Oconee County, GA Politics

Bogart animal shelter at risk of losing power

Caterpillar moves into Athens office space

Caterpillar plant to open in March - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Connecting Point Church to host mobile food pantry Thursday

Bogart area hit by nighttime burglars

Liquidation Center Expands to Oconee County

Woman with tuberculosis sought by authorities in Oconee and Hall counties

UFO Sighting in Bogart, Georgia, United States on April 24th 2012

I greatly welcome Caterpillar with open arms and deep pockets. Plenty of people are already seeing dollar signs in their eyes with putting homes up for sale in the area or at least making plans to do so. I would imagine a lot of the stagnant developments may finally get built or at least more built out than they have. My only real complaint, and yes it is self-serving and tawdry, is that they could have been more inclusive in the guest list for this event. Most definitely President Barack Obama could have and should have been there, and I understand his Georgia agenda for the day started at 4:00 pm. I would have liked to have seen the event not be so exclusive as to not have anyone from the loyal opposition in either party from either county.  Caterpillar should make efforts to connect with the public at large and not just the elite who belong to the right country club and or Chamber of Commerce. Caterpillar breaks ground on Athens plant | Online Athens

Man took hostages before shooting, sheriffs say || OnlineAthens.com

If Ashford Manor Bed and Breakfast is the gold standard for weddings in Oconee County, then the Thompson House Gardens in Bogart would take the bronze. If you like or do not mind trains (possibly interrupting the ceremony), then it might be the place for you. The parking and the setting leave a little to be desired, but the catering and spacious area worked well for a mid sized audience. I attended a wedding there Sunday and was favorably impressed, even with the CSX trains making it difficult to hear the ceremony. Should you have a baby in a carriage or a friend in a wheelchair, their ubiquitous pea gravel paths do not make it particularly easy to get around, but other than than minor quibble, it is a fine if somewhat hidden venue near Benson's Bakery in Bogart. It is also well within walking distance of the adjacent Oconee County Recreation baseball and softball facility as well and several playgrounds as well. It is probably less expensive than Ashford Manor, but no...

HULL Mayor Paul Elkins (I) / unopposed City Council Paul Cook (I) / 6 Paige Phillips / 23 (works in Watkinsville Post Office) OCONEE COUNTY BOGART City Council Four-year term (top two vote-getters win) Pam McNair / 38 Michael Ward / 70 John Larkin / 59 Weymand Steed / 40 Two-year unexpired term T.L. Turman / unopposed NORTH HIGH SHOALS City Council Post 3 David Lawrence / 110 Scott Wilson / 78 Post 4 Stephen Arnold / 98 Sarah Donegan / 88 Post 5 Violet Dawe (I) / unopposed

If you are a resident of the burgeoning border cities of North High Shoals or Bogart, Georgia here in Oconee County (with a tiny slice of eligible voters in Clarke County for Bogart), please go to the polls and cast your votes in the municipal elections for city council members in a couple of posts in both towns. Here are the eligible candidates in a list purloined from the Athens Banner-Herald. I believe both polls are open until 7 pm OCONEE COUNTY ► BOGART • City Council Four-year term Pam McNair Michael Ward Four-year term John Larkin Weymand Steed Two-year unexpired term T.L. Turman ► NORTH HIGH SHOALS • City Council Post 3 David Lawrence Scott Wilson Post 4 Stephen Arnold Sarah Donegan Post 5 Violet Dawe (I)

By nearly identical 2-1 resounding ratios, the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax passed (1039 to 400) and Michael Ward defeated Janet Jones (60 to 31) in Bogart in the special election Tuesday night in Oconee County, Georgia. The biggest shocker on this St. Patrick's Day Tuesday evening is that once again we are teased with the prospect of leaving Madison County itinerant State Senator Ralph Hudgens behind us as he claims he is running for State Insurance Commissioner, currently held by John Oxendine who is running for Governor rather poorly at the moment.

Go vote today if you live in Oconee County for the SPLOST referendum (essentially another penny on every dollar of purchases in Oconee to help our towns and projects through the unincorporated areas as well) or especially if you are a resident of the municipality of Bogart (which stretches into a tiny portion of Clarke as well) where there is a race between two candidates to replace Mayor Terri Glenn. Those candidates are Janet Jones and Michael Ward and I salute them both for having the nerve to serve as an elected official, a thankless task if there every was one. Just ask David Weeks . Thanks to Adam Thompson for writing the story in today's paper to remind me of this important municipal election in Bogart . Adam was treated poorly twice by a copy editor demon on Saint Patrick's Day. Must be that red hair. Happy St. Patrick Day, by the way.

I would be remiss not to mention the n ear-unanimous passage of beer and wine package sales in Bogart . Just in time to join the rest of the county and keeping Bishop and North High Shoals as the lone locations where beer and wine may not be sold in businesses.

With the loss of an elected mayor and an appointee to the Planning Commission, Bogart residents and acting Mayor Terri Glenn and the council members are faced with daunting task of deciding what they want to do with the future of the trans-county municipalities.

Very few municipalities have been as amusing or shrouded in mystery and controversy as that of Bogart, Georgia. I have not been to a meeting for quite some time as the powers that be at the Banner-Herald have decided I am not worthy of reporting freelance stories (thanks Melissa and Wayne). Recently resigned Mayor Thomas "Tom" Peavey was always one to get up in former Mayor Jan Thurmond's face when it came to matters involving her son Bret or just about anything involving the softball facility or recreation department. I can recall Peavey going toe to toe with former residents such as Jack Hierholzer and former mayors such as Robin Hoag and city council members such as Woody Bruce over any number of personal and public topics. We can speculate all day long on why Peavey choose to resign but he never struck me as typical leadership material. Peavey seemed to be very blue collar type in a white collar job. I wish the municipality of Bogart well and interim Mayor Terri Glen...

The Athens Banner Herald newspaper correctly took Oconee County Sheriff Scott Berry to task for inappropriate comments coming on the heels of the murder of a motorcycle rider in Bogart. The death of anyone is a tragedy and should be treated as such, not to be woven into socio-political commentary (even though that is what I am guilty of here). The editorial is a well written chastising of Sheriff Berry for letting his true feelings come out at a most difficult time. Oconee and Clarke counties have been remarkably free of conflagration and horrible tragedy on a mass scale, and I certainly hope it remains that way. However our leaders need to show a little more discretion before opening their pie holes to make fools or our selves and our counties. For the record, I have nothing but the highest regard for the fine deputies and staff of the Oconee County Sheriff's Department and have always been treated extremely well and very professionally every time I have had any reason to step fo...

City Council member Tom Peavey defeated incumbent Mayor Jan Thurmond in Bogart 70 votes to 44 to take over the municipal reins of Bogart, Georgia Tuesday evening. Ralph Sheridan and Tonya Wagner also won seats on the city council with 61 and 84 votes respectively. Jack Irvin III, John Larken and Tom Leach were the losers of the race for the two city council seats with 4o votes for Irvin, 31 for Larken and 18 votes for Leach. Sheridan and Wagner are replacing Woody Bruce and Gary Gunter, who decided not to seek re-election. Bogart council meeting are always entertaining with a whole lot more acrimony and constant controversy that your average small town political gatherings. Thurmond, a realtor, rubbed some Bogart residents the wrong way with the appointment of her son Bret as the City Engineer. The council revoked this appointment some months later. She often ruled the meetings somewhat harshly, cutting off citizen comments during the "on the record" part of the meetings. P...