Local News

OLIVIA SUITE/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO Carrie Hayes (left) and Carrie Hyatt sit together at Maxeys monthly city council meeting on Sept. 8.

OLIVIA SUITE/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO Carrie Hayes (left) and Carrie Hyatt sit together at Maxeys monthly city council meeting on Sept. 8.

The two Carries: A coincidental pair on Maxeys City Council

Olivia Suite
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
In Maxeys, there’s Carrie 1 and Carrie 2. Also known as Carrie Hayes and Carrie Hyatt, both Carries serve as city council members and share a commitment to helping the community they call home.
Superintendent Phillip Powell holds up an Oglethorpe County T-shirt during the Sep. 8 Board of Education meeting. The BOE plans to decide the official colors of the school system at the Oglethorpe County Branding Guide Night on Oct. 5 (Photo/Walker Durham).

Superintendent Phillip Powell holds up an Oglethorpe County T-shirt during the Sep. 8 Board of Education meeting. The BOE plans to decide the official colors of the school system at the Oglethorpe County Branding Guide Night on Oct. 5 (Photo/Walker Durham).

Powell says attendance up at all schools

Walker Durham
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Superintendent Phillip Powell leaned into his priorities of improving attendance and increased community involvement for Oglethorpe County Schools at the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday night. Attendance is up at all schools, Powell said.
Julie Noltensmeier laughing while trying to work in her office at the EMS station on Athens Road on Sept. 3, 2026. Noltensmeier describes EMS as a second family that hangs out and chats while not on call, often causing her to shut her door and put in earbuds when she needs to focus on her work. (SARAH ROPER/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

Julie Noltensmeier laughing while trying to work in her office at the EMS station on Athens Road on Sept. 3, 2026. Noltensmeier describes EMS as a second family that hangs out and chats while not on call, often causing her to shut her door and put in earbuds when she needs to focus on her work. (SARAH ROPER/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

Noltensmeier is ‘mom’ to many at EMS

Sarah Roper
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Although they don’t call her mom, Julie Noltensmeier is the center of Oglethorpe County’s EMS family. Being older than most of her co-workers, she keeps the door to her office open for anyone.
SUBMITTED PHOTO John Hill remembers his friend David John Stewart (pictured) as a quiet, soft-spoken man who “craved” close companionship. He found Stewart’s body on Feb. 25, 2025.

SUBMITTED PHOTO John Hill remembers his friend David John Stewart (pictured) as a quiet, soft-spoken man who “craved” close companionship. He found Stewart’s body on Feb. 25, 2025.

Stewart's friends work through grief from his death

Sarah Owens
Friday, September 4, 2026
Eccentric, kind, soft-spoken, an academic genius. Those are just a few of the words John Hill used to describe his friend David J. Stewart. Hill knew Stewart through his wife, Jill, who first met Stewart in 1996.
SUBMITTED PHOTO Spencer and Whitney Gomez are the co-founders and co-owners of MVMNT Meals, which offers pre-made meals for pickup or delivery. Meals can be picked up at two locations in Oglethorpe County.

SUBMITTED PHOTO Spencer and Whitney Gomez are the co-founders and co-owners of MVMNT Meals, which offers pre-made meals for pickup or delivery. Meals can be picked up at two locations in Oglethorpe County.

MVMNT Meals offers ready-to-eat meals

Sarah Nanos
Wednesday, September 2, 2026
A love for fitness and food has transformed from a hobby to a livelihood for Colbert residents Spencer and Whitney Gomez, founders of MVMNT Meals, a health-forward meal plan business.
Oglethorpe County EMS shift supervisor and paramedic Dylan Smith assembles a search-and-rescue drone at the EMS station in Crawford on Aug. 29. Smith and local emergency crews work alongside UGA disaster management researchers to integrate advanced aerial technology into rural operations. (ISABELLA PANG/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

Oglethorpe County EMS shift supervisor and paramedic Dylan Smith assembles a search-and-rescue drone at the EMS station in Crawford on Aug. 29. Smith and local emergency crews work alongside UGA disaster management researchers to integrate advanced aerial technology into rural operations. (ISABELLA PANG/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

Partnership with UGA gives boost to emergency services

Isabella Pang
Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Reaching the scene is often the largest hurdle for first responders when there’s an emergency somewhere across Oglethorpe County’s more than 400 square miles.
Superintendent Phillip Powell talks with his staff about possibly buying the CommonLit English program at the BOE work session on Aug. 25. The cost of $6,850 was discussed and will be voted on at the next BOE meeting on Sept. 8. (Sophia Bobo/The Oglethorpe Echo).

Superintendent Phillip Powell talks with his staff about possibly buying the CommonLit English program at the BOE work session on Aug. 25. The cost of $6,850 was discussed and will be voted on at the next BOE meeting on Sept. 8. (Sophia Bobo/The Oglethorpe Echo).

BOE recommends CommonLit purchase during work session

Sophia Bobo
Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Oglethorpe County Schools don’t have a consistent curriculum assessment tool for sixth through 12th grade English language arts (ELA), but that could be changing soon.  DeShonda Wolfe, an English teacher at Oglethorpe County High School, said she’s glad the Board of Education might purchase one.
Loretta Jack (left), Tara Huff (middle) and Brittanie Wright stand outside their new restaurant, Wright’s Southern Cafe, which is scheduled to open on Sept. 26. Wright is leasing the building and will run the restaurant with help from her mother and grandmother. (Maura Potvin/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Loretta Jack (left), Tara Huff (middle) and Brittanie Wright stand outside their new restaurant, Wright’s Southern Cafe, which is scheduled to open on Sept. 26. Wright is leasing the building and will run the restaurant with help from her mother and grandmother. (Maura Potvin/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Family’s five generations to bring Southern soul food to Crawford

Maura Potvin
Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Opening Wright’s Southern Cafe is a dream come true for Brittanie Wright, who started cooking with her great-grandmother when she was 4.  “She comes from a long line of cooks, but she really puts a spin on it,” said Tara Huff, Wright’s mother.
Attendees view a presentation on the Oglethorpe County Comprehensive Plan Update during a public hearing in the Oglethorpe County Commissioners meeting room on Monday. The hearing was the second and final public hearing before the draft plan moved to the regional and state review process. (Photo/Mollie Beth Johnson)

Attendees view a presentation on the Oglethorpe County Comprehensive Plan Update during a public hearing in the Oglethorpe County Commissioners meeting room on Monday. The hearing was the second and final public hearing before the draft plan moved to the regional and state review process. (Photo/Mollie Beth Johnson)

Comprehensive plan helps county anticipate growth

Mollie Beth Johnson
Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Oglethorpe County has one stoplight, but Emergency Management Agency director Douglas Spencer is already thinking about what happens when it has “two or three.”
The Crawford Depot on Feb. 2, 2025 in Crawford, Ga. The Restoration Run's proceeds support upkeep and maintenance of the Depot. (Photo/Olivia Wilson)

The Crawford Depot on Feb. 2, 2025 in Crawford, Ga. The Restoration Run's proceeds support upkeep and maintenance of the Depot. (Photo/Olivia Wilson)

Annual race has helped fund Depot for 22 years

Matthew Herren
Wednesday, September 2, 2026
A new deck, repairs to the loading dock and stabilized ramp railings are the newest renovations to the Historic Crawford Depot, funded in part by the annual Restoration Run 5K which will mark its 22nd year on Sept. 7.