THERE HAS BEEN FAMILY SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS REGARDING THE SHOOTING DEATH OF A MANCHESTER TEEN -- 18 YEAR OLD AKEEM ELLISON AT A GRADUATION PARTY AT PARK LANE MAY 28TH, 2022 . THOMASTON POLICE CHIEF MIKE RICHARDSON TOLD 101 NEWS HIS INVESTIGATORS ARE TAKING A FRESH LOOK AT THE CASE AND IT HAS BEEN ASSIGNED TO NEW DETECTIVES. CHIEF RICHARDSON HAS TOLD 101 NEWS THUS FAR WITNESSES AT THE PARTY HAVE DECLINED TO COME FOWARD AND THAT HAS HAMPERED EVIDENCE IN THE CASE. AT LEAST ONE OTHER YOUTH WAS WOUNDED IN THE SHOOTING. THERE WAS HEAR-SAY THAT THE SHOOTING WAS THE RESULT OF A FEUD BETWEEN MANCHESTER AND TALBOT COUNTY TEENS.
South Metro's News Leader
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
DOWNTOWN THOMASTON SCHEDULED POWER OUTAGE
THE CITY OF THOMASTON ANNOUNCES A SECTION OF THE DOWNTOWN BUSINESS DISTRICT WILL UNDERGO A SCHEDULED POWER OUTAGE THAT WILL AFFECT PORTIONS OF WEST MAIN, W.THOMPSON, THE TRAFFIC LIGHT AT NORTH CHURCH AND WEST THOMPSON, AND PORTIONS OF NORTH GREEN STREET--NEXT WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, AT MIDNIGHT SO CREWS CAN REPLACE A POWER POLE. POWER WILL BE RESTORED BY APPROXIMATELY 3AM.
ROGERS APPOINTED DA GRIFFIN CIRCUIT
Gov. Brian Kemp announced Monday the appointment of Upson County native Michael H. Rogers as Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney, filling the vacancy created by the resignation of former DA Marie Broder.
GJC includes Upson, Fayette, Spalding, and Pike counties.
Since 2010, Rogers has served as GJC senior assistant DA. As manager of the Pike County office, he has successfully prosecuted all misdemeanor cases and major felonies in superior, juvenile, magistrate, and probate courts throughout the four-county circuit.
Prior to joining GJC DA’s Office, Rogers practiced privately in Thomaston, specializing in criminal defense, domestic relations, and estate law. He also served as an assistant public defender with Georgia Public Defender Council, locally with GJC, as well as in Fulton and DeKalb counties.
Friday, July 17, 2026
THE BRIDGE AT FLAT SHOALS IS CLOSED
ACCORDING TO PIKE COUNTY TIMES . COM--THE BRIDGE AT FLAT SHOALS WAS CLOSED INDEFINTELY AT 5PM THURSDAY AND GA. DOT SAYS REPAIRS MUST BE MADE TO THE BRIDGE CONSIDERED A MERIWETHER COUNTY BRIDGE. A REPLACEMENT BRIDGE IS BEING DESIGNED BY G-DOT--CURRENTLY IN THE RIGHT OF WAY ACQUISITION PHASE.
SCTC WELCOMES NEW PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS
Southern Crescent Technical College welcomed prospective students and their families to its Griffin campus for Preview Day on July 14. The event gave visitors a closer look at the college’s academic programs, campus facilities, student services, and enrollment process. Guests toured the campus, met faculty and staff, and learned more about technical education and workforce-training options available through the college. The day was designed for students considering their next step after high school, as well as adults looking to begin a new program or change careers. Preview Day also gave families a chance to ask questions about admissions, financial aid, and the resources available to students once classes begin.
UPSON SHERIFF KILGORE REPORTS ON AIRCRAFT EMERGENCY LANDING
News Release
FLINT RIVERKEEPER ON DATA CENTERS/WHAT THEY MEAN FOR THE FLINT
There are 103 known data center facilities in operation in Georgia. There are another 76 either under construction or in the planning process. They are owned by 19 different companies.
Obviously for people who care about rivers, creeks and aquifers, the amount of water that’s used by data centers is a concern. Data centers in the Flint River watershed or those that will use water from the Flint River that Flint Riverkeeper is aware of include (either fully or partially in operation, under construction or proposed): two in Coweta County, two in Fayette County, one in south Fulton County, one in Henry County (with another in the ‘rumor’ category), one in Early County, one in Crisp County and four in Spalding County (which would use water from the Griffin water system that sources water from the Flint River.) Many other communities are discussing data center sites including Baker County, Bainbridge/Decatur, and Albany/Dougherty. Dozens of Georgia counties and cities have instituted moratoriums or implemented new ordinances to control data center construction including Taylor County and Pike County. In Mitchell County, there has been a rezoning for a power plant which is related to data center development in terms of grid ‘balance’ and demand.
Data centers are typically large facilities that house servers, storage and networking equipment to provide services such as cloud computing, web hosting, financial transactions, healthcare systems, research, public safety operations, artificial-intelligence platforms, and streaming services. Types of data centers include ‘enterprise’ facilities which are owned by a single organization, ‘cloud’ facilities which are operated by cloud storage and software providers, ‘colocation’ facilities which are multi-tenant merchant facilities and ‘edge’ facilities which are smaller facilities located near and either owned or leased by end-users. These basic types can also be mixed depending upon the business models selected by developers and owners.
The main thing for people to understand is that the threat to the river depends upon several things. Where the data center is located matters a lot. The exact same size data center could pose a tremendous threat in one place and not be very threatening at all in another place. If there is adequate power and water and local officials are able to control the noise, vibration, light and any potential runoff pollution from construction or operational sites, then the impact is not zero but is a whole lot less. The threats are not uniform across the landscape.
Newer data centers can be extremely large with some operational facilities exceeding 1 million square feet (around the size of 17 football fields, more than 22 acres under roof). At least one data center currently under construction in the Flint River watershed will have approximately 7 million square feet under roof, including all machinery and office space, on more than 600 acres of land, plus an ‘extension’ slated to be in excess of 300 acres. One proposed in Early County in the Chattahoochee River watershed would reach 12 million square feet in size. Data centers account for 1 to 5% of global electricity use - about 4.4% in the U.S.
In terms of water use for cooling the computer equipment, there are two basic types of data centers, those with closed loop cooling systems and those with open loop cooling systems. There are of course ‘closed’ portions of any cooling system; the nomenclature refers roughly to using a fixed volume of water repeatedly versus ‘once through.’ Open loop systems are the most inefficient in terms of water loss from our river, creek and aquifer systems. The heat exchangers lose up to 80 percent of water to evaporative loss. The water is not lost to the regional and global water cycle, but it is gone from the local natural-resource base. If the data center extracts 6 million gallons a day from the local system, it may be evaporating somewhere between 4 and 5 million gallons of water. Also, there are serious effluent concerns. What doesn’t evaporate into the sky is usually wastewater that goes into a creek or a river somewhere and it can have a high concentration of pollutants simply because whatever was already in the water, even at ‘drinkable’ levels, is magnified in the water not lost to evaporation; even if that water does not pick up anything else along the way. Water going into the open system can be good enough to drink but the concentrated wastewater can cause problems in the effluent. We’ve seen this issue in a proposed effluent permit for the data center under construction in Hampton.
Closed-loop systems are much more efficient as measured by water use. Instead of millions of gallons of water, they use tens of thousands of gallons a day. That’s a much more manageable number from a natural resources standpoint. On the lower end of that scale, it’s like the water use of two large subdivisions. But, in order to get that type of efficiency, it burns a tremendous amount of electricity, so you are literally exporting the negative effects on our resources. The water that is not used onsite is used elsewhere to generate electricity. On the average, in Georgia, about 85% of the generation capacity relies on water, and 80% on the evaporation of water. One megawatt-hour of generation requires about 750 gallons. Therefore, on average, a large data center (250MW to 750MW power demand) will use between 3.6 and 10.8 million gallons per day OFFSITE in order to generate the ELECTRICITY required by the facility. (The math of that is 250x750x24*.8, or substitute 750 for 250 to get the higher end of the estimate). In other words, this water use is massive and is on ‘someone else’s river’ if the data center is in the Flint River watershed. Typically, in Georgia the larger steam-turbine-type generation facilities can be found on the Savannah, Chattahoochee, and Ocmulgee/Altamaha river systems. Proposals for new power-plant sites are pending in several places including Mitchell County in the Flint’s watershed.
In terms of water quality, both closed-loop and open-loop cooling systems have something in common with other industries called ‘blowdown’ or ‘backwash’ or ‘descaling’ where from time to time the facility operator must flush the system with harsh chemicals because materials build up in the pipes and would otherwise make the system inefficient or inoperable. That becomes a disposal issue, so it’s critical to know where that waste is going and what it actually is. Is it going into a local municipal system and are they prepared to handle it? Or is it going into a creek and will the discharge permits be adequate to protect the receiving waters?
Also, like any large project, there are concerns about control of sediment leaving the jobsite. Uncontrolled sediment is the most common pollutant in Georgia waters and can severely negatively affect aquatic wildlife and downstream users by increasing water-treatment costs for municipal systems and degrading the use and enjoyment of creeks and rivers for public and private property owners. Clearing land, excavating and grading exposes soil and rainfall often washes it into nearby water bodies if not properly controlled. Construction sites also frequently use paints, solvents, oils and other chemicals that can enter streams through runoff which contaminates surface and groundwater. In addition, adding surfaces like roofs and roads changes natural drainage patterns and increases surface runoff that can lead to altered flow rates for streams and rivers, increasing flooding, decreasing dry-time flows, and often carrying higher loads of pollutants to bodies of water.
Stormwater issues during construction and even after construction are all about proper containment. A 300- or 600-acre data center is like having 10 to 30 big box stores being constructed at once. A lot of dirt is being moved, trees are being removed and it’s a lot to manage. After construction is over, the design of how stormwater is managed is a big deal also. There’s also typically a lot of chemicals for cleaning, fuel for backup power and other potentially hazardous liquids that must be properly contained to prevent spills and keep those pollutants from showing up in stormwater that washes off the property.
Other concerns are about how land is used. Runoff from a forest or a farm is not the same as runoff from a bunch of rooftops and parking lots. There are also concerns about how noise, vibration and lighting can affect and disrupt wildlife.
Another concern a lot of people have is the use of eminent domain – the taking of private property at a price that you don’t get to choose - for powerlines and sub-stations and those sorts of things. More than one community experiencing construction of a data center has had to endure what in our opinion is an abuse of the government’s power of eminent domain to facilitate the revenue and profitability of both that data center owner and the power company.
Flint Riverkeeper works daily to prevent damage to and restore the
Wednesday, July 15, 2026
THOMASTON-UPSON BOE STATEMENT ON SUMMER PAINTING BIDS
THOMASTON-UPSON COUNTY SCHOOLS
Media Statement
2026 Summer Painting Project Bid Process | July 15, 2026
Thomaston-Upson County Schools (TUCS) strives to maintain honest and fair business
relationships when purchasing quality products and services through a competitive bidding
process. In response to questions raised at the July 14, 2026, Board of Education meeting
regarding the 2026 Summer Painting Project, the district offers the following explanation of the
bid process and contract award.
In April 2026, TUCS issued an Invitation to Bid for the 2026 Summer Painting Project. Two bids
were received. Martie Murphy Contracting submitted a bid of $121,225 for materials and labor
and $110,225 for labor only. Brush Strokes submitted a bid of $114,193.28 for materials and labor
and $93,063.29 for labor only.
Under Board of Education policy, all bids exceeding $100,000 must be approved by the Board. At
the May 12, 2026, Board meeting, the Board voted to reject all bids because the project cost
exceeded the available budget. The Board also approved issuing a new Invitation to Bid with a
revised scope of work that requested a single combined price for materials and labor.
Please note that because the Invitation to Bid was conducted as a competitive sealed bid process,
the Board did not negotiate with the apparent low bidder. In a sealed bid process, all bidders must
be treated equally. Negotiating pricing with a single bidder after bids have been opened would
undermine fair competition and compromise the integrity of the process, and the district is not
permitted to do so.
A second Invitation to Bid was issued in May 2026, with bids due on June 16, 2026. Two bids
were received. Brush Strokes submitted a bid of $84,972.38, and Martie Murphy Contracting
submitted a bid of $79,800. Following the opening of the sealed bids, district personnel contacted
both bidders to confirm their understanding of the project scope because of a significant
difference between the bid amounts for a specific location. Both bidders confirmed that they
understood the scope of work.
The district awarded the contract to Martie Murphy Contracting as the lowest responsive bidder
at $79,800, with the understanding that no change orders will be accepted unless approved by
the Superintendent. Because the awarded amount was less than $100,000, Board approval was
not required under district policy.
The rebid process resulted in a savings of more than $34,000 compared to the lowest bid received
in April. Thomaston-Upson County Schools remains committed to transparency, fair competition,
and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars in every purchasing decision.
Dr. Tret Witherspoon
Superintendent, Thomaston-Upson Schools
Media inquiries: David Eubanks, Director of Public Relations, 706-647-962
THE SUMMER PAINTING PROJECT BIDS AT T-U SCHOOLS CONTESTED BY A CONTRACTOR
THE OWNER OF BRUSH STROKES PAINTING COMPANY RYAN GILL TOOK ISSUE WITH SUMMER PAINTING BIDS AT TUESDAY'S MEETING OF THE THOMASTON-UPSON BOARD OF EDUCATION. GILL CHARGED HE HAD THE LOW BID OF $114,000 COMPARED WITH MARTIE MURPHY CONTRACTING $121,000 BUT IT WAS OVER BUDGET SO IT WAS RE-BID AND MURPHY HAD THE LOW BID OF $76,000 COMPARED WITH GILL'S BID OF $84,000.
GILL SPOKE TO THE BOARD AND TO 101 NEWS CONTESTING THE ISSUE.
TAX MEETING IN YATESVILLE 7/23/26
Upson Co. Tax Commissioner, Andy Chastain, will be holding his final town hall meeting to discuss new property tax legislation and tax relief that will be affecting this year’s property taxes. Discussions will include updates on HB581, FLOST, and HTRG (Homestead Tax Relief Grant) and how these will affect homestead taxpayers this year. This meeting will be held at Yatesville Senior Hall, 15 Empire St. at 6:30 pm on July 23rd . There will also be other county officials present to engage in a Question/Answer forum at the end of the presentation.
Tuesday, July 14, 2026
THOMASTON CHESS SERIES
COFFEE SHOP SUMMER CHESS SERIES
RAPID SWISS CHESS TOURNAMENT
WHOLESOME BOWLS COFFEE SHOP
105 South Center Street, Thomaston, GA
(762) 319-9119 or (706) 271-5944
Wednesday, July 22, 2026 at 3PM
PIKE COUNTY WRECK ON US 19
PIKE COUNTY FIRST RESPONDERS WERE ON THE SCENE AROUND 1PM TUESDAY ON US 19 NEAR MT. GILEAD BAPTIST CHURCH--A MULTI-VECHILE WRECK THAT HAD SLOWED TRAFFIC FLOW.
UPSON PLANNING COMMISSIONER RECOMMENDS REZONING FOR NEW IND PK
BY UNANIMOUS VOTE THE UPSON COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION MONDAY VOTED TO RECOMMEND A REZONING FOR THE IDA FOR A NEW INDUSTRIAL PARK TO THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ON MUD BRIDGE ROAD AT RACE TRACK ROAD. THE PLANNING COMMISSION PLACED SEVERAL CONDITIONS ON THE REZONING OF 222 ACRES INCLUDING A DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT SHALL BE APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS REGARDING THE SITE PLAN AND ACCESS IMPROVEMENTS PRIOR TO ANY PERMITS BEING ISSUED.
Monday, July 13, 2026
GRIFFIN ;POLICE REPORT FATAL SHOOTING
Press Release 26-004087
On Saturday, July 11, 2026, shortly after 10:00 p.m., the Griffin Police Department, Griffin Fire-Rescue, and
Wellstar Spalding EMS responded to a reported shooting at Raymond Head Park, located at 800 Anne Street in
Griffin. Upon arrival, officers located a 31 year old adult male suffering from a gunshot wound. He was transported
to Wellstar Spalding Regional Hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased. The victim has been identified
as Malcolm Freeling. The investigation remains active and ongoing. Anyone with information rega