Area News

Cook County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Director Johnny West advised the County Commissioners on Monday, July 18, 2022, that the numbers of local people who are COVID-positive are increasing significantly. The Georgia Department of Public Health reported that Cook County has had 1,367 positive COVID cases year to date, West said. There have been 225…

The Sparks City Council took the unusual step during a called meeting on Monday, July 18, 2022, of approving a resolution to reprimand a Council Member. Council Member Fenley Castleberry brought up the issue as the last item in the meeting. Castleberry suggested that discussion of the resolution be held in executive session, closed to…

District Attorney Chase L. Studstill announced that Ayron D. Turner, of Adel, Georgia, appeared before Alapaha Judicial Circuit Judge Clayton Tomlinson on July 14, 2022, and pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter. The maximum penalty upon conviction for voluntary manslaughter is 20 years in custody, however, Mr. Turner was originally charged with malice murder.  District Attorney…

During the Adel City Council meeting on Tuesday, July 5, 2022, heated discussions about alleged inequities in City of Adel employment practices led to complaints of “racial” actions and a motion to fire City Manager John Flythe. The motion failed by a 3-2 vote. Dr. Treva Gear addressed the City Council during their meeting. She…

An Adel man was airlifted by emergency medical helicopter on Tuesday afternoon, July 5, 2022, following a single-vehicle crash involving a semi-truck on Coxstill Road. The Georgia State Patrol responded to the wreck scene at 1:10 p.m. July 5, said Trooper Scott Rigby. Malcolm Thompson, 33, was driving a GMC Arrow semi, without a trailer, towards…

VALDOSTA – COVID cases are rising across the Georgia Department of Public Health’s South Health District and public health wants to remind our residents how important it is to remain vigilant. From June 2, 2022 to July 6, 2022 there were 1,900 new cases reported across the 10 counties served by SHD (Ben Hill, Berrien,…

During a called meeting on Friday, July 1, 2022, Sparks Mayor Earl Jackson and the City Council presented plaques and flowers to City Clerk Sonya B. Philpot and Administrative Assistant Kelly Griffin in recognition of their years of service to the City of Sparks. The two women’s service with the City ended at 5 p.m.…

Cook County Fire Chief Johnny West announced last week that after a lengthy evaluation process, the Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating for unincorporated Cook County has been officially designated a 5/5Y, a considerable improvement from previous ISO ratings of 9 and 10 for much of the county.  “If your insurance premiums were rated at a…

VALDOSTA, Georgia — In May 2022, the Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) awarded 23 new contracts for construction projects across the state. Three are for TIA-funded projects in the Southern Georgia region. They are: • Coffee County: this project would resurface and rehabilitate the shoulders on 10.998 miles of Youngie Fussell Road starting at…

On June 15, 2022, in Cook County Superior Court, an Adel man filed a lawsuit alleging that Adel Police Department officers violated his Constitutional rights and used excessive force against him during a June 15, 2020, arrest. Gary Thomas Jr., represented by the Ifill Law Group of Atlanta, has filed suit against the City of…