Opinions

Elections not over ‘til they’re over

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Elections not over ‘til they’re over

Dickyarbrough

Thursday, May 28, 2026

The good news is the primary elections are over. The bad news is the primary elections are not over; we now have runoffs. Then, it will all be over; except it won’t be all over. The general election is Nov. 3, so we still have that to look forward to.

The thief

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The thief

Rhondarich

Thursday, May 21, 2026

The email, from my literary agent, popped up. He’s the wonderful man who first believed in me without reading one line I had written.

Voting integrity matters beyond elections

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Voting integrity matters beyond elections

Iantocher

Thursday, May 21, 2026

With primary election results arriving this week — unfortunately after press time for The Eatonton Messenger — voters in Putnam County and across Georgia once more will be relying upon the integrity and accuracy of the election process.Most of that trust is naturally tied to politics.

Keep talkin’ Southern, y’all

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Keep talkin’ Southern, y’all

Dickyarbrough

Thursday, May 14, 2026

I’m a little late getting around to this but there is a survey out by a group called Writing Tips Institute, a website that teaches people how to write correctly.According to the survey, 51% of Georgians would like our dialect protected by law.

Southern rules for dinner

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Southern rules for dinner

Rhondarich

Thursday, May 14, 2026

Tink and I had a precious friend named Roy Hodnett. Roy, the kindest, most perfect Southern gentleman had, with his pretty wife, Anne, raised their family in Virginia.He sold cookies for a living.That’s the way Roy always phrased it.

Loran Smith Columnist

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Orlean Castronis

Loransmith

Thursday, May 7, 2026

The Georgia chapter of the National Football Foundation recently recognized Orlean Castronis with its Distinguished American Award. She is a retired former journalist and the widow of one of the most popular players and coaches ever to wear the Red and Black.

Dick Yarbrough Columnist

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Random thoughts on random subjects

Dickyarbrough

Thursday, May 7, 2026

I would like to say I hate it when I’m right but, jiminy crickets, I am right so much that if I spent all that time hating myself I wouldn’t have time to hate broccoli. And I really hate broccoli.

Rhonda Rich Columnist

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A mother’s story

Rhondarich

Thursday, May 7, 2026

It is a line that Tink and I quote often, always with a shake of the head. We will carry it to our graves.A dear friend of ours – a successful entertainer from a storied family – had a cruel mother who left her children to figure out food, school and life for themselves.

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Milledgeville Hidden Gems

Drew Hill

Thursday, March 5, 2026

While downtown Milledgeville is filled with familiar favorites, a few smaller businesses are quietly building loyal followings of their own.

Local author Randall Harman (center) of LetDCKnow.org was joined recently by Putnam County Board of Education Chairman Dr. Steve Weiner (far left) with PCHS faculty and students, as Harman presented prize winnings to students who wrote essays about the 1961 Freedom Riders protests. CONTRIBUTED

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Op-Ed: Recognize the Freedom Riders

News Staff

Thursday, March 5, 2026

Do you know why February is Black History Month?Abraham Lincoln’s birthday falls on the 12th, and Frederick Douglass’ is on the 14th of the month. There would have been no Emancipation Proclamation created in 1863 had it not been for these two men!

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