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Index
Inside
Opinion 4-5
Community 5-10, 13
Classifieds/Legals 11
Sheriffs Report 12
Sports 14-15
Senior running back
Nate Brown has
flourished in the
Patriots' offense with
1,005 rushing yards this
season Page 15
To start your subscription to The Oglethorpe Echo, see Page 3.
The Oglethorpe Echo
Volume 148, Number 5
November 4, 2021 ■ Oglethorpe County, Georgia
50 cents
SARAH WHITE/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO
Ralph Maxwell, former owner and editor of The Oglethorpe Echo, poses for a portrait outside of The Oglethorpe
Echo building on Oct. 29, 2021. Maxwell had been the owner, publisher and editor of the Echo since 1981.
End of an Era
for the Echo
Tribute to Ralph Maxwell’s 40years
as Echo editor, a longtime family tradition
By Alden Lisse
The Oglethorpe Echo
For 40 years, Ralph Maxwell Jr.
has served his community as editor of
The Oglethorpe Echo.
However, the Echo’s inability to
generate revenue and Maxwell’s
health issues made it difficult for him
to continue to operate the newspaper.
To save the paper from closing, Max
well is transferring it to a non-prof
it organization, The Oglethorpe Echo
Legacy Foundation. Although Max
well is stepping away from the paper,
his legacy at the Echo will not be for
gotten.
A family calling
Maxwell’s history with the pa
per goes far beyond his first day on
the job. As the paper has circulated
around Oglethorpe County, its own
ership has been passed down through
the Maxwell family.
The story of Maxwell’s involve
ment begins with his father, Ralph
Maxwell Sr., who was looking for a
new career path after his 24 years in
the Navy. Ralph Sr.’s aunt and un
cle, who raised him, had owned The
Oglethorpe Echo for 13 years and
were looking to sell it. Ralph Sr.
bought the paper from them in 1956
and went to linotype school for six
months, learning the technique of
printing the paper.
He came back to Oglethorpe Coun
ty to learn the business, only to as
sume full responsibility when his un
cle died of a heart attack two weeks
after his arrival.
Over the next few years, Ralph Sr.
would establish his role at the paper
and often bring his children to work
with him.
This is where Ralph Jr.’s first work
See ECHO, Page 8
SARAH FREEMAN/SUBMITTED PHOTO
The new staff of The Oglethorpe Echo, along
with Managing Editor Andy Johnston and
Chairman Dink NeSmith, mark the beginning
of reporting for Oglethorpe County.
UGA students begin
reporting for the Echo
By Andy Johnston
The Oglethorpe Echo
Welcome to a new era at The Oglethorpe Echo.
Looking at this front page, you might have noticed
new names and a different look to your community
newspaper.
Please don’t be alarmed.
Starting with this edition, a team of University of
Georgia student interns have taken over for longtime
editor Ralph Maxwell and his staff and have begun to
write the articles and take the photos that will help fill
See STAFF, Page 9
GBI
arrests
court
clerk
Oglethorpe
County Probate
employee charged
with theft, forgery
Staff report
Oglethorpe County Probate
Court clerk Angel Bramlett was
arrested by the Georgia Bureau
of Investigation on Tuesday and
charged with 30 counts of theft
by taking, 38 counts of computer
trespass and 17 counts of comput
er forgery, the GBI announced in a
statement.
Bramlett, 43, of Winterville,
was arrested as a result of an in
vestigation into missing funds,
dating to August 2019. The GBI
stated that “several thousands of
dollars in fines supposedly paid to
Probate Court were missing.”
In a statement to The
Oglethorpe Echo, Probate Court
Judge Kayla Grier said she no
ticed irregularities, and after her
initial investigation, reported her
findings to the Oglethorpe Coun
ty Sheriff, who then contacted the
GBI.
“Our office is working close
ly with the GBI to determine
how much money has been sto
len,” Grier said in the statement.
“(Bramlett) manipulated the proto
col for procedures to avoid the of
fice’s checks and balances, which
would have exposed her actions.”
County Commission Chairman
Jay Paul confirmed earlier this
week that he had been informed
of the investigation, but was not at
liberty to discuss any other details
at the request of the GBI.
Grier said additional informa
tion will be available when the in
vestigation is completed. She also
confirmed that Bramlett’s employ
ment had been terminated.
“Clerks are given duties and
take an oath swearing to fulfill
those duties,” Grier said in her
statement. “I trusted her and am
deeply hurt and betrayed by her
actions. As a constitutional officer
of the court, the integrity of my of
fice is paramount. We have imple
mented further safeguards to pre
vent recurrence in the future.”
Ralph Maxwell contributed to this
article.
Lexington officials ask for feedback on new city hall design
By Maddie Brechtel
The Oglethorpe Echo
Lexington officials are seeking input from
residents for a planned city hall addition.
The draft design from Evelyn Reece of
Reece Preservation Services, LLC would
make the entire building Americans with
Disabilities Act compliant, provide space
for a visitor’s center staffed by volunteers
on the weekend and an auditorium with
flexible space for public and private events.
The current city hall on Main Street was
described by Mayor Craig Snow as being
“old and run down,” as well as “not fitting
with the rest of historic Lexington.” The
building is around 50 years old, classify
ing it as historic, although it isn’t nearly as
old as other buildings in Lexington, many of
which date to the 19th century.
“I just did a sketch (of the blueprint) and
just floated it out there,” Reece said. “And
then I saw people were just referencing it,
so several years later, I put a memo with it.”
Other features would include:
■ An ADA-approved bathroom with
separate access so it could be open to the
public on the weekends
■ An ADA-accessible ramp in the front
entrance
■ A lockable sliding glass window and
door for added security
■ Mid-century modem elements, such
as replacing the auditorium’s overhead
doors with glass and a wood pergola — a
structure that forms a shaded walkway — at
the front of the building.
Snow said once approved, the process
should take around six months. Around
$125,000 has been earmarked for the addi
tion. Snow said he hopes to use local com
panies for the construction.
“As long as we can get our hands on all
the materials, we’re just using a lot of the
existing structure that’s there,” he said.
Although Reece drafted the design, both
Reece and Snow said many residents have
come forth with other ideas, and the city
See CITY HALL, Page 3
SARAH WHITE/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO
Lexington City Hall is pictured on Oct. 29, 2021. City officials are asking resi
dents to share their ideas about the addition or other aspects of the design.