Area News

The Grady County Board of Education took another step toward creating the Grady County Schools Police Department on Tuesday night. Board members unanimously authorized Chairman John White to execute a resolution calling for the creation of the school system’s police department in accordance with O.C.G.A. §20-8-5, which allows the local board of education to employ…

The September Term for Superior Court in Grady County gets underway Monday, Sept. 17 at the Grady County Courthouse. The two week term has both civil and criminal trials on the calendar, and Grady County Clerk of Courts Debbie Kines has alerted potential jurors to be on hand. Members of the Grand Jury will also…

The condition of another private drive in horrendous and potentially unsafe condition has been brought to the attention of the Grady County Commission. Commissioner June Knight told her fellow board members she had an issue in Whigham regarding a private drive that serves a mobile home park just west of Whigham. “The person who owns…

After eight months with no administrator, Grady County will finally have the position filled beginning next Monday, Sept. 10. The news follows the county commission’s unanimous vote Tuesday morning to hire J.C. (Buddy) Johnson III. Although the vote was unanimous, Commissioner LaFaye Copeland withheld her vote until Johnson agreed to sing for her. The new…

In an effort to make lower fire insurance premiums available to more Grady County residents, the county commission on Tuesday approved moving forward with the construction of a new fire station in the northeast section of the county. Grady County Fire Chief Richard Phillips presented three bids for the proposed 40’ x 40’ x 16’…

Four weeks after the shooting death of a Cairo man, law enforcement officials have no suspect in custody and are still awaiting information from the State Crime Lab. Willie “Russ” Bell was killed while in his yard on the morning of Thursday, Aug. 9. A city contractor found Bell lying outside his home at 696…

Grady County’s legal representative in a lawsuit filed by former county commissioner Charles Renaud has filed a motion to dismiss the suit and a hearing date on the motion has been set. Renaud’s attorney, K. Todd Butler, told The Messenger this week that a hearing on the county’s motion to dismiss will be held on…

The Cairo City Council gave final approval to the 2018 municipal ad valorem tax rate Monday night. City property owners will pay a net 7.70 mills this year, which is a 2.27 percent increase. However, at 7.70 mills applied to the city’s 2018 tax digest the city will have a projected shortfall of $172,757.80 in…

The Whigham mayor and council are giving owners and caretakers of cemetery lots in the city’s two cemeteries a 90-day notice to comply with all restrictions stated in cemetery lot deeds and in the Whigham Code of Ordinances. Whigham Mayor George Trulock says unkempt cemetery lots are primarily a problem in the old City Cemetery…

Grady County teachers and administrators are dissecting disappointing test scores from last spring’s Georgia Milestones assessments. The scores indicate Grady County students are performing below both the state and southwest Georgia region averages, but school system leaders say they are taking strides now in hopes of elevating student achievement next spring. “We had anticipated higher…