Local News

Courtesy/Oglethorpe County Fire Rescue

Courtesy/Oglethorpe County Fire Rescue

Vesta FD to separate from other departments

    Station 12 Vesta Volunteer Fire Department formally requested to separate from the Oglethorpe County Fire Rescue at the Board of Commissioners meeting on April 4.
Katherine Lewis/The Oglethorpe Echo

Katherine Lewis/The Oglethorpe Echo

Candidates address sludge, broadband and more

WATCH: Listen to what the candidates have to say about their platforms and why they think you should vote for them this upcoming primary.   The Oglethorpe County Republican Party hosted a Board of Commissioners forum on March 31 at the Oglethorpe County Library.
The Oglethorpe County Student Ambassadors posed for a photo on a recent trip to the state Capitol. Bottom row (from left): Aariana Bell, Cassie Roberts, Juan Delgado, State Rep. Trey Rhodes and Nyah McAphee. Middle (from left): Dale Blalock Sha Eh Paw, Genesis Palma, Araceli Padilla-Graciano, Breanna Crowder, Sydney Sniff and Marilyn Huff-Waller. Top (from left): Dr. Veronica Hunter, Darryl Jackson and Javaun Pittard. (Submitted Photo)

The Oglethorpe County Student Ambassadors posed for a photo on a recent trip to the state Capitol. Bottom row (from left): Aariana Bell, Cassie Roberts, Juan Delgado, State Rep. Trey Rhodes and Nyah McAphee. Middle (from left): Dale Blalock Sha Eh Paw, Genesis Palma, Araceli Padilla-Graciano, Breanna Crowder, Sydney Sniff and Marilyn Huff-Waller. Top (from left): Dr. Veronica Hunter, Darryl Jackson and Javaun Pittard. (Submitted Photo)

OCHS Student Ambassadors on verge of another region title

With less than three weeks left in competition, Oglethorpe County High School Student Ambassadors are looking to make it four in a row.
The Boy Scouts of Oglethorpe County regularly hold their meetings at the Lena Wise Community Center. The Boy Scouts directly benefit from the support for the center. (Submitted Photo)

The Boy Scouts of Oglethorpe County regularly hold their meetings at the Lena Wise Community Center. The Boy Scouts directly benefit from the support for the center. (Submitted Photo)

Lena Wise center to celebrate anniversary

Chip Rosenthal said the Lena Wise Community Center is vital for both Oglethorpe County and the clubs and organizations that use it.    “The role of the center is a home for them because they don’t own a building or have a place,” said Rosenthal, the center’s managing director.
Volunteers dump buckets of food over a fence for pigs at Sweet Olive Farm in Winterville. The farm receives food donations from stores such as Trader Joe's to feed the animals. (Elena Westbury/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Volunteers dump buckets of food over a fence for pigs at Sweet Olive Farm in Winterville. The farm receives food donations from stores such as Trader Joe's to feed the animals. (Elena Westbury/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Sweet Olive Farm a haven for animals, volunteerism

Goats, roosters and pigs roam freely on the hilly terrain as they wait for their morning feed at Sweet Olive Farm.    The Winterville farm, which was founded in 2010, is a nonprofit animal sanctuary known for its life-saving animal rescues and community involvement through volunteerism.
Sabrina Laster/The Oglethorpe Echo

Sabrina Laster/The Oglethorpe Echo

Nouri arms to build community at No. 3 Railroad Street

No. 3 Railroad Street was once a busy general store, combined with a post office, grocery store and clothing company because it sat next to a main railroad line.    Later, in the mid-1980s, it was left empty and unused when the railroad line was shut down and the tracks were torn up.
Jamie Miller/The Oglethorpe Echo

Jamie Miller/The Oglethorpe Echo

Jordan sentenced to life without parole

Robert David Jordan was sentenced to life in prison without parole on March 31 after he was found guilty of murdering his cousin, Jimmy Lee Anglin, a 27-year-old Oglethorpe County resident.
The Oglethorpe Echo

The Oglethorpe Echo

Sheriff’s office receives $40,000 for traffic safety, technical upgrades

The Oglethorpe County Sheriff’s Office received a technology grant and a traffic enforcement grant totaling $40,000 — some of the largest grants received in the past six years — said James Jackson, the Oglethorpe County coroner and E-911 director, and formerly of the Oglethorpe County Sheriff’s...
New EDA chairman Will Brown’s family has been in Oglethorpe County since 1800. (Submitted Photo)

New EDA chairman Will Brown’s family has been in Oglethorpe County since 1800. (Submitted Photo)

Q&A: Broadband, business on EDA chair agenda

Will Brown, the Economic Development Authority’s new chairman, plans to bring the Oglethorpe County business scene to life. Brown takes over from former director Amy Stone who is stepping down, effective April 1.