Area News

With the threat of the flu-like illness H1N1 looming mysteriously, local health officials want to protect Grady countians from at least the traditional flu virus with plans to also dispense shots for the new flu when they become available.Public health, school, law enforcement and emergency officials met Thursday to plan for an upcoming drive-thru flu…

An early childhood literacy intervention program providing free books for children five and under in Grady County is struggling to stay afloat financially. Grady County Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy coordinator Martha Fowler reported this week the book program is $800 in the red – a direct result of cutbacks by local businesses and grants…

The State Board of Education concurred with the Grady County Board of Education’s decision not to renew the employment contract with ex-Washington Middle School principal Arthur Anderson on the grounds of incompetency.The state board met last Thursday and reviewed Anderson’s appeal. In the appeal, Anderson’s attorney, Howard J. Stiller of Albany, claimed that the Grady…

Officials with the Georgia Department of Transportation announced Friday afternoon that Joyner Road and the new bridge over Little Tired Creek is now officially open.  Today’s opening is exactly a week later than previously announced by the state.Last week state officials said the bridge would reopen on Friday, August 7, but had to push that…

Cairo is one of 23 Georgia communities that were awarded a combined $10.3 million in Community Development Grants funded with stimulus funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under the State Community Development Block Grant Recover Act program (CDBG-R). The City of Cairo is set to receive $400,000 for drainage and…

A crop duster about to spray a field just north of Cairo clipped an electrical transmission line and thousands of  homes and businesses in Grady County and portions of Thomas and Decatur counties lost electric power Saturday morning. Luckily, the pilot, identified as Gary Prince, was able to maintain control and land the plane safely…

The new and enhanced www.cairomessenger.com went live last week and offers users added features not available previously.With the new site, the newspaper is able to alert readers of breaking local news via their computer or smart phone.Just hours after The Messenger went to press last week, State Rep. Mike Keown announced his intention to challenge…

Principals of both Washington Middle School and Northside Elementary School ordered the two schools locked down following a robbery at a nearby convenience store just before noon Monday.Butler’s Grocery, located at 1390 M.L. King Jr. Ave. S.W., across from Washington Middle School, was robbed Monday morning resulting in school officials locking down the two nearby…

Congressman Sanford D. Bishop Jr. announced this week that he will hold a series of town hall meetings to discuss the very important issue of health care reform. The meeting closest to Grady County will be held Thursday, Aug. 20, from 10 a.m. until noon at the Kirbo Regional Center on the campus of Bainbridge…

An Albany area man in his 60s is the first patient in the Southwest Health District’s 14 counties and the third resident of Georgia who has died from Pandemic H1N1, says Southwest Health District Health Director Dr. Jacqueline Grant. “With great sorrow, we acknowledge complications from the novel influenza virus H1N1 have claimed the life…