The arrival of summer means favorites like fresh seafood are back on the menu for many families. This year, as you explore new and inventive ways to add variety to weeknight dinners and backyard cookouts, consider including lobster as a versatile, indulgent ingredient.

To allow for an anticipated increase in Fourth of July weekend traffic congestion, Georgia Department of Transportation will suspend lane closures on Georgia interstates and state routes beginning Friday, July 1 at 12 p.m. until 10 p.m. Tuesday, July 5.

Editor's Note: In last week's issue, the rosters we ran with the two photos were incorrect. We are re-running them this week with the correct rosters.

Some editorial writers, columnists and activists are working overtime to tell stories of women who oppose last week's ruling by the Supreme Court that overturned Roe v. Wade. Women will die, they say. What about the lives of their unborn children?

The members of the Butts County Board of Commissioners and staff were invited on June 22 to tour the new River Park industrial/commercial development currently under construction at Georgia Highway 16 and Interstate 75 at Exit 205. The tour was arranged by project developer Doug Adams, who h…

MACON — Researchers at the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center at Mercer University, with assistance from the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture, have released their study, “Farmer’s Mental Well-Being Project: Statewide Survey Report.”

Though I communicate for a living, I find at times it is the simplest of sayings and messages that trouble me most.

There were times over the last 50 years when some pro-lifers felt they would never see Roe v. Wade overturned and the right to life again recognized by government.

Red Devil Hill and Wallace field behind it are currently undergoing major renovations. The new synthetic football field, new video scoreboard, and new home grandstands were ready in time for the Jackson High School Class of 2022 graduation in May, and the new restrooms and visitors locker ro…

On Friday, June 17, the Butts County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Talyahs Beauty Braids & Boutique, located at 450 South Oak Street in Jackson. When we arrived, we discovered more than just a new business with a need for its official dedication.

Georgia Tech

When I introduced “A Veteran’s Story” over 10 years ago, I did not expect so many stories to come "full circle," especially a "full circle" story in which yours truly played a small part.

President Joe Biden’s May trip to Northeast Asia rightly received extensive media coverage. By contrast, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s June journey to Southeast Asia has received much less.

ATHENS — Athens-area residents familiar with driving past two University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences research farms will soon have the opportunity to go behind the scenes and learn more about CAES’ role in the future of farming.

In the 1950s when television was in black and white as was the distinction between acceptable and unacceptable behavior, comedian Milton Berle would occasionally wear a dress in a skit, causing the studio audience to laugh uproariously. How things have changed.

The Butts County Board of Commissioners approved on Thursday, June 23 the budget for Fiscal Year 2023 in the amount of $26,250,894.47 for countywide operations beginning July 1, 2022 and ending June 30, 2023. They also approved dropping the millage rate to 11.959 mills, lower than originally…

WASHINGTON — There is a growing cry for Congress to continue pandemic-era health insurance initiatives, including enhanced subsidies that have been credited with helping to boost enrollment in the federal marketplace nationally and in Georgia.

While the number of volunteers who turned out for the fourth Jackson Clean Up Day on June 18 was small, it didn’t stop those attending from doing their best to clean up the streets of Jackson.

All across the nation this summer, Americans have been "un-hitting" the pause button, resuming travel, family vacations, and reunions, getting out of the house and largely back among the unmasked masses. 

ATHENS — With a record number of eight undergraduates selected as Boren Scholars this spring, the University of Georgia ranks third in the nation on the list of top-performing institutions for Boren Scholarships for 2022. These students will receive funding to study critical languages abroad…

While inflation, high gas and food prices, a falling stock market, corrosive politics and a looming recession are all causes for concern — even alarm — two recent Gallup polls reveal an erosion of foundational principles that are key to a stable and enduring society.

The city of Jackson celebrated Juneteenth on Saturday, June 19, with the dedication of a plaque at the Jackson City Cemetery commemorating more than 100 historical Black residents who are buried in unmarked graves in Section 10 of the cemetery.

ATLANTA — If you’ve been looking forward to paying off that student loan debt, Georgia Congressman Drew Ferguson has some good news for you.

CHICAGO — The American Medical Association, the nation’s largest physician organization, announced the re-election of Dr. Sandra A. Fryhofer, a board-certified internal medicine physician from Atlanta, to its Board of Trustees. Fryhofer will serve as board chair from 2022-2023.

ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp have spent the past month working to ensure Georgia remains the best state in the nation to live, work, and raise a family through historic economic investments and necessary public safety measures, officials in the governor’s office said i…

The first Jackson Square Food Trucks, held Friday night, June 17, fro 5-9 p.m., was a success as hundreds of people turned out to eat, visit and enjoy music and the Square.

The Jackson Lady Devils volleyball team is practicing three days a week in June, with an hour of conditioning and strength training, and an hour of practicing volleyball fundamentals.

Former Butts County Commissioner Gerald Kersey, 80, passed away on June 14 at Wellstar West Georgia Hospital in LaGrange.

ATLANTA -- Teachers across Georgia have been polishing up their resumes and hitting up job hunting sites.

At the age of 14, I had the maturity equivalent to a newly-born sea turtle. Footloose and fancy free, I lived the life of a middle-class white kid in a respectable neighborhood. 

The communist regime in North Korea is more threatening than ever. On June 5, Pyongyang launched eight short-range missiles, the most ever in a single day.

COLUMBUS — The ring-leader of a massive and lengthy scheme to drain the Muscogee County Clerk of Courts’ coffers of millions of dollars was sentenced to prison for his crime along with five co-defendants recently.

ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp provided updated figures regarding the Multi-Agency Crime Suppression Unit’s success since it was first established in April of 2021:

ATHENS — University of Georgia students contributed to an estimated $4.4 million economic impact on the state from services provided through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program this year.

Create long lasting beauty and pollinator appeal in your landscape with the help of perennials. With a little bit of planning, you can have flowers, foliage and seed heads that add interest to your garden year-round.

It’s time to kick off summer with a bang. With exciting summer events like baseball, sunbathing and barbecues filling social calendars, comes a whole new array of fresh, sunny day snacks just waiting to be devoured.

If the House January 6 committee proceeds to its seemingly predetermined conclusion that Donald Trump incited the Capitol riot and tried to reverse the results of the 2020 election and if they recommend to the Department of Justice that Trump committed criminal acts and should be prosecuted, President Biden will face a serious choice.

Monday night, June 13 the Butts County Board of Commissioners recognized Christy Williams, zoning administrator for the Planning and Development Department, for her 24-plus years of service to the county. Williams is retiring from the county after having spent most of her county career in th…

Congratulations to Butts County Victim Advocate Bonita Lynn, who has recently received credentialing by the National Advocate Credentialing Program (NACP) at the Advanced Level with a designation of Comprehensive Victim Intervention Specialist. To qualify requires a combination of documented…

The Butts County Fire Department wants everyone to stay safe in this summer heat.

The Jackson High School Class of 1970 met at The Brickery in Jackson on June 11 to celebrate the 50th (+2) reunion of their graduation on June 1, 1970.