Local News

STAND mentorship program seeks more mentors

Torin Smith
Wednesday, August 7, 2024
Arnoldsville’s Leslie Jones remembers her grandmother teaching her how to draw flowers as a kid. A retired elementary school teacher and “grandmama” herself, Jones now mentors a first-grade girl as part of Students Taking a New Direction (STAND) program in the Oglethorpe County schools.

Squirrel season starts next week

Echo Staff
Wednesday, August 7, 2024
Squirrel season begins in Georgia on Thursday, Aug. 15.  Both gray and fox squirrels are in season and the maximum daily bag limit is 12 per hunter. The season will end Feb. 28, 2025.

MOAS director resigns; Huth selected interim

Echo Staff
Wednesday, August 7, 2024
Juli Huth will serve as the interim director of the Madison Oglethorpe Animal Shelter (MOAS) after Erica Hendrix resigned last month. Hendrix had been the director since February of 2023. “Erica has put her heart and soul into the care of the animals,” MOAS stated in a release.
James Bennett stands at the door of a historic log cabin his team is deconstructing. Lucas Stephens stands in the background. (MCCAIN BRACEWELL/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

James Bennett stands at the door of a historic log cabin his team is deconstructing. Lucas Stephens stands in the background. (MCCAIN BRACEWELL/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

Saving history, a log at a time

McCain Bracewell
Wednesday, August 7, 2024
James Bennett’s latest project started with the deconstruction of an abandoned house from the mid-1800s on private property in the Sandy Cross area. Then he discovered an even older structure hidden in the woods right behind it.
Children enjoy Salem Baptist Church’s bounce house slide, an annual favorite at Community Day. The event was moved to OCMS, which might become a permanent home. (Torin Smith/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Children enjoy Salem Baptist Church’s bounce house slide, an annual favorite at Community Day. The event was moved to OCMS, which might become a permanent home. (Torin Smith/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Community Day might find new home after switch

Torin Smith
Wednesday, August 7, 2024
A last-minute venue change could alter a 22-year tradition in Oglethorpe County.

Schools benefit from $2.79 million in grants

Sarah Coyne
Wednesday, August 7, 2024
The Oglethorpe County Board of Education was awarded a total of $2.79 million in grants during the 2023-24 fiscal year, in large part, thanks to the efforts of Sara Hughes, who was the director of federal programs/grant writing at that time.

Partnership to pay for paving job

Zeke Palermo
Wednesday, August 7, 2024
The Oglethorpe County Board of Commissioners unanimously agreed to give Lexington up to $25,000 to help repave the area around the Oglethorpe County Courthouse in its monthly meeting on Monday night.
Vehicles from the Oglethorpe County Sheriff’s Office and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department responded to standoff in Maxeys on Wednesday afternoon. An unspecified number of people left the house before the man was arrested, the Sheriff’s Office posted on its Facebook page. (Torin Smith/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Vehicles from the Oglethorpe County Sheriff’s Office and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department responded to standoff in Maxeys on Wednesday afternoon. An unspecified number of people left the house before the man was arrested, the Sheriff’s Office posted on its Facebook page. (Torin Smith/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Man arrested to end standoff in Maxeys

Echo Staff
Wednesday, August 7, 2024
A man was arrested about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday to end a standoff at a house on Poplar Creek Road in Maxeys. An unspecified number of people left the house before he was arrested.
Naturalist Sarah Ratcliffe guides park visitors under Watson Mill Bridge, one of 16 remaining covered bridges in Georgia. (Jack Keys/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Naturalist Sarah Ratcliffe guides park visitors under Watson Mill Bridge, one of 16 remaining covered bridges in Georgia. (Jack Keys/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Watson Mill more than just a bridge

Jack Keys
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
Summer programming is in full swing at Watson Mill Bridge State Park. From outdoor art classes to night hikes in search of nocturnal critters, naturalist Sarah Ratcliffe has been in charge of formatting a summer schedule for many ages.