About The Eatonton messenger. (Eatonton, Ga.) 18??-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 30, 2025)
organ VOLUME 164 • NO. 44 County and City of Eatonton X—- Locally Owned by THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2025 www.msgrnews.com Putnam couple remembered fondly by friends Lynn Hobbs lynn@msgrnews.com A local couple’s death in a vehicle crash last week left many people in Middle Georgia in mourning, as well as recalling happy memories. James “Jim” Abbott, 83, and his 81-year-old wife Sara “Betsy’ Abbott, of Bear Creek Road in Putnam County, succumbed to injuries sustained when they crashed into a pickup truck around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22, said Putnam County Sheriff’s Chief of Staff Russell Blenk. Both had been longtime employees of the Jones County School System. The pickup, a 2021 Ford F-150 owned by Georgia Power, was driven by Matthew Crumbley, 26, of McDonough. Crumbley was taken by ambulance to a Macon hospital for treat ment of injuries that were not life-threatening. After his release from the hospital, he was charged Monday, Oct. 27, with failure to yield while turning left and two counts of misdemeanor vehicular homicide, Blenk said. The Abbotts were traveling eastbound on State Route 16/ Sparta Highway with Betsy Abbott driving their 2018 Ford Flex. As they approached the intersection of Pea Ridge Road and Highway 16, Crumbley was northbound and turned left onto Pea Ridge in front of the Abbotts. The front of the MORE COUPLE » A2 IAN TOCHER/Staff For the past seven years, Eatonton native Armor Maddox has been tending to the general store at Stephack, the living history site created by Roger Pierce off Dennis Station Road, south of the ci ty. SEE STORY AND PHOTOS » PAGE C1 Oh, deer! Be on the lookout Fall marks the time of the year in Georgia when deer are on the move more than usual. Staying alert is always important when driving, but it’s especially critical during this season of peak deer activity, according to the Georgia DNR Wildlife Resources Division (WRD). “Deer most often live and travel in small groups. If you see one deer, there are likely others that may cross the road. When you see a deer on or near the road, slow down, be prepared to stop, and maintain your lane,” WRD Assistant State Deer Biologist Kevin Rose said. “Swerving to avoid a MORE DEER >> A2 BOC considers rezoning, rebates, rollback rates Ian Tocher ian@msgrnews.com The Putnam County Board of Commissioners met Oct. 21 for its second of two regularly scheduled monthly meetings. The evening opened with a zoning item, with commissioners consid ering whether to allow Tyler and Allie Mathis to withdraw, without prejudice, their request to rezone an acre at 166 Dennis Station Rd. from agricultural (AG) to resi dential (R-1). The motion passed 3-1, with only Steve Hersey of District 3 opposed. “The motion will carry,” Sharp confirmed. “And the applicant will be allowed to withdraw without prejudice.” The board then moved to an ordinance public hearing to define a “busi ness day” in county code. Hersey introduced the measure, which defines a business day as Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding holidays. “This is really just a housekeeping issue,” MORE COUNTY»A3 With a video of the intersection of Twin Bridges and Dennis Station Roads playing on screens behind him, past county chairman Billy Webster addressed the current Putnam County Commission about the intersection's safety issues. IAN TOCHER/Staff 94922 87854 0 Clocks roll back one hour Saturday night For breaking news or to subscribe, visit |www.msgrnews.com|or call 706-485-3501 SMITH COMMUNICATIONS2 Newspapers • Magazines • Printing Bulldogs prepare for Gators » PAGE B2 INSIDE THIS WEEK Classifieds D1 Public Record A7 Community C1 Opinions A4 Crossword Puzzle C5 Obituaries A6 Legal Notices D2-3 Sports B1 Good to see the rain. Maybe it’ll soften up the ground enough so I can start my winter garden. Sad to see another tragic loss on our roads, taking two lives on the Pea Ridge/Old Phoenix Road East Bypass. Really serious situation that seems to be getting worse. Traffic flying up from the Flat Rock turn on Hwy. 441 onto Pea Ridge, dangerous situation. In weekend football action I see Brentwood booted Gatewood 48-14; Jasper County Hurricanes blew by Putnam County 28-10; while LOA Titans fell to five straight losses, getting clawed 27-7 by cross-county rival Greene County Tigers again. Also saw where Georgia Tech Coach Brent Key's Yellow Jackets stung the Syracuse Orangemen 41-6 to go 7-0 on the season. What is an Orangeman, anyway? Men who eat a lot of oranges? I bet George knows. Zeke says it's all a bunch L of hooey; he'd rather hunt and fish. Hot O Dog will be under the house until the hurricane passes. PUTNAM .Daul Time WHAT’S YOUR GAMEPLAN THIS FALL? HAS YOUR FURNACE BEEN SIDELINED? a We tackle every heating and air problem head on. With Wilson Bryant Air Conditioning you can expect us to never move the goalposts. Hands down we are the best choice to keep your furnace running in top form. 866 Harmony Road • Eatonton 706.485.5456 • bryant-air.com
