local news

The Oglethorpe Echo

The Oglethorpe Echo

Local Roundup

News Staff
Thursday, October 2, 2025
Monday is final day to register to vote in next month’s elections Staff Report The last day to register to vote for next month’s general and special election is Monday, Oct. 6. There are three ways to register:Go to the Georgia Secretary of State’s website: mvp.sos.ga.gov.
The Oglethorpe Echo

The Oglethorpe Echo

Local Roundup

News Staff
Friday, September 26, 2025
Firefly Cruise returns to Lexington on Sunday The 14th annual Firefly Cruise In will be held from 1-5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28 at Courthouse Square in downtown Lexington.  Music will be provided by Tommy Landrum’s ‘Cruzin to the Oldies’. There is a $10 registration fee for vehicles.
Young hunter Tate McDonald with his new shotgun and some of the doves he shot on Saturday at the Nation Family Farm. McDonald had a banner day in the field this year. Courtesy photo by Johnny Ralston (Submitted Photo/The Oglethorpe Echo).

Young hunter Tate McDonald with his new shotgun and some of the doves he shot on Saturday at the Nation Family Farm. McDonald had a banner day in the field this year. Courtesy photo by Johnny Ralston (Submitted Photo/The Oglethorpe Echo).

Dove season off and running across the state

Alex Perri
Thursday, September 11, 2025
Saturday marked the opening day of dove season in Georgia, and hunters across the state took aim at the migratory bird, hoping to meet their limit (15 per day).

Local Roundup

News Staff
Thursday, September 11, 2025
Applications for mailed ballots being acceptedThe Oglethorpe County Board of Elections and Registration is accepting applications for mailed ballots for the Nov. 4 general election.  The deadline to request a mailed ballot is Oct. 24.
Hanna Burdette (left) and April Nation (right) share a smile six weeks after their successful kidney transplant. Nation donated a kidney to her daughter after Burdette went into kidney failure in May of 2024. (Photo/Jennifer Xia)

Hanna Burdette (left) and April Nation (right) share a smile six weeks after their successful kidney transplant. Nation donated a kidney to her daughter after Burdette went into kidney failure in May of 2024. (Photo/Jennifer Xia)

A mother’s gift of life: Kidney for daughter

Jennifer Xia
Thursday, January 30, 2025
This past Christmas, an Oglethorpe County mother gave her daughter a second gift of life.  April Nation, 44, and Hanna Burdette, 26, underwent a kidney transplant on Dec. 13 at Emory University Hospital.
Anthony Tambling (left) and his son Graysen Tambling attended the viewing event at the Oglethorpe County Library. The two stood on a nearby boulder to get a clear view of the sun. (Photo/Izzy Wagner)

Anthony Tambling (left) and his son Graysen Tambling attended the viewing event at the Oglethorpe County Library. The two stood on a nearby boulder to get a clear view of the sun. (Photo/Izzy Wagner)

Library draws crowd to watch the eclipse

Izzy Wagner
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
The sky was clear and vast outside the Oglethorpe County Library on Monday afternoon, which provided an unimpeded view of the sun — at least for a moment.   A rare astrological event soon cast a large shadow as a partial solar eclipse moved through the sky, peaking at approximately 3:06 p.m.
Alumni Willie Waller and Maggie Mobley were two of the first students to attend the Oglethorpe Consolidated school. (Photo/Michael Johnson)

Alumni Willie Waller and Maggie Mobley were two of the first students to attend the Oglethorpe Consolidated school. (Photo/Michael Johnson)

Preserving history one brick at a time

Izzy Wagner and Michael Johnson
Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Oglethorpe County Primary School will be demolished after the completion of the new K-5 elementary school on Fairground Road. However, the building’s history will be preserved in the final construction of the new school and in the minds of its former students.
Jimmica Collins stars as Aanika in "Aanika's Elephants" at the New Victory Theater in New York. In the play, the orphan Aanika meets and forms a sisterly bond with an elephant. (Submitted Photo/Zach Hyman)

Jimmica Collins stars as Aanika in "Aanika's Elephants" at the New Victory Theater in New York. In the play, the orphan Aanika meets and forms a sisterly bond with an elephant. (Submitted Photo/Zach Hyman)

Collins, a ‘Sesame Street’ regular, hits Broadway

Izzy Wagner
Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Moving to New York City from her hometown of Lexington was nothing short of a culture shock for actress Jimmica Collins, but after graduating from Oglethorpe County High School in 2009, she had her heart set on it.   “I had only grown up with certain types of people,” Collins said.
New Bethlehem Baptist Church is located in Carlton, Georgia. It is surrounded by farmland and contains a small school behind the church building. (Photo/Izzy Wagner)

New Bethlehem Baptist Church is located in Carlton, Georgia. It is surrounded by farmland and contains a small school behind the church building. (Photo/Izzy Wagner)

Church’s Black history celebration lasts entire month

Izzy Wagner
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
Cows grazed silently in the vast fields outside of New Bethlehem Baptist Church in Carlton on Sunday. But within the church walls, the pastor’s voice boomed, filling every corner of the sanctuary.    Despite feeling under the weather that morning, the Rev.