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Excused absences for schools

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Saturday, March 8. 2014

The state school board recently voted to ease the requirements for Georgia’s school systems to make up cancelled days due to the number of severe weather cases early this year. [Full story »]

Updated: Qualify ends, candidates named

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Rachel McDaniel

in Headlines

Friday, March 7. 2014

Updated: 11 hours ago

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Qualifying ended Friday afternoon and the local races are shaping up for the May 20 elections.

For the school board, six candidates have qualified, incumbent Gregory "Ryan" Edge for District 1, Allen David Edwards II for District 2, incumbent Fred Blackmon and challenger Edd Sanders for District 6 and Charles Robert Gerard and Robert E. Adams Jr. for the special election for District 4.

Three candidates have qualified for commission District 1, including Roosevelt Willis, Mark Lennon and Timothy Daniel. For commission District 2, Russell Hayward "Peter" Potter and Tim Guy have qualified.

Election season is coming early this year due to scheduling changes approved by the Georgia House of Representatives and Senate in House Bill 310. Several local seats are up for election, including two commissioner seats, four board of education positions and city council seats for Concord and Molena. [Full story »]

Molena PD back in action

Posted by

Rachel McDaniel

in Headlines

Friday, March 7. 2014

By Dwain W. Penn

From among the massive crowd of citizens upset over the recent closing of the Molena police department, Mayor Jay Garner and council heard public comments at the Feb. 24 hearing in city hall. [Full story »]

Settlement proposed to magistrate judge

Posted by

Rachel McDaniel

in Headlines

Wednesday, March 5. 2014

Commissioners proposed a settlement to a lawsuit filed by Magistrate Court Judge Marcia Callaway-Ingram against Pike County at their Tuesday, Feb. 25 meeting. It would include $10,000 in damages and $18,000 for her attorney’s fees in addition to changes to her salary. [Full story »]

Benefit dance set for March 8

Posted by

Rachel McDaniel

in Headlines

Monday, March 3. 2014

The J. Joel Edwards Public Library is having a ball. Dancers of all ages and skill levels will gather at Life Springs Church in Zebulon on Saturday, March 8 for an evening of whirling and twirling to the big band music of the Night Train Swing Band. [Full story »]

Animal control laws in effect

Posted by

Rachel McDaniel

in Headlines

Monday, March 3. 2014

Pike County’s new animal control ordinance addresses nuisance dogs, dangerous and vicious dogs, cruelty to animals and vaccinations, among other things. [Full story »]

Local author signs books March 1

Posted by

Rachel McDaniel

in Headlines

Wednesday, February 26. 2014

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Local author Ann W. Yearwood will sign her most recent book March 1 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at A Novel Experience in Zebulon. [Full story »]

Filming for TV show ongoing in Pike

Posted by

Rachel McDaniel

in Headlines

Tuesday, February 25. 2014

By Valerie Gales

Several locations in Pike County will be featured in upcoming episodes of Rectify, a Sundance Channel television series. Other locations in the county will be filmed for scenes before the crew moves on to Lamar County for filming. [Full story »]

Local attorney Johnston to seek senate seat

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Headlines

Monday, February 24. 2014

Local attorney Bill Johnston has announced his decision to seek election to the District 16 seat in the Georgia State Senate being vacated by Sen. Ronnie Chance who is stepping down. [Full story »]

Meansville discusses walking track uses

Posted by

Rachel McDaniel

in Headlines

Friday, February 21. 2014

By Dwain W. Penn

With Meansville council approving last month the use of the walking track for two events, city attorney Tom Morton drafted a temporary use permit and presented it to council at the Feb. 10 meeting. [Full story »]

Equipment donated to schools

Posted by

Rachel McDaniel

in Headlines

Wednesday, February 19. 2014

Sheriff Jimmy Thomas recently met with Pike County school superintendent Dr. Mike Duncan to present several items seized through drug asset forfeiture to the school system. [Full story »]

Ice helps peach crops

Posted by

Rachel McDaniel

in Headlines

Tuesday, February 18. 2014

By Kay S. Pedrotti

This winter’s plague of ice and cold has been anything but that for local peach growers, says Robert Dickey of Dickey Farms in Musella. [Full story »]

Valentine's earthquake felt in Pike

Posted by

Rachel McDaniel

in Headlines

Monday, February 17. 2014

When a 4.1-magnitude Valentine’s Day earthquake hit near Edgefield, S.C., the tremors were felt across the Southeast, including parts of Pike, Lamar and Upson counties. [Full story »]

Goats attacked, killed, 20 still missing

Posted by

Rachel McDaniel

in Headlines

Saturday, February 15. 2014

Comment (1)

Six goats were attacked and killed in northern Pike County Feb. 4. The rest of the herd ran from their pasture and are still roaming in the area of Bethany Church and Blanton Mill roads. [Full story »]

SRE whittling away at outages; now under 3500

Posted by

Walter Geiger

in Headlines

Friday, February 14. 2014

SRE crews and additional personnel have restored power to more than 5300 members in less than two days. Less than 3500 outages remain as of 9:15 a.m. Crews have been working steadily around the clock trying to restore power across seven counties. Some individual outages will last into the weekend. Members with medical conditions that require a constant supply of electricity are urged to make other arrangements immediately.

Over 80 additional linemen and contractors are helping with the process but it is a daunting task based on the devastation. There is a method for restoring power safely and effectively so just because you have not seen a truck in your neighborhood does not mean they aren’t working on your outage. Crews must start working from the substation that feeds a circuit and work their down to tap and service lines at residences.

Some areas in SRE’s territory are extremely rural with lines running cross-country. In many cases there are massive trees and limbs that have fallen across roads and rights-of-way that must be cut and removed before trucks can even get to the poles and lines that have been torn down. Clearing paths to the damage is extremely time consuming. Meriwether County in particular has been described as "Armageddon" because of the number of fallen trees and extensive damage to our system. Progress is being made now but some individual outages will go into the weekend. If individuals have damage to their equipment (meter base or conduit on the side of the house) or home, they are responsible for making those repairs before SRE can safely reconnect service.

Work is expected to continue through the weekend. The Civic Center in Barnesville and the Pike County Senior Center on Hwy 19 in Zebulon have been designated emergency shelters and will remain open as needed for anyone in need of relief. Residents in Pike County can call 770-567-3857 for transportation to the Senior Center.

Everyone’s patience and cooperation is appreciated. Members should continue using the outage hotline for first-time outage reporting: 1-866-244-4890. The operators are responsible for taking calls and reporting outages but they do not have access to information that allows them to give estimates on restoration times or dispatch schedules.