Ogletree worked closely with the GSC African American Male Initiative (AAMI) program students and has been a loyal donor to the college.

Scholarship recipients will be determined by the Scholarship Committee of GSC. The Craig Ogletree Scholarship may be renewed for multiple years granted the recipient is in good academic standing of a 3.0 or higher GPA.

“We are very excited that the Ogletree family has chosen to establish a scholarship endowment in memory of Craig Ogletree at Gordon State College. He invested so much time at Gordon with the faculty, staff, and students,” said GSC Vice President of Advancement, External Relations and Marketing, Montrese Adger Fuller. “He has made such a huge impact at the institution.”

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Top - Demoni L. Beck, Bottom - Jadaquis D. Noble.

"On May 27, 2022, at approximately 2:20am, Holland was traveling north on North Hill Street near the old People’s Choice Club," the Sheriff said. "A silver vehicle passed him and fired shots into his car hitting him multiple times. That vehicle then continued traveling north from the scene and disappeared. Holland stopped his car in the middle of the road, got out, walked to the front of his car, and fell to the ground. He died laying in the middle of the road on North Hill Street, alone. Spalding County Sheriff’s deputies, and Griffin Police officers responded, followed by criminal investigators and crime scene investigators from the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office."

“Since the morning of his murder, my criminal investigators have worked non-stop on this case,” Sheriff Darrell Dix said. “Early last week we met with Assistant District Attorney Holly McDonald from District Attorney Marie Broder’s office to discuss our findings to that point. After the meeting, we obtained arrest warrants for two suspects that have now been arrested and charged."

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The incident occurred at approximately 8:48am when a deputy observed a white 2021 Dodge Challenger speeding on Interstate 75 southbound near mile marker 193. The deputy attempted to initiate a traffic stop but the driver fled and a pursuit began that continued into Bibb County.

The pursuit ended when the driver, identified as Sergio Marquise Flagler, of Sanford, Florida, struck the pursuing deputy and wrecked on I-475 near mile marker 3 in Bibb County. One deputy was transported to the Medical Center with non life-threatening injuries.

Flagler was taken into custody and will be charged with felony fleeing, several counts of aggravated assault, multiple traffic violations, and misdemeanor and felony drug charges.

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Felicia Whatley is escorted from the courtroom Tuesday after sentencing for the death of Nathan Suggs on Veterans Parkway in 2021. Image: R.N. DeVane.

According to police records, in March, 2021, Whatley drove over 10 miles from Griffin on Hwy 341 heading south in the northbound lanes. During this period, seven drivers were reportedly ran off the road and one deputy’s attempt to intervene was ignored. Whatley struck and killed Suggs as he approached the second Milner exit in his white Toyota pickup. A passenger was also injured.

Before today’s sentencing, victim impact statements were made by several family members in the packed courtroom. Sugg’s mother recalled his life and how much she has missed him. He was a loving son who would go out of the way to help anyone, she told the court.

Whatley, who appeared very shaken, approached the podium and broke down several times as she thanked the family for its forgiveness and said she would accept the sentence she deserved.

Today was the end of a two-year nightmare, a family member said, noting that both families have lost a loved one. There were no winners in today’s emotional proceedings.

A large tree blocks Thomaston Street after high winds and rain blew through here Monday afternoon. Images: R.N. DeVane.

City crews were all over town working to clear the debris. City manager Tim Turner said it would likely be later tonight before power was restored and the roadways clear.

A minor fire reported on Skyline Drive was quickly extinguished by city fire fighters.

In addition to Thomaston Street, Cherokee Drive was blocked and Mill and First Streets reported limbs down.

Several Atlanta sources have reported that radar indicated wind downbursts of 125 mph were recorded in the area. No rotation or evidence of a tornado was noted.

There have been no reports of injuries.

Foodborne botulism can be prevented with proper canning techniques and equipment that prevent contamination, according to UGA Extension food safety specialist Carla Schwan.

A recent death in Washington state was attributed to botulism, a toxin that is a byproduct of the heat-resistant spores of a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum that likely originated from a home-canned food.

If low-acid foods are not processed properly, the spores survive and convert into growing cells. As the cells grow and multiply, they produce a neurotoxin that can lead to serious illness and even death.

While the number of cases of foodborne botulism is not high relative to other pathogens like Salmonella enterica, the case fatality rate is significantly higher.

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The Lamar County School System has not, and does not plan to raise the school tax rate in Lamar. We have one of the lowest tax rates in the area, and we have lowered the tax rate every year since 2019. We hope to be able to lower it again this year, despite the fact we have no large commercial tax base or revenue stream in our county (interstate traffic, etc).

The Lamar County School System has nothing to do with property appraisals or tax assessments. This is a duty of the local tax office, who is required by state law to keep property assessments in line with current home values.

The Lamar County School System's "per student expenditure" is far below the state average and amongst the lowest in the area.

The Lamar County School System did grant an income based "senior exemption" several years ago to ease the tax burden on the elderly. To clarify, all exemptions shift the tax burden to all other Lamar County citizens who do not qualify.

On average, school systems in Georgia rely on their local tax base to fund 45 percent of their annual budget. The Lamar County School System annual budget is comprised 40 percent from local taxes.

We are currently building the 2022-23 Budget, and we will set the new tax rate in late July or August, at a rate as low as possible to effectively operate our system (like we do every year).

A few other mistruths floating along with these conversations:

We have never denied or discouraged public participation at school board meetings. We have procedures in place to hear and address concerns. None of these procedures are designed to limit or suppress speech. We are open to feedback at every level and have plans in place to address them at the root cause.

Not a penny of property tax was used to build or make payments on the new high school, stadium, fine arts center, or facility upgrades.

Some are using this opportunity to point out a "D Rating" of our system. This is a 2019 score based on 2018 data from a rating system where out of 212 reporting systems, only THREE systems (1.4%) received an "A" (a 90, and two 92's) and only 16% received a "B". Lamar was a "C" system in 2017 & 2018. It is worth pointing out that only public schools have accountability measures and targets. Unfortunately COVID created a lapse in data to provide our progress. Our staff has worked hard to identify areas to improve upon, and we believe strides are being made in these areas.

We share in the frustration and concerns that mass inflation has caused Lamar County residents, and we will do our part to reduce the impact, while ensuring our students receive a quality education.

We sincerely appreciate your continued support.

Stinson holds a Bachelor of Business in accounting from Tiffin University in 2011 and earned his Master of Science in transformative leadership from Bethune Cookman University in 2013. He joins GSC with 11 years of coaching experience from various institutions including Bethune Cookman University, Claflin University, Paine College, Lynn University and Boynton Beach Community High School.

“I want to first thank Dr. Nooks, Dr. Moore, and the search committee for giving me this great opportunity to lead Gordon State College Men’s Basketball Program. I am super excited to get started and look forward building relationships on campus as well as in the Barnesville community and the surrounding areas,” Stinson said. “I plan to bring a fast-paced and exciting style of basketball that Highlander Nation will enjoy, but also bring in student-athletes that understand the meaning of being a student first and athlete second.”

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