Local News

Michael White, Oglethorpe County rec department director, recently spoke to the Board of Commissioners about a promotion to athletic director and a raise for a department employee. There is high demand for the rec department’s teams and leagues. (Andy Johnston/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Michael White, Oglethorpe County rec department director, recently spoke to the Board of Commissioners about a promotion to athletic director and a raise for a department employee. There is high demand for the rec department’s teams and leagues. (Andy Johnston/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Rec department has strong winter season

Hank Tatum
Sunday, December 22, 2024
The Oglethorpe County Recreation Department is gearing up for spring registration, and although participation has plateaued recently, director Michael White said he’s pleased with the programs, with some in high demand.
Kane Dieball stands with part of his collection of Native American artifacts on display at the Oglethorpe County Library. Dieball said he often finds arrowheads and other artifacts when he’s hunting. (Dakota Meeks/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Kane Dieball stands with part of his collection of Native American artifacts on display at the Oglethorpe County Library. Dieball said he often finds arrowheads and other artifacts when he’s hunting. (Dakota Meeks/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Dieball’s artifact collection leads to display at library

Dakota Meeks
Sunday, December 22, 2024
Kane Dieball was about 10 or 11 years old when he found his first arrowhead in the driveway of his dad’s former girlfriend’s home. A few months later, he found more. Dieball stopped looking for arrowheads for a while, but in the past three to four years, he started collecting again.
Linda Parish receives the Oglethorpe County Lifetime Achievement from Ronnie Boggs for her long service and work with the chamber of commerce. Parish is the chamber’s tourism and hospitality director. (Sarah Coyne/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Linda Parish receives the Oglethorpe County Lifetime Achievement from Ronnie Boggs for her long service and work with the chamber of commerce. Parish is the chamber’s tourism and hospitality director. (Sarah Coyne/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Chamber honors Parish

Sarah Coyne
Sunday, December 22, 2024
The Oglethorpe County Chamber of Commerce presented Linda Parish with the Oglethorpe County Lifetime Achievement award on Dec. 19.  “The real reason is the hard work for Lexington and Oglethorpe County,” Ronnie Boggs said.
Shannon Pritchett, a graduate of Oglethorpe County High School who lives in Arnoldsville, stands outside The Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida. He was invited to the resort for Donald Trump’s election night festivities. (Submitted Photo)

Shannon Pritchett, a graduate of Oglethorpe County High School who lives in Arnoldsville, stands outside The Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida. He was invited to the resort for Donald Trump’s election night festivities. (Submitted Photo)

Former magician has ties to Trump

Jack Keys
Sunday, December 22, 2024
Shannon Pritchett returned home to Oglethorpe County searching for inspiration. Pritchett, a former cruise ship magician, had been relieved from his job as a marketing director in Miami after the Great Recession, which ended in 2009.  He was a self-described “big drinker and partyer” at the time.
Maggie Mobley (left) and Ashley Simpson stand in Simpson’s house in Athens as they discuss her work with the Atlas Project and Mobley's experiences attending a one-room school house. Simpson has researched churches and schools in Oglethorpe County since the Digital Atlas Project started in 2020. (McCain Bracewell/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Maggie Mobley (left) and Ashley Simpson stand in Simpson’s house in Athens as they discuss her work with the Atlas Project and Mobley's experiences attending a one-room school house. Simpson has researched churches and schools in Oglethorpe County since the Digital Atlas Project started in 2020. (McCain Bracewell/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Mapping schools from the past

McCain Bracewell
Sunday, December 22, 2024
Ashley Simpson thought there were only a few historic schools and churches in Oglethorpe County when she volunteered to research them as a part of the Digital Atlas Project four years ago.  She had no idea she would uncover a wealth of little-known history.
MOAS currently accepts animal turn ins from citizens of Oglethorpe county but does not have the capacity to serve as an impoundment facility. (Submitted Photo)

MOAS currently accepts animal turn ins from citizens of Oglethorpe county but does not have the capacity to serve as an impoundment facility. (Submitted Photo)

Impound facility has slow start

Kendall Kelly
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
The animal impound facility at the Oglethorpe County Jail won’t be complete until 2025, Sheriff David Gabriel said.  “Everything goes slow in government,” he said. “Some of the prices we had, we felt were a bit pricey.” He wouldn’t narrow the timeframe, but progress has been made.
Nicole Hensley (from left), Laura Lindsey, Katherine Ratcliffe and Jessica Ellis hold gift baskets that were created by the Friends of the Oglethorpe County Library volunteers and presented as gifts to the library staff. Items in the baskets were donations from local businesses. (Submitted Photo)

Nicole Hensley (from left), Laura Lindsey, Katherine Ratcliffe and Jessica Ellis hold gift baskets that were created by the Friends of the Oglethorpe County Library volunteers and presented as gifts to the library staff. Items in the baskets were donations from local businesses. (Submitted Photo)

Library benefits from bigger, better bazaar

Sarah Coyne
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Friends of the Oglethorpe County Library raised over $2,500 for the library at the fourth annual Christmas Bazaar and Book Sale on Dec. 7 at No. 3 Railroad St.
Bill and Lucille Endriss’ Church Street home is well lit during the holidays, thanks to the amount of lights that Bill hangs up every year. “We’ve been married 52 years, and he’s been decorating for 52 years,” Lucille said. “It just gets bigger and bigger.” (Ty Johnston/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Bill and Lucille Endriss’ Church Street home is well lit during the holidays, thanks to the amount of lights that Bill hangs up every year. “We’ve been married 52 years, and he’s been decorating for 52 years,” Lucille said. “It just gets bigger and bigger.” (Ty Johnston/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Lights and Ribbons

Kayda Hammock
Saturday, December 14, 2024
Bill and Lucille Endriss bring holiday happiness to Lexington’s historic district during the season. Their 124-year-old Church Street home stands out, adorned with festive lights, ribbons and a beautiful manger scene — touches that add a special charm to the street’s holiday spirit.

Soto looks for reason behind state rankings

Chloe Beaver
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
The Governor’s Office of Student Achievement included Oglethorpe County High School among the state’s 25% lowest-performing schools last week, only to retract the list on Tuesday to validate additional data.
The lights are on at the new Oglethorpe County Elementary School on Dec. 3, prior to a tour by the BOE representatives and journalists from The Oglethorpe Echo. The school is being prepared to open on Jan. 10. (Avni Trivedi/The Oglethorpe Echo)

The lights are on at the new Oglethorpe County Elementary School on Dec. 3, prior to a tour by the BOE representatives and journalists from The Oglethorpe Echo. The school is being prepared to open on Jan. 10. (Avni Trivedi/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Move to new elementary school in progress

Kendall Kelly
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
The new Oglethorpe County Elementary School will welcome students from pre-K through fifth grade on Friday, Jan. 10.