georgia

A bald eagle perches on a tree about four years ago near the home of Natalie Thier, who lives on Long Branch Lane. There have been many recent sightings of bald eagles across Oglethorpe County. (Submitted Photo)

A bald eagle perches on a tree about four years ago near the home of Natalie Thier, who lives on Long Branch Lane. There have been many recent sightings of bald eagles across Oglethorpe County. (Submitted Photo)

America’s national symbol takes flight in Oglethorpe

Dakota Meeks
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Oglethorpe County is home to a wide range of wildlife, including America’s national symbol. With its brilliant white head and large wingspan, the bald eagle has become a common sight in the county.
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 FFA officers prepare flowers for the floral design contest Thursday in the high school cafeteria. From left, sophomore Katherine Horsley, senior Daisy Brown and senior Andee Dellinger organized vases and flowers before students arrived to compete. (Photo/Ella Jones)

Oglethorpe County FFA officers prepare flowers for the floral design contest Thursday in the high school cafeteria. From left, sophomore Katherine Horsley, senior Daisy Brown and senior Andee Dellinger organized vases and flowers before students arrived to compete. (Photo/Ella Jones)

FFA competition brings hundreds of students to Oglethorpe County

Ella Jones
Wednesday, October 1, 2025
For senior Callie Bridges, the floral design competition at Oglethorpe County High School was both a test and an opportunity to showcase her small business. The contest required a timed arrangement, an identification exam and a written exam.
Graphic/Sophia Eppley

Graphic/Sophia Eppley

Home prices on the rise in county

Sophia Eppley
Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Home prices continue to rise in Oglethorpe County as the area struggles with less inventory and more demand, according to recent data from Georgia Multiple Listing Service (GAMLS), the state’s comprehensive real estate database.
Elizabeth Newton and her son, David, pose for a portrait in Elizabeth’s Cumming residence on April 7, 2025. Elizabeth holds one of four genealogical history books she’s published, which features ancestors who will be honored at a memorial service this weekend. (Photo/Julianna Duennes Russ)

Elizabeth Newton and her son, David, pose for a portrait in Elizabeth’s Cumming residence on April 7, 2025. Elizabeth holds one of four genealogical history books she’s published, which features ancestors who will be honored at a memorial service this weekend. (Photo/Julianna Duennes Russ)

Millstone Memorial: Two centuries later, family to hold service for ancestors

Julianna Duennes Russ
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
On Feb. 4, 1837, an Oglethorpe County man named Nathan Harris offered 1 acre of land along Millstone Creek to Millstone Baptist Church.  Nearly 200 years later, his descendants are returning to that land to honor him, and two other ancestors, at a memorial service on Sunday.
Lucas (from left), Stetson and Brooke Holcombe stand with their two catahoula leopard dogs, Delta Dawn (left) and Boone (right), at the UGA Intramural Fields last month. The Holcombes, who live in Winterville, have started a hunting business around their dogs. (Photo/Jesse Wood)

Lucas (from left), Stetson and Brooke Holcombe stand with their two catahoula leopard dogs, Delta Dawn (left) and Boone (right), at the UGA Intramural Fields last month. The Holcombes, who live in Winterville, have started a hunting business around their dogs. (Photo/Jesse Wood)

Boone the one-of-a-kind dog: Family’s best friend provides legacy of hunting, love and entrepreneurship

Jesse Wood
Thursday, April 10, 2025
Deer blood in dog kibble is part of the process of turning a puppy into a tracking dog, but Boone, a catahoula leopard dog, didn’t need it. When Boone joined Brooke Holcombe’s life in 2019, he was meant to be a companion, at most a guard dog.
The Winterville Community Garden is a city-sponsored space for gardeners to rent soil beds and grow fresh produce. Four beds are dedicated to providing produce to local food banks. (Submitted Photo)

The Winterville Community Garden is a city-sponsored space for gardeners to rent soil beds and grow fresh produce. Four beds are dedicated to providing produce to local food banks. (Submitted Photo)

Winterville Community Garden cultivates produce, generosity

Sara Micale
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Gardeners sow the seeds of plants, but also the spirit of generosity, at the Winterville Community Garden.      Founded in 2013 and located near Pittard Park in Winterville, the garden is a city-sponsored space for people to rent beds of compost and soil mix for growing produce.
Judge Tyler Arnold talks to Scarlett Harris about her breeding doe during the Oglethorpe Area Winter Livestock Show on Saturday. The event included a contest between six local "celebrities." (Photo/Sara Micale)

Judge Tyler Arnold talks to Scarlett Harris about her breeding doe during the Oglethorpe Area Winter Livestock Show on Saturday. The event included a contest between six local "celebrities." (Photo/Sara Micale)

Brubaker, students winners of livestock show

Sara Micale
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
Oglethorpe County youth weren’t the only ones competing in the Oglethorpe Area Winter Livestock Show on Saturday — six Oglethorpe County celebrities also competed for the title of Champion Celebrity Showman.
Nikki Hughes, the owner of Camp Critter Wildlife Rescue, pets two recently orphaned piglets. The baby pigs are believed to be the offspring of a domesticated pig and a wild boar. (Photo/Sara Micale)

Nikki Hughes, the owner of Camp Critter Wildlife Rescue, pets two recently orphaned piglets. The baby pigs are believed to be the offspring of a domesticated pig and a wild boar. (Photo/Sara Micale)

Camp Critter welcomes baby wild pigs into fold

Sara Micale
Wednesday, February 21, 2024
  Camp Critter Wildlife Rescue, the only licensed wildlife rehabilitation center in Oglethorpe County, recently took in two baby wild pigs.     The piglets were found next to their deceased mother by a couple in Waynesboro, Georgia.