Oconee County
Reporting about Oconee County, Georgia. Some stories will be republished in The Oconee Enterprise as part of a news-academic partnership with Grady Newsource.
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Nonprofit Hope 139 Provides Homes, Support for Mothers
Hope 139, a nonprofit that provides residences and resources for mothers who are at risk or pregnant, plans to open its first three cottages in north Athens this summer. Shelley Tanner, a University of Georgia graduate who holds a degree in nursing from Emory University and has volunteered with Mercy…
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Bridging the Gap: Working Toward Education, Prevention for ACL Injuries
A pop, a crack and instant pain. Selah Ogburn, a junior soccer player at Athens Academy, knew this injury was different, more severe than when she had severed her finger (later surgically reattached). This time, there was no visible damage, only uncertainty and intense pain. Ogburn first tore her ACL…
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At Bishop’s Crossroads, Chambray Tea Offers More Than Home Decor
On a stretch of state highway where trucks speed past at speeds higher than the posted limit, Caroline Lewis has created something unexpected: a place where people slow down. Chambray Tea sits at what was once known as Bishop’s crossroads in a century-old building that has housed a grocery store,…
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Oconee Commissioners Deny Special Use Permit on Jimmy Daniell Road
Oconee County commissioners voted 3-1 Tuesday to deny a special use permit for Oconee Medical Properties on Jimmy Daniell Road due to strong opposition from Silverleaf residents. The Silverleaf subdivision lies adjacent to the property. “I am terrified that someone will get seriously injured or killed just trying to get…
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Bishop Council Redraws Official Town Limits Map
The Bishop Town Council on Jan. 12 unanimously passed an ordinance to redraw the official map of Bishop using the town well at the pavilion as the center point of the map. The town limit is a 2,640-foot radius from that point. Any existing owners whose property was previously in…
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New GHSA Playoff Formula Changing Road to State Title
North Oconee’s volleyball team swept Ware County in a first-round playoff match this fall. The Gators only scored seven points combined in the first two sets against the Titans. North Oconee was the top team in Region 8-4A, while Ware County was the third seed in its region. On the…
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Rezone Withdrawn from Bishop Town Council Agenda
A request to rezone six acres on High Shoals Road for a special event venue was withdrawn from the December Bishop Town Council agenda. The Oconee County Planning Commission in November recommended denial of the rezone for the property adjacent to the planned location of St. Aelred Catholic Church, according…
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How Autumn Olive is Being Removed from Heritage Park to Help Native Species
At Heritage Park in Oconee County, an invasive plant species called the “autumn olive” is continuing to grow and cause harm to native plants found in the park. Cindy Pritchard, executive director of the Keep Oconee County Beautiful Commission, is holding bi-monthly removal days, through February 2026, to help keep…
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A Punch a Day Keeps the Doctor Away: Woman Gains Strength While Boxing Through Parkinson’s
Rolling hills, wandering deer and quaint towns slip past the clear windows of Marcy Floyd’s car as “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” drifts out of the speakers. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Floyd makes the hour-and-a-half commute from her house in Lake Oconee to the X3 gym off Milledge…
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Oconee County Board of Commissioners Votes to Amend Alcoholic Beverages Ordinance
The Oconee County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted Tuesday to amend the Alcoholic Beverages Ordinance distance requirement from any location to a school and/or church from 600 feet to 300 feet. The change follows the county’s decision to deny renewing Costa Alegre Seafood and Grill’s liquor license. The new amendment…