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Sharon Cobb Flanagan, of the Dodge County Farmer’s Market, approached the Eastman City Council to remind members of the grand opening of the farmer’s market this Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with the official ribbon-cutting taking place at 10:00 a.m.
In fact, the open-air market will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. every Saturday from April 2, 2016, to December 17 on the Dodge County Courthouse grounds, except in cases of severe weather.
Entertainment at the opening will include music from Morning Train, a raffle, a petting zoo – including pony rides – courtesy of Tom Cranford and a cooking demonstration, which will take place at 10:30 a.m.
Additionally, the farmer’s market will have a suggestion box at its information table.
Produce available at the inaugural event will include kale, broccoli, lettuce, sweet potatoes, onions, carrots and strawberries, among other options. Flanagan stated that more will be available in the future, according to commitments from other vendors.
Other availabilities include eggs, hanging baskets from the Dodge County High School Future Farmers of America and fresh meats.
After making these reminders, Flanagan formally requested sponsorship from the city at the amount of $1,000.00.
City council member Milton Johnson moved instead for a sponsorship of $1,500.00 “to the Dodge County Farmer’s Market Development Authority to assist in establishing a farmer’s market at a county-owned facility, with the council finding that such expenditure is in the interest and of a particular benefit to the City of Eastman and its development.”
In keeping with development of the city, Flanagan noted that the official logo for the farmer’s market states, “Dodge County Farmer’s Market Downtown,” as Flanagan and her crew foresee increased foot traffic in the downtown area.
Downtown development was also addressed at the meeting in terms of city budgeting, as the line item allotting funds for downtown beautification was slightly altered to read “downtown development,” opening up different avenues for the city and the downtown development authority different access to funds for other programs in the area.
Henry Whitfield of Middle Georgia State University (MGSU) requested from the council sponsorship for its upcoming air show.
The Second Annual Heart of Georgia Air Show will take place at the Eastman campus of MGSU on Saturday, November 5, 2016. The gates will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with the actual show beginning at 12:00 p.m.
The air show celebrates the 20th anniversary of the MGSU School of Aviation as well as the 50th anniversary of the airport.
Due to this milestone, city council member Buddy Pittman moved to fund the air show at an amount of $5,000.00, noting that – although this number is high – the city has “put out a lot for other programs and schools.”
Charles Williams, director of the chamber of commerce, commented, “This airport is the future of this community,” commending the council on its decision.
The council approved a resolution recognizing the week of Sunday, April 17, to Saturday, April 23, as Georgia Cities Week, with planned programs during the week.
On Monday, April 18, there will be no city council meeting, as regularly scheduled. Instead, the city will hold a State of the City address at the Magnolia Theater downtown.
On Tuesday, April 19, the council will hold a business after-hours session to be hold at a downtown location to be determined.
On Wednesday, April 20, the city will hold a question-and-answer style work session at Dodge County High School to address young citizens’ interests regarding city government.
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Even with the cooler weather on some days, Spring has arrived in Eastman and Dodge County as flowers begin to bloom. These Azaleas are blooming on Fifth Avenue in Eastman in Jessup Heights subdivision. (Photo by Chuck Eckles)

By Taelor Rye
During the summer of 2016, Dodge County Middle School (DCMS) and Dodge County High School (DCHS) will hold summer school. Both schools will hold a session that begins on June 13 and ends on July 1. DCHS will hold a second session that begins on July 5 and ends on July 28. Although the first session will hold classes Monday through Friday, the second session will only be from Monday to Thursday.
For DCMS’s session, in-county students will be required to pay $150.00 while out-of-county students will be charged $300.00. Students making up attendance will be charged $10.00 each day.
DCHS’s sessions will charge the same price - $150.00 and $300.00, depending on student address. However, each session only counts as half of a unit for the course – an equivalent to one semester.
DCHS also offers an instructional extension during the regularly scheduled sessions for students whose average in a given class lies between 65 and 69, inclusive. The cost for this program is $5.00 per hour spent.
The board of education approved the motion to utilize a network specialist to help with technology two days out of every month. Rick Rogers’s letter of request to Dodge County School Superintendent Dr. Melinda Dennis states that the cost is $750.00 per day for a total of $1,500.00 each month.
Rogers details that the Dodge County School System has 3,100 devices connected to its network with over 482 users and over 3,000 students. Therefore, the need for another technology specialist is evident.
The board also approved the motion to remain as a fiscal agent for Family Connection for 2017 as well as to continue providing the Seamless Summer nutrition program.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the intent of this program is to continue “the same meal service rules and claiming procedures used during the regular school year… [through] a streamlined approach to feeding hungry children” in the community.
The program will be operated from within the Dodge County High School (DCHS) cafeteria, according to Dena Barrows, the school nutrition program director, and will take place “Monday through Friday, June 13, 2016 through July 22, 2016 with the exception of July 4 – July 8.”
The board approved Middle Georgia State University’s (MGSU) request for a school bus for the Second Annual Heart of Georgia Air Show at the Eastman campus of MGSU on Saturday, November 5, 2016. The gates will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with the actual show beginning at 12:00 p.m.
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Recently, Dodge County Sheriff Lynn Sheffield and the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department launched a new sex offender registration and public notification website called OffenderWatch®. Dodge County will now be part of a nationwide network of over 5,000 law enforcement. The new service is a citizen-friendly, easy to use website that enables citizens to search for potentially dangerous sex offenders and predators, which may be in close proximity to their homes, places of work, schools, churches and day care centers. The information is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is updated in real time by the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office as offender information changes and is reported. As part of this new, innovative service, citizens may enter any address of interest to them, and see a map and listing of all offenders within a user defined radius (of .25 miles out to two miles) of that address. Citizens can then register the address to be continuously monitored by the Sheriff, who will send to them an email alerting them if an offender or predator should register an address within their specified radius of their address. Citizens may confidentially register as many addresses as they like, at no cost to them. [Full Story »] 

By Taelor Rye
Charles Williams, of the development authority, approached the Dodge County Board of Commissioners, stating that the deal with Georgia Military College (GMC) to occupy the building previously used by Mercer University’s Academic Resource Center was “down to [the county] tonight.”
Williams presented the intergovernmental agreement among the Dodge County Murrell Memorial Public Library, the Dodge County Development Authority, the City of Eastman and the County of Dodge. An update to the agreement allows the library to receive funds such as grants that would require a matched donation from the city or county. A previous draft of the agreement prevented the library for asking for other funds, but the revision allows the library to request a matched amount of money from the city or county or money to replace lost state funds or funds from other sources. The first three of the four involved parties had already approved the changes, and the newly altered agreement was pending county approval; the board approved the agreement.
The hope for the GMC property is that the board of commissioners and city council at the end of the ten-year lease will elect to donate the property back to the library after receiving the total of their investment back so that the library may continue to use the property as a source of income for upkeep.
Because the upcoming Eastman campus will be GMC’s 13th campus in Georgia, the grand opening of the school will take place on Friday, May 13, Williams stated.
Sharon Cobb Flanagan of the Dodge County Farmer’s Market Development Authority visited the board to update its members.
Flanagan relayed that the authority held its first meeting last week, stating, “It went very well.” The authority also held training for vendors on Monday, March 21, and the list of vendors keeps growing.
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On Friday, March, 18, 2016 investigators, deputies and officers of the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office and Eastman Police Department executed a search warrant at 1069 Hawkinsville Highway in Eastman. During the search, numerous items connected to the recent vehicle break-ins were recovered. The search resulted in the arrest of Treyvon Bradley, age 20; Leslie Bradley, age 40; Paul Henley, age 44 and Ivelitza Colon, age 27, all from Eastman, for crimes including entering autos and theft by receiving stolen property. Numerous items were recovered including firearms, electronics and other items.

Investigators are currently inventorying the suspected stolen items and attempting to identify all potential victims. If you were a theft victim, please ensure you have a report on file regarding the theft with either the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office or Eastman Police Department. Please contact investigator Roy Conley or investigator Glenn Conley at the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office at 478-559-1130 or investigator Gary Widener with the Eastman Police Department at 478-374-7788, if you have any questions or concerns regarding stolen property.

Dodge County Sheriff Lynn Sheffield and Eastman Police Chief Becky Sheffield would like to thank the public for their help during this investigation. Both departments invested numerous hours following leads, processing scenes and conducting surveillance, which culminated in these arrests.

Both the sheriff and chief believe that best outcomes are achieved when the public and law enforcement work together to ensure a safer community for us all.

Dodge County Coroner Joe Smith has appointed Lisa Gilmore deputy coroner. She began her duties effective Tuesday, March 15, 2016 after being sworn in by Dodge County Probate Judge Al McCranie.

Gilmore has worked as a sub-contractor with both Scottish Rite and Eagleston Pediatric Hospital when child deaths occurred doing autopsies and with the Georgia tissue bank to harvest tissue for burn units. In addition to six years experience with our local sheriff’s office in the jail, patrol and investigations, she brings experience from careers in Fulton County as a crime scene investigation and Atlanta as a forensic technician.

When asked about her new position, Gilmore commented, “I am excited and honored to be given the opportunity to work with Joe Smith. I know he takes pride in the office of coroner and I’ve seen first hand, working on different cases in the past, the compassion he has for people and the office he holds. I’ve been blessed over the years to work in a field most people can’t imagine. I take pride in helping the living that are hurting and grieving, but I care just as much for the voice that has been silenced. I am passionate about finding justice for those that can no longer speak for themselves and helping those grieving to find comfort and closure. If I can help comfort one person dealing with overwhelming grief or find answers for those that are now silent, it’s worth all the work. I always want to be what God would have for me to be doing for someone else and that is what this job is about, helping the grieving and being a voice for those that can no longer speak for themselves. Thank you Joe Smith for having faith in me to work in a position that is truly a calling to help others”.


Gilmore joins current deputy coroner of eight years, Jay Coleman. Coleman is a full time Dodge County EMS paramedic. Smith stated, “I am proud to add another valuable asset to my team and look forward to working with Gilmore and what she can bring to the credibility of Eastman and Dodge County through the coroner’s office.

Gilmore is married to Rev. Ricky Gilmore and they have three children, Jeremy, Natalie and Ashtein and three grandchildren Caleb, Caylee and Raelyn.

Qualifying ended on Friday, March 11 for the May 24, 2016 Georgia State Primary Election and the November 8, 2016 Georgia General Election.

In Dodge County, those qualifying for Dodge County Commission Chairman were incumbent Dan McCranie (D) and George Thompson (R). That election will be held on November 8, 2016.

Qualifying for Dodge County Commission District 1 were incumbent William “Jr.” Howell (D) and Charles Dennis (R). That election will be held on November 8, 2016.

Qualifying for Dodge County Magistrate Judge (Non partisan) were incumbent Lonnie T. Parkerson, Jody Batts and Donny Stokes. That election will be held on May 24, 2016. If a runoff election is needed, it will be held on July 26, 2016.

Qualifying for Dodge County Coroner (Non partisan) were incumbent Joe Smith and Dell Atkins. That election will be held on May 24, 2016.

Qualifying for Dodge County Tax Commissioner were incumbent Kay Graham (D) and Tonya T. Sheffield (D). That election will be held on May 24, 2016.

Qualifying for Dodge County School Board District 4 (Non partisan) were incumbent Richard “Ricky” Hargrove and Rodney King. That election will be held on May 24, 2016.

Qualifying for Georgia House of Representatives District 149 were incumbent Jimmy Pruett (R), of Eastman and Mitsy Peterson (R), of McRae. That election will be held on May 24, 2016.

The Eastman Rotary Club recently named Fred R. Bracewell as Dodge County 2016 Farmer of the Year. His wife, Lillian, and others members of his family were on hand to see him receive this recognition. Also several Dodge County farmers came as guests of the Eastman Rotary Club.
Bracewell has operated his farm located south of Chauncey between Highway 341 and Sugar Creek most of his adult life. He operated his farm as a diversified farm operation including row crops, cows and hogs for many years.
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By Cindy Eckles
Both Samuel Frazier (age 28), of Rhine and Nathan Ward (age 37), of Eastman were victims of gun shot wounds after an altercation at an advertised party held at the Alcoa Building at the Eastman-Dodge County Recreation Department on Sunday, March 6 at approximately 1:30 a.m.
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