Local News

Two 40-foot long shipping containers give Shirley Dillard the space to store items for people and families in need. They’re located behind the Sheriff’s Office. (ANDY JOHNSTON/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

Two 40-foot long shipping containers give Shirley Dillard the space to store items for people and families in need. They’re located behind the Sheriff’s Office. (ANDY JOHNSTON/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

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Storage containers just what Dillard needed

Julianne Akers
Wednesday, July 26, 2023
Shirley Dillard was posting on Facebook about four years ago, looking for things like refrigerators and couches for families in need, when a member of the community reached out to coordinate donating a storage unit.
New Oglethorpe County Library Branch Manager Katherine Ratcliffe, who was born and raised in Oglethorpe County, has written six novels, five feature-length screenplays, numerous TV specs and pilots, and a self-improvement book. (LANDEN TODD/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

New Oglethorpe County Library Branch Manager Katherine Ratcliffe, who was born and raised in Oglethorpe County, has written six novels, five feature-length screenplays, numerous TV specs and pilots, and a self-improvement book. (LANDEN TODD/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

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Ratcliffe prioritizes outreach, education and support at library

Avni Trivedi
Wednesday, July 26, 2023
Katherine Ratcliffe, the new branch manager at the Oglethorpe County Library, said she believes the library isn’t just a place to read and check-out books. It can be a place for endless possibilities to foster education and creativity.
The Oglethorpe County Board of Education’s Susan Robinson (from left), Tim Poole, Beverley Levine, Becky Soto and Jake Willcox meet on July 20. They selected Guillermo Camacho to fill the vacated District 1 seat. (MCCAIN BRACEWELL/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

The Oglethorpe County Board of Education’s Susan Robinson (from left), Tim Poole, Beverley Levine, Becky Soto and Jake Willcox meet on July 20. They selected Guillermo Camacho to fill the vacated District 1 seat. (MCCAIN BRACEWELL/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

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Camacho selected to fill District 1 BOE seat

McCain Bracewell
Wednesday, July 26, 2023
Guillermo Camacho was selected to fill the District 1 seat on the Oglethorpe County Board of Education at its meeting on July 20.    He replaces Collin Cherry, who resigned from the position on May 23 to pursue the school system’s transportation director position.
Joe Holtzleiter, the outgoing Rotary Club president, hands the gavel to new club president Jean Westmacott earlier this summer. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

Joe Holtzleiter, the outgoing Rotary Club president, hands the gavel to new club president Jean Westmacott earlier this summer. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

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Westmacott plans to expand Rotary’s reach beyond Oglethorpe County

Jesse Wood
Wednesday, July 26, 2023
Jean Westmacott has breathed life into clay countless times, and now plans to do the same with the Oglethorpe County Rotary Club.   Westmacott, a renowned portrait sculptor, was appointed as the Rotary Club’s newest president on July 7.
GARRETT KICKLIGHTER/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO

GARRETT KICKLIGHTER/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO

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Vanguard rep met with heated discussion in Wilkes

Garrett Kicklighter
Wednesday, July 26, 2023
Vanguard Renewables Development Manager Nic Cunha’s presentation about a proposed anaerobic digester in Wilkes County led to a heated discussion at a meeting at the McGill-Woodruff Agricultural Center in Washington on July 18.
Taylor McGreavy (from left), Justin Loggins, J.T. Mathews, Audrey Green, Devyn Patrick, Jayden McGreavy, Jaxson Blocker, Rebecca Jones, Mae Mathews, McKinley Grimes, Eli Patton, Haleigh Baker and Kiley Paul took part in a kayaking trip. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

Taylor McGreavy (from left), Justin Loggins, J.T. Mathews, Audrey Green, Devyn Patrick, Jayden McGreavy, Jaxson Blocker, Rebecca Jones, Mae Mathews, McKinley Grimes, Eli Patton, Haleigh Baker and Kiley Paul took part in a kayaking trip. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

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Fun-filled summer for 4-H students

McCain Bracewell
Thursday, July 20, 2023
Oglethorpe County 4-Hers have traveled to the North Georgia Wildlife Park and Safari, kayaked down the Broad River, cooked horse treats to feed horses at Echo Hills and toured the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry.    But the fun’s not done.
(DESTINY HARTWELL, DEANTHONY MOORE/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

(DESTINY HARTWELL, DEANTHONY MOORE/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

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CASA volunteers fill gap as advocates for children

Destiny Hartwell and DeAnthony Moore
Thursday, July 20, 2023
Chuck Taylor uses one word to describe the CASA program in Oglethorpe County — ameliorate.   “(It) means to make bad better,” the CASA program coordinator said. “Foster care is bad, but the cost of volunteers makes it better.
Construction equipment sits at one of the construction sites on Bunker Hill Road, near the intersection of Highway 78, in Crawford last week. Crawford Village, a multi-use development, and The Pines at Grove Creek are being built. (LANDEN TODD/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

Construction equipment sits at one of the construction sites on Bunker Hill Road, near the intersection of Highway 78, in Crawford last week. Crawford Village, a multi-use development, and The Pines at Grove Creek are being built. (LANDEN TODD/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

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Crawford Village stays on five-year time frame

Julianne Akers
Thursday, July 20, 2023
Crawford Village, the mixed-use development at the intersection of Bunker Hill Road and Highway 78 expected to house hundreds, is on track with the loose timeline Patriot Construction set in place last year.    “We’re just working on it as we have time.
The Muscadines of Oglethorpe, which were discovered on Lewis Sanders’ property in Stephens in 1994, are on display at the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville, Georgia. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

The Muscadines of Oglethorpe, which were discovered on Lewis Sanders’ property in Stephens in 1994, are on display at the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville, Georgia. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

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Dazzling display: The Muscadines of Oglethorpe, the state’s largest amethyst cluster, were dug from the ground in Stephens

Avni Trivedi
Thursday, July 20, 2023
When Lewis Sanders received a letter from Chester Karwoski in 1994, inquiring about digging up parts of his farm in Stephens for crystals, he didn’t have high expectations they would find much.