Local News

Oglethorpe County Tax Commissioner Dawn Scarborough told the Board of Commissioners on Monday that the county no longer needs the prebilled adhesive decals for mobile homes. The commission approved the agenda item. (Andy Johnston/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Oglethorpe County Tax Commissioner Dawn Scarborough told the Board of Commissioners on Monday that the county no longer needs the prebilled adhesive decals for mobile homes. The commission approved the agenda item. (Andy Johnston/The Oglethorpe Echo)

BOC approves subdivision, zoning changes

Kimberly Thomas
Wednesday, September 10, 2025
The Oglethorpe County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved new rules for subdivisions and zoning changes for the A2 (general agriculture district) at its meeting on Monday night.
Data from the CDC and Georgia DPH shows positive flu cases hitting a peak in January, but cases begin appearing in fall. The CDC recommends getting vaccinated before respiratory virus season officially begins in October. (Hannah Freeman/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Data from the CDC and Georgia DPH shows positive flu cases hitting a peak in January, but cases begin appearing in fall. The CDC recommends getting vaccinated before respiratory virus season officially begins in October. (Hannah Freeman/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Vaccines available as flu season approaches

Hannah Freeman
Wednesday, September 10, 2025
Health officials are encouraging residents to take action as COVID-19 cases slowly climb across Georgia and flu season nears.  Since last October, the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) has documented 9,311 total positive influenza cases statewide.
Tracy Massey smiles while hugging her horse Traveller at her home in Arnoldsville, Georgia, on Aug. 28, 2025. When creating her small business, Gallop and Glaze, Massey was inspired by her love for horses and used Snickers (left) as a model for the horse galloping in the Gallop and Glaze logo. (Photo/Emily Adams)

Tracy Massey smiles while hugging her horse Traveller at her home in Arnoldsville, Georgia, on Aug. 28, 2025. When creating her small business, Gallop and Glaze, Massey was inspired by her love for horses and used Snickers (left) as a model for the horse galloping in the Gallop and Glaze logo. (Photo/Emily Adams)

Massey’s Gallop and Glaze Studio: Where ceramics and horses meet

Emily Adams
Wednesday, September 10, 2025
Tracy Massey married her two favorite things — art and equestrian life — when she started Gallop and Glaze Studio in November 2024. “They try to tell you to kind of go to a little niche, and my niche was the horses,” Massey said. “And so I've been trying to combine and do equestrian art.
Graphic/Sophia Eppley

Graphic/Sophia Eppley

Broadband options continue to expand in county

Sophia Eppley
Wednesday, September 10, 2025
Broadband internet continues to expand in Oglethorpe County with internet service providers Kinetic and Charter Spectrum now offering high-speed internet access in the areas where Paladin Wireless used to operate.
Rubble sits outside of 112 W. Main Street on Sept. 3, 2025 in Lexington, Georgia. The downtown commercial core is a part of Lexington's Downtown Master Plan aimed at revitalizing the city. (Photo/Mia Fishman)

Rubble sits outside of 112 W. Main Street on Sept. 3, 2025 in Lexington, Georgia. The downtown commercial core is a part of Lexington's Downtown Master Plan aimed at revitalizing the city. (Photo/Mia Fishman)

Lexington’s master plan reveals blueprint for revamping notable properties

Mia Fishman
Wednesday, September 10, 2025
 CORRECTION: Information was incorrect about which organization had invested funds into the restoration of the Historic Oglethorpe Jail in the Sept. 11, 2025 print edition of The Oglethorpe Echo. The correct information is in the story below.
Nilah DeLetto-Howard, owner of Honeybee Baking, mixes the ganache and adds the finishing touches to her gluten-free version of Cosmic Brownies in her home kitchen in late August. She started the business in January 2024. (Emily Adams/ The Oglethorpe Echo)

Nilah DeLetto-Howard, owner of Honeybee Baking, mixes the ganache and adds the finishing touches to her gluten-free version of Cosmic Brownies in her home kitchen in late August. She started the business in January 2024. (Emily Adams/ The Oglethorpe Echo)

Microbakery quickly finds sweet success

Grace Burnett
Thursday, September 4, 2025
From gluten-free cinnamon rolls to her Salvadoran quesadilla, everything at Honeybee Baking microbakery is made with intention.
Children learned about dental hygiene at the Oglethorpe County Library Family Health Resource Fair on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. Using a toothbrush and a dry-erase marker, participants cleaned drawings of teeth as a visual lesson in proper care. (Photo/Maura Rutledge)

Children learned about dental hygiene at the Oglethorpe County Library Family Health Resource Fair on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. Using a toothbrush and a dry-erase marker, participants cleaned drawings of teeth as a visual lesson in proper care. (Photo/Maura Rutledge)

Glenn, library help connect residents with resources

Maura Rutledge
Thursday, September 4, 2025
Kendarious Glenn saw the need for health care aid in his hometown and decided to return to Oglethorpe County after furthering his education.
A stone sign marks the entrance of Crawford Cemetery, where the county’s new pauper's plot is located. The county voted in March to buy a plot there. (Katherine Davis/The Oglethorpe Echo)

A stone sign marks the entrance of Crawford Cemetery, where the county’s new pauper's plot is located. The county voted in March to buy a plot there. (Katherine Davis/The Oglethorpe Echo)

County’s new pauper’s plot ensures proper burials

Katherine Davis
Wednesday, September 3, 2025
The Oglethorpe County Board of Commissioners is making sure every county resident will have a place to be laid to rest.  The commissioners unanimously approved $1,000 in March to buy a 200-square-foot cemetery plot to be used for pauper’s burials.
A sign marks the section of road named for Hamilton McWhorter Jr. on Highway 78 heading northwest from Lexington on Aug. 28, 2025. The Oglethorpe County native is remembered for his contributions to Lexington and the county. (Photo/Susanna Johnson)

A sign marks the section of road named for Hamilton McWhorter Jr. on Highway 78 heading northwest from Lexington on Aug. 28, 2025. The Oglethorpe County native is remembered for his contributions to Lexington and the county. (Photo/Susanna Johnson)

Hamilton McWhorter Jr. Highway honors Oglethorpe's unsung hero

Susanna Johnson
Wednesday, September 3, 2025
The road signs on Highway 78 between Crawford and Lexington reading “Hamilton McWhorter Jr. Highway” are hard to miss. But because of McWhorter’s “behind-the-scenes” nature, many may not know the extent of his contributions to Oglethorpe County. Hamilton McWhorter Jr.
Linda Parish and Gina Holloway scrape paint off a cabinet on Aug. 22, 2025 to prepare for First Friday. The cabinet will hold drinks and food for Lexington Market Place's First Friday event on Sept. 5, 2025. (Mia Fishman/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Linda Parish and Gina Holloway scrape paint off a cabinet on Aug. 22, 2025 to prepare for First Friday. The cabinet will hold drinks and food for Lexington Market Place's First Friday event on Sept. 5, 2025. (Mia Fishman/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Lexington Market Place seeks to revitalize downtown with First Friday event

Ansley Gavlak
Wednesday, September 3, 2025
Over the years, downtown Lexington has shifted from a stop-and-shop town to a community many simply drive through.   But local business owners want the charm that Main Street once had to return — and that effort begins this week with First Friday.