The Georgia State Patrol is making final preparations for the New Year’s holiday travel period, which will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 30, and end Monday, Jan. 2. The travel period is 78-hours long. Colonel Mark W. McDonough, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety, said Georgia State Troopers will patrol during…

Grady County Commissioner Ray Prince will replace retiring commission chairman Charles Norton as the commission’s appointee to the Grady County Lake Authority. Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday night to appoint Prince to the authority. The decision was not made until after lengthy discussion as to whom to appoint. Commissioner LaFaye Copeland brought up the subject and…

Grady County commissioners continue to consider the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of GA Hwy. 188, Old Thomasville Road, and Airport Road. The cost of the project will likely top $1 million, which county administrator Carlos Tobar says will be paid for with state funds and not local tax dollars. However, county commissioners…

Lucky foursome will split $1,000 to shop locally Four lucky Grady County shoppers have some extra Christmas Cash to spend at certain local merchants this year. The annual Cairo Messenger Christmas Cash promotion concluded Monday with the drawing of four lucky names. The winner of $400 in Christmas Cash was Bobbie Ausburn; coming in second…

A proposed, new compensatory time policy devised by the City of Cairo administrative staff last year was brought back to the Cairo City Council for consideration by Councilman Jerry Cox Monday night. “This is the same thing the council this time last year voted down,” Cox said. He admitted the former comp time policy was…

Just over 136 miles of county roads will soon be re-striped to make county roads safer for motorists traveling at night and in rain. The county, earlier this year, was awarded a Safety Action Plan grant from the Georgia Department of Transportation totaling $180,000. Bids were solicited and two bidders submitted proposals to stripe 65.6…

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is looking for a redheaded man in a white pickup truck for questioning in a shooting incident in Whigham Saturday morning. The suspect is accused of shooting at an unnamed man in a wooded area on Harrell Road around 7:30 a.m. After processing the scene and interviewing the witness and…

Over half of ad valorem taxes due next week have been paid, according to Grady County Tax Commissioner Phyllis Gainous’ office. As of Tuesday, the tax commissioner had collected $7,627,975.99 leaving $6,473,780.68 left to be paid. The deadline to pay local ad valorem taxes without penalties or interest is next Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016. Of…

Voting is now underway by the membership of the Cairo-Grady County Chamber of Commerce. A slate of six candidates has been put before the membership and the top three vote-getters will win seats to the chamber board of directors. Directors serve three-year terms. The candidates were nominated by the chamber’s nominating committee, which includes Chamber…