The Oglethorpe Echo

Stacks of The Oglethorpe Echo sit in plastic bins at the U.S. Postal Service’s distribution center on Olympic Drive in Athens. (DINK NESMITH/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

Stacks of The Oglethorpe Echo sit in plastic bins at the U.S. Postal Service’s distribution center on Olympic Drive in Athens. (DINK NESMITH/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

The Echo’s Opinion: Reasons for the delivery snafu

News Staff
Thursday, July 20, 2023
Dear readers,   First things first. We are grateful for your loyalty to this community’s 149-year-old newspaper.    Now, why didn’t you get your mailed edition of The Oglethorpe Echo last Thursday? Here’s the answer: The U.S. Postal Service goofed. Big time.
LILLY KERSH/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO

LILLY KERSH/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO

Property values part of formula to figure taxes

Julianne Akers
Wednesday, July 5, 2023
The appraisal notices that arrived in mailboxes last week showed a 22.5% average increase in property values in Oglethorpe County. The official tax bills, adjusted for the new millage rate, will be sent out this fall.
The Oglethorpe Echo

The Oglethorpe Echo

Obituary: Joshua Wise

News Staff
Wednesday, July 5, 2023
Joshua Wise, 90, of Lexington, died June 28, 2023. The funeral service was at noon on Monday, July 3, 2023 at Jones Funeral Chapel, with Pastor Michael Gresham, eulogist. Interment was in the Jennings Cemetery.
The Oglethorpe Echo

The Oglethorpe Echo

Obituary: Luther Rick Smith

News Staff
Wednesday, July 5, 2023
Luther Rick Smith, 68, of Athens died June 21, 2023.    The funeral service was Wednesday, June 28, 2023 at 11 a.m. at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Stephens, with Pastor William Bland, eulogist and minister Jyrekis Collins, presiding. Interment was in the church cemetery.
Jean Smith Moore

Jean Smith Moore

Obituary: Jean Smith Moore

News Staff
Wednesday, July 5, 2023
Jean Smith Moore, age 87, died as peacefully as she lived July 2, 2023 in Quiet Oaks Nursing home.    She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, aunt and friend.   Jean was born on Aug. 9, 1935 in Stephens, to George Grattan and May Belle Smith. She was the youngest of six children.
Kathrine Clark said she thinks feral hogs have begun to uproot her garden and destroy the fencing around her plants and flowers. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

Kathrine Clark said she thinks feral hogs have begun to uproot her garden and destroy the fencing around her plants and flowers. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

Resident: Feral hogs make way to Lexington

Garrett Kicklighter
Wednesday, July 5, 2023
Lexington resident Kathrine Clark has noticed feral hog activity in downtown Lexington.   Clark and her husband live on Dupree Street, about a block from Highway 78, and a few weeks ago, she said she noticed digging in her flower beds and droppings on her lawn.    “We’re like, ‘Huh?
Debbie Winsett, who transcribes and translates textbooks for the visually impaired, received her Braille Transcriber certification in 2010. (OLIVIA SHAPIRO/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

Debbie Winsett, who transcribes and translates textbooks for the visually impaired, received her Braille Transcriber certification in 2010. (OLIVIA SHAPIRO/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

In high demand

Molly Linder and Olivia Shapiro
Wednesday, July 5, 2023
At the bottom of every email Crawford resident Debbie Winsett sends, she includes a quote from Helen Keller’s book “Light in My Darkness”: “There is no better way to thank God for your sight than by giving a helping hand to someone in the dark.
Burts United Methodist Church on Veribest Enterprise Road in Lexington, Georgia on March 15, 2023. UMC does food distribution on the third Wednesday of every month. (SARAH DONEHOO/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

Burts United Methodist Church on Veribest Enterprise Road in Lexington, Georgia on March 15, 2023. UMC does food distribution on the third Wednesday of every month. (SARAH DONEHOO/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

‘We don’t refuse anyone’

Sarah Donehoo
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Cathi Mowen cuts a piece of cake as she stands next to her husband Robert. It’s her 62nd birthday, and she’s celebrating.   “I wanted to share some cake with everybody in the food bank,” Mowen said.
(SUBMITTED PHOTO)

(SUBMITTED PHOTO)

Bartram explored Oglethorpe County 250 years ago

Brad Sanders
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
One of the earliest written descriptions of Oglethorpe County was penned by the renowned naturalist, artist and author William Bartram, who traveled through the region in June, 1773.    From April 1773 to December 1776, William explored the southern British colonies in the employ of Dr.