oglethorpe county

Crawford Mobile Home Community has provided affordable housing for residents in Oglethorpe County for the past 15 years. The 25 homes on this property consist of 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom units and are rented for an average of $1,000 a month. (Ansley Gavlak/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Crawford Mobile Home Community has provided affordable housing for residents in Oglethorpe County for the past 15 years. The 25 homes on this property consist of 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom units and are rented for an average of $1,000 a month. (Ansley Gavlak/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Mobile homes are an option as housing prices climb

Mia Fishman and Ansley Gavlak
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
An orderly cluster of mobile homes sits on Wheeler Circle, just off of Highway 78. It’s a quiet, safe neighborhood, housing families and locals at an affordable rate.  “I've got good, hard-working folks,” said Boyd Smith, manager of Crawford Mobile Home Community.
Crawford City Clerk Amy Wall-Lance (right) discusses the meeting agenda to the city council on Oct. 14. Willie Torres (left), who recently replaced Sandra Sheridan as a council member, and Brenda Butler (middle) listen to Wall-Lance. (Ansley Gavlak/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Crawford City Clerk Amy Wall-Lance (right) discusses the meeting agenda to the city council on Oct. 14. Willie Torres (left), who recently replaced Sandra Sheridan as a council member, and Brenda Butler (middle) listen to Wall-Lance. (Ansley Gavlak/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Crawford to resubmit trail expansion grant

Ansley Gavlak
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
CLARIFICATION: Information was incorrect about which company was hired to clear the city streets from overgrown brush and limbs in the Lexington City Council minutes and the Oct. 30, 2025 print edition of The Oglethorpe Echo. The correct information is in the story below.
Linda Russell and Bob Gadd are among the residents who oppose the construction of a T-Mobile cell tower off Melton Road. Many of the attendees at the zoning board meeting on Oct. 23 wore red shirts with the phrase: “Vote no! Don’t let them tower over us!”

Linda Russell and Bob Gadd are among the residents who oppose the construction of a T-Mobile cell tower off Melton Road. Many of the attendees at the zoning board meeting on Oct. 23 wore red shirts with the phrase: “Vote no! Don’t let them tower over us!”

Zoning board tables cell tower request

Emily Adams
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
Every seat in the Oglethorpe County Zoning Board meeting room was filled with more residents spilling out into the lobby, all wearing red shirts displaying a cell tower that read, “Vote no! Don’t let them tower over us!
Francis Lee Byce Jr., affectionately known as “Big Lee,” passed away on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Athens at the age of 71.

Francis Lee Byce Jr., affectionately known as “Big Lee,” passed away on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Athens at the age of 71.

Obituary: Francis Lee Byce Jr.

News Staff
Friday, October 24, 2025
Francis Lee Byce Jr., affectionately known as “Big Lee,” passed away on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Athens at the age of 71.   A lifelong resident of Greensboro, Lee was born on June 7, 1954, to Frances Christine Cook Byce and the late Francis Lee Byce Sr.
Oglethorpe County EMS director Josh Robinson (left) and Emergency Management Agency director Douglas Spencer send the Teledyne FLIR SIRAS drone up for a flight in Lexington last week. They are the county’s two licensed drone pilots. (Katherine Davis/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Oglethorpe County EMS director Josh Robinson (left) and Emergency Management Agency director Douglas Spencer send the Teledyne FLIR SIRAS drone up for a flight in Lexington last week. They are the county’s two licensed drone pilots. (Katherine Davis/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Drone fleet takes to the skies

Katherine Davis
Thursday, October 23, 2025
The full fleet of three drones purchased by the Oglethorpe County Board of Commissioners has arrived and is being put to use. “Drones are becoming a part of everyday life,” Emergency Management Agency director Douglas Spencer said.
The Southern Poverty Law Center and Georgia Association of Educators have filed a lawsuit on behalf of Michelle Mickens (left) against the Oglethorpe County School System and Superintendent Beverley Levine (right)..

The Southern Poverty Law Center and Georgia Association of Educators have filed a lawsuit on behalf of Michelle Mickens (left) against the Oglethorpe County School System and Superintendent Beverley Levine (right)..

Teacher files lawsuit against Oglethorpe County School System

Mia Fishman
Wednesday, October 22, 2025
The Southern Poverty Law Center and Georgia Association of Educators have filed a lawsuit on behalf of Michelle Mickens against the Oglethorpe County School System and Superintendent Beverley Levine.
Patricia Whatley, a licensed clinical social worker, has worked with MedLink since 2022 and serves Athens-Clarke and Oglethorpe County communities. She estimates that a quarter of her clients in Oglethorpe County discuss domestic violence or related crises on an annual basis. (Gabrielle Gruszynski/The Oglethoroe Echo)

Patricia Whatley, a licensed clinical social worker, has worked with MedLink since 2022 and serves Athens-Clarke and Oglethorpe County communities. She estimates that a quarter of her clients in Oglethorpe County discuss domestic violence or related crises on an annual basis. (Gabrielle Gruszynski/The Oglethoroe Echo)

County has few resources for domestic violence

Gabrielle Gruszynski
Wednesday, October 15, 2025
“It’s a big county, but it’s very spread out. There’s a lot of isolation,” said Patricia Whatley, a licensed clinical social worker for MedLink serving Oglethorpe and Athens-Clarke counties.  That isolation and lack of services show up in the numbers.
Oglethorpe County commissioners (from left) Andy Saxon, David Clark, Howard Sanders, Will Brown and Tracy Norman listen to residents during the public portion of the BOC meeting on Monday. The meeting lasted 25 minutes. (Andy Johnston/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Oglethorpe County commissioners (from left) Andy Saxon, David Clark, Howard Sanders, Will Brown and Tracy Norman listen to residents during the public portion of the BOC meeting on Monday. The meeting lasted 25 minutes. (Andy Johnston/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Commission approves A1 modifications

Kimberly Thomas
Thursday, October 9, 2025
The Oglethorpe County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved revisions to the A1 Zoning District ordinance following a recommended approval from the zoning board at its Monday meeting.
Doug Griffin stands outside the tents that will host the Field of Worship event Oct. 10–12. All of the tents were donated. (Photo/Molly Moore)

Doug Griffin stands outside the tents that will host the Field of Worship event Oct. 10–12. All of the tents were donated. (Photo/Molly Moore)

Local ministry hosts worship services in tents

Molly Moore
Thursday, October 9, 2025
Upper Room Athens is providing a fresh approach to worship in Oglethorpe County this weekend.