Area News

The first day of classes for Grady County students next school year will be Friday, Aug. 2. That’s just one of the important dates on the school calendar for the 2019-2020 school year approved by the local board of education. School teachers will return on Monday, July 29 for a professional development day, then spend…

A large slate of educators are retiring from Grady County Schools at the end of this school year, including a principal, a school psychologist and many longtime teachers. Whigham School Principal Mark Willis has announced his intentions of retiring along with longtime psychologist for Grady County Schools, Susan Zipperer, plus seven teachers and three paraprofessionals.…

A hearing on a lawsuit filed against Grady Electric Membership Corporation challenging its removal of the former District 6 board member originally scheduled for last Thursday was not held as planned. Superior Court Judge Heather Lanier recently recused herself and the case has been assigned to Senior Superior Court Judge H. Arthur McLane. Judge McLane…

Cairo City Councilman James H. (Jimmy) Douglas urged his fellow councilmen to consider having a joint work session with members of the Downtown Development Authority to work on plans to promote and develop the central business district. Douglas said he attended a breakout session on Downtown Development at the recent Georgia Municipal Association’s Mayor’s Day…

The president of the local branch of the NAACP appeared before the Cairo City Council Monday night seeking relief for residents who were assessed late fees and cutoff fees in contradiction with the city code of ordinances. NAACP President Cindy Williams, a resident of south Grady County, addressed the council and said that she was…

Investigators with the Cairo Police Department have continued to interview the victim and witnesses of a Feb. 1 shooting in northeast Cairo, but so far they have not been able to identify the gunman or the perpetrators of the crime, according to Police Chief Keith Sandefur. The chief reports this week that a photo lineup…

Work on the full depth reclamation and widening of Old 179 North is underway and progress is being made, according to Grady County road superintendent Stanley Elkins. According to Elkins, Scruggs Construction crews are continuing the construction of the new roadbed, which is being shifted to the west of the existing roadbed between Springhill Road…

An argument between men Saturday night turned into one having his face slashed with a box cutter, according to Cairo Police. The men live at the same address of 1220 Eighth Ave. NE where the incident happened Saturday at 10:19 p.m. When patrol officer Donnie Roland arrived at the scene, he reports seeing blood on…

A final decision regarding the creation of an oversight committee as recommended by a grand jury is still weeks away and on Tuesday, Grady County Commissioners heard a strongly worded argument why such a committee is a bad idea. Whigham Mayor George Trulock requested time on the board’s agenda to discuss the oversight committee proposal,…

Cairo Police are investigating a weekend shooting on 11th Avenue Northeast that left a man wounded in his chest. Police were called to 905 11th Ave. NE at 9:15 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1. Police officer Donnie Roland found the victim, 46-year-old Victor Alvarez Cortez, lying in the doorway of his home bleeding from the upper…