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Tigers lose three straight; Morgan boys slip to No. 2 in state ill] £4^1
Your official newspaper sewing Greene, Morgan and Putnam counties in Georgia's Lake Country \ www.LakeOconeeNews.us
VOL. 19 NO. 4 FRIDAY JANUARY 27 2017 75 GENTS
MORGAN COUNTY
Brand new bird coming to Madison
Katherine Klimt
katherine@lakeoconeenews.us
Just as it was recently announced that
the iconic “Big Chicken” KFC franchise in
Marietta is about to close for a major re
modeling project, Madison will soon get its
own new and improved KFC restaurant on
Eatonton Road.
At the most recent Corridor Design Com
mission (CDC) meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 17,
Savannah-based franchise owner Inman
Hodges presented his plans for a complete
teardown and rebuilding of the current
restaurant building. At more than 20 years
old, the existing structure is overdue for
replacement rather than mere revamping,
as Hodges explained: “We are going to have
new equipment to meet new needs, and the
building’s going to be a little bit larger . . .
we want to start completely fresh.”
The new building will aim to both be
easily recognizable, with KFC’s distinc
tive red and white stripes, and point to a
more modern direction for the franchise.
Additionally, the exterior branding will be
SEE CORRIDOR » A2
T. Michael Stone/Staff
Two businesses located between Jefferson Street and Washington Street may soon be under one roof.
New construction on Washington Street gets thumbs-up
Katherine Klimt
katherine@lakeoconeenews.us
During its last meeting on Thursday,
Jan. 19, Madison’s Downtown Develop
ment Authority (DDA) approved the dem
olition of a derelict property on the 400
block of Washington St., a short distance
from downtown.
The property has been slated for dem
olition for some time but action has been
delayed because of the presence of huge
slabs of concrete left there by previous
tenants. City planning director Monica
Callahan called these slabs a “concrete
puddle” and pointed out that they have
SEE MADISON » A10
MORGAN COUNTY
Cherokee
exhibit
Katherine Klimt/Staff
Presenter Bo Taylor discussed
Cherokee heritage onstage.
SEE MORE PHOTOS » PAGE A12
index
Calendar B5
Churches B8
Classifieds D3
Community B1
Obituaries A8
Opinions A4
Recipes D1
Sports H.. Cl
FRIDAY
52/33
Sunny
WEATHER »D6
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MORGAN COUNTY
Deputy discovers suspected gang tagging
T. Michael Stone
michael@lakeoconeenews
A Morgan County Deputy stumbled
across graffiti associated with a notorious
and nationwide gang last week, according
to an incident report obtained from the
Morgan County Sheriffs Office.
Deputy Kenneth Smith was patrolling in
the 1600 block of Double Bridges Road on
Jan. 17 when he noticed graffiti on a wooden
fence in the shape of a six-pointed star with
the letter “G” in its center.
According to law enforcement, this
symbol is associated with the “Gangster
Disciples,” a notorious gang operating in 24
states.
Smith also noted a backwards “E” and a
backwards “S” in the same area. Contributed
The six-pointed star with a G in the center of it is a symbol of the Gangster Disciples, according to
GANGS » A10 law enforcement.
PUTNAM COUNTY
Regional officials consider new tax for roads
Lynn Hobbs
lynn@lakeoconeenews.us
With 480 miles of roadway in
Putnam County and repaving costs
of roughly $220,000 per mile, local
officials are looking at funding
options for the routine mainte
nance and upkeep of Eatonton and
Putnam County’s roads.
One consideration is a Transpor
tation Special Purpose Local Option
Sales Tax (T-SPLOST), which could
be on the Putnam County ballot in
November, Putnam County Board of
Commissioners Chairman Dr. Steve
Hersey said at the Jan. 18 meeting
of Eatonton Putnam Tourism, Arts,
Heritage Partnership.
Local officials are considering
the tax, but so are region officials,
meaning Putnam voters could have
two T-SPLOSTs to decide - one for
the county and one for the region.
“The difference is the amount
of money that will stay in Putnam
County for roads and bridges,”
Hersey explained.
The number of miles and the costs
SEE ROADS » A2
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