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The Oglethorpe Echo

The Oglethorpe Echo

Looking back at county’s top stories of 2023

News Staff
Wednesday, December 27, 2023
This year has been filled with news that helped shape the county and fill the pages of The Oglethorpe Echo. So The Echo’s staff decided to take a look back at the five most newsworthy stories in Oglethorpe County in 2023.

Gabriel to run for reelection

News Staff
Wednesday, December 27, 2023
Sheriff David Gabriel will run for a third term in 2024 and said he will “crank up” his campaign around February.   “My life plan is to run at least two more times, this time and the next time, and that puts me at retirement age at the end of that,” said Gabriel, who is 50 years old.
Donald Randall, left, and Kendall Strickland, right, shake hands after Randall buys vegetables from Strickland's stand in February. Strickland Pride Produce will be moving on Feb. 5 from its current stand in downtown Lexington to 1129 Athens Road in Crawford. (Destiny Hartwell/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Donald Randall, left, and Kendall Strickland, right, shake hands after Randall buys vegetables from Strickland's stand in February. Strickland Pride Produce will be moving on Feb. 5 from its current stand in downtown Lexington to 1129 Athens Road in Crawford. (Destiny Hartwell/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Strickland Pride Produce to open Crawford storefront

McCain Bracewell
Wednesday, December 27, 2023
Kendall Strickland grew up around agritourism and fruit stands, which led him to open Strickland Pride Produce in 2020 as a roadside produce stand in downtown Lexington.   But, his situation — more specifically his location — is about to change.
Michelle Mickens presents on teacher burnout in Georgia for the Alpha Theta Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma in October 2022. Mickens, an Oglethorpe County High School English teacher, was recently selected as one of 20 educators in the state for a Teacher Policy Fellowship through the Georgia Department of Education. (Submitted Photo)

Michelle Mickens presents on teacher burnout in Georgia for the Alpha Theta Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma in October 2022. Mickens, an Oglethorpe County High School English teacher, was recently selected as one of 20 educators in the state for a Teacher Policy Fellowship through the Georgia Department of Education. (Submitted Photo)

OCHS teacher selected for state policy program

Dawn Sawyer
Wednesday, December 27, 2023
Michelle Mickens has made an impact at Oglethorpe County High School — and now she will at the state level, too.
Bear Hug Honey Company recently opened a warehouse in downtown Lexington to create more space to infuse and bottle honey, along with other products. The building, at 106 W. Main St., has been licensed as a commercial kitchen. (Lily Aldrich/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Bear Hug Honey Company recently opened a warehouse in downtown Lexington to create more space to infuse and bottle honey, along with other products. The building, at 106 W. Main St., has been licensed as a commercial kitchen. (Lily Aldrich/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Bear Hug Honey now makes products in Lexington

Lily Reid Aldrich
Wednesday, December 27, 2023
Sam Johnson, owner of Bear Hug Honey Company, recently opened a warehouse in Oglethorpe County.   He said the new Lexington location helps his commercial store in Athens, but he’s also hoping it will spur growth for the downtown.    “We're excited to be out in Lexington,” he said.

Firefly Trail Race Series marks anniversaries in 2024

Lily Reid Aldrich
Wednesday, December 27, 2023
The Firefly Trail Race series is marking its fifth anniversary in 2024.   The four races take runners throughout Oglethorpe County, and the first race — the Winterville Snowflake 10K — will be on Jan. 13. This also marks a decade for the Snowflake 10K, the oldest of the four races.
John James/The Oglethorpe Echo

John James/The Oglethorpe Echo

County sets qualifying fees for 2024 election

John James
Thursday, December 21, 2023
The Oglethorpe County Board of Commissioners has approved qualifying fees for the 2024 election cycle.    A qualifying fee is the amount of money that must be paid by candidates to run for an elected office.
Oglethorpe County resident John Burt, along with his dog, Dixie, shows the substation that converts the power from the Timberland Solar Farm Project on Goose Pond Road, which is feet from his property line. Burt (top) shows where runoff from the solar farm has impacted his property.

Oglethorpe County resident John Burt, along with his dog, Dixie, shows the substation that converts the power from the Timberland Solar Farm Project on Goose Pond Road, which is feet from his property line. Burt (top) shows where runoff from the solar farm has impacted his property.

Ongoing battle with solar farm

Caitlin Downing and Jay Reece
Wednesday, December 20, 2023
Goose Pond Road had been a sanctuary for John Burt and his family for over a decade.    When the Timberland Solar Farm Project broke ground in April 2022, Burt didn’t realize the disruption it would cause.   Later, a substation was built.
Coroner James Junior Jackson

Coroner James Junior Jackson

Jackson will run for sheriff

News Staff
Wednesday, December 20, 2023
James “Junior” Jackson, who held various positions in the Oglethorpe County Sheriff’s Office from 2005 to earlier this year, will run for sheriff in 2024.   Jackson announced his candidacy with an ad in this week’s edition of The Oglethorpe Echo. He currently is the county coroner.