A newspaper is the glue that holds a community together

By: Dink Nesmith   Three years ago, I got a Monday-afternoon phone call. Little did I know that 1,095 days ago my first crack at retirement—about 65 days—was over.  Calling was my friend of a half-century, Ralph Maxwell, editor and publisher of The Oglethorpe Echo.

Existing firearm laws are not the problem

By: Mark McCall   This column is in response to LTC Otha Thornton’s guest column last week calling for yet more infringements of the Second Amendment.

One sad thing about fall

By: Tom Poland   I look forward to fall’s crisp air, college football, and colorful foliage, but with the good comes the sad. Hummingbirds take leave of us.  It’s been a good hummingbird season. I’ve had many visitors to my feeders, far more females than males.

Fall gardening tips

By: Brian Bradford   As most of you might be feeling, the nights and mornings are beginning to cool off a bit, and the days are starting to shorten.  This can mean only one thing: Fall is just around the corner for our region.

Happy to be living in such a happy state of mind

By: Dick Yarborough   Are you happy? If so, I am happy. But you and I might be exceptions. I just read a report by WalletHub, a personal finance company, that ranks the 50 states on a number of metrics to determine which states are the happiest. Georgia is listed as the 20th happiest state.

A call to confront gun violence in our schools

By: Otha Thornton   As the 53rd National PTA President, I’ve witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of gun violence on our schools, communities and families. The urgency of addressing this issue cannot be overstated.

On women preachers

By: John Donaldson   A few weeks ago, I accompanied about 20 church members on  a trip to the Classic Center for the Priscilla Shirer seminar, “Going Beyond Live: Experience the Truth of Scripture and Power of Prayer.

How do we find the disconnect?

By: Julie Weeks   As I was sifting through old photos and yearbooks last weekend I was reminded of the "six degrees of separation" theory. You may know it as "Bacon's Law" if you've ever played the game "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.

Make it easier for Georgians to work

By: Brett Kitteredge   Labor Day weekend gave us an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the American worker.

Sunday Rising

By: Douglas Huff   It is Sunday morning. I’m scheduled to preach in a few hours. I get up early to begin my day with prayer and reading God’s Word. The moon was in the dark stage last night, so as I sit on the back porch with my Bible and a cup of coffee, it is utterly dark outside.