Area News

State medical authorities have performed an autopsy on a Cairo man who passed away while in custody at the Grady County Detention Center. Franklin Edward Lee, 58, of 331 Loblolly Lane, was in a holding cell at the county facility when a jailer discovered he was unresponsive at approximately 9:40 p.m., Friday. According to Steven…

City officials are looking into how Cairo Municipal Court is being operated following a visit to court by a city councilman subpoenaed to appear in court. With the city police department being consistently over budget for overtime expenses, Cairo City Councilman Kermit Gilliard questioned why eight officers were in Municipal Court at 8 a.m. when…

Grady County commissioners want more information before they approve paying an additional $7,043 in premium for the county’s Workers’ Compensation insurance. The county is a member of the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) and its self insurance workers’ compensation fund. Traditionally, the county earns a rebate from the fund as a credit to its…

The Grady County Commission has hired Richard Phillips as the new full-time county fire chief. Commissioners unanimously approved Phillips’ hiring following a brief closed door session Tuesday morning. The fire chief position replaces the part-time Volunteer Fire Department coordinator position that was held by veteran volunteer fire chief Wayne Hadden who is stepping down at…

The holiday season kicks into full gear this week in Cairo with both an old favorite tradition and a newer one taking place in the coming days. First on the schedule is the annual Christmas Parade, sponsored by Cairo merchants and the Cairo-Grady County Chamber of Commerce and always on the first Thursday in December.…

The Christmas season is upon us and with it comes a special event that for 66 years has signaled this special time of year.  This Sunday afternoon, Dec. 7, 2014,  at 2:30 p.m. in the Cairo High School auditorium the Cairo High Band will present the 66th annual Christmas Concert. “Everyone knows the rich traditions…

Summer break may not feel as long next year with Grady County schools reopening in July for the 2015-2016 school term. The Grady County Board of Education will be voting on a proposed 2015-2016 calendar that sets preplanning for teachers to kick off on Tuesday, July 28, and the first day for students on Thursday,…

The Cairo City Council agreed Monday night to partner with the Grady County Commission and the Grady County Joint Development Authority to make an improvement to a city street/county road that could be key to future economic development recruitment. Local officials are seeking to finance a major rehabilitation of 20th Street S.E., which is a…

City officials continue to be puzzled by the amount of water the city is losing each month after the losses more than doubled between September and October. Last month, officials were hopeful a corner had been turned when losses dipped to 5,116,000 gallons, but the October report shows that losses jumped back up to 11,528,000…

The city of Cairo’s auditor presented a draft of the 2013-2014 audit this week and the report shows that city government took in more money than it anticipated, but it also reduced its spending to levels lower than what was projected to be spent. Tom Carmichael of Carr Riggs & Ingram presented an overview of…