| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | ||
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1 | KEY DUTIES | BEAT REQUIREMENTS | STORY IDEAS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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3 | County Government and Politics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4 | Team Alpha Reporter: Wade Cheek | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | Team Omega Reporter: Garrett Kicklighter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 | KEY DUTIES: Attend and report on Oglethorpe County Board of Commissioners meetings; Build and maintain strong working relationships with commissioners, state representatives and other elected public officials; Report on key issues throughout the county; Report on key electoral races and election results; Write human interest features about commissioners other government personnel | MUST: Do a monthly story on the Board of Commissioners meeting and MUST ATTEND — put the BOC schedule in your calendar now | COMPREHENSIVE PLAN: Follow up and continued reporting on the comprehensive plan (first reporting, December 2022) | Every week feature on county officials — asking profile and vision (more challenging questions) | Story on County Manager Josh Hawkins: https://gradynewsource.uga.edu/coming-home-one-mans-journey-to-his-roots/ | Virtually anyone with much standing in the county and is very familiar with what has been happening in the last decade is very dubious about the figures released in the 2020 census which shows a reduction in population. It might’ve worth comparing the school with 10 years ago, the number of tax parcels with 10 years ago and the number of registered voters with 10 years ago. There must be some database somewhere That attempts to correlate the percentage of voters to population size. Also, worth looking into diversity changes in the county. | Know your boards — Short weekly features on the folks who serve on the county’s boards (elections, school, zoning, etc.). Could also do this with the county commission, although 4/5ths of them don’t talk to the media. This would also help us add to our mugshot file. | BIGGEST LANDOWNERS: Who are the biggest landowners in the county? Might be tough to find if there are LLCs involved. | Man (and his dog) who work outside of the Oglethorpe County trash drop off; he's supposed to be incredibly nice and kind and a friendly face known to all in the county | ||||||||||||||||||
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8 | Cities (Lexington, Maxeys, Crawford, and Arnoldsville) and Breaking News | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | Team Alpha Reporter: DJ Moore | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | Team Omega Reporter: Destiny Hartwell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | KEY DUTIES: Report on key issues facing various city and town governments throughout the county; Cover community events, such as rallies, protests, parades, festivals and concerts; Build relationships with city leaders and other key personnel; Report on key electoral races and election results within cities; Write human interest features about commissioners, mayors and other government personnel; cover breaking news as needed | MUST: Do a monthly roundup of all four city council meetings; MUST attend one city each month and "call in" to the rest of the meetings — put the city meetings schedule in your calendar now | City of Winterville – Parts of the city are actually in Oglethorpe County, so we cover their activities occasionally as space allows. There are always events, news, fundraisers, etc. going on there, and many community facilities and spaces available. The city puts out a quarterly newsletter called the Winterville Gazette that is a wealth of information about everything going on there. All of the editions are posted on the city’s website. The city has a Facebook page that is regularly updated as well, and Mayor Dodd Ferrelle is very personable and always willing to talk about his city. His info is (706) 255-2624 cell wintervillemayor@gmail.com. Wendy Bond is the city clerk for Winterville and can be reached in the office at (706) 742-8600 or at cityhall@cityofwinterville.com. | Every week feature on city officials — asking profile and vision (more challenging questions) | MACON COIL BUILDING: The downtown Lexington building is going to be turned into a community center. It has already received a new roof and the city/DDA wants to continue renovations to soon put it into use. The city’s water department might also move there. | Arnoldsville currently does not allow alcohol sale but a woman has been talking to Danny Love (city attorney) about changing that and bringing in sales! Would be great to follow up on that, find out how the process would work and what the potentials are | SECOND HOMES: Find folks around the county who own second homes in the OC, either family homes or homes they’ve built or bought to spend part of the year. | The Maxeys Community Club was created to allow the members of the community to gather and celebrate with neighbors. Monthly meetings are September through May and are held on the first Friday of each month at the Maxeys Community Center beginning at 6:30 pm. All residents are invited to bring a covered dish to share. | CHAMBER RESTORATION RUN — This is an 11K and 5K race/walk to generate funding for overhead costs and ongoing maintenance and improvements to the historic Crawford Depot, headquarters for the Chamber of Commerce. Scheduled for Labor Day (September 5, 2022 at 7:30 A.M.) | National Society of Daughters of the American Colonist has requested to refurbish/replace late Governor Gilmer's tombstone plaque which is at Beth-Salem cemetery in Lexington. Council approved this in January. Spokesperson for the motino was Evelyn Reece who is a local historian (or something like that), NSDAC contacted her about it back in the fall | Quality of Crawford water; Arnoldsville has had trouble, too — what's causing the issues and what solutions exist? New Crawford wells — What was the result of the two wells drilled this summer? | Elections are coming up and I have been told that Maxeys will have a new Mayor in the upcoming elections because Warren Gilson is not running for another term after thise year. | |||||||||||||||
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13 | Education and Schools | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | Team Alpha Reporter: Bella Guerrero | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | Team Omega Reporter: Viktoria Kangas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | KEY DUTIES: Attend and report on Oglethorpe County Board of Education meetings; Build and maintain strong working relationships with BOE members and school personnel; Report on significant hirings/firings, personnel issues and/or turnover at all county schools; Write human interest features about school staff, teachers and students; Report on school performance, milestones and programming; cover other forms of "education" outside of district (private schools, homeschooling, trade and tech programs) | MUST: Do a monthly story on the Board of Education meeting and MUST ATTEND — put the meetings schedule in your calendar now (MS Media Center) | Contact OCHS grads in college or just out of college and successful and what they are up to now | NEW SCHOOL UPDATE: Let’s check with Beverley Levine and get an update on the progress of the new OC elementary school. | ALERT SYSTEM: OC schools introduced a communications tool called Anonymous Alerts late last year. Check in with that and see how that’s working. | UNSUNG HERO: Sue Ann Blalock is superintendent Beverley Levine’s right-hand person and knows much about what happens throughout the school system. | LEADERSHIP OGLETHORPE: Cary Fordyce’s efforts to provide a leadership class to HS students. We’ve hinted at this in stories and submitted photos, but a story could be warranted. | MARRIED PRINCIPALS: Katie and Mack Baldwin are the principals at three of four of the OC schools. Katie is in charge of both the primary and elementary schools, and Mack is the principal of the middle school. How do they make that work? | Retirement story: Susie Johnson needs to have a feature done on her by April/early May. | New Principal Feature: Bill Sampson get an update on how the job is going for him. | How is Black History Month being talked about at the school. | The passing of Melanie Sanders. | What is the special education program doing across schools to ensure a path of success for their students. | ROTC?? How do they play a role on OC community. | Meeting of retired teachers? (Cary's wife) | Check out if we can find the results of this survey. https://eprovesurveys.advanc-ed.org/surveys/#/action/205967/p1340 | Keep an eye out for REACH scholarship program scolars that are selected. When/ if somehting happens with that. | ||||||||||
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18 | Criminal Justice and Safety | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | Team Alpha Reporter: Sydney Bishop | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | Team Omega Reporter: Brooke Stewart | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | KEY DUTIES: Build and maintain a strong working relationship with the sheriff’s office, the coroner's office, the court system and various legal departments; Build and maintain strong working relationships with various other county services, including, but not limited to Fire and Rescue, Emergency Management Agency and Emergency Medical Services; Write human interest features about individuals throughout these agencies and the county; report on larger crime, justice and safety issues as needed | MUST: Do a check-in at beginning of semester with the court clerk (Kelli Smith) to see what cases might be going to trial and check in with sheriff, EMS regularly; need to look at data for sheriff's office; need to folo Gomes and Bramlett trials/progress through court | For Jan. 26 paper: SAFETY AWARENESS PROGRAM: The “War Room Show” and the OC Sheriff’s Office will hold a free church safety awareness program at 2 p.m. Jan. 21 at St. John Methodist Church in Crawford. Contact: Delb Kendrick. | For Feb. 2 paper: OCFR ANNUAL AWARD BANQUET: Oglethorpe County Fire and Rescue will hold its annual banquet at 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28 at the Beaverdam Station. They will serve dinner and present awards. A student has been invited. Contact: Cody Gibbs. FOLO: Gomes sentencing update; contact Kelli Smith for more information. | SHERIFF DATA: Get the data for the last 5-10 years for traffic, arrests, etc. to look for trends in problems or areas of improvement. | SNS truckers are getting in trouble for going on backroads instead of state roads. The Sheriff's office has been pulling them over. Trucker said that they should be allowed to take smaller roads so they are on the road for less time. It is statistically less dangerous because they are on the road for a shorter amount of time. What are their complaints? Why is the Sheriff Gabriel enforcing this? The local ordinance says they are allowed to take backroads, but state ordinance says they cannot. Police officer (Justin Sanders) present at the hearing said that they enforce state law. OCG32-6-26 ordinance. Huwitt and Tony Smith (son) are owners of SNS trucking. Kate got this story idea from board of commissioners | Fire and Rescue are doing free CPR classes in response to Damar Hamilton suffering cardiac arrest during the Buffalo Bills game. They will be in accordance with the American Heart Association. Video package could be great. https://www.facebook.com/OglethorpeCountyFireRescue | The “War Room Show” and the OC Sheriff’s Office will hold a free church safety awareness program at 2 p.m. Jan. 21 at St. John Methodist Church in Crawford. Contact: Delbra Kendrick. | Coronor James Jackson's claims that the 911 department has an extreme shortage of employees | Fire Department gets new granite sign | Fire department turkey shooting competition in April | There are scammers in all of the Facebook groups. Inquire with the sheriffs office about them and look into the complaint that was filed about them. Overall, a piece informing the public about scammers on Facebook with advice over how to avoid them. | The Bark & Wine to be held March 11, 2023 from 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm at The Historic Smithonia Farm, 2289 Crawford Smithonia Road, Colbert, Ga 30628. | FIRE DEPT. UPDATE: Jason Lewis mentioned the progress with the working arrangements with the county’s fire departments. He would be able to provide an update on what’s happened with them since October. | |||||||||||||
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23 | Agriculture and Environment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
24 | Team Alpha Reporter: Morgan Quinn | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
25 | Team Omega Reporter: Jack Rhodes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
26 | KEY DUTIES: Build and maintain a strong working relationship with the Farm Bureau and UGA Extension offices on agricultural issues; connect with local farmers about their processes and challenges; report on specific environmental concerns within the county and possible solutions; look for emerging best practices; cover events, shows, etc., tied to agriculture in the county | MUST: Do a check-in at beginning of semester with UGA extension to look at needs and programs | CHICKEN FARMING: Chicken farming and chicken houses are big money in OC and NE Georgia. Talk to chicken farmers — perhaps Phil and Howard Sanders — and see if we can find more about the industry and the impact on the county. | SUSTAINABLE FARM: Cedar Grove Farm is on Instagram. Not sure of a hook. | ONGOING SLUDGE: Continue to folo and update on the sludge issue in the OC — what is BOC and others doing to create rules around where and how soil amendments are dumped within the county. | Cattlemen series (from ext. agent Shanna Reynolds) — What do you think of working on a feature story highlighting our local cattlemen? The county has many deep roots in the beef industry. I thought it would be neat to tell some of their stories but don’t have the time to author it alone. I could make it a whole series. The hardest part is narrowing the stories down. | Hog farming growing tremendously in the county — one of the biggest producers in the state? | Ruth Ann Tesanovich (706) 207-5831 cell rtesanovich@outlook.com – she and her husband Drago live in Madison County, 1.5 miles north of the Georgia Renewable Power biomass plant. Drago is a co-chair of the Madison County Clean Power Coalition, and Ruth Ann is the secretary, treasurer, and historian. Residents near the plant and beyond have had continuing issues with various forms of pollution from GRP and are very passionate about regulating the negative impacts of the plant as much as possible. | The plate sale athens has gardens out in Oglethorpe County where they farm their products and host a meetup | Cotton farming (Phil Sanders) to talk about cotton farming | Travis Legg/Windy Ridge Horse Farm — Don’t have many details about this. | Landfill arrangement with ACC — OC residents can use the ACC Landfill based on an agreement with its neighboring county. There are also four waste dropoff sites/remote Dumpster sites around the county, where residents can take their garbage. Each site has its own manager/guard. | WOLFSKIN GROWERS: Longtime nursery was closed and is reportedly reopening under new owners in May. | Off season? For farmers who work with the land, how do they spend winter preparing for the next season? For farmers workign with poultry & livestock, what are the challenges of colder months? | agriculture program is strong people and kids staying behind to farm - chicken farms/ kids working on farms during the summer / deer jamboree coming up in sandy cross / wildwood | JOHN FORTUNA’S HOUSE: He built a geodesic home with a geodesic barn in Lexington. He’s a former graphic designer who designed the exhibits for the museum in the old jail. | Beech Hollow Farms and their events; restorative nursery for the GA piedmont. Could always be a good seasonal piece, see how they change their growing patterns for different times of year. | Follow up on Orange Lake story: Jeff Sharp. Goose pond. All the fish are gone. Timberland Solar Project. Owned by ConEdison. | Bee Club | ||||||||
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28 | Business and Infrastructure | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
29 | Team Alpha Reporter: Sarah Donehoo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
30 | Team Omega Reporter: Alex Bavosa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
31 | KEY DUTIES: Build and maintain a strong working relationship with the Oglethorpe County Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Authority; Report on business openings and closings; Identify and report on significant trends and other business news throughout the county; Write human interest features about individuals and businesses throughout the county, including possible standing features and historical anniversaries; cover meeting involving infrastructure and zoning boards | MUST: Do a monthly story on the zoning board and MUST ATTEND — put the meetings schedule in your calendar now; check on Lexington Downtown Development Authority meetings | For Jan. 26 paper: ZONING MEETING FIRST WEEK: The Oglethorpe County Zoning Board is holding a meeting on Monday, January 23rd at 6:00 pm in the Commissioners’ Board Room at 105 Union Point St. Lexington, GA. The purpose of the meeting is to present the following applications to the Zoning Board. Coffee shop at 9 Callaway Road, Crawford and Deer processing plant, Tax Parcel 037 (HIGH INTEREST) | SANDERS BBQ: Beloved community BBQ restaurant is only open on Fridays and Saturdays, but has a loyal following. It’s in the Vesta/Carlton area, on Highway 22. | BLOODROOT BLADES: In-demand knife company based in Arnoldsville makes custom knives for chefs and a variety of professions. The website said it's waiting is 52 months. What makes them so popular? | EMPLOYMENT ISSUES: Subway, Burger King, and Dollar General have been among the employers who have had a tough time finding employees. The Sheriff's Office has been looking for deputies. Quiet Oaks and Greater Georgia Printers are possible other sources. | Younger people (mid-20s) moving out to the county because housing prices (rentals) are so high in Athens (also happening in Barrow) | TRAFFIC ALONG 78, OTHER ROADS: Check to see if there's been a recent traffic count along Highway 78 and other main thoroughfares through the county. If so, what’s the Sheriff’s Office doing about it? Traffic cameras, speed signs, increased patrolling have been solutions/improvements we’ve reported. | TRAFFIC DEATHS DOWN: There were nine traffic fatalities in the OC in 2021, one of the worst years on record in the county. That number dropped to two in 2022. What are the reasons behind that? | BLACKBIRD BBQ — Need some reporting on this one, but I think this BBQ food truck recently opened and is based out of OC. Not sure, though. https://www.instagram.com/theblackbirdque/ | Folo broadband for where money and infrastructure is coming from | Chamber of commerce — Update on the chamber of commerce membership and where leadership sees that organization going. Also heard that Linda Parish might have resigned as the office manager, so need to check on that. She’s still listed on the website and was in the most recent photos. | Story on tourism in the OC. Linda Parish said most of the visitors she gets at her store are out of towners. What kind of role does tourism place in the OC? | GRANITE INDUSTRY: Update and overview on granite business. Although Elberton is listed as the granite capital of the world country, much of the granite they have used has always come from Oglethorpe county. That may have changed when the Chinese got involved sending dimension stone over on ships. They finished it on the ships unloaded in savannah and trucked it to Elberton. I understand that a lot of the local granite now ends up being used for cut stone gravel and not near as much for headstones. | GRANITE HOMES: There are granite homes and barns in the county. The Linnemans in Crawford might have one. | BUNKER HILL CONSTRUCTION: There are several new housing/multi-purpose developments going in at the corner of U.S. 78 and Bunker Hill Road between Lexington and Crawford. Check with the developers and get an update on the progress. | COMMUNITY CIGAR: Owner Glynn Segar reportedly has a thriving online business and a storefront in downtown Lexington. Also sells knives and coffee. Communitycigar.com. | RYAN PITTMAN: Longtime employee at Goodness Grows, he now owns a landscaping company and is supposedly one of the best in the county. | GENE BRADFORD: Mechanic owns West Main Auto Repair in Lexington. His wife Kim is Lexington’s city clerk. | Farmer Emmet at Falling Creek Farms has a bald eagle nest that appears on his property. He doesn't use any pesticides/herbicides/hormones/etc. and claims that bald eagles wants to be on healthy land. Might be neat to see if other farms have bald eagle nests. | Intersection of highway 78 and Old Edwards Road and Yancy Road — folo with Prof. Johnston on this | OC vs ATH: Better place to do business? | Buffalo Creek Berry Farms (April) | Double Bridges Road Solar Project | |||
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33 | Health and Diversity | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
34 | Team Alpha Reporter: Gianna Rodriguez | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
35 | Team Omega Reporter: Shelby Wingate | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
36 | KEY DUTIES: Build and maintain a strong working relationship with the local health department, local health professionals; report on the health issues most effecting the county and their possible solutions — including mental health, aging, etc.; search out local efforts at diversity for any and all industries; cover topics/demographics that are typically absent in reporting | MUST: Take a look at demographics in the OC that haven't been covered well (race, social class, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, etc.); update COVID-19 or other outbreak numbers (flu, RSV, etc.) as needed | OC DEATH RATE ON RISE: Coroner James Jackson said there were 65 deaths in the county in 2022, up from 42 deaths in 2019. What’s the cause? Is it the result of an aging population? | COVID-19 — how the OC has trended in comparison to other Georgia counties with cases, hospitalizations, deaths, testing, precaautions, etc. | Larger desire for more local health professionals within the OC instead of having to travel to Athens; what specialists have moved in or out more recently and why? | Laos community in Comer, Georgia | Health story - there are apparently a lot of people, relatively speaking, that search out raw, unprocessed milk. I know of only one dairy operation in the county the cabaniss family in Maxeys an organic operation. I have heard of the boys who operated that growing up they only drank raw milk. They have probably had inquired about it. Don’t even know if it is legal to sell. (This story idea came from Ralph). | The Covering Poverty folks heard that the DFACS office is not open there anymore - gotta go to Athens area? Check this out and what do families do? | Wellness Counselors at OC school systems; Mollie Cole mcole@oglethorpe.k12.ga.us and Dr. Tonia Willis @twillis@oglethorpe.k12.ga.us | Broadband Telehealth — how is it used in the county, by area providers, especially with rural health? | FENTANYL/DRUG ISSUES: Explore the Fentanyl/drug issues in the county. Most of the arrest report involving drugs mentions marijuana, but various arrests mention schedule I controlled substances, methamphetamine and possession and use of drug related objects. | We have written a few stories on the OC UGA Extension Office. It might be good to check up on them every now and then to see if there are program updates or new programs. Brad Averill is the contact. His email is bradley.averill@uga.edu and his cell is (517)749-4281. | Healthcare/CNA class at the high school. Contact: Erin Bunch ((cell: (706)255-2991)) | There is an EMT class at the high school. Erin Bunch should be able to put someone in contact with that teacher. | The GA mental health bill passed on 3/31/22. It might be interesting to follow along and see if anything changes in OC when it relates to mental health. If not, why? | Keep an eye out for stories at Quiet Oaks nursing home in Crawford. Chris Wrenn ((cell: (770)861-8222)) is great and is the administrator. | GHOSTS OF OGLETHORPE COUNTY: Tracy Adkins, who wrote “Ghosts of Athens” has reportedly researched ghosts in Oglethorpe County. Are there haunted houses in the county? Kathleen deMarrais thinks she has a ghost in her home. | Division of Family and Children Services board Meeting (virtual): Feb. 14 10am-11am https://www.oglethorpecountyga.gov/ | animal neglect, stray animals in the OC? contact animal hosptial, grooming clinic | Possible solutions journalism story-- for how these researchers/ health departments are trying to understand vaccine hesitancy and overcome it by listening? Your Voice Matters on Jan 30th 5:30-7:30pm in Elberton | |||||||
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38 | History and Religion | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
39 | Team Alpha Reporter: Maddie Daniel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
40 | Team Omega Reporter: Gray Jones | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
41 | KEY DUTIES: Build and maintain strong working relationships with historic and religious organizations throughout the county; cover events and gatherings for the community; report on initiatives and programming; explore and investigate historic places, buildings and events throughout the county and relate them to today; cover the religious expressions and communities of the people within the county and their events, service programs, etc. | MUST: Take a look at cultural places or events in the OC that haven't been covered well so far; check with Historic Oglethorpe for meeting schedule | HOGAN HOUSE/STORE: Older house/store in Lexington. Once called the Birdsong house. Might be worth exploring history there. Many people on social media upset that it's falling in. | NAT HANSFORD PROFILE: Former president of UNG and Synovus Bank board member owns an historic home in the OC. Might be a human interest story there even without the home angle. | MILLSTONE CHURCH: Perhaps the oldest church in the OC, it has a rock that’s engraved that it was near the boyhood home of Meriwether Lewis, of Lewis and Clark fame, who was born in Virginia, but spent part of his youth in OC. | Lewis (of Lewis and Clark) from Oglethorpe County — Tom Gresham | JACK HOWARD HOME: Jack Howard owns one of the oldest homes in the county on Salem Church Road. | Digital Atlas of Historic Oglethorpe County project — Oglethorpe County has the locations and names of 458 cemeteries available online, thanks to earlier work by Historic Oglethorpe. In a similar fashion this project will provide the names, dates, and locations of mills, churches, schools, old post offices, communities and other historic resources in a digital format. Contacts: Kathleen deMarrais 706-338-7695; Tom Gresham 706-742-7195 | Lena Wise — Who was Lena Wise? The community center in Crawford is named for her. Contact: Cary Fordyce, Chip Rosenthal | Bank robbery in Crawford — Don’t have many details about this, but there was a bank robbery in Crawford (1950s or ‘60s) with interesting details. — Commercial Bank still has the gun in its vaults?!?! | Gas explosion in Crawford — This fall (need exact date, but in November or December) is the 60th anniversary of a gas explosion in Crawford. I don’t think there were any fatalities, but it was near what is now the G Brand BBQ building, so downtown. | OC church culture — Many of the churches in OC are small and led by part-time pastors. What’s the attitude of the congregations with dwindling numbers? What keeps them going? Could also address the Black church culture in OC with Gospel singings and weekly revivals that are a thing of the past in many areas. | BURL SALMON HOUSE: Don’t know much about this house. Contacted Lori about being in Home Grown, but they were out of town. Contact: 202-236-0801. | Historic Oglethorpe — Feature on the group and everything that it does. Contacts: Kathleen deMarrais 706-338-7695; Tom Gresham 706-742-7195 | |||||||||||||
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43 | Arts & Entertainment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
44 | Team Alpha Reporter: Sophie McLeod | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
45 | Team Omega Reporter: Ramon Elortondo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
46 | KEY DUTIES: Build and maintain strong working relationships with arts and local organizations throughout the county; cover arts-related events and gatherings for the community; report on initiatives and programming for the arts | MUST: Cover food, music and lifestyle stories, like we started with Home & Garden's Home Grown, in addition to the fine arts and craftspeople of the OC | Murals around OC — There are several murals around the OC, including one with Disney characters in downtown Crawford. What’s the story behind these murals, especially the one in Crawford. | DAVID KETTLE: Makes rocking chairs and tables, possibly other furniture. He’s sold five rocking chairs at the Rowdy Rooster. 706-410-8390 | WEDDING VENUES: Platt Brooks Estate, Historic Smithonia Farms, Cloverleaf Farm are among the wedding and event venues in the county. Each provides different settings and vibes. Are there others? Maybe schedule/summer for spring wedding season. | TOM THON PROFILE: Actor with movie/TV show/video game credits, he recently moved to Oglethorpe County. Also a photographer with photos for sale in the Rowdy Rooster. | OC NATIVE AT SESAME STREET: Jimmica Collins, an OCHS grad works at Sesame Street. She went to NYU, is an actress and possibly a puppeteer. She signed a non-disclosure agreement, so she couldn’t talk during the summer. Not sure when it ends. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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48 | Sports Coverage | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
49 | Team Alpha Reporter: Emily Dozier | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
50 | Team Omega Reporter: Ryland Goede | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
51 | KEY DUTIES: Build and maintain a strong working relationship with the athletic director and coaches at Oglethorpe County High School and the other schools in the system/district; Occassional big game coverage, but most reporting to focus on players, coaches and standout or key moments in athletics for the county; keep tabs on win/loss totals for each sport in each season to follow into post-season features; look for supporting members within the community to feature | MUST: Do a preview story (WITH roster and schedule graphic) for each new OCHS sport in season | For Feb. 9 paper UNLESS it's early morning — we might be able to get it in the Feb. 2 paper?!?!?! — SIGNING DAY: OCHS football players Jayland Richardson and KB Bonds will sign on Feb. 1. Contact: Coach Matt Beyatt | Girls track — places top in state for past several years | Write human interest features about individuals and athletic events throughout the county, including possible standing features; | Write human interest features about individuals and athletic events throughout the county, including possible standing features; | OCHS track update — Getting to the bottom of the Issues with the OCHS track and its impact on the team and the costs to repair it. Still hadn’t been repaired as of early August. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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53 | Sports and Recreation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
54 | Team Alpha Reporter: Molly Linder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
55 | Team Omega Reporter: Olivia Shapiro | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
56 | KEY DUTIES: Build and maintain a strong working relationship with the recreation department director and staff; Identify and report on significant trends and other sports (not school affiliated) throughout the county like Little League, pickleball, etc.; coverage of recereational events like hunting, hiking, water sports, 5Ks, the Firefly Trail, animal-involved endeavors (bird watching, dog shows, etc.) that the community participates in; help with quick-turn stories in sports as needed | MUST: Keep track of popular recreation trends in the OC, including hunting, fishing, bicycling, etc. | HUNTING SEASONS — Keep track of what seasons begin and end and how successul they are. | FIREFLY TRAIL: The long-running, planned 39-mile rail-trail from Athens to Union Point, connecting Athens-Clarke, Oglethorpe, and Greene Counties. Most of it has already been constructed in Winterville and Maxeys and has been well-received in those cities. The trail has been VERY controversial in the city of Arnoldsville, as almost all of the residents are against it, at least if it follows the historic railbed, taking it through their properties. The city council is just beginning to tackle the issue now, and is considering having it follow the right-of-way instead, which everyone seems to be more receptive to. The Crawford council has just started discussing the possibility of extending it into their city limits as well, which is also facing some opposition from residents. The trail comes up at monthly meetings for both councils regularly now. Firefly Trail update — There are a couple of fall races scheduled to raise funds for the Firefly Trail. Would be a good opportunity to have an update on the trail and its next steps. | OCHS SHOTGUN TEAM: Who is on it? Who is the coach/sponsor? Where do they practice and compete? Who’s the crack shot? | REC DEPT. EXPANSION: The Echo has touched on this, but would like to see if there are more concrete plans to build more fields or expand other facilities at the rec department. | REC DEPT. ENROLLMENT: The numbers almost overwhelmed the rec department last year and teams had to fight for practice time on the overcrowded fields. Let’s get ahead of this story this spring and see what the rec department expects and how it will adjust to the numbers. Possible package with the REC DEPT. EXPANSION piece. (February) | WHERE DO OC GOLFERS GO TO PLAY? Interview golfers around OC and see where they go to play or hold memberships since there aren’t any courses in the county. Maybe get their favorite holes and area courses. | MARATHON/HALF MARATHON IN JANUARY 2024 Carole Black said Snowflake 10K will see changes next year because there will be a half marathon and marathon that weekend instead. Has not been announced yet (1/21/2023) So follow up on this when it is announced. |