Newspaper Page Text
Index
Inside
News 2, 3, 5, 6, 7
Obituaries 3
Opinion 4
Legals 9
Sheriff's Report 9
Calendar 10
Sports 11-12
Football Preview .. B Section
The
Arnoldsville will hold a
special election for mayor
and a regular election for the
position this fall after former
mayor George Spearing IV
moved out of the city limits
earlier this year.
Page 3
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Oglethorpe Echo
Volume 149, Number 46
August 17, 2023 ■ Oglethorpe County, Georgia
$1
720 pounds of trash found
By Garrett Kicklighter
The Oglethorpe Echo
Jeff Sharp, Oglethorpe Coun
ty’s code compliance officer, said
about 50 bags of trash weighing
around 720 pounds were illegal
ly dumped on Black Snake Road
in Moss Creek sometime around
Aug. 5.
The trash mostly consisted of
diapers, Sharp said.
“Unfortunately, when I went
through all the trash back at the
landfill, we could find nothing to
identify who dumped it,” Sharp
said.
That type of trash could have
gone to the Athens-Clarke Coun
ty Landfill, which is on Highway
78, just across the county line, but
Sharp said people “find (a) place
out here and dump it versus taking
it to a landfill.”
Sharp said this is the sec
ond “big” trash dump during his
time working for the county. The
other occurred south of Sandy
Cross. He’s been in his current
role since last September.
Sharp said he hopes this will
infuriate residents and they will
help county authorities catch
the people who illegally dump
trash.
Sharp said county officials
might look into adding surveil
lance if dumping continues on
Black Snake Road.
INSIDE: FOOTBALL PREVIEW
LANDEN TODD/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO
Running back Jake Turner does his best Karate Kid imitation after scoring a touchdown in
Oglethorpe County's 19-7 victory over West Hall in a scrimmage last week. The Patriots open the
2023 season at East Jackson at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Patriots open 2023
on road Friday night
Staff Report
It’s time to turn on the stadium
lights.
The Oglethorpe County football
team, coming off one of its best
seasons in years, opens the 2023
season at East Jackson at 7:30 p.m.
Friday.
Coaches, players and fans re
ceived a glimpse of this year’s
team when the Patriots defeated
West Hall 19-7 in a storm-delayed
scrimmage last Friday that was
called in the second half.
To prepare for the season, catch
up on the football program with
The Oglethorpe Echo’s Football
Preview inside this paper.
The 10-page section includes
a feature on running backs Jake
Turner and Elijah Hood, position
group breakdowns, the roster, this
season’s schedule, opponent infor
mation, and photos of players and
coaches and families.
There are also feature stories
on this year’s cheerleading team,
which expanded from 12 to 16
members, and the marching band,
which is going with a Western-
themed show this fall.
And check The Echo weekly for
game results and player features
from not only football, but all the
fall sports.
FOOTBALL
PREVIEW
Bustin'through
Winning record, home playoff game among goals
TrL OciLL'IUURPt Ecuotl
SUBMITTED PHOTO
The arrows on this image show the revised car-rider line at
Oglethorpe County Elementary School, which was to take ef
fect on Wednesday afternoon.
Traffic forces
adjustment to
car-rider line
By McCain Bracewell
The Oglethorpe Echo
The first week of back-to-
school traffic proved challenging
for Oglethorpe County officials.
Superintendent Beverley
Levine and school staff met with
Oglethorpe County Sheriff Da
vid Gabriel on Tuesday morning
to discuss traffic concerns at all
of the schools.
Construction of the new K-5
school caused a road closure be
hind the schools that led to ad
ditional traffic in car rider lines.
The closure forced buses going
from Oglethorpe County Prima
ry School to Oglethorpe Coun
ty Elementary to enter Comer
Road, which caused traffic is
sues the first week of school.
Director of Operations Paul
Thiel and new Director of Trans
portation Zachary Holtzclaw
helped create a traffic plan to al
leviate traffic near the schools.
The OCES afternoon car rid
er line will now be directed off
of Fairground Road and loop
around the transportation build
ing. The change was to go into
effect on Wednesday afternoon.
“We will give it a week to see
how it goes, then next week we
will take a look at it again,” Gabri-
Inside
There are 2,259
students enrolled in
Oglethorpe County
Schools this year, an
increase of 88 stu
dents from last year
and 132 students from
the start of the 2021 -
22 school year.
... Page 2
el said. “You make small chang
es because it gets complicated to
make multiple changes. It's never
going to be perfect because we are
moving lots of kids.”
Gabriel said in past years he
had one deputy controlling traf
fic at OCPS and OCES who
would then help at Oglethorpe
County High School. This year
he had two deputies at OCPS
and OCES, and the Sheriff’s Of
fice had to call in another deputy
to assist at OCHS.
He said deputies normally fin
ish in 20 minutes at the prima
ry and elementary schools. They
were there for over an hour this
past week.
See TRAFFIC, Page 2
Meet the New Echo Staff
Stop by The Oglethorpe Echo's office from 12:30 to 2 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 18 to meet and greet the new fall staff.
We'll have refreshments and several of the University of Geor
gia students will be there. These students will be The Echo's
staff from the end of this month to the first week of December.
The Echo is located at 121 Main St. in downtown Lexington.
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