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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Oconee County High School Football Works to Combat Nationwide Concussion Trend
As both a father and the head football coach at Oconee County High School, Travis Noland understands the risk of concussion that comes with the game that has shaped him and his sons. Noland’s son Zeb, the graduate assistant turned starting quarterback at the University of South Carolina, was in…
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More Than Books: Libraries Are Community Centers
The automatic sliding doors open with a whoosh. Books are neatly stacked on the hold shelves, waiting for readers to come and retrieve them. The stairs take you up to rows upon rows of books of all different sizes, some skinny, some wide, some heavy tomes. Bright lights illuminate…
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Oconee County Fire Rescue Asks for Volunteers to Join Their Program
Oconee County Fire Rescue, located in Watkinsville, Georgia, is currently accepting volunteers in its firefighter and medical responder program. To become a volunteer firefighter or medical responder in Oconee County, you must be a resident of Watkinsville, Bishop or North High Shoals. You must also pass a criminal background check,…
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‘We’re Here Because of Ya’ll’: Police, Church Leaders Gather With Watkinsville Community for National Event
The Watkinsville Police Department joined over the weekend with local church leaders and members to connect with the community in light of the pandemic and protests across the country about police brutality. This was one of many events happening across the United States organized by Faith & Blue, a national…
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Oconee County Brings in Specialized Van to Determine Road Repaving Needs
Lights flash behind David McGhee as he begins his 390-mile journey surveying roads in Oconee County. McGhee is an operator with consulting firm Infrastructure Management Services or IMS. He is traveling through the county in a van equipped with state-of-the-art lasers to analyze the road conditions. “I collect all the data that…
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Enterprising Solutions: Local Paper Builds, Benefits from Facebook Boom
Ian Allen · Enterprising Solutions: Local Paper Builds and Benefits from a Facebook Boom Before 2008, advertising was a reliable source of revenue for the Enterprise. “We were buzzing along, selling advertising to everyone that walked down the street,” she said. But, when the financial crisis struck, advertising revenue dried…
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Flying Biscuit Cafe Opens in Athens During Pandemic
The Flying Biscuit Cafe is now open in Athens at 1180B Prince Ave. The company, headquartered in Atlanta, operates locations in the South, including Texas. The Flying Biscuit opened its original location in East Atlanta in 1993. The corporate website said the menu is Southern-inspired. The Flying Biscuit offers…
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Facebook Local News Groups Work To Inform, Engage Residents
In the early morning hours of March 19, a gunman killed 23-year-old RaceTrac employee Elijah Wood. As rush hour began, posts on the Oconee 411 Facebook group page asked about the police activity at the RaceTrac station on Macon Highway. Later, using information from county officials, local news groups from…
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Local Media Weighs In On Emerging News Media Models
For local news organizations, being engaged with the local community is essential to finding out what local residents want from their news and what they need to know. However, new media models such as news aggregators and those that include local residents in the journalistic process, are increasingly being used…
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Watkinsville Mayor Resigns, Walks Out Of City Hall During Council Meeting
Watkinsville Mayor Bob Smith announced his resignation, effective immediately, during the March 17 council meeting. Soon after, Smith posted an official statement to his mayoral Facebook page outlining how he came to this decision. It was a shock to everyone in the meeting, including the council. I think if we…