Oglethorpe Echo

Kelli Paradise Smith, the Superior Court Clerk of Oglethorpe County, said the Filing Activity Notification System (FANS) could help a property owner avoid scams that could cost them their home. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

Kelli Paradise Smith, the Superior Court Clerk of Oglethorpe County, said the Filing Activity Notification System (FANS) could help a property owner avoid scams that could cost them their home. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

New alert system designed to protect property owners

Emily Lupo
Wednesday, August 30, 2023
The Oglethorpe County Superior Court Clerk’s office is promoting a new system to help protect local property owners from deed theft — a system even the clerk is using herself.
The oglethorpe Echo

The oglethorpe Echo

Area men selected as Angus delegates

News Staff
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Staff Report   Lexington’s Chris Throne and Arnoldsville’s Andrew McPeake recently were selected as delegates to the 140th American Angus Association Convention of Delegates, scheduled for Nov. 6 in Orlando, Florida.
The Oglethorpe Echo

The Oglethorpe Echo

County budget increases for 2024

Garrett Kicklighter
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
The Oglethorpe County Board of Commissioners approved the county’s 2024 operating budget of $9.55 million at Monday’s called meeting.    The total is $755,000 more than this year’s operating budget of nearly $8.8 million, an 8.6% increase from 2023.
Paula and Keith Wagnon reopened Buds ’n Bows Flower Shop on Aug. 1 after taking most of the summer off to care for their mothers. They then faced a series of issues, but the shop is back in business. (SHANNON MORAN/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

Paula and Keith Wagnon reopened Buds ’n Bows Flower Shop on Aug. 1 after taking most of the summer off to care for their mothers. They then faced a series of issues, but the shop is back in business. (SHANNON MORAN/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

Wagnons overcome illness, storm damage to reopen shop

Jesse Wood
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Paula and Keith Wagnon, her husband and co-owner of Buds ’n Bows Flower Shop, made the decision in June to temporarily close their flower shop to take care of their ailing mothers. A week after they reopened on Aug. 1, they were faced with damages to their store.
John Brewer, who lives in Arnoldsville, said: "I've always had stories running through my head.” The retired UGA professor, who is 85 years old, doesn’t plan to stop writing. (RAMON ELORTONDO/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

John Brewer, who lives in Arnoldsville, said: "I've always had stories running through my head.” The retired UGA professor, who is 85 years old, doesn’t plan to stop writing. (RAMON ELORTONDO/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

At 85, Brewer keeps writing, publishing novels

Avni Trivedi
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
As a child, John Brewer liked to invent stories in his head. He refers to himself as a “storyteller by nature.”    “I think my childish dreams were just that: childish,” Brewer said. “I used to tell my younger brother about my stories, and he wasn’t very interested at all.
Junior Carlee Gibson waits on a pitch during Oglethorpe County’s 7-5 loss to Lincoln County on Saturday. The Patriots came back with a 13-1 win over Putnam County as Gibson got the win with five strikeouts and allowing only four hits. (LANDEN TODD/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

Junior Carlee Gibson waits on a pitch during Oglethorpe County’s 7-5 loss to Lincoln County on Saturday. The Patriots came back with a 13-1 win over Putnam County as Gibson got the win with five strikeouts and allowing only four hits. (LANDEN TODD/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

OCHS softball struggles early

Owen Warden
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
The start of the softball season hasn’t been ideal for Oglethorpe County.   The Patriots were 2-6 through Tuesday, with several losses being blowouts. Their defense has struggled, likely due to a large number of new starters.
Quarterback Jayden Wallace delivers the ball to a teammate in Oglethorpe County’s season-opening 14-7 loss to East Jackson on Friday. He threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to Darius Heard in his first start at quarterback. (DONNY FAUST/FOR THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

Quarterback Jayden Wallace delivers the ball to a teammate in Oglethorpe County’s season-opening 14-7 loss to East Jackson on Friday. He threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to Darius Heard in his first start at quarterback. (DONNY FAUST/FOR THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

Patriots set for home opener

Owen Warden
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Oglethorpe County will head into this week’s home opener against Banks County with a goal to correct the mistakes that led to a season-opening loss.   The Patriots fell to East Jackson 14-7 last Friday night.
Machines used in the manufacture of pills, including fentanyl, were confiscated in the raid on a house on Collins Avenue in Lexington last Friday. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

Machines used in the manufacture of pills, including fentanyl, were confiscated in the raid on a house on Collins Avenue in Lexington last Friday. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

Drugs, guns found in bust

Avni Trivedi
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
The Oglethorpe County Sheriff’s Office busted a drug manufacturing ring in Lexington and arrested three individuals this past weekend, Sheriff David Gabriel told The Oglethorpe Echo.
Kenzie Erwin, along with her horse Badger, has won three belt buckles in the 2022-23 season for her rodeo skills, which include goat tying and barrel racing. (LANDEN TODD/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

Kenzie Erwin, along with her horse Badger, has won three belt buckles in the 2022-23 season for her rodeo skills, which include goat tying and barrel racing. (LANDEN TODD/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO)

Erwin’s rodeo skills pay off with belt buckles

Julianne Akers
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Kenzie Erwin was 6 years old when she told her grandmother that she wanted to ride horses. Kenzie’s mother, Amy Erwin, said she enrolled her in horseback riding lessons where she learned the “foundations of riding,” and soon began barrel racing.
Tommy Carter in his lab with bags of soybeans he developed just before he retired from North Carolina State in 2019. Carter’s family has roots in Oglethorpe County dating to the 1800s. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

Tommy Carter in his lab with bags of soybeans he developed just before he retired from North Carolina State in 2019. Carter’s family has roots in Oglethorpe County dating to the 1800s. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

Growing up in Oglethorpe gave Carter a ’real sense of identity’

Garrett Kicklighter
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Tommy Carter was involved with science from a young age. His father was Oglethorpe County’s agricultural extension agent and his uncle was a farmer in Clarke County.    Carter’s family has owned farms in the county since the 1800s.