Despite hot, sticky conditions last Wednesday morning at Veterans Wall of Honor Park, the crowd gathered beneath Eatonton’s new statue honoring Tuskegee Airman and native son Hiram Little, showed no hurry to go home. Instead, people lingered beneath the towering bronze figure, posing for photos and selfies, visiting one another, and taking in a tribute more than six years in the making.

The 5-0 recommendation followed nearly three hours of presentations, questions, and public comments on Putnam County Stone (PCS) LLC’s request to rezone approximately 343 acres of Weyerhaeuser Putnam County’s Planning & Zoning Commission voted unanimously last Thursday evening to recommend denial of a proposed quarry alongside Dennis Station Road, citing concerns about heavy truck traffic, incompatible land use, and property from agricultural to industrial manufacturing.

What began as a search for hunting land ended as a place for Elliott and Andrea Perkins to raise bees, make jams and honey, and welcome neighbors each fall for hayrides throughout their property. “We just enjoy meeting people, and that was our purpose, to create community,” Andrea said.

For three quarters Friday night in Woodbury, Gatewood appeared to have everything under control. Then, with just 40 seconds left in Q4, the Gators trailed Flint River Academy by seven points. What happened next may say more about how far Gatewood has come this season than anything that happened in the first 47 minutes of one game.

The Putnam County Board of Commissioners debated sales tax priorities and county spending in a three-hour meeting Oct. 2, as well as approved equipment purchases, road improvements, and employee benefit changes.

A project that took off with an idea, a conversation, a $5,000 retainer, and no real idea of where the rest of the money would come from is finally ready to land Sept. 30, at Eatonton’s Veterans Wall of Honor Park.

Nine years after two Georgia correctional officers were killed aboard a prison transport bus in Putnam County, their families, colleagues, and community members gathered near the scene Sunday to ensure their names will not be forgotten.

Golf may be the game, but the owners of Tee Time 44 want customers to know they don’t need a good swing – or any swing at all – to enjoy their new Lake Country business. Bryan and Amy Pulliam celebrated the opening of Tee Time 44 with a Sept.

Gatewood didn’t need just a win last Friday night; the team needed to find out what it felt like to earn one. After opening with three straight losses, the Gators put together their best all-around performance so far this season, holding off Southland Academy 35-21 in Eatonton for their first victory in 2026.

The Putnam County Board of Commissioners backed away from some of the county’s property regulations during its scheduled Sept. 4 meeting, repealing two ordinances governing property conditions and opening the door for existing planned unit developments (PUDs) to expand.

Experience versus new leadership emerged as the central theme Sept. 1 as Putnam County Board of Commissioners chairman candidates Dr. Steve Hersey and Lenwood Pickens faced off in a debate organized by the Putnam County Republican Party at the Eatonton-Putnam Chamber of Commerce in downtown Eatonton.

Despite falling 49-27 to Brentwood last Friday night in Sandersville and dropping to 0-3 on the season, Gatewood head coach Jeff Ratliff said the Gators are showing signs of progress.

Gatewood’s early struggles continued last Friday night in Warrenton, as the Gators dropped a 26-8 decision to Briarwood Academy and fell to 0-2 this season. The loss came against a Briarwood squad that entered the game considerably higher in MaxPreps’ GIAA Georgia rankings.

The Putnam County Charter School System (PCCSS) is preparing to approve a fiscal 2027 budget that relies heavily on local funding while absorbing rising personnel, health care, and other mandated costs. PCCSS Superintendent Derick Austin presented the proposed budget at 1 p.m. on Aug. 20, in the first of two public presentations that day at the Board’s administrative building near the county’s primary school in Eatonton.

The Putnam County Board of Commissioners approved an amended three-month moratorium Aug. 18, before approving any new data center, battery energy storage facility, or solar farm.

Angela Camp’s path to running an addiction treatment facility began with a member of her own family. Camp initially considered working as a juvenile probation officer upon graduating from college.

What happens when a writer’s words become an artist’s inspiration? That is the question at the heart of Paint Between the Lines, a new event collaboration between Georgia Writers Museum (GWM) and The Artisans Village Gallery (AVG). Both organizations maintain popular storefronts in downtown Eatonton and both cooperated in bringing writers and painters together to see how the written word could be transmitted onto canvas.

Gatewood head coach Jeff Ratliff isn’t about to make excuses for his team’s 47-7 loss to Tattnall Square Academy last Friday night in Macon. Simply put, the Gators didn’t play the way their coach believes they can play.

The Eatonton City Council met Monday night and approved a $9.94 million budget for the coming fiscal year. Additionally, the council approved a final plat for an 85-unit townhome development among several other project- related measures.

The Putnam County Commission spent much of a lengthy Aug. 7 meeting discussing the county’s proposed budget and tax burden while also taking steps toward tighter regulations for development, including a temporary moratorium on data centers, battery storage facilities, and large solar farms.