Newspaper Page Text
Index
News 2,3,5,12
Obituaries 3
Opinion 4
Around the County 6
Calendar 8
Sheriff's Report 9
Legals 9
Sports 10-11
Christmas Marketplace
Get a jump on your holiday shop
ping at the Chamber of Commerce's
annual Christmas Marketplace,
which will feature merchants,
vendors and food options Friday
through Sunday at the Crawford
Depot. Santa Claus is scheduled
to visit on Sunday.
... Page 3
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The Oglethorpe Echo
Volume 150, Number 7
November 16, 2023 ??? Oglethorpe County, Georgia
$1
SIDNEY CHANSAMONE/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO
Jim Cabaniss is surrounded by cows at Cabaniss Dairy, his family's dairy farm in Stephens. The farm
produces raw milk, which became legal to sell in Georgia earlier this year.
The raw milk debate:
Good for you, or not
SIDNEY CHANSAMONE/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO
Proponents of raw milk, which is produced at the Cabaniss Dairy,
say it's healthy to drink and tastes better than pasteurized milk.
Opponents say drinking it could lead to foodborne illnesses.
By Caleb Rollins
and Sidney Chansamone
The Oglethorpe Echo
The sale of raw, unpasteurized
milk for human consumption be
came legal in Georgia on July 1,
but the debate over its health value
and possible risks is ongoing.
While some organizations like
the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention and the Food and
Drug Administration warn against
drinking unpasteurized milk due to
the risk of foodborne illness, oth
er studies have shown potential
health benefits to drinking milk in
its raw form.
For some in Oglethorpe Coun
ty, like Jim Cabaniss, raw milk has
been a lifelong dietary staple.
Cabaniss helps run Cabaniss
Dairy, an organic dairy operation
in Stephens, alongside his brother
Jon Cabaniss. He grew up drink
ing fresh raw milk from his fami
ly???s farm.
???I think common sense would
tell you that it has to be healthy,??? he
said. ???I know people now that have
their own cows in their backyard,
and they milk them every day and
drink the milk. Some of the healthi
est people I???ve ever seen.???
While there hasn???t been a sub
stantial amount of research on the
subject, some studies support this
idea.
See MILK, Page 2
City councilman
remembered as
a ???gentle giant???
By Tyler Blount
The Oglethorpe Echo
Nick Sanders, 64, died Nov. 6,
just a day before he received the
most votes in the Arnoldsville
City Council election.
According to Arnoldsville of
ficials, Sanders, who served
nearly two years on the council,
was described as having a ???good
sense of humor.???
???He was very dedicated to his
community and thoughtful,??? city
councilman Danny Sniff said.
Danny Morcom, mayor-elect,
said when it came to elections,
Sanders had a talent for leaving
a ???lasting impression on people.???
???He was a gentle giant,??? Mor
com said. ???He really was.???
An invested council mem
ber, Morcom said Sanders cared
deeply about the community???s
welfare and was a champion of
learning the ins and outs of the
city and Amoldsville???s establish
ments.
???When he had a job to do, he
was going to do it completely,
and he wanted all the informa
tion and knowledge that he could
obtain to do that job correctly,???
Morcom said. ???That???s just the
type of individual he was.???
Sanders was born to Forest
and Earleen Sanders on March
26, 1959, in Chester County,
South Carolina.
Survivors include his wife,
Lillian Sanders, his children:
Brad Sanders, Brent Sanders and
Melissa Zahner, and his grand
children: Preston, Michael, Cain,
Chloe and Chase.
A funeral service is being
planned. The Berry Funeral
Home and Crematory of Elber-
tqn are maldng the arrangements.
Sanders obituary, Page 3
Other five
candidates
to fill council
By Elena Acosta
The Oglethorpe Echo
Blake Arnold, Nor
ma Craddock, Jack Nor
man, Joel Kriner and Joyce
Sniff will make up the
Arnoldsville City County
after the death of incumbent
Nick Sanders.
He died the day before
the election, which was held
Nov. 7.
Sanders received 49
votes, the most among the
six candidates, said Dana
Player, the city clerk who
doubled as election super
visor. Poll officers were not
notified until the evening of
Election Day.
???It???s been really sad,??? she
said.
Craddock, an incumbent,
received 38 votes. Norman,
also an incumbent, received
40 votes. Arnold received
40 votes, Kriner received 35
and Sniff had 27.
They will serve four-year
terms, starting in January.
City attorney Danny
Love said since Arnoldsville
is ???at large,??? meaning the
city council seats are not
tied to districts, the five
seats will be filled by the
other five candidates. No
runoff or special election
will occur.
???I think it would be a dif
ferent story if we had seven
or eight people running,??? he
said.
CALEB BALDWIN/THE OGLETHORPE ECHO
Damarcuse Harper (from left), Jimmyka Gresham, Jeffrey
Molina, Gloria Hgay and Zachary Wilson, eighth-graders at
Oglethorpe County Middle School, are the newest class of
REACH scholars. They must abide by the contract to receive a
$10,000 scholarship when they graduate high school.
Class of 2028 REACH
scholars sign contract
By Caleb Baldwin
The Oglethorpe Echo
The lives of five Oglethorpe
County Middle School students
were changed on Friday morning
when they signed the REACH
Georgia Scholarship Program
contract, which will alter their
next lour years.
Eighth-graders Jimmy
ka Gresham, Damarcuse Harp
er, Gloria Hgay, Jeffrey Moli
na and Zachary Wilson were se
lected from the class of 2028
and become the fifth group of
Oglethorpe County students to
have this opportunity.
Students who follow the guide
lines of the program dining each
year of high school will earn the
maximum $2,500 per year schol
arship, for a total of $10,000.
This amount can be applied to
any two- or four-year Georgia
REACH eligible institution.
See REACH,Page 7