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2 p.m. UPDATE from Erin Cook:

We have 1929 members without power now and an additional 6 crews from fellow co-ops in Alabama will be here this afternoon for a total of 25 extra crew members to assist with restoration efforts.

Wind gusts are snapping limbs and trees and taking down power lines. We're dealing with broken poles and downed lines throughout our system. This is shaping up to be a multi-day event and we are asking for patience and cooperation as we work toward safely restoring power for all our members. Please continue to use the outage hotline for outage reporting: 1-866-244-4890.
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As of 10:22 a.m. we have 1508 members without power across parts of Meriwether, Pike, Lamar and Monroe counties. We already have two broken poles which are time consuming to replace. The ground is so heavily saturated from all the rain we had leading up to the ice that the trees have become top heavy with all the ice that has accumulated and the wind is literally uprooting trees that are then tearing down our lines. It is typical in ice storms like this for crews to spend hours replacing a broken pole and repairing a line only to have it torn down again from another tree or limb just minutes after they get it restored.

We have additional help on the way and urge our members to call the new outage hotline: 1-866-244-4890 to make sure their outage is reported. Posting an outage on Facebook is not a guarantee that it will be reported in a timely manner because Facebook is not manned 24-7. We encourage members to be prepared for extended outages, meaning it could take several days to completely restore power depending on the extent of the damage to our system. Current outages can be viewed live on our website at: http://68.208.12.169:82/ and updates will also be posted on Facebook and Twitter throughout the day.

-Erin Cook, SRE

City of Barnesville officials are expecting conditions equal to - or more severe than - the worst ever ice storm here over the next 24-36 hours.

Power outages are virtually a given.

Be forewarned. Be prepared. Plan accordingly.
[Full Story »] 

One man is in jail and another remains on the run and considered armed and dangerous following a drive-by shooting. [Full Story »] 

The 8th annual Dad-Daughter Dance, sponsored by First United Methodist Church of Barnesville, will be held Saturday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. at the Barnesville Civic Center.

Tickets are $5 and include a flower and refreshments. Tickets may be purchased at the church office, Goggans Florist or the E.P. Roberts Center. Come early for photos by Reflections Photography.

For more information, call 770.358.1494.

The Lamar County Board of Education has posted its school superintendent position as being open and has hired a consulting firm to screen candidates. [Full Story »] 

Teresa Ann McCoy, 52, of 109 Pine St. in Yatesville has been starving horses - one to death. [Full Story »] 

An unidentified man was lifeflighted Sunday night following a drive-by shooting incident. [Full Story »] 

Lamar County garbage pickup service is running about a day behind because of icy roads and low temperatures, Lamar County Regional Solid Waste Authority director Johnny Poore said.

He advised residents to put out trash cans on their regular pickup day, noting it might be collected the next day, "but it will be picked up." The trash trucks had to be called in last Tuesday evening but started back to work Thursday about 10 a.m.

"We'll have everything picked up by Saturday," Poore noted. "Dependable Waste has put on extra trucks to handle the missed pickups."

School superintendent Dr. Bill Truby reports Lamar schools are open Friday, clearing up conflicting reports elsewhere.

Spalding County schools are closed.

SGES in Milner will be open.

Georgia DOT urges motorists to stay off the roadways. Hazardous driving conditions continue throughout Georgia. Department of Transportation crews are active throughout affected areas but Georgia DOT is urging motorists to stay off of highways as conditions are likely to continue to deteriorate until both the sun and temperatures rise. The Department advises the public to refrain from all but absolutely necessary travel until midday at the earliest.

Traffic has hampered Georgia DOT crews from treating the roads and clearing incidents; Department officials are hopeful minimal traffic Wednesday will allow for a full recovery. GDOT crews are spreading a salt/rock mixture on all bridges and road surfaces.

Currently classified as temporarily unpassable are Interstate 75 NB near Rumble Road in Monroe County; Interstate 75 NB/SB between mile markers 197 and 207 in Butts and Lamar Counties, SR 155 at SR 42 in Henry County. Crews are working all locations.

The Department continues to ask the public to stay off the roadways until midday Wednesday at the earliest. Traffic could impede the ability of GDOT crews to reach areas that need to be treated. Motorists who must travel should be extremely cautious. Slow down considerably; allow extra distance between yourself and other vehicles, maintain a steady speed; avoid lane changing and sudden acceleration or braking.

Crews are working throughout West Central Georgia. These following locations are hazardous, icing has been reported and crews are working in these areas:
· Interstate Highway 75 in Bibb, Peach and Butts counties;
· Interstate Highway 85 and I-185 in Troup, Muscogee and Harris counties;
· Interstate Highway 85 and State Routes 154, 16 and 34 in Coweta County;
· Interstate Highway 75 and State Routes 3, 19/41, 20, 74, 138, 155, 920 and 42 in Henry County;
· Interstate Highway 75 and State Routes 16, 3,362 and 92 in Spalding County;
· State Routes 92, 279 and 85 in Fayette County;
· State Route 137 in Taylor County;
· State Routes 116,354 and 190 in Harris;
· State Routes 27 and 190 in Meriwether County;
· State Routes 1, 22 and 219 in Troup.

Motorists should not pass a DOT dump truck spreading the salt/stone mixture, as stones may get kicked up at their cars and could break windshields. Please follow at least 100 feet behind DOT vehicles and never pass a Georgia DOT, contractor or local government truck treating the road.

Georgia DOT urges travelers to exercise caution and call 511 for updated information on roadway conditions before getting on the road during a winter weather event. Georgia 511 is a free phone service that provides real-time traffic and travel information statewide, including winter weather closures, reports of icing or other hazardous conditions on interstates and state routes. Callers also can transfer to operators to request assistance or report incidents 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

By Sherri Ellington

The way has been cleared for Lamar County to put a 100 foot radio tower at the new fire station, improving communications for public safety personnel and eventually helping to provide internet service to citizens. [Full Story »] 

Barnesville police investigators are looking into allegations by a 23-year-old Brown St. woman that she was robbed a gunpoint. [Full Story »]