About The Eatonton messenger. (Eatonton, Ga.) 18??-current | View Entire Issue (June 5, 2025)
PUBLISH D CONTINUOUSLY SINCE 1861 X DAIRY FESTIVAL 2025 7. » SPECIAL SECTION WITH DETAILS INSIDE 2zYe 00 is ,9 €1T Cswww.msgrnews.com The atonto ditesseuer ) C Official organ of Putnam County and City of Eatonton C . Locally Owned by Smith Communications Inc. 4 OCELLEV SeRe Official organ County and City of Eatonton VOLUME 164 • NO. 23 THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2025 Carter Crossing a major project for Putnam HFH Ian Tocher ian@msgrnews.com During a luncheon held May 20 at Barrel 118 in Eatonton, Habitat for Humanity of Putnam (HFHP) announced the development of Carter Crossing in the Twin Bridges area of Putnam County, off Avant Road. The new neigh borhood is being named after former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalyn, both Georgia natives who were well-known for their support of the Habitat for Humanity mission. “Let me share with you how we arrived at this point at Carter Crossing,” HFHP Executive Director Murali Thiramul told the Barrel 118 crowd. “For the past couple of years, our board chair, Linda Moore, has been driving around Putnam County looking for land. She has been knocking on doors and writing letters to local landowners. She has called on people who she thought may have a small patch of land to build a Habitat house. She was relentless in her quest to find buildable land. Putnam County Manager Paul Van Haute addresses the crowd at Barrel 118 while Habitat for Humanity of Putnam Executive Director Murali Thiramul looks on during the announcement of Carter Crossing, expected to begin construction next spring. IAN TOCHER/Staff MORE HABITAT » A3 Gators COURTESY OF GIAA Gators pile into the middle of the baseball diamonld after clinching their third-straight state baseball championship last week. Scan the QR code for video of the celebration. FULL COVERAGE » PAGE B1 BUIs, accident mar holiday fun on lake Lynn Hobbs lynn@msgrnews.com Although it is a somber national holiday meant to remember and honor persons who lost their lives while serving in the U.S. military, Memorial Day weekend is also considered the first “lake holiday” of the summer season. This year was no exception with many boaters out on Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair all weekend, despite some patches of stormy weather. Georgia Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Divi sion’s game wardens were also on the lakes and three people were arrested on the Putnam County side of Lake Oconee for boating under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and one person was injured in a personal watercraft accident. “It’s not about us trying to write as many citations to boaters as MORE HOLIDAY » A2 Rhodes touts state progress at EPTAH meeting Ian Tocher ian@msgmews.com Georgia House of Represen tatives member Trey Rhodes (R, District 124) recently addressed the Eatonton-Putnam Tourism, Arts, and Heritage (EPTAH) group during its regularly sched uled monthly meeting. Rhodes provided updates on several topics and took questions from local government, service orga nization, and community leaders during the May 18 gathering at the Eatonton-Putnam Chamber of Commerce in downtown Eatonton. Rhodes opened by talking about the recently passed state budget of approximately $37.8 billion, compared to the $16.7 billion budget he first voted on after taking office 11 years ago. “The state of Georgia is kind of a product of its success,” Rhodes said. “I mean, I know how well we do things, and everybody wants to come, and that’s what we’re seeing here locally. So, it is tough to handle, but we’ve just got to try to handle it the best we can as far as the budget goes.” Specifically, Rhodes referred to the Georgia House cutting the state income tax rate from 5.39% to 5.19%, representing “about $400 million in our budget for every tenth cut, so we cut income taxes by $800 million.” He also mentioned “a billion dollar [statewide] rebate when you file your taxes,” represented by a $250 rebate for single taxpayers and $500 rebates for joint filers. “We also created a new $250 income child tax credit for children under the age of six, expanding what we had done the previous year, bringing it to help our younger families that have younger kids,” he added. Rhodes also praised county voters for approving House Bill 92 last year, which he said provides property tax relief, and emphasized legislative measures MORE RHODES » A6 WEATHER HIGH Thursday Chance T-storms 65 LOW Detailed forecast / C8 For breaking news or to subscribe, visit www.msgrnews.com or call 706-485-3501 SMITH COMMUNICATIONS2 Newspapers • Magazines • Printing Harper signs with Brewton- Parker » PAGE B2 INSIDE THIS WEEK Classifieds D1 Public Record A7 Community C1 Opinions A4 Crossword Puzzle C5 Obituaries A6 Legal Notices D3 Sports B1 Otis contacted me again to bring me up to speed on new pickleball facts. He reported pickleball courts have grown from 650 seven years ago to about 3,000 now across America. Almost 20 million pickleball players in the USA alone, up 311% from 2021! According to Otis, this tennis-badminton-ping-pong hybrid is taking over the world of sports. Zeke says it ain't no sport if you don't work up a sweat. Football is still King, according to Roger. I think Otis is just unhappy since he lost out at shuffleboard. I see the county did a good job paving parts of Old Phoenix Road. Just like Harmony Road it was much needed. But I am not sure why they scraped the good grass off the shoulders to replace it with red dirt. Next time it rains and what a mess! But the mud-boggers will 12 love it. Just think it could also cause an accident. Seems not so smart. PUTNAM Looking for a Family Dentist? 600 New Patient YL Exam & X-Rays Add a Cleaning for Just $69 (save up to $288*) LAKE OCONEE DENTISTRY Dr David Bradley Dr Patti Bradley & Associates OCALLY OWNED & OPERATE SINCE 1998 LAKE OCONEE’S DENTIST VOTED THE LAKE AREA’S BEST DENTIST FOR 12 YEARS RUNNING! Call 706-438-4444 today for your appointment Located off Hwy. 44 in Greensboro, between Publix and the movie theater *Cash only, or your insurance may cover at usual and customary fees. LAKE OCONEE DENTISTRY, Personalized & Comfortable
