections board office in the courthouse annex from 8 a.m. 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. - 5 p.m.

The early voting period runs through March 15. Saturday voting will be available on March 9 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Election day is March 19 when polling places throughout the county will be open from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. The voter registration period has expired.

If the voters approve, package sales of beer and wine would be allowed in licensed retail establishments from 12:30 -11:30 p.m. on Sundays.

If the jail vote passes, the county commission will be authorized to issue up to $15.5 million in general obligation bonds to fund the construction of a new jail. The new facility would be built on the site of the current rodeo arena adjacent to the current, outdated jail.

For more information or to request an absentee ballot, call the elections board office at 770-358-5235.

Square Foot Ministries (SFM) and McIntosh Trail are collaborating on the construction of a new counseling center building here. SFM is the same charity that recently built the new Hope Tree food bank building on Carleeta Street.

Possible locations for the center are being scouted and the matter will be taken up by the county commission at a workshop meeting Jan. 14 at noon.

A fundraising drive for the project will begin soon with gift baskets, car washes, etc. For more information, contact Leslie Cantrell at 770-358-8369.

At a called meeting Wednesday, the school board moved quickly to fill its head football coach vacancy by selecting defensive coordinator Jeff Sloan for the job as recommended by outgoing head coach John Flath.

More to follow...

Barnesville police investigators are seeking the man pictured above in connection with the theft of checks and subsequent fraud. He allegedly stole a quantity of checks from a local business and has since attempted to pass some of them elsewhere.

The theft took place on the afternoon of Sunday, Jan .27.

If you have information as to the suspect's identity, contact BPD at 770.358.1244.

Joshua Swatts has been appointed to fill the unexpired term of Susan Byars on the Lamar County Board of Education. Swatts will represent district 3. The school board made the appointment at its regular meeting Monday night. The current term runs through Dec. 31, 2020.

Swatts is a graduate of the local school system. He and his wife Brandi have four children, three of whom are students in the system.

Byars resigned earlier this year, saying she no longer felt she was an effective voice on the board.

John Flath resigned his position as head football coach Thursday morning during a meeting with LCHS principal Dr. David Boland. Flath faced a major rebuilding project when he arrived here prior to the 2017 season and has been a steadying influence on the program which some thought had been in decline after a 2013 appearance in the state championship game.
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The annual Chamber of Commerce community awards banquet is changing venues from the civic center to The Farley Estate on Hwy. 36 East and High Falls Park Rd. The event is set for Thursday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m.

Ashleighanne Andrews will serve as emcee and tickets are $35 each. [Full Story »] 

The government shutdown, which ended for at least thee weeks over the weekend, has resulted in online rumors and the spread of misinformation regarding funding for those receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

SNAP is the current moniker assigned to the nation’s food stamp program.

SNAP benefits are loaded onto electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards which recipients use to buy groceries and other items at stores that accept them. [Full Story »] 

School board members and administrators are still looking at candidates to replace District 3 member Susan Byars who resigned earlier this year. [Full Story »]